I’m a victim. An innocent bystander drawn into the stupiding of our children (I like to make up words…it’s called thinking outside the box). One day while innocently researching for an upcoming blog, I came across this mildly interesting game link that tests one’s knowledge of middle eastern geography:
http://www.rethinkingschools.org/just_fun/games/mapgame.html When your done no score is given. They just tell you “Complete!” Well, I thought this was odd. “What the?”, I said. “What’s my friggin’ score? What kind of game is this that they don’t tell me if I won or not?” (to me, winning is getting 80% correct, I mulligan the other 20%).

Then I read the root url “rethinkingschools.org”. “Uh oh, this can’t be good.” My righty senses were going off the charts crazy. Against my better judgement I pushed through my hesitation and went to the home page. If ever there was proof of hate-america (insert appropriate slang term here) pushing to indoctrinate students and teachers, it is this site. Designed as a teacher’s aid in developing classroom curriculum, this site’s focus is on what a horrible place America is. So, as a teacher, are you struggling to figure out how best to educate middle schoolers…that’s right, MIDDLE SCHOOLERS…about the war on terrorism? Click this link. Want to develop a lesson plan around this topic? Here’s some ideas. What education would be complete without knowing “Drawing on History to Challenge the War”, “Whose Terrorism?”, “Defeating Despair”, or my personal favorite “Songs for Global Conscience”.

Let’s not overlook the fact that the game that lured me to the site in the first place has no risk/reward. It simply tells you when your done. There is no feedback nor consequence to an answer being wrong. I had no idea what the names of some of the countries were. I simply dragged the name over the land area until it stuck. And now I still don’t know where they are. Granted, my feelings weren’t hurt (as I’m sure was the intent) but I came away with no sense of accomplishment, no sense of achievement. It was all very forgettable. In short I didn’t care.

This is their model for teaching kids geography, history, and current events. Remove the risk and the reward is meaningless. Apathy takes root and the world gets a little more emo.

So, yeah. Obama had it right. When I read junk like this and think that it has even a chance to see the light of day in just a fraction of my tax funded classrooms, you’re darn straight that I will cling to my guns and bible. there’s not much more we can or need to count on.

Rumblings from the left grow louder challenging republicans “Well, what are you offering for health care reform?” In a sense, trying to shift the argument back to the GOP being “the party of NO” while at the same time slyly goading the right into a debate over not whether government involvement is necessary or constitutional but to what degree of government overhaul is required.

People want some improvement to the current health care coverage system. It is flawed. And republicans must respond while they still have the momentum or else run the risk of the democrats redirecting that momentum back against them. US Congressman John Shadegg (R-AZ) has proposed a free market answer to the democrats challenge that improves the current system while avoiding private companies having to compete with the federal government:

“The Health Care Choice Act, which has forty co-sponsors, harnesses the power of the marketplace to allow Americans to compare insurance policies from across the country and pick one that best meets their needs. It would provide every American with more and better health insurance choices. The legislation would also reduce the number of Americans who have been unable to find affordable coverage. “Rather than going through fifty different regulatory processes, this bill will allow an insurance company to go through one process and sell to people in all fifty states. We can help people, not by setting up a massive new government bureaucracy, but by empowering individuals to make the best choice for themselves and their families.”

There is no doubt, in my opinion, that the current health care coverage system has problems. Costs are high, doctors should not be pressured or have to negotiate treatment for patients, people do lose coverage, payments are rejected, but on balance we have benefited from a system that has created a market for excellent general care and unmatched specialized care.

Nothing is ever perfect, in fact I would argue that nothing should ever BE perfect. But we can always attempt to make a good system better and we can do it without the federal government pricing out 16% of the US economy. This is the message republicans need to start marketing or else run the risk of losing the higher ground.

I also apologize for my friends and family sending similar emails.  We are just simple folk with whom your subtlety is lost upon.  How were we supposed to know you didn’t want pictures of our favorite flags?

