Some things I think I should think more about.....

Fundamentalists.

These folks are absolutely sure that they and they alone know the right way to act/profess faith/live in a religious sense.  Most religions have them and they seem to share the same traits.  For example, they adhere (like superglue) to the exact writings of the holy writings of their religion.  To the letter, in fact, to each jot and tittle (dot and cross) of the lettering.  Fundamentalists are also very adamant that if one does not follow their brand of said religion, then the individual is not a follower but either fallen/heretic/corrupted.  Often fundamentalists believe in segregating their people and enforcing strict rules on women, children, dress and education.

I suppose, being a woman, I tend to look at fundamentalism as a "not for me" simply because I cannot live within the constrictions of being a what amounts to a non-person.  Believing that God created me in His image, I find it hard to believe that human men can define that image for me.  Man's problems with keeping his attention from wandering to lust is not, in my opinion, reason for me to swaddle up.  I will admit that I do not flaunt it.  (Frankly, I don't have it to flaunt.)  Due to some mobility issues, I prefer slacks to dresses, for example.  My hair is unruly so I wear it short most of the time. (A brief time of letting it grow from spring into summer reminded me just why it was that I kept it short.)  Anyone who knows me knows that I am not only opinionated, I am pretty free with expressing those opinions.  Standing in the background keeping silent is not my style.  God has led me to use my education and my ability to speak in front of groups to occasionally deliver sermons when asked. Most of these things about me tend to annoy fundamentalists of the Christian faith. I'm pretty sure they would also annoy fundamentalists of other faiths as well.

It's becoming apparent that history is pushing fundamentalists of various types into conflict with one another.  This past week's Time Magazine included an article on the ultra-conservative Jews who are, in the words of the article, taking over Jerusalem one neighborhood at a time.  These individuals are buying out/driving out more moderate Jews and establishing neighborhood enclaves of very strict religious lives.  Their influence is extending to advertising in the city, where women are no longer appearing on billboard and flyers and where women must ride in the back of the bus. They have not endeared themselves to their neighbors by creating "zones" which mark their area and they mark with putting stakes and wires up on private property.  The younger adherents are more militant than their elders, pushing and provoking their neighbors and flat out telling them to move away.

There has been much said about Muslim Sharia Law and how it is a threat to other's ways of life.  Sharia Law firmly places women in a second class and devises all types of harassment (all based on the Koran, they say) to keep women in that place.  We are horrified at honor killings, and yet they persist.  Not too long ago, a woman was executed for adultery, but I'm pretty sure she did not commit adultery all by herself.  Where was the punishment for the man?  Sharia Law is intended to keep believers on a narrow path and women in a small place.

What do you think will happen when that narrow path leads both groups to Jerusalem?  Both share some hallmarks but both believe only themselves to be the right way to live.

Christian fundamentalists share some of those hallmarks as well.  Defining dress, limiting education, defining communities are all parts of this way of life. 

In the USA, we believe in freedom of/from religion.  So far, the Constitution has held.  But I have to wonder....will it always?

Lightning fascinates me.

There is nothing that is quite so beautiful as those powerful flashes in the sky.  Like most people, however, I thought I had a healthy attitude toward lightning.  About a month or so ago, our family and friends were at the beach, enjoying our vacation.  During one of the evenings there, a storm came up from the west.  About ten of us were standing on a third floor balcony when suddenly, one of the young ladies pointed out to us that our hair had begun to stand on end.  We laughed and took photographs and when the rain began, we moved indoors.

Today, I was watching a documentary about scientists who study lightning.  As they explained their findings, one pointed out that while we always think of lightning coming just downward, sometimes items on the ground will send up "positive leaders", attractors to help lightning to create a connection.  The commentator went on to say that humans sometimes also act as positive leaders and should you find yourself in a situation where your hair begins to stand on end, your body is acting as a positive leader and to move to safety.

Just reading that made my hair rise.

Apparently we were joking when we were in grave danger.  It's sobering to think of that.

I guess now that we know, we'll have to be more careful next time.

The right is heaving it's collective bosom over a court action in the state of Ohio that seeks to overturn Ohio's legislation which gives military members and their families an additional three days to get their votes in.  It's unfair to the military who serve us 24/7 and who should be given special rights!  say the self proclaimed patriots and defenders of the Constitution.  It's Obama stealing the elections, is another cry.

Maybe.

Maybe not.

You see, there is this pesky little part of the Constitution called the equal protection clause.  Legal experts at the Cornell legal site Legal Information Institute define violating the equal protection clause in this manner:  In other words, the laws of a state must treat an individual in the same manner as others in similar conditions and circumstances.

