A break from politics

I know I'm not the only one who hears the phrase "what about socialization?" when it comes to homeschooling. Here's a little laugh from "Thou Shalt Laugh 2." (The show features clean comedy, which is a nice twist!)

Something to think about...

I came across this entry last night from an amazing woman, and asked if I could share it. I have it here in its entirety for your reading enjoyment (the bold statements are what I find especially important and/or thought provoking). Thanks Donna!

"I vote in caucus, primaries, and general elections etc. I do not vote in election media polls, on the phone, in the mail, through email, or on the street. My ballot is a private one and I feel media pols are a mockery of the election process. They encourage people to rely on the consensus of others rather than think for themselves. They also lead people to be less responsible citizens. Some people who are polled lie about who they’ll vote for. Others look at the polls and see that their candidate is doing well, then they fail to vote, thinking the other majority of those polled will do their work.

All Americans have access to mandatory 13 years of eight hours a day, 180+ days a year of school at the expense of the government, which is taken out of our taxes and taxed on businesses who pass this on in higher prices. You would think that in that gross amount of seat-time children could be taught our American process of selecting representatives. Somehow the important things like how to read, write, calculate, know world geography, understand the history of world governments, and the duties of citizenship, get bypassed for the more racy stuff like how to put a condom on a banana, someone has two mommies, some prince was married in a royal wedding to some other prince, and pseudo-science. We pay dearly for this as citizens. So we have paid a high price for this Emperor and His New clothes.

The NEA want carte blanche. They do not want parents/clients tampering with their pedagogical agenda. They are in desperate need of oversight and accountability to those they serve. I am not talking of standardized multiple guess tests. I am talking about rethinking the purposes of public offered education. In the financial times we are entering, we need to make sure that education is not being hijacked and watered down by every social agenda. We are cheating the children if we do not prepare them with basic knowledge that will prepare them for the responsibilities of adult life. We have to stop every special interest group from using school as a Trojan Horse to get their agenda planted in children’s minds. We have to stop using our educational dollars on educational fads. There is no excuse for low literacy and numeracy, and no excuse for not understanding our form of government. When children are properly prepared for adult life, are reared to have a good work ethic,
and understand the freedoms they enjoy, they will better prepared to keep them.

Some insane voting conversations:

Case 1.
I had a family member who prided herself on having voted for the winner in every election since she had reached her majority. We discussed what our voting responsibilities are,” Doctrine and Covenants 98:8 I, the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed; and the law also maketh you free.
9 Nevertheless, when the wicked rule the people mourn.
10 Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil.”
Our responsibility is not to just seek out the winner or the person we feel has the best chance to win. Nor is it to vote for the lesser of to evils. I am always intrigued by those who call voting for the unpopular by better candidate as throwing your vote away. When we do what God commands us to, His hands are bound. When we do not, we have no promise. We simply do not live up to our privileges.

Well, after our talk, she did not vote for the guy she thought would win. Funny, the one she voted for did win after all.

Case 2.
I was in the check out at Walmart. There was an unshaven guy with huge tattoos and wearing a tank top, in line behind me. All of the sudden he mentioned that if “they” would let him vote he would vote for Obama. OK, from what he said and by his appearance I surmised that he must be one of those men who had broken the law, and by the fact he was right there, he had done his time, but was disenfranchised as a voter the rest of his life. So, I asked him, “why?” Then he told me because it would be historic and he would be part of history! Of all the lame reasoning for voting for someone.
Every president is historical and deals with new challenges. In times like these our choice needs to based on sound principles, not on ridiculous reasons like being part of history.

Case 3.
When JFK became president I was in Kindergarten. I have heard that some people voted on him because he was young, others because he was good looking, others because he was a war hero, and others because of a beautiful wife. Again, how do any of those things qualify you to run a country?

I believe that we have this wonderful gift called freedom. We need to pray to understand just what that means. Then we need to do the work to keep it. Voting in a General election is only a fraction of what it takes. I believe that the gift of freedom is God given. I also believe that we will be held accountable for how we use this gift of voting and other freedoms."

