I realized yesterday that I'm now 20 weeks into this pregnancy. That went fast! I've been busy (what mom of four kids isn't?).
We're still plugging away at school. I had typed up a really cool detail about how I'm organizing our studies now, but accidentally deleted it. Ugh. I really do want to share it, though, so I'll type it up again.
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"Live free or die. Death is not the worst of evils." ~ General John Stark
First, I hate his policies. He is not a conservative. The only conservative still running is Ron Paul. But that's just a start.
Then, there's the rude smirking and ridiculing laughter he exhibits toward what he views to be "lesser" opponents. More examples can be found in this radio interview with Mitt Romney. Amen, brother. Amen.
I am thoroughly embarrassed that he and I share a religion. He is a very poor example of Christian brotherly love and certainly comes off as an elitist jerk. I would never feel comfortable voting for someone who shows such disdain for his fellow competitors and the hundreds of thousands (if not more) of people that feel so passionately about restoring the Constitution.
These images are from last night's debate. You, sir, are not a gentleman. If you cannot respect others, you deserve no respect yourself.
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"Live free or die. Death is not the worst of evils." ~ General John Stark
I know that the good people of this land realize the importance of preserving the Constitution. Many express that they desire to do so, yet these same people vote directly against it by electing individuals who enact laws and policies that undermine our Constitution!
Some of these elected officials ignorantly whittle away at the Constitution because they simply do not understand the document or how to apply its underlying principles. Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney is perhaps an example of this when he said in a debate that he would have to consult his lawyers as to whether or not he could declare war.
Other elected officials knowingly violate Constitutional principles. The Constitution, at its essence, prescribes a limited Federal government. At this point, neither mainstream Republicans nor Democrats act in a way to actually implement a limited government. Both parties have expanded government and would choose to expand it further. They simply disagree on which areas to expand. Vote for McCain or Huckabee and you're voting to (unnecessarily) increase the military. Vote for Clinton or Obama and you're voting to increase (unconstitutional) entitlement programs. Some would work to increase government all around. The larger the government becomes, the less freedom we have.
I no longer identify myself with a political party. I identify with the Constitution of the United States of America! I'm a constitutionalist. I will fight forever for true freedom, real Liberty as our Founding Fathers and Mothers did before us!
They were not afraid to give up their lives to fight for freedom. Patrick Henry's fervent speech where he declares "Give me liberty or give me death!" was not a mere sound byte or talking point--he was in real danger of being killed for his beliefs!
They were not afraid of hard work or failure. Naval hero Captain John Paul Jones, while on his sinking ship, defied the enemy's demand to surrender with the declaration "I have not yet begun to fight!"
I refuse to stand idly by while those around me work to destroy the Constitution and liberty itself!
I will never give up!
I will not vote for anyone who does not uphold the Constitution!
I will not accept the "viable candidate" options presented by the media!
I will vote for freedom, liberty, and the preservation of America's Constitution!
I got the following on a homeschooling list (written by Joseph Farah) and feel it's important enough to post here. Remember that Ron Paul vocally supports homeschooling and opposes government involvement. Yay, Ron!
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I take a back seat to no one in my admiration of homeschoolers.
I am a homeschooler myself.
As I have written in my book "Taking America Back," I believe the homeschool movement is the vanguard of what could be a peaceful, social and cultural revolution that will restore morality, justice and freedom in our country.
That's why I want to issue a warning to homeschoolers today: Don't sell out to a presidential candidate too fast or too cheaply.
One of those concerns is his education policy – specifically, the role of the federal government.
You may not know it, and many homeschoolers may not know it, but Huckabee has received the endorsement of the National Education Association's New Hampshire chapter for the Republican nomination. Hillary Rodham Clinton received the group's endorsement for the Democratic nomination.
Huckabee sought the endorsement of the NEA affiliate. He was the only Republican candidate to court it in an address to the group.
Here's what he said at that time: "I'm astonished there are not more Republican candidates here. Do they not think education is important? Or are they just afraid of the NEA? I don't know."
In other words, Huckabee apparently equates education in America with the NEA. I don't know about you, but I find this kind of pandering for money and votes deeply disturbing.
Despite its name, the National Education Association does not promote good education in America. That is a fundamental mischaracterization and error. The NEA is a destructive force to real education in America. The NEA is a powerful teachers' union, which, in moments of candor, will admit it is about securing higher pay and benefits for teachers, not improving their performance and certainly not watching out for the interests of children.
It also maintains an extremist political agenda that should certainly scare away Republican candidates from seeking its endorsement.
