Opus 2016-144: Middle Class Morality: The Place of Children

Our modern culture makes a lot of noise about the children.  When the liberals want to take away a bit of liberty and make us more secure they will often say, “It is for the children.”  It is just a smoke-screen.  Modern culture only likes children because they are powerless and can be manipulated. 

Modern culture looks at children as blank slates that can be molded for the use of society.  The humanistic view is that the heart of man is good and is only polluted and warped by the environment.  Thus we have the victim culture that can only be fixed by government.

Traditionally, Middle Class Morality (MCM) has taken a different view.  Children are precious, yes, but they are tragically flawed from birth.  The Bible teaches that the heart of man is evil.  That does not mean Hitler evil it means pull-the-legs-off-an-insect-to-see-what-will-happen evil.  It is a self centeredness that causes the average human to be more concerned about themselves than others. 

If you don’t believe that, picture a newborn that suddenly becomes 6 feet tall, coordinated and has the ability to talk.  Would you want that child turned loose in a china shop?  Would you want it to drive on the freeway?  Would you like to tell it “No”? 

In MCM the role of parents is to treasure children but to train them to be civilized.

(Proverbs 22:15 KJV)  Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him

Children need guidance and discipline.  They need to be taught right and wrong.  That is a concept that comes from the Bible and used to be a part of our culture.

That is changing and the results are not pretty.  All you need to do is watch the self-centered, narcissistic youth that are following Bernie Sanders and think that everything should come to them free.

They expect you to pay.  Society is already paying.

Viva la middle class morality.

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-143: Election 2016: Sound-Bites Rule

Don’t be mad at the establishment and liberals.  The report are that Trump has won.  I read that he now has the required minimum for the nomination.  He has done it as fair and square as politics can be.  Why?  Because enough of the masses have voted for him.  If the back room boys find a way to deny him the nomination by changing the rules, then a pox on their house. 

It makes you understand why the founding Fathers created a republic instead of following the model of pure democracy.  It is messy.  It doesn’t deliver what I want.  It is still an attempt to keep the sound-bite slugs from running the country. 

At this point there seems to be no legitimate way Trump can be denied the Republican nomination.  That does not mean he has my vote.  It is possible for the first time in my 50 years of voting I will cast no ballot for president. 

Will he beat Hillary?  Time will tell.  There are still a lot of kinks to be twisted and jived.  Bernie could go third party.  Conservatives might put out a third choice.  Both could go for it.  We could end up with enough choice that no one wins a majority in the electoral college and the decision goes to the House of Representatives. 

Don’t panic if that happens.  It has happened before.  It is how Washington, Madison, Mason, Franklin and a host of other very wise men planned it. 

We live in the curse of interesting times.  Keep in mind that it is still superior to the boring times that people in the Soviet Union experienced.  How long that will continue to be true is anyone’s guess.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-142: New Terms: Sound-Bite Slugs

How many times have we seen a last minute attack ad defeat a good candidate?  I have not bothered to keep count. 

One that stands out in my memory was the Senate campaign in California which had Bruce Herschensohn running against Barbara Boxer.  He was doing very well until a day or two before the election a massive ad campaign accused him of some sordid behavior.  There was no time for a rebuttal.  He lost.  We see this again and again.

The liars in the community invest their life in what I am calling the Sound Bite Slugs.  These are the people who hear something, their mouth falls open, their brain turns to pudding and they start their knee jerk reaction to what they heard.  Much later they will wake up but they may not even remember.  At least they will deny that they were so gullible. 

They each have the same number of votes I have, one.  They outnumber me.  It is why we need to stay with the Electoral College and away from the popular vote.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-141: Necessary Adjustments

It is amazing what you can get used to:  Black coffee, low calorie dressing, living close to a railroad, Hillary Clinton.  Well, maybe not Hillary, but you get the idea.

Actually there are two general types of response to the bumps of life with variations on both themes.  Some people experience a bump and either develop calluses or learn to find a way around.  The other extreme gets some dynamite and blows the offending mound out of existence or gets their minions to do it for them. 