  And in further explanation:  Generally, the question of whether the equal protection clause has been violated arises when a state grants a particular class of individuals the right to engage in an activity yet denies other individuals the same right. There is no clear rule for deciding when a classification is unconstitutional. The Supreme Court has dictated the application of different tests depending on the type of classification and its effect on fundamental rights. Traditionally, the Court finds a state classification constitutional if it has "a rational basis" to a "legitimate state purpose." The Supreme Court, however, has applied more stringent analysis in certain cases. It will "strictly scrutinize" a distinction when it embodies a "suspect classification." In order for a classification to be subject to strict scrutiny, it must be shown that the state law or its administration is meant to discriminate.

The Democratic National Convention, the Obama for America Campaign and the Ohio Democratic Party have sued in Ohio court to overturn this legislation, saying that it violates the equal protection clause.  To hear the heaving right-wingers, this is the only group offended.  Not true.  The Justice Department's division of Civil Rights is also suing.  Of course, the spin here is that the Justice Department is suing because the head of the department was appointed by Obama, therefore it's just another conspiracy to keep the Republican vote suppressed.

I'll pause here so you can go bang your head.

What the Breitbart, Foxnews, Rightwing News, etc sites are not mentioning is that Ohio, who had early voting opportunities up to 35 days prior to an election, changed that law to a mere 3 days before an election, a move that greatly diminished the voting ability of groups who leaned heavily toward the Democrats, such as college students.

Ah yes, that pesky balance thing again.

As this election nears, look for more and more side-winding attempts to discourage voting by various groups against other groups, always in the name of protecting the vote from fraud.  One thing I'm noticing in almost every site I go to is a banner ad proclaiming that Tom Corbett (the idiot who is PA's governor) is trying to steal the vote and turn it against Obama.  Sign the petition!  Send money!  Tell the bums what you really think!

You know what I think?  Do you really want to know?

I want to know the following: 1. Romney's tax returns for the past 10 years.  If your dad could do it, why can't you?

                                           2. Obama to once and for all to speak a clear sentence and leave out the ums, ahs, and insufficient information.

                                            3. Fox News to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  Or shut up.

                                           CBS, NBC, CNN, ABC, et al to do the same.

                                           4. Political spinners to be shut up until the day after the election.

                                          5. There to be three head to head debates on the following:  first, The rebuilding of the economy, second, the military and foreign policy and the third on social issues such as education, health-care REFORM, and the budget.

                                           6. I want robocalling to cease immediately.

                                           7.  I want each side to have a 50 million dollar budget.  They decide how to spend it but they get no more and no less.

                                           Every other group to stay out of it.  No back stage George Soros or Koch Brothers, no corporations, no unions, etc.

                                          8.  Every person to have equal access to an electronic, paper or other type of secure ballot.

                                          9. The Tea Party to actually READ the Constitution that they wave around.  All of it.  Not just the paraphrased parts.

It's time to stop the breast heaving and finger pointing folks.  Neither side is totally right and neither side is totally wrong.  The only wrong thing in our government right now is that the Congress refuses to do it's job.

But that's a whole 'nuther post.

So, here I sit, looking at the calendar and at my to-do list and realizing that there is no way the two will ever meet.

One of the things I have discovered about myself is that I am great at making to-do lists and very bad and executing them.  Well, so long as you do not count crumbling them up and pitching them into the wastebasket as "executing" them.

Being an educator means that planning tools are a major part of your work life.  We begin each year with the district calendar (which tells us how to plot and plan our major work around scheduled holidays), our building calendar (which lets us know further interruptions due to testing schedules, etc) and then we are charged with creating planning tools for our classrooms (which let our students know what is coming, students and parents know when things are due, and, in some instances, places our planning in public sites for the public to see how we are working).  So when it comes to planning, we educators have all the tools and lots of practice using them.

And then there's the ambition issue.

I'm going to use some Olympic sports as examples here.

First of all, there are the individual sports.  We educators are gymnasts who balance everything in a small area (balance beam), make daring leaps to get everything done (floor exercise), satisfy the administration while entertaining/educating the students (uneven bars) and then sometimes jump and twist to improve our skills (pommel horse).  Of course, there is a team score (standardized testing).  Any stumbles are public immediately.

Next, we need to have a pentathalon attitude-looking down the barrel of data to see the target and adjust accordingly (the pistol shooting part), thrusting and parrying with students to achieve learning (the fencing part), working within a system of copy machines that fail, snow days, and fire drills (the swimming upstream part), the performances for visitors, administrators, parents, press and consultants wandering through our classrooms (the show jumping part), and the dash from day one to the last day to get it all done (the cross country run).

Often we work with our co-teachers in relays (information, student scores, etc).  Some relays are daily, others are year-long.....

Sometimes we manage to have fun (badminton, table tennis, synchronized swimming).

But all of it takes ambition.

