Former Teacher of the Year passes

This morning we were told that Boyer Valley's U.S. History teacher, Susan Weber passed away last night. She had been admitted to the hospital last week due to complications from her chemotherapy treatments for Lukemia.

We don't know when the funeral will be yet, but it may be Monday or Tuesday of next week. There was even talk of having it here at school. Please keep her mom, Wanda, and all of her students, friends and colleagues in your prayers.

Susan was a consummate professional who know her stuff and dearly loved her students. She and I enjoyed having long talks about history and politics. I've already missed her all this year while she was on her medical leave of absence. She is irreplaceable. Boyer Valley is truly an emptier place this morning.

Boyer Valley Community Schools
Challenging all students to meet their full potential
http://www.boyer-valley.k12.ia.us

How the Big XII is like the Middle East

I didn't write this, although I wish I had. This was a forwarded email humor that someone else borrowed from another someone' else's Facebook profile. My guess is the original author is a Texas fan. The Huskers will rise again! Bo Knows.

KANSAS = Saudi Arabia. Not altogether a bad place; has had historical success in oil and basketball, and continues to be a world leader in those areas. However, parts of the ruling family tends to thrive on its excess, much to its detriment; a certain prince's fondness for American culture (especially for its sweet baked goods) could very well lead to its downfall.

KANSAS STATE = Armenia. No one wants to be here, especially the Armenians. What's more, nobody really knows where it is. First came to prominence just a decade ago, and nobody can really remember it existing as an independent nation before that. Primary exports: Corn, junior college transfers.

NEBRASKA = Egypt. Was once a great power; its history, through the ages, is matched by few. Has languished in recent years, failing to recognize its new place in the world order as a follower, and not the leader it once was. Its people tend to be the friendliest to its neighbors, though still harboring a long simmering, yet contained, hatred for Israel.

COLORADO = United Arab Emirates. An incredibly refined populace -- probably because it's impossible to make it your home unless you're incredibly wealthy. Does its best to compete with its neighbors, but has resigned itself to being the playground of the region, instead of one of its traditional powers. Doesn't have a baseball team.

IOWA STATE = Afghanistan. There's really no reason that this nation should even exist, and if it weren't for previous colonial empires, it probably wouldn't. Easily overlooked over the last 300 years, its people are a ramshackle alliance of groups that don't belong anywhere else. Wishes to God, Allah, and whoever else that it would either cease to exist, or be swallowed up by Pakistan to the south, or the University of Iowa to the west.

MISSOURI = Turkey. Everyone is still trying to figure out how it got mixed up in this region, anyway. They're a member of NATO. Shouldn't they be in the Big Ten?

OKLAHOMA STATE = Syria. Nobody pays attention to them until they start mouthing off to the other nations around it. Will occasionally attack its neighbors, with varying success, with most of its successes coming in areas that others couldn't care less about, like wrestling.

TEXAS TECH = Iran. Really, REALLY wants to be noticed in the international community. Will go so far as to fake the development of nuclear weapons, or choose homicidal, maniacal, self-aggrandizing men as their president/basketball coach, just to get noticed. Incredibly eccentric as a nation. Has a deep-seated hatred of both Israel and Iraq--and a huge inferiority complex to go along with it. Very arid, dry climate featuring frequent windstorms.

BAYLOR = Lebanon. Everything they do is just a cluster, and no matter what they do, nothing ever seems to get better. Every once in awhile, it'll nip at the ankles of one of the larger nations, and piss off those other nations just enough to where they're smacked down and consequently can't achieve anything noteworthy for the next ten years.

OKLAHOMA = Iraq. Lies, cheats, and steals to get its way in the international community. If caught doing something wrong, or illegal, its excuse is that "everybody else has done it, we just get caught." No one wants to live here, but everybody that does wishes they could move away. Recently has undergone minor restructuring due to numerous ethics violations.

TEXAS = Israel. Pretty much everyone else in the region hates them. Can destroy lesser countries at will using incredibly advanced tactics. Not relegated to the stone-age lifestyle of many of its neighboring nations. Home of God's chosen people.

TEXAS A&M = Palestine. Doesn't actually exist as an entity to really be dealt with, but loves nothing more than to take pot-shots at Israel, just to tick them off. Economy based on farming, with an emphasis on sheep. Continuously complains that they're the real power in the region, and that their status should supersede that of Israel. Religious zealotry abounds; small, infrequent attacks on its neighbors are hailed as moral victories.

