Opus 2014-325: The Biggest Problem in Education

I am sure I have mentioned it before but recently it has been beating me in the face.  The hardest thing for me to take as a teacher is the drop-of-the-hat dishonesty of the students I work with.  You would think it might be violence or administrative foolishness.  In reality, I have never felt any fear on campus and I have learned to work around administrators. 

No, what stops my roller coaster is the way a student will look at you with total innocense and say, “I don’t have any gum in my mouth.”  This could be technically the truth.  It might be a spit wad they are working on.  This could be a manufactured truth.  They might have quickly swallowed the gum.  It could be a conditional truth.  They may have slipped the gum into their hand.  Since they know what I am talking about, it is still a lie.

They lie to protect a piece of chewing gum.  It can even be hanging out their mouth and they will lie.  It does not bother them.

This is just a low hanging fruit.  It could be that I asked them if they turned some homework in.  They will usually say, “Yes.”  Only when I go to check will they change their story.  When sent by an administrator or another teacher to see if they can be out of class that day, they invariably say, “Mr. Admin says you are supposed to send me to their room.”  Use your imagination.  If you can imagine it, they will lie about it.

To be honest they learned this from the adults in their lives.  It starts with their parents.  Just on what I see and hear in parent meetings gives me a clue to what happens at home.  Then they get to school and soon begin to realize that they can’t really believe what the school tells them either.  It could be something as blatant as denying a promise that was made.  It is prevalent in the announcements made about policy and the law and then totally disregarding the statement.  It can be giving the idea that everyone needs algebra in the eighth grade. 

They see it in their entertainment.  It has been a long time since I have watched TV but I would guess that the main characters are still regularly telling lies and the laugh track is reminding you it is supposed to be funny.

They see it in their politicians.

Lies are destructive.  That is why God chose honesty as one of the final ten rules.

(Exodus 20:16 KJV)  Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

Short and sweet.  Worthy to repeat.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-324: A New Flavor of Spam

I had an interesting piece of spam today.  There was only one and it started like it was a genuine post.  I keep thinking that a legitimate comment might get shuffled over.  I was again disappointed.

The robot told me that some of my pictures were not loading well and suggested that he might have a solution for me at his web site.  The big problem with this is that I have not yet tried to put pictures on my blog.  I am thinking about it but life is too short to learn new skills.

So if you do have pictures, be aware that all helpful comments are not helpful comments.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-323: Who Is Mr. Brown?

In Atlas Shrugged we keep hearing about John Galt.  Our news media has a different hero.

I keep reading about Mr. Brown.  It seems that he was a jolly young man who was brutally murdered while minding his own business by a thug policeman just because Mr. Brown was black.  Interesting, since I have met “Mr. Brown,” many times.

The Mr. Brown that I have met does not always match the stereotypes I keep reading.  He is not always a man.  He is only jolly when he is getting his own way.  He comes in many racial types.  He is rarely minding his own business. 

Mr. Brown is the product of our schools.  I have had him in my class, of and on, for years.  He tends to come to class late and do no work while he is present.  He is self centered and disrespectful to everyone.  He disrupts the environment and makes it impossible for others to learn.  If you kick him out he swaggers in the next day and you start again.  He is taught by the school administration that there are no consequences for his behavior and he can get away with anything.  That is fine until he meets someone who is not impressed with him.  Then we read about him in the newspapers.

Mr. Brown is the product of a home.  Everyone thought his behavior was cute the first few years but eventually it started getting obnoxious.  Some people think a two year old swaggering, cussing and giving you the finger is darling.  They don’t feel that way when he turns 21.  It is almost a sure thing that his father does not live with his mother.  Usually they were never married.  Often no one is even sure who his father is.  His mother cries a lot at meetings but never does anything to teach the child self control.  She has a nice phone, lots of gold and a fine stereo at home.  What she does not have is the time to train Mr. Brown to be a responsible adult.  That is fine until he meets someone who is not impressed with him.  Then we read about him in the newspapers.

Mr. Brown is the product of our culture.  We live in a world of double standards.  Justice means different things depending on the color of your skin.  The law is interpreted based on your genetic make up.  Equality is as Animal Farm described it, “Some are just more equal than others.”  Discrimination is evil tied to Jim Crow but blessed under the title of affirmative action.  We have a generation that discards facts and reality and declares that the world is supposed to bend to their desires.  That is fine until Mr. Brown meets someone who is not impressed with him.  Then we read about him in the newspapers.

Who is John Galt?  Who is Mr. Brown?  One is a sign of responsible liberty.  The other is the result of self-destructive narcissism. 

You will see more of both.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-322: Changing Christmas Traditions, part 9 of 9: Removing the Tree

The wrapping paper went out in the trash the next day.  The celebration goodies are being consumed.  The gifts are put away or being used.  Now comes the big question:  When do we take the tree down and what do we do with it?

The “when” is easy.  We take the tree down whenever my wife says to do so.  It is a tradition that keeps morphing.  Some years we take it down on December 26.  Some years we make it into the new year.

The “what” has become easy.  We simply haul the tree out to the curb.  Eventually the trash people pick it up.  I assume they have some kind of program that takes the trees and makes them into mulch, but it disappears.

Then comes the task of getting all the pine needles out of the carpet and we are on to another year.

Happy New Year.  I hope you had a merry and blessed Christmas.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-321: Rigor and High Standards = Smoke and Mirrors

Whenever you hear educators talk about the high standards they have and the rigorous approach to education they take you need to get out your baloney meter.

Let me relate an example.  For purposes of protecting the innocent and calming the guilty I will call the teacher Mr. Smith and the student John.

We have a “holiday” program like most schools.  Kids are pulled out of class to practice and prepare.  The school made a clear statement outlining the standards that would be expected to be able to participate.  The one the relates to this post is that the student could not participate if they had any “U’s” in citizenship.  That means unsatisfactory, in case you were wondering.

We give grades four times each semester.  It is easy to see who has unsatisfactory citizenship.  You do a data printout and there it is.  It would seem easy to determine who is not eligible.  That should end the process of qualifying.  Not so in public education.  I was first harassed by John to sign a paper saying he no longer had a “U”.  He promised to change and do better.  I said “No.  You have been tardy consistently all year.  Live with the responsibility of your actions.”  Next, Mr. Smith came to me with a list of students who wanted to participate but were banned by their behavior.  Generally these were students who had multiple “U’s”, not just one. 

So I went through the list with Mr. Smith and agreed to change the ones that appeared to be one time grades.  Some students had been fine for two grading periods and only had a problem with the last.  I can be reasonable.  John had been consistent all year.  John came pleading again.  I again said “No.”

Then Mr. Smith told me that the principle and assistant principle would be talking to me about John and seeing if something could be worked out.  While this was going on John continued to be tardy two and three times a week.  I never heard another word.  Two days before the performance I asked Mr. Smith if John would participate.  He said yes.  The powers that be had decided to allow him to do his thing.

One issue here for me was that none of the others on my list were given the same exemption.  Only one parent came and made an issue.  Only one student was exempted.  Since parents make an issue we abandon the myth of standards.  It is easier to talk standards than uphold standards

The biggest issue for me is that this child has been taught, again, that he will never need to be responsible and that the rules do not apply to him.  He has learned that he will always be given a waiver.  If this were a one time thing I could live with it but it is an ongoing pattern.

We are destroying a generation.  You wonder why the young man in Ferguson thought he could attack the cop?  You wonder why the young man in Florida thought he could beat up a member o neighborhood watch?  You wonder why so many young people think that the rules don’t apply to them?  One big reason is that their education has taught them that.

Keep in mind that you elected the school board.  You elected the politicians that appointed the judges.  In most states, you reelected the judges. 

I wonder who is to be blamed.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-320: Headlines: We All Need Connections

Liberty is slipping away.  The Progressive fascists in government (aka liberals, moderates, Rinos, socialists, communists) are working overtime to protect us from ourselves.  This ranges from taking away our ability to defend ourselves, limiting our movement, and forcing us to the doctor of their choice.  It also includes protecting us from information that might upset us and even make us think.  In extreme cases it might make us vote the suckers out.  Remember, they care and want us to be happy.

Another important statement to this effect was made by Tammy Bruce in The Washington Times, National Weekly, November 24, 2014, p. 30.  You can find a slightly different version at the on-line link

“This is why the political establishment hates the Internet — it allows regular people, individuals, to change the world. This in itself presents a danger to tyrannical regimes everywhere, and to American administrations that rely on keeping you in the dark.”

You may notice the headlines that have congress trying to “make the internet available to everyone.”  To do that they need to limit access and control costs.  You may have missed that the control of granting domain names has moved from American control.  The United Nations wants to do for information what they have done for economic growth:  Tax, control and limit.

So stay alert.  This is another litmus test.  Anyone who wants to put the government in control of the internet needs to be voted out.  It is a good question to put to presidential wannabees.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-319: Help the Robots

As I was deleting spam I had a thought.

