Opus 2015-227: Headlines: Read and Weep

It has different titles in the print version than the on-line presentation in the Washington Times but it looks like the comments are the same.  They can be summarized as “An Example of American Exceptionalism.”

What starts as an article about soccer becomes a statement about the American dream based on our concept of “E pluribus unum.”  We look at the diversity of the American Women’s Soccer team compared to the competition, in this case the Japanese.  The names of the Americans show a wide diversity of backgrounds, yet they look at themselves as Americans.

So?  We are so used to this that we miss it.  The liberal press tries to act like it doesn’t exist.  It is what makes American exceptional.  Monica Crowley, the author, sums it up in the fifth paragraph.

“This is the only nation in the history of mankind to which you can arrive — legally — from anywhere and become its very essence.”

Rome came close.  You could become a Roman citizen and know the privilege and pride that came from that status.  That is what held the empire together.  Yet even in Rome there was an ethnic pecking order.  The fall of the Roman Empire is not dated from the day that barbarian hoards swept over the capital and destroyed it but by the day that the emperor of Rome was no longer a Roman, meaning Italian, but a German.

If you want to be reminded of the philosophy that made us great, read the article.  If you want to be reminded of how the Progressives (aka Democrats, Rinos, Socialists, Communists, Marxists, educators, media) are trying to destroy that greatness, then, again, read the article.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-226: Rewriting History, One Touch at a Time

I was enjoying the humor of Hope and Change but I found the pictures of the president a little disturbing.  The comments on the post asked the same question I had.  Is he really touching the artifacts?  It seems he was.

“Specifically, officials in Ethiopia brought the fossilized bones of Lucy (Australopithecus afarensis) to their national palace for Barack Obama (Halfricanus offensivus) to poke and prod with his booger-hunting finger, which should lead to some pretty confusing DNA analysis in the future.”

It seems that the smartest president we have ever had doesn’t understand that there are certain things you are not supposed to touch.  Sure they put them out without glass over them.  They made the mistake of thinking he knew better.  They made the mistake of thinking he cared.  They made the mistake of expecting him to have the decency to keep his greasy fingers off the unique specimens.

It seems that his goal of fundamentally remaking the United States into a socialist paradise extends to fundamentally remaking what anthropologists learn from old bones and fossils.  The validity of ancient specimens can be compromised by the oil in our skin and even the air we exhale.  Many mistakes in dating remains have been made simply because someone was smoking in the area.

Send the man back to grade school and put the signs back up that say, “Please do not touch.  This means you.”

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-225: The Liberty of Failure

Have you ever felt like a failure?

I came across this in my Perpetual Proverbs post from June 27, 2015.

“I think of how Jesus must have wanted to turn in the original twelve disciples and try again.”

Jesus taught the twelve for three years.  He answered questions and related to these men.  Then, in His moment of crisis, they deserted him.   So don’t feel bad if you are not successful.  By current popular standards, Jesus was a failure too.

How often have I used this thought in regard to my oldest child and the kids at school?  I often threaten to return them to the hospital for a refund.  If you interact with children at any level you know that there are many hair-pulling moments.  At times it seems like that is all you have. 

A friend of ours was struggling with her only child.  As she was feeling like a failure it came to mind that God didn’t do so well with Adam and Eve either.  He created them in a very special way, they did not struggle under Original Sin.  They existed in a perfect world.  He walked and talked with them every day.  They still chose to disobey.

It is only natural that we should struggle with failure.  It is part of being free moral beings.  It is part of being responsible and accountable. 

Enjoy your liberty.  Robots and computers don’t have it.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-224: Discernment Watch: Know Your Sources

Celebrities are known for expressing their opinions on issues they know nothing about, except what they are told.  Others have commented that the main talent of an actor is taking a script, assuming a part and making you believe.  I wonder if that is what they are doing when they talk about the environment or economics.  Are they simply reading a script that someone else has handed them?  Are they even aware of it?

Often I find myself expressing the opinions that others have shared.  It may be something I don’t know that much about but I trust my source.  That is a necessary part of life in the information age.  We cannot know or research everything so we take the word of trusted experts.  The big difference is that no one cares what I think.  I do not get a bully pulpit on national TV because I am an eighth grade history teacher.  I can afford to be a loose cannon.

So who are the people that the celebrities quote and trust?  We will probably never know but we do know that they are people who reject the traditional values that have made America great.  Because of what is declared we know that they hate America, God and possibly even apple pie unless it is sugar free, gluten free and the apples were organically grown.

Sometimes the opinions of the beautiful are helpful.  You can use their stand like I use the advice of the CTA during elections.  See what they want me to do and vote the opposite.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-223: Discernment Watch: Math vs Science

In math we have the statement if A=B and B=C than A=C.  That works in math.  That works in logic.  It is a useful tool in much of the world of research. 

It does not necessarily work in science.  Why?

Most people only deal with math as it can be used in the physical world.  Advanced mathematics goes into the world of philosophy and imagination.  There are terms in math which are impossible in the real world but they are useful for computations.  One example would be the square root of -1.  If you don’t remember, a negative times a negative results in a positive, thus a negative number could not have a square root in the real world but is useful in advanced math.

