Quote of the Day

From Victor Davis Hanson:

In other words, there are millions of impressive Americans, who get up in the morning at 5AM, go to bed at 10PM, avoid the bars, the drugs, the crime—and carry the rest of the country on their backs. My only worry is that those in Washington misunderstand this rare cohort, and so demonize them as the “wealthy,” as if they bundled subprime mortgages on Wall Street and took $10 million annual bonuses. What President Obama should be doing is allotting a mini-second timeout from all the Chicago demagogic rhetoric about the “rich and powerful”, the noble needy and victimized, instead to praise those who paid their mortgages without a hitch, aren’t late on their rarely used credit cards, pay their bills when they arrive, and thereby allowing by their code others to default without ruining the country.

He needs to thank this invisible nation for paying most of the taxes, for creating the wealth to pay for community organizers and politicians, for not costing the government billions for self-induced health problems, crime, parole, counseling, drug rehab, and all the other pathologies that instead garner our attention. We are lucky to have these brilliant Americans of the old school; in toto they comprise a nation larger than France or Britain, and more or less ensure that the world abroad does not completely look like Libya, Venezuela, North Korea or Iran.

I particularly liked this part, but I'm hardly objective here:

I can think of five reasons why the 21st -century American military is so successful

1) There is an officer corps whose members are, to be frank, relics of an American past. They are ossified in amber as it were, and really do believe in passé things like honor, duty, country, God, sacrifice, and the continuation of the American experiment. Meet a Marine colonel, an Army major, an Air Force one-star, or a Navy captain and it is often as if you are talking to a younger version of your grandfather, as if we packed thousands of our best in ice around 1945, and then thawed them out in the 21st century. These odd men and women of the old breed will do almost anything as outlined in the Constitution to ensure that their country—you and I—is safe and continues on in perpetuity.

Yep, and I'm happily married to one of those "relics". :-)

Well, This Isn't Encouraging

North Korean rocket could reach Hawaii:

America's top military officer said on Friday that a rocket North Korea plans to launch next month has a range that could possibly reach Hawaii.

Asked if the North Korean rocket could reach the US states of Hawaii or Alaska, Admiral Mike Mullen told CNN: "In some cases, yes, they could probably get down to Hawaii."

International concern has been mounting about North Korea's announcement it would launch a communications satellite between April 4 and 8.

Um, what preparations does one make for that?

UPDATE: And why is this story on page A6 of the Honolulu Advertiser?

UPDATE 2: Are you kidding me?

The United States can do nothing to stop North Korea from breaking international law in the next 10 days by firing a missile that is unlikely to be shot down by the U.S. or its allies, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday.

Appearing on "FOX News Sunday," Gates said North Korea "probably will" fire the missile, prompting host Chris Wallace to ask: "And there's nothing we can do about it?"

"No," Gates answered, adding, "I would say we're not prepared to do anything about it."

Last week, Admiral Timothy Keating, commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, said the U.S. is "fully prepared" to shoot down the missile. But Gates said such a response is unlikely.

"I think if we had an aberrant missile, one that was headed for Hawaii, that looked like it was headed for Hawaii or something like that, we might consider it," Gates said. "But I don't think we have any plans to do anything like that at this point."

We "might consider" doing something if a missile was heading to Hawaii? "Might consider"???? I'm speechless.

A Movie You Should See

After seeing it mentioned here and there on blogs I read, I finally saw The Lives of Others today, via Netflix. Wow, wow, a thousand times wow. It is deeply disturbing, and yet somehow beautiful at the same time. I will be thinking about this one for a very long time, and it's one of the best movies I've ever seen.

From the Department of Duh

Are you sitting down? Prepare to be shocked:

Children are more likely to grow into well-adjusted adults if their parents are firm disciplinarians, academics claimed yesterday.

Traditional 'authoritative' parenting, combining high expectations of behaviour with warmth and sensitivity, leads to more 'competent' children.

I know! Boggles the mind, doesn't it? And there's this:

The best parenting was characterised by high expectations that children would act with the maturity befitting their age. Supervision and discipline was also key, as was responsiveness to children's needs.

