11 years later - an update

I had to work for a few minutes to get to this page where I could write a new post on this blog.  I used a different email address to set up this blog, and so it doesn't show up with my others.

The Median Sib was my first blog.  I eventually bought the domain but it became a hassle and I finally migrated all the posts to this free site and then I let the other domain go.  My thinking is that I may start blogging here again - after eleven years of silence.  I've blogged a good bit in the past eleven years - just not here.  Several years ago I started painting, and so I set up a painting blog.  I have a cooking blog, and a blog for our farm, and a blog for spiritual growth.  The art blog is the only one I post in regularly, though.

So let's see if I follow through and start posting here again.

Eleven years!  So much has happened.  First, Lily was diagnosed with leukemia on December 1, 2008 - went through 2+ years of awful treatment - then had over 5 years of gaining strength and getting back into school and being a regular kid again - and then she relapsed (September 23, 2016) and went through two additional years of relapse treatment - which was especially brutal since her body was already weak from the first treatment regimen.  But she made it through - finished treatment just a few months ago and is slowly building up strength and health again.  She will go off to college in August.  She applied to six colleges and got six acceptances. She has chosen to go to the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC.  She loves their nursing program - she plans on being a pediatric oncology nurse - and she loves the campus.

I have three granddaughters I didn't have eleven years ago.  Evey (Evelyn Ann) was born to Joey and Meleah in 2010, and Bradley (Mary Bradley) was born to Joey and Meleah in 2013. The "Mary" part of her name is after me - which makes me very happy! Larisa remarried in 2014, and with Phillip came our second Sophie - Sophie Grace - who was born in 1999. So we have five granddaughters now.  And I think that's the end of getting new grandchildren.  However with Sophie Grace being 19 now - and Lily will be 18 in just a few weeks - it won't be too many years before we start on great grandchildren.  Amazing to think of that.  Even more amazing to know that in just 6 months I will turn 70 years old.  OMG!!!!!

Little Sophie will be 16 a month from today - and she's a sophomore in high school.  Just unbelievable how fast these children are growing up.  I could write pages about each of my children and grandchildren.  They each have such a special place in my heart.

My mother turned 96 this week.  She's had some difficulties the past few years - but still is mostly clear-minded and relatively healthy.  She still lives by herself.  I drive down to visit her for a few days as often as I possibly can.

Ron and I will FINALLY go on a trip to Italy next month.  We've rented a villa for 9 nights and will make day trips from that home base.  I'm looking forward to a very low-key first trip abroad.  I've never even used my passport before.  So this will be a major first for me.

I love the Clinton vs. Obama Democratic race

With the victimization mentality of the Democratic party, this should prove to be an interesting campaign. All the political commentary on the MSM is a frequent source of entertainment. There have been discussions about how the fact that Obama is black might influence his campaign in one way or the other - either from people voting FOR him because he is black or from people voting AGAINST him because he is black. There have been some wonderfully revealing soundbites on that particular topic that show just how racist many in the wonderfully “progressive” Democratic party are.

I don’t recall any discussions in the news about how a person’s being white might affect their chances in an election.

The commentary after the New Hampshire primary was particularly humorous. First they had to decide if Hillary’s “human” side (i.e. her “I don’t want us to fall back” stage act) made more people vote for her - or was it because when it came right down to it, some people just couldn’t vote for a black person. Then they ponder whether America is ready for a female president.

Depending on who wins the Democratic nomination, there will be serious charges of either racism or sexism. It’s a lose-lose situation for the dems, and I think it’s hilarious. If Hillary is the nominee, the Obama crowd will claim that America is too racist to elect a black president. If Obama is nominated, the Hillary crowd will claim that America is too sexist to elect a woman president. And if John Edwards is elected, Obama’s and Hillary’s folks will claim that the nation is both sexist and racist.

I know absolutely no one who gives a rat’s ass whether our president is black, white, male or female. What people DO care about is what that person will do as president. Will he/she secure our borders? Will he/she handle the millions of illegal immigrants fairly but without compromise? Will he/she fight the war against Islamic extremism with courage and honor? Will he/she work to minimize people’s dependence on government?

So give it up, folks. If you lose a primary, or the Democratic nomination, or the presidential election, it will be because your beliefs and actions don’t mesh with the beliefs and actions of the majority of Americans. Period. Quit the blame and victim game.