Just like athletes train, educators do as well.  We begin with gathering all the knowledge to teach our subjects.  Then we add to that practice, practice, practice.  Then we re-examine our efforts, study our results and retrain to do even better.  We have days that are better than others.  We have days when we limp from the field wondering why we ever thought we were good at this and still other days when the imaginary gold medal is hanging from our necks.  The medal days easily cancel out the self doubt.

This is the time of year when seasoned educators look at the coming year as a challenge and as another opportunity to do great things.  The opening ceremony will be the first day of school and the closing ceremony the last day as the kids leave.  In between will be days at the training table, events that challenge our efforts and crowds who are very interested in what we are doing.  It may not be a parade of nations as much as it is a parade of subjects, but you get the idea.

Well, I've got to go.  It's time to begin putting the goals down on paper for another year.....

How annoying.  Two months of being blocked out and so much I could have commented on for your amusement.  Oh well, spilled milk and all that. Onward!

The Olympics.  Wow...spectacle is the word.  Beautiful athletes using their bodies to the maximum and showing the world how wonderful they are.  The same, however, cannot be said for NBC.  Ryan Seacrest was so necessary.  Who cares to watch the "personalities" (I refuse to call them newscasters) learn to racewalk and mug for the cameras.  They do remember who the Olympics are about, don't they?  And let's not even go to tape delay.....ok?  Let's just not go there.....

Mitt's big overseas adventures.  Somebody clue this man in, will ya?  Is there a country or culture that he hasn't managed to offend?  I suppose that is bound to happen when your family views everyone as "you people...".....

Penn State.  Oh boy.  This entire mess is almost beyond belief.  There is much consternation that PSU is being treated unfairly and the NCAA sanctions are beyond harsh.  (Note of transparency here:  I have obtained 21 PSU credits in grad work, just about enough to be considered an alumni.  Nittany Lion football has been a staple of my autumns since I was a kid.)  This isn't about the football team being punished, although to hear a lot of people, you would think it was.  Did the NCAA hammer Penn State?  Yep.  Was it because of jealousy?  Maybe.  PSU has trumpeted itself as so much better than everyone else for decades.  The mighty have fallen.  They weren't pushed, they tumbled off their vaunted pedestal because they forgot that they were not the most important thing in the universe.  The alumni and fan base are outraged and sadly, do not yet (and may never) understand that they share the blame.  It's football.  It's not your identity, it's not your reason for being on the planet, you aren't in the lineup and wearing a jersey does not make you an automatic member of the club.  Raising a statue (idol) to a living person?  Even the true heroes of battle do not earn that until they have passed on.  The culture of JoPa worship and football worship and out of control university importance is the crime here.  The victims were the most vulnerable of society-kids, kids who life had already kicked around.  Football was deemed more important.  Was it time for it to be knocked down to proper size.  Yes.  And unless lessons are learned, it will happen again....

August 1.....almost time for school.....my how the time flies.  Go eat at Chick Fil A or not.  This tempest in a teapot gives both sides ample time to fluff their feathers, cry out in moral outrage and claim intolerance on both sides.  It has nothing at all to do with making disciples for Jesus Christ.

That's enough for now....can't get you all too excited....LOL

I've just been able to get back into my space here.

For about 2 months, I have not been able to get in, although I had not changed my password and used the old information to get in now.

How.....bizarre!

I'm indulging in my favorite early spring activity.

The Raptor Resource Project has cameras on the nests of various raptors (birds of prey).  My favorite in an eagle's nest in Decorah Iowa.  Two of the three eggs hatched in the past two days and things are getting interesting in the nest!

If you are interested, the URL is www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles

I must warn you...they can be addicting to watch!

Rick Santorum several weeks ago stated that President Obama was a "snob" because he wanted all students to go on to college.

Actually, President Obama clarified his remarks February 27th at a National Governor's Association meeting by saying:

the jobs of the future are increasingly going to those with more than a high school degree. And I have to make a point here. When I speak about higher education, we’re not just talking about a four-year degree. We’re talking about somebody going to a community college and getting trained for that manufacturing job that now is requiring somebody walking through the door, handling a million-dollar piece of equipment. And they can’t go in there unless they’ve got some basic training beyond what they received in high school. We all want Americans getting those jobs of the future. So we’re going to have to make sure that they’re getting the education that they need.

People with reasonable intelligence can understand that a four year college isn't for everyone. But everyone needs some kind of training beyond high school.  Today's work world demands it.

Associate's degrees can be obtained in as little as 18 months and for some folks, that is just what they need to find a job that they can enjoy and be successful at and maybe even advance through.

Four year college degrees are still necessary for a whole lot of jobs.   People need to have the opportunity to go for these degrees and be successful.

Why does this bug me?

Maybe because I'm the product of what education can do for you.  I grew up in poverty, but my family (near and extended) supported my desire to go to college.  Without a college degree, I could not have become a teacher.  My children would have been born into poverty and I would not have been the productive member of society that I hope I have become. 

