Snowy Day 1-20-09

Snowy Day 1-20-09
Yate's Mill

And, I'm still STANDING!!!

If a person ONLY gets their information from the mainstream media and never looks beyond what is presented, their thoughts of what is going on are very jaded.

I've been voting since 1980 and I've never agreed 100% with any elected official. Even my favorite president, Ronald Reagan, had his moments. I've been married for almost 25 years and I don't 100% agree with my husband, either. So I am not focusing on finding a politician that I 100% agree with because I know better.

I did support Bush, both times! I'm not ashamed or apologetic about that. My goodness, the man stood up before a nation and prayed to the Creator of the Universe on behalf of the people he represented. He wasn't ashamed, or didn't feel his countrymen too diverse to put forth his true, heartfelt beliefs.

And yes, I supported John McCain because as the choices were presented I knew I couldn't support Obama. Obama stands for a vast majority of things I stand against. I am not ashamed or apologetic of that either. I am an American, that is my right but more importantly, my resonsibility!

I can't vote for a man who in 2007 gave a speech to Planned Parenthood telling how he would support abortion for all females; then in 2008 told the nation at the Saddleback forum that identifying the beginning of life was above his pay grade; and then a few days after the inauguration with a stroke of his pen he suddenly feels conception is NOT above his pay grade anymore. He either can't remember what he stands for or is flat out lying. Either way, I'm not a supporter of an alzheimer's victim or a liar for president.

We really knew where he stood no matter what he said because his record in the Illinios senate bore that out. The man voted at least 4 times to promote abortion at all costs. He voted to strip the rights of American citizens who survived an abortion gone wrong (right?). He told you and me the wording wasn't right. Yet, if you look at what really happened you see he insisted certain wording be added so it would align with what was past at the federal level. Once that wording was included he still voted against it. Now I say, "Liar, liar pants on fire!" I'm okay with being a little juvenile too! I'm an old lady and every chance I get I try to take it!

I'm not inclined to support a man who in less than 3 months has racked up a larger deficit that any previous administration in all of their years combined. But yet, every time he goes to talk about why he's doing what he's doing he blames the previous administration for the mess they left him. And acts like that's all he should have to say.

If we can pull our thoughts back to the memory station and remember what the previous administration had been doing those past 8 years we will recall that the last 2 years no one got anything productive done because congress refused to promote anything that was good for this country for no other reason than partisianship. Then the 2 years before that there was enough of a majority in the house and senate that many things Bush tried to get done for the betterment of the American citizens was filibustered--through yet more partisianship. So Obama's excuse is nothing more than passing the buck and it's very unbecoming a man or woman in his position.

Not to mention--I've been paying bills for our household for a long time. We've been in financial trouble before--you can't spend your way out of financial issues! It doesn't work--It has never worked and will never work, not on the personal level and certainly not on the national level. For the man to get up and say ONLY the federal government can get us out of this mess simply shows his ignorance. He can't remember, or has never understood, who the federal government is, or who they are employed by.

We the people have to pay every bill they commit themselves to. Essentially they are commiting us to those bills. We are trying to grab the checkbook and say, "Oh no you don't! We don't have the money for that and it is NOT in our best interest to obligate ourselves to that." The man can say oh yeah we will spend, spend, spend and then we will have money to pay, pay, pay but does he understand the spending and the paying are coming out of the same wallet?

I can't support a man who voluntarily sat and listened to a man get up and preach the damning of America; and his wife, who said she was never proud of her country before her husband ran for the greatest office in the land. (I guess she wasn't proud of anything going on in Illinois either). And now, in that same vein we have your representative and mine globe trotting with the message that he doesn't like the American people either. He apparently hasn't been proud of his country either. He thinks we have been arrogant, derisive and divisive all of these years. And right near the shores of Normandy. You young people need to pull out those old dusty history books, you might not get the true info from the internet--it's being changed to fit what they want to suit the next generation of tickled ears. You might want to sit down and talk to that grandfather or great uncle. Let them tell you what America was all about. Let them tell you how hurt and betrayed they are to hear someone from their own country say they are arrogant.