Madeline Albright is not very bright when it comes to global conflict

I just saw this story over at Hot Air. It’s hilarious. Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright makes no sense at all.


Albright’s message centered on the need for equality – not just domestically, but also on a global scale.

“If we were all rich, that would be very nice,” Albright said. “If we were all poor, it would be too bad, but we would be the same. What the problem is now is the poor know what the rich have as a result of information technology and the spread, generally, of knowledge. And, it creates a whole new host of problems in terms of disquiet and anger.”

It’s sad when a supposedly intelligent person can’t put together a coherent few sentences.

Barack Hussein Obama and Abortion

There are many reasons - ethical and well thought-out reasons - that I could never in good conscience vote for any of the Democrats who are currently running for office. Here is just one of the reasons I could never vote for Barack Hussein Obama. From CNSNews:

Barack Obama is the most pro-abortion presidential candidate ever.

He is so pro-abortion that he refused as an Illinois state senator to support legislation to protect babies who survived late-term abortions because he did not want to concede — as he explained in a cold-blooded speech on the Illinois Senate floor — that these babies, fully outside their mothers’ wombs, with their hearts beating and lungs heaving, were in fact “persons.”

“Persons,” of course, are guaranteed equal protection of the law under the 14th Amendment.

I’m as much for equal rights for everyone as anybody could be. In deciding to have an abortion, however, the pregnant woman denies the basic rights of her unborn child. Yes a pregnancy can be quite devastating at times. However, it IS a human being that is killed during an abortion.

I’ve never understood how anyone could deny the person-ness of babies before birth. They have beating hearts when they’re just a few weeks old. I once exercised at a gym where an abortion survivor worked out - preparing for a marathon. Her name is Gianna Jessen, and I wrote about her over two years ago. Read about her experience. Gianna puts a real face to abortion.

If it is wrong to kill a baby after birth, then it is wrong to kill a baby before birth. The Democrats just don’t get it.

"Intensive Purposes" or "Intents and Purposes"

I always get tickled when I hear people say “For all intensive purposes” instead of “for all intents and purposes.” I was reading another blog this morning (I won’t embarrass the writer by telling which one) that used the phrase “intensive purposes.” I’m sorry, but when someone uses language so incorrectly, it’s difficult to pay much attention to the rest of what they’re saying or writing. “Intensive purposes” really doesn’t make sense in that context. Do people even THINK about the meaning of what they’re saying or writing? I dated a guy once who sent out a group email with the phrase “intensive purposes” in it. Although it made me cringe, I never pointed it out.

For what it’s worth, folks, the phrase is “FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES.”

I've Moved! Click the link

THE MEDIAN SIB has officially moved. Click HERE to visit the new site.

Please change your blogrolls to my new blog address: http://themediansib.com

Thanks! See you there!

An Army of Davids

Last week I wrote about Glenn Reynolds' book, An Army of Davids. At that time I had only heard about it. After reading about it in various blogs, though, I ordered it immediately. It finally got here Tuesday, and I've been reading it every chance I get, which isn't much. Still not finished with it (just finished chapter 2 - I've had to catch up on some book club reading first), but here's what I like up to this point:

Benefits of working from home:

". . . kids who get to watch their parents work up close - the way kids did in the pre-Industrial Revolution, cottage industry days - are likely to have a much greater appreciation of how the world of work operates. . . . At the very least, however, they'll see work behavior modeled in their presence."

On the trend away from big businesses and back to self-employment:

" . . . people who are self-employed are far more aware that there's no such thing as a free lunch and far more likely to look at the bottom line."

And also:

"The secret to success in big business and politics in the twenty-first century, I think, will involve figuring out a way to capitalize on the phenomenon of lots of people doing what they want to do, rather than - as in previous centuries - figuring out ways to make lots of people do what you want them to."

So far, I like it. It isn't the kind of reading that makes me want to stay up late to read it, but I've enjoyed reading it for awhile for the past two evenings.