Science is the area that must take the speculation and logic of math and apply it to the real world.  In the real world it doesn’t work to have numbers that can’t exist.  How does it work in the kitchen or factory?  It doesn’t.  That is why science relies on the scientific method.  In the method you start with logic and a hypothesis but you must find an empirical experiment that demonstrates if it is true or not. 

What difference does it make?  The development of medicine was held back for centuries because it was based on logic, not experiment.  Doctors denied the benefit of washing your hands between patients because they had no logical reason to believe that disease could be transmitted that way.  They could not see the germs, thus they did not exist.  A doctor came up with a hypothesis, demonstrated that it produced results and saved lives and, as a reward, he was hounded out of the profession because it went against the current logic.

Many current scientific “facts” are based on logic, not science.  Evolution is one.  It makes sense.  It is logical.  The only problem is that the evidence works against it.  Man made global warming is another.  How many times does it need to be demonstrated that the scientific “evidence” for man made global warming was based on lies and rigged computer models before the general press admits it was a fraud? 

Logic is a good place to start but apply the benefits of modern western civilization and follow up with some good, honest science.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-222: Headlines: The Pope Likes Kool-Aid

You may have noticed that Pope Francis has drunk the kool-aid and jumped on the global warming bandwagon.  Actually I am not sure he was not always part of that crowd.  Powerline had some insight into why this pope seems to be out of his league. 

“Popes are busy people, and unlike the previous two popes who brought a record of serious theological and philosophical writing with them to the Vatican, I don’t think Pope Francis is in their league.”

Reagan had John Paul II to work with.  Obama has Francis I.  Each has a perfect match.  Then, they saw the dangers of Communism and its sister philosophies on the left, socialism and progressivism.  The current leaders are men with a socialist agenda and willing to throw everything else under the bus to achieve it. 

“John Paul II, for example, shared some sympathy with the essence of ‘liberation theology,’ but he understood that in practice liberation theology was a fillip to Marxist totalitarianism, which is why he publicly opposed it.  As I’ve pointed out before, Francis is bringing it back.”

We see dramatic differences between administrations.  I guess the Catholic church is having the same experience.  My opinion of the Catholic church was improving.  I saw Catholics taking stands and carrying the battle for truth and morality.  I now see that being reversed. 

Maybe Francis will follow his predecessor and retire early.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-221: Templet Dumbdown

This last year in one of our professional development sessions we were introduced to a new software product that is supposed to help teach students to do research, organize their thoughts and write well.  It relies on a program that gives them a choice of several templets to work with.  They are supposed to be writing a newsletter on a topic.  The software takes what they write and fits it into the predesigned spaces.  Cool.  If they quote something (cut and paste) the are supposed to give citations for what they share.  We used to call this copying and bibliography. 

With modern technology they don’t even need to type the material in.  As I said, cut and paste.  They don’t need to learn how and why do do a bibliography.  All they do is chose which one they want to use and the computer does the work.  Cool.  Stupid.

I have read opinions about the world of news and the word I get is that soon they will have software that will take an AP story and rewrite it for the local market, no human need be involved.  I imagine if that doesn’t work they will have boilerplate with blanks to be filled in.

Is this leading in the direction of thinking and communicating or is it training a bunch of low level, underachievers?  I think you know how I feel about it.  We are not training leaders we are conditioning drones.

They want teachers who work that way also.  I have always wondered why we need to spend so much time on things like the Common Core Standards (CCC).  One of the reasons is that the teachers don’t know enough about the subject to teach it without the crutches.  When I came into education you could give me the text book, give me a rough idea of what you wanted me to cover and I could do the rest.  Now it seems like the teachers need their hands held each step of the way.

How about getting some people who know their subject, enjoy young people and are willing to work and turn them loose.  What are we afraid of?  Are we worried that the kids might learn to think instead of follow the company line?

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-220: Election 2016: Winning Planks, BYOB

Can you picture a plank for the coming election labeled BYOB.  It would certainly get some attention but would need to be explained.  It isn’t for Bring Your Own Booze although the principle behind it is the same.  It means Balance Your Own Budget. 

I was recently at a wedding where the reception dinner would be held in a location that would have an open bar.  We were wondering if it would be an open bar or whether the drinkers would pay their own tab.  It was accepted that the results would be different.  If it was an open bar and the drinks were free to the guests we decided that there might be a real need for designated drivers and possibly a few bouncers to keep order.  If the guests had to pay their own tab we expected much more moderation. 

Being responsible for your own poison tends to lead to reason and moderation.  The same is true in society at large.  Pick your issue:  Health care, education, housing, food.  When people expect someone else to pay the bill they are much more likely to spend.  Until she qualified for Medicare, my mother never went to the doctor.  After she thought of it as free, she lived at the doctor’s office.

We need to begin agitating for a Constitutional Amendment.  We could call it the BYOB amendment.  The thrust would not be about booze but about responsibility.  We need to move our society toward people being responsible for their own lives and choices instead of gleefully allowing the government to take away the fruit of other people’s labor and ladling out the gravy on our lack of planning and effort. 

Would we need some kind of help for quadriplegics and the mentally incompetent?  Not as much as you might think.  Americans are generous and if the government doesn’t steal their money to give big salaries to their crony buddies people would do what they used to do:  Give to local organizations that they trusted and get involved themselves.

Does anybody have the integrity and guts to make this an issue?  Not yet.  Maybe tomorrow.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-219: Should-a-Beens: Label Liability

I think we need more government regulations.

