Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Where is the Outrage Now?

It sure is getting harder these days to espouse conservative views. Although an Independent, I have to say I lean to the conservative side on occasion. Yet I would not want to be allied with the likes Carl Paladino, Republican candidate for NY governor. Nor would I care to associate with Christine O’Donnell, she of the witchcraft and evolution fame. The list of borderline radicals (I am being nice) is growing and the polls are showing they might have a chance at winning.

Where is the outrage from Rush and Glenn at these foibles and missteps taken by these tea drinking candidates (I wonder if it is tea or electric Kool-Aid?). If these were new Dem candidates with stories of witchcraft, inflated resumes, and questionable spending of campaign funds, they would be all over it like flies on a corpse. Their shows would be pounding and pounding at these indiscretions until someone would yell, “Uncle!”

Instead, they are apologists for these lame-brained late-to-the party Warholians getting their 15 minutes. If the polls are correct, and sometimes they are, then even the electorate must be so dissatisfied with the status quo that they are willing to overlook the warts, and maybe even the moral shortcomings. I just can’t quite get there. We have enough less-than- wholesome members of congress and other elected officials that I would not want to add to that pile. Unfortunately, I think we are headed that way. We need some Divine guidance, and quick.





Sunday, September 26, 2010

Teach Your Children Well,… and Feed Them on Your Dreams (CSN&Y)

Education in the U.S. is beginning to move up in the priority list. With the “Race to the Top” funding for certain states, the much-acclaimed documentary, Waiting for “Superman” out this week, and numerous reports of our miserable drop out rate, education may be finally getting some attention from all of us.

Most people I know will say they received a decent education; that they had to work fairly hard for good grades, and had no major complaints. Today it is different. Students are different with different distractions and goals. Teachers are overworked in many cases, and that is only getting worse with the drastic cuts in education as a result of the Great Recession.

The sad part is that Education, from pre-school on, is really is the great equalizer. It may not make everyone as equal as others, but it surely will open more doors from high school graduates than for high school dropouts. Teachers take the hit, sometime deservedly, for the bad showing and the unions need to back off from protecting even the bad teachers.

But even more fundamental are the parents. Or parent, singular, in many cases. If parents do not value school by ensuring their children’s attendance, creating an environment conductive to homework, and an unwavering commitment to getting their child to that stage to walk across, then even the best teachers are severely handicapped. Short of taking on the role of individual mentors for those kids whose parents have essentially “checked out”, the kids will be lost. And so will the children of the children, and on and on.

Parents are often intimidated by the school, maybe even by the homework, but they can still make sure their kids respect the school and its teachers, set aside study time and take away the electronics, and keep in touch with the school in some way. It really is the key.

Parents who are in contact with the teachers as educational partners will serve as a force multiplier for the learning their kids need. Parents who send their kids off to school thinking it is the school’s responsibility to babysit and teach their children well will reap very little. Kids learn by example. Good modeling sets the tone. Parents really do not need to know how to do the algebra problem, or know the capital of Sri Lanka. They just need to encourage the child to study deeper, and ask for help from those who are just waiting to give it.

Finally (for now), kids must also be taught to value education and not do just enough to get by. The real world WILL demand a basic knowledge of algebra and will require that we pay attention to geography. Adults will need to have some basic knowledge of history to know what has been tried, what worked, and more important, what didn’t. Kids need to be welcomed into schools, fed nutritious food if need be, and made to feel challenged each day. “Good enough” is not good enough. The U.S. is not even in the top 15 of developed nations for rankings in math and science. That cannot stand any longer.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Visiting Our Navy Grandson in Virginia, With a Trip Back in Time

The history of our country is so rich in so many ways. Although we have only been a country of our own since declaring independence from Great Britain in 1776, the colonization began around 1607 in what became Jamestown Settlement in Virginia. Later the colonial capital would be moved to Williamsburg in 1699.

Eventually the American Revolution would be fought for years in many of the original colonies, but the historical end of the war for independence was at Yorktown, when British General Cornwallis surrendered his army to General Washington in 1781.