An Army of Davids: How Markets and Technology Empower the Little Guy to Beat Big Media, Big Government, and Other Goliaths

Others writing on An Army of Davids: Riding Sun, Justus For All, Winds of Change, IMAO, The Truth Laid Bear, Confederate Yankee, LaShawn Barber's Corner, Professor Bainbridge, Fausta's Blog, Right Mind, Nick's Book Blog, Rambles, TigerHawk, The Blogging Journalist

Thursday Thirteen - 13 of my favorite movies

Thirteen Movies That I Can Watch Over and Over and Over 1. Gone With the Wind 2. When Harry Met Sally 3. The Shawshank Redemption 4. Sleepless in Seattle 5. One Fine Day 6. Pretty Woman 7. Somewhere in Time 8. Bridges of Madison County 9. Dirty Dancing 10. The Sound of Music 11. An Affair to Remember 12. It's A Wonderful Life 13. Ghost Links to other Thursday Thirteens! (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!) 1.Kimmy 2.Norma 3. Nat 4.Ruth 5.Joan 6.Jane 7.Tanya (very funny 13!) 8.Denise 9.FrogLegs 10.Stacy 11.LingerieLady 12.Kelly 13.Chickadee 14.Stacie 15.LazyDaisy 16.Terrell

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

The Tomato Test

The difference between knowledge and wisdom...
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

Check out The Carnival of Education - Week 58

Each week I look forward to The Carnival of Education. It is SO full of good things to read. Week 58 is at The Education Wonks. Click on over and enjoy yourself.

THE MEDIAN SIB is Moving

I feel like I'm getting into the BIG TIME! (drumroll) I've got my own domain! (wild cheering) My awesome blog designer (Beth at Blue Star Chronicles) has got The Median Sib up and running HERE. However, I am still learning WordPress. So, until I get everything worked out, I'll be double-posting - both here at the "old" TMS and here at the "new" TMS. Hopefully the double-posting will only last a few days.

Check out my new digs and let me know what you think!

From the Hearts and Souls of Children

Two tender stories for today:

I was in the gym at school this morning for bus duty. As the children came in and sat down to wait for the dismissal bell, I felt a tug on my sleeve. I looked around, and there was a kindergartener - holding up some very wilted wildflowers in her fist - just a couple sprigs. However, she was holding giving them to me with a big smile of anticipation on her face. She was radiating the joy of giving. I thanked her and hugged her and told her I would put them in water as soon as I got to my classroom. A gift from the heart that I treasure.

My second tender story: I just received an email from my mother (Ruthlace) who told me that my first grade niece, Haley, found out recently that a classmate had died. When her mother told her that she had sad news to tell her and that her friend, Anna Elizabeth, had died. Haley was very sad, but finally said, "Well Grandshaw will take care of her up there." Grandshaw was my father, and he died many years before Haley was born. However, she has heard so much about him that she was confident he would care for her friend up in heaven. The faith of a child!

Conquering the World in 4 Simple Steps

Let's say it's ten, twenty, thirty, forty or more years ago, and you decide you want to take over the United States and thus the world. You know you can't win against such a superpower in an outright physical battle. However, if you work on the Americans' thinking and values, you know it's do-able. So you set out to conquer the United States in four simple steps.

(1) Place your people in the schools. Get some of your folks in the colleges that train teachers. Get them into as many universities as possible. These are the "educated" people that others look up to and believe. As a bonus, as the students of these people graduate some of them will become teachers and professors. Then they, in turn, will influence new generations of students. Sympathy and empathy for your world view will grow exponentially. Make sure your universities and professors support those who are sympathetic to America's enemies in the name of diversity while, in the name of respecting others, they don't allow those who disagree with America's enemies to speak.

(2) Get the mainstream media in your pocket. In the past, people received their news slowly and only via print media or word of mouth. Now there is instant news, and news can be manipulated to convince people that one thing is happening when actually the opposite is true. Use catchy phrases like "keeping them honest" so people will think you're working in their best interests. People believe the news. They trust those pretty "anchors". It's a business, and money talks. Exaggerate each negative aspect of American society to the point that people become blind to the real freedoms and opportunities all Americans have. Remember that if you tell a lie often enough, people will believe it.