I think we need the federal government to step in an mandate a specific location for the labels on men’s underware.  I do not take this step lightly, but the time has come.  Two days in a row I have put my underware on backwards.  Having the opening in the back may facilitate passage of gas but makes it hard to do what only a man can do.  As I get older I find these lapses coming more often.  I want to apply my limited mental energy to other things besides underware.

While they are at it, they might want to regulate where you put the care labels on all pieces of clothing.  I don’t have many years left and I am wasting it trying to find the little tag that will tell me if I should  chose warm or cold.

Please write your representatives. 

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-218: Election 2016: I Am Glad the Election Is Not Today

I find myself in a strange position.  I like the current incarnations of Donald Trump and Rand Paul. 

Donald Trump may not have the polish to be president but he is not afraid to speak his mind.  When he sees immigration as a problem, he calls it a problem.  When he sees what millions of Americans see about John McCain being less that presidential material and trying to cash in on a failure in flying long ago, he calls it out.  He may not put things diplomatically.  He may be too harsh.  He is right.

Rand Paul has come out with a budget plan that has a lot to say for it.  He has brought into the spotlight the issue of Planned Parenthood harvesting organs with public tax money.  More power too him.  Just because he has been off the plantation before does not make these terrible statements.

The problem is that I can’t delete my memory of where these guys have been in the past.  My hope is that they will rub off on the other candidates and force them to address the issues.  I would hate to see a Trump/Paul ticket.  Of course anything is better than any Democrat on the horizon.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-217: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You

I am on the road.  When I am on the road I am forced to listen to radio programs I don’t usually hear.  Many lobbies I occupy have on a TV complete with talking heads.  Today there were two sets and the blather was twice as hard to avoid.  I was reminded constantly of the way in which the ignorant of our country are being informed by the ignorant of our media. 

I refer here specifically to those people who continue to use terms such as “extremist Muslims”, “fundamentalist Muslims” or “radical Muslims”.  I would bet the house that these people have not read the Koran.  I don’t mean carefully chosen verses of certain Suras that are full of warm fuzzy pictures similar to the book of Psalms.  I am talking about the majority of the book that reads like it was written by Freddy Krueger.  I must confess here that I am as ignorant of what Freddy Krueger would have written as they are of the Koran.  Like the talking heads in regard to the Koran, I have not seen A Nightmare on Elm Street, nor do I intend to.

Always remember that those labeled “extreme” by the press corp and political lemmings are the Muslims who take their faith seriously.  It is the same sense in which the media label devout Christians as being extreme.  The moderate Muslims are like the moderate Christians, Jews, Buddhists and Hindus.  None know the genuine teachings of their religion.  Thus we have people claiming to be Christian who see no problem with homosexual marriage and Jews who enjoy a BLT sandwich.

Islam is a religion that officially endorses killing anyone who will not submit to Islam.  You can submit by conversion or submit by accepting a form of slavery, but you must submit or die.  Those are your options.  If you submit then peace and mercy are extended to you.  If you do not you only have the peace of the grave ahead of you.  I won’t bother quoting passages because you would just assume it was quoted out of context, and so you should, but extend that discernment both ways.

So grow up and get your head out of the sand.  I would also recommend that you not take my word for it.  Read the entire Koran.  Don’t just read the parts recommended by someone else.  Read the entire thing.

Then we can talk.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-230: Election 2016: We All Know Conservatives Can’t Win, part 2 of 2

To win we need focus and discipline.

The first two problems mentioned in a previous post, not enough votes and cheating, are just part of free elections.  If we do not make our case and convince people, then we are supposed to lose.  Down through history both sides have cheated.  I am sure that if you look close enough you can find it going on by conservatives somewhere.  It can’t be eradicated but it can be reduced.  Does the term “voter ID” ring a bell?

We can do two things to win again.  First, consolidate on one candidate.  Have all the conservatives go into a room with no A/C or room service and don’t unlock the door until they decide who will be number one.  If you really want to speed up the process, don’t make bathrooms available.  We will still complain if our favorite doesn’t get the nod, but to be honest, I can support any of them.  I don’t expect to agree totally.

Second, start pushing for honest elections.  This means putting the full force of the federal government behind rooting out the fraud and deceit.  Demand proof of citizenship to register.  Demand proof of identity to vote.  Demand honest counts and standard rules.  Put any violations or suspicion of violation on the fast track and not the typical method of “after the election”.  This would require a congress and leaders with some adult qualities so the first step must also be implemented. 

Enforce the law as written, not the way the judge wants it to be.  If a judge violates his oath, impeach him.  If you don’t like the law, change it by legislation, not judicial fiat.

Can we win?  Yes.  Will it happen because we are the good guys and have truth on our side?  It hasn’t worked out that way yet.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-229: Election 2016: We All Know Conservatives Can’t Win, part 1 of 2

I am tired of hearing conservatives can’t win.  I hear it even from conservatives.  If conservatives don’t win there are three possible reasons.

First, we did not get enough votes.  This should be obvious.  As the public schools continue to churn out sheep who cannot read, write, add, and most important, think logically, it gets harder to win an election.  I concede that it happens.  Just look at the attitude toward homosexuality.  As hard as it is to admit, we might also be wrong.  In a free society there are political loses.  This is not the primary reason we lose elections.