The presdiential candidates and the military

My friend Kate brings up a good point (thanks Kate!) Would either candidate be better for the military? Tragically, while I have my reservations, I think that McCain wins this one too.

Nathan's been in the Air Force for 7 years now. Currently the AF is putting him through school to be an officer, and because of that we have 5 years to "pay off," which for all intents and purposes means that we are "lifers" or "married to the military." As such, I have an invested interest in job security and finances associated with the military profession. So, that being said, here are my thoughts on the matter:

The fact that Obama wants to bring the troops home is okay by me. I think for myself and most of the military spouse community, we actually don't like our other halves being deployed on a regular basis. Especially when we don't know exactly when they are coming home and there's a good possibility that they'll be shot at while there. Not fun. I don't know what the implications of a pull out will mean. I don't know that a time line is necessarily the best option. Unfortunately, I don't see how anyone can foresee the implications of doing so. Iraq may fall apart, we may get attacked for pulling out, I just don't know... I DO know that if we do pull out that the lives lost in Iraq have not been in vein. The soldiers who gave their lives did so while fulfilling the wishes of their Commander and Chief. I also know that we can't be the stewards of every nation. Of course I think we should do what we can to protect ourselves (I won't go so far as to say preempt everything, but we should protect our nation and our liberties... which are actually being destroyed by our own government.. ironic, okay, okay... that's a subject for a different day), and others, but we can't go guns blazing into a territory not ready to accept and sustain democracy. I think it's a great way of life, but they are used to living under dictatorships (I got this realization from a friend who has ties to Lebanon).

Anyway! So, I appreciate Obama's plan for this war, I think. HOWEVER, he laid out some specifics for his health care plan, and that WOULD NOT be good for the military. We have pretty rockin' health care. Honestly, I'd say health care is one of the top 3 reasons why we stick with the military. Can you imagine what'll happen to it if EVERYONE can by into the government insurance plan? If we end up embracing a type of universal health care, health care declines for everyone. Doctors lose their compensation, and as we've seen in other countries, that doesn't work out so well. So, if you like TriCare, then you don't like Obama.

The other thing he talked about was cutting useless spending in the military. So, he's not going so far as to say that he's cutting our budget, but I think this is probably his PC way of doing so. I'm sorry, but any organization that has a use or lose budget is going to "abuse the system," and quite honestly, it's out of necessity. Just like I have to use every penny of my church funds so I can get them again next year, the military doesn't get a pat on the back for being frugal. In order to have funds for the next quarter they literally have to blow their money on anything they can think of because they next quarter something may come up that would require their full budget, and they'd have less if they didn't use every penny allocated to them previously. The person who installs incentives for saving money will be the one who can better control the cash.

McCain makes me a little nervous. Like you've noticed, I'm not his biggest cheerleader, but I'm finding him to be the lesser of two evils. Due to his Vietnam experiences I'm both skeptical and encouraged. I wonder if he'll be able to accept "a loss" in Iraq. I don't know if he'll be able to walk away from the situation and be able to stay out of things if another bad reigme takes over once we leave. Will he be able to pull us completely out, or will we have Korea all over again for decades to come?

My hope is that between the two of them, McCain and Palin, that they'll be able to make the right choice for our nation. I'm all about learning from the past, but I don't think that this situation has a pretty ending since we didn't learn from Vietnam in the first place. So, hopefully they can handle that.

Where I think we're safer with him lies in the fact that he does have an invested interest in the military, and so does his running mate. Neither Palin or McCain will hurt the military, I'm almost positive of that. Historically, we've seen the Republican party grow the military, and the Democratic party shrink it... that's just one of those party line things that is expected. However, the Republicans this time around are personally involved with how the military is treated. While Obama is proud of his grandparents who helped in previous wars... even though his pride couldn't actually help him remember what campaign they served in... he doesn't have ties to things personally. McCain will want us to have a good life, and good retirements since he personally knows the sacrifice, and Palin has a son who's currently serving and isn't going to want to take away from him.

