I *heart* Breitbart

http://biggovernment.com/2009/11/20/breitbart-to-ag-holder-investigate-acorn-or-well-release-more-tapes-just-before-2010-election/#more-34218

Since coming out with video after video implicating ACORN, media attention has died down. ACORN was defunded, but it looks to be only temporary as they are suing the Government, and sueing Andrew Breitbart and the reporters that broke the story, AND as Eric Holder has not initiated an investigation. But Breitbart has more cards up his sleeve, as he reveals in this interview!

Gun-control laws and the military

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2009/11/10/john-lott-ft-hood-end-gun-free-zone/

I understand that gun-control laws are a touchy subject. Guns are dangerous. If no one had any guns, then no one would be killed by them. Unfortunately, gun control laws make it difficult for responsible, law abiding citizens to obtain guns, but do not deter criminals.

John Lott, an economist, has written time and time again about the ineffectiveness of gun control laws, and in the above article, he supports his position by citing the laws that keep members of the military from carrying guns on base, and which so sadly resulted in soldiers at Fort Hood being unable to defend themselves against a traitor. The MILITARY!!! If they can't protect themselves, who can?

Validation!

http://biggovernment.com/2009/10/30/these-are-the-times-that-try-mens-blogging-souls/#more-22738

Why I'm still posting about Health Care

Because, in spite of it being "defeated," the Public Option keeps reappearing. And that's the one that had people concerned. There's so much on (or under) the table to be worried about without it!

Liz Peek on Fox

Big Government article

some articles, some thoughts

Thomas Sowell: "To Sue or Not to Sue"

Rush Limbaugh: The Race Card, Football, and Me

I find it frustrating when someone expresses surprise that I listen to or read Glenn Beck, or don't hate Rush Limbaugh, dismissing them as "controversial figures."

Frustrating because they use that as an argument to dismiss anything else I might believe in. Frustrating because they don't actually know anything about Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, or any other conservative columnists.

I have not heard or read every single thing ever said by Rush or Glenn, but what I have heard is a far cry from "controversial," "irrational," "racist," or any of the other popular accusations. That they are widely accepted as such attests to the effectiveness of leftist smear campaigns.

Not that it hurts them much--they are enjoying tremendous success for being controversial characters.

Cal Thomas article: "The Way It Is"

This article didn't talk about specific people, but illustrates the differences between conservative and liberal philosophies.

Oh, and here's another article by Victoria Jackson--I love her, by the way--which echoes what I said earlier about conservative people being labeled as lunatics.

Good Intentions

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/28/obamas-extended-school-year-dire-economic-effects-critics-claim/

I honestly don't think that President Obama is trying to ruin our kids' lives or the tourism industry with his latest idea to expand school hours, days or weeks to match those of other countries. But I am opposed, and not just because I don't want to follow in the footsteps of those other countries who, in spite of their higher test scores, still have worse economies than ours.

First of all, I am only sending my kids to school so that they, or I, can avoid being labeled weird by their/my peers. The fact that Jeff has already un-learned the alphabet in two weeks of Kindergarten has me re-thinking my choice, though. What else will he un-learn at school? My plan was to take the free time away from school to teach him the things he really needs to know, like math, science, reading, music and morality. More time at school means less time for me.

There is no second of all, the first one pretty much covered it.

The Wild Swans At Coole

by William Butler Yeats

The trees are in their autumn beauty,
The woodlands paths are dry,
Under the October twilight the water
Mirrors a still sky;
Upon the brimming water among the stones
Are nine-and-fifty swans.

The nineteenth autumn has come upon me
Since I first made my count;
I saw, before I had well finished,
All suddenly mount
And scatter wheeling in great broken rings
Upon their clamorous wings.

I have looked upon those brilliant creatures,
And now my heart is sore.
All's changed since I, hearing at twilight,
The first time on this shore
The bell-beat of their wings above my head,
Trod with a lighter tread.

Unwearied still, lover by lover,
They paddle in the cold
Companionable streams or climb the air;
Their hearts have not grown old;
Passion or conquest, wander where they will,
Attend upon them still.

But now they drift on the still water,
Mysterious, beautiful;
Among what rushes will they build,
By what lake's edge or pool
Delight men's eyes when I awake some day
To find they have flown away?

Good article (s)

http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jphillips/2009/09/15/feel-good-policy/#more-224646

Joseph Phillips' mention of facebook members ranting about health care reminds me of why I deactivated my facebook account. I am tired of being railed against by even people I respect, who seem to feel that facebook gives them the security of being behind a computer, and not face to face with friends who have now become their opponents.

Truth is, I'm a chicken. I use this site to stand for my beliefs, knowing full well it's read by one, two, or maybe three people. Way to speak out, Jen! Oh, and kudos to those who marched in Washington D.C. on September 12th. I would have loved to have been there.

Back to Phillips' article. He makes a great case for true compassion (one that creates actual results), and progressive compassion (moral platitudes with good intentions but poorer actual results). As I wrote in a blog before, one isn't compassionate who insists that someone else foot the bill for his long list of social injustice.

My family grew up with little health insurance. It was too expensive. We didn't go to the doctor much. Nor to the dentist. Guess how many cavities I had? zero! We also didn't eat much sugar, and we brushed our teeth. My mom was, and still is, very much a teacher of healthy habits.

Now, that's not to say people don't need to go to the doctor more often than we did growing up. But I do believe everyone needs to be aware of the consequences of each decision they make. And I believe that they should know exactly what they're paying for, whatever it is: health care, taxes, cigarettes, candy, a new car, whatever.

Right now, most of our costs are hidden under withheld taxes and employer-supplied insurance plans which give us a feeling of security, because we trust someone is taking care of us. We don't pay attention to where the money is actually going. We don't know how much various medical tests are costing, nor how much our prescription drugs are worth. And we don't see how our tax money is divvied up to pay for schools and parks, or our nations' defense, or for ACORN-supported brothels, or Maritime domain awareness.

So, maybe if we knew just how much the treatment for heart disease really cost, we'd think twice before delving into that cream-filled donut, or chocolate-peanut butter cheese cake. And if we did, fine. It's our choice. Just so we know what it will cost us in the end.

The SPEECH!

Obama's Address to School Children

My alarm over the news that Obama would be addressing our nation's school children has been mocked, derided, and called "silly."

Perhaps I haven't taken a "middle of the road" approach. I believe parents who share similar points of view are like-minded people who disagree with Obama's policies and politics, and frankly, don't trust him.

First of all, this man has never stopped campaigning. Were I as conniving as I believe him to be, I wouldn't hesitate to try and "reach" those impressionable young minds between the ages of 17 and 15, those kids who will be voting in the 2012 election. I wouldn't put it past him.

Second of all, the manner in which this speech was announced didn't fit the definition of "transparency," as have none of laws or executive orders he has signed. I learned about this on Fox news. My own school district didn't have time or see fit to inform me. And the fact that there were two lesson plans, the original, and an edited one, revealed to me ulterior motives.

Having read through the entire speech, I cannot see anything overtly wrong with it. The message of personal responsibility is a valuable one. If only he held his own advisers to that same standard.

Some small points of contention:

All people in politics really love to glorify the single mother. Maybe it would have been useful in his speech if he told girls to avoid teenage pregnancy so they could finish school. Just a thought.

The plug for "solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment." Curing cancer is great, go for it. AIDS is sad, which is again why kids should be encouraged to live chastely. (But that would be too political, I know.) And more environment? That is SO old news. Earth Day gets more love from teachers than all other Holidays and subjects combined. Obama's reference is but a drop in the bucket. But I can't ignore the fact that scientists who oppose the "overwhelming" evidence of Global Warming are intimidated and silenced.

And while Obama makes a big push for kids staying in school, and puts in a little endorsement of the work he's doing to make schools better, his own daughters won't have to listen to this speech! And kids who can avoid the public school system through homeschooling or vouchers and private schools will still have a major advantage.

