American Halloween

 

So, here is the homemade American Flag outfit for his 3 yr old Halloween. Found the idea on line in a list of costumes, with no pictures, and it turned out better than I expected. The tri-cornered hat is from Williamsburg, VA, where we took a vacation earlier in October.

 

"Is he Paul Revere?" "What a little patriot!" "Hey, Uncle Sam!" Not one person guessed that he was simply the flag itself. I thought it was fairly clear. :)

I would rather live my life

I would rather live my life as if there is a God,

and die to find out there isn't, than live my life

as if there isn't, and die to find out there is.



This quote sums up my basic life philosophy in a nutshell, so had to share!

In Memory of .....

I just returned from visitation for a 13 year old boy. Never before have I seen the body of one so young. His parents showed up as we were leaving, and while I have seen people more distraught, they looked very different from the happy-go-lucky types they usually are. They spent 11 hours on their feet for visitation at the funeral home yesterday (hence the late arrival this morning) and have several more hours to go through before the funeral this afternoon. Please pray for this boy's parents and younger sister as they deal with the grief over this tragedy.

I could tell the dad was struggling to hold it together, while the mom had already given up the attempt. She hugged me about three times, and didn't want to let me go. It broke my heart seeing them, even more than seeing their son.

Here is his story, but I won't share names since I am not a family member. He played basketball at the middle school, and had an undiagnosed heart condition. He collapsed during practice Tuesday night and no defibrillator was on hand (donations for one can be made to the school board in lieu of flowers). This boy accepted Christ as Lord and Savior of his life just two years ago, at age 11. Thank God for that. He was very open with his faith and wasn't afraid to tell anyone about it. His parents are confident that his death will bring others to Christ, and that they will get to see him again someday in heaven. Pray that this small community is touched by this, and that others come to know Jesus personally through the amazing witness of this family.

This morning I was inspired to offer them a refuge, and I did manage to tell the mom, who was appreciative of the offer. Because the family's business is just across the street from ours, I told her that when they needed to escape that environment (where the son so often was)that they were welcome to come hide in our quiet office. I hope that they do take advantage of the available privacy so they don't have to lock themselves up in their car to deal with the grief that is certain to keep coming in waves for a long time to come.

Republic vs Democracy

Plato said
“The price of apathy toward public affairs is to be ruled over by evil men"

and Edward Abbey said
“A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.”


Wow. And the fall of the Roman Empire is analogous to the fall of the United States, as well, as far as the underlying reasons go.

We are supposed to be a Republic, not a democracy. It makes me so angry to think that all those years in the public school system did not teach me the difference, and glorified the same Presidents that actually ruined our monetary system. We are paying that bill now, are we not?

In case you are wondering what brought up these subjects, I just finished reading the Republic Magazine, issue 4. (http://www.republicmagazine.com/) You can get a free digital subscription on their site.  I think this magazine should be required reading of all Americans, or at least high school history students. :)

“If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude
greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in
peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick
the hand that feeds you. May your chains set lightly upon you; and
may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.”
— Samuel Adams

America's Roots

This is a copy of the email entitled "Our Real Roots" that has been going around at least a couple of years now. I just got it again - twice this week - and thought I would post it here. I think these are quotes that American's should be reminded of regularly. While religion and politics don't mix (and what DOES religion mix well with anyway?), Christianity itself is not at odds with politics and the moral and ethical boundaries imposed by God WERE the basis for the first laws in this country. How far we have strayed....

(Begin email)

Did you know that 52 of the 55 signers of The Declaration of Independence were orthodox, deeply committed Christians?

The other three all believed in the Bible as the divine truth, the God of scripture, and His personal intervention.

It is the same congress that formed the American Bible Society.

Immediately after creating the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress voted to purchase and import 20,000 copies of scripture for the people of this nation.

Patrick Henry, who is called the firebrand of the American Revolution, is still remembered for his words, 'Give me liberty or give me death.' But in current textbooks the context of these words is deleted. Here is what he said: 'An appeal to arms and the God of hosts is all that is left us. But we shall not fight our battle alone. There is a just God that presides over the destinies of nations. The battle sir, is not of the strong alone. Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it almighty God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death.'

These sentences have been erased from our textbooks. Was Patrick Henry a Christian?

The following year, 1776, he wrote this 'It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here.'

Consider these words that Thomas Jefferson wrote on the front of his well-worn Bible: 'I am a Christian, that is to say a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus. I have little doubt that our whole country will soon be rallied to the unity of our Creator and, I hope, to the pure doctrine of Jesus also.'

Consider these words from George Washington, the Father of our Nation, in his farewell speech on September 19, 1796:
'It is impossible to govern the world without God and the Bible. Of all the dispositions and habits that lead to political prosperity, our religion and morality are the indispensable supporters. Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that our national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.'

Was George Washington a Christian? Consider these words from his personal prayer book: 'Oh, eternal and everlasting God, direct my thoughts, words and work. Wash away my sins in the immaculate blood of the lamb and purge my heart by the Holy Spirit. Daily, frame me more and more in the likeness of thy son, Jesus Christ, that living in thy fear, and dying in thy favor, I may in thy appointed time obtain the resurrection of the justified unto eternal life. Bless, O Lord, the whole race of mankind and let the world be filled with the knowledge of thy son, Jesus Christ.'

Consider these words by John Adams, our second president, who also served as chairman of the American Bible Society.

In an address to military leaders he said, 'We have no government armed with the power capable of contending with human passions, unbridled by morality and true religion. Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.'

How about our first Court Justice, John Jay?
He stated that when we select our national leaders, if we are to preserve our Nation, we must select Christians. ' Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian Nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers'

John Quincy Adams, son of John Adams, was the sixth U.S. President.
He was also the chairman of the American Bible Society, which he considered his highest and most important role. On July 4, 1821, President Adams said, 'The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity. '

Calvin Coolidge, our 30th President of the United States reaffirmed this truth when he wrote, 'The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country.'

In 1782, the United States Congress voted this resolution: 'The congress of the United States recommends and approves the Holy Bible for use in all schools.'

William Holmes McGuffey is the author of the McGuffey Reader, which was used for over 100 years in our public schools with over 125 million copies sold until it was stopped in 1963.
President Lincoln called him the 'Schoolmaster of the Nation.'
Listen to these words of Mr. McGuffey: 'The Christian religion is the religion of our country. From it are derived our notions on character of God, on the great moral Governor of the universe. On its doctrines are founded the peculiarities of our free institutions. From no source has the author drawn more conspicuously than from the sacred Scriptures. From all these extracts from the Bible I make no apology.'

Of the first 108 universities founded in America, 106 were distinctly Christian, including the first...Harvard University, chartered in 1636.

In the original Harvard Student Handbook, rule number 1 was that students seeking entrance must know Latin and Greek so that they could study the scriptures. 'Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ, which is eternal life, John 17:3; and therefore to lay Jesus Christ as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning. And seeing the Lord only giveth wisdom, let everyone seriously set himself by prayer in secret to seek it of him (Proverbs 2:3).'

For over 100 years, more than 50% of all Harvard graduates were pastors!

It is clear from history that the Bible and the Christian faith, were foundational in our educational and judicial system. However in 1947, there was a radical change of direction in the Supreme Court.

Here is the prayer that was banished:
'Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence on Thee. We beg Thy blessings upon us and our parents and our teachers and our country. Amen.'

In 1963, the Supreme Court ruled that Bible reading was outlawed as unconstitutional in the public school system. The court offered this justification: 'If portions of the New Testament were read without explanation, they could and have been psychologically harmful to children.'

Bible reading was now unconstitutional, though the Bible was quoted 94 percent of the time by those who wrote our constitution and shaped our Nation and its system of education and justice and government.

In 1965, the Courts denied as unconstitutional the rights of a student in the public school cafeteria to bow his head and pray audibly for his food.

In 1980, Stone vs. Graham outlawed the Ten Commandments in our public schools.

The Supreme Court said this: 'If the posted copies of the Ten Commandments were to have any effect at all, it would be to induce school children to read them. And if they read them, meditated upon them, and perhaps venerated and observed them, this is not a permissible objective.'
Is it not a permissible objective to allow our children to follow the moral principles of the Ten Commandments?

