Opus 2016-317: Immortal Quotes: “A Different Drummer”, part 1 of 2, The Beat

One of the phrases that I find coming to mind frequently is “march to a different drummer”.  I find it applies to many choices I make and priorities I set.  I feel it should apply to believers and the church.  I decided I should look up the full quote and learn who I am quoting.  It comes from Thoreau.

“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.  Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”  — Henry David Thoreau, Walden

For Christians that drummer is God and too often no one is listening.  This is expressed by the apostle Paul.

(Romans 12:2 KJV)  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

I have always enjoyed J.B. Phillips paraphrase of this.  He says,

“Don’t let the world squeeze you into its mold.”

One of the great tragedies of history is that Christians keep getting squeezed.  Often they seem to seek the squeezing.  We are like hot Jello poured into our culture instead of fire-hardened vessels from the Potter’s hands.  As such we become worthless.  Worthless to God and ignored by our world.

What are some areas where we allow ourselves to be molded to the standards of the world?

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-316: Discernment Watch: CCC Matures

Common Core Curriculum (CCC) keeps getting mentioned.  Trump’s alleged pick for the Department of Education, Betsy DeVos, is being questioned by the conservatives because of supposed support for CCC.  Like most government programs, it will not go away.  “It isn’t a government program,” the left says.  Right.  If it looks like a duck....

Keep in mind that CCC is not really about curriculum in the sense of what will be covered.  It is about how it will be covered.  It is simply the latest evolution of what the Progressives (socialists, elitists, Democrats, left wing) have been pushing for decades.  It was being pushed when I came into education 30 years ago.  The names keep getting changed to protect the guilty but it continues to be pushed.

CCC is about group think.  It is about the Great Mediocrity.  It is about stifling anyone who might raise their head in individual excellence and actually move our culture ahead.  It pushed group work, cooperative learning, collaboration and anything that keeps the bright kids from achieving.

I had a recent revelation on this.  When I am gone I leave work for the substitute that I might not do if I was present.  I can’t count on the substitute doing much more than taking role and keeping the kids out of my desk.  So I leave prepared worksheets.  I often come back and find that students who do no work when I am there have completed the assignment.  At first I thought that maybe the sub had reached them in ways I couldn’t.  I discarded that almost immediately.  My latest theory matured recently based on my “honors” class.

This is a group of nice kids.  They are above average at our school which would make them about average when I was their age.  One of my problems is to get them to stop copying each other.  They are bright enough but they are also lazy.  They have been together for about 8 years and people keep telling them they are really smart.  They were also continually taught to work collaboratively.  They have been taught to copy.  When I am with them I keep stomping on that behavior and meet fierce resistance.  The sub just lets it go.  So when I was going over their work I noticed that people who had never completed an assignment for me had the entire page filled out. 

Will this group come up with the next generation of innovation that will revolutionize the world?  I seriously doubt it.  There are a few that might surprise me.  They will be good at working on committees and boards but we know how much work committees get done.

We are teachers.  We are molding the future.  Be afraid.  Be very afraid.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-315: A Non-Snowflake Tantrum

I want my welfare check.  I am ready to go on public assistance.  Where is my EBT card?

Don’t worry, I am not serious.  It is just my version of a snowflake attack after being off work for a week and the requirement that I get back in the harness.  Today I am going back to the classroom.  I don’t want to go.  I am too used to getting up when I feel like it and having all day to get a few things done.

I know, I know.  Most of you only had Thanksgiving day off and maybe Friday also, but I am a teacher and spoiled by all the government largess that comes my way.  Most of you get two weeks vacation a year and I just got one for Thanksgiving.  Think about that next time schools want more money.

Okay.  My temper tantrum is over.  I won’t be going to the streets and burning police cars.  I will simply be trying to get your children to think. 

That is my revenge.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-314: Headlines: Vaya con Diablo

I hope I didn’t see you on the TV, dancing in the street over the death of Fidel Castro.  Keep in mind that he has now crossed that line and is already well on the way to his eternal destiny.  I would not wish it on anyone but if there is a select list of modern people who are getting what they deserve, he is on that list.

