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11-02-06 I would like to mention a couple of very interesting and useful presentations coming up in November. The first will be at the Vernonia Drug-Free Community Coalition meeting on November 13th at 7:00pm in the Scout Cabin. The East-Metro Gang Task force will be presenting on "Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs". These organizations have long been a part of the drug-trade in the United States and more recently been participating in events in the Columbia County area. The second presentation will on November 14th from 1:30pm to 2:30pm at Vernonia High School. The topic will be "Internet Safety" for familes and will be presented by Oregon Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC). The presentation will be for the Middle and High School students but parents and concerned citizens are welcome to attend. ICAC is dedicated to providing familes with information to help prevent becoming a victim and to avoid the pitfalls that many young people have fallen into on the internet. As I have addressed before, we live in a time of incredible technological advancement to enhance our lives but has also created a medium used by some to exploit our children. Speaking of our children, I continue to be amazed by how much my children are constantly bombarded by societal influences. The previously mentioned technology advances have made it possible for the mass media to have access to children through many mediums that were not available when we were children. This time of year every other commercial on television, the radio, email, and the computer is a political ad. "Mudslinging" is nothing new but as a child I don't recall the type of vicious and personal attacks that my children and I see/hear everyday. In an article I read recently by Eric Chester, a nationally known expert on youth and their generations comments that some of today's political ads should be prefaced with a "parental warning". Mr. Chester points out that though we teach our youth to be honest, civil, decent to other people, and tolerant of others, political campaigns are designed to ruin the credibility candidates and parties. Mr. Chester calls this "hipocrisy" and I agree. We all remember as a kid when we were told we could someday be the "President of the United States". Mr Chester points out that it would be difficult if not impossible to convince children today that being the President is something they should dream about, given what they would have to endure to run for office. It's a different world for our youth to grow up in but it is still our responsibility to instill proper values in them by word and deed.