Dear Sen. Arlen Spector,

Please stop trying to hold up the nomination process for Attorney General-designate Eric Holder.
Why do you feel like you need to "tenderize" him? Is it because the 5-year statute of limitations will be up in March on Bush, Card and Gonzales allowing the secret taps on journalists, talk show hosts, and various other Democrats? Are you afraid of someone being prosecuted for torture or illegal wire tapping? Please stop listening to the advice of Karl Rove. It's time to put aside childish ways and partisan ploys.

You can copy and past this note into the contact form on Specter's website at http://specter.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm

End of Supply-Side selfishness and short-sightedness?

"Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age...

...I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things (1 Corinthians 13:11). The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness." ~BHO Inaugural address Jan 20, 2009

In other words, it's time to stop being selfish and short sighted and "Man-up," put on our "big-boy pants" and start looking out for our common best interest, not our personal comfort. High time. I say to this Amen.

Steve King would be rolling over in his grave, if he were dead

An Inaugural special

Prophet, Priest and PIRATE

(Click here to read entire post) Prophet, Priest and Martin Luther King

We can fulfill the dream by, like Dr. King tried to, emulating Jesus' example and fulfill the destiny He gave us by dying for us, by His resurrection, and by sending us His Holy Spirit- to be His sons and daughters, so join Him in His ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-20) by each of us being Prophets, Priests, and Kings & Queens- and Pirates, when necessary!

A corollary to yesterday's post about political bedfellows

George W. Bush Bush dumped $848,000 worth of Harken Energy stock back in 1990, two months before the company announced a $23.2 million loss; he was 34 weeks late in filing a form the Securities and Exchange Commission required to record the sale... According to Time Magazine, "...Harken concealed losses by selling most of a subsidiary to an off-the-books entity controlled by company insiders. Bush was on the audit committee, which, at least in theory, approved the deal. It's the same tactic used by Enron—on a massive, more pernicious scale..."

Time reported in the same issue that "Halliburton, while Cheney was CEO, greased the books to boost the firm's flagging fortunes." Creative accounting.

Dennis Kozolowski, Ken Lay, Merrill Lynch, Enron, Andersen, Halliburton, Adelphia, R.J. Reynolds, Tyco, Bristol-Meyers, Global Crossing, the list goes on and on of individuals and corporations involved in abuse and corruption during early part of Bush's FIRST term. It's as if there was no S.E.C. no accountability or transparency or ethics of any kind in business, finance, and government.

The Bush years were a new gilded age or cancer-stage capitalism. A culture of corruption flourished.

Is it any wonder that we're now dealing with the likes of Bernard L. Madoff, Goldman Sacs, Lehman Brothers, the entire mortgage-based-securities, and auto executives flying in on private jets to ask Congress for bailouts?

Obscene greed. Yet Conservative Christians only get worked up about abortion and gay marriage. When I wrote columns scrutinizing John McCain's connection to the "Keating 5" and the S&L bailout scandal of the 1980's and how his role in deregulation of the financial sector may have helped lead to our current meltdown I was raked over the coals as some kind of unpatriotic, America-hating, abortion promoting liberal.

Transparency and accountability, and a whole lot of self-discipline is what America needs now.
Time for Relief, Recovery, and a whole lot of REFORM.

But what do I know? People have labeled me a "liberal" and now I have to wear that label like a scarlet letter.

One that's been brewing a long time

The point is just to make you think

It's Thursday, they day I used to always write a column. I have a few spare minutes because the 7th grade Art class that I teach M, W, and F have PE on Th. So what do I do with myself? What is to become of this blog if it's no longer a repository of printed columns?

Well, that all remains to be seen. But I still have the itch. "Why do writers write? "May as well ask "why do fish drink?" It's a compulsion, even if there's no one reading. Ah, but I may be deluding myself here, but I've been led to believe that there are at least a few of you out there- if not several who didn't read my column in the Mapleton PRESS, you read it HERE. So how can I abandon you entirely?