James Madison, the primary author of the Constitution of the United States , said this: 'We have staked the whole future of our new nation, not upon the power of government; far from it. We have staked the future of all our political constitutions upon the capacity of each of ourselves to govern ourselves according to the moral principles of the Ten Commandments. '

Today we are asking God to bless American. But how can He bless a Nation that has departed so far from Him?

Most of what you read in this article has been erased from our textbooks. Revisionists have rewritten history to remove the truth about our country's Christian roots.
(End email)

Ecodriving and Hypermiling

As fuel prices ravage the country, more and more articles are popping up on the internet and in print about getting the best fuel economy possible, no matter what vehicle you drive.

Some hypermilers are so extreme that it crosses into stupidity for the sake of saving a dollar, but the principles learned from their experiments can be safely applied to your own driving using the filter of common sense. Here is a list of the top 100 ecodriving tips

And the most important one - don't drive your vehicle unless ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY! Combine outings whenever you can, forgo some pleasure trips, walk or bike whenever you can. If we all simply become more conscious of the way we use our fuels - in the car and in our homes - the savings will be incredible over time.

State of the Banks

I am so overwhelmed with all the evidence that Ron Paul was right all along about the economic situation the USA is facing that I haven't taken the time to form an intelligent post about the problems with our banking system. Thankfully, I found this today that sums it up nicely. Make sure to click the link to read the entire article.

NO PANIC . . . YET

The failure of IndyMac this month was unique. We have not seen a bank failure this large since 1984. In one sense, this reminded the general public that individual banks can go bankrupt.

The most common reason for bankruptcy is that the bank has lent money to purchasers of real estate, which is a long-term debt, yet depositors have the right to withdraw money at any time. The bank is lent long and borrowed short. Yet this is true of every bank. The ones that get caught, which is a rare event, have merely indulged in long-term lending more than the average bank.

The failure of an individual bank does not produce mass panic any longer. It has been so long since Americans have seen a bank run that they pay no attention to a rare bank failure. Because the FDIC presently does have sufficient reserves in Treasury debt to sell and compensate depositors, depositors around the country are not tempted to go to their bank and demand currency.

The fact that the FDIC could cover the deposits of no more than a dozen banks the size of IndyMac does not disturb them.

From good to bad

On Sunday, a friend came to visit after church. We had a nice meal, then hung out at the farm and played with Luke and the puppies, Rascal and Petey. It was a hot but beautiful day, so we did some animal watching from the shady, cool front porch. Afterwards, I gave her the business tour and we picked up some dinner and brought it back home. We hung out on the porch some more and realized that Petey wasn't around...so we played with Rascal and Clark, the cat. So that was a pretty good day.

R.I.P., Petey
This morning, still no Petey, which has never happened before. I knew something had to be wrong, so searched the barn and the nearby pond for any signs. Seeing nothing, I finished getting everything ready for the day and took DS to a friend's house for the day. On the way I scanned for Petey...and found him lying on the side of the highway. I stopped and checked for life signs, but of course there were none. Rigor mortis had set in, and I got upset. DS asked if that was Petey, and if he had been hit by a car, and I said "yes, we won't be playing with Petey any more". He didn't seem to be upset by that at all, which was good. I took him to my friend and drove back to take care of Petey.

I won't go into much more detail, but I'll say that I couldn't handle things myself so called in some help to get the job done. Once everything was over, I took Rascal to work with me so he wouldn't wander around looking for Petey all day. They were brothers and best buddies, but he seems to be doing fairly well. Just a bit whiny and looking for attention, which I'm sure is normal.

I am very tired...so this was a bad day.

Flyby!!!

Happy birthday to me!! I'm a 4th of July, firecracker baby and my present from my wonderful Navy Pilot brother was a flyby!

He is lieutenant (I think) and is based at Tinker AFB in Oklahoma and I haven't seen him in a year and half. Hard to believe, but true. He is so good at what he does, they keep promoting him and now he is a trainer and the main pilot for one of the E-6 planes (top secret stuff!).

So about noon today he called me and asked if I could get to Bowling Green this afternoon, so I talked to DH and we determined that was a bit far so I called him back and asked for an alternate destination. We ended up going to Elizabethtown's Addington Field (I didn't even know they had an airport!) to watch the huge plane make a couple passes in the rain. DS, age 3, was so excited about his that he was running around the tarmac getting soaked.


I got some pictures of the plane flying over, but they won't do justice the the sound and sheer coolness factor of being there. I got to hear my brother on the flight radio thing (sorry, don't know the jargon!) saying he was coming in to fly over the airfield. The other pilots and people around were all quite amazed, and wondering what he was doing! I just said "its my birthday!" and let them wonder :)

Origins Game Fair

I spent last week in Columbus, Ohio for Origins Game Fair and had a great and exhausting time. Origins Game Fair 2008 was a change from previous years, especially for me. Not only did the "fair" aspect begin this year, but it was my first year volunteering during the show.

We started attending Origins several years ago, soon after buying our game store. The first year we went, we stayed at the DoubleTree several blocks from the convention center. I was more concerned with playing my new Sims game and relaxing than I was in actually attending the trade show. I went a day or two and walked around with hubby, though, to show my support and try out some new games. Mostly I listened to him talk to all the vendors, wishing I were elsewhere.

The next year we stayed a bit closer and I became a little more interested in what was going on during Origins. I even played in a Blink tournaments, but didn't win. I play tested more games, and made some suggestions to hubby about purchases. He still spent a lot of time talking to everyone, but I was starting to accept that talking could be his calling in life. :)

As our store and knowledge of the game industry grew, so did our interest in selling outside of our little town and small spot on the web (a yahoo store, at the time). Year 3 of Origins (for us) brought a whole new adventure as we became an Exhibitor, with a small booth toward the back of the hall. We sold only Game of Thrones, the CCG (collectible card game) while we were there, and still managed to turn a small profit after travel, hotel and food expenses. When the hall closed each evening, we took our binders of cards to the CCG hall and sold them and card sleeves to the players between rounds. A whole new worlds was opened to us.

Year 4 we went with a much larger booth and brought a wide variety of board and card games, and even accessories such as the aforementioned card sleeves. A Game of Thrones CCG was dying by this time, so we focused on other things. We brought more staff and worked hard - and again came home with a small profit.

The following year we went HUGE. We became an island unto ourselves and a show sponsor, which boosted our visibility significantly at the show and in the industry as a whole. Name and logo recognition improved dramatically, as did sales at Origins and GenCon (we followed the same growth strategies at both cons).

Those years, not only did we have large booths, but we continued running the poker tournaments more often and attendance was increasing, which made us more revenue - though not as much as some would expect, due to the overhead and large prizes we would offer.

Last year, 2007, we ran the poker tournament at Origins and GenCon, but didn't sponsor the shows or have booth space in the exhibitor hall, due to an overhaul of our year-round business online. The "World Series of GenCon" became quite popular, and the smaller tournaments we ran at Origins would feed a player into the finals while the rest came from the GenCon tournaments. Finals were always in Las Vegas, for fun and for legal reasons.

So, now here we are in 2008. Hubby is the Treasurer for the Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA) and I was recently elected to the GAMA Retail Division's board, at-large. What this means is we get to volunteer lots of hours to improve the organization and what we get out of it is meeting more people. For GenCon, as a GRD board member I will be helping run Trade Day seminars. For Origins, it meant being in the seminars and contributing when I could, while helping to run the Finance office. This was my first year "behind the scenes" at Origins, and it is a totally different perspective. I learned many things about the organization and its good and bad. I had a good time, though, and was able to spend some time with some great volunteers throughout the week, as well as have dinner several times with the other board members.

GenCon (www.gencon.com) is just 6 weeks away from today, and let me know if any of you will be there! Other than Trade Day, my schedule is open. Looks like I may be able to actually play some games or attend some seminars myself this year!

Wireless internet (WiFi) and its health effects

The article I've been waiting to see: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/06/21/are-you-allergic-to-wireless-internet.aspx?source=nl

This is something I have been wondering about, especially as I learn more about the effects of cell phones on adults, children, and the unborn.  We have a wireless router in our home and at work, and I am always on my laptop.  My son is 3.5, and we've had WiFi in our homes for 4-5 years, but didn't have it at work until the last year or so so my exposure has increased.  Also, I've only had the laptop since last October. 