All of these three sites are within miles of each other in beautiful Virginia. Each is worth seeing, for all the history that we learned as children will really come alive. The story of Pocahontas, John Smith, and Captain Newport are all portrayed in Jamestown within the boundaries of the old fort. Yorktown has preserved the battlefield where our new army found a way to make Cornwallis give up.

Williamsburg is, perhaps, the gem of the area with many of the original buildings preserved and some reconstructed as they were in colonial times. It is a vivid piece of history for any proud American to walk in the same paths and roads as Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and many more patriots.

Our trip there was mainly accidental, meaning that our real reason for visiting the area was to visit our grandson, Josh, who will be soon ending his service in the U.S. Navy. We made the trip to see Josh and for him to show us around the Norfolk and Little Creek area which is his home port.

In his nearly four years of serving our country, he and his shipmates aboard the U.S.S. Fort McHenry have sailed to Spain, Portugal, Africa, and of course, the Middle East. They did some pirate patrol off Somalia, and won some hearts and minds when they were sent to assist in Haiti after the tragic earthquake. “Join the Navy and see the world,” was the saying years ago, but for many sailors it is still true. Josh will have great memories, some a little harsher than others, but he will remember that his mission was to help others and protect our nation. We could not be prouder.

With his ship in dry dock for refitting, Josh took us on a cruise on the Elizabeth River to see his ship out of the water, but also to see the ships of the fleet in port at Norfolk. Better yet, he got us in the Naval Station Norfolk, the largest naval base in the world, where we saw an entire city within its boundaries. Most impressive were the ships of all sizes and shapes. We saw the U.S.S. Bataan, as well as the U.S.S. Cole. The highlights, of course, were the two aircraft carriers in port. The first nuclear carrier, the U.S.S. Enterprise (the “Big E”) was impressive for its size. Next to it sat the newest carrier in the fleet, the U.S.S. George H.W. Bush. Seeing such awesome power close up is an experience.

Josh was brave enough to let us see the apartment in Virginia Beach he shares with three other sailors, Shawn, T.J., and soon to be back from a tour, Dale. A little Spartan, but neat enough for a grandparent visit, for sure.

This area of Virginia holds many treasures but the best, for us, was our grandson. But then we are a mite prejudiced.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

The Problem With Life is That it is So Daily

Sometimes life gets in the way of things you want to do. Like writing a blog. Once I clear my To-Do list from many of the mundane tasks like “Pay bills”, “Change furnace filter”, and “Look up Immanuel Kant on Wikipedia”, I find I have no energy to be creative.

So I sit reading the stack of newspapers from our last vacation (I must read them all), and the four TIME magazines whose news is now old. Then I decide to empty the dishwasher and start a grocery list. All important daily chores, but these sun-blocking clouds keep me from shining as an erudite blog writer. What to do, what to do?

I haven’t answered that yet but wanted my many blog readers to know that I am trying to keep up. My To-Do list does include many blog topics so material is not an issue. Time is really not an issue either (the issues of TIME are, however); it is more a matter of priority. I will try to do better. Now I have to file some papers and check the lint filter.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Koran Burning: What Next to Help the Cause?

You have to question the motives of many people who seek to incite others. A minister who calls himself a Christian, Terry Jones, is now planning to hold a public burning of the Koran, the Muslim holy book on September 11.

The commander in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, has had to speak out at such actions as not just unhelpful but now potentially dangerous. We are at war with radical Islamists who need little or no excuse for their atrocities in the name of Allah. They have bastardized a legitimate religion by their actions and now some in our country will do the same to their own religion that purportedly emphasizes tolerance and forgiveness.

It is one thing to condemn the actions of the radicals, in fact more should be done by the defenders of the true Islamic faith, but it is another in incite the crazies again. Why would anyone risk putting our troops in further peril; why would any sane person intentionally shake the wasps nest? That they have the “right” to do these insanities is not in dispute, but to take an action that any reasonable person could see is done out of pure spite without regard to the consequences to others, is irresponsible and reprehensible. As Martin Luther King, jr. once said, “Hate begets hate, violence begets violence…”

The Christian loonies complain about the Muslim loonies who bomb and kill, yet they cannot see that their actions can have the same effect. Our only hope is that either someone stops their lunatic behavior, or those who could be offended will consider the source and chose not to be.

