Islam Day Festival

As I posted earlier this year, the state of Hawaii is observing Islam Day next week. Check out this item on the schedule of the Islam Day Festival events:

5 p.m.: Light dinner of hot dogs, chips, potato salad, dessert and drinks.

Does that strike anyone else as odd? Hot dogs? Seriously?

I also was amused by this quote:

"Our emphasis is on our commonalities, not the few differences we may have," Ouansafi said. "We can disagree without being disagreeable. This is a chance to put aside whatever prejudices may exist and work for the common good."

Like they do in Saudi Arabia and Iran? Yes, setting a day aside, sanctioned by the state, and honoring one particular religion really emphasizes our "commonalities", doesn't it? A commenter on the article had a good rebuttal to Ouansafi's comment:

I cannot find anything in common with a religion that sanctions treating women like slaves, beating women, shooting them in stadiums for adultery, and laws stating that if you are raped- you need to have 3 witnesses to the crime to prosecute.

Me, either.

Quote of the Day

From Doug Wilson:

There are different kinds of racism -- the malicious kind, which we all recognize, and the patronizing, "benevolent" kind, the kind that liberals specialize in, and which is invisible to them. Smug platitudes make up the air they breathe, and you can't point it out to them. How are they supposed to see their air?

If a black man who is steeped in the standards of real civilization -- highly educated, industrious, hard-working, and he were to propose economic policies that would actually be a blessing, what will he be accused of by liberals? Right, he would be accused of being a race traitor. Liberals think that a black man cannot be a true black man without being dysfunctional, and dysfunctional in such a way as to require them to be his savior. How convenient. In their on-going self-narrative, they landed the starring role yet again. I call that real acting talent.

Riddle Me This

Why, in post-racial America, does the University of Florida want to know my son's race?

Snow Day

Well, no, not really. No snow here. But school (the one where I teach Latin, not home school) was canceled today because of downed power lines and that's as close as we'll get to a snow day. So I had an unexpected day off from many of my usual responsibilities. I've used it to catch up and even get ahead on some things. PalmGirl and I worked on homework at Starbucks this afternoon, and that was a nice change of location. The weather has been pleasantly fall-like, at least by Hawaii's standards. I really wish I had some Harvest Apple tea to further trick myself into thinking it's fall here.

This & That

It's been a busy time here at the PalmHouse lately:

~ PalmBoy did his Eagle Scout service project this past weekend, and it went very well, with even the weather cooperating. They repainted the parking lot stripes and curbs at our church which is also the school where he works part-time. He has only a few more hurdles before he becomes an Eagle Scout.

~ I'm in the middle of planning our college visits on the mainland for next month. COLLEGE!!! I continue to be amazed that my firstborn is almost ready for college. Covenant College is still at the top of his list.

~ PalmGirl auditioned and was accepted into a youth theater ensemble at the beautiful and historic Hawaii Theatre. They'll be performing Shakespeare's Twelfth Night in the spring. She is thrilled.

~ The full homeschool schedule is in effect now, and the PalmKids have started their online classes with Veritas Press. Right now, PalmGirl is in her Spanish class, and her teacher is in Mexico City. Very cool!

~ We're all students now. I'm continuing my Latin study through the University of Georgia, and PalmPilot just enrolled in the distance education program of CCEF. His first class is "Dynamics of Biblical Change."

~ I continue to enjoy teaching Latin, and being a second year teacher is a lot more fun than being a first year one! I love the kids, and God has put a real love for middle-schoolers into my heart.

~ And last, but by no means least, an exciting set of orders has been dropped into our laps. PalmPilot was given the choice between a really good job here on the island (and we'd planned to stay here for another tour) or the chance to study in Rome for 6 months, followed by a 3-year tour somewhere in Europe (Germany, Brussels, or England). ROME, ITALY!!! This came completely out of the blue for us, and we just can't say no. The timing is perfect -- we won't leave here until late next summer. PalmGirl can study the Middle Ages/Renaissance/Reformation right where it happened. This is a Latin teacher's/student's dream!

~ There are palm trees in Rome, so I won't have to change my blog name for awhile, but I will for any of the other 3 locations. Suggestions are welcome. :-)

Quote of the Day

Our pastor preached an excellent sermon on the providence of God this morning, and he shared this quote from John Calvin:

...we hence know that we are not afflicted by chance, but through the infallible providence of God...

Glory be to God!

Hymn of the Day

We sang a new song (new to me, anyway) in church this morning, and the lyrics are worth pondering:

Always Thou Lovedst Me

1. I sought the Lord, and afterward
I knew
He moved my soul to seek Him,
seeking me.
It was not I that found
O Savior true;
No, I was found of Thee.

Chorus: I find, I walk, I love,
but oh, the whole
Of love is but my answer,
Lord, to Thee!
For Thou wert long beforehand
with my soul
Always Thou lovest me.

2. Thou didst reach forth Thy hand
and mine enfold;
I walked and sank not on
the storm vexed sea
'Twas not so much that I on
Thee took hold,
As Thou, dear Lord, on me.

Our worship folder says the writer of the lyrics is unknown, and Indelible Grace has a version of it, but that's not the one we sang this morning.

Quote of the Day

From Doug Wilson:

When Joe Wilson shouted "you lie" to the president, we all discovered how little some folks like it when somebody speaks truth to power. And generally the folks that don't like it are the ones who use phrases like "speaking truth to power."

Quote of the Day

On 9-11, from Big Hollywood:

It wasn’t a ‘disaster.’ Hurricanes, tsunami’s, earthquakes and famines are disasters. It wasn’t a ‘tragedy.’ Accidental drownings, poisonings, SIDS, freak accidents….those are tragedies. This was an evil, premeditated attack. The worst, most deadly and devastating attack ever carried off against the United States.

Never forget.

We Remember

My daughter drew this on September 11, 2001, shortly after she found out what happened in New York and Washington D.C. We were happily doing schoolwork that morning when my mom called and told me to turn on the news. Little PalmGirl was in second grade, and is now in the tenth, so most of her life has been lived in the aftermath of that horrible event.

I suppose we will carry on our day as usual, just as we all wished September 11, 2001, had been just a normal day. But here at the PalmHouse, we will pause to remember. Remember what? To remember our fellow Americans who were murdered by people who hate our liberty. To remember those whose lives were forever changed that day. And to remember those brave Americans who continue to fight the good fight, sacrificing their comfort and even lives to maintain that liberty. We remember.

Labor Day on Kaneohe Bay

It's been a long time since I posted any photos of the beauty of Hawaii. That's not because I don't see it all around me everyday, but it is because I don't have a lot of time to actually enjoy it. Yesterday we rented a pontoon boat from the Marine Corps base and spent some time on the sandbar in Kaneohe Bay with friends. The day was perfect, and it was so nice to just hang out and not feel the urge to be productive.

Appalling

If the government giveth, it can surely take away, as this column by Brigette Russell illustrates. Here's a peek:

When the news came that Santa Fe’s public schools would get some of the federal stimulus bounty being handed out by a benevolent Democratic Congress and president, few suspected that some of that federal pork would turn rancid.

One of the things the school district did with the federal largesse was to fund an after-school program at seven Santa Fe schools, including E.J. Martinez elementary. First, grateful parents felt the soothing touch of Uncle Sam’s velvet glove. Only when it was too late did they feel the iron fist inside...

You really won't believe it. Seriously. Click on over and be appalled. And don't let them get their hands on your kids.