Well Yippie, The War on Terror is Over.

"The war on terror is over.  Now that we have killed most of al Qaida, now that people have come to see legitimate means of expression, people who once might have gone into al Qaida see an opportunity for a legitimate Islamism."  

So says a senior official of President Obama's State Department.  


I think al Qaeda has something else to say.

 

Rahm Emanuel Now in the Crosshairs - Closing of Under Performing Public Schools Raises the Hackles of Jesse Jackson

Rahm Emanuel is about to experience for himself that the racebaiters of the world don't care about your politics.  He is planning on closing 17 poorly performing public schools.  Not something that is sitting well with the likes of Jesse Jackson.

“I cannot wait another year and allow a child to be caught in a school system that, for five years running, has been on the watch list or the troubled list with no prospect of getting off of it. … Nothing to me is worse in the sense of discrimination than leaving kids in a system that, year-in-and-year-out, has been scored as failing.”

Not that you are apt to hear me say this often, but he is right.  These schools need to be closed and these kids have the right to get a better quality education.  Jackson on the other hand is calling it:

“educational apartheid,"

No, Mr. Jackson apartheid is keeping these black children in a failing school that gives them little to chance of becoming a productive adult.  It would be apartheid to keep them there.  Jackson is under the impression that just spending more money will solve the problems.  Chicago spends more money per pupil then they do for the students in the public school system where I live.  We have a 90% on time graduation rate and almost 92% rate of students going onto a post-secondary education.  The problems go beyond money.

Someone actually took the time to write down the costs associated with the low graduation rates for the city of Chicago (which is just above 50%) and the results of what it costs the community are staggering:

15% of high school dropouts were in the jail system in the year 2010-2011 overall and rise to 25% for blacks.  More than 50% of the prison population in Illinois are high school dropouts.

Nearly 48% of 18 to 64-year-old high-school dropouts in Chicago did not work even one week last year. The statewide number, 42%, is not much better and is four times higher than the figure of those with bachelor's or higher degrees.

If those numbers are not enough:

The study, based on U.S. Census data, suggests that dropouts nationally will be a net drain on the government, collecting an average of $70,850 more in benefits like food stamps in their lifetimes than they'll pay in taxes. In comparison, the typical high-school grad will make a net positive contribution of $236,060.

About 33% of dropouts will collect food stamps, twice the share of graduates, and fewer than half will own a home. And such bleak figures tend to be passed down to their children.
"Children living in families headed by high-school dropouts face a substantially above average probability of encountering cognitive, health, housing adequacy and nutrition problems that will limit their future, their chances of securing a bachelor's degree by their mid-20s are close to zero."

Now, I don't believe that every person should go to college.  Some people are not cut out for it and they would prefer to do jobs that don't require a college degree.  But they will still usually need some sort of training or education in order to find a job that will allow them to live above the poverty line.  While that is not true in all cases, it is true in many.

So it seems that Jesse Jackson would prefer that these kids just stay in these schools, increase the odds of them dropping out and have a much harder time leading lives that will bring more financially security to them.   He plans on filing a lawsuit to stop the closing of these schools.

There are no words for the stupidity of what Jesse Jackson is doing.  People need to wake up and realize that the likes of Jesse Jackson has lost all relevance and his ideas of what constitutes fairness not only are outdated but dangerous to the community that he says he is trying to help.

This report details the costs to society as a whole in just one state.  multiply this by 50% and it is not hard to see why we are broke.  Our broken educational system is not just drain on us financially, it is becoming a national security issue.  It was just 40 years ago that we had the highest rates of high school and college graduates in the world.  We now rank at 21st.  That is how far we have fallen is such a short time.

Again, you not likely to see this again real soon - Kudos to Mayor Emanuel for having the courage to take on the unions and Jesse Jackson to do what is right for children instead of what is easy.

Yet Another Feel Good Gov't Program Going Awry - Free Breakfast Increases Obesity in School Children

We have heard a great deal about the obesity levels of young children in this country.  I agree they are startlingly high.  But the answers that the government has come up with don't seem to be working.  Who would have seen that coming?  

Turns out that the free breakfast that is being offered to low income children is actually increasing the levels of overweight children.  It seems that these parents are not as irresponsible as the government has thought that they were and the vast majority of these kids are now eating two breakfasts every morning, which of course increases their caloric intake for the day. 

Nearly half of New York’s elementary and middle-school students are overweight or obese, according to a public health official quoted in the news story. Thus the concern in expanding a free meal program created for malnourished kids from poor families that can’t afford food. Parents from low-income New York schools who were interviewed for the piece expressed concern that their kids were getting breakfast in class because they eat at home every morning.