We can only hope.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Smoking Guns Might Be Cheaper!

I used to be a smoker. Two packs a day. I could not afford to smoke today. I don’t see how anyone can. Even at $5 a pack for the cheapies, my bill would be over $300 a month. That’s enough to cover my cable, electric, gas, water, and newspaper bills.

Paradoxically, it is the poorer folk who have higher rates of smoking. They truly cannot afford to smoke yet do so in too high numbers. Education seems to help. Those with a higher education seem to smoke far less, even though they might better be able to afford it.

Beyond the cost are the very real health risks. I am not a rabid ex-smoker on a mission to eradicate the filthy weed from the earth. Mostly my only reaction to being near someone else’s smoke is to screw up my face into a pained expression. Sometimes I will cough, and sometimes it is for real.

Reports keep coming out on second-hand smoke and with each one, a more ominous fate for those forced to inhale noxious things. At first, it was only mildly detrimental to the non-smoker’s health. Today, the findings show it to be far worse.

All of this is reflected in the non-smoking policies and laws that are in greater abundance. Most mid to upscale hotels no longer allow smoking in any rooms. Government buildings are off limits, and some laws push the inveterate smokers away from the entrances so employees and visitors do not have to run the smoky gamut anymore.

The smell is bad enough; the health risks notwithstanding. Get near a smoker for any time at all, and your clothing is tainted for the day. No “I-can-wear-this-another-day” shirts after that.

I have seen, among reasonably sophisticated people who smoke, a respect for the non-smoker. Many smokers will not even smoke in their own houses, knowing that the stench lingers in the carpeting and upholstery. Most smokers will not ask if you mind if they smoke anymore, anticipating the answer. I cringe at my discourtesy to others when I smoked. I often did ask if I could smoke in people’s homes, even when I knew no one smoked in the house. They would scramble to find an ashtray or a jar lid I could use. Such rudeness on my part. I even smoked in the grocery aisles, not denying myself that hit of nicotine even for a few minutes. Today, such tactlessness is gone.

I quit smoking on April 15, 1982 and have NEVER gone back. I won’t even tempt myself with an “It’s a boy/girl!” cigar, or take a “hit” off of a friend’s cigarette. I quit cold turkey (I know, yay for me!) and I wish others would try it. But we are all different so if Nicorette or Chantix works, then I wouldn’t knock it. But anecdotally, I see those methods fail frequently.

I believe cigarettes’ days are numbered. Increasing taxes, higher prices, less social acceptance, and more restrictive laws will eventually lower the demand in the U.S. I think that would be a good thing. Anyone got a Twinkie?

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Ask What You Can Do for Your Country...

The economy is tanking, or at least it is not moving very fast to the positive side. The vicious circle of no jobs, therefore no money, therefore no spending, therefore no hiring is continuing apace.

Yet there are about 90% of us who do have jobs, or don’t have jobs by choice as in retired (or fabulously wealthy). So what can we, who are in that 90% do to help our country along with our fellow countrymen (and women)? Isn’t it obvious?

Spend money! There are reports of a pent-up demand for all sorts of consumer goods, but we who have the gold are now saving more. I suppose that is a good thing except that in today’s world, it looks like hoarding.

I’ll go even further out on this fragile limb and suggest that we buy locally and buy products produced in the U.S.A. Do we really want or need to support China more than we already are? China and India have a growth rate much higher than ours and the trade imbalance is striking. How about buying an American car instead of the “cooler” imports. Unless you really need a Maybach, most American cars are now built well enough for our use, and are backed up by liberal warranties. Detroit finally got the message.

We may have to pay more for clothes and other goods made in the U.S. but the effect is great when done in large numbers. Spend just a little more (sometimes) and help out your neighbor. If we all did a few things like buying what we have been wanting for some time, buying goods from our own country, and encouraging our friends and relatives to do the same, the consumer numbers would tick up, causing businesses to produce more, causing more hiring, then causing more spending from those new paychecks. See? It can all work out if we all do just a little.

I have now convinced myself to buy that new car now.