If I were a Cuban exile in Florida I might be dancing.  If you are a Cuban exile in Florida I can understand.  But keep in mind the poison he excreted is not gone with his passing.  There is still an infrastructure of evil that will continue long after he can’t sign any death warrants.  It is time to pray for the people of Cuba.  They will only find relief when enough of them decide they have had enough.

So let the crazy people of the world celebrate the way they did on 911 and when the people were massacred in San Bernardino and Paris.  It may be necessary to deal harshly with evil but we don’t need to make a circus out of it. 

The world is a slightly better place today but get ready for the Castro t-shirts that will soon go on sale.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-313: Thanks Thoughts: Technology

It is the day after “Thanksgiving” and I am beginning to play Christmas music.  It makes me thankful for modern technology.  A combination of CD’s, lap top and I-Pod make it possible for me to collect all my Christmas music, legally purchased, and shuffle it so that I can listen to the joy of the season without the pollution that is passing for Christmas music today.

I don’t know if you ever tune in to the radio stations that are claiming to be all Christmas music.  I used to tune in and get enough good stuff to keep listening.  Every year there is less music celebrating the incarnation and more informing us of some tragic love affair in December.  Not only is it musically handicapped but it is morally vapid.  Because of modern technology I can go anywhere and listen to pieces that are worth listening to.  I currently have enough to listen to 1.2 days of music without repeated.

Merry Christmas.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-312: Today, Thanks; Tomorrow, Carols

Thanksgiving is a part of my ritual every day before work.  Breakfast is bread, butter, coffee and thanks.  I began celebrating the Lord’s Supper each morning by reading over the passage in I Corinthians dealing with this sacrament.  One verse begins with “And when He had given thanks, He broke it...”  So I have thanksgiving at least five times a week.

That doesn’t take away from a day of communal thanks.  Worship is more intense when we are with other believers.  It is more than addition, it is multiplication when we sing to the Lord together.  Today is a day of feasting and worship even for those who don’t believe in much of anything.

I am thankful when I think of all the times that potential disasters ended up as minor inconveniences.  About a month ago a had a hard fall down some stairs on a dark morning when the lights were not working.  Nothing broke or got torn.  I had a few days of stiffness and sore spots but I was miraculously not in need of healing.  I went to the doctor for my annual physical and he thought my heart was acting weird.  That began a series of tests and monitors that came up with, drum roll.........., nothing. 

Then there is the overwhelming blessing of No Democrats in the Family Syndrome (NDiFS).  It is a condition that does not exist in every home.  It makes for boring conversations but fewer fights.

So enjoy the day.  Thank God that you live in America in the 21st century.  Rejoice that all of your problems are first world.  And remember the one ironclad rule of Thanksgiving:  You can’t start the Christmas music until after dinner.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-311: The Democrats Will Block California Secession

Without California the Democrats are dead as an influence in the federal government.

Look at the current numbers for the last election:

Electoral College:  Trump 290, Hillary 232
Popular vote:   Democrats 64,223,958
        Republicans 62,206,395
Senate balance:  Republicans 52, Democrats 48
House balance:  Republicans 238, Democrats 194

Consider what they would be if California were allowed to leave:

Electoral College:  Trump 290, Hillary 177
Popular vote:   Democrats 56,861,468
        Republicans 58,290,186
Senate balance:  Republicans 52, Democrats 46
House balance:  Republicans 224, Democrats 155

So don’t get too excited about the idea that California will pull out.  That door was closed back in 1865 and the Democrats can’t afford to have it opened again. 

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-310: Headlines: False Conflict

The headline in the Washington Times read, “Donald Trump, police union at odds over ‘sanctuary cities’ funding”.  I am not sure that is an accurate summary of the article.

In the first paragraph it points out that the largest police union endorsed Trump even though he had a campaign platform with this position.  Then it says he plans to do what he promised.  The next paragraph is where the focus is lost. 