So I think I may turn of the wireless router and use a really really long network cable for when I am on my laptop...and use the desktop when I can.  I don't think that will go over very well with the DH, so it could take some time to transition to a safer lifestyle for all of us.

We also have a company soliciting us that builds wireless towers and leases the space on them to telephone and internet companies.  We haven't signed the lease for our land yet, and I'm wondering if any one has done studies on the health effects of living near a tower like this??  It will be fairly close to the house, so while the money is good, it may not be worth the danger.

Updated March 2013:  We never got rid of the wireless router.  We also did not have a company put up a wireless tower on our land.  I did get a little electronic plug-in that is supposed to help negate the ill effects of wireless energy floating around the house, about a year ago.  Who knows if it works, but its not hurting anything!

Campaign for Liberty

I attempted to watch justintv.com/ronpaul2008 last night, live. It was horrendous due to bandwidth issues, I assume. However, the chat to the side was highly amusing - what idiots people become when they know they are anonymous!

The "big announcement" Ron Paul made was that he is ending his Presidential bid. While disappointing, I think he does have a good plan to continue to fight for change - the real kind of change - and bring this country back to the roots that made it great.

Campaign for Liberty will officially debut Sept. 2 in Minneapolis in order to coincide with the Republican convention. You can sign up to get updates at www.campaignforliberty.com. Also, the full text of his letter to the people is on the home page. The cool thing is that RP has almost $5million left from donations to his Presidential bid and will be using that to give the new Campaign some legs to stand on. Of course, more donations are always welcome!

I'm excited that he is willing to continue leading the charge for his band of revolutionaries, including myself. Join the cause!!

Friends are Friends Forever

I had a wonderful time visiting my hometown for about 3 days. My son always enjoys visiting Nana and Grandpa, and normally the trips are only 1-2 days so that's what I do as well. My objective for this trip was to visit my parents along with as many friends as I could before I started my classes.

I was able to have a 4 hour conversation with 2 different high school friends - one at Logan's and one at my parents' home. That was great! I also spent less time with 3 other old friends. It is amazing to me that after 13 years of living elsewhere in the country and little contact with these ladies we could pick up where we left off and enjoy each other's life stories.

I hope all of you reading this have the chance to do the same with the friends in your life!

PS - I mowed the grass again yesterday, and was able to cut the time in half from the previous (and first) attempt! Go me!

The Lawn Mower Day

Whew, what a day! Today was the last day of school locally, and thank goodness for that. The natives were restless throughout the land.

Everything started off normally, but towards the end of my morning work, I had to send my husband off to Chicago (to research some machinery). This involves syncing the iPod, unloading all the accumulated stuff in the trunk of the car and moving the car seat over to Ol'Blue (our antique GMC pickup)to keep things legal. Naturally, this puts me behind getting back to the school to pick-up DS. Upon arrival, the kids are running wild, as expected. I pick up the spare set of clothes, the day's papers, and his "journal" before an almost sappy goodbye from his teacher. She's gonna miss my little stinkbug this summer - even said to call her if we need a sitter!

Next, we head home in Ol'Blue. I'll have to tell you all more about Ol'Blue sometime. For now, let me just say its not a quiet ride. Now, DS has been looking forward to mowing the grass since dawn today, and we argue on the way home over the road noise about whether I'm going to eat lunch before getting out the mower. We compromise by getting drinks and snack crackers before heading back outside.
DS has a John Deere electric tractor, and follows me in that as I hike up the hill to the barn where the riding mower is stored. He stopped for some reason before reaching the top, so I went it alone through the electric fence that we haven't turned on in months.

I arrive at the metal barn and pull open the gate, scaring the horse who is grazing on the opposite side of the barn...more of a huge carport, really. And I sat on a riding mower for the first time in my life. Yeah, you read that right. I have never done this before. I fiddled and fiddled and finally figured out how to control the thing. Its a good thing DS wasn't nearby so I could concentrate on operations. Mechanics are not my thing! Starting it was no problem, but figuring out how to brake was another. Anyhow....

I start mowing, and really had a pretty good time! I had the foresight to wear sunscreen and a cap, but still got a bit burned. It took me quite a while to mow the lawn, sides of the driveway, and part of the way around the ponds. I got stuck a couple of times, but Reverse was my friend. DS followed me on his John Deere round and round until he got hot, then retreated to our wonderfully shady front porch with the puppies, where he screamed updates to me about the horse, who had walked right across where our electric fence should have been.

This horse, Domino, had a great time eating the freshly mowed grass all the way down the hill to the yard, and I just laughed when he started rolling on the lawn. Its not something one sees often! After he made it all around the house a time or two, he got bored and found the metal trash can where his feed is stored on the front porch. He picked up the top with his teeth and set it aside and helped himself to the 10% sweet feed inside! At this point, DS was beside himself, waving his arms and screaming at me, which of course I couldn't hear over the lawn mower.

But I could see the 1000 pound animal standing in the shade by the house, eating off my front porch, so I braked the mower and ran over to keep him from getting colic. Silly Domino acts like he knew this was coming, and accepted the lid replacement and halter calmly, while DS says "Domino's in biiiiiig trouble!!". :) I said "yes, I'll have to take him back up the hill" - and so I did. Then I put the fence back up.

By this time, I had to get DS inside to wind down for his nap...which took a while. He did finally go to sleep, so I finished mowing and put the mower back in the barn, showered and checked email before getting ready to leave for the evening.

My evening included Teen MOPS and a leadership meeting at church. Teen MOPS has been a disaster for 2 weeks now, and I don't know if tonight was better or not because everyone showed up AFTER I was supposed to be at my other meeting! I arrived by 5 and set up everything, and waited on the food to arrive from the Homemakers club, which it did at 5:15. I hung collages on the wall, played with DS, made up a House Rules poster, etc...and then it was 6, time for my other meeting. Now normally MOPS starts at 5:30..but the van with the teens wasn't there and neither was the woman in charge. They all arrived by 10 after and I high-tailed it out of there with DS to the church. I do hope things went smoothly after I left! It was my last meeting, since my classes start June 9th and I won't have the time to commit.

We got to the church during a video presentation, a few minutes before Pastor Dave began to speak. It was short - speech, prayer, offering - then we waited as they counted the $$. We were trying to raise funds for the budget shortfall, and made quite a dent! (This shortfall was due to the fact that this was the first school year run on a budget in recent history - which means it was total guess work this time around.)

After that, we headed home, but DS wanted to go to the park, so we spend 30 minutes running around, swinging and climbing, then finally made it home. Whew, what a day.

How safe are "green" cleaners?

Here is a scientific article followed by Dr. Mercola's take.  Interesting - and something all consumers should be aware of.
I do some marketing on the side for a wellness company that has been producing safe, non-toxic cleaners for over 20 years - and I've been very happy with the results.  I am allergic to bleach, and cannot use it in my home - but my home is as clean as any other due to these great products.  If you are going to switch to green, please contact me so I can tell you more about the products that I use.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/05/24/how-safe-are-green-cleaning-products.aspx?source=nl

Won a Scholarship!!!

I won a scholarship to get my MBA!  I found out earlier this month, but realized I haven't blogged about it.  Oops.

Here is an article about the program: http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0509/p01s02-usgn.html

Before I wrote my essay on why I wanted to continue my education and how it would change my life, I had to choose the school I wanted to attend from the ones listed in the article above.  I chose AIU - more specifically http://www.aiuonline.edu - because they offer a 10 month MBA, which I had never even heard of before.

Classes start June 9th and I will graduate April 26, 2009, if all goes well.  Hubby & I have both considered getting our MBA's in the past, but he is currently working on his CFP license and has completed other needed licenses for his financial practices.  I put it off for financial reasons - plus having our son.  The planets aligned this month though, and I know this is part of God's plan for my life.

Part of the acceptance package was that I agree to let them use my story for publicity for the school and for Project Working Mom.  See more about them here: http://www.elearners.com/projectworkingmom/

Go me!!

I saw him!

I finally got to see the man himself. Dr. Ron Paul held a Freedom Rally in Louisville this afternoon, and DH and I attended with a couple of others from our town. Total attendance was well over 500, which didn't even come close to the attendance in Bowling Green last night, which topped out around 4000!