One mother said she actually reduced what her five-year-old eats at home because he has a second breakfast at school. This obviously creates doubts about the need for this taxpayer-funded meal program. Uncle Sam is already feeding a record 45 million people via food stamps and the number is quickly growing, according to the most recent government figures.

It also turns out that many of the school systems in lower income areas are completely skipping the cafeteria and feeding the breakfast right in the classroom.  To remove the stigma.  So we are feeding children who are not even necessarily low income, because they don't anyone to feel bad so every child receives a free meal and the number of these free meals in the morning has more than tripled in school districts like Chicago.  

Wouldn't the money we are spending on this program be more effectively used to improve the education that kids are receiving?  The drop out rate in the city of Chicago was 55.7% in 2008.  Well above the national average of 30%.  Other major metropolitan areas don't fare much better.  In the city of Detroit kids are going without school books in schools that are falling down. 

We need to look at how we are spending our educational dollars and realize that the main goal is educate our children and we are failing big time in giving the next generation the tools that they need in order to thrive in a competitive world.  We continue to lower standards; instead of raising our children up we are letting them down and continue with the dumbing down our kids.  

…the mathematics components of the Common Core State Standards Initiative are a bitter disappointment. In terms of their limited vision of math education, the pedestrian framework chosen to organize the standards, and the incoherent nature of the standards for mathematical practice in particular, I don’t see how these take us forward in any way.

Says Grant Wiggins, curriculum expert.   


But hey, at least they are getting fatter.  

Quote of the Day - VA State Delegate Bob Marshall Edition

"TSA was created 4 out-of-work urologists."

Today at the first of 3 debates for the GOP nomination for the Virginia senate race.

Twitter Fun - #Say Something Nice About Obama

#SaySomethingNiceAboutObama was trending worldwide yesterday.  Conservatives couldn't resist.  Here's a taste:

#SaySomethingNiceAboutObama He is a GREAT Poker player But be aware he plays with RACE CARDS

He tracks those who criticize him thru #AttackWatch because he cares.#saysomethingniceaboutobama

RT @imstudwell: #SaySomethingNiceAboutObama He discovered the new earthquake region in Washington DC and named it Bush's Fault.#tbrs

#saysomethingniceaboutobama When Barack called us ‘stupid, bitter clingers’ he said it in a nice tone of voice.

“@MattDycus: He knows at least 7 more states than you do.#SaySomethingNiceAboutObama” Illusion, Confusion, Delusion, Allusion, and??

#SaySomethingNiceAboutObama He's so nice! He loaned $700 billion of our taxes to the banks & they don't even need to pay us interest! -__

I believe he was totally honest that one time when he said he wanted to redistribute wealth. #SaySomethingNiceAboutObama

He taught us how to surround yourself with anti Semites, Communists and racists and not be affected at all. #SaySomethingNiceAboutObama

He had the bust of Winston Churchill packed up and shipped back to England rather than tossed in the trash #SaySomethingNiceAboutObama

Sent flowers to Heidi Klum after Seal dumped her.#saysomethingniceaboutobama No, wait -- that was Clinton.

He made a bunch of Jews come to their senses about the Democrat party.#saysomethingniceaboutobama

He understands the exceptionalism of Greece.#saysomethingniceaboutObama

To the best of my knowledge he does not keep up with the Kardashians#saysomethingniceaboutobama

He makes Carter look like a good president.#SaysomethingniceaboutObama

His vice president admires the size of his stick.#saysomethingniceaboutObama

He hasn't called me a racist in a while #saysomethingniceaboutObama

#SaySomethingNiceAboutObama He leaves it to Joe to drop the F bomb on live TV

Yes Virginia, Even Churches Need to Hire PR Professionals

#Fail

Linked at Theo Spark Net.   Thanks!!!

Cure Goes to West Smiley Book Signing - Interesting Responses Follow

Tavis Smiley, one of my all time favorite Marxist and his good buddy Cornell West have co-authored a book called The Rich and The Rest of Us.  He should know about the rich since his net worth is reported to be $10 million.  Pretty darn good for someone who used to work in the Mayor's office in Los Angeles.  Now, Mr. West may understand poverty better since he only has about $3 million.  Not to shabby for academia.  You know those poor teachers who don't make any money.  


I would have a much easier time taking advice on helping the poor from someone who wasn't worth $10 million.  It would seem to me that he would be giving that money to organizations that help the poor instead of stockpiling it for himself.  


We also need to educate people on the lies that people like Smiley and West go around telling people.  We do not spend more on defense than on programs to help the poor.  That is fact, as inconvenient as that may be to Mr. Smiley.  The problem is that we don't use the money we spend wisely.  We end up ensnaring people into a life of dependency instead of giving them what they really need to lift themselves out of poverty.  


Mr. Smiley, when you are willing to help people like her, we'll talk.  