Obama day?

More on education, specifically in response to Obama Day on September 8.

trying not to overreact

Anyone know if Obama's speech to America's children in their very own classrooms is coming to Idaho schools? No news on KTVB or the Idaho Statesman.

Just curious.

A Rose by Any Other Name

Is still a rose. Or in this case, skunk thistle.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2009/08/24/phil-kerpen-public-option-obama-health/

There can be no good compromise on this bill, unless it means tearing up the whole thing, and writing a new one that allows insurance to be sold across state lines, and takes existing Government regulation out of the equation.

2010 US Census

In a move decidedly advantageous to liberal states like California, illegal immigrants could be included in the 2010 census.

At the same time, LDS missionaries serving outside of the country will not.

a higher standard

This morning I woke up to read an article that contradicts one of my points I made yesterday, describing a Town Hall meeting in Florida that seems to have gotten a little out of control.

My first thought is that the media is likely to have blown it out of proportion. This article looks to be written by the AP, and dwells a bit too much on a cameraman who says this is "the most violent anyone has been towards me," implying that Conservatives are a lot meaner than say, Gay Marriage activists in front of the L.A. temple. (Granted, the Fla photographer probably didn't make it to CA in November.)

But here's the truth, whether it's fair or not: Conservatives, or anyone who claims to be religious must hold themselves to a higher standard. We can't point fingers and say that Liberal protesters have set the precedent for unruly crowds. One of the biggest compliments came from Robert Gibbs, when he called a group of protesters the "Brooks Brothers Brigade" or Barbara Boxer said they were "too well-dressed" to be legit.

James Taranto makes a similar point in his "Best of the Web" post today, noting that Pelosi's statement about protesters wearing swastika's is "validated" (loosely speaking) because there were signs which featured a swastika in place of a cigarette in a no-smoking sign. (Similar to the many crossed-out $ signs that I saw at the Tax day Tea Party with the message "stop spending.") The bigger error, in my opinion, is for Pelosi et al to say people had swastika's when in fact, they obviously had a "no fascism" message. On the other hand, calling Obama's fascist when he's really socialist can be likened to pro-life protesters who gather around LDS church headquarters to protest our stance on abortion.

I am impressed with the numbers who have turned up to meetings to express their views, and I hope that their message gets across. But we shouldn't allow the message to be overshadowed by spreading misinformation of our own, or using the same combative tactics we're used to seeing in protests.

UPDATE: This WSJ article supports what I suspect: that the media's description of various Town Hall meetings are a bit overblown.

More than Health Care Reform

I dare anyone to report me to the White House for what I'm about to write. I've posted numerous thoughts and linked several articles relating to what has been called "the worst legislation ever" to be debated in Congress at the behest of President Obama. Calling it the worst legislation ever is saying a lot. I googled "worst legislation" and a number of hits came up, including "Cap and Trade," and the "Stimulus Bill" which agreeably are nasty pieces of work.

While maybe ObamaCare isn't the WORST thing he wants to do, it is a natural progression of many, many bad ideas already in the works, and more yet to come. Those of us who see Obama's ultimate goal as turning the United States into a Socialist country may sound a little frantic, and we've been called extremist nuts. I have no doubt that our founding fathers were called an equivalent term by King George and his friends in England. But no, I don't think conservative constitutionalists are planning a rebellion. Even if some of them are gun owners. Puh-lease!

Besides socializing medicine, here are some things surrounding the Health Care plan which have me worried.

White House requesting "fishy"info from tattle-tailers

Name-calling and fear-mongering

Spreading "disinformation" about the real price of Health Care reform

Even if this monstrosity doesn't pass, look at all of the techniques being used to get it there? We've already taken several steps away from Democracy.

Here's a good Top 10 about what will happen if it does pass.

And here's a good speech by Rep. Michelle Bachman, notice how she encourages us to contact our representatives at the end!

more on Star Trek

Yay--people aren't done comparing current politicians to Star Trek! I love silly stuff like this--but most of them have it all wrong.

Now, I have been telling myself to stop making my blog a Sarah Palin love fest--but this article was fun.

Cap and Trade consequences abroad

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204313604574327992553917308.html

This rang a bell--and I don't remember when or where, but it was something Obama said about poorer nations needing to curb global warming as well as the wealthy ones.

more evidence

that Teacher Unions do nothing for kids. The argument that teachers deserve to make a living wage as justification for Unions doesn't fly.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204619004574318393190278188.html

No, Mormons aren't dumb

Awesome article!
Thanks, Krista for posting it on facebook.

Alex de Tocqueville

"The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money."

update

Through community donations, his former employer included, and help from the media, Ryan Stockdale is in San Francisco getting his much-needed surgery.

I am touched by the way the SW Idaho community banded together, and raised such an incredible amount of money in such a short period of time.

WAY TO GO, IDAHO!

Feminism

Sarah Palin and Susan B. Anthony

"The Proposal" and Cinema's portrayal of women

I came upon these two articles in the last two days, and it has me thinking about feminism. Apparently, a lot of people are thinking about it, and I think many are unsettled by it.

My theory is that Palin's entry into the spotlight has been a catalyst for the discussion. By one definition, she is a feminist: she works outside the home, in Politics, of all places. But she broke the stereotype of the ruthless, man-eating harpie when she was picked by McCain.

Dave has said that I only like Palin because she's a woman, and I said that I liked her because she was the more conservative and exciting member of the McCain/Palin team. But there is some truth in Dave's assessment.

I considered myself to be a feminist as a teenager. There were few things I hated more than being told that my role was to grow up and become a mommy and homemaker (the second term still chills my spine to some degree, I must admit--to give up my talents and interests in pursuit of a clean home, *shudder*).

But then I had a change of heart, and went ahead and did it--married and quickly started having children. And because I love my husband and kids, I strongly feel that the best place for everyone is Dave at work, and me at home with the kids. That because even though I'm no holly-homemaker, I'll still raise my kids better than anyone else, because they're my kids.

Even so, I still yearn for the public life on occasion. When I see my former colleagues, I can't help but notice their comments, "Oh, you're pregnant AGAIN?!" and I know that some feel a little scorn for my decision. And I do miss being in the loop. I miss being on the name of teacher lists, or being on anyone's gig list.

I really haven't given up my musical pursuits, albeit I'm going about it slowly. And I think this is why I am fascinated with Sarah Palin. She's a mother who is also pursuing the public life. She faces scorn, a lot more serious than I do when I step out of the house. Anyway, it just makes me think.

funny quote

"There is the view that poetry should improve your life. I think people confuse it with the Salvation Army."

John Ashbury

Ryan Stockdale Info

http://www.ryanstockdale.org/fundraising_efforts/fundraising_efforts.htm


Today's news informed me of this site, wherein donations can be made through paypal and Syringa Bank.

the Stockdale Family

Some time ago, I saw the Stockdale family on the news. They were recipients of a new house, courtesy a television program that donates and builds houses to those who need them. And this family does. Their four children, in a genetic anomaly, each inherited a rare blood disease.

Unfortunately, their problems are not over. The husband and father has now been struggling with cluster, or "suicide" headaches. I feel bad, really bad. I get headaches now and again, and though they aren't serious, they get in the way of productivity and clear thinking. I had to leave Disneyland early and miss the fireworks because of a headache, so believe me, I'm no fan!

While I feel saddened by their trials, I am disturbed by the numerous comments flying around Facebook, and every news story covering their situation. The stories have focused on the former employer's lack of generosity, and the mean, terrible insurance companies which have denied Ryan an expensive, experimental treatment. This article explains things more clearly.

The general outcry is that the employer and/or the insurance company should pay. That this is a good example of why we need a public health care option. And here's what I want to say:

"Do you think you are being charitable by demanding that someone ELSE cover the cost? IF you are so concerned, I invite you to dig into your own pockets, and give some money to this needy family, and then ask yourself how generous you are!"