We saw the Secret Service just down the street (while walking around since we got there stupid early), and figured out after watching the evening news that the Clinton's were staying at the Hilton on 4th Street, just down from the Palace theater. Interesting. The turn-out she had in KY wasn't as good as Paul's.

I quite enjoyed listening to Dr. Paul speak, as well as the guy who read a poem "Tapping my own phone". It was hilarious. Also, a female trio sang the most beautiful rendition of Star-Spangled Banner, with both verses.

Ron Paul's Manifesto Against 'False Choice'

Below is the full text of one man's perspective on Ron Paul's new book. I read the book in its entirety on Mother's Day, and agree with just about every word. Since I have learned much about how our country works (or doesn't, rather) in the past 9 months or so, I didn't learn a lot of new things. However, I know most Americans will be shocked by what they read in this manifesto, and I'm very pleased to have such varied information all in one binding. Each chapter focuses on a major issue facing our country, and Dr. Paul doesn't mince his words. This is straight-forward talk, and he even offers solutions! A must-read, IMHO.
-Laurke
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

How frustrating it must be to be Ron Paul.

The Texas congressman and Republican presidential candidate always said there was no justification for war with Iraq – no weapons of mass destruction, no threat to the United States – and his colleagues in Congress and most of the American people ignored him.

Ron Paul also saw that we were headed for a financial collapse and runaway inflation because of the Federal Reserve Bank – and his colleagues in Congress and almost all of the American people ignored him.

Now, Americans realize the war was wrong, and they want the troops to come home – but they still vote for candidates who won't promise to bring the troops home and who are ready or even eager to commit troops elsewhere.

Now, Americans know the economy's in a recession, if not a depression, and inflation worries loom – but still they vote for candidates who offer no serious monetary reform.

Apparently there is much educational work to be done – and now Ron Paul is taking up that challenge, too.

His new book, The Revolution: A Manifesto, presents his political philosophy and provides a blueprint for restoring a peaceful, prosperous American Republic.

Paul shows how Republican politicians pull the wool over conservatives' eyes. While campaigning, they'll pick on isolated instances of government waste and promise to abolish them, leading voters to believe they're supporting the small-government candidate. But once in office, the politicians invariably support greatly increased spending in other areas. "And," Paul writes, "nothing changes."

Democrats fool their voters, too. They oppose Republicans' wars, at least at election time, but they have a list of other wars they'd like to wage in different parts of the world. "And nothing changes."

Paul argues that voters need to reject the "false choice" between Republicans and Democrats. Whatever their superficial differences, both parties and their candidates will drive the country further down the path of ever-bigger government, empire and economic ruin.

If Americans want to get something different from what they've always gotten from Washington, they need to demand radical changes now. The book explains what those changes should be.

In foreign policy, Paul proposes bringing the troops home not only from Iraq, but also from all the places they're stationed around the world. He shows how this was the policy of the founding fathers and explains why it would work today.

He documents well his claim that we face terrorist threats only because of our Middle East meddling. "When our government meddles around the world, it can stir up hornet's nests and thereby jeopardize the safety of the American people," he writes.

Recognizing that isn't a matter of siding with terrorists – it's "just common sense."

The book's penultimate chapter may be its most important, as it discusses what Paul calls the "forbidden issue in American politics": our monetary system.

People know we have a Federal Reserve and that it somehow affects our economy, but they know little about how it works. Paul clearly explains how the Fed's printing more money makes everyone's dollars worth less – and why higher prices then hurt workers long before their wages catch up. He also explains how the Federal Reserve's inflationary policy creates economic booms and busts.

The solution? Stop printing more money and allow people to use money backed by gold and silver, as all our money was not so long ago.

Will enough people read and heed Ron Paul's words to change our course? It's hard to say.

One thing's certain, though: If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten. The failure to grasp that simple fact is a strong indicator of insanity.

But for some time now, America has been an insane asylum, with the inmates running it.

Isn't it about time for the American people to wake up and take the crazies out of office, and move them to a padded cell where they can't hurt themselves or anyone else?

Ron Paul's book can go a long way in helping to accomplish all that and more.

And that's why the crazies have such great fear of Ron Paul and his revolution.

May 12, 2008

J. H. Huebert is an award-winning attorney, a former clerk to a judge of the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, and an adjunct faculty member of the Ludwig von Mises Institute. Visit his website.

Vaccines can trigger autism

My thoughts:  Obviously, this claim is not new.  The difference is that this was admitted by the head of the CDC.  Toward the end, you will see an alternate, more conservative vaccination schedule that would prevent autism for almost everyone, while still keeping your children safe from the diseases we want to prevent.  I will reference this, should I have another child. Hope this helps anyone who is facing vaccinating a new child.

Watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh-nkD5LSIg
Recently Julie Gerberding, the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), appeared on Dr. Sanjay Gupta's show House Call and explained that vaccines can trigger autism in a vulnerable subset of children. This is the claim that many parents have been making since at least the 1980s, and they have been dismissed and even mocked for making it.

Then read this, by Dr. Mercola
Source: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/04/22/head-of-cdc-admits-on-cnn-that-vaccines-can-trigger-autism.aspx

The U.S. government has now gone on the record saying that childhood vaccines can contribute to the symptoms of autism. They have then backtracked and stated that there is no association.

So which is it?

Well, by the time your child starts school he or she will have received more than 36 injections, including four doses each of vaccines for Hemophilus influenzae type b infections, diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis -- all of them given during the first 12 months of life.

And by then it may be too late for the CDC to make up their mind about whether or not vaccines can be dangerous.

In 1976, children received 10 vaccines before attending school, and in the early 1980s, the incidence of autism was 1 in 10,000 births. Today it is 1 in 150 births and still climbing.

Is there a connection between autism and vaccines? I’d say so. And a pretty obvious one at that. If you are interested in the science behind this connection, Dr. Russell Blaylock has written an excellent paper that provides a connection between excessive vaccination and neurodevelopmental disorders like autism that is definitely worth reading.

The Blame Game

It seems clear from watching the CNN video with Dr. Julie Gerberding, the CDC’s director, that they are looking to put the blame for rising autism rates on anything other than their overzealous vaccination schedule.

While they have admitted that vaccines can trigger autism, Dr. Gerberding is quick to say that it’s only in children with a “rare” mitochondrial disorder. Referring to the landmark Hannah Poling case, Dr. Gerberding claimed that Hannah's case was a rare incident with little relevance to the other autism cases pending in the federal “vaccine court.”

Since then, however, Dr. Gerberding and other CDC officials were made aware of a Portuguese study reporting that 7.2 percent of children with autism had confirmed mitochondrial disorders. Some now estimate the rate of mitochondrial dysfunction in autism to be 20 percent or more, and the rate among children with the regressive sub-type of autism is likely even higher.

If mitochondrial dysfunction can convert into autism in large numbers, then the connection between vaccines and autism could clearly be quite strong.

So much so that the CDC acknowledged they are aware of this situation and are “immediately taking measures to address the current national vaccine schedule.”

Yet, Dr. Gerberding made no mention of this on CNN.

She also did not mention that the current vaccination schedule has never been proven to be safe.

Health officials consider a vaccine to be safe if no bad reactions -- like seizures, intestinal obstruction or anaphylaxis -- occur acutely. The CDC has not done any studies to assess the long-term effects of its immunization schedule.

So no one knows whether injecting children with 14 vaccines in their first 24 months of life, plus the meningococcal vaccine, which is to be administered between the age of 2 and 6, is enough to overwhelm their systems and lead to neurological and immune system disorders. They don’t know, yet they are very adamant about keeping your children on this schedule -- and they make anyone who dares to question their logic out to be a quack.

Yet here’s something to chew on. One vaccine injected into a 13-pound, 2-month-old infant is equivalent to 10 doses of the same in a 130-pound adult.

This is an assault on your child’s nervous system and immune system, neither of which is fully developed. It’s no wonder, then, according to Dr. Russell Blaylock, that multiple vaccines given close together over-stimulate your brain's immune system and, via the mechanism of "bystander injury," destroy brain cells.

What else wasn’t mentioned in the interview?

Oh yes, that members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) -- the one that promulgates a self-serving, one-size-fits-all vaccine policy -- are known to have ties to vaccine makers. And their compulsory vaccination schedule, that’s required of nearly every U.S. child who is entering public school, has made many of these vaccine makers rich beyond their wildest imaginations.