(3) Become involved in the political system. Join the baby boomers who want to work for human rights and equality. Take their sincere and heartfelt concerns and interests and prostitute them until the boomers and their succeeding generations believe they're working and voting for issues that are noble and righteous (freedom of choice, freedom of speech, food and housing for the needy, disaster relief) while in reality their votes end up doing the opposite (e.g. making equal rights incompatible with the sanctity of unborn life, allowing terrorists easy access to American communication systems, and creating generations of people who are dependent on the government and are rendered incapable of being self-sufficient). Convince them that protesting whatever the president does or says is not only what a true patriot does but their responsibility as an American citizen. It doesn't matter what he does or says: disagree with it.

(4) Infiltrate the entertainment industry. Americans have a serious case of star worship. Get in with Hollywood stars, television stars, and music stars. Again, money talks. In a society where there is no such thing as bad publicity, it's easy to convince "stars" to speak up for you and against their own country. After all, they're influenced by the politicians and MSM, too. And if anyone disagrees with you, charge them with being intolerant or with profiling or with . . . oh just anything that provides a smokescreen for what's really going on.

Once you've accomplished those four steps, you'll get the following results:

*Your forces can pilot highjacked airliners into major buildings in major American cities killing thousands of people, and once the dust clears and the MSM, teachers, politicians, and Hollywood have put their spin on it, the people will blame the United States.
*The president will use legal means to protect them, and because the MSM and some politicians says what he did was illegal, the people will ignore common sense and historical precedent and claim the president is a crook and should be impeached. And they will say it often enough and loud enough that even reasonable people take up the cry.
*People will be blind to the absurdities of declaring their support of freedom of speech while censoring those who disagree with them.
*People will believe what the MSM tells them about the Iraq war rather than believing the soldiers who are there on the ground working with the Iraquis every day.
*The MSM and thus most people will largely ignore the real threats in the world and instead will support the very people who threaten them.
*People will condemn a few U.S. soldiers for humiliating prisoners, and they will call it torture. Then they will support murderers who behead, publicly hang, riot, burn and kill thousands not only with no consequences but to the cheering of other murderers. And, again, the people will be blind to the hypocrisy of their actions.
*People will declare that they support our soldiers while at the same time supporting the people who are causing more of our soldiers to be killed and wounded.

The list goes on. The blindness goes on. The hypocrisy goes on. The madness goes on.

Others writing on the absurdities of the left: Michelle Malkin, Blame Bush!, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, Classical Values, Blue Star Chronicles, The Mudville Gazette, All Things Beautiful, Gina Cobb, American Soldier, Scrappleface, Michelle Malkin (again), Stop The ACLU, Atlas Shrugs, Dr. Sanity, Protein Wisdom, Rhymes With Right, Ankle Biting Pundits, Cox & Forkum, My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, Red State, David Limbaugh, The American Spectator, The Black Republican, Stuck on Stupid

Open Trackback Tuesday (Linkfest Haven, Open Trackback Alliance)
Trackback URL for this post: http://haloscan.com/tb/mcarol49/114221691673283007

Linked to: Conservative Cat, Third Word Country, TMH's Bacon Bits, Adam's Blog, The Uncooperative Blogger, Blue Star Chronicles

Translating Those Report Card Comments

I found a great book for teachers: The Reading Teacher's Book of Lists. It has a list for just about anything in the area of reading education: phonics example words, picture nouns, easily confused words, math vocabulary, literary terms, predictable books, basic sentence patterns, activities for language development, onomatopoenia, palindromes, English sounds not used in other languages, web sites for reading instruction, book interest arousers...and the list goes on. There are 194 lists! One of the lists that captured my immediate attention was the list entitled "Report Card Help." It lists 20 diplimatic ways to describe a child's behavior. I'll select my top ten.

So, without further ado, for parents who are trying to decipler what those report card comments REALLY mean, and for teachers who are looking for kinder and gentler ways to impart bad news, here is my TOP TEN list of Teacher-ese for undesirable student behavior:

(10) is a klutz: "has difficulty with motor control and coordination"
(9) smells bad: "needs guidance in development of good habits of hygiene"
(8) is lazy: "needs ongoing supervision in order to work well"
(7) has a big mouth: "needs to develop quieter habits of communication"
(6) bullies others: "has qualities of leadership, but needs to use them more constructively"
(5) is disliked by others: "Needs help in developing meaningful peer
relationships"
(4) eats like a pig: "needs to develop more refined table manners"
(3) cheats: "needs help in learning to adhere to rules and standards of fair play"
(2) steals: "needs help in learning to respect the property rights of others"
And my #1 favorite report card comment translation:
(1) lies: "shows difficulty in distinguishing between imaginary and factual material"

Now you know. You can go back and read your own report cards or those of your children and know what the teachers were really trying to tell you.