They cheat.  This takes many forms.  Refusing to require ID when a person votes is an open invitation to voter fraud.  Announcing victory before the poles are close is a way to discourage people you disagree with from voting.  False polls showing that the situation is hopeless keeps some at home.  Perpetual recounts which continue until they gather enough new ballots or lose old ones is growing in popularity.  Rigged computers are hard to trace. 

We divide the vote.  One of the exciting features of the coming election is the strong group of candidates with conservative credentials.  This will narrow in time but the question is, will in narrow quickly enough to unite people with values so their voice can be heard.  Because the conservative vote is spread between several candidates in every primary, the moderate can pick up the delegates from the state with a simple plurality.  We have a majority of votes but they divide and conquer. 

We are undermined by the Rinos.  Think of the opposition that the “Progressive” Democrats have faced in the elections they have won:  Bush I (in second run), Dole, McCain, Romney.  None of these were embraced by the conservatives of the country.  We voted for them, sure.  They were basically good men and would have made better presidents than the liberals they ran against.  Always consider the alternatives.  But don’t say they lost because they were conservative. 

It can be documented in elections that the Rinos go out of their way to undermine candidates that are conservative.  The Rinos want it both ways.  They want us to support them when they win a fair and honest primary.  We do.  They refuse to return the favor when they lose an honest and fair primary.

So what do we do about all this?

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-228: Headlines: Praise for Making the Trains Run on Time

The link from the Independent draws your attention with this blurb:

“It's anti-women, anti-migrant workers and anti-free speech... and it's just been named the most efficient government in the world”

You gotta love these international groups that want to praise the third world.  They have now decided that Qatar has the most efficient government in the world.  To be fair, as you read the article there is some doubt cast on the choice. 

Remember Rwanda?  Remember the Tutsi?  Remember the Hutu?  Remember the Alamo?  (just seeing if you are awake).  This international organization also lists Rwanda as number seven on their list of efficient governments.  I am going to guess that they are able to be efficient because they got rid of all those lazy Tutsis. 

These are the type of international, UN organizations that the Obama administration has given the green light to take over control of the Internet.  They are the ones that the Progressives want to give control of the seas and your children.  They are the reason we have been afraid to give the president fast-track ability on the trade treaty.  They have a mantra:  USA, bad; America haters, good.

Keep in mind the observation that a dictatorship is the most efficient form of government.

Just when you thought it was safe to go outdoors...

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-227: Headlines: Shark Saved by Non-Swimmers

Only in Massachusetts.  Or at least I hope so.  Again the British are finding ways to laugh at their American cousins although The Independent acts like this is serious.

It seems to me that I have been reading a lot of headlines lately about shark attacks on swimmers.  I have not bothered to read them but the headlines are there.  This is a case of some confused Massachusetts residents throwing one back that they did not catch. 

Honestly.  Here is the opening line.

“A young, great white shark has been rescued from near-certain death by a group of people relaxing on a beach.”

If any of these people ever urge you to go swimming I would suggest that you find new friends.  My guess is that the warm hearted saviors were Democrats and they thought that the sharks were only eating Republicans.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-226: Headlines: Nature Kills Lions

It was enough to break the heart of any environmentalist.  Ten endangered Asiatic lions were drowned in a flood in India.  That is the headline and I am sticking to it.  There are only 523 left.  What is noticeable is that there were also 81 confirmed human deaths.  That is, however, in the third paragraph of The Independent article and of little significance.  There is no listing of how many are still alive. 

The heart breaking aspect for the environmentalists is not that so many lions died but that they can’t find a way to blame it on humans.  Nature did it.  Monsoons are not new occurrences.  Floods are not unusual in monsoon country.  Lots of other animals died. 

I didn’t find any reference to global warming.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-225: One the Street: Gasoline in Utopia

I just filled my tank with gas and paid $2.79 a gallon.  That may be no big deal to you but I am from California and had barely crossed the border into Nevada.  The station near my home in the People’s Republic was offering to share gas with me at $4.09.  The last stations we saw before we left the Golden State were asking $4.89.

It is amazing what happens to the price of things when the government tries to control things.  You can’t blame the greedy oil companies.  It is the same companies in both states.  The difference is the government.  In California, where the progressive environmentalist rule, they will not let anyone build a new refinery and require very expensive additives to the gasoline.  They had one a few years ago that required a warning label on the gas pumps that the additive could cause cancer.  And it was required.

We may run out of gas before we run out of water.  We will never run out of fools trying to control our lives.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-224: Headlines: A European Opinion of the Iran Deal

I assume it is an editorial but I think it gives you the flavor of this moment in history.  The Independent gives a British spin on the great accomplishment of Barak Obama.  I don’t think it is positive.

It opens with this observation,

“However much Bibi Netanyahu of Israel and the Gulf sultans rage at the Vienna agreement, the Arabs at least will suspect the truth: that the Americans have taken the Shia Muslim side in the Middle East’s sectarian war.”

Unsettled times are ahead.  Their crystal balls tell us,

“Iran is now on course to put on the dead Shah’s mantle as Policeman of the Gulf.  Middle East seismologists should get ready for the earthquake.”