Vaccinating Your Children: How to Find Out the Truth

The CDC is clearly very confused about where they stand on this issue (or at least are pretending to be). So if it were me, I would not put the future health of my child in their hands, or the hands of a doctor who blindly accepts all of their recommendations.

Personally, I question the validity of most all vaccinations. But there is a middle ground, one that at least protects your child during the crucial time of their brain development. The most rapid period of brain development begins in the third trimester of pregnancy and continues over the first two years of life. By then, brain development is 80 percent complete, so it makes sense to wait until this time to give any vaccinations.

Dr. Donald Miller, a cardiac surgeon and professor of surgery at the University of Washington in Seattle, came up with this user-friendly vaccination schedule back in 2004, and it is leaps and bounds ahead of the CDC’s “one-size-fits-all” schedule:

1. No vaccinations until your child is two years old
2. No vaccines that contain thimerosal (mercury)
3. No live virus vaccines
4. The following vaccines should be given one at a time (not as a combination vaccine), every six months, beginning at age 2:

• Pertussis (acellular, not whole cell)
• Diphtheria
• Tetanus
• Polio (the Salk vaccine, cultured in human cells)

This schedule takes the best interests of the individual into consideration rather than what the government judges best for society. If your pediatrician does not like this schedule (and most won’t), I’d suggest finding a new one who does.

Earthquake!

Unbelievable -I felt my first earthquake this morning!!  I was just sleeping, and about 4:30 am CST the house began to shake and the dishes in the sink were rattling.  Of course, my breath caught and sat straight up in bed and didn't breathe for the 5-6 seconds it lasted.

GMA isn't airing today, as the local (Louisville) news stations are just playing viewer phone calls and a radar map.  The epicenter was in West Salem, Illinois, just north of Owensboro, and they are calling it a 5.2 on the Rictor scale.  The last one felt in 'these parts' was back in 1980, and it was more noticeable.  My husband and son slept right through this one, and only one of the puppies barked after it was over.

None of the animals seem upset at all - but the quake was felt as far as 300 miles away!  Remarkably, no significant injuries and no major damage to any buildings.  Some concrete has cracked, and some trees have fallen around the area, but I don't see any damage from where I sit.

Did anyone else feel it?

Are cell phones more dangerous than smoking??

This articles if from Dr. Mercola's site, at http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/04/17/are-cell-phones-more-dangerous-than-smoking.aspx My thoughts: I have read about how dangerous cell phones are for several months, and thought it was high time I put this out there for the world to see.  Bottom line:  First, use a wired line when possible, or 900mHz cordless.  Second, when you must use a mobile, use speakerphone when feasible.  If not, use a wired headset, not bluetooth to minimize exposure.  Third - do not EVER let a child use a cell phone! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Award-winning cancer expert Dr. Vini Khurana has concluded that mobile phones may kill far more people than smoking or asbestos. The latest study, which is being called the “most devastating indictment yet” for the safety of mobile phones, draws on growing evidence that using handsets for 10 years or more can double your risk of brain cancer. Professor Khurana reviewed more than 100 studies on the effects of mobile phones, and concluded that "there is a significant and increasing body of evidence for a link between mobile phone usage and certain brain tumors." "We are currently experiencing a reactively unchecked and dangerous situation," he added. Earlier this year, the French government warned against the use of mobile phones, particularly for children. Germany also advises people to minimize handset use. Khurana urges people to avoid using mobile phones whenever possible, and believes that governments and the mobile phone industry must take immediate steps to reduce exposure to this radiation. If nothing is done, Khurana believes the rate of malignant brain tumors and the associated death rate will rise around the world within a decade, and by then it may be too late to intervene medically. Sources: AlterNet March 30, 2008 Mobile Phones and Brain Tumors – A Public Health Concern (PDF) Dr. Mercola's Comments: You may think this headline sounds like a bit of a stretch, or perhaps even a major stretch. Well, I urge you to think again, as this headline, and the research behind it, is spot on. Professor Khurana based the notion that cell phones are more dangerous than smoking on the following logic: 3 billion people use cell phones worldwide, which is three times more than the amount of people who smoke. Of course, smoking doesn’t immediately show any deadly signs either. But wait a decade or so, and the evidence is there right before your eyes. According to Khurana, the "incubation time" or "latency" (the time from the start of regular mobile phone usage to the diagnosis of a malignant solid brain tumor) is around 10-20 years. In the years 2008-2012, he says, “we will have reached the appropriate length of follow-up time to begin to definitively observe the impact of this global technology on brain tumor incidence rates.” There is VERY solid evidence that the number of brain tumors will increase to 500,000 per YEAR in 2010 -- and this will double to 1 million every year by 2015 if the causes are not addressed. Folks, this is the real deal and represents an impending health care crisis. Cell Phones Appear to be a MAJOR Health Risk I am absolutely convinced that the explosion of cell phone usage around the world is a major contributor to a host of diseases ranging from autism to cancer to insomnia. I am in the final editing phases of my next book, which is dedicated to this very topic and will be released in the spring or summer of 2009, or possibly sooner. You are fortunate, though, as you are receiving this information today, while there is still time to circumvent some of the damage. Please do not wait another 10 years for the “definitive” link to be found and publicized in the mainstream circles before you take action to protect yourself, and your children, from the electromagnetic radiation and information-carrying radio waves emitted by cell phones and many other wireless devices. If you’re looking for some type of indication that cell phones are causing you harm, consider that all of the following ailments have been scientifically linked to information-carrying radio waves: Fatigue Headaches Sleep disruptions Altered memory function, poor concentration and spatial awareness Alzheimer’s, senility and dementia Parkinson’s Autism Cancer Meanwhile, here is a sample of what Professor Khurana found after reviewing over 100 studies: Electromagnetic radiation such as that emitted by mobile and cordless phones can heat the side of your head or pulse it non-thermally, and potentially thermoelectrically interact with the organic electrical currents of your brain. Bluetooth devices and unshielded headsets can convert your head into an effective, potentially self-harming antenna. Exposure is long-term and its effects on your body, particularly its electrical organ, your brain, are compounded by numerous other simultaneous long-term exposures including continuous waves from radio and TV transmitter towers, cordless phone base stations, power lines, and wireless/WiFi computing devices. Do You STILL Believe That Cell Phones are Safe? Well, if you’re finding it hard to believe that a widely used technology such as cell phones and wireless technologies could be causing you harm, it may help to compare it to other “technologies” that were once widely accepted: The shoe-fitting fluoroscope, an X-ray machine used to look at the bones of your foot in order to judge your shoe size. Radioactive drinking water, toothpaste, hair tonic and candy. “Soothing syrup” for children that contained morphine, chloroform, codeine, heroin, opium and cannabis. Mercury, the highly toxic metal, used to treat everything from cuts to constipation. Heroin, which was originally developed and sold as a cough suppressant. Even cigarette smoking was once described as healthy! Cell Phones are Just One Part of the Problem Information-carrying radio waves are all around us -- especially from cell phones, but also from WiFi, WiMax, BlueTooth, and other wireless devices. And you are likely receiving exposure to them 24/7. It’s important to understand that the danger from most land-based portable phones, cell phones and WiFi routers is NOT from the microwave carrier wave, for which typical SAR ratings are given on phones. This SAR rating indicates the thermal effect emitted by your phone, which is totally insignificant, unless you have massive exposures like you might expect in a microwave oven. This is why the discussion about lowering the allowable SAR is pointless, as it will NOT make cell phones safer. Instead, nearly all your biological damage comes from the modulated signals that are carried ON the carrier microwave. These modulated information-carrying radio waves resonate (vibrate) in the same frequencies as many of your cellular receptors; frequencies of a few to a few hundred cycles per second. These are biological frequencies and, unlike ionizing radiation (X-rays), which you can tolerate in small doses, there is NO dose of these radio waves that are safe. They cause damage at ANY dose, no matter how low. This concept is called zero threshold, and that is precisely what you have with cell phones, most portable phones, and WiFi routers. These information-carrying radio waves can stimulate or confuse your cellular receptors, causing a whole cascade of pathological consequences that can culminate in fatigue, sleeplessness, anxiety, neurological decline, and ultimately cancers. The reason why children should NOT use cell phones is because they have developing nervous systems and thinner skulls than adults, making them especially vulnerable to this type of damage. Can Cell Phones be Used Safely? In the best-case scenario, you would turn off your cell phone, put it in the glove compartment of your car or in a briefcase, and only use it in emergencies. Obviously, many of you have come to rely on your cell phone for much more than this, but remember it wasn’t long ago that we all got along fine without them -- and it’s not too late to go back to that point. Remember, kids should NOT be using cell phones. As a parent, it’s up to you to protect them from this avoidable risk. Assuming you do choose to use a cell phone for more than just emergences, here are the tips to increase your safety level (for cell phones and other radio-wave exposures): Limit the amount of time you spend on a cell phone or cordless phone. Use a wired headset to limit your exposure to the cell phone -- ideally, an air tube headset that conducts sound but prevents any radiation from traveling up the wire to your brain. Also, make sure the wire is SHIELDED, which prevents it from acting as an antenna that could attract more information-carrying radio waves directly to your brain. Wireless BlueTooth headsets should be avoided. Limit your exposure to WiFi routers. Find out where they are located in your work environment and stay away from them. If you have any land-based (non-cellular) portable phones, do NOT use anything other than the 900 MHz phones, as the Gigahertz phones stay on continuously, blasting you with information-carrying radio waves 24/7. Use the speakerphone instead of putting the phone to your ear; this is probably one of the single most important steps you can take other than not using your cell phone. Limit calls inside buildings. Use your cell phone only where the reception is good. When the reception is poor, your phone has to work harder, and therefore emits a much stronger radiation signal. Related Articles: Cellular Phone Industry Just as Health-Harming as Big Tobacco?  The Cell Phone "Tower of Doom"  How Cell Phones are Killing Birds