I can tell you this:  the various governments I support with my tax dollars certainly would have been a great deal poorer.

So as my children were growing up, going to college wasn't a possibility-it was an expectation.  It drove their work in high school and they both made it successfully into college  where they are both doing well.  It is my hope that their degrees will lead to gainful employment and continue the march away from poverty that started with me.

So Mr. Santorum, I guess that means that I am a snob.  Expecting great things from your kids which requires college must be the hallmark of a social climbing snob.

Pin that button on me.  I'll wear it proudly.

Geraldo Rivera has a river of stupid running out of his mouth.

His comments that Trayvon Martin's death was somehow Trayvon's fault because he wore a hoodie is beyond the pale of stupid.

Trayvon Martin was killed by an overzealous "Neighborhood Watch" member who was armed and determined to show his percieved authority.  When Zimmerman was told by the 911 operator to stay in his car and that the police did not need him to pursue the "suspect", Zimmerman made his choice to pursue.

We may never know the truth because Trayvon can't tell us and Zimmerman most likely won't.

Was there a fight?  Unless Zimmerman injured himself (and it is quite possible that he did, once he saw that he had shot an unarmed kid) there may indeed have been a fight. Who among us, if threatened, wouldn't defend ourselves?

But while I could go on and on about Zimmerman and the "I'm a big man because I have a gun" attitude he had, I'm addressing Rivera here.

Geraldo stated that it was the hoodie that Trayvon wore that led Zimmerman to think he was a thug, because "that's what you see on TV and movies, thugs and criminals and pimps wearing hoodies."

Apparently Geraldo hasn't spend much time in a high school lately.

I have.  I can tell you that 95%+ of my students wear hoodies.  Male and female, rich and not so rich, smarties, athletes, artists, musicians, and just general kids, all wear hoodies.

That doesn't make them a criminal.

It makes them blend in.  And what teenager doesn't want to blend in to a group?

Stand by my door in my school and you will see hoodies in a variety of colors with a variety of logos: high school sports teams, collegiate teams, professional teams, vanity fashion (think American Eagle, Hollister, Pink by Victoria's Secret), hoodies with Christian themes, hoodies with SyFy themes, hoodies with advertising for John Deere or International Harvester (we're kind of country around here....), hoodies with Ford or Chevy or Dodge, hoodies with skater themes, hoodies with decorative glitz and sparkle....in short, hoodies as a fashion must.  No matter how poor the student, he or she has a hoodie. And most of them wear them daily.

That does not make them a criminal.

That doesn't mean that some of them are not criminally minded.  But the vast majority of them are not.  They are just kids.

In a world that is crushing in on them from all sides, a hoodie provides warmth, comfort and sometimes, a way to block out the world--pull the hood up and the world can fade away.

Pull your hood up and no one can see you cry.

Unfortunately, friends and family of Trayvon are now crying.

But Geraldo?  I don't think it was because of a hoodie.

I think it was because a little man had a gun and felt that he had the right to push his way around with it.

I am not anti-gun.  I'm a gun owner.  I can use it if I have to.

But I don't condone chasing someone around on someone else's property and shooting them because I think they are a criminal. 

That's what makes you a criminal.  Neighborhood watch is to be just that-watch.  Zimmerman crossed the line.

And a young man wearing a hoodie is dead.

In all of this hurt, the last thing we need is a twit like Geraldo Rivera (another little man with a big.....mouth) pushing his way around.

Zip it Geraldo.  You have the right to free speech and you have the right to remain silent.  You should have chosen the latter.

This photo can be found in the "Pictures of the Week" portion of the www.msnbc.com website.

These girls are Israeli schoolgirls caught in an area where rocket fire is occurring. This area, near the Gaza strip, had been the scene of Israelis firing into Palestinian areas and the Palestinians firing rockets back.

A moment in time.

There is no doubt about where the rockets are. Every set of eyes, except for the girl whose back is turned, is trained on the area where the missiles are.

How frightening it must be to get on that bus, knowing that it is a very large and colorful target. There must have been an inward struggle in those girls--get on the bus or run.

What one must wonder is this--how many times have these girls had to make this decision? How often is their daily lives disrupted by such firepower and violence?

The driver has taken a defensive position, as an Israeli citizen of a certain age, he would have spent two years in the military. His viewpoint is no doubt quite different than those of the girls. Watchful, yes, but calculating as well.

As for the girls, what does this do to your outlook on life? Do you take each moment to be more precious or do you try to live as people in safe areas do, just living life and taking what comes?

One thing I did notice.....in this time of danger, almost all of them reached out to find comfort in making physical contact with another person.

They may have been in danger, but they were in danger together.

There's comfort in that, somehow.