There is more analysis and detail.  If you are ready to weep, read it and do so.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-223: Headlines: Cleaning up the Gene-Pool

As I perused the headlines of The Telegraph I came across one that talked about how many British citizens have died fighting for ISIS.  A couple of observations.

First, in the article I did not see it ever label these killers as “terrorists”.  Although it did call the organizations by that name it never connected the dots to the thugs doing the killing.

Second, I wonder when we will see an article listing the American citizens who have died fighting for ISIS or other violent groups.  Maybe it is out there and I missed it.  Since ISIS has announced its hatred for America I would think that anyone joining them would meet the Constitution’s test for treason.  That would make it appropriate to cancel their citizenship, posthumously, of course.

It sounds like something Congress could agree on, but I think President Obama would veto it.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-222: On the Street: Mommy Says

I don’t listen to the conversations around me in restaurants.  In fact, I work at blocking them out but occasionally a sound bite will push through.  A young man behind me said something and all I heard was,

“Listen to your mother and you will do well in life.”

Good advice.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-221: 8th Grade Theology

One observation I have made involving 8th graders is that they are good at flying the flag of their religion but don’t have a clue to what they are talking about.  Generally they don’t live like they know what they are talking about.

Over the years a have had a number of Muslims, many Jehovah’s Witnesses, a few Hindus and a couple of Buddhists.  Most of their parents are okay with me asking them questions but the parents will often say, “They don’t know anything.” 

I can live with that.  What I have problems with are people who are very verbal about their religion but obviously don’t know anything about it.  Being a Christian I am most familiar with what that involves.  I am familiar with what the Bible teaches.  I have no problem with someone saying “Praise Jesus.”  My problem is the string of four letter words that come in the next breath and the pattern of lies that come so natural.  These are not the pattern of someone who knows Jesus. 

Maybe it is just immaturity.

The big problem is that people never move beyond the 8th grade level.  I see churches full of people who come from habit or for the social benefits.  If you knew them in their everyday life you would never know where they were on Sunday.  Think of all the people who claim to be Roman Catholic yet are pro abortion.  Think of people who have listened to the president lie to them again and again.  And again and again.  And they still believe him.  They never learned to put the big picture together in middle school.  They have not learned to put the picture together in life. 

They are the sheeple who are easily led.  They are what makes a democratic form of government scary.  This is nothing new.  It is why the Founding Fathers gave us a republic, not a democracy.

The adventure continues.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-220: Snowflakes and Cornflakes

Recently I repeated the statement that no two snowflakes are ever the same.  For the moment we will overlook that because it impossible to check.  Just take is as one of those great scientific statements.  Forget that little man in the back room comparing and filing snowflakes.

My questions is, “Are there ever two cornflakes that are exactly the same?”  Does the statement about snowflakes also apply to something as unromantic as cornflakes?  I wonder if it would have been repeated if the original observation been about breakfast cereal.  When you think about it, it would be impossible to make two of anything that are truly exactly the same.

I hope that doesn’t burst any bubbles.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-219: On the Street: “My Mother Just Died...”

Or so he said.  You must admit, it is a good way to touch the heart strings as you begin to panhandle.  I listened courteously and when he got to the point where he had not eaten in three days, I knew I could help.  In my car I keep a supply of those little packages of cheese crackers with peanut butter filling.  I buy them for myself.  I eat them when I am hungry.  They have been my breakfast, lunch and dinner at times.  I reached in my open door, picked up a handful of packages - after all he was hungry - and handed them to him.  As the confused look developed on his face I reached in and pulled out a bottle of water, again from my personal supply, and started to hand it to him. 

I could not do much for his loss of his mother.  I am not Jesus, I can’t raise the dead.  I could do something about not eating in three days.  After all Jesus said,

(Matthew 25:41-42 KJV)  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

I don’t want to burn in Hell because I didn’t give a hungry man something to eat. 

I guess in this case it wasn’t Jesus I was feeding.  He got a look of disgust, handed the packages back to me and said, “No thank, I was wanting some meat.”  Well, sooorrrry.  He had his eye on either the Del Taco across the street or the liquor store down the block.  What he was not looking for was food to take care of his hunger.

O, well.  I tried.  So did he.  He got nothing from the exchange.  I did.  I may have discovered a way to deal with panhandlers.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-218: Discernment Watch: Educated Ignorance

There are a number of areas in my life where the issue of education keeps coming up.  How important is it to have a degree or diploma?  Does it really mean anything any more to graduate from college or have a doctorate?  It is one of those questions that has the frustrating answer of “It depends.”

Education is vital.  Don’t confuse that with saying formal education is vital.  In some cases they are the same animal.  Usually they are not.  Education means learning.  Formal education means fitting into a templet. 

Let me give you a real life example.  The men who came together and wrote the Constitution of the United States were giants.  What they produced is unique in history and has stood the test of time.  Midgets today are trying to pervert it into a tool of oppression but that is a story for another day.  There were 55 men who served as delegates to the Constitutional Convention.  Only 28 of them had college degrees.  I think it is safe to say that that  all 55 were educated.  Okay, maybe only 54.  How?  Because they sought wisdom and knowledge.  Because they learned to think.  Because they did think.

Consider the people you know who are educated but don’t have formal education.  The janitor at my school who cleans my room every day probably is as qualified to teach my class as I am.  Maybe more.  I have told him that.  You meet people like him every day.  Often they get blown off by those who have a piece of paper that declares they are educated.  It isn’t necessarily so.

