Groundhog Day is Friday, February 2. In New York City, Chuck is getting ready. The groundhog "works" at the Staten Island Zoo during the day, and goes home with his trainer, Douglas Schwartz, at night. This arrangement gives the young groundhog as much time as possible with Mr. Schwartz. As they ride public transportation (Mr. Schwartz doesn't drive), he learns to meet his public.

It's apparently not easy being Chuck, or Doug. Chuck lives in a cage in the zoo's basement, since the zoo doesn't have room to display both the groundhog and their very popular reindeer. Mr. Schwartz says of his charge, "The patience involved is staggering. He's got a brain the size of a cashew, so you really don't have much to work with." He adds, "They're known for their aggression, so you're starting from a hard place. His natural impulse is to kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out. You have to work to produce the sweet and cuddly."

It would appear that Chuck's not the only one who fits Mr. Schwartz's description. Today's CNN website is reporting that a 20-pound stray cat tried to get through a dog door to eat a pet cat's food; alas, he got stuck in the door, his crimes exposed. The same website reports that two Ohio State fans got married in the parking lot before the big game last Monday night. We hope their marriage does better than their team.

Closer to (my) home, today's Dallas Morning News says that a local pizza chain has been hit with death threats and hate emails after it announced a program to accept Mexican pesos. "This is the United States of America, not the United States of Mexico," according to one angry writer. The president of Pizza Patron says he was stunned by the anger his promotion has generated. Whatever our feelings on the subject of illegal immigration, I'm not sure that a pizza place is the proper forum for venting them.

As frustrated as I can get with the cashew-sized intelligence of my fellow humans, I need look no further than the mirror to find that I am at least as culpable as anyone in the news. When last did you do something so dumb you're glad it's not in this essay? That's about how long it's been for me as well.

The good news is that our Father forgives every act of stupidity we confess to him. He separates it from us as far as the east is from the west and remembers it no more. The only thing dumber than doing something dumb is not confessing it to my Lord and seeking his forgiving grace. Why do you need to be smarter than that, today?

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