If you are a regular reader, you know that I am an idiosyncratic person and I tend to spend an inordinate amount of time defending my political opinions from those who think I should fit in a box (preferably their box). Liberals (which are not bad) think that I am too conservative. Conservatives (also not necessarily a bad thing to be, if you genuinely are and don't just identify yourself as that) obviously think that I am way to "liberal" (especially if they're at all religious) although more often than not, those who identify themselves as "conservative" wouldn't know a REAL liberal if one bit them in the ass ( I feel like I can use language like that now that I'm my own publisher and I'm not writing for print, forgive me if I went too far).

Comedian Mort Sahl once said that if you "maintain a consistent political position for too long in this country, you'll eventually be tried for treason."

Kurt Vonnegut once noted that "Thanks to TV and for the convenience of TV, you can only be one of two kinds of human beings, either a liberal or a conservative."

I want people to know (and not just you few readers, so please carry this message to others- become my "apologists")- I want people to know that while yes, I'm a registered Democrat, and yes, I voted for Barack Obama and intend to give him a chance because I believe he is both more intelligent and more empathetic than George Bush, I am who I am, an independent thinker, responsible practitioner of representative democracy, and a deeply devout disciple of Jesus of Nazareth, the only begotten Son of the one and only living God, but I am not any kind of ideologue and I resent being labeled and compartmentalized almost more than I resent being pressured to conform to anyone's box.

So, as someone who- believe it or not-is fairly conservative on many issues and a deeply committed Christian, may I present the following cartoon critique of the Republican coalition:


I've wanted to do this one for a while, but couldn't find our copy of Hop on Pop. This cartoon is how I see it. You're certainly entitled to disagree, the point is just to make you think.

This is the crux of all I believe about the Republican Party. Not Republicans themselves, mind you. Many of my closest friends and best loved relatives are Republicans, and they are basically very good people with pure hearts and the very best intentions. But let's face it- as the cartoon points out, those religious and social conservatives are "in bed" with corrupt corporatism, and plenty of other unsavory characters.

George Bush is a long way from even Ronald Reagan, let alone Barry Goldwater. There's not much of Dwight Eisenhower's progressivism and internationalism left in the Grand Old Party. And Teddy Roosevelt's reform progressivism and conservation? Long gone. And don't get me started about Lincoln.

Friends, readers, neighbors, relations- if you are passionately identifying yourself with the Republican party or if you are zealously judgmental, intolerant or even just over enthusiastically skeptical of Democrats, Progressives, and Liberals of any stripe- beware. The conservative movement, Right-wing talk radio, and a few false prophets on TV want to continue to use wedge issues to make you think that they are right and everyone else is wrong. Think for yourselves instead. Evaluate policies, projects, proposals and people individually on a pragmatic, case-by-case basis. Be skeptical. The national Republican Party likes to "use religion as a wedge, and patriotism as a bludgeon."

Hey, I believe in a balanced budget and reducing deficits and the debt. I believe in protecting American industry and American jobs. I love Jesus and attend church every week, I don't condone drugs or promiscuity. You'd THINK that that would make me a "conservative." But I believe in the little guy and the small town, the mom and pop business, and the family farm. I believe in oversight and accountability (AKA regulation) and it seems that in this day and age, at least in the area that I live in, I'm considered a "LIBERAL Democrat." As if that were some great sin anyway.

I don't believe in abortion- makes me conservative, but I recognize that rape, incest and life threatening complications ought to be exceptions to any prohibition of abortion. Besides, human nature being what it is in a sinful world, people will still seek abortions if they were outlawed, and the idea of going back to a time of coat hanger abortions makes me cringe. So I can life with permitting clean, safe, legal abortions in the first trimester. For some people that makes me an unforgivable godless liberal monster.

Interpreting the Constitution in such a way that "reproductive rights" and more importantly, a right to privacy is implicit may not be "strict construction," but by most definitions, Washington, Jefferson, and even more so Lincoln were liberal.

I believe that by definition, marriage involves one man and one woman. You can call a coup a sedan, but it still only has two doors. This makes me conservative, some would even call me a bigot. On the other hand, I believe that constitutionally, we cannot deny anyone equal rights and opportunities under the law. If two consenting adults have been living in a monogamous, committed relationship, we cannot legally and should not deny them insurance benefits, tax status and spousal rights. That, no doubt makes me a "flaming" liberal.

Sorry, but neither my marriage or my faith are in the least bit threatened by permitting homosexuals their civil rights. Frankly, that's a VERY "strict" interpretation of the Constitution and while people may thing it opens up the door for a more permissive society, it is actually a very conservative approach to civil matters.