If it were up to the NEA, there would be no homeschooling allowed in America. The group has repeatedly proposed legislation banning it except when it is conducted by accredited teachers – in other words, NEA members.
The NEA is one of the most dangerous and destructive lobbying forces in America today.
The NEA is spearheading the drive for total government control over all education. The reason it does so is because government empowers the NEA. This is a union that has special privileges no other labor guild has ever enjoyed – including nonprofit status for an organization that actively promotes, endorses and funds the candidacies of partisan political campaigns.
Besides battling homeschoolers and any other choice for parents who recognize the fundamental crises the NEA has created in our schools, the organization promotes bilingual education, homosexual, lesbian and transgendered education, environmental education, after-school care, before-school care and condom education. Reading, writing and arithmetic take a back seat or worse.
This is truly an extremist organization – one that would, if it could, change America's character in ways that would make it scarcely recognizable to freedom-loving people.
Here's my sincere and heartfelt advice to homeschoolers: Before you jump on Mike Huckabee's bandwagon, call on him to repudiate his support from the NEA. Call on him to get the federal government out of education, an institution for which there is no constitutional justification for its meddling. Call on him to challenge the NEA's radical agenda the next time he has an opportunity to address the group. Call on him to take the side of real education reform and freedom in America – not the side of the education hucksters and racketeers.
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"Live free or die. Death is not the worst of evils." ~ General John Stark
The program called NOW will be airing an episode tonight called "Ron Paul and Internet Politics".
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"Live free or die. Death is not the worst of evils." ~ General John Stark
School has been a bit sparse in the past few weeks. At the beginning of November we got the surprise news that a new baby will be joining our family in July sometime (most likely). While my morning sickness this time has be relatively mild, I haven't been up for anything much beyond reading aloud most days. We finished The Hobbit and read Casting the Gods Adrift (as recommended in The Story of the World activity book for Egypt). We're currently reading the original Winnie-the-Pooh. We're enjoying it very much and I'm delighted that Disney didn't do too bad a job in its adaptations for animation.
It seems I've traded throwing up for sudden fatigue, too. There comes a point in the afternoon when I just conk out (thankfully, that's corresponded to when my one-year-old takes her nap, too). That's why I'm writing this at almost 4 in the morning--I fell asleep at 6:30 last night!
I hoping that come January we'll get back into our groove!
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"Live free or die. Death is not the worst of evils." ~ General John Stark
I absolutely agree with the idea that we should pray for guidance with weighty decisions such as who to vote for president. Some say that people are "over thinking" the issues and they need to go with their gut and do the right thing. What troubles me is that I see many people who don't seem to be "over thinking"--they don't seem to be thinking at all! We've got a nation of sheep, ready to follow whoever says the right catch phrases. It's quite frustrating. Unfortunately, a person's understanding of "what is right" is often the result of cultural acclimation or societal norms and not necessarily based in principles of Universal Truth. Issues regarding Domestic and International policy are complex, which is why it is so very, very important to go back to the Constitution and act in the way it outlines.
Therefore, I do feel that God expects us to study things out--*really* study them before asking Him for guidance and making such important decisions.
D&C 9:8 "But, behold, I say unto you, that you must astudyitoutin your bmind; then you must cask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your dbosom shall eburn within you; therefore, you shall ffeel that it is right."
In the case of politics, I believe that it's essential for us as citizens to familiarize ourselves with the philosophical writings that the Founding Fathers read in preparation for writing the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Without understanding those philosophical underpinnings, we lack the tools needed to correctly interpret their intent and we also lack the tools to discern what current political candidates or laws are in line or out of line with Constitutional principles.
I strongly believe that it is our duty as citizens to do our part of sincerely studying the important history of our Nation's Founding so that we *can* then be led by the Spirit to choose worthy representatives in our government. I may be stepping on toes here, but I don't feel that we can or should rely solely on the Spirit because I don't believe that God can really take our request for guidance seriously if we don't take the time and effort to do some legwork on our own. He expects us to use the brains He has given us to study, make decisions, and pray for confirmation.
If a child came to me with a serious decision to be made and said "Mom, which one should I do?" I'd want that child to spend time thinking about each choice in detail before coming to me for guidance and advice. I may have a sense for which choice would be better, but if I were to simply tell the child "well, you should do Choice A" that robs my child of an opportunity for growth. I believe that God wants us to grow intellectually AND spiritually and that such growth is enhanced when done together.