The fact is, current public health care options Medicare and Medicaid do not cover the treatment needed by this family. The proposal in the works will likely hinder more families like the Stockdales from receiving the help they need. And for the inconvenience, we will all be digging into our pockets to pay for a program that will costs trillions of dollars.

In the meantime, I am looking for a way to help. I'll let you know more about it when I figure out how I can best do that.

I STILL love Sarah, and never liked Michael

I've been holding this in, but the news won't relent, and I can't escape his face everywhere I look, and I'm about to say something very rude in front of a Michael Jackson fan. Since this isn't the most read blog on the planet, I feel safe in confessing that I would be happy if I never heard another thing about him for the rest of my life!

I didn't like hearing about him when he was alive, and certainly don't think he deserves to be honored so abundantly now that he's dead. And it's ridiculous that his death under investigation. Someone, don't remember who, said that the real shock would have been if Michael had lived until he was 80.

Though I'm sad that Sarah resigned from the Alaska Governor ship, I am glad that sometimes news about her has overshadowed the latest updates regarding Jackson's memorial which is not being held at Neverland (shocking!). But most of the comments about Palin are simply inaccurate.

Many are saying how shocking and unbelievable this is, calling her speech rambling and bizarre. Is it so very hard to believe that a mother would put her family first over a career that was costing her thousands of dollars to defend, and invites the ridicule of her young children?

Many are saying it's political suicide. I suppose if your definition of success is becoming the President of the United States, well, maybe this will lead to her "failure." Ironically, if she becomes President, she will still be called a failure by her detractors.

Some are taking her at her word, and are taking a "wait and see" approach, which is what I am doing. If she never sets foot in the public arena, I wouldn't blame her. And I would still believe that she did a lot of good while she was there.

just the facts

http://emac.blogs.foxbusiness.com/2009/06/23/health-care-myths/

Before we fall for an "unsustainable" (if you read the link, pay special attention to the very last paragraph.) health care program, people should know fact from fiction.


Also, the "fine print."

I haven't been following world events as much a I should be, but this article is sad.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124537040666029677.html

Health Care alternatives

Obama keeps saying there is no alternative to his Health Care plan. But many states have already been working on alternatives.

I still love Sarah

Thanks to David Letterman, Palin is getting a lot of attention. In spite of the relentless heaps of garbage hurled at her, she is coming out on top.

http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/mrulle/2009/06/15/the-great-palin-divide/

http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/06/12/pop-culture-vs-america-this-round-goes-to-sarah-palin/

And here is another article that has nothing to do with Sarah. But on the media's attempts to link James W. von Brunn with conservatives, even though he hates most prominent Republicans, and the fact that Republicans are very earnest in their desire to protect Isreal.

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jun/15/the-left-cries-racist-in-a-crowded-country/?feat=home_headlines



update: Letterman's apology accepted.

update 2:On a Fox news poll, asking if Letterman's apology was enough, I said yes, but that we needed to look more closely at the media culture's double-standard when it comes to tolerance and respect for women (it's too bad we're not discussing rights for men, yet. Probably not going to happen in my lifetime). And then this article appeared. Andrea read my note! haha

Let's give it up for men!

Just as an article in May pointed out the attacks being made on Mothers and Motherhood, this one addresses the need to honor our Fathers, as well as our Mothers.

First of all, I am grateful for a doctrine that teaches that men and women are equal partners before God, and that their different roles are important for success in families, communities, and the world.

Secondly, I am grateful for a good father. He was strict in the way he raised us, but liberal in talking and listening to us. He has always been my biggest fan, and whenever I've needed good, solid advice, he has given it. So has my mom. They make a great team.

Lastly, I am extremely grateful for the man who married me. He is the best person I have ever known. He works hard every day so that I can go to the hospital whenever I have health problems, and so that our family can eat good food, and do fun things together. And when he comes home, he plays with the kids, and is emotionally available to listen to me. He honors his commitments, he loves his family, he's completely dependable. He is way smart, not dumb like sitcoms portray, and he's really talented. You should hear him play the piano. And he's super good-looking!

Stupid, Stupid, Stupid, Stupid, Stupid, Stupid Stupid stupidstupidstupidstupid
IRS

Dems don't really care about education

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124407345343583229.html

Yet ANOTHER article pointing to Democrat's deference to Unions over underpriviliged children.

Another article I liked...as well as many of the comments below.
http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/amcelhinney/2009/06/04/come-fly-with-me/#more-151486

I'm glad to know there are some like-minded people who won't have been sent into a frenzy following ABC's "EARTH 2100" horror show.

just another link

Can Breitbart save Hollywood?

I only just ran into "Big Hollywood" recently." And I really like it. It combines two of my favorite interests: Entertainment and Hollywood. The article above gave me a little more background.

G M

Government Motors.

Three articles about GM's bankruptcy:

http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/06/01/kerpen_phil_gm/

http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/06/01/ferrara_gm_bankruptcy/


http://townhall.com/Columnists/RichGalen/2009/06/01/america_gets_car_sick?page=1

Regarding the new MPG standards, will I be able to buy a new minivan when my current one retires? Or will Dave and I be forced to transport our kids in separate mini-cars anytime we want to go somewhere as a family? Hm...My guess is that one big vehicle is more fuel (and time) efficient than two small ones, and probably a lot more safe.

Milton Friedman

I've been hearing a lot about Milton Friedman lately, from columnists whose opinions resonates with me. Here's another good article about Friedman.

honest energy discussion

A friend posted this, and I thought I'd share. It's 10 pages long, so be prepared.

funny

I was perusing Centennial High School's newspaper, trying to find news of some of my former violin students--fully expecting to learn that they are blazing through high school, earning myriads of accomplishments and accolades. And they are!

But I found this in an editorial, and it made me smile ironically:

"Music is a time-consuming activity. When it is dropped from school programs, students have to spend more time at home practicing, which takes away from other activities such as academics."

First of all: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAA I'm laughing so hard, I'm crying.

Secondly: If dropping music from school programs makes kids practice MORE, why haven't we advocated doing this sooner?!?! As a former private instructor, I would do about anything to get my kids to practice more! Seriously--school orchestra has little to no benefit for kids who REALLY want to be musicians. I mean it--unless you count the extracurricular activities which require enrollment in school music in order to participate. (And from experience, I have learned that those requirements are usually set up to mollify over-paid public school music teachers who are afraid no one will take their class if there is a BETTER opportunity elsewhere.)

Finally: Dropping school music from course offerings may well allow students to spend more time at school working on academics, instead of at home, when they should be practicing, or going to their private lessons!

This is an interesting article about the effect of the Recession on women and mothers, and the media/government's attempts to further this trend.

Now, I'm all for less discrimination--but when you put programs into place like Affirmative action, or use TARP money for "Office of Minority and Women Inclusion," I think we've gone too far. If a woman, or a member of a minority group applies for a job, they should be given consideration on the basis of their qualifications, just like any white man would. I think it's misguided at best to create artificial parameters in the work place--or in the home, or on a college campus, or what have you.

Unfortunately for husbands and children AND women, many in society are paradoxically demeaning wives and mothers while at the same time trying to promote Feminism. When we believe rhetoric that says our kids will benefit from daycare as much as their mothers, or that men are equal to women in the ability to love and nurture, bad stuff happens. Men become increasingly lazy and unable to support a family. Women are increasingly UNnuturing. Children are increasingly left behind.