And, now his own administration has turned us against ourselves. He issued a proclamation that people who don't like BIG government; those who believe abortion is wrong; those who are returning from foreign lands they went to, to protect; those who think illegal immigration ought to be "illegal"; just might be right-wing extremists and involved in terror activities. They won't call internatiional terrorists, terrorist but they don't have a problem calling their own people terrorists. I'm quite upset and mighty angry at such a screwed up administration.

And some want to still claim to not understand why American's would be upset now and not before. I'll tell you--before we were being attacked from without and our within was being protected. Now our without and our within is being attacked by the very people someone(?) voted in to protect our without and our within.

See The Light

See The Light

North Carolina Fall 2008

North Carolina Fall 2008

God's Amazing Beauty

God's Amazing Beauty

Quiet Country

Quiet Country

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Back-To-School

Well, here you go. You find me up on my high horse again!

I read a couple of very interesting things today and thought, "How appropriate these are running all on the same day. I wonder if people will listen."

I read an article that some community leaders were encouraging a segment of school-age children to refuse to come to school on the first day in protest that their school had very low funding while the school in another area of the city had much higher funding. The article went on to say they were encouraging students to go to the higher funded school and apply for entrance.

In a separate, totally unrelated article I was watching John McCain being interviewed by Larry King. John McCain explained how he wanted to implement school choice for every child. He was explaining how more well-educated children will bring greater resources to the United States of America.

Now isn't that interesting?

Maybe those in Chicago's poor section and those in Chicago's better off section should pull their noses off the Obama train and consider the possibilities.

I was amazed that the article identified a real number of dollars spent per child per school year. The wealthier portions of Chicago get $17,000 per student, per school year. While the poorer section gets only $10,000. Aren't those numbers staggering? I've kept up with what school districts receive per student, per year for several years now. When my children were attending a private school in Florida that cost $3500.00 a year, their counterparts in the public school system where receiving $10,500. That is, the public school system was receiving $10,500.00 per student, per year.

It always floored me that it took $3500.00 a year for my children to receive a VERY far superior education than if they were attending a public school system that was receiving $10,500.00 and screaming for more. The "we need more money" public school mantra just hasn't washed in a long time.

I was thinking about the public school system and all of it's woes because my friend called me yesterday and was simply distraught about the experience she had at her child's first day of kindergarten.

She had built up this "big deal day" to her child about how great the first day would be. How she would have a tremendous time and everything would be great. So, she gets to the school, fills out the information, signs her up and finds out what class she will go to that day for "Orientation Day". So she begins to take her child to class and is promptly told the child needs to be able to identify her surroundings by herself and she is not welcome to walk her child to class. She was petrified!

I don't know how many times I've heard public school administers and teachers, too go on and on about how they wish parents got involved. They love to spew the "it's the parents fault children don't learn" vomit all over the media, every chance they get. Well, I can tell you. I was an involved parent. For 17 years straight I've been dealing with public school policies and procedures and more importantly rhetoric. I've watched the degeneration of an institution that was designed to develop a healthy well-educated society into an sheep to slaughter type institution.

I've had numerous people say things like ... "we'll, my children attended public school and they turned out just fine." Or, "they've got to learn how to function in society, public school is just fine." Or, my favorite for making no sense at all, "I know lots of school teachers and they are fabulous people."

You know what? I attended public school, too. What people who use this excuse need to know is that the public school I attended is NOT the same public school that is available today! It simply is not. I know, I've had my children in public school off and on for 17 years. The public school that is shoved down everyone's throat today is NOT the same public school I walked my little kindergartener into 17 years ago, either.