Why don’t the spam robots just try sending out a “Merry Christmas!” with no invitation to check out their blog?  I think it might draw in a whole slew of victims who are not impressed by their attempts to tell us how good our blogs are or sell us Viagra. 

Of course they might be attacked by the anti-Christmas spam robots.

Merry Christmas.

I am not a robot, but then you would expect me to say that, wouldn’t you?

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-318: Changing Christmas Traditions, part 8 of ?: The Year We Lost Jesus

One of our Christmas traditions is to have an empty creche under the tree as we approach Christmas morning.  Then when the kids would get up they would find the baby, wrapped in an old (clean) diaper.  It worked well for years.

Then one year I went to the closet to get the doll and it wasn’t there.  Everyone else was asleep.  What was I to do.  We couldn’t have Christmas morning without the baby Jesus.  Finally I took one of the stuffed Teddy bears we decorated with and wrapped it up.  It caused a few raised eyebrows but was accepted with grace.

Why couldn’t I find the baby Jesus?  Because I had not been using it on a regular basis.  I have the same problem with the instructions to my car radio when I need to reset the time twice a year.  When we don’t use things they get lost.

I am sure you see where this is going.  If you only bring Jesus out of the closet at Christmas then you won’t be able to find Him when you need Him.  Think about that on December 26.  Think about it on January 1.  Better yet, become a 24/7/365 believer and make Jesus part of every day.

Merry Christmas.

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-317: Changing Christmas Traditions, part 7 of ?: The Opening of the Gifts.

Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning?

That is one of the big divides of our culture.  My father always said, “If you are going to open Christmas presents on Christmas Eve, you might as well open them on Thanksgiving.”  His children agreed with that but not the way he meant it.  Since my father ruled the roost, we waited until Christmas morning.  Also, everyone needed to be up and at least presentable.

My wife came from a pagan culture that opened gifts on Christmas Eve.  I am not sure of the reasoning but that tradition has a lot of followers in our fallen world.  Since we used to have a lot of family gatherings, she was able to get the camel’s nose under the tent. 

At this point we compromise and open some both times.  We read the Christmas story from Luke on Christmas Eve.  It is written from Mary’s point of view and focuses on the shepherds, angels and birth.  It shows that Jesus came for the poor of the entire world.  On Christmas morning we read the account from Matthew which is from Joseph’s perspective and emphasizes the “wise men” and the priority of Israel.

Since my parents are both dead and the next generation is procreating we don’t have the large family gatherings any more but we often think about grandma and grandpa during our smaller time together.  So far my children are still coming home, so it is a very special time.

If you open you gifts before Christmas morning, I forgive you.  You are probably one of those people who sneak in and try to figure out what is in them anyway.

Merry Christmas.

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-316: Headlines: Sony and Kim

Should I get my sox in a knot over Sony?

I really don’t know.  On the one hand, anytime the forces of chaos bring disruption it effects all of us.  If criminals can do this to a corporate giant with all the money to have good security, what is to keep them from doing it to the rest of us?  I am for the rule of law so I am in favor of the perpetrators being caught and prosecuted. 

On the other hand I have not heard anything that damages national security or our basic liberties, at least nothing worse than the government does on a regular basis.  I will concede I have not been reading all the stories, just the headlines.  I have heard a lot about left wing corporate and entertainment moguls being revealed as bigots and hypocrites.  This is news?  I have heard that the personal details of celebrities has been turned over to the public.  This is worse than National Enquirer?   Am I supposed to care more about the private life of Sony executives than I do about Kim Kardashian?

Does this effect the real world as much as Diane Feinstein turning over secret information that endangers the lives of American embassy staff overseas?  Does it put American tourists and workers around the world at risk as much as President Obama making deals with terrorists and releasing known jihad killers?  I know I am getting older and starting to slip, but what am I missing?

For now I am treating it like celebrity news or media ratings revelations and to be honest, I would rather read a book.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-315: Changing Traditions, part 6 of ?: Santa Claus Is Coming to Town

SPOILER ALERT:  If Santa Claus is coming to your house you might not want to continue reading.

One tradition that we can’t let go of is the hanging and filling of the stockings.

Flash back 60 years:  As a child I always looked forward to Christmas morning because we were free to get up and go through our stocking.  One thing I remember was that each of us found a huge naval orange as part of the picture.  I am sure my childish memory exaggerates, but I have not seen oranges that large in years.  I think we ship them all to Japan now or I just don’t shop at the high priced organic stores.  It was a sign of our poverty that an orange was a high point of Christmas.

Flash back 55 years:  One year I decided it was payback time.  I bought my dad a pair of sox, a small toy car for him and a set of jacks for my mom, and assorted useful items and stuffed the sox for my parents.  I left them laying outside their bedroom door and began a new part of the tradition for us.

Santa Claus is not a part of our Christmas.  We have banished his image from our house.  It is not a fanatical crusade, just an observation of how he seems to be more and more a sign of the secular spirit of Christmas.  Instead, we have the Wise Men come to our house.  Historically, that is also a common tradition around the world.  I don’t know when we made the transition so I can’t give you a flash back number but it was when the children were very small.

The concept of the wise men has become more true as the years go by and I end up doing more of the stocking stuffing.  I think last year I almost had to fill my own but managed to get my daughter up before any one else was around. 

A ruse to keep the children quiet has become a long drawn out routine.  In my family the children could go through their stocking when they got up.  This allowed the parents a few hours extra of sleep.  My wife’s family did it different.  They would wait until everyone was up and then one at a time go through each stocking.  It was a major production.  I won’t even ask you to guess which way we do now.

Stockings have gotten bigger but they are still a big mystery on Christmas morning.

Merry Christmas.

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-314: Headlines: Stupid Is As Stupid Does

I keep hearing it from pundits, “The American people are not stupid.”  The latest was in a commentary piece by Tammy Bruce in The Washington Times, National Weekly, November 24, 2014, p. 30.  You can find a slightly different version of the article at the on-line link.  She says,

“The American people aren’t stupid, but the mainstream media work very hard at keeping us ignorant.”

I have a real problem with that.  Keep in mind that the American people elected this president two times.  Remember that large sections of the American people are in love with Bubba and his power seeking wife, Hillary.  Remember that a large slice of Americans still repeat the mantra that Islam is a religion of peace.

Maybe ignorant is a better word than stupid but it is an ignorance based in choice or sloth.  I remember the candidate Obama making the promise that if he were elected he would put the coal business out of business and raise our electricity rates.  That was in public view and was ignored.  I remember the president promising universal, Cadillac health care or everyone at a reduced cost.  No one can claim ignorance on that one, only stupidity will do.  I keep hearing that his approval rating are down at 39%.  What is it that the 39% approve of?

Will the American people wake up?  Past experience does not bode well but we can always hope.  Maybe that makes me the stupid one.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-313: Wonderful Counselor

Over the long holiday season I usually fall further behind on listening to Alistair Begg.  Early this year I was listening to a Christmas sermon and the subject was the prophecy in Isaiah about the child in Isaiah 9:6.  One of His titles was Wonderful Counselor.  The only problem is that we don’t read and understand that correctly.

Compare two translations:

(Isa 9:6 KJV)  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

(Isa 9:6 NAS77)  For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Begg points out something that had slipped by me.  He says that in the Hebrew the “wonderful” is not an adjective.  If you look at the KJV it comes through.  If you look at the NASB it doesn’t.  I went through the collection of fifteen translations I have on my software and the pattern was consistent.  The older translations bring through the sense of the Hebrew.  The newer translations muddle it.

According to the definition “wonderful” is a noun.  That does not mean that it cannot modify counselor but it can stand alone also. 

Another familiar use of the verse is in Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus.  If you think back over the presentation, the word “wonderful” is presented in such a way that it shows Handel understood it to be a separate characteristic.  Begg calls it an “abstract.” 

So take it either way.  The coming Messiah was to be a “wonderful Counselor.”  He was also to be Wonderful.  You can have your cake and eat it too.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-312: Changing Traditions, part 5 of ?: Christmas Bugs

Food at Christmas is always an adventure.

Flash back 50 years:  I was a teenager and we were going to my grandmother’s on Christmas Eve.  It was an annual event with all her family in the area.  I don’t remember enjoying it much but is was a command performance.  One year my brother and I came across a section of a store that had some exotic Christmas candies.  They specialized in chocolate covered insects of different types.  Since we wanted to expand the horizons of our aunts, uncles and cousins, we bought a selection and when we had gone over the river and through the woods, made our contribution to the dessert table.  The only part we left out was telling people what they were eating.  That came later and a good time was had by all, or at least by my brother and I.  In all fairness, we had tried them ourselves.

Flash back 20 years:  I had the passing of the torch:  My children had been listening to the folly of my youth.  About that time they discovered an on line site that specialized in candied insects.  The pattern was repeated.  They have an aunt who always finds an excuse not to eat if they are in the area.

Maybe there is a reason my children are not invited to Christmas parties.

