Family first

Families dominated the headlines yesterday.

Why shouldn't they? Everyone has a family, or had a family, or is planning to have a family, if child services allows it.

That said, families are big in news. Vice President Dick Cheney's family, is getting ready to welcome a new child. Mary Cheney, Cheney's lesbian daughter, is pregnant, and gay-rights activists are loving it. Cheney, who has served in an administration vehemently opposed to gay marriage and the recognition of same-sex couples, is now faced with a dilemma. Ironic, no?

In Oregon, officials have found the body of James Kim, the father who wandered into the wilderness looking for help for his wife and two daughters after the family's vehicle was caught in snow. Kim's wife and daughters were rescued on Monday without him knowing it, and he ended up walking "a long distance" according to CNN.

A story of such compassion can only be followed by the other side of the coin. In South Carolina, a mother had her 12-year-old son arrested for opening his Christmas presents early. The mother said it was the only way to teach the boy a lesson. What happened to a good old-fashioned spanking? Remember when we were young and we were sent to our rooms? Now you're sent to a prison cell. Almost as nice, but you have to go to the bathroom in front of everyone...