So, the two second recap:

Obama's Pros:
-He'll pull us out of Iraq (theoretically anyway)

Obama's Cons:
-His health care plan will destroy the benefits we have and flood the system giving sub-par care and longer wait times for procedures.
-His ideas to cut useless military spending is just another way of saying he's going to cut funding across the board.
-He doesn't have personal experience with the military, and thus is more likely to make decisions that will have an adverse effect on us, simply because he doesn't understand what the implications to our families will be.
-Has so many programs that he wants to install that are going to need MAJOR funding, and will probably use them as an excuse to pull more of our "useless" money. (Which kills me, the DOD has a school system too! We have kids that need money, I don't see how we're not an entity that needs funding.)

McCain's Cons:
-His experiences in Vietnam may prevent him from making unbiased decisions about our current, and possibly future, war situations.

McCain's Pros:
-He understands the military and the sacrifices we make (pay included).
-He won't try to pull our funding.
-The military flourishes under republican presidents.

So, these are my observations. You can take them or leave them like everything else I rant about, but as a military wife, I'm going to have to take my chances with McCain.

I can't believe I'm saying this...

Despite my feelings about McCain's campaign thus far, I think he's finally got me. I absolutely HATE his nit-picky nature, really, he turns me off when he opens his mouth (I mentioned to Nathan that I wished the ideas coming from McCain came out of Obama's mouth) What can you do?
When it comes right down to it the typical party stances came out tonight... Obama-big government, McCain-smaller government. The amount of money that needs to be used to implement the programs that both candidates are talking about it ridiculous, however, Obama's idea of government is so huge it's suffocating. I'm a little more confident in McCain's plans because of Sarah Palin. She stated in the VP debate that she cut the government of Alaska, and we all KNOW that would be a good thing on the federal level. The idea of universal health care wouldn't fly under McCain/Palin, and that's good. I think everyone deserves health care, but neither candidate really has a plan that works. We'll see where that goes.
What really pushed me over was talk about schools. Obama's plan is scary! I agree that college is important, but I think that Obama puts too much focus on it. I know it's not unusual to hear me say how poor I think public schools are, but his plan will make them worse. I don't think throwing money at them is going to make them better, and least we forget WHERE THE MONEY COMES FROM. That would come from you and me, and that would make us less able to send our kids to college. I don't know, it's pretty silly. Additionally, it takes parents rights away yet again. Government should not have this big of a role in our lives. We need to make the choice to stand up for our lives and our kids. We should have the choice of which schools our children go to. There should be competition that breeds better schools, not diffuse it... that creates lack standards. What good is school if you aren't motivated to be there? What good is a college education that doesn't have to be worked for?

Anyway, like I said, when it comes right down to it these candidates are saying nothing different then what makes a republican a republican and a democrat a democrat. While I don't specifically align myself with anyone, I do hold strongly to the notion that government is not supposed to dictate to us what is to be done.

"We the people....." THIS NATION WAS FOUNDED BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE. (Doesn't anyone remember the phrase "Give me liberty or give me death.") GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT BE GIVING MANDATES AND TAKING LARGE AMOUNTS OF TAX DOLLARS TO RUN GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS.

An interesting read for you would be "That which is seen and that which is not seen" by Frederic Bastiat. It's just a 40 page essay that you can find online or in book form with other essays. He talks about how some things look good at first glance, but gives you an idea of how things really are "things which are not seen." I have really enjoyed reading this essay because it gives me a broader perspective when I look at opportunities from within my home on out to the government. While we tend to think that eradicating certain positions (my mind thinks of all the bureaucracy nonsense we have in America), we think narrowly that we'd be putting these people out of jobs, so what then? He gives perspective on issues like this that are worth more then gold. He has a funny thought for you at the beginning of the piece that says something to the effect of "if it looks good, in the long run it probably isn't, and if it looks bad, in the long run it'll probably be good." Obviously he knows that this isn't always the case since he uses the word "probably," but it does give you something to think about.