“But in recent days, mayors and police chiefs in major cities across the country have pledged to stand behind their sanctuary city policies in defiance of Mr. Trump’s plans.”

This is supposed to be a major conflict but is really only saying that apples don’t taste like oranges.  On almost every issue the mayors and police chiefs in major cities are on the opposite side of the issue from the rank and file.  So where is the news?  Mayors and police chiefs in major cities are political positions.  They are probably Hillary Democrats.  Of course they oppose anything that Trump stands for.  The rank and file are a bit more diverse.

If you read the entire article you can find the balanced statements, toward the end.  Things such as,

“While some big-city police chiefs have criticized Mr. Trump’s proposed crackdown, some law enforcement organizations say it ultimately will benefit the safety of civilians and officers.”

It then goes on to mention several organizations that are just fine with what Trump wants to do.

I am disappointed in the Washington Times.  In theory they are more balanced that the NYT and LA Times but there are times when I question that theory.

Let us hope that President Trump will follow through on the pledges of Candidate Trump.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-309: Election 2016: Pure Democracy at Work

I was a hard sell when it came to plastic bags.  If given a choice I would always ask for paper.  I got over it.  I found that I could actually carry more and still unlock the front door.  I also didn’t need to fold them to store them for reuse.  I found a zillion ways to reuse them.  To my knowledge I never threw them away when I came home from the store.

Now they are taking them away from me.  Soon they will be taking them away from you.  The enlightened electorate of the People’s Republik of Kalifornia have voted to ban free plastic bags in the grocery stores.  Now we are given a choice.  The first choice is to pay 10 cents for a bag that costs less than a penny and used to included in the price of the groceries.  Or if you prefer you can bring your own reusable bag, encrusted with crud, infested with germs and laden with disease, and put it on the counter where my food will pass.  How did we get to this?  It is a good example of why the founding fathers were leery of big government and double leery of government that was in bed with big business.

It started with a small, vocal group agitating to do away with plastic bags at grocery stores.  I think it was environmentalists concerned about plastic not decomposing in a land fill.  I understand that rocks don’t decompose in a land fill either but I have not heard about a ban on rocks.  They managed to pressure a few city governments into banning plastic bags.  From there it went to the county, outside of cities.  Now the entire state has gone that way.

You can say it was voted on by the people.  It is a good example of why pure democracy does not work.  Keep in mind this is the mindless masses of the left coast.  Look at the last election.  The country as a whole was a dead heat between Hillary and Trump.  The People’s Republik went 62/33 for Hillary.  That will give you a feel for where our minds are and how different we are from the rest of the country.  In the same election the welfare classes of the left coast voted billions of dollars in new debt and legalized marijuana. 

Today it was plastic bags that were declared anathema.  What will it be tomorrow, plastic bandages?  Plastic pens?  Republicans?  White males? 

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-308: Election 2016: And the Whimper Is...

Ever since the election we have seen all the people protesting Trumps election.  One of the popular themes is “He’s not my president”.  That is true in some meaningful ways.  First, it is being reported (and I speculate earlier) that a large proportion of these mob members did not bother to vote.  Since they don’t vote it is true that no president could be theirs.  Second, a large number of the rioters are illegal aliens.  Their presidents live in Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela, etc. 

A silent and “noble” protest has also been going on among the teachers of the land.  They are protesting by passing their distaste for Trump on to the children entrusted in their care.  They disguise it as “concern” and “sensitivity”.  I have yet to be at a gathering at my school where someone does not express concern for the anxiety of the students.  What is strange for me is that I have seen no anxiety in the students.  I began to wonder if I was living in an alternate reality.

Then I had an insight.  The whimpering of the students is a reflection of the whimpering of the teachers.  One of the mantras of education is that if we expect high achievement we will get high achievement.  Maybe the teachers need to transfer that to our form of representative government.  If you whimper and expect whimpering then guess what you will get?