Good grief! You mean we have to feed them, clothe them, and SUPERVISE them, too? I'm going to have to re-think everything now. And go look for my children. Wonder what they're doing right now?

Read the whole thing here if you need a dose of the screamin' obvious.

(Hat tip: Why Homeschool)

Quote of the Day

From Doug TenNapel at Big Hollywood:

There’s no “true for you but not for me.” when it comes to the dogma of Global Climate Change. If someone tells me I have to change the light-bulbs in my house or I’m a bad person, I cannot reply, “Who are you to judge?” Their answer will likely start with something like, “Science says…” or “Everyone knows…” or a standard ad hominem like “racist,” “homophobe,” “anti-science,” or “Bible-thumper.”

Yep. And have you heard of Earth Hour? When I first heard about it, it brought out the rebel in me and I considered turning on every electronic device in my home during that hour. Doug's idea is better:

I’d like to announce that Saturday, March 29th [I think he means the 28th] from 8:30pm to 9:30pm local time is Creator Hour! We will make a statement that God’s illumination is the ultimate hope for mankind by turning on every light in the house for that one hour. Let your pagan neighbors self-flagellate themselves by depriving themselves of light. We need to make up for their lack of illumination by turning on yard lights, garage lights, maybe even start up the fireplace.

Tempting, isn't it?

"This is Animal Farm"

Andrew Breitbart is absolutely right about political correctness:

Quote of the Day

From Bill at The Thinklings:

I'm arriving at a place I never thought I'd get to, politically. Regarding our Congress, I'm now in full blown "throw the bums out" mode.

All of them. Every single one of them - Republicans, Democrats.

I'm nodding my head here.

"It is for your sake...."

The PalmKids and I will be studying Animal Farm via Omnibus III soon, so I picked it up to re-read last night. Just like The Communist Manifesto, our reading couldn't come at a better time. Just this morning, for example, I read this at Instapundit:

The U.S. Senate last month passed a measure limiting “luxury” spending for corporate travel by recipients of federal bailout funds. Two weeks later, about two dozen senators of both parties left town for political meetings on the Florida coast. . . .

...About a dozen Democrats, including Dodd, 64, gathered at the Marriott-operated Ritz-Carlton resort in Naples, Florida. Donors who gave at least $15,000 were invited and offered a “coastal view” room at the group rate of $469, according to the Democrats’ invitation.

At least 11 Republican senators held a similar retreat at The Breakers resort in Palm Beach.

I couldn't help but remember the passage I read in Animal Farm last night. The animals were wondering where the milk and extra apples went because they'd assumed everyone would share them equally. Squealer, the eloquent, articulate orator pig that reminds me of no one in particular (she says with tongue firmly implanted in cheek) explained:

"Comrades!" he cried. "You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples. I dislike them myself. [Does that remind anyone of President Obama's "...not because I believe in big government -- I don't."] Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health. Milk and apples (this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. We pigs are brainworkers. The whole management and organisation of this farm depend on us. Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples. Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back! Yes, Jones would come back! Surely, comrades," cried Squealer almost pleadingly, skipping from side to side and whisking his tail, "surely there is no one among you who wants to see Jones come back?"

And the animals bought it.

Quote of the Day

From Margaret Thatcher:

Me, I believe in grammar, but I did not really know about it until I learnt a little Latin -- and that is a gift, an absolute gift.

Procrastination

This was me yesterday:


I needed to get started on my taxes, but first I needed to clean out the roll-top desk. And then I had to shred a lot of papers. And then I had to empty the shredder, so I had to vacuum when that made a mess. Then I decided I should really dust and vacuum the room that the roll-top desk is in, so, you know, "I could get my stuff done." Then I needed to put up the Easter wreath. That was in the big walk-in closet that had a few things I needed to straighten up. And, no, I didn't start my taxes yet.

