A couple of days ago, there was a drug bust at a home in our neighborhood. It surprised us for a moment before we were brought back to the reality that drugs can hit home anywhere at anyone. They are now that common in our society that to not think they're not in your neighborhood might a little naive.

 I've been the news business a long time; nearly 20 years. It takes a lot to surprise me or get me agitated. And this drug bust close to home, while it got my attention, didn't overly bother me. Until after the fact. When I learned that my wife was scared to death at seeing 7 to 8 Sioux Falls Police cars down the road, wondering what was happening so close to home. When I heard Austin ask me about "bad people" living so close to us and would we get hurt? Would the police be there to protect us? Would there always be police officers driving the neighborhood? It really hit Mandy and Austin hard. And because of that, now it is starting to hit me hard.

 Mandy's fears are justified and she knows the realities of life. She is going to be a little more cautious and oberservant in the neighborhood now as a result. As always, it's the questions from kids that are the hardest to hear and the hardest to answer. I am going to have to try and explain to him that people who use drugs aren't necessarily bad but that they are sick and need help. I have to try and tell him that having police in the neighborhood is a good thing because they're looking out for us. But Austin is so young that when he sees a "black and white" police car, he sees it in a "black and white" kind of way. Good and bad. Right and wrong. I want him to see life like that but not be scared about it. Little lessons I will have to teach him and Cameron.

 One of the reasons Mandy and I left Las Vegas is because we weren't sure we wanted to raise Austin in a city where crime was common and where strip clubs and casinos were nearly on every corner. We wanted to protect him from society as long as possible. Judging from his questions, his reactions and yes, his little bit of fear, we were successful in protecting him for just about four years.

 Quote Of The Day: "There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in." Graham Greene

 This Day In History: President John Kennedy have his, "Ich bin ein Berliner" (I am a Berliner) speech in West Berlin, Germany on this date, June 26th, 1963.

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