All the snowflakes are not in the street.  Many of them are standing in front of classes of impressionable children.  Many of them are administrators spreading their panic to teachers.  One of the subconscious fears of educators is that the public will wake up to the fraud they are perpetuating and cut off funding for the social conditioning that is going on in the public schools.  Do those of you who live in the real world realize that I, as a teacher, have the entire week of Thanksgiving off?  Do you realize that I have two weeks off over Christmas and New Years?  That I still have Cadillac health insurance?  That I am paid more than you are when I only work 39 weeks a year?

I keep hoping that someone will realize that the Department of Education needs to go.  That thought will set off a lot more whimpering and anxiety attacks.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-307: Discernment Watch: GMO Worship

I wonder if people who are worried about GMO are as worried about seeker friendly worship.

The GMO Apocalypse crowd are worried about our food sources becoming malignant because the genetic makeup of the DNA has been altered.  For instance, it might look like a tomato but in order to make it grow quicker some crazy scientist has grafted in the DNA of a pig.  So are you eating a tomato or are you eating a pig?  This could be an important question to a Jew, Muslim or Vegan.  It could also be an important question to the rest of us. 

The question is a good one.  When corn is genetically modified does it damage us in ways we won’t see for generations?  I am not sure it is a matter of basic health.  For all of the fears expressed about so many things, people are living longer.  It also seems to me as a public school teacher that they are getting dumber, but that might just be old age on my part.  Do you blame it on GMO, Common Core or Sesame Street?  Maybe all of the above.

So we have concerns about our food because we are playing Russian roulette with the basic makeup. 

Why are we not concerned about the GMO worship that we see.  Our fearless leaders in the church are concerned about being “seeker friendly”.  They don’t want anyone feeling uncomfortable.  They want to adapt the church to our culture.  They are doing an effective job of adaptation.  We don’t hear much about sin but we do hear about diversity.  We don’t hear about reconciliation with God but do hear about reparations for anyone who can find a grievance.  We reject the clear teachings about marriage and grab hold of whatever the latest cool vibe is on the slippery slop of the thrill seeking elites.

Might I suggest that we face the same danger in our spiritual lives that we face in our diet.  When you monkey with the building blocks established by God you take risks that could be very serious.  You might also make things better.  It is best not to go forward blindly using expedience and popular opinion to set the standards.  In vegetables a little testing can find out if something is dangerous.  Feed it to a few generations of rats.  If they start growing two heads you know you have a problem.  In the church you have some clear standards in the Bible that need to be followed or you risk eternal damage.  I feel like I am seeing a lot of spirituality with two heads.

Sometimes in a raging storm you paddle faster.  Sometimes you drop an anchor.  Sometimes you head for shore.  Some times you inflate your life vest.  Sadly, sometimes you die.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-306: Headlines: The Brainwashing Continues

It seems that there are two names that Donald Trump has mentioned as he looks to forming his leadership team.  Neither one of them are household gurus to me but one of them I am aware of.  That would be Steve Bannon but my awareness is limited to the fact that he headed up Breitbart and used that site to support Trump.  That in itself is the reason for the hysteria we are hearing about the man.

We are hearing that Bannon is a racist, bigot and an anti-Semite.  I keep hearing the gullible news people on conservative stations repeating the accusation as if it had some validity.  I don’t pretend to deep knowledge but I do know a couple of things:  The sources of the “information” and the intent of the reporting.

You usually need to read through the articles to find what a bunch of slander they represent.  At the beginning you see all the breathless accusations and how terrible this could be.  Toward the end you find the source of the accusations.  It seems that Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi are the architects of this expose.  If you feel you can believe anything these two say then I might suggest that you apply for an EBT card and subsidized housing because you obviously are in need.  The claim that he is anti-Semitic was made by his ex-wife.  I assume it was part of a bitter divorce where she was trying to get more alimony.  Not exactly gold standard sources but typical of today’s news reporters.

As for the intent; it is obvious.  Keep the big lie going.  Smear Trump with any vicious gossip you can come up with.  It doesn’t matter if there is any factual evidence, smear. 