Tweets of Interest - Fred Thompson

Pelosi on taxpayers: "I wish they would earn more so they can pay more." And we wish you'd spend less so they wouldn't have to. #tcot


Axelrod on Obama fiscal savvy: "we're saving taxpayers money all the time." David, Secret Service haggling over hookers doesn't count. #tcot


Dem source: Obama scolds DNC Chair: "don't forget you work for me." Funny... voters are getting ready to say the same thing to Obama. #tcot


Mexican migration slowing. Net migration from Mexico is now zero. It's like Obama built a border fence out of pink slips. #tcot


Obama in MI: "we've begun to see what change looks like." Yup. And at this point, we wouldn't mind a blindfold... and a last cigarette #tcot


Tax-funded study: giving cocaine to rats to see if they'd like jazz music. Guess there wasn't a liberal arts college nearby. #tcot


Busted: small-town Illinois comptroller embezzles $30 million. Apparently she's now qualified to run for Illinois Governor. #tcot


Obama: "I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth." So to be fair, he wants to take your silverware and spread it around. #tcot


I love this man.

Obama Administration Not Promoting Work Ethic on Family Farms

Not this should really come as a surprise, but the labor department is putting the finishing touches on new regulations that will prevent children from doing many chores around the family farm.  They feel they have the right to tell parents which jobs are acceptable for their children to perform.

You see these parents are too stupid to decide for themselves what is too dangerous for their kids to do.  Below is a list of places children of farmers will no longer be allowed to be:

“would include country grain elevators, grain bins, silos, feed lots, stockyards, livestock exchanges and livestock auctions.”

Is there a rash of farmer's children being hurt at livestock auctions?  If so, I have not heard about it.

As a child of someone who grew up on a family farm I can tell you that farming is great deal of work and requires a strong work ethic to make it successful.  The hours are long and the work is hard.  Many family owned farms have had the land in their families for generations, they grow up working and learning to respect both the land and the animals.

Profit margins on many farms is very small.  The children help out in order to make the farm profitable enabling the family to live and pay their bills.  Farmers take a great deal of pride in being able to pass the land down their children.  In order to do that successfully the kids need to understand the work ethic it takes to make a farm run properly.  Farming is not something that just anyone can do.  Their has to be a love of the land and end product that enables you to want to put the effort out.  That is something that needs to be taught.

There are plenty of examples of how we have lost the work ethic in this country.  Now we have the government putting regulations into effect that will just further erode it.

“I started showing sheep when I was four years old. I started with cattle around 8. It’s been very important. I learned a lot of responsibility being a farm kid.
John Weber, 19, understands this. The Minneapolis native grew up in suburbia and learned the livestock business working summers on his relatives’ farm.
He’s now a college Agriculture major.
“I started working on my grandparent’s and uncle’s farms for a couple of weeks in the summer when I was 12,” Weber told TheDC. “I started spending full summers there when I was 13.”
“The work ethic is a huge part of it. It gave me a lot of direction and opportunity in my life. If they do this it will prevent a lot of interest in agriculture. It’s harder to get a 16 year-old interested in farming than a 12 year old.”
Weber is also a small businessman. In high school, he said, he took out a loan and bought a few steers to raise for income. “Under these regulations,” he explained, “I wouldn’t be allowed to do that.”

These regulations will also make it mandatory that you take certification through government programs instead of through agricultural programs such as 4-H.

The government has decided to not just be the nanny at family farms, they have decided that they now have to become the parents.  You no longer have the choice of what you will teach your children about your farm.  They have made it for you.  I guess these kids can go on food stamps when they reach 18 like so many other college students are encouraged to do.

A Better America Starts Tonight - Mitt Romney on his Five State Sweep

Believe it or not, there are still people holding out that Mitt wouldn't be the nominee.  Get over it, he is.  I don't like it either, but this is what we have.  

Quote of the Day - George Will Edition

After all, Mr. Obama, the night he clinched the nomination, said this will be the moment when the rise of the seas stop. Well, if he can stop the seas from rising, why can't he bring down gas prices?

George Will on This Week.

From the You Can't Make this Up Files

Not that I have first hand experience in getting a tax refund this year, but since close to 50% don't pay income taxes (Which means that you wrote a check to the IRS) and did get a return.  Some even chose to get a check back instead of direct deposit.  In case you are not one of those people, let me fill you in on what the government informs you of when you get that check.

MyMoney.gov is the U.S. government's website dedicated to teaching all Americans the basics about financial education. Whether you are buying a home, balancing your checkbook, or investing in your 401(k), the resources on MyMoney.gov can help you maximize your financial decisions. Throughout the site, you will find important information from 20 Federal agencies and Bureaus designed to help you make smart financial choices.

That's  right, the federal government is going to teach you about financial responsibility.  What could go wrong?