(Hat tip: Suitable for Mixed Company, who got it from the Rebelution)

Quote of the Day

From Jonah Goldberg's latest column:

Meanwhile, Rep. Barney Frank (D., Mass.) wants to fire anyone who takes the bonuses. “These people may have a right to their bonuses. They don’t have a right to their jobs forever,” Frank said on NBC’s Today show Monday. “Forget about the legal matter here for a second. These bonuses are going to people who screwed this thing up enormously, who made terrible decisions.”

One wonders, given that logic, why Frank is accepting a congressional pay raise considering his role in the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac debacle.

Later on Monday, President Obama caved to the populist chorus. He said he asked Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who also helped oversee the mess we’re in, to “pursue every single legal avenue to block these bonuses and make the American taxpayers whole.” Obama said all Americans ask “is that everyone, from Main Street to Wall Street to Washington, play by the same rules. That is an ethic that we have to demand.”

Again, an interesting standard given how many tax cheats Obama has invited into his administration, starting with our supposedly indispensable Treasury secretary.

Congress Did It

Shep Smith spells it out:



(Hat tip: The Anchoress)

Knock, Knock. Who's There?

I sincerely hope that no one knocks on my door this weekend with this:

In a new web video, President Barack Obama is asking Americans to help him pass his $3.6 trillion budget.

"I'm asking you to head outside this Saturday to knock on some doors, talk to some neighbors, and let them know how important this budget is to our future," he said in the video.

Hat tip: Commentary Magazine's blog, where Abe Greenwald calls them "Obama's Witnesses"

Do You Hear What They Hear?

Created by Train Horns

PalmGirl heard it while she was cleaning the bathroom. PalmBoy heard it, too, while he was watching his math DVD. They both covered their ears and shouted, "What was that?"

But, you know what? I heard it, too. At least part of me still works. :-) Maybe living with 2 teenagers and teaching 29 more every day has made my ears extra sensitive.

(Hat tip: The Common Room)

Book Confessions Meme

Here is a book confessions meme - swiped from Brandywine Books. I'm not sure how much of a confession it is; surely there is no shocking news here about my book habits.

1. To mark your page you: use a bookmark, bend the page corner, leave the book open face down?
I use a bookmark. Lately I've used the scraps from cardstock that I've used for other purposes. I NEVER bend page corners. The horror! I do leave books open face down if it's just for a short time.

2. Do you lend your books?
Yep.

3. You find an interesting passage: you write in your book or NO WRITING IN BOOKS!
I write in books. I almost always read non-fiction with a pencil (rarely a pen) in hand, and I underline and make notes as I read.

4. Dust jackets - leave it on or take it off.
I take them off while I'm reading a book.

5. Hard cover, paperback, skip it and get the audio book?
I've tried and tried, but I just can't pay attention to audio books. My mind wanders and soon I've missed an entire chapter. But put a book in front of me and I can concentrate through loud movies, music, conversation, and natural disasters.

6. Do you shelve your books by subject, author, or size and color of the book spines?
I turn them around on the shelves like they do at Pottery Barn. Just kidding! I shelve them by subject.

7. Buy it or borrow it from the library later?
It depends. I buy some books new, borrow some from the library, and get a lot of them through PaperbackSwap.

8. Do you put your name on your books - scribble your name in the cover, fancy bookplate, or stamp?
I just write my name in. I'd like to get one of these embossers, though, or some nice labels.

9. Most of the books you own are rare and out of print books or recent publications?
I have some very old books, very new ones, and everything in between. The humidity in Hawaii is probably terrible for them all. But I cannot live without books.

10. Page edges - deckled or straight?
I really couldn't care less.

11. How many books do you read at one time?
For most of my life I only read one book at a time. These days I've got at least 5 books going at any one time -- 2 for Omnibus, 1 for the women's book club at church, 1 for my own personal devotions, and 1 to read before bed.

12. Be honest, ever tear a page from a book?
Certainly not on purpose. If I got that mad at a book, I would just throw it away, not dismember it.

Feel free to swipe this and play along if you're so inclined.