Again, I say I don’t know much about these people but if the left wing press and the anti-American politicians are so worried about them they must have something the country needs.  Maybe we will get some real reporting eventually.

I trust that Trump will continue to mock these so called “news” people and get on with business.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-305: On the Street: America Goes to Work

Don’t worry about the snowflakes in the street, America is on its way to work, millions of us.

I dropped my wife off at the airport yesterday morning before 5:00 A.M.  Then I took the freeway and headed to work.  It was amazing.  At 5:00 A.M. when I stopped to get a cup of coffee at an AM/PM I had a hard time finding a parking place.  The working people of America were getting caffeined up for the day.  When I entered the freeway it was moving at about 50 mph but already heavily loaded with traffic.  At a few points we came to a full stop.  At 5:00 A.M. 

These people were not on their way to protest an election.  Since this is California I am sure that a majority were not happy with the results but they were still on their way to work.  They had jobs, families to support and taxes to pay.  They did not have time for whining.  They might complain but they still had to keep the country moving.

So let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.  America is still on its way to work.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-304: Headlines: Snowflakes Have a Temper Tantrum

This is a news story that isn’t.  You have all seen the footage of the angry violent people in the streets calling for love and concerned about the anger and violence.  It is kind of like public schools talking about high standards and rigor as they dumb down the vocabulary in the books they are still buying.

If you are a parent or an observant human being you have seen this before.  I saw it when my son was 13 and wanted to get a lawyer so he could divorce the family.  The cause?  I think it was requiring him to clean up his room.

Let me make some guesses about the “masses” in the street.  90% had EBT cards.  90% did not have full time jobs.  90% do not pay any income tax.  75% are still living with Mommy and complaining when the refrigerator doesn’t have the craft beer they like.  (The number is lower than 90% because some mommies have gotten fed up and thrown the snowflakes out.)  99% went to public school where they were promoted without knowing anything.  90% have received a trophy for participation.  90% did not bother to vote.  99% have cell phones while 10% own cars.  90% need a shave, face or legs.

You get the point.

Some of the “crowds” had fewer people in them than the line at the DMV or the ladies restroom at Disneyland.  Most of the crowds were anchored by people paid to be there.  Let us get a life, stop watching the networks and move on.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-303: Firsts: Absentee Ballot

I finally voted absentee.  My wife has been after me for ages but I have always gotten a certain satisfaction of walking into the polls and doing my civic duty.  This time we were not sure where we would be on election day so I took the plunge.

It was not too painful and I didn’t need to stand in a long line.  I understand that voter turnout in the People’s Republik was down so I may not have faced a long line like the rest of the country.  It was that voter surge that brought Trump out on top.  Even I know people that had not voted in ages who made sure they were registered and got involved.

Kalifornia did not get so excited.  Why bother to vote when it is a done deal?  Why take the time to vote for president when you know your candidate will win with 2/3 of the vote?  Why vote for the Senate or House candidate when your choice was between two Democrats.  It is kind of like asking a European to chose between Stalin and Hitler if the EU had been around in 1939. 

It is time to remind the last American out of the People’s Republik of Kalifornia to turn out the lights and bring the flag.  Actually that won’t be necessary because they will have run out of electricity already and the snowflakes will have burnt the flags.

Warning:  As California goes, so goes the nation.  May it never happen.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-302: Slow Good, Fast Evil

When the Bible talks about God’s blessings the picture I get is a gentle rain.  A withdrawal of that blessing is often not noticed at first.  When it talks about His wrath I see storms, earthquakes, floods and hail.  I am trying to think of a time when the gifts of God are seen as overwhelming.  God tends to work slowly. 

This would follow a pattern I have seen in life.  It usually takes a long time to build up the good things but they can be destroyed in a moment.  Think of spending 30 years raising godly children and having them murdered by a drunk driver.  Think of spending a summer bringing a crop to maturity and having it destroyed by a hail storm.  Think of a life doing good deeds but refusing to bend your knee to the God of the universe.