Check out the website for yourself here.

See Bloggers Do Make a Difference - FCRC Will Be Giving Free Tickets to GOP Debate

Yesterday I wrote about the local republican party here in Fairfax County, Virginia and the upcoming GOP debates for the open senate seat.  You can read that here, in case you missed it.  


The general gist of the post was that even though I received an email by the chairman of the party stating that the tickets for the upcoming debate in Northern Virginia would be free, the Fairfax County Republican Committee was requesting you volunteer for two hours in order to get your free tickets.  My point was that it was deceptive and wrong to handle it in this fashion.  


I not only blogged about it, but I also used my social networking connections to spread the word about this.  I emailed the Chairman.  I contacted larger blogs too.  Around noon time the head of the FCRC called my friend Phil to let him know that I would be getting my ticket without being forced into doing volunteer work.  


Great for me, but what about the rest of the people in NOVA?  This was never about me getting a ticket, this was about allowing the voters access to the candidates so they can make up their own minds who they are going to vote for.  


For those who don't live in this area you may not be aware of the background.  George Allen is our former governor and senator.  He was the one that made that now infamous Mecacca comment six years ago, which played a part in him losing his re-election bid to the senate.  For some in the tea party and grassroots movement George Allen represents all that is wrong with the republican party.  He is conservative in many ways, but he also did some big government and fiscally irresponsible things during his tenure in the senate.  He is considered by some to be part of the good ol' boys club of the republican leadership that is more interested in power than in conservatism.  They are looking for to elect another of the three candidates who are running.  


They feel very strongly that FCRC is in the tank for the Allen campaign.  Many feel that they were also in the tank for Romney.  While I do know that many are Romney supporters, I can't say for certain that they are "in the tank" for any candidate.  I can't get into the head of another person.  I just can tell you how other grassroots supporters are feeling and discussing with me among others.  


The post got enough of a response that emails and phone calls were flying this morning and this afternoon.  The bottom line is this.  All tickets will be free for everyone without any strings attached.  All you need to do is go pick them up at the FCRC headquarters in Fairfax.  


This is the best solution for everyone.  There are people who are not able to volunteer for the party as they are putting their efforts towards one of the candidates.  There are also people who may be elderly or handicapped, and can't make it to the Fairfax office for two hours.  


This debate is for the voters, not for the party to use as some tool to force get people to volunteer for a few hours.  This came down from on high.  I am not sure exactly how high up in the party it went, but high enough that FCRC has backed down and tickets are available on a first come first served basis.  


For other bloggers out there, the lesson here is that no matter how small your readership may be, if they are willing to put actions to your words, you have accomplished something.  I want to say a special thank you to Smitty over at The Other McCain for helping get the word out on this.  


I am looking forward to hearing what the Bishop has to say in the debates.  Check out his website.  He is a good man and I think would make an awesome Senator.  


Can I just say that Smitty and I ROCK!!!!  


Thanks to the party for getting the message that it is about the voters, not the party.  We deserve the chance to hear the candidates in their own words so we can decide for ourselves who will represent us in November.  

RIP Mr. Colson - My Former Boss

Chuck "Hatchet Man" Colson has passed away at the age of 80.  Most people remember him for his time in the Nixon white house and his role in Watergate.  I remember him as the head of organization that I once worked for Prison Fellowship Ministries.  


I worked there only as a contractor and very briefly.  But it was a job that had a profound effect on me.  I remember that job and it's employees with great fondness and affection.  It is a charity that I donate to every year.  I believe in the cause.  They help everyone involved in the criminal justice system; the victims as well as the criminals.  They also help the families of those who are in jail.  Children are blameless and shouldn't be forgotten when they are dealing with the difficulties of having a parent(s) in jail.  They are the forgotten victims, but Chuck never forgot them.  Especially at Christmas time.  I happen to be working there during Christmas.  The luncheon that was put on for the employees was lovely, just lovely.  He also took the time to shake the hand of every employee, thank them and wish them a Merry Christmas.  Believe me, no "Happy Holidays" crap.  How many jobs do you know of that have a chapel that you can go and pray anytime you feel the desire?  


The ministry is employs people who are good Christians and are dedicated to the mission of bringing the word of Jesus to prisoners around the world.  They are now the largest prisoner outreach group in the world.  He dedicated his life to helping those in the prison system and the ones they left behind.  He changed many lives.  


At the time many questioned his conversion to the Christian faith.  I suppose that was understandable.  The conventional meme is that he converted while in prison to hasten his release.  This is not the truth.  Yes, I know that you are shocked that the media isn't being honest about a Christian Conservative, but it is true.  Chuck converted before he went to trial, which is the reason that he pleaded guilty.  He accepted responsibility for his actions, did his time, and then proceeded to make a difference in the world after his release.  A difference that will live on, even with him gone.  