My father “only” graduated from high school.  He attended a small country school.  He was very well educated.  Keep in mind that a high school education meant something in those days.  If you doubt it Google for some of the tests that were taken a hundred years ago.  Here is one sample of an 8th grade graduation test of the 19th century.

If you are still not convinced consider the CBEST.  I think it is still being used, or at least something like it.  In order to teach in California you needed to pass this test.  The reason it became necessary was that a college degree had become meaningless as a measure of basic skills.  The test was about on the 10th grade level.  20% of the college graduates who take the test fail.  Colleges have taken to giving a similar test before they will allow students to graduate.

So get an education.  While you are at it, get the piece of paper because we live in a world that doesn’t really care if you know anything, just if you have jumped through the approved hoops.  You never know when you will need that to get past the road blocks erected by the Progressives.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-217: Link: Ignorance the Enemy of Liberty

You may have read about the guy who tried to launch a rocket from his head.  I came across a post on a blog called Marooned that points out the real reason for this unnecessary death.  He comments on how we are not teaching about responsibility and liberty.  Here is one paragraph:

“Let that sink in a minute. His entire life, things have either been mandatory or banned. Lawn darts? Too dangerous. Banned. Three-wheeled ATVs? Too dangerous. Banned. Helmets for bicycles, skis, roller skates, etc.? Mandatory. Backup cameras in cars? Mandatory. When he was a toddler, his parents probably padded all the corners, blocked all the outlets, and put all the cleaning supplies in the top cabinet. As a young boy, he was forced to wear helmets, pads, seatbelts, bright colored clothes, etc.”

 I recommend reading the entire piece and thinking seriously about what he says.  Don’t be scared away because it is a gun blog.  It might save your child and your country.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-216: Headlines: We Think We Have It Bad

My first question was, “What is a terrapin?”  My second question was, “Why does an entire nation put up with someone like Kim Jong-un?”  I thought the headline in The Telegraph had to be a joke, but it isn’t April 1.

It seems that the Korean King Pin was touring a plant established by his father to raise terrapin.  Because the socialist system could not deliver electricity or food they all died.  The answer of Communism is to shoot the plant manager.  Sounds like Socialism to me.

What is a terrapin?  It is a type of turtle.  I guess the Senior King Pin liked turtle soup or something. 

Why do people put up with this kind of thing?  Why do “free” Americans put up with the leadership we have?  Thomas Jefferson put is so well in the Declaration of Independence,

“...all Experience hath shewn, that Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed.”

I will grant you we are a few steps away from having plant managers shot for letting turtles die.  the questions are “How many steps?” and “Will we be alive to count them?”

Read the article and decide whether we should laugh or cry.

We think we have it bad.  I guess it is relative.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-215: Plans A and B

Life is made up of goals, dreams and fantasies. 

I work with middle school children and I know how their minds work so let me point out that fantasies are not necessarily sexual in nature. 

Fantasies are the study of the impossible.  I had a fantasy of being Zorro.  It was not going to happen.  I had a fantasy of scoring the winning shot, at the buzzer in the final game of the NBA playoffs.  I knew it was a fantasy because I am a klutz at basketball.  I could still enjoy the moment.

Dreams are achievable.  They are not real yet, but they can be.  They may be far in the future but with planning and a lack of tragedy you can live your dream eventually.  They are often what keep us going through the lean times.

Goals are short term, measurable and achievable.  They are the steps to the dream.

Fulfilment in life comes at the joining of dreams and goals.  When I was young I had a dream.  I had a picture in my mind of where I was going in life and what it would look like when I got there.  In order to achieve that dream I established goals such as college graduation.  If you can’t reach your goals your dream becomes a fantasy.

As I moved through life I had some successes and some failures.  A series of obstacles came into play that eventually made it impossible to live my dream and I was forced to go to plan B.  My hope was to get back on track and get back to the dream.

It ain’t gonna happen.  There comes a time in life when there isn’t enough time left and the obstacles are unyielding. 

My dream has become just another fantasy.

So I seek another dream.  Time will tell if I find one.  Until that time I have a good life to live.  It just isn’t plan A.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-214: On the Street: Cream, Homogenized, 2% or Non-Fat?

There are a lot of decisions I don’t need to make.

I watched a lady try to figure which carafe to use to lighten her coffee.  She had four to chose from.  I assume they were labeled but it didn’t look like the labels were helping her very much.  Since I have learned to drink my coffee black I don’t need to worry about that moment of indecision. 

I don’t need to decide which dessert to indulge in.  The answer is simple, “No thank you.”  I am not tempted to steal something from my neighbor’s lawn.  I don’t need to decide whether I am going to cheat on my wife.  Many of the decisions that some people must make have been decided by other decisions.  The big one was my commitment to follow Jesus.  An Old Testament passage explains it.

(Joshua 24:15 KJV)  And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

When you serve the Lord you automatically rule out a lot of confusion.  Sure there are areas of gray.  There are vast areas that depend purely on my personal preference.  That is called the spice of life.  The poisons are off limits.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-213: Dominance

Dominance.  It is a part of everyone’s life. 

Some people seek to dominate.  This is behind much of the behavior and manipulation we see in school children as well as politicians in D.C.  It is behind real bullying.  It causes problems in marriage and parenting.  It ruins friendship.