Forsythias Against the Clouds

I took this photograph this afternoon of a forsythia branch. It was of a bush in RT's backyard. I had to lie on the ground to aim the camera skyward to get the clouds for the background. I really liked the contrast of the yellow blossoms against the blue and white of the sky. There's nothing more graceful than long, flowing branches of forsythia in bloom.

The Carnival of Blue Stars - 5th Edition

Welcome to the fifth edition of The Carnival of Blue Stars. First of all, thanks to Beth at Blue Star Chronicles for asking me to host the carnival this week. It's my first time hosting a carnival, and trust me, it's a LOT more work than it seems! It has been fun, though, to scout the web for great articles about our soldiers and their families.

All of us who are part of The Carnival of Blue Stars are proud of and thankful for the military men and women who are serving our country in the most dangerous parts of the world. It is because of our soldiers, both present and past, that we are able to enjoy this land of freedom and plenty. This fifth edition highlights some of the personal stories of our soldiers and their families.

The history of the Blue Star Banner can be found here. And remember that you can still join the Blue Star Blogroll.

Links and trackbacks are welcome, appreciated and reciprocated.

Now on with The Carnival of Blue Stars:

Let's start off with a report from Uncle Jimbo at BlackFive that shows us clearly who is the most trusted group in America. We've known it all along, and now the polls back us up.

Then check out Army Wife's Life, where there's a wonderful post about what NOT to say to a friend with a deployed spouse. Good advice! She also asks for some responses. Have any of you had people say less-than-sensitive things about your deployed loved one? Leave her a comment to tell her about it.

Prairie View has a message that will be helpful for everyone who is dealing with stress and priorities - not just those connected to the military.

Beth at Blue Star Chronicles asks "On Whose Side Were You When It Mattered?"

I know the American people are courageous, generous, patriotic and honorable as a general rule. But most are not even aware of the danger that is insidiously creeping towards us. . . .
Either we open our eyes now, or we will see the danger later when it will be a much larger and more powerful force to deal with. If we wait until we can't ignore it anymore, we will pay a much higher cost in our defense.

Thank goodness we have such a wonderful military that's dealing with that danger. And while you're at Blue Star Chronicles, take a look at this post. Beth has reason to be proud, doesn't she?

Laura at The Wide Awake Cafe received scary news this week. Go give her some support.

A Rose By Any Other Name has a post by Anna that honors not only our military but all the people who work to protect us.

These are our heros. They are police, firefighters, paramedics, EMTs and soldiers. If you ask them why they do it, most will say that it's their job, it's what they do, because they can, because they are needed. None would call themselves heros, but they are because they do the jobs that the rest of us are unable, unwilling or too afraid to do. Despite what some would say, they are keeping us safe and free.

Stuck on Stupid tells about the fight of one soldier's wife to keep the promise she made to her husband before he shipped off to Iraq.

Red Hot Cuppa Politics gives us an update on Joshua Sparling along with information about the weekly Friday protests outside of Walter Reed hospital where Joshua is recuperating.

Thirdee at Code Red 4 Troops has a story about another soldier.

Giving up the fame of the football field at 29 years old, one B Company recruit
looked for a glory that was more permanent than any trophy.

Our armed forces are filled with these men and women who love their country and are ready to put action to their words. Head over there and read the entire article.

One Marine's View tells us of his homecoming after serving in Fallujah. It brought tears to my eyes to read of this courageous soldier's return home. The photo accompanying the post is wonderful - an award winner.

America, this place is awesome and now I see fist hand what we have been fighting for.. . . The airplane landed on the east coast as the pilot stated “Welcome back to the United States Marines” and the plane erupted in cheers.

We join the others in saying, "WELCOME HOME! We love you and are proud of you."

How about a little controversy? Eric at Classical Values writes about gays in the military. Go read his post and let's him know what you think?

Over at Seaspook's Rants, Seaspook talks about a topic we don't hear much about at all. Seaspook is a retired Navy Chief.