Music, by Anne Porter

When I was a child
I once sat sobbing on the floor
Beside my mother's piano
As she played and sang
For there was in her singing
A shy yet solemn glory
My smallness could not hold

And when I was asked
Why I was crying
I had no words for it
I only shook my head
And went on crying

Why is it that music
At its most beautiful
Opens a wound in us
An ache a desolation
Deep as a homesickness
For some far-off
And half-forgotten country

I've never understood
Why this is so

Bur there's an ancient legend
From the other side of the world
That gives away the secret
Of this mysterious sorrow

For centuries on centuries
We have been wandering
But we were made for Paradise
As deer for the forest

And when music comes to us
With its heavenly beauty
It brings us desolation
For when we hear it
We half remember
That lost native country

We dimly remember the fields
Their fragrant windswept clover
The birdsongs in the orchards
The wild white violets in the moss
By the transparent streams

And shining at the heart of it
Is the longed-for beauty
Of the One who waits for us
Who will always wait for us
In those radiant meadows

Yet also came to live with us
And wanders where we wander.

another "just for fun"

Newsweek made some comparisons between current politicians and Star Wars/Trek characters, in which all of the good guys were Democrats, and the bad guys were made up of the previous administration. http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2009/04/29/newsweek/ Unfortunately, I cannot find the original Newsweek article.

Anyway, I find it ironic, because had I been doing the list, The Emperor would be played by Henry Paulson, and then the role would have been passed down to Tim Geithner. Dick Cheney? Because he's angry? The Emperor is never angry.

So...who do you think fits which parts?

The Emperor
Anakin/Darth Vader
Darth Maul
Jabba the Hut
Obi-Won Kenobi
Luke
Leia
Han Solo

Or from Star Trek:
Captain Kirk
Spock
Scotty

Or the Next Generation:
Captain Picard (my favorite!)
Data
the Clingon guy (you can tell I'm not really a treky)

Or Batman characters?...

I'm intrigued about the number of Hollywood hero comparisons there have been in my reading material lately.

Is it because we are looking for a hero? If one appears, will we recognize him or her? Or will they be squashed by the mainstream media the way Sarah Palin was? Not that I'm discounting her--I still have hope that she'll rise from the ashes.

teach for america program

Interesting article about Teach For America.

oh, and can I just say...

That the Miss USA "scandal" is absolutely ridiculous.

First of all, that anyone should take this degrading practice of parading women around a stage in bikinis seriously baffles me. In fact, from what I understand, this popularity contest has been losing popularity over the years, rarely getting the publicity it used to.

I wonder if the pageant officials who are so enraged by Miss California's "bigoted" answer are putting up a false front because they're getting a lot more publicity now, even more than when Miss Tara whatshername was discovered to be a binge-drinking party girl, or when nude photos turned up of Vanessa Williams.

Some snivel-y journalists are "defending" her by criticizing her grammar. (Because they've always expected perfectly well-turned phrases in this battle of brains--snort.) They are pretending to believe in free speech, but discrediting her all the same.

I've already given more space to this issue than it deserves. So has everyone else. But it demonstrates the extremes to which people will go to further the "cause" of gay marriage, and they undermine their own "quest" for tolerance.

WHAT?

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/21/geithner-defends-bank-rescue-program-amid-warnings/

From the article: "Geithner, in prepared testimony, said the new plan 'strikes the right balance' by letting taxpayers share the risk with the private sector while at the same time letting private industry use competition to set market prices for the assets."

Someone please tell me how this is going to help taxpayers.

After the Ice Storm My Son Does Not Come Home

by Diane Lockward

Hours after he stormed out, wind knocks
ice off the roof, startles me awake.
2 AM—light under the door. Not home,
and I'd said no later than midnight.

I practice deep breathing, natural tranquilizer,
five counts in, hold it in the diaphragm,
let it out slowly, repeat five times, relax, and go back
to a sleep without dreams.

It's been so long since I've dreamed,
I'd be grateful now for even that old one
where I show up someplace important, take off my coat,
and I'm in panties and bra, or worse, naked.

And I'm still wondering if he'll be okay,
if he'll ever find his way home,
if maybe I'll be happy when I'm old,
and if I can wait that long.

Hours later I wake and see the first crocus
pushing purple through the sheen of ice.
A day of lifting towards the light,
the delicate petals unfolding.

I want it to be like that for him—
sunlight, the wind will stop blowing,
and he'll find his way home.

report on the Boise, Idaho Tea Party

According to some, I guess I took part in a Right-Wing Extremist activity when I took my three kids to the Boise Tax Day Tea Party, and protested big government spending.

This Idaho Statesman article gives a good summation.

Here's a little less informative one from KTVB.com. Maybe there will be more on the evening news, I did see Ysabel Bilbao there.

Here are some photos. I took some of them, but some of the best shots were by my son Jeff and his friend, Ethan. I used Kannie's idea for a protest sign for my kids.










Some took the opportunity to campaign. Rex Rammel spoke, accounting for his past work, and announcing his next candidacy. I saw Pro-Life there (if you don't know who he is, he ran for U.S. Senate against Risch, Rammel, and LaRocco) talking to people. There were a lot of Ron Paul signs. I'm not sure how I feel about it. I guess I'm not in the mood to listen to campaign promises, I want our leaders to listen to us.

Tea party update

A question from Kannie prompted more research, and I'm learning that the Tax Day Tea Party in Idaho has evolved from a single rally at the Capitol to a March from Ann Morrison Park to the Capitol, with different rally points along the way.

For a map and agenda, go to http://www.teapartyboise.com/page14.php

Tea PARTY!!!

April 15 is Dave's birthday, and he's actually looking forward to turning the big 4-0, because he will finally be DONE with another tax season. A lot of others will be celebrating Dave's birthday in the form of a National Protest! Tea parties are springing up in nearly every city, including the one in which I live. So, from noon to 2 p.m., I'm going to do something I've NEVER done before in my life--become a political activist! And I'm bringing my kids! Should I print off signs for them to carry?

Links about the Tea Party:

Rick Santelli's protest on you tube.

Move Over, Move On!

Freedom Works

Fox forum

Tax Day Tea Party

Tax Day Tea Party, Idaho

http://politicallogos.wordpress.com/national-tea-party/

Fox Forum

Lori Byrd

questions and thoughts

Someone I respect a lot (my mom) pointed out that I didn't get through college entirely without help, which is very true. I paid for college with the help of a special savings account with money contributed by me and my parents, free housing for one year from my grandparents, music and academic scholarships, private grants, student loans, several part-time jobs, honor quartet stipend money, and Pell grants.

Is it hypocritical of me to have accepted a Government grant, given to me for being poor, and then complain about funding for public education? I feel I need to explore this a bit more, to see if I can't find a way to reconcile my actions and my philosophy.

One question that arises is whether or not I would have finished school had I not been given financial assistance. I can't imagine that I wouldn't have, but I'm not sure. Maybe I would have stayed in state, to avoid paying out-of-state tuition at the University of Utah (which was reduced from being three times as expensive to only two times as expensive thanks to the Western University Exchange Program, or "WUE"). But had I stayed in state, I would not have received the quality of education I was looking for. I would have sailed through college as one of the brightest and best in my class--but I didn't want false accolades, I wanted to be challenged.

And challenged I was. I was barely admitted into the program, and in order to catch up with my peers, I woke up at 5:30 (sometimes 4:30) a.m. to practice until catching the 7:30 bus to school, then working from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m., to arrive home at 10 p.m. or later to do homework. I could barely afford to eat, and the lack of nutrition showed up in my eyes, hair and skin. I drank powdered milk, and I was the thermostat Nazi--which drove my roommates absolutely nuts!

As memories are starting to flood my mind, I'm getting off topic. Knowing that there are those out there who would not be able to afford any sort of education on their own, I want to figure out how they might obtain it without wasting taxpayer dollars, or being submerged in liberal ideology while they are at school.

One thing is for certain: in spite of liberal claims, Big Government does NOT make it easier for the under-privileged to better themselves through education as it bows to teacher unions, fights the surge of charter schools, and sets up ill-conceived certification procedures for a number of fields which make it impossible for students to work at their own pace, forcing them to stay in school longer, driving up the cost for everyone.

more on education

John Lott, author of "Freedonomics" which I enjoyed, wrote in the Fox Forum about Education. It's a touchy subject with people, as you can tell by the comments under the article.