Some seek to avoid being dominated.  This is me.  I do not need to run your life but I will never stop struggling to keep you from dominating me.  What comes across as uncooperative or stubbornness is often just an attempt to keep you from controlling my life.  In the army I used to sit and try to figure out how to keep from calling officers “sir” if I felt like they did not deserve it.

In between you have the sheep.  They may have struggled for a time in their youth or childhood but for some reason independence and resistance was leached out of them.  Perhaps they never had any drive or dreams.  Now they are the masses.  Some are unwashed and some are very well heeled.  They are still sheep.

If I have one desire on this issue it would be that the sheep would begin to wake up.  We have had brief moments when this happened.  Think of the days after 911 when the American people seemed to get their head out of the sand.  It did not last for long.  It will probably take a bigger and more personal pain for people to stay awake. 

They have had plenty of sleep.  They should be well rested.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-212: Link: Better Than I Can Do

I hate it when someone says things better than I can.  You might want to read Ralph Petersen on this issue.  If I had read this first I might not have posted the three I put up.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-211: Sunrise or Sunset, part 3 of 3

We are not done molding society to the Marxist ideal.  The sun is still coming up.  The traffic signals are still working.  There will be more, we just don’t know how many more steps there will be or when they will come upon us.

I think the next big step will involve legalizing polygamy.  We fought this battle 100 years ago with the Mormons.  They caved to a Christian culture that drew the line at one wife.  Joining them today will be the Muslims who, according to the Koran, are allowed four wives.  The pagans, Mormons and Muslims will join forces.  I expect multiple wives to become legal in the next few years.  When that happens the Sati and honor killings will not be far behind.

We will also legalize pedophilia and sodomy.  The kids I work with are already being desensitized by Pedobear and the jokes swirling around that.  NAMBLA has been around for years.  In case you live in a bubble you will be glad to know that acronym stands for the North American Man/Boy Love Association.  Yes, it is that blatant.  Yes, it is coming like an EPA regulation.

Do you still think a marriage between a human being and an animal is something so ridiculous that it will never happen?  All of us have read of people who leave their entire estate to a pet.  Why would marriage by any more silly?  And if you walk through the Los Angeles Airport with your eyes open you will see a poster claiming that the earth deserves a lawyer.  The Progressives are already passing laws giving trees and animals rights that trump yours as a human being. 

Where will it end?  Ideally people will wake up and start holding political feet to the fire, but it hasn’t happened in the last 50 years.  I expect either barbarian chaos or a police state, maybe both.  The redwoods of California will never vote or arm themselves.  Polar bears will never vote Libertarian. 

It will need to get really bad.  Already in California where 48% of the water in the state is allowed to run into the ocean to protect a non-indigenous fish, rumblings are starting to be heard. 
When the laws to protect them get so bad that people are starving to death, violence will erupt.  The masses will lash out.  Any person or object that is seen as causing the problem will be attacked.  At that point gay bashing, which today is mainly a figment of the liberal media’s imagination, will become standard activity.  Protected species will be hunted down deliberately.  Anyone perceived as wealthy will be swarmed and brought down.  At some point people will look for strong men to step in and bring order.  Liberty will be gone, prosperity will be only for the strong men and their henchmen.  Life will go on but for most humans it will be the life of a medieval peasant.

Some people believe that these things will never be accepted or legal.  The same would have been said about homosexual marriage 30 years ago. 

What will be the last step that leads into the abyss?  It is like the last step you miss in a dark basement.  You won’t know until you are falling and then it will be too late.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-210: Cornerstone Considerations: D of I, Good Law, Bad Law

The Founding Fathers, like most Americans today, were dependent on political leaders far away to make and enforce fair laws.  It did not happen.  The first on the list of abuses in the Declaration of Independence was,

“He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public Good.”

Think of all the laws that need to be passed.  Often they are introduced into congress by a legislator who is truly representing his constituents.  Just as often the bill cannot even get a hearing from the leadership in the House or Senate.  If it can get passed it is vetoed by the President.  If it gets by the president, the Supreme Court puts on their imperial crowns and throws it out. 

I realize that we all differ on what we think is vital and we are on opposite sides of many issues but our political leaders play politics by leaving things in committee so that they are not forced to take a public stand.  Issues are rarely debated.  Other times they use the procedures of the branch to make it possible to vote “yes” at one point and “no” at another so that they can tailor their mailings to say both.

It is amazing how often the same issues raise their ugly heads again and again.  Elections matter.  Maybe it is time to start thinking again about throwing the bums out.  Of course, that is easy for me to say.  I live in California.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-209: Sunrise or Sunset, part 2 of 3

Currently the Progressive agenda is advancing on several fronts.

Hate crimes are now a special category.  The term “hate crime” is rhetorical nonsense.  People don’t kill because they love.  Thugs don’t beat on someone to build the victim’s self esteem.  Of course murder and assault are hate crimes.  What these laws do is give the government the power to look into your thought life and punish you for having opinions that are not politically correct.  It gives the elites the authority to pick the group they don’t like and destroy them because of what they think.  Of course there is not way to prove what they think. This gives them a chance to label conservative Christians as terrorists.  It makes you a racist if you have a Confederate battle flag in your possession.  You are evaluated on your supposed thoughts, not your actions.