As an example, reading John Locke's Second Treatise on Government was very enlightening for me because he outlines a continuum. At one extreme you have total freedom (anarchy, Natural Law, since everyone is free to act without consequences from a governing body). At the other extreme you have total security (no one is allowed to make "bad choices" because those choices are all illegal). I'm much more comfortable having more freedom in exchange for a little less security. Reading Locke helped me clarify this principle in my mind and heart.
It's of utmost importance to me that I make decisions based on principles of truth. It's often difficult to wade through an issue or a candidate to get to the heart of it, but when I put the effort into doing this I feel secure in the knowledge that I'm voting in a way that is consistent with my understanding of those principles.
While it may be that after you personally and prayerfully study the Founding Documents you come to a different conclusion as to which candidates or laws are in line with Constitutional principles, I sincerely urge you to do so. :-)
I'm seeing a slow and subtle shift that Americans are not as readily following strict party lines, which is heartening. This makes it a prime time to vote for a "non-first tier" candidate. I believe that if people really voted for the right person rather than the person they think "could win" someone like Ron Paul has a chance at winning. He's not a politician like Romney or Clinton. He's a man who stands for principles and acts in ways that prove he really believes in those principles. It's undeniably refreshing and it gives me a flicker of hope that perhaps America can recover from its sojourn in the wilderness of withering freedoms. I passionately believe that the right thing to do is to vote for more freedom in America, to return to the Constitution--a document inspired by God!
If people don't open their eyes soon enough to see where their apathy and ignorance is leading this nation as a whole I believe we are doomed. Maybe it even proves that we do not deserve to have freedom. Why should God continue to pour out His blessings if we are so ungrateful? This completely terrifies me, which is why I speak so much about it.
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"Live free or die. Death is not the worst of evils." ~ General John Stark
I found these links that give detailed differences between these two candidates. There are several very significant differences. My perception is that many Utahns are defaulting to Romney simply because he's LDS and a decent man. My great fear is that they may not be looking more closely at the issues and what impact a candidate's stance on those issues may have on our future liberties.
I sincerely hope that everyone will study the candidates carefully and choose the one you think most fervently champions the causes of freedom and liberty. In my heart I feel that America is at a crossroads. I feel that this presidential election will set the stage for what kind of "freedoms" we can expect in the future. I passionately believe Ron Paul is our best shot at preserving the freedoms that the Founding Fathers fought for. He truly is Hope for America and I urge you to vote for positive change.
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"Live free or die. Death is not the worst of evils." ~ General John Stark
“What we don't see is that freedom is not a concept in which people can do anything they want, be anything they can be. Freedom is not a concept in which people can do anything they want, be anything they can be. Freedom is about authority. Freedom is about the willingness of every single human being to cede to lawful authority a great deal of discretion about what you do.” - Rudy Giuliani
I was stunned when I first read this. Apparently, those of us who believe freedom is the ability to think and act for ourselves are delusional. According to Giuliani, freedom is doing what Big Brother tells us to do. Giuliani is an authoritarian who would seem to be at home in the role of a paternalistic dictator.
If this is where the Good Ship America is headed, where do I get off the boat? We're sorely in the need of a course correction.
Vote Ron Paul!
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"Live free or die. Death is not the worst of evils." ~ General John Stark
Already, I can hear the chorus chanting "Isolationism, isolationism, he's turning back the clock to isolationism." How many use that word without having the slightest idea of what it really means! The so-called isolationism of the United States in past decades is a pure myth. What isolationism? Long before the current trend of revoking our Declaration of Independence under the guise of international cooperation, American influence and trade was felt in every region of the globe. Individuals and private groups spread knowledge, business, prosperity, religion, good will and, above all, respect throughout every foreign continent. It was not necessary then for America to give up her independence to have contact and influence with other countries. It is not necessary now. Yet, many Americans have been led to believe that our country is so strong that it can defend, feed and subsidize half the world, while at the same time believing that we are so weak and "inter-dependent" that we cannot survive without pooling our resources and sovereignty with those we subsidize. If wanting no part of this kind of "logic" is isolationism, then it is time we brought it back into vogue.
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"Live free or die. Death is not the worst of evils." ~ General John Stark
There is a pervasive culture here that causes people to cling blindly to the status quo. I call it the Culture of Conformity. It is both baffling and disturbing as well as unendingly frustrating. I'm disappointed by the lack of intelligence and foresight that went into the casting of ballot's in yesterday's election and am left thinking that my fellow citizens are woefully ignorant regarding what liberty really is.