Those who give me the excuse, "they've got to learn how to function in society, public school is just fine." I have to say to them, "Do you know what indoctrination means?" Public school is being used by the driving forces that want to take ALL parental control and place it squarely on the shoulders of the educational force. They want to be able to tell your child that what Mommy & Daddy say isn't right. And you are fooling yourself, if you don't think that actually happens. It does, I promise you! It doesn't matter if you live in the Bible belt or evil California or wicked NYC. Schools all across this country are undermining the parent's authority by their very nature.

Think about what happened recently here in North Carolina. There has been an influx of people to the Raleigh area so Wake County decided to make all of their schools year-round-middle school and down. The outcry of the parents was tremendous. So to appease them they let parents choose other schools if there was room. However, the parent had to provide transportation. That was last year. This year, they just decided parents no longer have a choice. They can't choose where their children go to school or when. They must abide by what the public school deems, no exceptions.

Then there's the "I know lots of school teachers and they are fabulous people" terribly misguided excuse. I know lots of school teachers, too. Over the last 17 years my children have gotten a very wide variety of teachers with a very wide variety of reasons for being school teachers. Every year I've prayed my children would receive good christian teachers. For the most part, I've been very pleased with most of their teachers. There have been exceptions. I think about the year my second child got a reading teacher that, for whatever reason, was a very hateful person. At the end of the 9 weeks I received a 2-inch thick folder of papers. Every single paper had a negative comment written on it. In all of nine weeks my child had not done one single good paper. There's something wrong with that folks. He was a great reader and did well on test. Had a great score even in her class, yet everyday she was sending notes about what an awful student he was. It was awful.

But even the occasional bad teacher is not the point. The point is that public school teachers are controlled by the administration. Their daily activities are dictated by school officials that never set foot in a classroom. They do not have one minute to freely plan what would be best for their class, let alone what might be best for any one of their individual students. It's all set in motion in some board room where the deciders haven't looked into the face of a child in who knows how long? Public school teachers, for the most part, are very nice and kind people. But someone tell me what in the world that has to do with why I should entrust my offspring to the care of someone who is totally controlled by someone else?

Unfortunately, these deciders are being dictated to by a larger, more powerful set of individuals as well. Their agenda is even more sinister. They want total control of the next population. Why do you think they are so against homeschooling and ALL forms of school choice? Why do you think Obama was booed at the National Education Association endorsement rally? He was booed when he suggested that more Charter schools should be created. The NEA doesn't want anything interrupting their, "indoctrinate the populous" agenda. Actual thinking Americans threaten their agenda to push the policies they want taught and enforced. How do you think the homosexual agenda has made so much headway, so quickly?
I'll have more on this subject, but for now I have to depart.


Continued (hopefully) tomorrow...


And to pick up where I left off. I've decided to add this to the bottom of the original thought so you don't run a chance the last part first.


Okay, it's late so this may not make it to the blog until tomorrow but I am going to try and pick up on my train of thought from 7-29-08.


Public School and What in the World is Wrong?


...During my experiences with the public schools, one very important point became starkly clear--the Public School is most interested in the welfare of the Public School. It has absolutely nothing to do with what is best for my child, or for the most part, children in general. If they did, they would be trying to implement very different agendas.


Let's look a bit further. For over a generation (if not longer) private schools have produced much more well-education children that the public schools. The children have better test scores. They have less problems transitioning to college courses. Their discipline level is much lower and much more efficient when it is needed. Better educated children grow into better educated adults. Better educated adults have the brain function and power to make better decisions about what is best for them and their surroundings. Across the board, private school has trumped public schools every time.

Once this fact was brought to the education powers' attention and parents started demanding answers as to why; the education powers' started looking for scape goats. Their first line of defense was, "money". We don't have enough money. We need more money. The district down the street gets more money, we need it, too!

So what did the public demand of lawmakers? They demanded their schools get more money, too. So once the money issue grew and grew and they could no longer continue to use that as an excuse, they had to turn in a different direction. Now they get at least twice as much as most private schools and the results or pitiful. Remember, my children were receiving a much better education at $3500 a year verses $10,500. The money issue just doesn't wash!