This opens the door to the Anti-Bullying Curriculum and diversity training that is sweeping our schools and corporate structures.  The hunt is on for people who do not agree with how the Progressive Left defines proper thinking and values.  You are now a bully if you tell a joke that makes one person in a crowd feel uncomfortable.  It doesn’t matter that they feel uncomfortable because they are mentally unstable and you had no idea they would have hurt feelings.  You are a bully.  How do you know a racist?  Simple.  If the person is white, they are a racist.  If they are non white, not guilty.

Transsexual bathrooms are a resent favorite.  It has already been put into law in California.  You are what you feel.  If you have x and y chromosomes but feel like you are in touch with your feminine side you have the right to use the ladies’ room and the girls locker room.  To question them makes you guilty of a hate crime.

Which brings us to whatever the Supreme Court actually said.  Like all law we will only find out what the words of the decision mean when further interpreted by other confused justices.

And what is to come?

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-208: Sunrise or Sunset, part 1 of 3

I noticed that the sun came up again this morning.

How many times have you had “big” things happen and after a few days you did not notice any real difference.  We have moved closer to being a culture that accepts homosexuality as part of the spectrum of normal.  The Supreme Court has jumped on board the brainwashing going on in the media and public schools and given their stamp of approval.  Keep in mind this was just one step.  Will it be the straw that breaks the camels back?  I doubt it, but you never see that straw coming.  And remember, no one ever asks the camel if it wants another straw.

There have been many steps leading to where we are today.  Each step seems like it was designed to incrementally weaken the family.  Keep in mind that the founders of Marxism have always seen the family and religion as the big enemies.  The Communists and socialists want your commitment to be to the state and those two things keep trumping the claims of government.

I am not sure that the people who have forced these steps knew where they were going but one of the tragedies of life is the Law of Unintended Consequences.  Those consequences are dissolving the glue that holds our society together.

So lets look back at a few examples of this destructive trend.

The War on Poverty was supposed to give poor people a chance by giving them a leg up.  I am sure that the Democrats who pushed this thought they were going to do some wonderful things.  Instead it was the first step in destroying the family and beginning the chaos we are moving toward.  It effected the blacks of America first.  It drove men out of the home, put Uncle Sam in his place and perpetuated an underclass full of what used to be called bastards.  The effects are now spreading to all other demographics.

No fault divorce was supposed to protect women.  Instead it has made it easy for irresponsible men to dump them.  It has made it easier for immature adults to walk away from their commitments instead of growing and dealing with life.  The family is again weakened.  The big victims are the children and their mothers.

Affirmative Action becomes the changeling of the Civil Rights Acts that have been passed.  Each time a new Act is passed the actual language makes reverse racism, aka affirmative action, illegal.  The courts ignore this and put out quotas.  They claim there are no quotas but have them anyway.  Thus if you are Asian or a married, white male you are at the bottom of the list for hiring.  It tends to pit people against each other based on superficial characteristics and further erodes society.

All those are in place.

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-207: Technology, the New Opiate of the People

I run into many students who don’t believe they need to learn basic arithmetic because they have a calculator.  A lot of teachers seem to feel the same way.  The problem is that a calculator only helps you have accurate wrong answers.  It doesn’t help you convert the issues of real life, such as a home mortgage, into knowledge that will help you make decisions if you do not have the basic principles in your mind.  If you don’t know that 2,500 % is a ridiculous answer when it should be 4% then no technology in the world will help you. 

Calculators simply cover up the lack of basic skills in arithmetic.  Computers do the same.  We are seeing lessons that do everything for the student and allow them to hide behind bells and whistles to look creative.  Some teachers use them because they are pressured.  Some teachers like them because they are easy and the computer does all the work.  Some teachers like them because they don’t know any better.

But are the computers really teaching the students how to write and do math?

Soon we will not need teachers, just computer techies.

Computers are limited by the skill of the programer.  A dictionary is limited by the skill of the seeker.  This was clear to me when I tried to find the spelling of onomatopoeia on a computer’s spell check.  After several frustrating minutes on the computer dictionary, I found it in the paper dictionary in about 15 seconds.  Why?  Because I am smarter than a computer.  So are you.  I know the principles of finding a word I can’t spell.  No computer programer can think up all the possibilities and computers can only do what the programer puts in.

They may assemble I-pods but they will never design a better one.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-206: Get Ready

July 4 is coming.  Get prepared to read the Declaration of Independence.  It will remind you of what the issues were that drove the founding fathers to rebel.  Read it thoughtfully and ask yourself how many of the principles could be applied today.

If you are not sure where to find it you can go to the governments archives on line.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-205: Healines: Legal Observer

The Independent describes a group of disabled people who tried to push their way into a meeting in Parliament and got angry when they got pushed back.  That is not my point on this post.  If you scroll down to the part of the article that has pictures and videos you will notice that in the first video there is a lady with a clip board wearing a bright orange vest.  On the back of the vest is printed “Legal Observer”.

I doubt if the disabled are claiming this is a spontaneous demonstration but you can see the real purpose of the break in.  The whole circus was put together to force the police to do something that would cause a law suit and more publicity. 

What a day we live in.  Will bank robbers also hire lawyers to take notes so that they are not mistreated during the crime?

Stay tuned and get your own lawyer.

homo unius libri