Oh, well.  Our children today still bring variety to the table.  Part of their tradition is to go out and sample cheeses and buy a selection for our Christmas and New Year’s dinners.  They get cheese, fruit, crackers and the food that has become a centerpiece.  No, not insects, pecans.  It is amazing how pecans enhance the flavor if an unusual cheese.  Try it if you never have.

I wait with anticipation to see what exotic morsels will grace the table this year.

Merry Christmas.

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-311: Monday Pulpit: A Myth Buster Moment

On Sunday our pastor mentioned one of the big “truths” of our culture, the “fact” that suicide rates are highest during Christmas time.  I had always accepted the statement and the logic.  It seems that years ago he was researching this and the people at the Suicide Prevention Center told him that was not true.  He then called three hospitals and got the same report.

Interesting.

I did a quick Google search and came up with an article on Wikipedia.  I recognize that Wikipedia is not the best source for anything controversial but they backed up this statement.  It seems that suicides are highest during the summer and spring, not at Christmas.

Why would a myth like this be so popular?  I am sure that a big part of it is the desire to tear down the Christian holiday and claim that people feel rejected and alone during that time.  That would mean that all this Christmas joy is just a charade by churches. 

It turns out that the Christmas spirit does effect our society, in a positive way.

So Merry Christmas.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-310: On the Street: Freedom and Christmas

I like a variety of Christmas music.  As I write the secular song, “Caroling, Caroling” is being sung by Nat King Cole.  I have Reba doing things country style.  I have a capella songs loaded with theology.  I even like “Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree” which seems to be panned by so many self appointed music critics.  I call listening to “Percy the Puny Poinsettia” my contribution to diversity. 

What I don’t like is the way in which it is being watered down.  On a trip to the airport in a shuttle van I was locked in the back seat for almost two hours.  The driver had on a station that was playing all Christmas music, even before Thanksgiving.  At first I enjoyed it but I began to notice a pattern in the music.  Until I was getting out at the airport and “Little Drummer Boy” came on there was not one song that got to the real reason we have the season.  The station manager had taken it upon himself to make sure that those pesky Christians didn’t get too much air time.

They have that right.  It is a free country.

They also need to understand that I have an I-Pod and a car stereo that will play music from a flash drive.  I don’t need to listen to their freedom.  So far I can exercise my own.

I don’t go to Target because they have banned the Salvation Army.  They have the right.  It is a free country.  This week when I went to Walmart they not only had the bucket and bell ringer but a brass combo playing Christmas music.  I plan to exercise my economic freedom to benefit those who support my values. 

Keep your eyes open and vote with your dollars.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-309: Changing Christmas Traditions, part 4 of ?: Did You Check the Water?

What is the difference between a Christmas tree and a car?  On a car you check the oil and water, on a tree, just the water.

This becomes an irritating necessity.  Someone has to do it.  It becomes a matter of standing in the family.  We used to tell the kids to do it.  Now I do it.  What does that say about who is in charge?

This year we have an added worry.  The tree is not drinking water.  I think it is because it is fresh and still moist, a good sign.  My wife thinks it is a bad sign.  Why worry.  The tree is dead either way.  The only issue is when it realizes it.

Maybe the cat is adding water each night just to mess with our minds.

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-308: Headlines: If Only Policemen Had Guns...

I am sure you have heard about the terrorist activity in Australia.  It would not have happened that way in Texas.

As I read the initial account, a Muslim cleric, self-styled they say, walked into a small eating place, pulled out a shotgun and took the entire crowd hostage.  This led to a standoff and finally a police attack that left the Muslim terrorist dead and also at least one hostage.

Maybe they should have had a sign on the door, “This is a gun free zone.”  Actually they don’t need the sign because Australia has made itself a gun free zone.  Only the police are allowed to be armed.  Oh, and terrorists and criminals.  I think the law gives them a pass too.  Or it could be they just don’t care.

The same thing could happen at any school in our country.  It could happen in most places in Los Angeles County.  These are “gun free zones.”  It would probably not happen in Texas outside of Austin, Houston and San Antonio.  If a guy walked into a restaurant in Texas and began pulling out a shotgun it would probably be the last thing he did.  And no hostages would die.

Of course the news goes out of its way to portray the terrorist as having a screw loose and not being a part of the mainstream Muslim community.  How nice. 

The original second amendment was designed for terrorists in the government.  It should also apply to any person who has a screw loose enough to think they can kill people for their religion.  In this day an age that seems to fall in the Mulsim camp.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-307: Firsts: Cloven Oatmeal

I thought it was cinnamon.  I was wrong. 

I was in a hurry and not paying attention.  After I made my oatmeal and added sweetener I reached for the cinnamon.  There are several containers on the shelf.  The first one I pulled out was mixed with sugar so I replaced it and pulled out another.  As I opened it and sprinkled it on the smell seemed a little strange but I wasn’t paying attention.  The first bite made my taste buds stand up and take notice.  I checked the bottle and it said “ground cloves.” 

Actually it wasn’t bad.  I may try it again and mix it with cinnamon.  Out of such accidents are great discoveries made.

Gag or wonder where I have been all my life.  It was a first for me.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-306: Changing Christmas Traditions, part 3 of ?: Trimming the Tree

For those who are literal you need to understand that “trimming” means “decorating.”  I think the term comes from the way in which people who used to cut their tree in the forest would then trim the branches to achieve what we consider the “Christmas tree” shape.

Flash back:  This used to be a simple step.  I could sit in a chair drinking hot chocolate while the children did all the work.  The hardest part was recognizing when they had enough on the tree.  When they were young they thought this was fun.  One year they woke up and rebellion arose in the ranks.  “Why do we have to do all the work?”  Those were the good days.

Now:  I did it all.  Let my clarify that.  I did not make any decisions.  I just did all the moving.  I put the big ones where I was told and then moved them to where I should have known they went.

It is done.  The tree is up and lit.

Good job.

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-305: Headlines: Beware the Religious Zealots

Get ready for the riots.  The fundamentalists will be burning, beheading and rampaging soon.

The desecration is so terrible that I would not even try to make the picture appear on my website.  You thought Mohamed with a bomb on his head was bad.  You thought Buddha with earphones was evil.  Now we have a crucifix made of golden penises.  You can read the details at Harper’s Bazaar.  Drudge still had the picture on Saturday.

The headline calls it a “charm necklace.”  I guess romance has changed since I was a young man.

So lock your doors.  Huddle in fear.  Whoever Tom Ford is I am sure he is hiring body guards and going into hiding.  The Christians are coming. 

Or not.  I think most of us will be at church celebrating Advent.

Merry Christmas.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-304: Fear Not, the Republicans Are Coming

This is a word of encouragement to all you Democrats out there.

Last time the Republicans were in charge of the legislature they acted like kids loose in a candy store.  They abandoned all of the principles they espoused and began to spend like drunken sailors.  In short they acted just like Democrats.  We are already starting to see that.  The leadership in the House has decided to join hands with the President and give him all the money he wants to open the borders and fund Obamacare.  It is his dream come true. 

Way to go guys.  Last time we had frantic passage of bills was when the Republicans were going to take over the House and the Democrats pushed through Obamacare without reading the bill.  Now the Republicans have done what the Democrats could not get done and funded it.

I would like to say that this will change when the new crop of Republicans change the mix in January, but don’t count on it.  Democrats should never have any fear of a Republican takeover.  Why?  Because Republicans believe what they read in the left wing press and have a deep desire to be loved.  I can go back to the days of Ronald Reagan and the cooperation he gave to the Democrats.  They lied.  They lied to both George Bush’s and they are lying today.  And the Republicans keep believing them.

I keep hoping that those who were elected this time will make a difference but I am not sure there are enough of them.  The leadership still wants to be loved and will join the Democrats to thwart the will of the people.  They will make the people so mad that in two years the Dems will be back. 

The battle continues.  Start thinking about it now for 2016:  Vote the suckers out.  When in doubt it means that they have not been clear enough.  Vote “No.”

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-303: Is Santa a Cheap Rolex?

Santa Claus is the closest that most people will get to the concept of God. 

One of the omnipresent symbols of Christmas is Santa Claus.  There is a reason why he is so popular.  He falls into the same category as those diets that claim you can eat all you want, never be hungry and lose weight.  He is something that gives us all the rewards with none of the responsibility. 

He is a God replacement.  He is a fat free food.  He is a benevolent being that is able to hit every home in one evening, omnipresent.  A list of naughty and nice shows omniscience.  He answers any wish so he is omnipotent.  We also find grace because in their hearts most people know they have been generally naughty and yet get gifts anyway.  If we could just transfer that over to the God of the universe life would be wonderful.

Or we can keep pretending.  A $25.00 Rolex sold on the corner may look real, but it isn’t.  You may be able to fool people.  You may even forget yourself.  It still isn’t a Rolex.  It still isn’t under warranty.  It may not even keep accurate time.