Aubrey at AubreyJ.org has President Bush's Saturday address about the 3-year anniversary of the start of Operation Iraqui Freedom. Information is provided about Iraqui and U.S. successes that we don't hear about through the MSM. 4 The Little Guy also has a report about the difference between what we hear about Iraq from our soldiers versus what we hear from the MSM.

. . . all I can say is that the Iraq War vets I’m spoken with paint a much different picture of the situation than what I see in the MSM

This next recommended reading is a tad on the commercial side, but I enjoyed reading it anyway, and I'm oh so tempted to buy that book! Go read about it at Soldiers' Angel - Holly Aho.
Beth at My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy gives an example of how our soldiers are resourceful and determined not only in battle but in play, too. And Echo9er has some wonderful photos from Iraq. The sunset picture is awesome! Hooah Wife and Friends tells us of the Wednesday Hero.

That's it for this week's Carnival of Blue Stars. I am humbled by all the people out there who are blogging in support of our troops. Thanks for your contributions to the carnival and for your words and actions of support of our troops. I hope you enjoyed this week's Carnival of Blue Stars.

Next week's carnival will be back home at Blue Star Chronicles. Send your entries for next week's carnival to beth@bluestarchronicles.com.

You can find the Carnival of Blue Stars at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival.

Weekend Linkfest: Basil's Blog, TMH Bacon Bits, Stuck on Stupid, Adam's Blog

Christian Peacemaker Teams - An Expected Outcome - And The Journal of Tom Fox

Several months ago when terrorists kidnapped a Christian Peacemaker Team, I wrote that they were stupid to go into a war zone. High, lofty ideals mixed in with people who hate them simply because they're westerners. Tom Fox, the American member of that team, was found dead this past week. His hands and feet were bound, he had been tortured, shot in the head and chest, wrapped in blankets and black pastic bags and left in a garbage dump. This is from The Washington Post:

Fox, 54, was the only American in a group of four Christian Peacemaker Teams members taken hostage last year by a previously unknown group, the Swords of Righteousness Brigade. . . .

Fox worked with families of incarcerated Iraqis, often serving as the only link between them and their families on the outside, said Paul Slattery, a member of his support group from Langley Hill Friends Meeting. Fox also escorted shipments of medicine to clinics and hospitals and worked to form an Islamic Peacemaker Team.

I admire the team's motivations and ambitions. I am incredibly sorry that he lost his life in such a barbaric and undeserved manner. The news reports tell us that he knew of the dangers he faced. He kept a blog "Waiting in the Light" - the last entry was November 8, 2005. Here is an entry from August 30, 2005 that is indicative of his politics:

We have seen again and again in the last one hundred years the evolution of warfare to the point now when the first two parts of war that have been in play for centuries, that of middle-age men sending out young men to fight and die to keep the middle-age men in power, has added a third component. Still the young fight and die to retain the power of the middle-age men but now most of those who lose their lives in the conflict are women and children.

So the Islamic Taliban leaders sent their young men to run planes into the Twin Towers and Pentagon in order to keep themselves in power? And George Bush responded to that threat to keep himself in power? On August 18, 2005 he wrote:

We must come from a spirit of love and compassion to help our leaders and many of our fellow citizens come to see that if we truly love God then we must make a drastic change of direction in the course of our country. The only way we will gain respect is by showing it to others, even those we disagree with. The only way we will gain love is by giving it to others, even those we disagree with. Love of country must always be subordinate to love of God. Love of country alone sets us on a course towards the disasters that have befallen other counties over the centuries.

The LA Times reported the Christian Peacemaker Teams' reaction:

"We mourn the loss of Tom Fox, who combined a lightness of spirit, a firm opposition to all oppression, and the recognition of God in everyone," Christian Peacemakers said in a statement posted on its website.

I agree with Fox and the Christian Peacemaker Teams on many of their beliefs. However, God is NOT in everyone. At least not a God of love and peace. And the United States is the bastion of freedom and non-oppression that people from all over the world strive to reach. Despite what you read and hear via the MSM, people die every day trying to get to the United States from other countries.