Happy electing! Nov. 4th is just around the corner. I guess I'll be sending my ballot back in the next couple days. I'm not particularly thrilled about either candidate, but I can agree with "the Federalist" side of McCain. States need to decide for themselves. I also see some Libertarian tendencies in him... and that's okay with me too. Bob Barr would really have been my first choice, but now that I'm on a mission for anybody but Obama, you can tell where my vote goes.

McCain/Palin 2008. Let's elect them and then make sure we PRAY A LOT that they make the right decisions for our country.

One more vote for Prop 8!

I just had a big "light bulb" moment. I've been semi-passive about Prop 8 because it's happening in California, so what could I do? Yah, HELLO! I AM a California resident and registered voter. I don't know why I didn't think about it before. I just got my things for the primary election in the mail and was pretty excited about that, but didn't think twice about my vote on issues directly pertaining to the state.
My dad is working hard as Bishop of his ward to spread the word to vote "Yes on Prop. 8." I'm just glad I can help be one more vote towards his efforts.
Family is the best! Union between a man and a woman is ordained of God, and as such, is a sacred relationship that creates life. It is NOT okay to promote gay marriage. We do not hate gay people or think bad of them, but we cannot condone their actions. Legalizing gay marriage would be saying that a union of a man and a man, or a woman and a woman is okay... it is not okay, and our children do not need to grow up thinking that it is.

Yes on Prop 8!

Parental rights anyone?

You know, one of the first things that got Nathan and I discussing homeschooling when I was pregnant with Noah was this very topic: parental rights. We were living in Northern California at the time, and resided 6 doors up from a family of 8 who homeschooled. I learned so much from them! One issue that was brought up was about what the schools are allowed to teach children. The mother was part of a group who was trying to help parents be notified when it came to teaching children about "diversity." Her children attended high school, so she had invested interest in the subject.
Apparently there was a video being shown in classrooms about accepting diversity. Of course most people want their kids to be tolerant and kind to all lifestyles, but this show was teaching that homosexuality was okay and should be embraced. When parents wanted to know what the movie was about they were directed to a website that had a full explanation of the contents. The schools were fine with this and gladly sent parents to figure out what kids were learning. However, once parents started to opt their kids out of watching this movie, the description of the show magically disappeared and parents were told it wasn't any of their business.
Like I said, this spurred our interest in homeschooling 4 years ago. Many things have happened since then in schools and school districts around the country that have further pushed us to feel like home is the best place to educate our children. We didn't hear much more about the "teaching homosexuality as acceptable" thing until last night I watched a clip on a friends blog, and our hearts just sank. We truly are seeing more calling "good, evil and evil, good." I've attached the clip here, I highly suggest you watching it. Propositions to pass same-sex marriage effects EVERYONE. Yes, the family is under attack. Satan likes it that way. What he likes more is when our kids are confused about right and wrong and our value systems decay by "something so little."

One final thing to think about. My sister told me about a teenager, good kid, good grades, who got expelled from school from refusing to take off a shirt that said "I support a man and a woman." There weren't any innapropriate graphics on it, and yet it was "offensive" and "discriminatory." Why is it that he got in trouble for that but people can wear all the apparel they want in support of homosexuality and it's okay? Are they not being discriminatory towards the union of a man and a woman. Why can't I use the discrimination card? I feel like this alternative lifestyle is attacking my right to live in a relationship that supports the creation of life.

Condo Pictures

I'm having trouble uploading pictures onto KSL for our condo, so I'm directing people here. I guess it can also let those of you who haven't seen our place to get a peek too!

The kids room. Bedroom #1. We will be replacing the carpet with a nice shag. The bead board is unfinished, so that leaves room for buyers to choose their own color scheme.

The dining room/living room. The carpet is brand new, top of the line shag with a thick padding, and the flooring is also new.

Kitchen view from living room. All appliances are stainless steel.

Entry way.

Bathroom that bedrooms #1 & 2 share. There is a storage area in here.

View from the patio door towards the front door.



**More pictures will follow tomorrow of the master bedroom, bedroom #2 and laundry area.