Once upon a time "conservative" meant someone who wanted to protect American economic interests. Outsourcing jobs overseas doesn't do that. Seeking the least regulation, oversight and taxation for huge corporations and the wealthiest 2% of our population definitely doesn't do that.

Once upon a time "conservative" meant someone who wanted fiscal responsibility and restraint, no deficits if at possible and limited debt. Pay as you go, transparency and accountability. Reagan didn't and neither have either Bush.

Once upon a time "conservative" meant someone who wanted to protect national security and was leery of unnecessary international entanglements, but also leery of a standing military that played too big a role in domestic life. Regard both Washington and Eisenhower's farewell addresses. I don't think that invading Iraq was conservative, I think it was reckless. I don't think that preemptive unilateral invasion was conservative, I think it was a radical new precedent. Especially when most of the 9/11 terrorists were from Saudi Arabia and based in Afghanistan, when Osama is a religious extremist whereas Hussein was a secular nationalist and they loathed each other.

Once upon a time "conservative" meant someone who wanted the federal government to leave decisions to states and municipalities. No Child Left Behind has been an intrusive, unfunded, misguided, misdirected, mistake that over burdened millions of schools that encouraged corruption, malfeasance and mediocrity.

In other words, I believe that I am a million times more "conservative" than most national Republicans today, including and especially soon to be former President Bush!

You're certainly entitled to disagree, the point was to make you think.

Morning Commute

Here's something you don't see on the LA freeway- That's right, driving a tractor AND talking on his cell phone. Of course that's probably safer than me trying to take a picture of it while I'm supposed to be driving. For my friends in Phoenix and California, they used to use CBs like truckers, so really it's probably not only safe but necessary. I still think it was funny. In Iowa we call these SMVs (Slow Moving Vehicles) as opposed to SUVs.

Fun one

New month banner for out school website! Brrrr!

Empathy from the dead

NEW YORK — It only took a 100 years or so, but the world is finally getting a piece of Mark Twain’s mind on the subject of free expression and whether it’s safer for your words to be expressed after you’re dead.

“Free speech is the privilege of the dead, the monopoly of the dead. They can speak their honest minds without offending,” Twain observed in “The Privilege of the Grave,” an essay written in 1905, and long unpublished, that appears in the Dec. 22 issue of The New Yorker.

"The living person is not really without this privilege- strictly speaking- but as he posesses it merely as an empty formality, it cannot be seriously regarded as an actual posession. As an active privilege, [free speech] ranks with the privilege of committing murder: We may exercise it if we are willing to take the consequences. Murder is forbidden both in form and in fact. Free speech is granted in form but forbidden in fact. By the common estimate, both are crimes and are held in deep odium by all civilized peoples. Murder is sometimes punished; free speech, always — when committed, which is seldom. There are not fewer than five thousand murders to one (unpopular) free utterance. There is justification for this reluctance to utter unpopular opinions: the cost of utterance is too heavy; it can ruin a man in his business, it can lose him friends, it can subject him to public insult and abuse, it can ostracize his unoffending family, and make his house a despised and unvisited solitude. An unpopular opinion concerning politics or religion lies concealed in the breast of every man; in many cases not only one sample, but several. The more intelligent the man, the larger the freightage of this kind of opinions he carries, and keeps to himself."

Collateral damage to the "unoffending family" is ultimately why I stopped writing a weekly column in our local newspaper, though I certainly endured my share of public insult and abuse- although I'd endure that to my dying day whenever I knew I was in the right because I'd researched what I wrote and confirmed it with a variety of independent sources. Generally, if they were genuine friends, people who disagree with me tended to ignore me, forgive me, or listen to me with an open mind long enough that we could come to some sort of compromise.

Reading Twain's essay at least helped me realize that what I experienced is universal to anyone who speaks (or writes) their mind "freely." Pick up a copy of the Dec. 22&29, 2008 "Winter Fiction Issue" of the New Yorker to read Twain's full essay. It is well worth the $4.99, at least that's MY opinion, but I'm sure there are plenty of people who'd think I'm a jerk for saying so.

Pro Bono Work

Here's two projects for New Year's Day. A card for placing Bible verses on for the LWML at our church, and a button for "Cub's Week" at Lake Okaboji Lutheran Summer Camp.