Homeschools and Stylites

This piece in First Things by Sally Thomas brought my wife and I some delight last week. Excerpt:

The night before, we had gone to dinner with old friends, and in the course of the evening the conversation turned to our homeschooling. Our hosts didn't want to argue with the decision my husband and I had made to homeschool; in truth, people do that a lot less often than we had steeled ourselves to expect early on. I suppose they didn't ask how we expected our children to be "socialized" because there the children were, in front of everyone, doing their best impersonations of socialized people. The nine-year-old talked to the grownups about Star Wars, the four-year-old helped to carry dishes to the table, the three-year-old played nicely on the floor with our friends’ baby granddaughter. The twelve-year-old, away at a ballet rehearsal, proclaimed her socialization by her absence.

I suppose our delight stems from the fact that we plan to at least try homeschooling. I'm always hearing things like "well, you'll have to have some plan for an alternative to the socialization that school provides." I used to always say in response "yeah, that is a concern, you have a point, etc.", but now I don't know that I afford the so-called socialization lacking in a homeschool atmosphere any value whatsoever. It's more accurately called a youth culture and unfortunately leads to an emphasis on television rather than good literature as is mentioned later in the article.

Please correct me if you think I am wrong. I know this topic really stirs a lot of passions.

Nancy's A** Kiss

I think this article was highly censored. The original talked about Nancy Pelosi falling "off her ass", i.e., her donkey, somewhat like St. Paul did 2K years ago. But it's funny anyway.

TWO THOUSAND years ago on the road to Damascus, Saul of Tarsus was struck blind, fell off his donkey, heard the voice of the Lord and became St. Paul.

This week on the road to Damascus, riding on the Democratic donkey, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was struck blind by a prideful ambition - the ambition to conduct a foreign policy for the United States toward the terrorist nation of Syria separate from the one conducted by the president.

On the road to Damascus, St. Paul became one of the revolutionary figures of world civilization.

Nancy Pelosi - not so much.

Sonnet to Our Lord on the Cross

I believe this was translated from a Spanish work; the prayer book I found it in gives no author. I'm no poetry expert anymore than I am a poultry expert, but I think this is a beautiful poem for Holy Week, simple and unpretentious.

I am not moved to love you, O my God,
That I might hope in promised Heaven to dwell;
Nor am I moved by fear of pain in Hell
To turn from sin and follow where you trod.
You move me, Lord, broken beneath the rod,
Or stretched out on the cross, as nails compel
Your had to twitch. It moves me that we sell,
To mockery and death, your precious blood.
It is, O Christ, your love which moves me so,
That my love rests not on a promised prize;
Nor holy fear on threat of endless woe;
It is not milk and honey, but the flow of blood
From blessed wounds before my eyes, that
Waters my buried soul and makes it grow.
(Manual of Prayers, p. 178)

Bad Guys Killed and Captured

It's bad news whenever we lose troops in Iraq. But it's good news whenever we kill terrorists. We need a better, more publicized body count of bad guys, IMHO.

The raids were part of the ongoing enormous effort by U.S. and Iraqi security forces to break the backs of the various armed groups warring in Iraq. The Iraqi government cited the success of that operation yesterday in announcing that the nightly curfew will be pushed back by two hours.

HT Laura Ingraham.

Personnel Advice to Jesus

You all might have seen this before. An imaginary management consulting team advises Our Lord on the potential, or lack thereof, for management and leadership possessed by each of his Apostles.

Simon Peter is emotionally unstable and given to fits of temper. Andrew has absolutely no qualities of leadership. The two brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, place personal interest above company loyalty. Thomas demonstrates a questioning attitude that would tend to undermine morale. We feel that it is our duty to tell you that Matthew had been blacklisted by the Greater Jerusalem Better Business Bureau; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus definitely have radical leanings, and they both registered a high score on the manic-depressive scale.

It's worth a read even if you know or can guess the conclusion.

Comics Beat Stocks

Here's one for Bubba. Turns out that vintage comic books are, well they were, a good investment. One reason is that a comic book kept in good shape is rare considering most adolescent male consumers beat the crap out of them.

Old comic books have been among the best-performing collectibles, whipping coins, antiques, and violins. Analyzing prospects for supply and demand, Kevin Hassett asks whether the future for superheroes will be as fantastic as the past.

Sanity on the Global Warming "Debate"

...from Walter Williams, natch. Required reading. Dr. Williams remains one cool-headed smart-guy regardless of the current temperature of the Earth.

You can watch the entire "Great Global Warming Swindle" video here on YouTube.com. It's 75 minutes long; I'll probably check it out after 24.

Said Richard Lindzen, professor of Atmospheric Science at MIT: "Scientists who dissent from the alarmism have seen their funds disappear, their work derided, and themselves labeled as industry stooges."

Said Nigel Calder, a former editor of New Scientist: "Governments are trying to achieve unanimity by stifling any scientist who disagrees. Einstein could not have got funding under the present system."

LOL. So it's a Galileo déjà vu without the mean ol' Catlick church to blame.

Barone Scenarios for '08

I like to read Michael Barone pieces like this one for a number of reasons. First, they're really short. Secondly, they're interesting whether or not you come away feeling enlightened. I think it's because the dude knows his history, American and that of elsewhere as he demonstrates in these analyses and predictions. Thirdly, I'm sick of all the messengers of doom on the conservative side ripping up their tickets when the race has barely started. Barone bats up the middle and is about as balanced as he is smart.