I love this quote by former Secretary of Agriculture Ezra Taft Benson from his wonderful article "The Proper Role of Government":
This means, then, that the proper function of government is limited only to those spheres of activity within which the individual citizen has the right to act. By deriving its just powers from the governed, government becomes primarily a mechanism for defense against bodily harm, theft and involuntary servitude. It cannot claim the power to redistribute the wealth or force reluctant citizens to perform acts of charity against their will. Government is created by man. No man possesses such power to delegate. The creature cannot exceed the creator.
Liberty is not the ability to "reallocate" someone else's private property (and money) for your own personal gains. Also from Benson's article:
Suppose pioneer “A” wants another horse for his wagon, He doesn’t have the money to buy one, but since pioneer “B” has an extra horse, he decides that he is entitled to share in his neighbor’s good fortune, Is he entitled to take his neighbor’s horse? Obviously not! If his neighbor wishes to give it or lend it, that is another question. But so long as pioneer “B” wishes to keep his property, pioneer "A" has no just claim to it.
If “A” has no proper power to take “B’s” property, can he delegate any such power to the sheriff? No. Even if everyone in the community desires that “B” give his extra horse to “A”, they have no right individually or collectively to force him to do it. They cannot delegate a power they themselves do not have. This important principle was clearly understood and explained by John Locke nearly 300 years ago:
“For nobody can transfer to another more power than he has in himself, and nobody has an absolute arbitrary power over himself, or over any other, to destroy his own life, or take away the life or property of another.” (Two Treatises of Civil Government, II, 135; P.P.N.S. p. 93)
I sincerely, imploringly wish that my fellow citizens would internalize the above principles.
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"Live free or die. Death is not the worst of evils." ~ General John Stark
Imagine what it would be like if one of the Founding Fathers magically came back in our time. That's what Ron Paul is like. He stands for what the Founding Fathers stood for. He's one of the only candidates from either main party that will not take money from special interest groups. It's refreshing and gives me hope. None of the other candidates (Romney, Giuliani, etc.) are as knowledgeable about the Constitution as Ron Paul is. In one of the debates Romney said he'd consult with his lawyers in order to figure out if he could declare war. Ron Paul (who very rarely makes any kind of attack on another candidate) exasperatedly pointed out that only Congress can declare war and if Romney were familiar with the Constitution Romney would know that. None of them are as passionate about protecting our personal sovereignty and freedom as Ron Paul is. If you love liberty, you will find hope in Ron Paul's message.
I think the best way to understand who Ron Paul is and what he stands for is to watch some of the many videos online or to look through his website.
Truly I feel Ron Paul is the only mainstream party candidate that holds to the Constitution. I urge you all to take a close look at him and consider voting for him in the primaries. I really believe he is what American needs. I had the pleasure of hearing him speak when he came to town last month and have never been inspired by any political candidate the way I have been by Ron Paul. I don't agree with him on everything, but if I have to compromise he's an excellent choice.
Here's a re-cap illustrating how the mainstream media is doing what they can to bury Ron Paul's message.
New Hampshire Republican Debate September 5th, 2007
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"Live free or die. Death is not the worst of evils." ~ General John Stark
There's a lot of political history between OB/GYNs and midwives. About a hundred years ago OB/GYNs began a witch hunt in earnest to eradicate midwifery and move births into a hospital setting. Midwifery is still illegal in many states today, which is absolutely outrageous. The government has no business deciding where, how, and with whom I give birth. That's up to me to decide. For myself, I choose safe, evidence-based care and give birth at home with a midwife.
Given the political tensions between midwifery and OB/GYNs I was hesitant to endorse Ron Paul. His stance on personal liberty led me to believe that he wouldn't be one of those power-hungry OBs out to crush midwifery as an option.
The following links ease my misgivings:
"Indeed, though an OB-GYN, Ron has long defended midwives against legal discrimination."
Bitty (1) was nursing while I watched this clip but she popped off to watch it, too. She smiled pretty big. I think it's very cute. It would be nice to see these images with greater frequency today!
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"Live free or die. Death is not the worst of evils." ~ General John Stark
All History: I read Chapter 2 from Story of the World Volume 1 about the ancient Egyptians. Dodger completed a narration page. We've studied various things about Egypt in the past year. The girls really enjoy it.
Other: Maybe this falls under Science. The girls watched an episode of How It's Made. They learned about mustard, bolts, toilet paper, and violins. They colored narration pages about what they learned. Song drew about the mustard, which is mostly blobs of yellow color. They especially liked seeing how violins are made.