I am the first, my wife is the second.  This leads to some interesting conflicts.  The most interesting are when I am the bump.  It is kind of like the immovable object and the irresistible force. 

In my quest to lose weight I have had to find substitutes for a lot of my favorite tastes.  For instance, pop-corn.  Pop corn by itself is relatively low calorie.  Since it has a lot of fiber and is satisfying I have learned to use an artificial butter spray.  It may not fool your taste buds but it gives a little and helps the salt stick to the kernels.  It works for me.  It might not work for you.  I know it doesn’t work for my wife.

My wife insists that she can deal with her weight and still eat ice cream, Oreos and chips.  They have been told they will obey.  I don’t ask how it is going.

Will I be able to find adjustments if the socialists keep nibbling away at my liberty?  Will the masses be so happy when they finally wake up to the restrictions that will come, all for their own good.  Will EBT cards and smart phones become the modern bread and circuses?  Have they already?

I think it is easier to eat popcorn without real butter than it will be to live without the first amendment.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-140: Fighting Words: Dark Roast

The only place I don’t like dark roast is in my coffee.

Steak?  Extra well done.  Burn it to a crisp.  Cook it until the chef threatens to quit.

Fries?  Leave them in a little longer.  Make them crisp.

Chicken?  I want the white meat because it is dryer.

Turkey?  Cook it long enough that it isn’t juicy.

Coffee?  Dark roast is for people who have lost their taste buds.  It tastes like someone put it on the fire and boiled it down to powder then added water.  Yuck.  Keep in mind that it is often called “French roast”.

Inconsistent?  So sue me.  Just don’t try to give me dark roast coffee.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-139: Free Stuff

One of the crude comments used to explain why men were so supportive of the sexual revolution was, “Why buy the cow when the milk is free?”  It was a statement about the irresponsible life style and how attractive it is.  Of course if you are rich enough like celebrities and presidential candidates you can keep buying a series of cows.

If something is free you are stupid to pay for it.  That is the major flaw in the philosophy of socialism that is permeating our society.  It does not just apply to the sexual revolution any more.  It now applies to all of life.

Why take a hard subject like chemistry or physics when you can get the same BA, at the same price, with little work, by majoring in a major that has the word “Studies” in the title.  Ask yourselves why so many people going into education major in “Liberal Studies” rather than math or history.  You get the job with none of the work.

This is the appeal of EBT cards and section VIII housing.  It is the appeal of the modern Democratic party.  They promise free health care, free college, free food, free phones, free __________.  When the guy who sleeps in and hangs out with his friends can still live the good life, why get a job?  He may be lazy but he is not stupid.

At school I have more students than ever before who refuse to even bring a book to class.  Yesterday we had what is called the “Community Awards Assembly”.  We used to have people from Kiwanis, Rotary, Elks and other organizations come and give out awards to deserving students.  One of the leaders was surprised when I pointed out that we don’t have any of those people any more.  He hadn’t noticed.  What we do have are a steady stream of people across the class that are failing most of their classes but are willing to get out of class to run errands for an administrator.  Yesterday a special education aid came to my class to pull a kid out to work on something from another class.

If the grade is free, why write the report?  If your wife will pay the bills, why get a job.  If your mother will do your laundry, why get your own apartment? 

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-138: Legal Kidnaping

Powerline has a Green Weenie award they give for foolishness on environmental issues.  Recently they gave one to the Portland school board for censoring text books to give a pro-global warming brainwashing to students.  Well and good. 

What got my attention was a statement they made toward the end of the article.

“It may not matter much, since Portland is rapidly becoming a city without children. (This is one reason I don’t worry about the Left in the long run: they aren’t procreating. Thank goodness.)’

This may be true as a statistic but it doesn’t deal with what is really happening.  You see, all of these childless liberals are in charge of the education of our children.  The brainwashing starts in pre-school and continues through the Ph.D. programs.  It never lets up and by it they steal the children that they did not have themselves.

One of the techniques of the socialist regimes was to get children to inform on their parents.  The process continues.