This Makes Me Homesick -- and Hungry

(Hat tip: The Thinklings)

Christianity and Liberalism

I wonder when and if the PalmKids will realize how blessed they are to read and study rich theology and literature in their teen years. I'm surely blessed to be reading these treasures now through our homeschooling. One of those recent treasures is Christianity and Liberalism by J. Gresham Machen. Written in 1923, it is eerily prescient and just as applicable today. I've posted a few quotes here, here, and here. I've marked many more passages in my copy.

Machen wrote in response to the modernism in American Protestantism in his day, and he took such a forceful stand against it in his own denomination (the Presbyterian Church U.S.A.) that he was defrocked. In Christianity and Liberalism, he exposed liberalism (or modernism as he later wished he termed it) as a religion of works, and he went on to clearly explain true biblical Christianity as faith with Christ as its object.

John Piper wrote an excellent article on Machen and what we can learn from his example. Here are just a few lessons:

• Machen's life and thought issue a call for all of us to be honest, open, clear, straightforward and guileless in our use of language.
• Machen alerts us to the danger of indifferentism - the attitude that says "affirming or denying truth is not a matter of great import . . . just leave the doctrines aside and unite on other bases."
• Machen's interaction with Modernism shows the value of a God-centered vision of all reality - a worldview, a theology that is driven by the supremacy of God in all of life.
• Machen's struggle to maintain his faith in the face of passionate Modernism and dull orthodoxy calls us to blend passion and vitality and zeal with intellectual labor and serious thought and rigorous study.
  

And there are more where that came from.

Christianity and Liberalism is a treasure. But it's a treasure that points to the true Treasure. Machen knew the supreme value of that treasure to his dying breath. His last words were, "I'm so thankful for [the] active obedience of Christ. No hope without it."

Indeed.

So, What's on Your Kitchen Counter?

On ours earlier today, PalmBoy dissected a sheep's heart for his anatomy & physiology class. Last week, PalmGirl dissected an earthworm for her biology class. Still in the closet are a fetal pig, a frog, a perch, and a crayfish, all preserved and vacuum-sealed, of course. Let's file this under "Things I Never Thought I'd Have in My House."

Beware the...

Yes, beware the Eyes of March!

(This is a re-run of a post from last year. It still cracks me up.)

Quote of the Day

Yet another one from J. Gresham Machen's Christianity and Liberalism:

...Jesus is our Saviour, not because He has inspired us to live the same kind of life that He lived, but because He took upon Himself the dreadful guilt of our sins and bore it instead of us on the cross.

7 Quick Takes Friday - March 13

1. I'm making a meal for a family in our church, and I'm cooking extra early this morning so I can deliver it before I go to school. I just made a big pot of corn on the cob, and I had a couple of pieces left over. The PalmKids called a "Corn Break!" and are having an odd snack for 8:45 a.m. PalmGirl said this is why homeschool is so great -- they can stop and eat corn in the morning. :-)

2. I've got several hours to kill in Honolulu tonight while PalmGirl has choir practice. I think I'm going to hit our brand new Target for the first time.

3. Vitamin Z posted a CS Lewis quote that I need to post permanently all over my house. Interruptions ARE my life, not an interruption of it.

4. Next month PalmBoy will be 17. I cannot fully grasp that fact.

5. I'm STILL undecided about our history, lit, and theology curriculum for next year. I keep putting it off, much like I'm putting off doing our taxes.

6. The PalmKids and I will start reading selections from the Communist Manifesto next week. Timely, no?

7. I'm having chicken problems. Earlier this week I bought a whole chicken. As I was putting away groceries, I realized that it was rotten. Gag. I took it back to the commissary, where they asked me if I wanted another one. Um, no! I've had 3 or 4 problems lately with spoiled chicken there, so I can no longer purchase it at the commissary. So yesterday I stopped by Safeway and bought some leg quarters. When I unwrapped them, I noticed that one of them had hair. Yes, black stubble. It seriously needed a wax, and it grossed me out. I thought about posting a picture, but trust me, you don't want me to. I threw that particular hairy leg/thigh away. I think we're going to have beef next week.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary.

Yummy Chicken

Considering my mental state, I needed something EASY to make for dinner. I tried a new Southern Living recipe -- Sun-dried Tomato Chicken. That and some corn on the cob (PalmBoy's first since getting his braces off) made the PalmKids very happy.