Don’t believe the posters that say, “If you can dream it, you can be it.”  As an adult I know those posters are a lie.  I probably knew when I was a kid.  In my heart I knew I never really had a chance of being a Mousketeer.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-302:  Ode to Old:  Is This the One?

I have a pain in the neck and, no, I don’t mean my students at school.

I have a pain in my gut.

I am dropping things more often.

I am stumbling more often.

Each time something happens I ask myself, “Is this the one?”  I mean of course, is this the beginning of a physical problem that could bring me down?  The first notice some people have of heart attacks is a pain in the left arm.  The whisper of cancer can be indigestion.  Minor disorientation can be a stroke.  Shortness of breath can be clogged arteries.  Craving pickles can be a sign of pregnancy. 

Maybe I got carried away on that last one.

When you get to my age you can get concerned about a lot of things.  The body is wearing out.  The warranties are not renewable.  I am aware of that and okay with it.

You see, I am ready to go.  I am almost to my allotted three score and ten.  My children are grown and independent.  My wife will have my retirement.  I have trusted in Christ and have an assurance of eternal life.  I am not worried about any library books I may have checked out or whether I remembered to start the dish washer.

So bring it on.  Life is good and after life will be better.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-301: Changing Christmas Traditions, part 2 of ?: It Cost How Much?

Flash back 35 years.  We had no children yet.  We also had no money.  We would go to the Christmas tree lots and look for the clearance section.  I remember one year we got a tree that only had one side.  It didn’t matter really, you never look at the back side anyway.  We called these Charlie Brown trees.  They were pathetic but lovable, at least when looked at through the eyes of our budget.

Flashback 20 years.  For some reason we spent Christmas in a time share exchange.  We arrived the day before Christmas and set out to look for a tree.  By the time we got to a town that sold them the lots were closed and people had gone home to be with their families.  It was dark and cold.  So we picked one out, loaded it on our car and headed back to the condo.  We did put money in an envelope and slide it under the door but we were not sure if the police would understand.  It was the year we “stole” our tree.

Today.  I didn’t even ask how much the tree cost.  My wife has developed a habit of saying, “Life’s too short” when I get too nosey and things are too expensive.

So now we have a paid-for tree.

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-300: Changing Christmas Traditions, part 1 of ?: Which Tree?

O, how the Christmas traditions change.

We are in the process of putting up the Christmas tree.  This is a procedure that has radically changed over the years, but it always starts with procuring the tree.

Flash back 30 years.  We would begin by loading the children and the dog into our station wagon and head out to a “cut your own” lot.  When we arrived at the lot we would troupe all over looking for just the right tree.  One of the big issues was who got to carry the saw.  After much walking, looking and haggling we would settle on a tree.  The next big issue was, “Who gets down on the ground and cuts the tree.”  It was a great day when I was able to pass that to my son.  For years he kept trying to pass it to his sister.  I can’t remember if he was ever successful.  Then the kids really paid off.  They had the task of carrying the tree back to the entrance.  We would then tie the tree on and head home, after paying, of course. 

Today.  My wife goes out and comes back with a tree on the roof of our SUV with the stand already secured to the trunk.  Cool.  The kids are still out of state.  We graduated to buying a pre-cut tree soon after they left.  Now I don’t even have to go along to hold them up and twirl them for inspection.  It saves a lot of time and my opinion was not important anyway.  My job was to get it off the top of the tree and into the house.  I still got to twirl it but again my opinion was not important.  It is just not important in even lesser ways.  I was told to get it into the house without leaving any pine needles on the ground.  Right.  Then I was told to clean up the pine needles on the ground.  That is a tradition that has never changed.

Next step is the Paying for the Tree.

To be continued, (I hope)....

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-299: On the Street: Trash Call

While preparing to leave the restaurant I knocked a piece of trash on the floor.  As I bent to pick up after myself I was reminded of a young lady in class who was throwing her trash on the floor.  I watched as she tore little pieces of paper off the sheet and casually brushed them off her desk.  She didn’t think anything about it.  This was not an unusual occurrence.  It is too common in the youth of our country.  It is too common in the adults of our community.  It is why our streets are full of trash.  It is why people with traffic tickets get to wear those orange vests on Sunday mornings and walk along the side of the freeway with a big bag.

It all comes down to philosophy of life and there is a real correlation between life philosophy and political philosophy. 

Liberals teach people that the government will do it for them.  Conservatives are taught to be responsible for their own behavior.  These “truths” are at the core of what the left and right teach.

You want an example from real life?  Google for a picture of an area that the Occupy Wall Street crowd has had a demonstration.  It looks like a town hit by a tornado.  This is the liberal philosophy at work.  If you want someone else to pay your bills, why not have someone else pick up your trash?  Now Google a picture of a place that the Tea Party has had a rally.  I have heard that they usually leave it cleaner than they found it.  Conservatives understand that mommy is not following them around picking up their sox and candy wrappers.  They try to keep the world clean for themselves and for others.

Are there conscientious liberals?  I would assume so.  Are there trashy conservatives?  Indeed.  I am talking about generalities not stereotypes.  If you don’t understand the difference, it is because you probably had a Democrat for a history teacher.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-298: Firsts: Onward to Omelets

It may be old hat to you but it was a journey into potential disaster for me.

Until last week I had never tried to make an omelet.  It seemed like a mystery that is reserved for the ages but I was ready for a new adventure.  After all, what could go wrong?  It’s only eggs, right?  Eggs are cheap, right?

Forward.  My son had the book learning and I had his kitchen to mess up. 

Forward.

My first act of courage that awed him was breaking the eggs into a common bowl instead of each one alone.  He seemed to be worried about getting pieces of egg shell in his omelet.  I reassured him about my competence.  I have been cracking eggs for years.  It was the omelet part I needed his opinion on.

Forward.

I put a generous dollop of butter in the pan.  He asked if it was necessary since it was a non-stick surface.  It amaze me the confidence that the younger generation has in technology.  I assured him that if nothing else, it would make it taste better.

Forward.

The egg were cracked and beaten to the point of abuse.  The pan was ready.  Now came the moment of truth.  I boldly poured the eggs into the pan.  There were no explosions or secret police emerging from the closets.  So far, so good.

Forward.

We added cheese and waited for bubbles.  At what seemed like the proper moment I got the mixture turned over.  I did not have the boldness to toss it like the guys on TV, but I got it over and mostly in one piece.  After a few moments I folded it, waited a short time and served it up.

I am here to report success. 

The next experiment involved a cholesterol-free mix from a carton and chopped things but that is an experience for another day.  Just remember, you are never too old to cook your first omelet.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-297: Packing Up Christmas

Last January Alistair Begg mentioned in a sermon how our faith is like the Christmas lights we pack up and put away.  We take it all, label it Christmas and put it away until next year.  We know where it is.  We know what is in it.  We plan on pulling it out when we need it again but we can’t be sure if everything will work.

What an expression of our spiritual lives, family life and marriages.  We know what is needed and where it is, but we ignore it. 

Christmas is coming.  Soon we will be taking definite steps to get ready for the celebration.  Everything we do and say will be changed.  Then on December 26 it all begins to be boxed up again.  The attitudes and behaviors that make this month different are also packed away.  How would it change our world if we applied those attitudes all year long.

How about if you took the Sermon on the Mount and the Love Chapter and applied them every day of the year?  How would our culture be changed if Christians would actually live their faith on a daily basis instead of putting it into a compartment for Sundays and emergencies.

Christmas is coming.  Enjoy.  Get out the decorations.  Put on the music.  Allow yourself to be infused with the Christmas spirit.  Then get sneaky.  Don’t put the attitude away with the decorations.  Let them hang on your day like those outside lights that you are to lazy to take down.  Plug them in.  Turn them on. 

Christmas is a day.  Advent is a season.  Righteousness is a way of life.

Merry Christmas.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-296: On the Street: A Rude Awakening

I was forced back on the freeways after a week away.  It was a rude awakening.

After not having to face rush hour in Southern California for a week I had lost the habit of patience.  I don’t think of myself as patient by nature but I acknowledge it as a part of the fruit of the spirit.  Fruit grows and needs to be cultivated.

(Galatians 5:22-23 NASB)  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

It is time to remind myself that there are drivers who should have never been let out of their cage.  There are others who are just having a bad day. 

I need to make sure that I do not join them.  I do that by reminding myself every morning that I am going out among the “huddled masses, yearning to breathe free” and who feel like narcissistic driving is listed in the First Amendment.

Keep your eyes open and your reflexes in overdrive.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-295: Firsts: A Week without Fiction

I brought them, but I did not read them.

I try not to go anywhere without something to read.  I don’t want to be driven to reading the magazines in a doctor’s office or the posters on the post office walls.  I try to have at least one book or my Kindle.  When I go on a trip that goes doubly true.  This week away from work I brought a selection of fiction to read.

I didn’t even crack one open.

Part was because I began an old classical work on my Kindle.  Part was because I was with family members and they kept me busy.  For whatever reason, I realized as I was packing to head home that I had read no fiction from books this week.  I am not counting the news reports I read.