Welcome to Amerika.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-137: On the Street: A Moment of Paradise

Yesterday was the kind of day that makes people want to move to California.

My wife had called from back east to complain about the rain.  I just smiled but she could not see that over the phone.  My voice expressed sympathy.  Much of the world could feel her pain.  I was in what California was before it became the People’s Republik.

In case you have forgotten what it can be like:  The temperature was in the mid-70's, a breeze kept the air moving.  The grass was green.  The air was the definition of sky blue.  There were enough clouds to cause interest.  My guitar was in tune and I was feeling no pain.  Life was good. 
I was aware that there were people in Southern California who were supporters of Hillary, Bernie and Donald.  I realize that they might have been enjoying the day as much as I was.  I doubt if they were thanking God for special moments like this.  I tend to get petty and wonder why God doesn’t have little patches of rain cloud to hover over where they are but it doesn’t work that way.

I guess this is what Jesus meant when He said,

(Matthew 5:45 KJV)  That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Keep that in mind the next time you worry about the coming election and how there are no candidates worthy of your support.  God will measure out His love and justice in His timing.  Make sure that you are wheat for the harvest not a kernel of tare for the fire. 

Then came Monday and work.  I am thankful, really.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-136: On the Street: The Gourmet Cash Register

There are times when I am glad I am not a gourmet.  Currently I cannot make coffee at home.  This is forcing me to stop at places that I don’t usually frequent.  When you need coffee, you need coffee.  We have a Starbucks close to our house and although their style is too strong for my delicate palate, I can handle their light roast.  It has some snazzy Starbucks names, but a light roast by any other name, be it O so sweet.... 

The problem is that every time I would drive away from Starbucks with nothing but a plain cup of coffee the cash register in my head would go, “$2.45.  Ouch!  $2.45.  Ouch!  $2.45.  Ouch!...”  I also lack a gourmet’s wallet.  In a moment of tightwad splendor I decided to try the Circle K.  I sampled something called Ipanema Estates.  I was pleasantly surprised.

As I say, I am no gourmet.  That applies to coffee as well as truffles.  I do know a really bad cup of coffee.  I know a really good cup of coffee.  I don’t know that Circle K Imanema Estates is a really good cup of coffee, but it is as good as Starbucks light roast.

And the cash register in my head is dancing, “99 cents.  Yes!”

If you are a coffee snob, live dangerously.  Try Circle K.  (I get no kickback for this endorsement and warn you that business being what it is, the Circle K near you may be using leftover grounds from the local Thai takeout.)

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-135: Creativity

I have a class that is labeled “gifted” or “honors”.  They are a great bunch of kids but they seem so normal.  I really believe that if you put them into the school district when I was a student they would just be an average class.  I keep wondering what is missing. 

I think it is the spark of genuine creativity or originality.  I have experienced it a few times and this year it is totally absent.  Am I experiencing a blip or the result of persistent conditioning toward compliance?

This got me thinking about the nature of creativity.  It is supposed to be one of the big thrusts of Common Core Curriculum (CCC).  The question is how do you teach creativity.  I think for some people it is not going to happen.  Real creativity requires a way of looking at the world that comes up with something totally new.

What about the car I am driving.  It is a modern marvel.  It is an awesome piece of technology.  Think about all the parts and processes that have gone into making it.  It starts with ore mined or oil extracted.  But what in this creation reflects real originality?

I am constantly using the rear view mirrors.  The man who came up with the process of coating the back of glass to make the mirror was a genius.  The man who came up with glass was a genius.  Putting them in cars was just adapting that genius.  I spent some time trying to think of something that demonstrated real creativity in the cars on the freeway around me and came up blank.