It seems like I can gain 10 pounds over a few weeks of feasting and it takes me the rest of the year to get it off.  The key to weight loss though is not the number of calories in a meal but the decision before the meal to choose restraint or hedonism.  That decision is what every smoker ignores when they say, “I can quit any time I want”.  It is what the obese denies when they say, “One more won’t hurt”.  It is what the sinner ignores when they say, “Later”.

We age one second at a time.  When I saw myself in a video recently I wandered who the old man was.  Seriously, I could not recognize myself even though I look at myself in the mirror every day.  It creeps up on you.  We destroy or build our lives one decision at a time.  God is patient.  That means that we will have sixty chances every minute to change our minds.  We will have sixty minutes every hour to change our destinations.  The glory it that is it is almost never too late.

Almost.

Live the day in light of tomorrow.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-301: Election 2016: What Happened to the Other Shoe?

I am still waiting for the other shoe to drop.  I can’t believe that Hillary is going to let this go without an endless series of lawsuits in an attempt to bring down the Republic.  Maybe she is sicker than anyone will admit.

Maybe she is aware of how many ways she tried to rig the election and she still lost.  Think about all the voting machines that were hacked.  Think about the voters that were intimidated.  Think about all the dead people who voted.  Think about all the illegals that voted.  Think about the ballots that disappeared.  She still lost.  Knowing tha,t she may have decided that the only way she could keep out of jail was to play nice and act like she cares about something besides her own pocketbook and power.

Every day without the other shoe makes it harder for it to drop. 

I live in hope.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-300: Firsts: Smart Washing Machine

The load was off balance.  The computer chip kept turning it off and doing whatever it was programed to do when it was off balance.  It was not working.  Okay, I can deal with that.  I have dealt with it in the past.  The one thing I was not expecting was the nanny state mentality of the machine design.

The computer chip had also locked the lid.  The machine could be paused but that did not unlock the lid.  That was probably to protect me from hurting myself.  I appreciate their concern but it makes it hard to fix what was broken.  It is in the same category as my wife telling me that the clothes I put on did not match but waiting until I was walking out the door to express her opinion.

I am sure there was a solution but not being a geek or a government official, I could not figure it out.  My solution was to turn it off completely, readjust the load and start it up again. 

I feel safe.

I feel frustrated.

I want the nanny state to be reigned in.

We don’t always get what we want.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-299: Election 2016: A Call to Prayer

There are so many things that can be said about the election, the results and where do we go from here.  I will probably say many of them but the key thing I think Christians need to remember is that we need to be more zealous in prayer than ever before.  An often quoted statement that evidently predates Thomas Jefferson is “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”  I don’t recall off the top of my head a snappy Bible quote to back that up unless it is,

(1 Thessalonians 5:17 KJV)  Pray without ceasing.

I believe we are to be involved in the political process.  One of the dangers of that is believing that real answers will be found in politics.  God has worked through every political format.  He will continue to work that way.  He can harden hearts and enlighten minds.  He can knock people down and lift them up. 

Donald Trump will need our constant prayers.  His advisors and choices will need divine intervention.  Rejoice or mourn at what happened last night, the future requirement is clear.  To that end let me add one more verse.

(Galatians 6:9 KJV)  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-298: Election 2016: Tomorrow

Get ready for tomorrow.  There will probably be a long string of accusations and law suits, no matter who wins.  We can count on Hillary’s machine coming up with new ways to cheat.  The electronic voting machines are totally unsecured.  The Republican machine will make no wave about that but Trump will.

Relax.  This is nothing new.  The only thing different is that you will only hear the liberal spin and you will hear it quickly.  American elections and the democratic process around the world is full of examples of fraud, deceit and deception.  Expect it.

It is part of the price of liberty.  I don’t think anyone ever contested an election in a country that was not free.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-297: Election 2016: Long Live Partisanship

Today is the day we have all been looking forward to with dread and anticipation.  While the polls have been open for early voting in some locations I think they are all closed after tonight.  It has been a long and fiercely contested process.  Some in the media would have you believe that this is unusual but if you believe that then you also believe in global warming.  You need to be careful what you believe and who told you.