I couldn't find the brand they tested in the recipe, so I used a different sun-dried tomato vinaigrette. I topped it with chopped sun-dried tomatoes and a little feta cheese. Mmmmmm.

Who's Sorry Now?

By now you've probably heard about the education voucher program in Washington D.C. that the new spending bill President Obama just signed kills. If not, there's more about it here. In short, about 1,700 children in D.C. get vouchers worth $7,500 each to escape the awful public school system there. Many more than that apply for a shot at that escape. And, now, beholden as Democrats always are to the teachers' union, those children will be back in that same system that President Obama wouldn't put his own two girls in.

I'm left wondering how many of those 1,700 children's parents (not to mention the parents of the applicants who didn't get a voucher) voted for President Obama. And I'm wondering if they're regretting it now.

Deep Thoughts

I had to make a quick trip to the grocery store this afternoon for just two things. They were easy to remember so I didn't have to write them down. But if I'd had to, which would come first?

• chicken
• eggs

Or was it:

• eggs
• chicken
  

Quote of the Day

My copy of J. Gresham Machen's Christianity and Liberalism is fast becoming filled with underlines, asterisks, and comments scrawled in the margin. Here's something I read last night:

...Jesus did not invite the confidence of men by minimizing the load to which He offered to bear. He did not say: "Trust me to give you acceptance with God, because acceptance with God is not difficult; God does not regard sin so seriously after all." On the contrary Jesus presented the wrath of God in a more awful way than it was afterwards presented by His disciples; it was Jesus -- Jesus whom modern liberals represent as a mild-mannered exponent of an indiscriminating love -- it was Jesus who spoke of the outer darkness and the everlasting fire, of the the sin that shall not be forgiven either in this world or in that which is to come. There is nothing in Jesus' teaching about the character of God which in itself can evoke trust. On the contrary the awful presentation can give rise, in the hearts of us sinners, only to despair. Trust arises only when we attend to God's way of salvation. And that way is found in Jesus. Jesus did not invite the confidence of men by a minimizing presentation of what was necessary in order that sinners might stand faultless before the awful throne of God. On the contrary, he invited confidence by the presentation of His own wondrous Person. Great was the guilt of sin, but Jesus was greater still.

Think on that today.

States' Rights

Laer at Cheat-Seeking Missiles gives an important and timely lesson on Amendment 10 of the Bill of Rights:

The poor 10th. With the exception of the 3rd - quartering troops - all the other amendments are part of our everyday life, granting us freedom of speech, the right to keep guns, the expectation of due process and trials by jury, but the 10th stands out there at the end, largely unthought about … until events happen like President Obama’s efforts to force the federal government down the throats of the states.

In response to the stimulus bill’s federal demands on states receiving stimulus money, 11 states have applied the 10th amendment and stood up to Obama: Washington, New Hampshire, Arizona, Montana, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Georgia, South Carolina and Texas.

I'm happy to see my home state of Georgia on that list. Sadly, Hawaii will never do something as radical as that.

Go read the whole thing, and pass it along to your children.

Quote of the Day

Another one from J. Gresham Machen's Christianity and Liberalism:

Here is found the most fundamental difference between liberalism and Christianity – liberalism is altogether in the imperative mood, while Christianity begins with a triumphant indicative; liberalism appeals to man’s will, while Christianity announces, first, a gracious act of God.

Quote of the Day

From J. Gresham Machen's Christianity and Liberalism, of all places:

A public-school system, if it means the providing of free education for those who desire it, is a noteworthy and beneficent achievement of modern times; but when once it becomes monopolistic it is the most perfect instrument of tyranny which has yet been devised. Freedom of thought in the middle ages was combated [sic] by the Inquisition, but the modern method is far more effective. Place the lives of children in their formative years, despite the convictions of their parents, under the intimate control of experts appointed by the state, force them then to attend schools where the higher aspirations of humanity are crushed out, and where the mind is filled with the materialism of the day, and it is difficult to see how even the remnants of liberty can subsist. Such a tyranny, supported as it is by a perverse technique used as the instrument in destroying human souls, is certainly far more dangerous than the crude tyrannies of the past, which despite their weapons of fire and sword permitted thought at least to be free.