Literature (Recreational): We read some more from The Hobbit.
Dodger (7) Memory Work: Dodger can recite the First Article of Faith from memory.
Life Skills: Dodger wanted to learn how to do laundry so I had her bring her clothes to the laundry room and showed her how to add the detergent and turn on the machine. Later she moved the clean, wet clothes to the dryer. When they were dry I showed her how to fold the clothes and instructed her to put them away. The novelty was lost by that point and she wanted me to do it instead, but I convinced her that this was a useful skill.
Song (5) Language Arts (Reading):Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
Song requests working out of this book from time to time. We did lesson 20 and about half of 21 before she lost interest. Her letter recognition is coming along and she can sound out words in very simple, phonetically controlled readers.
Tuesday
All Literature (History):We read more from the library book, It's Disgusting and We Ate It.
Science:We went to our local homeschool group. We received a biology lesson on plant cells, photosynthesis, and why trees lose their leaves in the autumn. Before coming to the group each family collected autumn leaves to use for our craft. The kids painted the leaves and then used them as stamps, leaving prints of the fall leaves all over their papers. Wednesday All Literature (History): We read a two library books.
One Small Blue Bead (recommended in the SOTW Activity Guide). This was the story of an ancient human boy who wondered if there were other tribes of humans in the world.
The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen I'll admit that I teared up when I read this heartbreaking tale. Disney did quite a number on this story--there are only a few similarities between the Mickeyed-up movie and the original version.
Literature (Recreational): We read some more from The Hobbit.
Thursday All Literature (History): We finished It's Disgusting and We Ate It. We made the recipe for Banana Chocolate Honey Ice Cream. It was yummy.
Other: I baby-sat my four nieces and nephews who were off from school. Dodger went to play at a friend's house in the afternoon.
Dodger (7) Language Arts (Reading): Dodger read most of lesson 8 from I Can Read It, Book 1.
Friday All Literature (Recreational): We read some more from The Hobbit.
Dodger (7) Language Arts (Reading): Dodger finished I Can Read It, Book 1.
Language Arts (Spelling): Dodger worked on the spelling list I gave her a couple of weeks ago. She did the word search I'd created and some copy work. She felt ready so she sat for a spelling test. I said a word and she wrote it on her paper. She spelled all 10 words correctly but reversed several letters so she got an 18/20. She's insisting that I assign her point values for various assignments that she completes and she wants a report card at the end of the year. I guess public school customs are so prevalent in our culture that they're impossible to avoid.
Language Arts (Handwriting): Dodger spent the afternoon filling up a notebook with letters, numbers, words, and sentences while listening to a book on CD.
Math:Dodger worked more on adding doubles plus one (MathUSee Alpha 14C). She got 10/12 problems correct. The equation 8+9 = ? appeared twice and both times she put the answer (incorrectly) as 19. When I asked her later she knew the answer was 17 so I think she was maybe just working too quickly.
Song (5) Language Arts (Reading): Song worked on Explode the Code B p. 68-75. She's almost done with the workbook.
Language Arts (Handwriting): Handwriting without Tears, Letters and Numbers for Me p. 14-18 (Capitals L, U, V, W, X, and Y). Song works very carefully. Math: MathUSee Primer 11E, got all 6 problems correct.
Literature (Recreational): I read the second Tiara Club book to her. I read The Cat in the Hat to Song and Sparkle (3).
Literature (History): We read a library book together, How to Be an Egyptian Princess. We read "Clothes for the Job" and "The Working Day". Song is obsessed with all things princess and I knew she would enjoy this book. She liked the illustrations of the clothes and make-up.
About Me
I've made a little more progress on my goal to read through the Bible cover-to-cover. I've also been reading The Well-Educated Mind (see my review) in preparation for launching my scholar phase (see my review onA Thomas Jefferson Education).
__ "Live free or die. Death is not the worst of evils." ~ General John Stark
Take this quiz!
No surprise that Ron Paul ranks highly for me. I disagree with him on some things, mainly the whole "protect the borders" issue. I believe that we should trade labor the same way we trade goods and that a global free market is ideal.
If we didn't fund social programs (Welfare, Medicaid/Medicare, Social Security, public schools, etc.) the illegal immigrant issue wouldn't be nearly as expensive a problem it is now.
I definitely don't think it's any kind of solution to waste billions of dollars building a fence that would take a $20 pair of metal clippers to break through.
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"Live free or die. Death is not the worst of evils." ~ General John Stark
They especially liked seeing how violins are made.