Liberal rhetoric about education is always misleading. They know that Americans value education, the biggest factor in achieving the American Dream. So, they preach about education--though they do not value the American Dream. The idea that a person can rise above his or her circumstances by going to school, learning a trade, saving money, spending it wisely--through hard work, determination, smart decisions, and dare I say it, faith and trust in a loving Heavenly Father, is an old-fashioned one to the current administration. Hillary Clinton said "It takes a village to raise a child." While I am grateful for fellow villagers who helped me along the way: good teachers and good friends, it was my parents, and my own ambition which got me through college.

While I am concerned about the liberal doctrines being pushed on young minds, I am also concerned about the studies that show that our kids are not benefiting from the tax dollars continuously thrown at schools, and teacher unions. Liberals say, "We need more money to give our kids a chance!" and conservatives give them the money. And we keep giving more, and more, and more! Why is there not a correlation between money spent and the success rate of the students?

Because, we are looking for answers in the wrong places. Whether motivated by a (misguided) genuine desire to help our kids, or motivated by a desire to win votes from Union members and parents who want free Universal Daycare, adding preschool programs and lengthening the school day will not improve test scores. Who loves their child the most? A parent or a teacher? Who is that child's best advocate? Who wants to see that child succeed? I'm not suggesting that parents bully a teacher that tries to discipline a child--parent-teacher relationships are a subject for another day--but I am saying that we should trust parents with the education of the next generation, and not Government, teachers or anyone else.

letter to Walt Minnick

Dear Mr. Minnick,

As a member of your district who voted for Bill Sali, I wish to acknowledge the great work you have done in the U.S. House of Representatives. In spite of the “D” next to your name, you have listened to the people of Idaho, and haven't gone along with the crowd in Washington. I want to thank you for the good judgment you have exhibited in voting against Timothy Geithner, the Stimulus Bill, the Omnibus Bill, the Pay for Performance Bill, and the latest costly budget. You seem to be one of the very few who is actually interested in bipartisanship, and I wish you well in your efforts.

I was gratified to see the national press coverage you received on Fox News regarding your work with Representative Aaron Schock on a bill for a tax holiday for small businesses. A friend of mine who is a small business owner believes that it would free up some capitol and allow their business to hire one additional employee. We would like to see more of this type of legislation, urging you to keep things as simple and straightforward as possible.

While I applaud your efforts, I am gravely concerned about the future of the United States of America. Though we decry America's history of slavery, and rejoice in the triumph of civil rights, we are selling our children and grandchildren into a new kind of slavery, one in which they will be in bondage to U.S. Government, forced to pay for the mistakes of this generation. I watch with apprehension as our leaders use our tax dollars to bail out failing companies, buy bad mortgages, take over banks, increase spending on a failing public education system; while at the same time hurting the economy with proposed cap and trade laws, renewing the estate tax, enforcing expensive testing for children's products from books to bicycles, and reducing incentives for charitable giving.

What bothers me the most, is that in spite of poll numbers which indicate that most Americans are not in favor of increasing our national debt to fund liberal causes, the current administration headed by Obama, Pelosi and Reid either fails to acknowledge the will of the people, or attempts to suppress opposing opinions. Not only are they disregarding the will of the people, they are overriding the Constitution itself--confiscating bonuses, firing employees, taking over companies, etc. I have often heard people say that “Americans cannot sit back and watch our freedoms be sold to the highest bidder.” But I don't believe that Americans are sitting back—they are joining tea parties, writing or phoning their congressmen, signing petitions, blogging—but they are being ignored by those with the power to legislate—using “reconciliation” tactics to speed up the passing of a badly written bill; and by the those with power to veto bad legislation—evidenced by President Obama's signing of the Omnibus bill in spite of all of its earmarks, and in spite of many campaign promises. I feel that my individual opinion should count for something in this democracy. I hate to think that not only is my opinion not valued, my right to free speech is becoming devalued.

For the sake of my family, friends, and community, and for the future of the United States, I plead with you to do all you can to preserve our liberties, to stop oppressive spending, and to continue to listen to your constituents.

Protest Earth Hour!

If you don't like politicians using unscientific hype to undermine our liberty, keep your lights on tonight! See Best of the Web for more info!

the future for our kids

READ THIS
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/03/25/does-national-debt-mean-g/

AND WATCH THIS
http://kanniescogitations.blogspot.com/2009/03/eloquence-at-work-and-not-just-because.html

Two things I saw only today that seem very relevant to the situation in our country, and others which are trying to spend their way out of debt.

Just for fun

spoiler alert--though I know that if you read my blog, you have probably read it...

I finished reading Atlas Shrugged last night (morning, really) at 4 a.m. To be honest, I skimmed through the last 200 pages, reading enough to know how the plot would be resolved and skipping over the philosophical arguments, including John Galt's three hour speech, having figured out Rand's message early on.

But I digress. Reading this article in the WSJ is what prompted me to read Atlas Shrugged. And in the article, it mentions long-awaited plans to make the book into a movie. Further research on wikipedia indicated that the latest (and hopefully shelved) attempt at this had Angelina Jolie cast as the indomitable heroin, Dagney Taggart. Angelina Jolie!!! A comment found on imdb.com said that casting her as Dagney was the equivalent of Michael Moore playing General Patton!

Granted, ANYONE from Hollywood would contradict their public persona by taking on the role of a "greedy" capitalist, which is why I would hope they could be good actors, and do justice to a role whether or not they agreed with the character's creeds. But Angelina looks NOTHING like the Dagney Taggart pictured in my mind!

If I were a casting director, here's who I would choose (assuming A-list actors would be willing to take some small roles)!

Dagney: Cate Blanchett
Hank Rearden: Daniel Craig
Francisco d' Anconia: Javier Bardem!
John Galt: Brad Pitt
Cheryl: Amy Adams
Lilian:
Jim Taggart: William Dafoe
Ragnar the pirate: ???
Hugh Akston: Morgan Freeman?
Orren Boyle: ?
Wesley Mouch: Philip Seymour Hoffman
Robert Stadler: ?
Eddie Willers: ?

Does anyone want to play this game and submit their own casting choices for any of the numerous characters?

Anniversary: One Fine Day

by Walter McDonald

Who would sit through a plot as preposterous as ours,
married after years apart? Chance meetings may work
early in stories, but at operas, darling, in Texas?
A bachelor pilot, I fled Laredo for the weekend,
stopping at the opera from boredom, music I least expected.
Of all the zoos and honky-tonks south of Dallas,
who would believe I would find you there on the stairs,

Madame Butterfly about to start? When you moved
four years before, I lost all hope of dying happy,
dogfighting my way through pilot training, reckless,
in terror only when I saw the man beside you.
I had pictured him rich and splendid in my mind
a thousand times, thinking you married with babies
somewhere in Tahiti, Spain, the south of France.

When I saw the lucky devil I hated—only your date,
but I didn't know—he stopped gloating, watching you wave,
turned old and bitter like the crone in Shangri La.
Destiny happens only in plays and cheap movies—
but here, here on my desk is your photo, decades later,
and I hear sounds from another room of our house,
and when I rise amazed and follow, you are there.

a different view

I happened upon this article today, defending one earmark contained in the Omnibus bill to help Utah out with it's Mormon Cricket problem.

Having grown up on pioneer stories, I am of course familiar with the miracle in which seagulls descended upon the menacing crickets and saved the Utah settlers from starvation and, no doubt, insanity.

Which brings me to wonder more about the earmark process--what is it, and why is it such a bad word that no one dares say, but will usually gladly accept.

Having apparently given up on another miracle to save the day, or living by the adage, "the Lord helps those who help themselves," ranchers are relying on politicians to help them out. I can see why this would be so--they likely can't afford the expansive yearly project, and they can't afford to do without it. That they are living in Utah is in large part due to the extermination order given by Missouri Governor Boggs and the failure of the federal government to defend the Mormons as they were driven away from their homes in Nauvoo, across the plains to the ugly and desolate Salt Lake Valley.