So, the next thing we started hearing was, It's the uniforms." Traditionally, private schools require children to wear uniforms, so the public school decided the reason tests scores were so much higher in private schools must be being driven by apparel. Who knew the fashion industry had such power?

It couldn't possibly be anything else. They continually spent trillions and trillions of dollars for the "latest" and "greatest" curriculum. They reinvented the wheel every single year. It just couldn't be something they were or weren't doing; they are professionals, after all. So it must be apparel.

Correct fashion causes a child to learn better, quicker, increase retention and all that jazz. Seriously, folks you may laugh, but that is exactly what we were told. "You parents must buy our brand and send your child to school in our 'approved clothes' because otherwise they can't learn properly." You think I'm kidding, but I am not.

When they implemented school uniforms when my oldest children were in school I got called more than once that my 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th grader wasn't capable of learning that day because he wasn't wearing a belt. The lack of a belt was enough to disrupt the classroom and cause my child to miss out on instruction so he could go to the office and call home for me to bring him a belt.

Otherwise, you know his retention would be greatly reduced, low test scores, so on and so forth. What a fashion fauxpas!! And, guess what happened if I wasn't home? My child was issued a piece of jute to wear through his belt loops so he could return to class. Now how about that jute? Did you ever think it had the power to help your child learn quicker, retain information much more effectively, produce higher test scores, etc? Who knew?


No one knew, that's who! What a joke!


At the time my husband was selling cars. As most of you know, car sales persons are required to look very well groomed. My husband arrived home one evening and explained he had forgotten his belt. He had sold 2 cars that day. While I had been called to the school because one of the children wasn't capable of learning that day without his belt. They both forgot their belt and while one succeeded at his duties another one was told he couldn't possibly have an effective day without some leather strapped around his middle. That's ridiculous! It's absolutely ludicrous!

But that's the crap we were being fed about why public schools were so poorly performing. And, still today they don't have a clue!


All of those great public schools that guaranteed test scores would improve without fashion fauxpas don't have a leg to stand on today. They are in the same boat they were before demanding fashion consciousness. Now, their off to some other excuse. "It's lack of parental participation." What they have forgotten is that they themselves have run the parents off, parents who tried to make a difference. Parents who continually chanted for the individual child have been sent away. After all, the schools are the professionals; parents are just nobodies, unless they are bringing cookies for everyone. And what doesn't wash with this excuse is they use to have parental participation. Test scores were low then, with all the homeroom moms you could stuff in a schoolbus!


To borrow a little soundbite from the first Clinton campaign; somewhat modified. It's the kids, stupid! You quit making kids your focus. The schools simply are concerned with making themselves look good, while jumping through the hoops set in place by those who haven't seen a child in so long they aren't sure what a child really is. A child, and their individual capacities and needs, isn't even on the radar screen. No one is putting the needs of the child, the individual child, above their own.

The reason for this has already been stated. They don't want individual children. They don't want well-educated children. They want children who will blindly follow exactly what they say, nothing more, and nothing less. They cannot think for themselves or they would blow the whistle on what's wrong with the system. If you think I'm a little off here I suggest you go and investigate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Powers-that-be are trying desperately to severe the relationship of the parent and child in this country, to the point that this law can be ratified without incident. At present, they know parents would have a fit. So little by little the educational system has been hired to promote the deterioration of the parent/child relationship. I wouldn't have believed this several years ago but I'm totally convinced at this present time.

After having watched this phenomenon for 17 years, having been in the thick of it, having my tail chewed more times than I care to remember; and after turning around and chewing some tails myself to try to affect change I know it will take a bigger power than me to affect change. That is why I homeschool my children. I can make sure that the individual needs of my children are taken into consideration and made paramount.