The copyright on this book is 1923.

Only in Hawaii

Tonight PalmBoy went bowling with some friends. After they played, they went to McDonald's, where the loser had to eat a taro pie while the others had ice cream. Yes, a taro pie. Like their hot apple pie, except with - gag - taro.

PalmBoy was very happy that he won the game. :-)

7 Quick Takes Friday - March 6

~1. This week I decided that I was tired of being tired. I've known for awhile that I needed to get back to exercise to help me feel better (yes, I'd fallen off the exercise wagon), but I've had no energy. I've been in a vicious cycle of insomnia, no energy, insomnia, no energy. I crashed on Sunday, got a good night's sleep for the first time in a long time, and then got up very early Monday morning to exercise. So far, I've kept it up all week. Sadly, no extra energy has kicked in, but I'm hopeful.

~2. My reading list for February is just plain sad. Just one book to show for all the reading I've done. I'm reading too many books right now to finish one, I guess.

~3. This annoys me, too. (However, I'm very thankful for the right to vote.)

~4. I'm still undecided about some of next year's homeschooling. No pressure or anything. It's only PalmBoy's SENIOR YEAR!!!!!!!!!!! Yikes. I'm stressed.

~5. Yesterday I had to take PalmGirl to the pediatrician for something, and the doctor made me feel like an irresponsible parent. And she got on me about the Gardasil vaccination. I had to tell her twice that "No, we're not doing that." (PalmGirl later asked me why I didn't explain that to the doctor. I told her that the older I get the more I realize that I don't necessarily owe an explanation to someone when I tell them no. No can just be no sometimes.) Then the doctor got on to me about the chicken pox vaccine. When I told her that PalmGirl had already had chicken pox as a young child, she asked me if she had any scars to prove it. We won't be returning to this particular doctor.

~6. I've had a massive sushi craving this week, and tonight I'm yielding to it.

~7. Last night I went into PalmGirl's room to tell her to go to bed because it was late. I expected her to be goofing off, but she was in bed reading her Omnibus text, preparing for today's schooling. And right now, she's eating breakfast doing the same thing. Yay!

For more Quick Takes, click here.

Happy Meal

This bowl of oatmeal and berries makes me happy every morning. I love everything about it -- the way the bowl fits into my hand, the simple whiteness of it, the colors of the berries, the cinnamony goodness of the oatmeal. What makes you happy today?

(Thanks to PalmGirl for the title of this post.)

On the Eve of National Grammar Day*

I promise I don't go around looking for bad grammar. I just read the news, and it leaps off the page, assaulting my senses. Check out this horrible sentence:

The man accused in the fatal stabbing of a Waianae teacher Friday was diagnosed as a schizophrenic by a court-appointed psychologist a few months ago who also attacked fellow patients at Hawaii state hospital, according to court documents.

You have to read that one a few times to make sure that the court-appointed psychologist didn't attack fellow patients. And if I were the court-appointed psychologist, I'd want some clarification.

*Yes, tomorrow is National Grammar Day. Let the diagramming begin! :-)

School of Rock

The PalmKids love eighties music so yesterday when we were studying Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, I admitted to them that whenever I hear Mozart's middle name, I immediately think of a song from my youth (I was around PalmBoy's age when it came out!). I introduced them to Rock Me Amadeus:


Who says classical education is dry and boring? :-)

(Did you catch the Night Tracks shout out on the video? Oh, that takes me back...)

Fewer vs. Less

The grammar geek in me cannot resist pointing out the problem with this headline:

Less cars, more users of Hawaii Zipper Lane

It's fewer, not less. The state's Department of Transportation director got it right, knowing when to use "fewer" and when to use "less":

"There are more people in fewer cars spending less time commuting," Morioka said.

And here ends the grammar lesson of the day.

UPDATE: Ha! They've corrected the headline now.