Mr. Colson made mistakes, he was a sinner.  He stepped on whomever he needed to step on to help keep Nixon in power.  But he is a true story of redemption, in every sense of the word.  


If you have never read his autobiography Born Again, you don't know what you are missing.  Yes, he was a sinner, but he was also a giant of a man.  


Rest in Peace, Mr. Colson.  I will do what I can to help your legacy live on.  My deepest sympathies to his family on their loss.  

And The Republican Party Wonders Why They Can't Make Traction in Fairfax County, Virginia

As many know, there is an open senate seat in Virginia due to the retirement of Sen. Jim Webb.  The GOP has four candidates running in the primary.  There will be a series of debates before the primary.  One such debate is in Northern Virginia.  For those who may not be aware, Northern Virginia is progressive central.  The reason that many here are unhappy with Obama is because he has not been left enough.  As you can imagine the republican party has a hard time gaining ground in this atmosphere.  

This race is said not to be all that competitive, George Allen is expected to win the primary handily.  But, the "experts" have been wrong before.  I like George Allen, but there are few other interesting candidates as well.  So I was really looking forward to hearing the debate before making up my mind who I was going to support in the primary.  


As some may know, I no longer can drive for health reasons.  So I have to take the bus to get anywhere during the day.  For those who have never had the pleasure of taking mass transit, the buses don't exactly run the most direct route.  You can go all over kingdom come to get to your final destination.  The bus I needed to take to the Fairfax County Republican Committee office is one such bus.  It is maybe 10 miles, but it takes more than hour to get there.  I then have to walk about a quarter mile to get to the office.  


Today is the day that the tickets are supposed to be available.  Here is a portion of the email that I received, you can read the entire email here:

The third debate will be held on Friday May 25^th at 6:30pm at the Fairview Park Marriott located at 3111 Fairview Park Drive – Falls Church, Virginia.  Free tickets to the Northern Virginia debate will be available beginning on April 20^th at the Fairfax and Loudoun GOP Victory Centers.

I take two hours out of my day to get to the office to pick up my "free" tickets.  When I get there I am told that I have to volunteer for two hours.  Hmm, here is the definition of free from dictionary.com:

Idioms 44.for free, Informal . without charge: The tailor mended my jacket for free.

 Now, is it just me, or is asking someone to perform two hours of "volunteer" work a form of payment?  So lets go back to dictionary.com and find out what volunteer means:

vol·un·teer

noun1.a person who voluntarily offers himself or herself for aservice or undertaking 2. a person who performs a service willingly and without pay.

yeah, I think it is a form of payment.  Which means that the tickets are not free.  So I said to the women at the office today that I thought the are free.  She said they are.  Really?  How so?  She then tells me that the email from the Chairman said that volunteer work would be required to get the "free" tickets.  Uh, no it doesn't.  


So I wasted well over two hours of my time and have no tickets to the debate.  When I got back home I sent  the following email to the Chairman:

I am writing to tell you how deceptive the FCRC is.  The below email says that the tickets for the debate are free.  I no longer drive for health reasons, so it took me two hours round trip to get to the office today to pick up my "free" tickets.  Come to find out according to them free means that I have to do two hours of volunteer work.  I even inquired on why the email said that the tickets are free, she said they are free.  How exactly is something free if you are required to work for two hours?  I was told that your email said that they were looking for volunteer help in exchange for the "free" tickets.  Unless I am missing something the below email says nothing about volunteering.  

I have given money and volunteered in the past.  No more.  The RPV will never get another dime or one bit of help from me again.  This is why you can't make traction in Fairfax County.  No one wants to deal with people who are purposely deceptive.  

There is no way for me to get to the office in Loudon County to get my so-called "free" tickets.  So I guess I won't be going to the debate.  But I can guarantee you what I will be doing moving forward for the RPV is a big fat zero.  Never again will I do work for them.  I will not phone bank nor will I give money.  It is not like I was some huge donor by any stretch of the imagination, but every dollar helps when you fighting an uphill battle in a county such as this one.  


Thanks for nothing FCRC.  Lets go back to dictionary.com one final time:

de·cep·tive
adjective1.apt or tending to deceive: The enemy's peaceful overtures maybe deceptive.2.perceptually misleading: It looks like a curved line, but it'sdeceptive.

   [dih-sep-tiv]  Show IPA


Yeah, I would say that about covers it.   


This isn't so much that I am not willing to do volunteer work.  I have done plenty.  I can list plenty of examples of work that I have done.  Matter of fact I was at the FCRC's office not all that long ago doing data entry work for the delegate conventions that are coming up.  This is about principle.  If you are going to send out an email saying that the tickets are free, they should actually be free.  