That is a first for me.  I think it is a healthy first.  May it be repeated.  There are so many important things to read from the old classics to the current issues.  There is no way to keep up but it is worth the effort.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-294: The Science of Bachelorhood

I am slowly reading through an old P.J. O’Rourke book called, The Bachelor Home Companion.

I am reading slowly because there is only so much of P.J.’s immature fixation on sex, drugs and booze I can take in one setting.  I am reading because in between the adolescent sleaze there are gems of O’Rourke humor.

The book is an approach to how a bachelor keeps house.  Basically they don’t.  You let the trash pile up until you can’t move around then you move to a new apartment.  Some is standard stereotypes of men so dumb that they put the whole box of detergent in the washing machine and have suds all over the floor.  Others make me laugh. 

“Use the right equipment to clean brushes, rollers, paint trays, etc.  I use the garbage can.” page 104

It is a kind of cruel laugh because I remember my days as a bachelor.

In visiting a bachelor recently I came across something I don’t think he mentioned. 

Bachelors are free to do what they want to do as long as the noise and smell don’t attract the police.  So they try things like using the living room as a place to separate their clothes and leave them in piles because what is the point in folding up underware when you are going to need it soon. 

This bachelor had an interesting spin on food gone bad.  I noticed an unopened block of mild cheddar cheese that had mold growing inside the wrapper.  He noticed me noticing and explained that it was an experiment.  At my puzzled look he said he was waiting to see if the mild cheddar would eventually turn into sharp cheddar.  For a civilized person this is weird.  For a bachelor this is science.

He needs to find a wife to civilize him.

O’Rourke, P.J.  The Bachelor Home Companion.  New York:  The Atlantic Monthly Press, 1997.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-293: Discernment Watch: Drought Does Not Mean Lack of Water, Part 2 of 2

Water shortage has always been a concern in Southern California (SC).  Leaders of the past planned ahead and found solutions.

In this generation, the contracts for control of water ran out and since the people who had been losing their water now wanted that water, the spigot began to dry up.  The Owens valley was developing, they wanted to grow crops.  Arizona was growing, they wanted to build cities and farms.  The next generation of leaders showed vision by building a new aqueduct that runs from Northern California, through the Central Valley, over the mountains and into L.A.  That source is now being limited by the environmentalists.  Water is allowed to flow to the sea instead of diverting it to the unwashed masses of SC.

So we are facing the crisis again.  In the past the leaders of vision have risen to the challenge and brought in more water.  Development continued.  The socialist hacks of today only talk about cutting back and conservation.  That is the different in response between free enterprise and socialism.  The difference is not the problem; the difference is the leadership, or lack of it.

It is not a shortage of water but a shortage of leadership.

Would visionary leadership be able to find water?  Sure.  The problem is that such leadership does not exist in California.  The Progressives insist that progress is bad and that we need to limit growth.  Their answer is for us common people to take cold showers and do it only once a week.  We need to have rock gardens instead of lawns.  We need to stop washing our cars.  We need waterless urinals. 

Actually we need leaders and water.  We won’t ever get one without the other.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-292: Discernment Watch: Drought Does Not Mean Lack of Water, Part 1 of 2

California is having a water shortage.  Surprise?  No.  It is a surprise only to people who have never been here or live here and have a public school education.  These are people who don’t read much, don’t get out much and when they do get out they read their text messages instead of looking out the window.

You see, Southern California (SC) is a desert.  It may not look like it now but in areas that have been left undeveloped you find the ground covered with a sparse collection of desert type plants.  There are areas that have natural water and such, but by in large it is, and in historic times always has been, a desert. 

Deserts are known for their lack of water.  Let’s see now, desert, desert plants, little rain, lots of sun....  To me that adds up to water shortage.

Why is this becoming a problem now?  We are facing a water shortage today because California used to have visionary leaders and now we have socialist hacks.  There was a novel written years ago about the Water Wars that brought water to Southern California.  I could not find it in the time I have and I don’t remember the title but the idea of water shortage in SC is referenced on Wikipedia.  Here is a selection from the first paragraph:

 “As Los Angeles grew in the late 1800s, it started to outgrow its water supply. Fred Eaton, mayor of Los Angeles, realized that water could flow from Owens Valley to Los Angeles via an aqueduct. The aqueduct construction was overseen by William Mulholland and was finished in 1913.”

Notice that this is not a new problem.  People recognized the issue 100 years ago and did something about it.  The solution by the leaders of vision was to find water and bring it to the area they wanted to grow and develop.  They used a lot of methods, some legitimate, others questionable to buy water rights from people who lived far away and had excess water.  The sellers did not have a vision for the future and ended up being sorry they made the bargain.  Los Angeles bought these water rights, built the infrastructure and the result was the miracle of Southern California.

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-291: Pumice Proclamation #1

(This proclamation is to be declared throughout the land at the close of the Thanksgiving feast.  Since different families celebrate at different times, you are given permission to apply it on an individual basis.  It is not acceptable to apply it at your house just because you neighbors eat earlier than you.)

Whereas, the Thanksgiving meal has been completed, and

Whereas, the pressure of pent up Advent Alleluias is rising to dangerous levels, and

Whereas, you are going to do it anyway,

I, Pumice, do hereby proclaim that the Time of Christmas Music has begun.

You may now, in all propriety begin playing your Christmas music.

Such dispensation shall last until the last stroke of Midnight on December 25.

Be warned that extending this privilege beyond that moment can be toxic.

Merry Christmas

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-290: Be a Thankful Pharisee

Maybe today is a good day to be a Pharisee.

I am thinking of an observation Jesus made in the Temple when He saw a Pharisee and a publican (tax gatherer) at the altar.  We are used to Jesus’ condemnation on the Pharisee for the attitude he showed in the words,

(Luke 18:11 KJV)  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

The tax collector had a different attitude,

(Luke 18:13 KJV)  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

Jesus condemned the Pharisee and exalted the tax collector.

Again I say, this might be a good day to model the Pharisee.  You see, he got one thing right:  He was being thankful. 

The problem with the Pharisee was that he was being thankful with an Attitude.  If we can put aside the smugness and arrogance it might give us an insight.

What are you thankful for today?  Look around you at others and get a clue.  The Pharisee was simply satisfied that he was such a fine fellow and gave himself the door prize.  If he had looked at the blessings in his life as gifts from God and a reason to give to others I think maybe Jesus would have had a different response to his thankfulness.

Can you be thankful for what he gave thanks for?  Have you been able to avoid cheating anyone?  Have you been fair?  Have you been faithful to your wife?  Have you been that way even though you live in a culture that praises such behavior?  Then maybe you have something to be thankful for. 

Can you say, “Lord I thank you that I am not like other men.”  I would hope so.  I would not want you to be violent, selfish and narcissistic. 

The key is in the target of your thanks.  The Pharisee, though he should have known better, was thanking God that he was such a fine fellow.  We should be recognizing our blessings as gifts from God and thanking Him for being such a Fine Fellow.  I have my bills up to date and food on the shelf.  Is that because I am such a financial wizard or am I grateful to God for providing the job and divine dollar stretchers needed to be in that category?  You can look at any area of life from health to auto repair.  How much is because you are better than the other guy and how much is because there have been a multitude of unseen miracles to make it happen?

I am thankful that I am not as other men, not because I am such a hard worker and clever duck but because God’s hand of blessing has been on me.  I am thankful. 

Another important key is in response to our thanks.  What are we going to do about it?  It is interesting that the season that emphasizes giving comes right after the season that emphasizes thanks.

So rejoice and be a sanctified Pharisee.  Thank God for all that is good in your day and then look for a way to begin sharing the blessing.

Happy Thanksgiving, and after dinner is over, Merry Christmas.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-289: Tax Dollars at Work: “Get Dirty....”

When I first saw the big print I thought is was an advertisement for a new TV series on female mud wrestling or something.  Then I read the smaller print...

“...for the Drought”

It is a good thing I did not Google it.  I shudder to think of all the porn sights that would come up.

This is the response of the Progressives of Kalifornia (aka Democrats, liberals, socialists, elites, Rinos, extreme environmentalists) to the California routine called “drought.”  They want us to stop washing our cars.  That in itself is no big deal but when they keep extending this to other areas of life it will eventually get to areas that effect sanitation and public health.

Instead of looking for solutions they look for drama.

This suggestions points out how out of contact these Progressives are with the common people.  They obviously have never been responsible for washing a car.  They probably have their servants, who are illegal aliens usually, take care of mundane tasks like that.  Those of us who work for a living know that the best way to make it rain is to wash your car.  By not washing our cars we are insuring the continuation of the drought. 

Or maybe they do know that and don’t really want the drought to end.  After all, a crisis gives them more excuses to take our liberties.  For out own good, of course.

For me this campaign of “Get Dirty” is a good excuse to do what I do anyway:  not wash my car.  I joined the campaign years ago.  Not only do I save water, I save money and time too.  It makes my car the last one to be stolen.  It makes it convenient for friends to leave messages by writing on my windows.