We live in a day when creativity is a desperate need.  We have enough oil and uranium to generate energy into the foreseeable future.  But eventually we need something better if for no other reason than improved productivity.  Think of the American Indian cultures.  They lived on a continent that was rich in all the materials needed for a prosperous and safe life.  Instead of producing the needs of life by refining oil and iron, they cut down all the trees and used the bones of the buffalo they hunted.  It may seem romantic to a person siting in their Lazy-Boy chair, drinking their gourmet coffee and reading about how the Native Americans were one with nature.  In reality it was a brutal and desperate existence.  You never knew when a flood, stampede or raid by another tribe would rain on your parade.  A simple thing like appendicitis or a cut could end in tragedy.  Toothache, anyone?

We need to find new ways to corral the buffalo in our neighborhoods and the hostiles at our doors.

Encourage thinking.  Home school your children.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-134: Fruit or Vegetable?

As I was studying Proverbs I came across the concept of the fruit of wisdom.  My mind loves tangents.  Maybe that is why I could never get the hang of the bow and arrow or cut a board straight.  Squirrel! 

My tangent this time was the difference between fruit and vegetables, Biblically speaking.  The concept of fruit is common.  All Christians are familiar with the fruit of the Spirit.

(Galatians 5:22-23 KJV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

The word “vegetable” is used a few times in the NASB.  I don’t know if it is in the KJV.  The word means “greens.”  Did they have broccoli and Brussel sprouts in ancient Israel?

So, what is the difference?  I am not a botanist.  I understand the difference has to do with where the seeds are, or at least I think I understand that.  I am more interested in the application to life.  I am no farmer but it seems that fruit develops naturally while vegetables need to be tended more carefully.  Fruit is perennial.  Vegetables are usually annuals. 

What does that mean in our daily walks?  There are some areas that God develops naturally.  The longer we walk with Jesus the more the fruit of the spirit should be growing.  They are based in the gifts of the Spirit.  God keeps nurturing them.  Some change is instantaneous.  Some takes decades.  Everyone is different in their growth.

Other areas, the spiritual vegetables, are the product of discipline and study.  We are expected to take the raw material that God gives us, assume that grace is at work, rely on the Holy Spirit, put our shoulder to the wheel and push on.  We are told to study, work out, seek, knock, ask and a plethora of other verbs.  They will be in the present declarative active, not the passive future.

Have you tended your garden today?

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-133: On the Street: We Need a New Law

I was on my way to work, minding my own business.  I noticed a sign a the back of a truck that said, “Safety is my goal.”  It had a number to call if the driver was not living by that standard.  The reason I noticed the sign was the truck had just cut me off because the driver thought my lane was going 2 inches an hour faster than the lane he was in.  It assumed a deeper meaning when about ten second later the lane he had been in started to speed up and he cut someone else off to get back in line.

My thought here is that we need the Nanny State to pass a law removing those numbers from the back of vehicles.  If I had tried to call I would have been breaking the law and might have cause a collision because of my distraction.  We need to be kept safe from this type of thing.

You start the petition.  I will sign it.  Or maybe not.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-132: On the Street: Federal Mandates

By now you are aware of the Obama administration coercing public schools into allowing the Daily Pervert to hang out in the girls shower room.  He is serious.  Ms. Lynch is serious.  And the department of Education is serious.  You can read about it at the World website.

Their timing is perfect.  In my classes we have been discussing the issue of slavery and how it divided the country.  The specific examples were the fugitive slave laws and the response of northern states.  The federal government said that the owners of the slaves had the right to recover their property and the states could not stand in the way.  Many northern states passed laws threatening to put people in jail if they obeyed the federal law.  In 1850 Wisconsin’s supreme court declared the law unconstitutional and the legislature declared it could lead to succession.  The same year Massachusetts gave a five year prison term to anyone who enforced the federal law.  Does it sound like what is going on in North Carolina today?

Under President Obama the federal government is involved in an unprecedented expansion of its power.   Today in the headlines we have a frontal assault by the people who brought you gay marriage.  Other issues on the front burner are land use, abortion (still), other areas of education, the Second Amendment, the First Amendment, the Fourth Amendment, the Fifth Amendment... you get the idea.