Some favorite quotes

Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
Thomas Jefferson

--All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.
--Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.
--Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves are its only safe depositories.
--It takes time to persuade men to do even what is for their own good.
--That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves.
--The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.
--The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive.
Thomas Jefferson

Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.
Benjamin Franklin

 “The people know much better how to spend their money than the government”  - Ron Paul

The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.
Benjamin Franklin

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
Thomas Jefferson

I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever.
Thomas Jefferson

"Successful is the person who has lived well, laughed often and loved much, who has gained the respect of children, who leaves the world better than they found it, who has never lacked appreciation for the earth's beauty, who never fails to look for the best in others or give the best of themselves." - The Essence of Success

My letter to Ron Lewis

Regarding HR 5405 - please do not allow this to pass. The social security card was never intended to be an ID card, and has been abused as such for years, making identity theft easier for the criminals. I am very much against a national ID card of any kind and also oppose the Real ID in our state.

Yes, 9/11 was bad. But even worse is how the mention of the event gets uninformed citizens to agree to every "security" measure the government can think of. I beg you, do NOT prey on the uninformed, and listen to those of us who are.

We do not need more government programs, welfare, and reforms on the programs that are already out there. We need less - much much less. The more I learn about what I was NOT taught in school, the more convinced I am to never let my son attend a public school. More government control of education is not the answer either. We need freedom, liberty, and to be allowed to pursue our own happiness without being tracked by the state or the country.

Please make me glad I voted for you.

The reason WHY

This exercise is from an e-newsletter I'm receiving - The Astonishing Power of You. This is part of lesson #2, with my answers.

"Close your eyes, take a deep breath
to center yourself. Ask yourself the
question, if you had all the money in
the bank that you needed and you could
have your life exactly the way you
would like it to look, how would that
be.
- Keep asking the question and
answering with Why until you
truly know that there isn't
another answer left."

I would spend time learning how to be self-sufficient in an environmentally friendly way - growing my own food, learning to can and compost, learning to hunt and start fires...to just live off the land. I think that's just smart - to know how to survive if civilization collapses.

I would raise my children and teach them the things that are important. I would spend more time with friends and family, and God - just being. I would make a difference in the lives of others, helping meet their needs and make this world a better place. I would get more involved in politics - and spend time reading about history and learning about this world. I would read more for pleasure and listen to more music. I would take pride in the appearance of my home and my family.

WHY? Because I think that is what life is about - living, learning, growing and loving, then helping others do the same. (Guess that's why I chose that for my blog's name!)

I also want to train puppies and horses so they can be enjoyed by their owners. I guess what I really seek is order and discipline in the world - knowing that there may be many ways to do something, but that there is often a "right" way that will bring the most good to all involved. The trick is finding it without spending your whole life doing research to avoid mistakes. I think that's where trusting God and learning to hear His voice comes in handy.

Worse than the Real ID is...

Oh dear..the next step of enslavement. It sounds outrageous at first sight, but I believe it is true. Step by step, even before 9/11, liberties have been slipping away. I don't yet believe that the current administration orchestrated the tragedies of 9/11, but there is no doubt the events were used to further or begin operations that had been previously forestalled because of public resistance. The website delivering the information below is restoretherepublic.com - I highly recommend taking a look.

Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both. - Benjamin Franklin

------Begin message---------------
[THIS JUST IN]

I regretfully send you this email to inform you of yet another
plot to enslave the American people in an unconstitutional
framework of databases under the guise of "security". Recently
Congressman Mark Kirk from Illinois 10th District introduced a
bill to create a "Secure Social Security Card". This new card
is clearly a run around to the state's opposition to Real ID and
we must do all in our power to prevent it from becoming law.

FIRST: Watch this short video recorded at the town hall meeting
where Congressman Kirk talks about the "Secure Social Security
Card": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrsJVZe41Dg

SECOND: Review and comment on the in depth article about it here:
http://www.restoretherepublic.com/content/view/627/71/

THIRD: Contact your congressman and instruct them to vote against
HR 5405: https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml

FORTH: Post this email on your blog, post it in forums, forward
it to every member in your address book.

FIFTH: Track the status of HR 5405 at
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-5405

Unlike Real ID where the States can rise up and fight it
independently, the "Secure Social Security Card" must be fought
at the federal level by contacting our members of congress.

This is another attempt at connecting the American people into
the international databases of the New World Order. They are
failing with Real ID and are attempting to use the SS card as
the bridge. They will only succeed if we let them and you need
to take the steps help us defeat this plan before it takes root.


Listening to the footsteps of the revolution,

Gary Franchi
National Director
RestoreTheRepublic.com
USPrimary2008.Com, 125 Rampart Way, Denver, Colorado, 80230, USA

Abolish Public Schools?

This article is far-fetched because most everyone alive now grew up indoctrinated into the public-school-system-is-good sect. However, it is great food for thought, and I agree that IF we could get past the objections he raises, somehow, the education in America would be vastly improved.

I personally hope we can afford to send our children to a Christian school for as long as we (and the kids) desire. I hope our school of choice continues to grow and expand it extracurricular activities. DS goes to half-day preschool right now, and its a good schedule for our situation, and of course cheaper than full-day preschool or even daycare in this area.

Here is the article's full text.

In American culture, public schools are praised in public and criticized in private, which is roughly the opposite of how we tend to treat large-scale enterprises like Wal-Mart. In public, everyone says that Wal-Mart is awful, filled with shoddy foreign products and exploiting workers. But in private, we buy the well-priced, quality goods, and long lines of people hope to be hired.

Why is this? It has something to do with the fact that public schools are part of our civic religion, the primary evidence that people cite to show that local government serves us. And there is a psychological element. Most of us turn our kids over to them, so surely they must have our best interest at heart!

But do they? Murray N. Rothbard's Education: Free and Compulsory explains that the true origin and purpose of public education is not so much education as we think of it, but indoctrination in the civic religion. This explains why the civic elite is so suspicious of homeschooling and private schooling: it's not fear of low test scores that is driving this, but the worry that these kids aren't learning the values that the state considers important.

But to blast public schools is not the purpose of this article. There are decent public schools and terrible ones, so there is no use generalizing. Nor is there a need to trot out data on test scores. Let me just deal with economics. All studies have shown that average cost per pupil for public schools is twice that of private schools (here is a sample study).

This runs contrary to intuition, since people think of public schools as free and private schools as expensive. But once you consider the source of funding (tax dollars vs. market tuition or donation), the private alternative is much cheaper. In fact, the public schools cost as much as the most expensive and elite private schools in the country. The difference is that the cost of public schooling is spread out over the entire population, whereas the private school cost is borne only by the families with students who attend them.