It is another great idea of the left.  Paid for with your tax dollars.  Meanwhile the school across from me has installed new grass, a new sprinkler system and timers.  If you get up early enough you can see them doing what we are told not to do:  watering their lawn. 

More of my tax dollars at work.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-288: Cornerstone Considerations: CUSA, The Highest Authority

On my other blog I made some comments on Proverbs in regard to the government.

(Proverbs 25:5 KJV)  Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.

Since that is a devotional blog I don’t want to get into political philosophy and personal opinion as much as I do here.  So I want to dig a little deeper into the struggle of Christians living in an anti-God culture and being led by politicians who mock the standards of God.

I also quoted Paul.

(Romans 13:1 KJV)  Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

How are we as Christians to be faithful to the call of God to be righteous and support leaders who reject righteousness? 

As Americans we are in a unique position.  You see, we do not have a king.  We have a president.  We have an elected official who takes an oath of office that reminds us what the “higher powers” that Paul talks about really are.  Here it is as a direct quote from the Constitution, Article II, Section 1:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the United States."

I submit that the highest power that we obey in the United States of America is the Constitution.  It is not the president, congress or the Supreme Court.

We see this in the oath I took when I was drafted into the army years ago.

I”, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God." (Title 10, US Code; Act of 5 May 1960 replacing the wording first adopted in 1789, with amendment effective 5 October 1962).”

This oath, with slight variations, is also taken by all officers.  Notice it gives supremacy to the Constitution and limits obedience to orders that are legal. 

Is this sophistry?  You be the judge. 

I also have the words of Peter before the Sanhedrin:

(Acts 4:19 KJV)  But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.

Of course there is a difference between political opinion and speaking the truth of God.  We sometimes forget that, but we as Christians need to remember that we have a higher allegiance.  One of the struggles we have in a country and a religion that believes in liberty and individual responsibility is that we have to engage our minds and make hard choices.

Welcome to liberty.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-287: New Terms: Thanksgiving Week

I have just begun a week off school for Thanksgiving.  This is the first year we have had the entire week off and I am looking forward to it.  They take the days and add them at the end of the year, but it is worth it.  This year I am determined to make it a Thanksgiving Week instead of just a Thanksgiving day.

I am going to thank people for what they do.  I started this morning at breakfast.  I told the young man behind the counter that I would not see him until after Thanksgiving but let him know that he and the crew were part of what I would be thankful for.  They make my mornings more pleasant and productive.

As I came in the door I saw two of the regulars on their way to their work in the private sector.  I wished them a Happy Thanksgiving and thanked them for paying taxes. 

Get a week focus instead of a day focus.  Later we will work on a daily focus.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-286: A Rave on Revolution

Change is hard and requires work.  That is why we avoid it.

Sometimes it is forced on us.  A common source of aggravation is technology.  Constant updates and new releases can run the gamete from mildly irritating to “I want to go back to the stone age” responses.  However, I must admit that one of the benefits of getting a new computer or I-pod is it forces you to redo your organization.

When I get a new lap top it often comes with a new operating system.  New operating systems are designed to eliminate some of your old software, forcing you to buy new.  Even if my old word processor will work, I still need to invest my mind in remembering how I tweaked it to get it to do what I want instead of what is the current trend.  My favorite Bible study software has not worked for the last two upgrades of Windows.

Irritating but healthy.  It forces me to try new things and at least get into different ruts.

Perhaps the same thing would help education or the federal government.  We will never fix the pubic education system with first aid.  It requires radical amputations and transplants.  Take that up to the college level.  Most of our publicly funded universities are teaching ideas that are ideologically opposed to the people paying the taxes.  Changing the location of the student union will not fix it.  We need to shut them down and let something new develop.

The federal government needs to take entire departments and make them go away.  Really, why do we need a Department of Education?  Reagan promised to get rid of it.  Others have spoken out against it.  It continues to thrive and use its billions to dumb down education across the country.

How about we sunset everything the government does and require its reestablishment to be voted up or down every ten years? 

I know.  I know.  It will never happen, but a man can hope.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-285: On the Street: Beauty Is No Longer Skin Deep

Whatever happened to the beautiful people?

I noticed it years ago on airplanes.  When I first started flying it was only women serving.  Men need not apply on most airlines and would have been considered strange if they did.  In addition, every stewardess seemed to be a fashion model.  They were young, attractive and easy on the eye.  They fit well in the aisles.  They also had wonderful attitudes. 

No more.  Now they are normal people.  You can’t tell them from the passengers except they get to stand up when the seat belt sign is on.  They often are forced to go down the aisle sideways like many of us that have size issues.  They are definitely not young and attractive. 

Recently I have been noticing it on TV.  I remind you that I do not watch TV on my own.  I have not turned on a TV for personal consumption in years.  I do see things in passing and occasionally am forced to sit and watch or expect a divorce.  What I see does not bring me back.  Leaving aside the insulting content, corse humor and insipid plot lines, what happened to the beautiful people?  I have a vision, recently delivered, of two fat, sloppy men in a seedy bar, drinking beer out of bottles and talking about something.  I think they were two of the stars.  On another pass through the room I saw what appeared to be four women kneeling around a coffee table doing a parody of praying to Jesus.  There was not an attractive women in the bunch and they all could have posed for “before” pictures in a Slim Fast commercial.

It seems that attractive people have gone the way of the nuclear family on TV.  I don’t need super models or perfect families.  Although I have lost weight, I am still considered overweight on the official scales.  No, I would settle for mildly attractive people and families that I would want to be a part of.  By lowering the bar we are creating lower expectations.  Lower expectations drive us to lower the bar again.  If it were confined to TV I could live with it, but it is spilling over into the rest of culture.

I can run, but I can’t hide.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-284: Headlines: The Problem with Moderate Muslims

My I-Pod is on the fritz so I have been forced to listen to live radio.  I heard a soundbite on the hourly news that got my Baloney Sensor to buzzing.  It was in response to a recent beheading by the Muslims in ISIS.  An American Muslim was quoted as being outraged by this event.  If I remember correctly he said, “The Holy Koran says that the killing of one innocent person is the killing of all humanity.”  That is close enough for this discussion.

I don’t remember reading that in the Koran.  That doesn’t mean it isn’t there but if it was it was drowned out by the repeated calls to kill unbelievers.  You need to also be aware that the Koran gives the faithful permission to lie to unbelievers until Islam is in control.  Then you kill them.

Let’s assume that the Koran does contain these words, in that order, conveying that meaning.  Now what you need to understand is how the Koran would define “innocent.”  You need to understand that by definition, if you are not a faithful Muslim you are not innocent.  You are guilty of being an infidel and an unbeliever.  So keep in mind that the statement does not apply to you.  In addition, keep in mind that if you belong to a different branch of Islam you are also not innocent.  That is why it is so easy for Sunni Muslims to kill Shia Muslims.  The Shia return the favor. 

Get a Koran.  Read it.  All of it, not just selected passages.  It could change your life.  If could also wake you up and save your life.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-283: Don’t Ask Me, I Just Work Here

Our society is running in Fieldhand Mode.

I came across this term by putting together the times I work with control freaks and a video I watched that involved slaves hoeing cotton.  There are a lot of parallels.

It doesn’t take long for a slave condemned to a life of mindless labor to realize that he will not be rewarded for hard work and perseverance.  In fact, it is just the opposite.  The slave who worked hard, fast and well was just given more work by the overseer.  Once the achiever had demonstrated what was possible, the other slaves were then driven to keep up with the new pace.  This created a backlash from the other slaves.  You see a similar occurrence with new workers in a union shop.  It takes a bit of “counseling” to get their production down to the level of the veterans.

After a long period of this type of stupefying tedium, the mind settles into a vacuum.  The hands and body go through the motion but the brain exists in another world of day-dream and fantasy.  Originality and creativity go out the window with hope.  The cultural damage is that hard work is associated with slavery and the lower classes and those who can afford it try to find a way to avoid sweat, unless it is in sports or recreation.

Overseers run our society.  We have an oppressive, over-regulated government that seeks to suck as much life blood out of every subject as possible.  Taxes are raised to the point where people refuse to invest.  Regulation strangles attempts to be innovate and creative.  The boss man sits under his office tree with his regulation whip in his hand and dares you to try to rise above mediocre.  I have heard it said that even the most law abiding, conscientious citizen breaks enough laws every day to be put in jail.  Even the IRS doesn’t know what the tax code says.  All it takes is getting an appointed government administrator mad at you and you are toast.

Thus we keep our heads down and do as little work as possible.  We find ways to do things under that table.  We don’t share our methods.  A day without tripping a rule is a day to celebrate.