The issue of states rights vs federal mandates blew up in a civil war 150 years ago.  Let us hope that the federal government will back down instead of forcing the issue.  Those of us that believe in the rule of law will continue to vote and use the courts.  Others may not be so patient.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-131: Headlines: Federal Mandates

I have seen it being mentioned in passing but it is now in print.  President Obama’s administration, which means President Obama, has ordered all public schools to automatically treat a child’s preference as their actual gender.  Thus, if a young man at your local high school declares that he identifies as a woman, he must be allowed to use all facilities as if he had always been a woman.  There can be no questions asked or action delayed.  If he does not get immediate compliance then all the federal money that the district has been sucking up will be cut off.  It is not clear to me what happens if the next day he declares himself a man again.

Are you one of the 47% that are probably still on board with your president?  Are you one of the majority who voted for him and have continued to look the other way as he has bowed to foreign kings, insulted out allies and kissed up to the countries that want to destroy us?  Are you one of those who thinks anyone who disagrees with him is a racist?  I would suggest that you be very careful where you let your daughters go to the rest room.

I also have a suggestion for fathers.  I would suggest that you set your manly pride aside and when your daughter needs to use a strange restroom, declare yourself a woman and go in to keep her safe.

How ridiculous does political correctness and diversity training need to get before the general population wakes up?

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-130: Headlines: Deja Vu

I don’t know if you have been following the persecution of Christians going on in the Middle East.  It runs from harassment on the streets to torture and murder.  If you remember the men kneeling in orange on the beach with brave warriors of Allah standing behind them in black with their faces hidden you may have missed that this was Muslims murdering Christians.  Christians are fleeing Iraq under threat of death. 

What you may not understand is that this is just a repeat of earlier history.  It was this type of activity that generated the Crusades one thousand years ago.  The Christians were a majority in the middle east before 700.  They were still a large minority in A.D. 1,000.  The Arab Muslims were getting along fine with the local Christians and encouraging pilgrims from Europe.  There were bandits and it was dangerous to travel but that was the times.  Then the Turkish Muslims took over.  They began to persecute Christians and cut off the holy places from pilgrims. 

The Christians of Europe were willing to live with the fact that Islam had conquered the area and taken it away from the Christians as long as they were able to visit Jerusalem and other spots they considered sacred.  Remember that Christianity started in Jerusalem and Islam was an import from Saudi Arabia.  For medieval Christians visiting the Holy Land wasn’t just a holiday to visit the roots of Christianity.  There was spiritual power and healing to those who made the journey.  It would be a parallel idea to Muslims making the trip to Mecca once during their life.  When the Turks cut them off from access it had a deep spiritual message.  It was limiting the Christians’ access to means of grace.  It was making it harder to get into heaven.

So the Crusade began.  Now it seems to be deja vu all over again.  Will this be enough to wake up the West today?  We keep hearing that we should be open minded and encourage the moderates in Islam to lead to a renaissance and reformation within the religion.  This displays an ignorance of the Koran.  Again I encourage you to get a copy and read the entire book.  Don’t rely on what the Communists called “useful idiots” to cherry pick quotations for you.  What is labeled as “Radical Islam” IS the reformation.  It is the people who are taking the teachings of Mohammad seriously and applying them with devotion.  I can’t find the quote but I remember reading that there were moderate Muslim leaders that allowed Christians to live and prosper.  The problem is that those were not the devout Muslims.  Whenever you got leaders who were devout, the persecutions returned. 

So will Islam win this time?  Will the Crusaders return?  If they don’t you will see a return of the Holocaust with the added feature that Christians will join the Jews in the camps.

Will I see you there?

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-129: Headlines: Dredging the Report

I am in the process of weaning myself from the Drudge Report.  I will keep the link.  I may check it out at some point but I have found it to be an unreliable source in this election cycle.

It is not because Drudge is biased.  We are all biased.  If the bias is open and honest I can deal with it.  I know how to filter it.  Drudge has sold himself as a conservative.  My mistake was in assuming that he was a full conservative.  In reality he is with those closet libertarians who call themselves conservatives but only mean on economic and personal liberty issues.  A person who is conservative on economic issues and liberal on moral (social) issues is not a real conservative to me. 