Linked at The Other McCain.  Thanks, Smitty (Who by the way is a member of the FCRC)

3 Years and a Lot of Blah, Blah, Blah

Today is Just A Conservative Girl's blogoversary.  Three years ago today I dipped my two into the wild world of the blogosphere.  


I hope that I have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it.  


Here are some of my favorite posts:

Et Tu, Stacy McCain

I was up even earlier than usual today as I had to get everything ready for the trip down to the Lincoln Memorial for the most amazing sunrise service on Easter Sunday.  After the services, the annual Easter Egg hunt (or should I say spring sphere) took place, then the very large breakfast commenced.  The pancakes with fresh blueberries and heated syrup and the Eggs Benedict were both made to perfection if I don't mind saying so myself.  After a few hours of Nerf darts to wear off the rare treat of chocolate in the morning all has settled down.


I have been thinking about a post I read early this morning on The Other McCain that originally started over a ridiculous OP-ED piece on how all Fraternities should be closed down as they only encourage young college aged males to rape young woman.  But that is post for another time. 


Stacy then found his way to an article about how many women get married anyway even though their gut is telling them something else.  An article in Marie Clare talked about how much of this has to do with the fairy tales we tell our young daughters and as they grow they watch the romantic comedies that come out of our Hollywood culture saying that love conquers all. 


While much of Stacy is discussing is the personal responsibility that is being taken away and this article is creating almost a victimhood mentality of young women due to these influences that most young women grow up with.  What Stacy has completely overlooked is the culture that we have created for not only ourselves but for our young girls.  Divorce is the answer. 


We no longer have the reason to make our marriages work.  We no longer have the reasons to listen to our guts as we are waiting to walk down the aisle and that little voice is saying RUN AS FAST YOU CAN IN THE OTHER DIRECTION.  We can simply go through the motions because for a relatively small amount of money and short waiting time we can just start over.  The divorce rate in our society is far too high.  

43.7% of custodial mothers and 56.2% of custodial fathers were either separated or divorced. And in 2002, 7.8 million Americans paid about $40 billion in child and/or spousal support (84% of the payers were male).

Stacy asked the question:
.  

Amanda Clark got a $15,000 gown and a 7-carat ring, and she still wasn’t happy, so whose fault is that?

Was it really the fault of her husband being the Wrong Guy? To believe that, you must believe that somewhere out there is the Right Guy, ready and eager to wed Amanda Clark, except for the fact that she goofed up and married the Wrong Guy. But shouldn’t we at least consider the alternative hypothesis, that Amanda Clark was to some extent responsible for the failure of her own marriage? Isn’t it possible that she was the Wrong Woman?

It may be that Amanda is the wrong woman, but what is also possible is that Amanda  didn't care that he was the wrong guy, because she could just get that quickie no fault divorce and find the "right guy".  Part of the lie that feminist movement has hoisted on our young females (and males for that matter) is that divorce is so common that it has almost become a right of passage, and if you are being made to feel that you are not being understood or are not reaching your potential in all your glorious womanhood you can get up and walk away, it isn't that big of a deal.  Self fulfillment is the far more superior objective than actually taking your time and marrying the right person
I am not trying to say that people are not making a difficult choice or that they don't even attempt to work on a marriage, but the divorce rates being as high as they are we must ask ourselves what makes one go through with a marriage if you are not feeling right about from day one?  Marriage is very hard work.  You have to compromise, you have to give up some things that at one point in your life you considered very important.  You have to put your spouses feelings at least as high on the totem pole that you put your own.  You also must accept the fact that it isn't going to be rosy each and every day.  You will go through patches that are painful and you must be honest about that pain and the causes of it.  You also have to realize that all those habits that you think are so cute before you get married aren't really all that cute after you live them everyday year after year.  The things that bother you before the wedding only become more pronounced after the big day.  We become even more ourselves.  You have to work on your marriage like divorce isn't an option.  That is very hard work indeed. 


What I am saying is that our society feeds the idea that marriage the first time around is just a test run and if your fulfillment in your womanhood is being threatened the answer is divorce.  Stacy questions if we woman are asking the question is it us.  It isn't that women don't ask is it us, but it is that women are being told even if it us this doesn't feel good and doesn't fit the narrative that we can indeed have it all, we then can just have a start over.  Even Stacy didn't ask the question of how damaging the woman's rights movement has been.  So I must ask, Et Tu Stacy, Et Tu?

America, Faith, and The Moral Compass

I was reading a post on Another Black Conservative where Cliff made the observation that our society's moral compass is in disrepair on his post about the latest photos released by TMZ on Anthony Weiner's obsession with taking pictures of his private parts. My comment to him was that it is more than just in disrepair, the compass is on all out life support. Cliff was really talking about how we get the government we deserve. What does it say when Weiner's district wants him to stay in office?