The truth of the matter is this war did not start with the First Crusade (1100 AD), it began with a forgotten crusade…actually, a forgotten jihad may be more appropriate.  Muslim Moors invading Europe through Spain in the 700s, were well on their way to conquering all of Europe.  Those Europeans who capitulated, were granted assimilation into the Moorish culture.  Those who stood in the way were crushed.  Then, in one of the most pivotal moments in history (think Thermopylae pivotal), they were met by a French noble, Charles “The Hammer” Martel, on the battlefield at Tours in central France. The last of the well organized armies facing the Moors, if Martel’s army failed the Muslim advance would sweep through Europe without significant challenge.  The French would eventually win the day with the Moors retreating and eventually settling for control of the Iberian peninsula. Eventually, they would abandon the continent entirely. It wasn’t until 350 years after the invasion, a newly confident Europe began the first of its own crusades.

Charles the Hammer at the Battle of Tours

What caused the aggressive expansion of Islam? No, it was not a reaction to imperialistic Christianity. Nobody from Europe committed any sort of atrocity on an Islamic people or city. Nobody was conquered, no nation subjugated. Instead, an empire simply died. Nature abhors a vacuum. And the power vacuum left in Northern Africa by Rome was soon filled by the emerging Muslim religion. Unlike Christianity, which is a spiritual movement, early Islam was the perfect marriage of wealth, politics, and war all committed to the glory of Allah. And his glory set the world on fire.

Islamic “Empire” after the Battle of Tours

Don’t get me wrong, history has shown it was the Caliphates and the Moors that kept the flame of civilization lit during the dark centuries following the Roman Empire. While Europe toiled, medicine, astronomy, science, math, philosophy, exploration all flourished in the Muslim world. I find it ironic how the roles are now reversed.

There. That feels better.

I guess you could say that we’re just learning how to play. For while, it was fun to watch your shenanigans and the occasional bench clearing brawl from the bleachers, not fully understanding what you were doing, who the players were, or what the rules are. The problem was that there was just one team playing; the game we were paying to watch was rigged.  Now, we’re coming onto the ice. We’re a little clumsy and we make a lot of noise, but we’re very, very motivated. We’re not as polished as you, we don’t have a coach or the organizational structure you have, hell, we’re not even paid like you are. There’s still time enough in the game, we’re quick learners and we want to play.  Hope you’re wearing your pads.

In the past, I would’ve chalked this whole thing up to typical party politics played by both sides: back and forth they go and little by little the principles of the Constitution are eroded by the tide of an expanding government and a more corrupt and incestuous party system.  I fully admit that I take very seriously President Washington’s warning to us in his farewell address about the dangers of the party system.

But this is different. This is our own government enlisting it’s union muscle (a convenient tool) to suppress and intimidate common citizens of this country. They reply that it’s the “brownshirts” (typical liberal imagery of anyone not agreeing with them being nazis)who are intimidating elected officials and stifling dialogue. What dialogue? They don’t want a discussion of two different positions. They seek only a debate as to what degree their agenda gets advanced. For that matter, isn’t it better for the politician to be intimidated by the people rather the alternative…regardless of the “party”? These folks at the town halls are not singling out and attacking individuals, they are acting against a government. Well, Newton was right: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The government and it’s actions against individuals have proven it.

The saddest part of all this, and maybe this is what has me so concerned, is that these newly engaged (newly awakened) citizens are me, my friends, my mom and my dad. People who have done nothing their whole lives but do what is right (and in some aspects what they were told). People who have worked hard without complaint, without expecting anything in return. People who never once thought about not paying their taxes. People who served their country the best they could in the fashion they saw fit. People who only want to live their lives without somebody looking over their shoulder.

People who the government took for granted and never once dug in their heals and slammed and slammed down their fists and said “NO MORE. NOT ONE DAMN BIT MORE!”…until now.

I see the direction this is going. And I hope it changes because it is very, very ugly.  I don’t even feel like posting some irreverent pictures in this post.