I'm sure that most Senators have a well thought-out defense for their earmark requests--though I can't say I agree with the Idaho Senator who secured money for some historical museum that I've never heard of.

Maybe the money could come from another more palatable source--maybe Utah could be declared a natural disaster every Summer and get Federal Emergency funding. Maybe they could secure another earmark for the research and support of seagulls.

Adam's Curse

by William Butler Yeats

We sat together at one summer's end,
That beautiful mild woman, your close friend,
And you and I, and talked of poetry.
I said, 'A line will take us hours maybe;
Yet if it does not seem a moment's thought,

Our stitching and unstitching has been naught.
Better go down upon your marrow-bones
And scrub a kitchen pavement, or break stones
Like an old pauper, in all kinds of weather;
For to articulate sweet sounds together
Is to work harder than all these, and yet
Be thought an idler by the noisy set
Of bankers, schoolmasters, and clergymen
The martyrs call the world.'

And thereupon
That beautiful mild woman for whose sake
There's many a one shall find out all heartache
On finding that her voice is sweet and low
Replied, 'To be born woman is to know—
Although they do not talk of it at school—
That we must labour to be beautiful.'

I said, 'It's certain there is no fine thing
Since Adam's fall but needs much labouring.
There have been lovers who thought love should be
So much compounded of high courtesy
That they would sigh and quote with learned looks
Precedents out of beautiful old books;
Yet now it seems an idle trade enough.'

We sat grown quiet at the name of love;
We saw the last embers of daylight die,
And in the trembling blue-green of the sky
A moon, worn as if it had been a shell
Washed by time's waters as they rose and fell
About the stars and broke in days and years.

I had a thought for no one's but your ears:
That you were beautiful, and that I strove
To love you in the old high way of love;
That it had all seemed happy, and yet we'd grown
As weary-hearted as that hollow moon.

Not One Thing

We've passed Obama's first 50 days in office, and I don't think there's a single thing that he has done that I agree with. I cannot think of one. Call me an alarmist for feeling so much gloom about this Presidency, but then give me an example of something he has done which will bring us "life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness." If you can, please do.

Off the top of my head:
*He has reversed the ban on federal funding for oversea abortions.
*He has taken the country into greater debt we have ever seen. Don't buy his clever little quip about inheriting the deficit from Bush. He has already outspent Bush's ENTIRE eight years in less than two months. If you don't agree with Bush's spending, how can you spend so much more and continue to pin the blame on Bush?
*He signed another spending bill loaded with "earmarks," barely admitting that the bill went against his campaign promises.
*He treated Great Britain's Prime Minister abominably, presenting our greatest ally with an embarassing gift of 25 DVD's, and cancelling a joint press conference.
*He has allowed school vouchers to be ceased via the Omnibus bill, courtesy Dick Durbin.
*Attacked Rush Limbaugh, misquoting him in order to create a distraction on his disastrous beginning as president.
*He has promised to raise taxes on productive members of society, calling them "the rich" as if it were a bad word.
*He is bailing out bad mortgages with, again, our taxes.
*He is reducing tax incentives for charitable giving.

The list could go on. The latest to hit hit the headlines is his reversal of Bush's policy on Embryonic Stem Cell funding. People mistakenly believe that Bush outlawed research on Embryonic Stem Cells. He did not. He only denied it federal dollars (tax revenue). He said it was in the name of "science." Science showed us that adult stem cells were more effective than Embryonic Stem Cells. If embryonic stem cell research was so promising, how come more private companies haven't been jumping all over it to make their millions? This isn't about Science, Obama.

As if he were reading my mind (it's comforting to know that there are many voices like mine which are being heard), Obama responded by mocking dissenters. Along with Rush Limbaugh, Dick Cheney and Laura Bush are popular White House targets. Very professional, indeed. Obama suggested that people like me would have him do nothing at all. Actually...he's right.

a step backwards for parents and homeschoolers

I think this is an example of how socialism punishes those who excel. In spite of the fact that these children tested ABOVE their age level, a North Carolina judge decided it was in the children's best interest to attend public school--for "social" reasons.

Now, my main concerns with homeschooling are, in fact, social. A close second is that my kids exhibit a strong reluctance to learn anything from their mother. HOWEVER--this should be a parent's perogative, NOT a decision that should be decided in a courtroom.

HAHAHAHAHA

A much needed laugh on Fox opinion.

update

After noting Butch Otter named alongside the likes of Bobby Jindal and other honest Republican Governors for speaking out against the stimulus bill, I sent Butch a note supporting him in rejecting bailout money.

Did I speak too soon? Today I got a letter from the Governor in response to my email, and it was confirmed in an article in the Idaho Statesman, describing how he has put together an 8-member panel to decide how to use the stimulus money from the Feds.

In the letter, I was assured none of the money would be used to permantly enlarge (oh, an image of Viagra just flashed across my mind--get it out!) any government programs, just to take advantage of our state's allotment. In the Statesman article, a good section is spent describing how hospitals will benefit, due to increased Medicare funding. That doesn't make sense to me. How is a government program not growing?

Should we accept any money from the Feds? Earmarked money from the latest Omnibus bill, or from the ginormous spendulus plan? Should we reject all money on principle, or should we go along with most politicians who say, "as long as the money is being handed out, we want a piece of it?"

From Writer's Almanac

It's the birthday of the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, born in Portland, Maine, 1807. He went to Bowdoin College and became a scholar of literature and modern languages. In 1826, he traveled to Europe to study German, French, Spanish, and Italian. He got married, and in 1835 he returned to Europe to learn Scandinavian languages, but his wife came with him, and she had a miscarriage and died in the Netherlands. He fell in love again, with a young woman named Fanny Appleton, but she rejected his marriage proposal. So grieving for his first wife, despairing over Fanny's refusal, he threw himself into his work and became a popular American poet.

In 1843, Fanny agreed to marry Henry after all. They were very happy, they had six children, and Fanny helped her husband with his work. Longfellow wrote incredibly successful book-length poems, like Evangeline (1847), about separated lovers in Nova Scotia, and The Song of Hiawatha (1855), about an Ojibwe leader. Whenever he published a book of poetry, it would sell out almost immediately.

But in 1861, Fanny Longfellow was using sealing wax and her dress caught on fire. Longfellow rushed in from the next room and tried to smother the fire by throwing his arms around his wife. But Fanny died the next day, and Longfellow was heartbroken. He wrote "The Cross of Snow" in her memory.

The Cross of Snow
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

In the long, sleepless watches of the night,
A gentle face—the face of one long dead—
Looks at me from the wall, where round its head
The night-lamp casts a halo of pale light.
Here in this room she died; and soul more white
Never through martyrdom of fire was led
To its repose; nor can in books be read
The legend of a life more benedight.
There is a mountain in the distant West
That, sun-defying, in its deep ravines
Displays a cross of snow upon its side.
Such is the cross I wear upon my breast
These eighteen years, through all the changing scenes
And seasons, changeless since the day she died.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123561668718178625.html

more for my collection of articles about education.

Bridal Shower, by George Bilgere

Perhaps, in a distant café,
four or five people are talking
with the four or five people
who are chatting on their cell phones this morning
in my favorite café.

And perhaps someone there,
someone like me, is watching them as they frown,
or smile, or shrug
at their invisible friends or lovers,
jabbing the air for emphasis.

And, like me, he misses the old days,
when talking to yourself
meant you were crazy,
back when being crazy was a big deal,
not just an acronym
or something you could take a pill for.

I liked it
when people who were talking to themselves
might actually have been talking to God
or an angel.
You respected people like that.

You didn't want to kill them,
as I want to kill the woman at the next table
with the little blue light on her ear
who has been telling the emptiness in front of her
about her daughter's bridal shower
in astonishing detail
for the past thirty minutes.