Elections have always been raucous.  Partisanship is what freedom is all about.  Close elections are what keep the winners on their toes.  The only ones calling for togetherness and mindless unity are the censors of the elite.  They are the ones who have been sending violent “protestors” to Trump rallies and then accusing him of generating hatred.  They are the ones who have caused extreme reactions every time a conservative voice tries to talk on a college campus.  They are the ones trying to control the internet.  They are out to shut us up.  Most are on the left but the “right” also has its share.

Rejoice in the partisanship.  It means that the spirit of democracy is alive and well.  Be glad you don’t live in the People’s Republik of Kalifornia.  I had a choice for the senate this year, a choice between two Democrats.  I had a choice for the House of Representatives this year, a choice between two Democrats.  Partisan politics has disappeared in the People’s Republik because the progressives are in charge.  It is like living in the Soviet Union where you can vote for anyone as long as it is the one Communist on the ballot. 

Fear peace and harmony at the cost of liberty.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-296: Thanks Thoughts: Turnabout Is Fair Play

I may have touched on this before but it came home to me again this morning.  Alistair Begg was talking about agape/love and forgiveness.  He was sharing how God will remember our sin no more.  I was reminded of how the definition of love in I Corinthians 13 is not just a lesson in how we should love but a reminder of how God loves.

My wife and I have been married 41 years.  It has not been easy.  The word “divorce” has been heard.  Yet here we are.  Much of it comes from the application of God-given agape, the ability to love.  I have been wronged.  I have been sinned against.  I have been victimized.  Yet I keep coming back for more.  I am sure that my wife could say the same.

God himself has modeled this behavior.  I am thankful for that.  It would have been so easy, and so deserved, for God to throw a few lightning bolts, generate a bit of leprosy, cause a building to fall on a few heads or not allow that car to miss me.  Yet He hasn’t.  He demonstrates love.

(1 Corinthians 13:4-5 NAS77)  Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,

Thus I am called to forgive in marriage.  I trust I have done so.  I assume I will continue to do so.  Any time I start thinking I have reached the end of my rope I should be reminded of how often God has thrown up His hands at my behavior. 

But He keeps hanging on.  Thank you, Lord.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-295: Election 2016: Spin Cycle

Who is going to win?  No one knows, especially the media and pollsters.  There is so much spin and outright deceit going on that it is impossible to read.  People are afraid to say they are for Trump in certain venues.  I do straw poles at school and I can see them looking around and not expressing any opinion.  Then you have the ones who are messing with the media.

I recently read a piece that talked about how there was going to be a massive Latino turn out that would win this thing for Hillary.  That is based on the elite’s racist assumption that they have brainwashed the Latino vote the way they have the black vote.  The upset-the-donkey-cart reality is that their lock on the black vote is not as solid as it once was.  We may have a large Latino turnout but a significant portion of them may also vote for Trump.

My wife was out at a yard sale.  She was the only Anglo in one yard and got into politics with about seven Latinos.  It seems that they all claimed they were voting for Trump. 

Who is going to win?  We probably won’t know until Wednesday morning and possibly not even then because there will be so many cases of Democrats cheating that the election may be tied up in court and investigations.  It won’t be the first time.  If you have the time check out the election of 1876 on Wikipedia.

The country has survived contentious votes before.  I assume we will again. 

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-294: Election 2016: Shot or Hung? Your Choice

Have you heard the line, “Where am I and why am I in this handbasket?”  We have the feeling that things are going down hill.  Part of that is just because we are tired or had a personal conflict.  Part of it is because it is true.  Our liberty is being slowly surrendered as the Nanny State keeps building fences and riveting chains to keep us safe.  Think seat belts.  Think bicycle helmets.  Think compulsory education.  Think the war on drugs.  The chains take many forms.  All are designed to shelter us from making decisions or shield us from the repercussions of our stupid ones. 