I truly believe that America's turn to the type of permissiveness that allows this to happen can be traced back to the court case that forever changed the way we view religion in our country. While it doesn't have the name recognition that a Brown V. Board of Ed has, the change in our country has been substantial. McCollum v. Board of Ed was a landmark decision in this country. Many people don't realize that the words separation of church and state don't exist in our constitution. I remember years back I stupidly took a job with a progressive DM agency thinking I could just put my head down and do my job. I went for the paycheck instead of my principles. It didn't go well to say the least. I was a fish out of water. I am sure that the majority of people there backed Obama over Hillary years ago in the primary, and I would feel safe in saying that they don't feel Obama has gone far enough. Don't get me wrong, most of them were very nice people who I happened to disagree with. Bush was in office at the time and the Bush bashing was done on a regular basis. I was talking to a young guy about something. I can't recall what the conversation was actually about but I had mentioned to him that it doesn't exist in the constitution. He didn't believe me. I told him if he could find it I would give him $1,000. I also told him to do some research on Judge Hugo Black, the former KKK member. Yes, that is right we had a KKK member on the highest court of the land at one time in this country. McCollum was a case brought by an atheist mom who didn't like that her local school system had VOLUNTARY religious classes. The premise of her case was that her son was subject to ridicule due to the fact that he didn't attend these classes. The classes were put on by a council that included Jews, Protestants, and Roman Catholics. This was designed specifically to give children a choice in religious education. This was not done to exclude anyone nor was it forced on anyone. It well-known how the KKK felt about Catholics and Jews.


The battle to remove God from our lives has been an ongoing struggle in this country for about a century, but this case in particular made major changes. This case opened the door for the ACLU to sue at the drop of the hat over high school graduations, Christmas celebrations done in the squares of small towns and big cities across this nation. They rarely miss an opportunity to do so. The founders of this country were very clear about what they wanted for the country. No federally mandated religion was to be allowed, but they wanted a society that could openly worship. The founders believed that in order for a society to survive it must have a moral compass.


Morality of course is in the eye of beholder. But by relegated religion to almost a back room status we have opened our society up to changing social norms and we have acquiesced what it is that we find acceptable in our society. Look at the things that the far left can accomplish by pushing religion to the back burner. Abortion on demand, because human life is no longer kept at the forefront. We are also seeing a push for assisted suicide. You can face heavy fines for damaging bird eggs in this country, but you can kill an unborn human being at will. The left never has to answer for this hypocrisy because the unborn is no longer characterized as life. It is just a bunch of cells. If it feels good, do it. If you want to have sex with five different partners in one week, go ahead. There shouldn't be any differences between men and women, when the differences are long, varied, and obvious. The stay at home traditional mom is vilified and the men who support the traditional mom are called Neanderthals, even by people on the right.


What organizations like the ACLU have done is diminish our society, not improve it. They have given us a society that allows a congressman to take naked pictures of his private parts and have no price to pay. The polls in Weiner's district show that they are OK with what he did and don't feel he needs to step aside. What kind of twisted logic does it take to write off his behavior as a personal failing and say that his personal judgement in no way gets in the way of his professional judgement to make decisions that effects the lives of everyday Americans? If Anthony Weiner worked in the private sector and his job found out he was texting pictures of himself wearing next to nothing while working out in the company gym he would be fired, yet we have people in this country who think that he should still be allowed to continue in the legislative body of our federal government. This is a loss of a moral compass. This is a loss of faith in our society and our God. The fact that the congressman worships God in a different fashion than I do, is irrelevant to me. What is relevant to me is that people like him are constantly pushing for more and more laws in this country that take away my rights to worship freely and openly, yet gives government a larger say in my life and how I live it. The same government that says it is OK for him to keep his position.


I say no thank you to the liberalism view that it is OK for the government/public school systems to decide how I feed my child, because I may not pick the foods that are "healthy" or to decide for me how often I can use my air conditioner to save the planet against man-made global warming when the science for this is still unclear and recent events have left many questioning if this is not just some money-making hoax. A government that hires people who specialize in using marketing tools to get the public to do what it wants and the main stream media covering the story like it is a good thing instead of the scary thing that it really is. Yet doesn't feel that what Anthony Weiner did rises to the level of bringing dishonor to the House of Representatives than we as a society no longer have a moral compass. When a sitting member of congress who was writing tax laws for the rest of us slubs is cheating on his taxes and is allowed to stay in congress we have lost our moral compass. When the people in the district of Charlie Rangel re-elected him knowing he was a cheat saying "they all do it" we have lost our moral compass. When we allow people to work on Capitol Hill that owe back taxes we have lost our moral compass. When the U.S. Senate confirms a man who is a tax cheat to head Treasury, we have lost our moral compass. By turning our back to faith and to God, we have created a society that is losing its moral compass.