I am most familiar with education.  The Overseers in their tofu towers (ivory comes from endangered species) has the whip that can get us fired or worse.  They put out bulletins and standards.  When I was directed to mine on the internet I had to go through three or four levels of links and when I got there found mine started about 450 pages into the document.  And it was small print.  Most of it is gibberish or jargon.  We are too busy to read it, let alone put it into practice.  We worry about being confronted but the Aristocrats of Administration are afraid to push too hard.  There might be rebellion in the ranks.

Or a child commenting on the naked king.

Will the Elites regulate the internet?  Will they get us out of our cars?  Will they destroy marriage?  They are well on their way.  Most of us are field hands.

When the rebellion comes I pray that it will have limited violence.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-282: Cornerstone Considerations: CUSA, Invasion

We are being invaded and the Federal government is looking the other way.

I commented on this part of the Constitution before in regard to the last phrase dealing with domestic violence.  Another issue this deals with is invasion.  To lay some groundwork I thought I would look up the meaning of invade.  Here is what my computer dictionary offers.

“1 enter (a country) as or with an army so as to subjugate or occupy it. 2 enter in large numbers, especially intrusively. 3 (of a parasite or disease) attack and spread into (an organism or bodily part). 4 encroach on: his privacy was being invaded.”

Notice that it says “as or with an army”.  It does not actually require armed soldiers to invade according to this definition.  Under this definition we are being invaded.  Our borders are leaking like it was planned to be that way.  In addition to the majority that are probably just looking for a better life you have significant numbers of criminals coming to extend their destruction of society to our culture.  We have too many terrorists walking in with violence in their hearts.  We have social agitators coming to claim the Southwest back for La Raza.  We have unscreened children, loaded with disease being distributed around the country.

It is an invasion and the Federal Government has a responsibility.  Again, we read in Article 4, Section 4 of the Constitution: 

“The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a republican form of government, and shall protect each of them against invasion; and on application of the legislature, or of the executive (when the legislature cannot be convened), against domestic violence.” (emphasis added, and needed)

We have just finished an election cycle.  There were many issues that people were concerned about.  One of them is a rational defense of our sovereignty as a nation.  We need immigration.  We need the energy and ideas of those seeking to join the American way. but what we have now is not working.  The system for legal immigration is broken.  It is too hard for legitimate immigrants to do the paperwork.  The defense against illegal immigration has been destroyed. 

We need immigration.  We do not need invasion.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-281: Elections Results?

Maybe I should look to see how the elections came out in my state.  Nah....this is California.

It occurred to me that I never did check to see who won in our election.  I could have at least checked on the propositions and judges.  I think that one reason I have not done so is I don’t need water thrown on an day that was positive overall. 

“As California goes, so goes the nation.”  I hope not, for your benefit.

Save a space for me when we are forced to flee.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-280: To Party or To Remember?

So much for a three day weekend.

Remember the phase we went through when all holidays were being moved to Monday or Friday so we could have three day weekends?  Maybe you don’t remember it being any other way.  Veterans Day has been moved back to its original date and away from the weekend.  I am good with that.

There is an historical reason for the date.  World War I was officially ended on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.  It was to honor the end of the war, not to give union workers a longer weekend.  By moving it back to the original date it gives people a chance to be grateful for those who have served.

I was in Vietnam.  I was not a warrior.  I did not experience the worst.  My only regret is that after we won the war in spite of the news media’s claim to the opposite, a Democrat congress cut off funds and hung the people of South Vietnam out to dry.  We are now in the closing moments of doing the same to Iraq.  I hurt for the families who lost loved ones fighting the good fight, only to have politicians give away the store.

Remember the day as honoring those who risked their lives to protect our freedom.  Some lost the gamble.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-279: The New Marie

Someone mentioned Marie Antoinette recently.  She is the archtype of aristocratic arrogance, or she used to be.  The story, possibly apocryphal, is that when the common people of Paris were rioting because they had no food she asked what the problem seemed to be.  When her servants told her the people had no bread, she is reported to have replied, “Then let them eat cake.”

Arrogant.  Out of touch.  Naive.  Pick your adjective.  Notice that I hinted that she might have lost her position in history.  It is possible that our current president has replaced her.  He now has such parodies of his work day that he is called “Golfer in Chief” and “First Golfer.”  Nero fiddled while Rome burned.  Obama putts what the United States crumbles.  My wife just informed me that he planned to be in China on Veterans day, has again put on local costume and is bowing to foreign leaders again.

The election is over.  It is time to get serious.  It is time to respond to the voters.

I am not so naive to think that people have fallen in love with the Republican party.  I do believe that they are tired of what the Democrats have produced.  Republicans need to wake up.  They were elected because they stand in contrast to what the liberals have pushed.  They were elected because they are more conservative.

We have voted the suckers out.  Now produce the policies that will free up the economy and let people work.  Give them back control over their health choices.  Stop the invasion of armed and diseased foreigners.  Stop trying to regulate everything and adding the internet to the list of federal trophies. 

The people who voted don’t want cake or promises of cake.  They are hoping for change.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-278: On the Street: Trash Culture

We live in a trash culture.

It was about 6:30 A.M.  I was driving to work, taking streets because the freeways were slower.  I turned a corner after waiting for a green arrow that was totally useless most of the day.  As I turned I saw a young man casually throw a cup on the ground as he was walking.  It looked like a coffee cup.  He was obviously heading for work or school so we are not talking about a homeless person.  To him the area around him was a trash can.

We live in a trash culture.

Have you ever driven through an underpass and seen old couches and appliances piled up?  People got a new one and needed to get rid of the old one.  All they have to do in the urban area I live is call the people who pick up trash and they will schedule a pick up.  Instead they haul the lump to an area where no one will see them and dump it off.  Sometimes they are so lazy that they just leave it in front of a neighbor.

We live in a culture of trash.

It starts in our schools.  It isn’t universal but there are certain groups of children that are already trash dispensers.  It is not accident or ignorance.  I have had periods where I have policed the room, made sure things were tidy and lost my focus.  Several students will take the paper they have torn up and stored in their books and dump it on the floor on their way out as another will distract me with a question. 

If you go through the quad after lunch you will see trash spread out over the entire area.  A large offering is spread within easy reach of a trash can.  That can be picked up by their servants.  What can’t be picked up is the gum they throw on the walkways.  It stains and marks the concrete so it looks like a case of severe measles.

We live in a trash culture.

Some of the syndrome is individual.  More is cultural.  When I would drive across Los Angeles from my home to the hospital where my wife was having her surgery, you could tell when you went from one cultural area to another.  One had trash everywhere, grass growing out of every crack and black spots on every section of concrete.  A few blocks away everything was neat and clean.

All cultures are not the same.  They are not equal.  We need to decide what kind of culture we want to live in and begin exerting pressure to make it happen.

The trash stops in my cultural area.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-277: Grid Lock-out

We are living off grid.

It wasn’t planned that way, at least not by us.  The guys in the power company trucks say we were warned by mail.  The electricity went off around 9:00 A.M. and will not come back on until 5:00.  This is one of those low level events that are good preparation for a real disaster.

It makes me think of another reason for being prepared:  Monopoly created crisis.  Here it is the power company.  Tomorrow it might be the water company.  The government could strike at any time. 

It is interesting to me that they are doing this in a residential neighborhood on a weekend.  It would seem more considerate to do residential on week days and business on weekends.  I guess monopolies don’t need to worry about their public image.

What is really irritating is that this takes out my internet and I left my smart phone with its hot spot at work.

I know, I know:  First World Problems.

I guess in this crisis I might go shopping.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-276: A Pre-Thanksgiving Moment

There are times I treasure the rush hour traffic and crazy drivers.

This morning I found myself with my anger rising and was reminded of a passage of scripture that I spend time considering on most work days.

(1 Corinthians 11:23-4 KJV)  For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:  And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

As you can see this is part of the tradition of communion that is celebrated by most Christians around the world.  I read over and meditate on this each morning as I get ready to eat my bread and drink my coffee.  I have a mini-communion moment, if you will.

What hit me as I was driving was that Jesus paused before He even broke the bread and had a moment of thankfulness.  He did this knowing that Judas was sitting at the table preparing to sell Him.  He was thankful knowing that Peter would deny knowing him in a few hours.  He gave thanks knowing that the cross was coming.

With that in mind, can I really get upset by people driving like bats out of Hell?  I began to be thankful for the time I had to prepare for my day.

That brings to mind another scripture that explains why this can happen.

(Psalms 119:11 KJV)  Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

If it ain’t stored, it can’t be recalled.

Spend some time reading the word and some day reap the benefits.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-275: The Little Red Hen and the Apostle Paul

Harry Reid had an interesting response to the sweeping losses by the Democrat party on Tuesday.  He said that this was an indication that the country wanted us to work together.

Now, let’s see.  When the Liberals (Progressives, leftists, elites, Democrats, socialists, Rinos, etc) win it is a mandate by the people to push their agenda.  When they lose it is an indication that we are supposed to cooperate.  Hmmmm...