Even with all the erosion of liberty I still think I live in the best country.  I am, however, not content with living in the best when I know that it is not as good as it used to be.  We may be the best but we are not what we were.  That brings us to our current election.

You have the chance to do something about it Tuesday.  The is the good news.  The bad news is that you have a choice of being shot or hung.

The choice is clear in a murky kind of way.  You can either vote for Hillary and guarantee that the light at the end of the tunnel is an approaching train or you can vote Trump and hope that in private when there is no bluster and ego on the line his advisors will help him make the right decisions.

And ultimately for believers we need to understand that God has already controlled Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, and Balaam’s ass.  Think of the string of miracles that brought Hitler to his knees.  Think of the growth of the church in Communist China.  Get some context.  He can also control both Hillary and Donald.  Will we win the election?  Impossible.  There is no good choice.  Can we elect the least worse candidate in our eyes?  Certainly.  Will God still be on the throne?  No question.

So vote but remember you really only have two choices that have any meaning.  One for certain evil and one against certain evil. 

And relax.  American has been a delightful blip in history.  The end must come sometime.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-293: Ode to Old: As I Remember

I don’t know if you have spent much time around people who have reached the age where their memory is more imagination than fact.  Some are very good at hiding it and if you don’t know them you think they are still firing on all cylinders.  Have I joined that crowd?  I find myself questioning my memory and I find my wife questioning it even more. 

She was talking about some event in our past.  I can’t remember what it was but I do remember that the experience she was relating did not seem to be the same moment in history that I had lived through.  More and more often I find that the past she details does not reflect the past I experienced, or should I say thought I experienced.

Is she embellishing or am I editorializing.  Is it both?  I guess the bigger frame for the question is, “Am I losing it?  Is she losing it?  Are we both losing it?”  If it is me, I might need to retire immediately because I am not sure it is safe to have me in charge of children.

Will I still have internet access when they lock me away?  Will you know the difference?  Will I know the difference or just think I have already posted for the day?  Am I already locked away but I just don’t realize it?

You do not need to answer any of those questions.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-292: Discernment Watch: Luxurious Poverty

The greens want us to go back to a preindustrial existence.  It would be deadly.  There is no way we could feed the world with that level of technology.  There would be a massive die-off but that doesn’t seem like a bad thing for the extreme environmentalists.  They assume there will be enough peasants around to make sure that they have the good wines and cheese to go with their bean sprouts.  They assume tofu will survive. 

For those of us not in the elites and managing to survive, it will be incredibly boring.  Think about two glorious things we take for granted that would have been miracles before cheap electricity.

Hot showers
Cold apples

Two modern marvels are involved.  The first is hot water on demand or, if you want to go another step, clean water on demand.  Because of the modern infrastructure you don’t need to chop wood, dig peat or haul coal.  Then you face the challenge of starting the fire.  You don’t need to stomp through the snow, break the ice and hope that the rope doesn’t break as you draw water that you then must tote back to your drafty, insect infested house. 

And how about them refrigerators?  You think your Brussels sprouts go bad quickly now then how fast do you think it would happen without the old ice box?  For ice you push a lever.  You don’t need to go out in the middle of the winter and saw blocks of ice out of the local pond, pile it in a big hole you dug and surround it with sawdust, hoping that it won’t melt before your 4th of July party. 

That pretty much says it all.  You could multiply this list endlessly but simply put, “Would you rather have cold showers and room temperature apples?”  The poor people of America live at a level that was beyond the reach of kings in the old days. 

That is poverty I can live with.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-291: Celebrate

I received something to pass out to my students yesterday.  It comes from the California State Assembly and has a banner saying “Red Ribbon Week”.  What really caught my attention was the line that read, “Celebrating a drug-free California”.  That is a head scratcher.

I was not aware that California was drug free.

But since we are also told that the budget is in the black, that our schools are getting better and that unicorns fart rainbows, why not celebrate being drug free.  While we are at it lets celebrate my 25th birthday and my winning lottery ticket.

Welcome to the Peoples Republik.

homo unius libri