In short, if we could abolish public schools and compulsory schooling laws, and replace it all with market-provided education, we would have better schools at half the price, and be freer too. We would also be a more just society, with only the customers of education bearing the costs.

What's not to like? Well, there is the problem of the transition. There are obvious and grave political difficulties. We might say that public education enjoys a political advantage here due to network effects. A significant number of "subscriptions," etc. have been piled up in the status quo, and it is very difficult to change those.

But let's pretend. Let's say that a single town decided that the costs of public schooling are too vast relative to private schooling, and the city council decided to abolish public schools outright. The first thing to notice is that this would be illegal, since every state requires localities to provide education on a public basis. I don't know what would happen to the city council. Would they be jailed? Who knows? Certainly they would be sued.

But let's say we somehow get past that problem, thanks to, say, a special amendment in the state constitution, that exempts certain localities if the city council approves. Then there is the problem of federal legislation and regulation. I am purely speculating since I don't know the relevant laws, but we can guess that the Department of Education would take notice, and a national hysteria of some sort would follow. But let's say we miraculously get past that problem too, and the federal government lets this locality go its own way.

There will be two stages to the transition. In the first stage, many seemingly bad things will happen. How are the physical buildings handled in our example? They are sold to the highest bidder, whether that be to new school owners, businesses, or housing developers. And the teachers and administrators? All let go. You can imagine the outcry.

With property taxes abolished, people with kids in public schools might move away. There will be no premium for houses in school districts that are considered good. There will be anger about this. For the parents that remain, there is a major problem of what to do with the kids during the day.

With property taxes gone, there is extra money to pay for schools, but their assets have just fallen in market value (even without the Fed), which is a serious problem when it comes to shelling out for school tuition. There will, of course, be widespread hysteria about the poor too, who will find themselves without any schooling choices other than homeschool.

Now, all that sounds pretty catastrophic, doesn't it? Indeed. But it is only phase one. If we can somehow make it to phase two, something completely different will emerge. The existing private schools will be filled to capacity and there will be a crying need for new ones. Entrepreneurs will quickly flood into the area to provide schools on a competitive basis. Churches and other civic institutions will gather the money to provide education.

At first, the new schools will be modeled on the public school idea. Kids will be there from 8 to 4 or 5, and all classes will be covered. But in short order, new alternatives will appear. There will be schools for half-day classes. There will be large, medium, and small schools. Some will have 40 kids per class, and others 4 or 1. Private tutoring will boom. Sectarian schools of all kinds will appear. Micro-schools will open to serve niche interests: science, classics, music, theater, computers, agriculture, etc. There will be single sex schools. Whether sports would be part of school or something completely independent is for the market to decide.

And no longer will the "elementary, middle school, high school" model be the only one. Classes will not necessarily be grouped by age alone. Some will be based on ability and level of advancement too. Tuition would range from free to super expensive. The key thing is that the customer would be in charge.

Transportation services would spring up to replace the old school-bus system. People would be able to make money by buying vans and providing transportation. In all areas related to education, profit opportunities would abound.

In short, the market for education would operate the same as any other market. Groceries, for example. Where there is a demand, and obviously people demand education for their kids, there is supply. There are large grocery stores, small ones, discount ones, premium ones, and stores for groceries on the run. It is the same for other goods, and it would be the same for education. Again, the customer would rule. In the end, what would emerge is not entirely predictable – the market never is – but whatever happened would be in accord with the wishes of the public.

After this phase two, this town would emerge as one of the most desirable in the country. Educational alternatives would be unlimited. It would be the source of enormous progress, and a model for the nation. It could cause the entire country to rethink education. And then those who moved away would move back to enjoy the best schools in the country at half the price of the public schools, and those without children in the house wouldn't have to pay a dime for education. Talk about attractive!

So which town will be the first to try it and show us all the way?

Rand Paul says the Glass if Half-Full

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

By Rand Paul, MD

Analysis of Ron Paul’s success or failure all seem to miss the mark. Many critics point to this or that ad or this or that tactic that prevented victory. I think such analysis misses the forest for the trees.

I believe that no candidate can win the presidency without the day in and day out constant television coverage. In other words, unless the media grants you first tier coverage, the electorate will not vote for you in significant numbers. A large percentage of voters will not vote for a candidate they don’t believe can win and that belief in "winnability" is still entirely controlled by the MSM.

That said, I think we should revel in the extraordinary successes of the campaign.

Ron Paul began with nearly zero name recognition and was relegated from the beginning by all MSM media to the second tier. I believe pundits should recognize the great strides in achieving between 5 and 10% of the vote in almost every state and receiving 11% in a Rasmussen poll running as a third party candidate. Not to mention over 20% in several caucus states, including second place in Nevada, Montana, and Louisiana.

Ron Paul’s name recognition nationally now likely exceeds 50% of the electorate.

Any analysis must begin by acknowledging that many better-known US Senators and Governors received less of the popular vote. Many such as Biden and Dodd received less than 1% even though they have been staples of the Sunday morning news programs for decades. Not to mention the fact that Ron Paul trounced candidates with far greater name recognition such as Fred Thompson and Rudy Guliani.

I believe Ron Paul gained nearly the maximum possible vote in a Republican Party primary. Polls in NH show that only 6% of Republicans believe in immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Nearly 50% believe in some in-between position or reassessment of war strategy. About 30% believe in "staying the course" no matter what.

In Michigan, 37% of the Republicans expressed displeasure about the Iraq War and the vast majority of these same people voted for McCain. I believe his image as someone who will challenge Bush and the establishment blinded these voters to his public comments on continuing the war for 100 years if necessary. I also believe if the poll questions asked about "immediate withdrawal" that the percentage in the Republican primary is closer to 6% nationally.

After the last NH presidential debate, I turned around to Chris Matthews and tried to get him to host Ron Paul because Fox was excluding us the next night. His eyes glazed over a bit and he thought about Ron Paul and the Iraq war. You could tell by his response. He said, you know, Ronald Reagan probably wouldn’t have gotten us into the Iraq War. Trying to be agreeable, I nodded my head. He then followed by adding that if McCain had been president we also probably wouldn’t have gone into Iraq.

I shook my head in disbelief and reminded him that the day before McCain had made the comment that he would keep the troops in Iraq for 100 years. Matthews hemmed and hawed and said, "Oh, he’s just being a good soldier now."

My take, Matthews and the liberals in the media love McCain so much for his pandering to their global warming agenda that they simply give him a pass on the war.

In the final analysis, I believe about 5-10% of the Republican Party are ready for a non-interventionist foreign policy and Ron Paul got that vote. A significant portion of the electorate heard Ron Paul’s chastisement on the huge federal deficits and nodded their heads in agreement. Innumerable Republicans come up to me and love much of the Ron Paul message, but can’t quite come to agree with the foreign policy of non-intervention.

On foreign policy, at some level, they listened to the message about the erosion of our civil liberties but could not escape the image of helicopters fleeing the embassy in Saigon in 1975. This image still bothers many Republicans and they can’t embrace a quick exit from Iraq even if they know in their heart of hearts we need to leave.

My interpretation of the Ron Paul Revolution, though a biased one as the son of the candidate is that we should rejoice in getting 5-10% of the vote given that we got 1/1000th of the media attention and did not get enough attention to enter the realms of winnability in the public’s mind.

To me, though, the campaign remains an unqualified success. My prediction for 2008: an utter crushing defeat for Republicans. Not out of anger for Ron Paul’s loss, I think he won, but because Republicans are failing on two fronts: not living up to the promises of limited government and balanced budgets and failing to understand how unpopular the Iraq War has become.

One last prediction! We will elect at least one Ron Paul Republican to Congress this year.

Rand Paul, MD

Bowling Green, KY

Politics as usual

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Our county's convention was really....ummm, unenlightening? Ron Paul supporters were there, but outnumbered by "the establishment", who were all anxious to get home to watch the rescheduled UK ballgame by 11am (dang that Atlanta tornado!). We didn’t get started until after 10:15 because the ’nominating committee’ went into a secret room to nail down the nominations and came back late.

The correct order of business was followed, although many steps seemed to have been left out. They were about to adjourn, directly after we voted all the delegates in, when hubby stood up and got the resolution for the abolishment of the Fed passed, 15 to 5. Yeah! So at least that much will go to Kentucky Congressional District 2’s convention. We didn’t push our luck by trying to pass the other 11 resolutions at this time.