Call it a litmus test, fine with me.  Remember that litmus paper does tell you if something is base or acid.

So a person who can be in the tank for Trump in the primary is more a moderate than a conservative.  We had a number of solid candidates who were more conservative and consistent than Trump.  He has been all over the map on every issue.  His position usually seems to depend on which way he thinks the current wind is blowing.  It is kind of like a roulette wheel.  The little ball bounces around.  Could it end up on your number?  Sure, but you won’t know until the bouncing stops.  Could Trump end up advancing the conservative concerns on the economy, abortion, marriage, second amendment and big government?  Sure, but like the roulette wheel, I am not willing to bet the farm on the marble being in the right slot at the end of the spin.

Drudge has positioned headlines and emphasized stories that consistently advanced the cause of Donald Trump.  He has done that without declaring his support, at least as far as I know.  Instead of being my go-to source he will drop to second or third place.  I don’t usually “boycott”, I just rearrange my priorities.  Usually I don’t have time to get to that level of reading.  Will this effect him?  Hardly.  I only accounted for about 5 out of his millions of hits a day.  Do I wish him well?  Sure.  He has a right to do what he wants with his site.  It is still a free country.

Whether it will be free after four years of Trump or Hillary is another question.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-128: On the Street: The Divine Right of Students

The article was in the Washington Times.  I didn’t mark it so I can’t give you the link but you are familiar with the situation.  It was about the police and their involvement with students.  In the article a student was refusing to follow simple directions from the teacher.  Evidently she refused to respond to school security so the police were called in.  As things evolved the policeman was forced to drag her out of her desk.  Of course it was all recorded on video and now the policeman faces losing his job.  Who knows, maybe he will be prosecuted.

You may have been following all the nonsense on college campuses about safe zones and scary chalk writing on the sidewalks.  That is simply the results of years of being taught that students are special people who can do anything they want, break any rule, defy any authority and generally act like the strongest barbarian in the jungle.  Some people call them snowflakes.  In reality they are barbarians.

It is already in force in middle school.  I run into it on a regular basis.  I kid sits in the wrong seat.  You ask him to move to his assigned seat.  He refuses.  This goes on and on and finally you call security to come and remove him.  So far that has been enough in my world, but in a few years this child will require the police to be called.  After all, why can’t he sit where he wants, talk when he wants, text when he wants and generally act like he is King Henry VIII. 

People used to believe in the Divine Right of Kings.  The Chinese had the Mandate of Heaven.  In many cultures the sovereign is considered God.  Kings were above the law.  Laws were for mere mortals.  In our culture we are coming to the point of the Divine Right of Students.  If they lived in isolation it might work.  If they were the only one who felt that way, it might work.  Everyone else could just ignore them.  The problem is when you have a classroom full of prima donnas who each think they are king.  The result is chaos, or American higher education.

It is really all a part of the socialist plan to destroy the rule of law so they can rule by the gun.  The process is ongoing at a school near you.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-127: Thanks Thoughts: It’s All Relative

People are always asking, “How’s it going?”  I hate just saying, “Fine.”  That seems so vanilla and life is more spumoni, the kind with nuts. 

So as I climbed into the dentist chair to have an adjustment made on a temporary crown I told the lady, “I have nothing but first world problems.” 

It is true.  Think about the problems I would have if I lived in a Muslim country, even one like Egypt where it is officially legal to be a Christian.  They are still being beaten and bombed.  Or how about a country that is already in the bag with socialism.  I would have no food, no job and no small parts to fix my toilet, assuming I had a toilet.  The warlords are not coming across the border.  I don’t live in the third world.

The big issues I have to deal with are good:  Diabetes under control.  Colon clean.  Tooth fixed.  My health insurance is still working and my car is still running.

I need to forget about the fact that my house has termites.  Well, not forget, but at least not fixate.  I need to get beyond the fact that my breakfast bakery ran out of bread the other day.  Just because there is no pico de gallo on the shelf and the signals are turning red is nothing to start a revolution over.