O person like me,
phoneless in your distant café,
I wish we could meet to discuss this,
and perhaps you would help me
murder this woman on her cell phone,

after which we could have a cup of coffee,
maybe a bagel, and talk to each other,
face to face.

Pinky and the Brain

http://rossrats.blogspot.com/2009/02/who-do-they-remind-you-of.html

A friend wrote this on her blog, and I hope she doesn't mind my sharing it. The video clip cracked me up!

Fringe Politicians

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/02/22/jindal-stands-governors-refuses-federal-unemployment-benefits/

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123535040968044863.html

Hooray for the governors of Louisianna, Mississippi, South Carolina and Alaska!

AND.....IDAHO!!! Good job, Butch!

from "The Best of the Web" WSJ--more about education

Fail Your Customers
The New York Times has an amusing piece about the frustrations of college professors:

Prof. Marshall Grossman has come to expect complaints whenever he returns graded papers in his English classes at the University of Maryland.
"Many students come in with the conviction that they've worked hard and deserve a higher mark," Professor Grossman said. "Some assert that they have never gotten a grade as low as this before."
He attributes those complaints to his students' sense of entitlement.
Another prof, Ellen Greenberger of the University of California at Irvine, has published a study called "Self-Entitled College Students":

Nearly two-thirds of the students surveyed said that if they explained to a professor that they were trying hard, that should be taken into account in their grade.
Jason Greenwood, a senior kinesiology major at the University of Maryland echoed that view.
"I think putting in a lot of effort should merit a high grade," Mr. Greenwood said. "What else is there really than the effort that you put in?"
"If you put in all the effort you have and get a C, what is the point?" he added. "If someone goes to every class and reads every chapter in the book and does everything the teacher asks of them and more, then they should be getting an A like their effort deserves. If your maximum effort can only be average in a teacher's mind, then something is wrong."
Anyone who works for a living is immediately struck by the contrast between this attitude and the real world. When you hire someone to do a job, you look for results, not "effort." Someone who works effectively and effortlessly is much more valued than someone who tries really hard and produces mediocre results. Why should schoolwork be any different?

The answer is that, except at the highest levels of higher education, school "work" is the opposite of real work. Students do not work for professors; professors work for students--or, to be precise, students (in combination with their parents and the government) contract with institutions of higher education, which in turn employ professors to deliver services to students.

If students have a sense of entitlement, it is a sense best captured in that old saying: The customer is always right. They're spending tens of thousands of dollars to get a degree so they can go out and find a job, and they're working hard on their assignments to boot--you're darn right they feel entitled to good grades!

Professors, quite understandably, see it differently. To the best of them, their calling is to impart knowledge and intellectual refinement. The degree is merely a symbol. The real "product" that colleges produce is educated young people.

What we have, then, is a mismatch between what customers are buying and what institutions are selling. Colleges and universities have had great economic success marketing themselves as sellers of job-hunting licenses. If they embraced instead an old-fashioned vision of learning as an end in itself, the quality of their product doubtless would improve immensely--but their market would shrink correspondingly.

Professors may be unhappy to be working for institutions that, to a large extent, have degenerated into mere diploma mills. Many of them, however, owe their jobs to that degeneration.

History of Desire, by Tony Hoagland

When you're seventeen, and drunk
on the husky, late-night flavor
of your first girlfriend's voice
along the wires of the telephone

what else to do but steal
your father's El Dorado from the drive,
and cruise out to the park on Driscoll Hill?
Then climb the county water tower

and aerosol her name in spraycan orange
a hundred feet above the town?
Because only the letters of that word,
DORIS, next door to yours,

in yard-high, iridescent script,
are amplified enough to tell the world
who's playing lead guitar
in the rock band of your blood.

You don't consider for a moment
the shock in store for you in 10 A.D.,
a decade after Doris, when,
out for a drive on your visit home,

you take the Smallville Road, look up
and see RON LOVES DORIS
still scorched upon the reservoir.
This is how history catches up—

by holding still until you
bump into yourself.
What makes you blush, and shove
the pedal of the Mustang

almost through the floor
as if you wanted to spray gravel
across the features of the past,
or accelerate into oblivion?

Are you so out of love that you
can't move fast enough away?
But if desire is acceleration,
experience is circular as any

Indianapolis. We keep coming back
to what we are—each time older,
more freaked out, or less afraid.
And you are older now.

You should stop today.
In the name of Doris, stop.

not so sweet

Scary, in fact. We should be taking note at how easily Chavez has taken control of Venezuela--is it such a far stretch to imagine America going this route? No doubt Chavez promised his people "change."

oh, how sweet...

Looks like they're succeeding in brainwashing our children. Or, at least they're only picking the letters of children who have conformed to liberal ideas that it's better for soldiers to come home than to defend America, that unlike terrorists, Global Warming is the real threat, and that the President is the only one who can help us, whether we live in the country or not, give us employment, and make it rain candy (that part is actually kind of cute).

more than just talk?

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/02/12/dems-consider-reviving-fairness-doctrine/

People have mocked conservative radio hosts for raising alarms about things Obama might do to push us towards socialism--and it kills me that they are still being mocked even when their predictions are coming to pass. I think they have been conservative by choosing the term "socialist" as opposed to "communist."

Already, Obama has plunged this country into more spending/debt than we've ever seen, and that's saying a LOT. Under the guise of "stimulus" he is sneaking in nationalized health-care, and proposing to hire more government workers (you know...people paid for by tax dollars to waste time and space, and who are virtually un-firable).

The "fairness doctrine" is a step towards silencing anyone who recognizes the direction we are headed and is bold enough to say something about it. It sounds warm and fuzzy--we all think life should be fair, right? But it is bringing the freedom of speech to an end, and bringing us even closer to socio/communism.

In a Capitalist country, those given airtime on radio waves are picked by those who listen to the radio. I am curious as to why radio listeners overwhelmingly support conservative hosts over liberal ones. I am also curious to know why television is overwhelmingly liberal. I don't get it. But apparently that's the way it is.

The "fairness doctrine" will attempt to give equal radio time to liberals and conservatives. Like I said, it sounds good, it sounds "fair." But is it fair to radio stations who will lose advertising dollars when people stop tuning in because they are broadcasting hosts they don't want to listen to?

Is it fair to impose these restrictions on one medium, the radio, and not television? To say to one, "You MUST comply and give equal time to both conservatives and liberals," and let the other persist in its liberal bias unnoticed?

read this

http://kanniescogitations.blogspot.com/2009/02/we-are-not-all-socialists.html

And this

http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/02/09/lott_obama_economy/

maybe I have a sick mind...

Or maybe journalists and politicians are playing to our Freudian "id"s on purpose--thinking that maybe we'll buy into the gargantuan stimulus package the same way people are sucked into male-enhancement products. Unless you have GREAT online security, then like me, you would have gotten hundreds of spams with titles like "want to impress her?" or "so massive it scared her"--and those are relatively inoffensive examples of some I have sent straight to the trash, and attempted to filter with slight success.

As I read articles describing the dire circumstances of our country, and how important it is that we pass this atrocity, here are words that I am seeing repeatedly:

stimulus (maybe a stretch, since it's what everyone is calling this thing)
package It just occurred to me that maybe the innuendo began AFTER the "stimulus package" was named
the sweet spot
limp
size
growth
elevated
rigorous
stripped, stripping
burning the midnight oil
massive measure


Am I imagining things? At any rate, I find it extremely offensive--not just the similarities to online sex scams--the bill itself is the real perversion.

Daniel Pearl and the Normalization of Evil, by Judea Pearl

Poignant article by the father of slain journalist Daniel Pearl.

Father Jonathan writes for Fox news quite a lot, and I appreciate his perspective. He often reminds me of how many doctrines Catholics and Mormons actually do agree on. As Christianity has come under increasing fire, it's important for people of faith to build upon those things we have in common. Anyway, here's his latest article:
http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/02/02/father_jonathan_porritt/

Letter Home, by Ellen Steinbaum

I love you forever
my father's letter tells her
for forty-nine pages,
from the troopship crossing the Atlantic
before they'd ever heard of Anzio.