Love of country also involves protecting ourselves. Because we "ignored the bad behavior" of the Islamic terrorists in the past, they became bolder and more aggressive. There ARE evil people in the world. There ARE evil religions in the world. Put the evil people with the evil religion and you get Islamic terrorists who don't care whether you want peace or war. They don't care if you have love in your heart for them. They don't care if you see God in them. We have seen documented plans for further terrorists attacks in America. Terrorism is becoming an ever stronger force in our world. Their plan is to take over our country and make it a Muslim country. Seeing in real life the Muslim plan of society makes that a completely untenable idea. We MUST defend ourselves and our freedoms.

Yes, Tom Fox's ideals were admirable, but I believe they were unrealistic and unworkable. Thank God for our military and for President Bush who are making sure that people like the Christian Peacemaker Teams have the freedom to continue in their bubble of delusion; and who are working against tremendous pressure from within our own country to make sure that the Islamists who torture and kill such gentle-hearted people are stopped.

Other information on this topic: The Christian Peacemaker Teams site, Tom Fox is remembered by friends, News story information, CBS News

Others writing on this topic: The Autonomist, Michelle Malkin, Gina Cobb, Media Lies, Rhymes With Right, Mudville Gazette, Dr. Sanity

Linkfest Haven Links: Basil's Blog, TMH's Bacon Bits, Stuck On Stupid, Adam's Blog, Is It Just Me?, The Real Ugly American, The Uncooperative Blogger, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, Blue Star Chronicles

Newspaper in Education - the true value of today's newspapers

In honor of Newspaper in Education week, Random Yak has a touching post about how despite all the negative feelings about the MSM, he feels differently about newspapers.

There's a lot to be said for our friends in the MSM and their capacity to assist with training the young.

Go read the whole post. It'll only take a minute. It will certainly set straight all those people who say that today's newspapers aren't worthwhile.

Jay Bennish - "American Patriot" Reinstated

Jay Bennish has been reinstated in his job as geography teacher at his school in Colorado. According to the news he has promised to give all sides of an issue in future classes. I wrote a post about Bennish last week that stirred up a discussion in comments. Here is a comment I received today - by an "anonymous" person (of course). It took about a minute of exploring to find out that the comment probably came from someone using a computer at the University of Colorado. So the attitude is not surprising. (I cut/pasted the comment exactly as it was written.)

When are people supposed to start thinking and making decisions based on the vast information provided them (from various sources!)? Many have denounced Bennish for presenting controversial viewpoints (I truly hope they've actually listened to the audiotape) to highschool students, claiming they are not old enough to make their own decisions when only presented one side. Let's give the students a little credit, maybe they won't be making the same decisions as you or those in office, but that does not make them wrong. If students are not allowed to question theyare not being taught, but indoctrinated. Applause goes to Bennish for presenting viewpoints that the right-wing administration is trying to quench by calling them unpatriotic. To be proud of our country (true patriotism) we must be able to question it's policies. If we lose our voices we become a dictatorship and not a democracy.

I doubt the person realizes how absolutely ridiculous and contradictory his/her comments are. First this person tells us that people MUST start making decisions based on the "vast information provided them," and then he/she contradicts that by writing that high school kids are old enough to make their own decisions when only presented with one side of an issue. Sure...THAT makes a lot sense.

Then there's the comment about "If students are not allowed to question, then they are not being taught, but indoctrinated." BINGO! That was part of my argument with what Jay Bennish did. He put on a show of accepting questions, but then he effectively squelched the viewpoint of the student who disagreed with him, and then he continued with his very one-sided, very anti-American viewpoint. And what he said WAS anti-American. Forget Bennish's criticism of George Bush. There is no way to call his bashing of the very foundation of our country - democracy and capitalism - anything but unpatriotic. There is a HUGE difference between constructive debate/disagreement and sedition.

It is always amusing to me how some liberals try to make everything a "freedom of speech" or "freedom of choice" or "hearing all viewpoints" issue rather than looking at ALL issues fairly and rationally.

How quickly would they change their tune if the "one side" that was being presented to the high school students was from the opposite side of the spectrum - Well, for example, the far radical right. Let's only teach, for example, that we should bomb the hell out of Iraq and Iran - hey, throw in Afghanistan while we're at it, and we should torture every terrorist we capture in order to get information, and we should put up thousands of miles of fences or walls (our own version of the Wall of China) to keep out illegal immigrants. Oh yes, and be sure to tell them that the United States is right no matter what. They should have blind faith in anything our president says or does. Do you think for a minute the commenter would say that the high school kids are old enough to make decisions after hearing only that side of things? I wonder what the ACLU would say about that classroom teacher?