The worst part is now I'm finding you have to be careful and on top of things even in church settings. Even at church, the powers-that-be are concerned about themselves (pride of life), not the individual child. We have put so much pressure to make certain segments perform; they are forced to forget what's best for the child and instead implement policies that are best for the church or their individual group. Our ministers are sent to secularly educated conference speakers who have bought into the government run agenda. The UN arm has infiltrated every area of modern day life, including the churches. Unless ministers refuse to be swayed by secular mindsets children will continually be put at more and more risk for the indoctrination. Children, God's greatest, most important commodity, are being forced over and over again to question whether their parents are really capable of knowing what's best for them. They are continually being encouraged to question what their parents say and do.


We live in sad times. It's saddens me greatly to realize how much of my life I have spent defending the individual needs of my children. Children should be our greatest focus and instead our focus is strewn in ten million different ways. Every way but the way of ultimate importance.


We can kill our children before they arrive and call it choice.
Once they are here, we are given no choice at the schoolhouse door (and the church house door, in some cases).

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Obama's Patriotism Proof

Okay, I'm on my Obama box again.

The other day someone sent me a picture of Barrack Obama, Bill Richardson, Hilary Clinton and another lady standing on a stage. There is an American flag behind them and they are all standing. Three of those pictured are standing with their hand over their heart and one is not. Can you guess which one is not?

No matter how many times Obama claims he is very patriotic. No matter how many times he claims smear campaigns are going on and that's the only reason this is an issue. No matter how many times he changes and now suddenly wears a lapel flag; now suddenly puts his hand over his heart; now suddenly denounces a man who's teaching he sat under for over 20 years, on and on. No matter what he says, actions speak louder than all the back tracking one can do when called on the carpet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8QCkgg5Kjo

Why is this man not standing with his hand over his heart? Let me ask you. When you hear the National Anthem played, do you automatically, without thinking, instinctively stand up and place your hand over your heart? I do. I programmed one of our handheld cordless phones to play the National Anthem. My son said, "Mom, you need to make that stop. Every time the phone rings I feel like I've got to stand up and put my hand over my heart."


See truthorfiction page about this very picture:
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/o/obama-salute.htm

If it were just the hand over the heart issue, if it were just the no lapel flag pin issue, if it were just one of these things that would be one thing. However, all grouped together, all the actions of one man. One man who has the audacity to ask you and me to put him into the highest office in the land and yet he doesn't think it important to show his patriotism. It is beyond me how anyone can think him the candidate of their choice. What are they thinking?


I know there are a lot of people who are simply fatigued with the current administration and think the best thing is get the other party in the White House to see what else can happen. But really, this guy is bad news all the way around. He can't be trusted to do what is right for the American people, and we aren't convinced he doesn't have ideas of turning what is left of American soil right over into the waiting arms of our arch enemies!

We need a true blue American in that highest office. We are being attacked on a multitude of fronts and having someone in office who's patriotism has come into question over and over and over again is just way too risky! Please fellow Americans, look beyond what the media wants you to hear and look beyond (read between the lines) what they say and what they actually do. The candidates, that is. I'm not head over heals for John McCain but his track record is MUCH more American that Barrack Obama's, there's no question.

Stay tuned the next couple of days for my next article about who's really responsible for the outlandish gas prices. And look to the next blog to find my suggestion on regulating demand so the world market will have to take notice!

15th Day Off Program

What An Outrage!

I am writing to voice my gravest concern about a news story WRAL, our local news reporting channel, covered yesterday, June 30, 2008. The main utility company here in North Carolina was approved to extract an additional 15% rate increase from their users, effective the next day. Today as I wake up and begin my day the electricity that I use will cost me 15% more than it did yesterday. No 30 day notice through the billing cycle. No, put it before a committee. No nothing. Just here you go.

I can't afford to put gas in my car. I can't afford the new prices for food. I can't afford the new prices for clothing. And now, I can't afford to turn on lights in my own home. All of this is a direct affect of the fuel prices going from $75.00 a barrel to $145.00 a barrel. I watched some big wig on TV the other day talk about it being a result of supply and demand. I find it hard to believe that somehow demand has skyrocketed over the past 6 months to bring us to this point. However, there have been several natural disasters that may have caused those countries to need to dip into the "world's" market and so maybe that has been the driving force. Even that seems suspect to my way of seeing it, but maybe it is.