He misses her, the letter says,
counting out days of boredom, seasickness,
and changing weather,
poker games played for matches
when cash and cigarettes ran out,
a Red Cross package—soap,
cards, a mystery book he traded away
for The Rubaiyyat a bunkmate didn't want.
He stood night watch and thought
of her. Don't forget the payment
for insurance, he says.

My mother waits at home with me,
waits for the letter he writes day by day
moving farther across the ravenous ocean.
She will get it in three months and
her fingers will smooth the Army stationery
to suede.

He will come home, stand
beside her in the photograph, leaning
on crutches, holding
me against the rough wool
of his jacket. He will sit
alone and listen to Aïda

and they will pick up their
interrupted lives. Years later,
she will show her grandchildren
a yellow envelope with
forty-nine wilted pages telling her

of shimmering sequins on the water,
the moonlight catching sudden phosphorescence,
the churned wake that stretched a silver trail.

reaching out

Less than a week into office, Obama told Republican members of Congress to quit listening to Rush Limbaugh.

Next step, formally implement "Fairness Doctrine" over the radio waves.

When Obama said he intends to unify Congress, did he really mean that he intends to squash any dissenting opinions?

follow-up as promised

In the world divided between liberals and conservatives, Republicans and Democrats, right-wing and left-wing, stances on abortion are divided into "pro-life" and "pro-choice." While my personal and religious beliefs put me firmly into the "pro-life" camp, I always appreciated my Dad's comments that we are also "pro-choice." The choice to have pre-marital sex, protected or not; the choice to keep or adopt. Choices in our family were defined by responsibility and accountability.

The doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (my church, if you didn't know), is pretty clear on this issue. It upholds standards of chastity and virtue, and is firmly against abortion, except occasionally in (rare) cases of rape, incest, or serious health implications (which does not include the liberal interpretation of inconvenience to the mother). I find it extremely ironic that pro-life protests are held at least twice a year at Temple Square in Salt Lake City. Either they are unaware of the Church's stance, or they do not allow for the same exceptions, or they do not agree that members who have had the procedure may go through the repentance process. In a recent church publication, Russel M. Nelson wrote one of the best articles on the subject I have read. It says all that needs to be said, but I can't help adding some more of my own thoughts, which are mostly in response to arguments justifying abortion.

One of the biggest arguments regards our lack of understanding at exactly which moment a baby in the womb is a living baby. Church leaders and scientists don't presume to know the answer to this question. Some argue that if the baby could not in any circumstance live outside of the womb, it cannot be counted as a living thing, being wholly dependent on its mother. I won't claim to know more than church leaders or scientists, but my own experience persuades me that the fetus is "alive" in a very real sense early in the pregnancy--perhaps as early as the first heartbeat. When I saw little Jeffy at 10 weeks in his first ultrasound, he looked like a little Mexican jumping bean! He wouldn't hold still, and that hasn't changed a bit! My girls didn't move at all at that point. But at the 20 week ultrasound, still too early for a baby to survive outside the mother, each of my children showed distinct character traits. Jeff arched his back and looked visibly annoyed when prodded by the doctor to get a better picture of his organs. Emmy was the sleepiest in the ultrasound, and Camille waved her hand as if to say, "Hello!" I could feel her little fingers tickling me later on in the pregnancy, and now that she's here, she still loves to touch and tickle me. I know the anecdotal evidence of an obviously biased mother isn't scientific evidence by any means, but I cannot imagine a mother would terminate a baby if she had seen what I had seen, or felt what I had felt.

The easiest argument to deal with is the one that says a mother shouldn't be inconvenienced by a bad decision. As Ann Coulter writes in her latest book, pregnancy is not like the flu, you don't just "catch" it. This goes back to my Dad's saying that choice comes before the baby, not after. Now, if a woman does not want her baby, then I agree that she is the last person who should be entrusted with a child. But I have heard of, and personally know many couples who dream of a family but cannot have their own children. They subject themselves to invasive questioning and rigorous interviews, only to be put on an endless waiting list to adopt. I know of some who have had the dream in their sights, only to have it torn away at the last minute by a biological father who suddenly appears and takes away the baby meant for them. I know of women making big bucks to be surrogate mothers. And yet millions of babies every year are terminated.

Some argue that if a woman wants an abortion, she's going to get it whether it's legal or not, so we should just make it legal. That's like saying kids are going to do Meth whether it's legal or not, so let's just make that legal as well. Some also say that if a woman is determined to have an abortion not legally available, she will go somewhere unsafe to have the abortion. Well, what about the safety of her baby? There is no safe way for a baby to be aborted.

There are even some who disagree with abortion, but defend the "rights" of women to have them. "Who are we to interfere with someone else's bad choice?" they say, "We cannot let government control these sensitive matters." This is all well and good if you believe a fetus to be the equivalent of a flu bug or a termite. The same people would be outraged if the government did nothing to protect chickens or dogs. But if you are like me, and believe that an embryo is a defenseless human being, the argument doesn't fly.

When speaking of the freedom of "choice," people conveniently forget that a baby is a person who if born, would get to experience freedom of choice.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/01/21/obama-lift-ban-funding-groups-providing-abortions-overseas/

http://www.lifenews.com/nat4757.html

I didn't really want to or plan to write a criticism of the president on his first day of office. In keeping with campaign promises, by lifting a ban ordered by the Bush administration, federal money can go towards abortions overseas. Federal money: money we've entrusted to our Government, our taxes.

The subject of abortion is one I plan to address here, but it's a sensitive subject that I want to handle carefully. But it's one thing for abortion to be legal, it's another to take taxpayer money to assist the continuation of the procedure around the world.

Inauguration

Mixed feelings accompanied my decision to watch the Inauguration of President Obama this morning. With so many things to do around the house, why watch an inauguration when I've never watched one before?

I have mixed feelings still. Part of me was gratified to see the optimism of the crowd at the Washington Mall. I hope that their hopes are justified. A part of me is very fearful about the future.

Before I go into detail about the President's speech, two things must be mentioned.

The highlight of the event for me: Itzhak Perlman, Yo Yo Ma, Andy McGill (clarinet) and Gabriela Montero, pianist playing a John William's arrangement of "Air and Simple Gifts." I hope I can get my hands on that music someday.

Comic relief in Reverent Lowry's benediction:

Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around -- (laughter) -- when yellow will be mellow -- (laughter) -- when the red man can get ahead, man -- (laughter) -- and when white will embrace what is right.

How sad that this "poem" will be remembered more than the one given by Elizabeth Alexander.


And now, from Obama's speech:

I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition. Love or hate Bush, he has followed his convictions. And in spite of all of the mean things Obama said about him, Bush has treated Obama with graciousness and congeniality. Dare I reference the last transition, in which the Clintons looted the White House?

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met. It is possible that after a few months in the White House, Obama will find that he is not as able to break away from Bush policies as easily as he thought it would be.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics. Having chosen a number of Cabinet members from among Bill Clinton's old colleagues, I am skeptical.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. I think this is what John McCain meant when he said that the fundamentals of the economy were good.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do. These are wonderful ideas--but what will be the price tag? I am afraid that I am cynic who has found the ground shifted from under my feet.

The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government. I beg to differ--I believe the question of the government's size is still a very pertinent one. However, I fully support the last bit about spending wisely and being held accountable for public money spent.

know that America is a friend of each nation I believe this is true. But not every nation is a friend to us.

We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you. Very well said.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it. We should keep this in mind when considering Ethanol production--many farmers are compelled to grow (subsidized) corn (using a lot of energy to do so) which will not go towards feeding people but for so-called energy reduction.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. But what if crazy Government intervention, such as the outlandish safety testing of all children's products, makes it impossible for us to achieve self-reliance?

This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.