Life is good when all you have are first world problems.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-126: On the Street: Studious Hypocrisy

As I came back from the coffee urns I again noticed a young woman who was studying hard.  I had noticed her before but this time I looked a little closer to find clues for what she was so focused on.  She had a clip-board with some serious paperwork on it.  Her computer was open.  There were books spread around.  Then I noticed she wasn’t looking at any of them.  Her eyes were glued to her phone where she seemed to be watching a video of some kind.

She reminds me of my students.  Often I can have people that seem to be working so hard and really focused who turn in nothing.  Looks can be deceiving in more ways than one.

Update:  I made another run for coffee and she was still focus on the little screen.  I hope she is not on the jury if I am ever on trial.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-125: Election 2016: Losses and Gains

It looks like many are trying to talk themselves into accepting Donald Trump for the Republican nomination.  I hear others talking about how he could destroy the Republican party and gut the conservative movement.  Time will tell.  If the party dies out it will just be an encore of the Federalist and Whig party cycles.  A new group will arise from the ashes.  It is time for a realignment anyway.  There are too many moderates hiding from themselves in the Republican party.  They might as well move.  There are probably a few Democrats with brains, ethics and integrity.  They should change their coats also.

The big losses for me are different.  As I watch people jumping on the Trump bandwagon I see people and organizations that I used to trust being turned into Mr. Hyde.  I think of Ann Coulter.  She always had a crusty side that was not my style but I could always take her position on things as being well thought out and reliable.  I began to wonder when she was an early supporter of Romney in 2012 and now she has been gung-ho for Trump.  Has the real Ann Coulter been cloned? 

Then there is the Drudge Report.  At one point I felt like he was a good source of news.  I then started noticing that the headline on his links didn’t always give an accurate reflection of the article they resourced.  It finally became clear in this primary that he was structuring his web site to ensure that Trump got the election.

And Sean Hannity seems to have drunk the kool-aid, too.  I don’t listen to him except on vacation.  I have always felt like he was 75% solid and I needed to take what he said with a grain of salt.  I could live with that.  It just keeps my mind alert.  Now people tell me that he was very aggressive against Cruz and seemed to be a Trump fan.

Glenn Beck get a thumbs up for honesty.  He was always in the Cruz wagon.  He stated it clearly and frequently.  For that reason I listened carefully to what he said to filter out the extremes.  At least he did not act like he was unbiased.

I still think Cruz would have been the best man for America’s future.  I will vote for him in the California primary.  I accept that he is out.  I just don’t know where to turn in November. 

My mind may be narrow but it is still open a tiny bit.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-124: Election 2016: Shot or Hung

I really don’t know which way I will go as the California primary approaches.  I will vote because the presidential primary will not be the only decision to influence.  I don’t know if they will let me vote for president.  I might be ejected for the vulgar language that breaks out of my mouth when I mark the ballot.  It would be fitting with the choices I will have.

The question will be, which is stronger?  On one side I have, “Anyone but Hillary.”  On the other I have “Never Trump”.  When I look at the Libertarian ticket I find nothing but a moderate Republican, conservative on finance and liberal on morals.  I can’t go Peace and Freedom if they are still around.  Green party?  Please!  It reminds me of times at school when they would say I had a choice.  My definition of the choice they gave me was “Would you rather be shot or hung?”

I tell the kids at school that Trump has maybe a 10% chance of not destroying the country.  Hillary has 0% chance.  I know that half a loaf is better than none, but what do you do when there is only a chance of one slice and it may be moldy.

Maybe a monarchy is a good idea.  Would I say that if Trump were the crown prince and Hillary was queen?

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-123: Election 2016: Cruz Joins Latin

I would like to say Cruz is still spoken here but it has become a dead language, like Latin.

I have not had time to look into all the spin the media will put on Cruz dropping out.  Someone left a New York Times on a table this morning.  I picked it up and will try to see what I can believe in what it says.  It won’t do any good to go to Drudge.  He has been in the tank for Trump for ages.