This is the first time I have ever attended anything related to politics, so I really am not sure what happened. Maybe someone can explain this to me. Last Saturday I thought the snow had canceled the precinct captain elections, but didn’t go myself, so don’t know for sure. This Saturday, we approved the nominations for precinct and delegates, one right after the other. This was done as a group - meaning we voted for all the captain, co-captains, youth captains for all precincts at one time - or we said no to them all. We weren’t invited to nominate anyone for captains or delegates before the voting occurred. Is that normal??

Thanks to the Fed...

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Thanks to the Fed...

… international confidence in the dollar continues to collapse as fast as our economy. For the first time, the Euro has surpassed $1.55. Many talking-heads (passing themselves off as experts) could be seen on television yesterday praising the Federal Reserve’s move to pump $200 billion into the economy, and Wall Street was temporarily overjoyed.

But the fog is beginning to lift. This is the first election in over a hundred years to include a serious discussion on monetary policy, and more and more people are starting to realize that the "answers" we have been receiving from Washington don’t make any sense. It is our responsibility to spread the word and point to a better way. A great, simple introduction to true economic reform can be found in Dr. Paul’s recent op-ed on Forbes.com, and the principles mentioned therein are expounded upon in Dr. Paul’s "Prescription for Prosperity."

Politics and Heart Attacks

Saturday, March 08, 2008


Translating Leviathanspeak
I thought this was a rather funny translation, and not far off the mark. This person is translating Bloomberg's speech regarding the little bomb at Times Square a couple mornings ago.
In other news, we have a foot of gorgeous snow!! Now that the sun is out, the wind has died down and the snow stopped pouring from they sky, I can really enjoy the beauty of this day. I may never see this much snow on our farm again!

My 3 year old was pretty pumped about having a 'snow fight' this morning, but chickened-out of the snow angel that he'd talked about. He did enjoy throwing snow "balls" - mostly tossing the powder at me. :)

The 3 month old puppies love it too, but I had to bring them in after each play session so they wouldn't freeze to death! Amazing how wet they got in the snow. :) Can you tell I grew up in the south??

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Thursday, March 06, 2008

The real cause of Heart Attacks

This is fascinating research about the cause of heart attacks - and it makes good sense! If you or someone you know is suffering from stress, deal with it ASAP. Watch the video and read the article to find out why. If could save a life.

Cow Chasing

Tuesday, March 04, 2008


Cow chasing

My friend, Jessica, said I should write a blog about my cow chasing last Saturday. I admit that this is not something I will do often - possibly never again, if I did a good job mending the fence. Don't I sound like a country girl now?!

So here's the deal. I live on a farm that is enrolled in the CRP program, meaning we get paid by the government to NOT grow crops or have livestock on the land. Now, I am against such programs in general, as it pays us to be lazy and unproductive, somewhat like welfare. However, its free money and over 15 years will more than pay us back for purchasing our farm, so we're taking it!

Our neighbors aren't in this program and have some productive-looking beef cows just down the valley and we have a lovely barbed-wire (bahb-wahr is how people say it here) fence separating the 2 properties. At least that's what we thought, until a small number of cows were on our land several mornings a week for a while. Before we enrolled in the program, I wasn't too concerned, although it made me angry. After we enrolled, I became very concerned that we would "get caught" with livestock and forfeit our deal, so I watched closely!

Unfortunately, the cows were only visiting sporadically and always in the morning when I was already late getting Luke to preschool. By the time we arrived home by lunch, they were always back to the correct side! I would have called the neighbors, but don't know their names or phone numbers or how to find this out. Plus its like a mile with no good way to get there, and I'm not the type to confront anyway.

So...last Saturday was a gorgeous day and I was child-free by 11am, and saw the cows yet again. I grabbed my horse's lead rope and marched down the hill with my 2 puppies right on my heels (literally). I was thinking something like this - cows are stupid, stubborn and slow, I'll have to beat them half to death before they move or get the puppies to bite them...I hope I don't sink in a mudhole, I hope they move - you get the idea.

When I think I may be within earshot, I start yelling, not thinking it will do any good, but didn't want to surprise them and get kicked or something. So I started yelling about how this was my land and they'd better go back home before they regretted it - and those black heads shot up from grazing, looked quickly at each other and RAN. I mean high-tailed it all the way back through that hole in the fence, at least a quarter-mile. I couldn't believe it!

Now I had to find and fix the hole. Me and those puppies marched all the way to the edge of our acreage and find the spot. It wasn't hard - a big muddy patch under a single strand of barbed-wire with tufts of black hair stuck all over it. On my way to the fence, I spotted an old tired and a rusty coffee can that had washed up during a previous flood (monthly creek-rising, really) and hauled them to the hole. I put the tire down and stuck the can inside, directly under the fence. I fought the blackberry bushes back on either side of the hole to grab the wire and twine them together again (no gloves, no tools...but the only scratch I got was from the blackberry thorns!). I found large branches and small and created the best barricade I could, grinding them into the mud and leaning them on trees and each other.

So far, they haven't made their way back over again!

The Federal Reserve

Wednesday, February 27, 2008


The Federal Reserve - on

Here is the link to the Ron Paul Daily:
http://people.ronpaul2008.com/campaign-updates/2008/02/27/ron-paul-on-the-federal-reserve/

And here is the article:

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is testifying on Capitol Hill today (CNBC is airing the proceedings), and Ron Paul has been pressing him to account for his policies. This statement, which Dr. Paul made yesterday, outlines some of the key issues:

Mr. Chairman,

Price controls are almost universally reviled by economists. The negative economic consequences of price floors or price ceilings are numerous and well-documented. Our current series of hearings have been called to discuss the most important, but least understood, price manipulation in the world today: the manipulation of the interest rate.

By setting the federal funds rate, the rate at which banks in the Federal Reserve System loan funds to each other, the Federal Reserve inhibits the actions of market participants coming together to determine a market interest rate. The Federal Reserve and the federal government do not deign to interfere in setting the price of houses, the interest rate on mortgages, or the prices of wood and steel. The Fed's actions in setting the federal funds rate however, because it reflects the price of money to a borrower and thus affects demand for money, affects prices throughout the economy in a manner less pervasive but just as damaging as direct price controls.

The example of the Soviet Union should have taught us that no one person, no group of people, no matter how scientifically trained, can arbitrarily set prices and not expect economic havoc. Only the spontaneous interaction of market participants can lead to the development of a functioning price system that allows the needs and wants of all participants to be met. The sense I get from reading much of the punditry is that the federal funds rate is set often by the whims of the Federal Reserve governors. Even mechanistic explanations such as the Taylor Rule rely on inputs that are often left up to the discretion of the Fed policymakers: what is the potential GDP, do we use CPI or PCE, overall CPI versus CPI less energy and food, etc.

The setting of the interest rate strikes me as quite similar to the way FDR used to set gold prices in the 1930's, at his whim, resulting in economic havoc and uncertainty. When market actors have to devote much of their time to discerning the mindset of government price-setters, to parsing FOMC statements and minutes, they are necessarily diverted from productive economic activity. They cease to become purely economic actors and are forced to become political forecasters. This is not a problem isolated to this particular case, as businesses are forced to reckon with tax increases, expiring tax credits, import tariffs, subsidies to competitors, etc. However, because the interest rate determines the cost of borrowing and therefore determines whether or not marginal long-term business investments are undertaken, this politicized interest rate manipulation has far more impact than other government policies.

This setting of the interest rate introduces the business cycle into the economy. Until we understand the results these Federal Reserve actions have, we will be doomed to repeat these periods of boom and bust. I urge my colleagues to study this matter, and to resist the urge for greater Federal Reserve intervention in the market.
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My thoughts - Go Dr. Paul! You are the voice of reason in this arena.

History backs him up, totally, from my understanding. From reading his book, A Foreign Policy of Freedom, I know how right-on he has been throughout the last 30 years. Reading his speeches in Congress is like reading a fortune-tellers story, and shame on the rest of our government not listening and taking those speeches to heart to create some real change. If Congress and the Fed had been listening from the beginning, many of the problems we are facing now would have been avoided, and the est would be greatly lessened. Make sure to tune in to CNBC today.