What liberals need to realize is that practicing faith out in the open will only enrich our society. By having acts of faith in our town squares will help bring our moral compass back to life. It is nothing to fear, as you will not be forced to participate. But you will wreak the benefits of a society that cherishes values that don't allow people like Anthony Weiner and Charlie Rangel to continue to serve at the highest levels of government when anyone in the private sector would pay a high price for the behavior. We would all benefit from expecting our government officials to act in a moral and ethical way. 

Uncle Tom - A Profile in Conviction

Conservatives who happen to be people of color hear the words “Uncle Tom” on a regular basis. I have heard that term ever since I can remember. The term has always been to me a put down. During an interview of Alveda King, the niece of Martin, she said she viewed it as a compliment and viewed Uncle Tom as a hero.



I have no memory of reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin. I am sure that I read it in school, but I don’t remember the book at all. A few months back I picked up the book and started reading it on a very irregular basis. I went into reading this not believing that I would view Uncle Tom in this way. I was mostly wrong.


I found the book to be sad. Harriet Beecher Stowe wasn’t above racism herself. The narrative that she gave in the book makes that very clear. Although one must remember the time that this was written in. Racism was the acceptable view point. It was never questioned, not even by the northerners. While they felt that slavery should end, they certainly didn’t want to embrace the black community. Many whites wanted to round them up and send them all back to Africa. If you read deeply into the history books it seems that this was the view point that President Lincoln held as well. He was killed so shortly after the civil war ended that we will never know if this was his plan, but there is historical evidence to back up that view.


Black conservatives are called Uncle Tom’s all the time. They are also called Oreo’s, race traitors and many more derogatory names. Allen West recently said this during his tax day tea party speech. Many believe that he is turning his back on his race by embracing conservative views. I have never quite understood why it is that some believe that all blacks must walk in lockstep to a certain political ideology. How exactly is that equality if everyone must think alike?


I just finished the book today. I was totally blown away by the book, and realized I read the second half of the book much more quickly than I did the first half. I finished the book with a much greater understanding of what Ms. King was trying to say. The way that Tom lived his life is admirable.


Tom was a man who lived by his convictions. Tom was before anything else a Christian. He viewed his life through this prism. He loved his family and he lived his life in an honorable and decent way. At the beginning of the book Tom is sold to cover some debts of his original owner. His wife encourages him to run away with Eliza, another slave that was about to have her son sold away from her. Eliza couldn’t bear the thought of living without her son, so she ran. Tom told his wife that he couldn’t do that. His original master, Shelby, treated him fairly, as far as Tom was concerned. He felt that Shelby wouldn’t be doing this if it were not necessary. Tom read his bible and said his goodbye’s to his family. He left with the belief that he would be back to his family when the money was there.


Tom was sold to yet another “master” who treated him as well as one could expect during the time of slavery. Time went by and many things happen over the course of Tom living in Louisiana under his new circumstances. Tom was set to be freed by St. Clare but he died suddenly and that didn’t happen. Tom was eventually sold to one more Master. This one was a brutal and mean spirited man. Legree asks Tom to beat an older woman who is poor health; he is beaten when he refuses. Legree ends up killing Uncle Tom when he refuses to rat out his fellow slaves who have runaway. Sadly it was just before Shelby family raised enough money to bring him back to his family, where he would have been a free man with his family.


The point being that Tom never walked away from his own convictions. His belief system sustained him throughout his life. A life that was never easy and almost always sad. Tom was a man who used passive resistance to his existence. He certainly wasn’t one to be called a “sell out” or “race traitor”. There is nothing in the book that should make one jump to that conclusion.

When St Clare asks him if he would not be better off a slave than a free man, Tom responds with a straight: "No." "Why Tom, you couldn't possibly have earned, by your work, such clothes and such living as I have given you," says St Clare. "Know's all that Mas'r," says Tom. "But I'd rather have poor clothes, poor house, poor everything and have 'em mine, than have the best, and have 'em any man else's."


The narrative of the sell out actually began several decades after the books release. It started around the turn of the century. While slavery had ended decades earlier the institutionalized racism certainly had not ended. The traveling minstrel shows were very popular during the times of the First World War, and “Uncle Tom” type shows were the rage. This is where much of the narrative started.


While I may not necessarily call Uncle Tom a hero in the same way that Ms. King has referred to him as, what I will say if a politician is being called an Uncle Tom; they may just be someone worth voting for. Uncle Tom was man who lived by his convictions, loved his God, loved his family, and never wavered from what he believed in and what was important in his life. He did what was right, instead of what was easy. Wouldn’t it be nice if more of our politicians were like that?