Sounds like the “half loaf” theory of politics that is so common with the left.  In this theory we are told it is only fair that we compromise and divide our loaf of bread with them.  In the spirit of compromise and because of Biblical mandates to share, we give them half of our loaf.  They immediately move the line of scrimmage and now focus their attention on our half of the loaf.  They say that we need to learn to share and demand half.  We resist.  They get the news media talking heads to begin a smear campaign accusing us of every evil thing in the book and some that are not.  They finally wear us down and they get half of our half.  It is now time to move the goal posts.  They look at our bread and call for fairness and an end to partisanship.  They demand half of our loaf. 

Do you see where this is going?

When are we going to learn to adopt the Little Red Hen as a role model?  When it came time to eat the bread she quoted the apostle Paul,

(2 Thessalonians 3:10 KJV)  For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

I say that if we can find a place where the Little Red Hen and the Apostle Paul agree it behooves us to pay attention. 

If you are still not convinced, remember the words of our Golfer in Chief at an early meeting designed to give the impression of being bipartisan, “We won.”

Beware the Ides of Bipartisanship.  I urge the Republicans in congress to act like winners and not whiners.  The country did not vote for cooperation, they voted for Change and a chance to Hope.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-274: Change Looks Me in the Eyes

Spring forward, fall back. 

I think life would be better if we would stop this ritual.  I think we would be better off with the slow adjustments that come from the natural rhythm than we are with this jarring change.

My biggest gripe is sun in my eyes.  Every year I go through the danger of driving into the sun.  It makes it very hard to see.  I adjust.  Then, just about the time I have gotten past the bad time we change the clocks and I have to go through it again.

Maybe this is just me being selfish but I doubt if I am the only person who has to go to work in the morning.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-273: Duty Calls

I am voting today because I am a responsible citizen, not because I think it will make any difference.

You see, I live in the People’s Republik of Kalifornia.  We have Governor “Moonbeam” Brown as our leader.  I do not have one elected official representing me that I voted for.  None.  Even the opposition is questionable.  The man we have running against Governor Moonbeam refused to respond to the questions that the NRA sent him to learn his position on the second amendment.  He is also a Rino on other issues.  He might have a chance but that still would not give me anyone I can trust in government.  In addition, we have a host of initiatives to vote on that will increase the deficit and lower the quality of life.  I expect to lose on those too.

I am still going to vote.  It is a duty.  It is a responsibility.  It gives me the right to complain.

I can’t wait until I can retire and leave this state.  Where do I go when my country drinks the Kalifornia Kool-Aide?

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-272: Discernment Watch: Greed vs Benevolence

One of the big mind-manipulators of the left is that they “care.”  I wish they didn’t.

I don’t trust people who want to help me for my own good because they care about me.  I prefer simple self interest and shun philanthropy.  Why is greed better than benevolence?  Because you can understand greed and know what is at stake.  You know the rules of the game and you are free to play your cards to your own advantage.  That way both can benefit.  The elites wants to do what is best for you, even if you don’t want it.  In most cases, you lose.

It is about control and power, not helping.

Solomon gave us an insight into this. 

(Proverbs 12:10 KJV)  A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

Who are the wicked?  People who don’t believe there is objective right and wrong.  People who reject the God of the Bible and bow at the god within them.  People who think they are wiser than the values that have been around for years.  The people who know what is best for you.  They come in all political stripes. 

Beware of the person who claims to want to help you at no benefit to themselves.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-271: The Evil of Tuck

The liberals must be getting anxious in the People’s Republik of Kalifornia.  The teachers’ union put a hit piece in my box about the Superintendent of Instruction.  This is not the first and may not be the last.  I value these pieces of information because they give me a clear indication of how I should vote.  If the California Teachers’ Association and the National Education Association tell me to vote for someone I vote for the other guy.  Simple.  Almost foolproof.

What has Marshall Tuck done that makes him evil in the eyes of the teacher’s unions?  He has taken money from people who have money.  Nasty person.  Everyone knows politicians are only allowed to take money from the teachers’ unions.

On the front they are listed by label.  He has taken money from an oil tycoon, real estate developers, an Enron trader, the Wal-Mart heirs, hedge fund investors and venture capitalists.  Now tell me, if you wanted a group of people that wanted a stronger, more prosperous California with lots of well educated graduates to take the jobs they are providing and make them money, could you think of a better group than an oil tycoon, real estate developers, an Enron trader, the Wal-Mart heirs, hedge fund investors and venture capitalists?

On the back it gives names and amounts and refers to evils such as “secret super-PAC” and “for-profit charter” schools.  These people are also guilty of “corporate education reform.”  It is interesting that at no place on the hit piece are people identified who put it out. 

Sounds like my kind of man.  Thank you CTA and NEA.

November 4 is coming.  Vote the suckers out.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-270: Intellectual Depth or Silly Sophistry?

I read a book called Scaling the Secular City, A Defense of Christianity by J.P. Moreland.  It left me scratching my head.  I would get it when I read it but could not put it all together.  For instance he wrote about the difference in mathematics between the definitions of potential and actual infinities.  When you start thinking you are pretty smart you read something that makes you say, “What?”  I read it.  I kind of understood it, but I don’t get what it all means.

I was able to dress myself and do my job in spite of the confusion.

Every once in awhile it does us good to read something that sits on the verge of understanding but refuses to cross the line.  It stretches us.  But be careful.  Just because you don’t understand does not mean it is deeper than you are.  Much of what masquerades for intellectual depth is really silly sophistry.  I run into stuff that liberals want me to read.  When I give it a try I realize after a few pages that it is nothing but phoney charades.  It is nonsense.  It is based on smoke and mirrors. 

Keep in mind that much that is written is not just beyond your grasp, it was beyond the author’s grasp first.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-269: Death Rides a Pale White Bag

The timing is perfect.  The results are already coming in.  The disaster is waiting in the wings.

I refer to the new law passed in California banning the use of plastic bags in grocery stores and other retail outlets.  In the interest of saving something we are threatening the health of the population, of which I am one.

The timing for the removal of plastic bags is perfect.  Perfect if you want to spread death and disease.  We are on the verge of a plague.  Ebola has arrived.  People are getting sick.  Our response to the spread of the virus is, “Bring their own bags into the grocery store.  Put them on the counter.  Let’s play Moonbeam Roulette.” 

Perfect.

There have already be studies demonstrating that using your own bags causes an increase in illness.  It is also perfectly logical.  We ignore it because we are worried about landfills.  So at the grocery store that has graciously provided you with sanitary wipes as you come in the door you are asked to bring the bag you have had on the floor of your car.

Democrats and health.  It sounds like a deadly combination.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-268: Litmus Has a Place

Litmus tests have their uses.  Don’t throw them out just because the word is used to intimidate you.

Litmus tests are filters not proofs.  They are used in the world of science to indicate the pH factor in a substance.  Is it acidic or base?  It is excellent for that purpose but has little use beyond that.  If a chemical reaction depends on the pH factor, it could be vital information.  It could also be a waste of time.  If an acid pH would ruin the product then the test is vital.  If the pH factor is irrelevant, then you are wasting your time. 

In politics the same is true.  Certain positions mean a definite “no” vote, but don’t guarantee a “yes” vote.  If a politician believes it is okay to kill a baby in the womb, he is removed from my list of eligible candidates.  That marks him as unworthy.  But just because he is pro-life does not make him an automatic winner.

Conservatives are not that shallow.

There are many qualities we are looking for in a leader.  No one person will be perfect.  We can settle for the imperfect candidate.  We know that, but some beliefs are non-negotiable.  Where you stand on certain issues tell me what your world view is and what kind of a person you are.  It tells me if you have the ability to think or if you are just reacting to the polls.

The elections are coming.  Put your thinking caps on and get out your litmus paper.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-267: Discernment Watch: NRA Insurance

Lifetime NRA membership is cheap insurance.

My wife was watching a news program and she shared that some liberal politician, in a frantic attempt to run to the right for next week’s election, claimed that he was a life-time member of the National Rifle Association.

Any liberal can buy the card for insurance and pull it out like they are doing now.  You can support President Obama and Mayor Bloomberg for your term of office minus a month and pull out your card at the finish if you need it.  Like I said, it is cheap insurance.

Even Harry Reid has a high NRA rating.  He may even be an avid hunter.  I don’t know.  It is, however, part of the profile of elitists (Progressives, liberals, Democrats, Rinos, socialists, Communists). Liberals reserve large areas of life for their own use while denying the privilege to others.  Thus Diane Feinstein is reported to have a license to carry but wants to deny it to others.  The Sierra Club wants to keep you out of the forest so they can enjoy it undistracted by the dirty masses.  Al Gore wants you to have a small carbon footprint so he can take big strides.

Conservatives and people who believe in liberty, which are usually the same, believe that the good things of life should be available to anyone who wants to work for them.  Not for everyone, that is welfare.  Not for the few, that is liberalism.  For anyone who wants to work and plan.

That is one reason I am a conservative. 

So let them join the NRA.  The money will be well used.  But keep an eye on them.  They can’t be trusted with our future.

homo unius libri