So I propose a fix to this supply problem. The American people are powerless to ask, beg, plead that somebody have mercy and keep the prices low and increase production. Remember, President Bush already went to them and asked nicely. However, the American people ARE capable of affecting demand. Just simply quit using so much. We can get their attention with just a small sacrifice on our part that will hit them where it is going to matter, and it comes in the form of a day off. Would you like to take a day off?

That's right, just take a day off. I propose everyone take 1 day each quarter and don't go to work. Just don't go. Don't put your car on the road. Don't go to the store. Don't try to catch up on all of your errands. Don't go to the cleaners, out to eat, shopping in anyway, etc. Stay home and play board games with your children. Now, if it is hot, use your air conditioner (if you can afford to do so). Use the electricity to run your refrigerator, various appliances, etc. Just don't spend one red cent to drive down the road. And, to make it most affective use as little electricity as possible. Maybe use an oil lamp that day. Or, once it gets dark, go to bed. Don't use your computers, don't charge your cell phone, laptop, MP3, etc. Unplug everything that is not an absolute necessity. If you can live without your phone for that day, unplug it if it takes electricity. Or get one of those cheapo, corded phones that only plugs into the phone line and use it instead.

I propose we ALL do this on the same day. It will have the greatest impact if the world sees that Americans have joined forces and refuse to be played the fool any longer. I propose we choose July 15th, October 15th, January 15th and May 15th. This way the world can watch the impact. Yes, your bosses are going to gripe and complain. Better them than you. They may threaten to fire you. Tell them if you don't do this they won't have to fire you, you won't be able to afford to continue to come to work at the rate things are going. If no one is at the store to run it and no customers are there they will even have an affect as they will likely close the doors and turn off what electricity they can. For all of you in government jobs, it is most important for you to participate! Let them know you are an American citizen first and it is important to EVERY American citizen to be able to afford to live. And if you can't participate on the 15th (emergency medical people) then choose one day every quarter.

At one time in our country electricity was a luxury, it is now a necessity and how dare oil companies and foreign interest try to force us to view it as a luxury again. When I read the announcement that our utility company had been granted a 15% rate increase, effective the very next day, I thought about all of the people who will simply die because of this ruling. The elderly die every year because they can't afford to run the air conditioner in their home. They die from malnutrition because they pay their electric bill instead of buying groceries. They die not because they can't afford the luxury, they die because they can't afford the life sustaining necessities.

If you need a good reason to put your job in jeopardy by participating in the 15th Day Off Program, think about the elderly. Think about what a 15% increase in their bill will mean. When you hear on the news another of your neighbors has died because they couldn't afford to keep an air conditioner running, remember you are taking a stand and refusing to allow others to fall prey to high oil prices. And of course, if you can slip your neighbor $10, $20 or $50 a month for their added expenses, please do so. It could save their life, truly.

We can make a difference here. Demand is governed by those that use it. We are only powerless through inaction. (Griping and complaining is NOT action, by the way). We have to be willing to leave our comfort zones and step out and refuse to be bullied and demand the necessities be affordable. The brave men and women in the last generation had to leave their comfort zones, too. They had to watch their men leave for war and those who were left had to leave their homes and fields and enter the factories to keep the country going. They had to make sacrifices. Can you imagine only being allowed to buy a tire if you had a coupon for it? Can you imagine only being allowed to buy gas (at any cost) if you have a coupon for it?

We can keep dropping $100.00 at the gas pumps or we can send an affective message that we are not to be toyed with. July 15th, 2008 is coming quickly. So if we are going to make a difference we will have to get it together quickly. I am only one person, however I know several people and they know several people and those several people know several people. This is vitally important. And, even after July 15th, keep sending this as October 15th will be coming and then January 15th. Maybe next summer you will be able to go on a great vacation without so great a concern about gas prices. Maybe your neighbor will live and be able to turn on her TV. We can make a difference! We have to!