I don’t know if I am going to bother following the election from this point on.  I imagine my normal sunny Pollyana disposition will reassert itself.  It reminds me of the guy who didn’t know why he was in the handbasket or where he was going but enjoyed the ride.

What a way to wake up on a Wednesday.  And I still have to go to work.

For those who think Cruz was just another sleazy politician I will submit that you ain’t seen nothing yet.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-122: Plow and Crown: Serfs Down

Down through history one of the ways that the nobility has kept the common people in their place is to control their mobility.  The Romans did not let the Jews ride horses.  The Muslims did the same.  One of the great equalizers of modern times was the automobile and it wasn’t even the invention that made the difference. 

The instigator of liberty was Henry Ford who developed the assembly line and brought down the price of a car so that the average working man could afford it.  No longer did you need to live within walking distance of your job.  No longer were you confined to the shopping choices within carrying distance.  The world opened up.  You could run away from oppression or run toward a confrontation.  It was your choice.

That kind of choice is what the elites of the world hate.  One of the enemies of totalitarian tyrants is the ability of the common people to vote with their feet.  How are you going to find someone to clean your toilets if the poor woman down the street can drive to a better paying job?  How are you going to increase taxes if the man down the street can pack up and drive to another state?  The Communists made it impossible for common people to have a car that would run and they still had to build a wall to keep them in, with machine gun towers no less.

There is a reason that people like Al Gore and the environmentalists are pushing to take you out of your car and put you on a bus.  They can control the bus lines.  They can set the schedule and determine the routes.  They can suck up your time waiting on others to arrive.  They can force you to rub elbows with people you would rather avoid.  More time wasted and more energy in worry for your safety means you have less time to think and cause problems.

The historic battle between the plow and the crown is about who is in control.  What other reason would people push government controls instead of free markets.  Capitalists learned a long time ago that in order to make a lot of money they needed to have a population that made enough to buy their product.  Socialists don’t care about that.  They know that if they are in control they will have good health care, good food and effective air-conditioning.  They can have their cake and eat yours too.  Let me paraphrase a tired statement from the anti-war protestors:  What if we had a revolution and you didn’t get their because you missed the bus.

If buses were cost effective we would have people clamoring to start bus companies.  If trains were what people really wanted they would not need to be subsidized by your tax money. 

Give me liberty.  Give me a car.  

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-121: Censored: It Was a Cock and Bull Story

During lunch time I was checking out news on the internet.  I saw a link that looked interesting and needed a little follow up.  I clicked on it and instead of a news story I got the Nanny.  Our school Thought Police decided that I could not go to that sight.  Why?  It denied access because the title of the post had the phrase “cock and bull story”.  You see, the word “cock” might offend some of my students.

I still don’t know what the article was about.  I would assume that if I were doing research on roosters I would be out of luck.  I also would not be able to find out how to get my diabetic devices reading to push a needle through my skin. 

Protect the children.  We all know how clean their language and their minds are.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-120: Election 2016: Not Just for President

Have you ever had to take something back five times to get it fixed right and it still didn’t work?  It starts in public education where they never hold students accountable for their behavior.  Picture the kid who has done no work all year, comes to you a week before graduation and wants to make up the work.  Some teachers say to themselves, “O joy, he is finally waking up.  I will give him a chance to show that I care.”  The kid turns in a bunch of trash and the teacher passes him. 

Who is the bigger fool?  Is it the teacher who actually thinks he is making a difference or the student who thinks he is getting away with something?  The future waits.

Unfortunately you are in the kids future.  The oil change you asked for is assigned to him.  If you are lucky he will remember to put the plug back in the pan.  Will you get the clerk at the DMV who has a work ethic?  Consider how the order never seems to be right at the fast food joint.  The pills in your prescription are wrong. 

They are learning these skills today under the lesson plan called “self esteem”. 

Will you be having a school board election this year?  It matters how you vote.  Will your state be voting on judges this year?  It matters how you vote.  Will you be voting for the people who makes the laws this year?  It matters how you vote and November will be about more than a president.

So pay attention.  How the future works out depends on what happens today.

homo unius libri