Questioning and debate are what make our country great. It frightens me to think that so many of our children aren't learning those skills. They accept what is being preached via the MSM and via Hollywood rather than thinking for themselves.

I think there is a pattern forming in the comments I've received. Look at this other response:

I agree with the teacher totally :D I was taught a pack of lies about the Native Americans when I was in school and nobody complained about THAT. If my daughter had a teacher that was REALLY teaching her the TRUTH, which this man seems to be doing, then I would applaud him. You don't want truth in American Schools though. You want a biased religious based curriculum that teaches children to follow the leader and NOT think for themselves. Perhaps if the children went out and did some research instead of relying on what is TOLD to them, we NEVER would have had this mess of a war we have, the financial state we are in, nobody without health care, people sitting on rooftops waiting to be rescued, racial bias, homophobia . .. Oh hun the list goes on. Why NOT allow a different view to be taught in our classrooms. What are we afraid of, our children actually being educated??? (TMS note: This was by someone named Lady Celticfire)

Okay. So children should go out and do research instead of relying on what is told to them, BUT then we should also allow a different view to be "taught". What if that different view was the radical right ones mentioned earlier? Another reader wrote a reponse to Lady CelticFire, and she assumed I wrote it. Oh well, can't really expect these people to READ what they're responding to here. So much for her research. The following shows us where she is coming from:

You need to do YOUR research about what Communism REALLY isHAHA No I am really not trying to offend. But you DO need to do some research on Communism. Have you actually read the Communist manifesto? Karl Marx said "To each according to his need, from each according to his ability." Not share all your personal possessions. That is NOT what Communism is. Thats not what Socialism is. Please, Please I beg you, actually figure out what Communism REALLY is before you start talking about what some right wing conservative from the 1950's said. Please. You say you are a teacher, well I also have a college degree and the first thing I learned in college was How To Do Research!!!And a lil PS I wouldn't want your stuff, thanks I worked hard for my own. Maybe you should share your STUFF with those less fortunate...

Don't you just hate all those assumptions? I am a Republican. Therefore, I don't give anything to the less fortunate. I don't research what I write. I don't want truth in American schools. All I want is religious bias. The pattern here is that they don't think we SHOULD think for ourselves. We should buy the whole "Bush is wrong. The war is wrong. The United States is wrong" mentality. And if we don't then we're just close-minded and are afraid to think or let others think.

Bring on the questions. Let children question and think. Jay Bennish has the right to believe whatever he wants to believe. His beliefs don't keep him from being a possibly wonderful teacher. However, when he teaches, he should stick to the subject he's being paid to teach, and he should give an UNBIASED presentation of the viewpoints, and let the students decide for themselves what to believe.

Atlas Shrugs has this to say:

So Jay Bennish . . . . is back in school on Monday. . . . but the media won't
publish those ridiculous Danish cartoons.No double standard here, keep moving,
nothing to see.

For more information on this story, check out the following: Michelle Malkin , Cox and Forkum (Re: Substituting the 3T's for the 3 R's in education), Stop The ACLU, Big Dog's Weblog, Conservative Thinking, The Nose On Your Face, Scrappleface, California Conservative.

Please excuse this quick diversion from this list of blogs with Bennish stories to bring you a quote from Random Thoughts of Yet Another Military Member which offers this scenario for when Bennish returns to the classroom to offer both sides of the issue:

Teacher (Bennish): Ok class, thats why capitalism is bad, and Bush is like Idi Amin (see I told everyone I wouldn’t use the Hitler reference anymore). Now do any of you fascist baby killing supporters want to offer up a opposing view?
Class: No!
Bennish: Ok, good, none of you are obviously indoctrinated in the Bush Youth yet, so I will offer the opposing view. I once heard a Republican helped a old lady across the street, before stealing her social security check to help pay for the illegal occupation in Iraq. Class Dismissed!

I thought it was funny. I had to include it. Ok - now on to other sources for comments on this story: Slapstick Politics, DPGI, The Education Wonks, The Blue Site.

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