IDigAK

pearls before swine

2009-03-20T11:28:00.003-05:00

Oblivion must be an incredibly
comfortable place to be.

I say "no comment".
And my heart pounds.

What about the obvious?
Are you so blinded?

You're the one who said 100%.
Not me.

You're all a bunch of whores.
Guys and girls alike.
Young and old.

Ive never heard the voices reach such a volume level.
Everyone thinks they know.

But they don't care.
About responsibility.
Much less morality.

And when I speak up,
you ridicule.

You fling back
with nothing but your commie preconceptions.

You react
with pagan mumbo jumbo.

You simply regurgitate
that humanistic bullshit.

Becuase you, my friends,
are closed minded.
And hopeless.

You have my pity.

Red Envelope Fools?

2009-02-26T13:31:00.004-06:00

::OPEN LETTER::Re: Red Envelope Day

I'm really not sure what to make of the Red Envelope Day phenomenon.

I agree with it in principle. It sounds like a great way to emphasize a great cause.

But I have one question, why on March 31st? The way I see things playing out is for everyone to mail their thousands of red envelopes on Tuesday, March the 31st. They then hit the USPS system that night, concentrating towards Washington DC the next morning, and hitting the White House that same day, April 1st, a.k.a. April Fools Day.

Granted, I will admit that not all of them will get there in one day. The material point, however, is that the massive influx will begin that next day.

I'm really curious, does anyone know the significance of why the founder of the Red Envelope Day movement picked March 31st? Did he ever state his reasoning for that day?

Also, why are any discussion boards or forums disabled on the facebook group/page/event? (which is the place I would have rathered to publish this open letter)

It seems to me that this is one massive April Fools prank on President Obama, the Capitol, the USPS, the gullible American populace, and, ultimately, on the very group seeking to make their point. Won't the pro-lifers be the fool when the news broadcast throughout the country on the evening news on April 1st, 2009 is all about a massive prank pulled over on the ignorant conservatives of the United States; and if anything is said about the supposed intended purpose, I see it as a footnote to the stupidity of those who participated.

Please anyone, chime in! I'm curious to see this thought has occurred to anyone else? I'm also curious to see if I can actually get in touch with the administrators of the movement.

Bond, James Bond

2008-10-28T17:51:00.009-05:00

In Lieu of Shades...

2008-09-01T01:47:00.005-05:00

Dear Coffee Clubbers:

I know assuming is not something of which to make a regular practice, but I'm going to do it and assume that the fact that it is Labor Day weekend is the reason no one showed up for small group this morning! Well, no one except for myself and one other person, at which point we both pulled out our textbooks and proceeded to do homework. Boring student-types.

But regardless, I didn't want to neglect the opportunity to share what was on my mind about this weeks discussion.

I have to admit that last week, as I sat listening to Brad's message, I couldn't help but think to myself, "I really don't want to hear this. I know I should hear it. And I know that I should want to hear it. And absorb it. And really take it all to heart. But I don't wanna."

The whole point of the message being 'FAITH IS BELIEVING GOD DESPITE THE OBSTACLES'.

During this stage of my life, every fiber of my being just seems to revolt against every word of that statement, even though I know it is true. You know the feeling, I'm sure.

I know that FAITH is right up there with hope and love as one of the main christian virtues. I know that believing God is the only sane thing to do. But the obstacles are so great, it seems. At least to me, right now. And I often feel that my faith has been DESPITE for so long. I know that deep down inside I want to press on. I want to believe in the music (pardon the shameless reference to the August Rush, get with the program, ok?). I want to keep pressing forward. But every time I take one step forward, it seem I am hurled three steps backward.

Please understand, I'm not trying to dwell on my troubles here, I'm just sharing where I am in an effort to illustrate the point.

To quote Brad last Sunday evening,
"Isn't it true? ...that life has a way of knocking our dreams and our aspirations out of us?
Right now, You're trying to move forward but life has just knocked it out of you..."

I couldn't have put it better.

But he went on to describe the challenge of faith:

Faith is Believing When No One Else Does. August held on to his belief staunchly that he would be able to follow the music to follow his parents, even when the bullies tried to 'knock some sense into him,' or 'knock the dreams and aspirations out of him,' whichever way you want to put it.

Faith is Believing God for the Future. Abram and Sarai clung to God's promise that they would indeed have a son, even though it was humanly impossible. But sometimes, it appears, clinging to that belief does in fact sometimes involve ignoring a bit of that common sense. You know? Even when it seems straight up impossible, faith is knowing deep down inside that fulfillment will come.

Faith is Believing God Despite the Obstacles. This is the biggie for me. The obstacles to faith include doubt, enemies/doubters, discouragement, weariness, circumstances, toxic environments, sin, failure, etc. The man or woman of faith learns to walk by faith in the midst of obstacles. They trust God so deeply that they cannot give up.

Think about all this for a minute. What is one vision or dream of yours, a passion, if you will, that has been delayed? What hope do you have that seems just out of reach?

I'm not talking about fame and fortune. I'm not trying to walk you through the steps of achieving you life's fullest potential as you see it. More than anything, I'm trying to walk myself through the discouragement that seems to haunt me at every turn.

And after I left church last week, I knew God was not going to let me off the hook. He wasn't going to let me just drive away and leave the whole subject behind. And He didn't.

As the week played out, I can't say anything changed. The circumstances of everyday life were just as difficult and trying as ever. The "toxic environments" Brad mentioned seemed to keep on poisoning me. If anything, the disappointments just kept building up.

But the one thing that God kept impressing on me was this: to look for things about which to be grateful; to not focus on the downs, but on the ups; to truly give thanks in everything.

I wish I could say that that was the silver bullet of building faith. It's not. But it did change my perspective over the last week. I found myself on the phone talking to a friend, recounting the events of my day in the most whiney, complainy tone ever. But then I was reminded to be grateful, and I turned it all around, saying, "...but you know, there were two good things that happened today! In fact, I DIDN'T get in that wreck, no matter how narrowly I avoided it, my car is still fine, and so is theirs! And the other thing...I can't remember what the other thing is, but something else happened that was good!" (by the way, I still hate having to take 81st in rush hour...it is the devil's own road.)

So keep thinking about that dream of yours, that aspiration or hope. What is it that is knocking it out of you, so to speak? What makes it seem so impossible?

When you stop to think about it, and just take the moment to remind yourself of the entire universe that God created, and the ongoing care He exercises to keep the earth spinning on it's axis, and the intimate concern He takes with each one of our lives, no matter how trivial...you cannot but admit that if He is so great to be capable of all that, what is so great about your personal obstacle that He cannot change? Who are we, after all, to assume that we know everything about the circumstances we encounter? When in fact He knows everything, is in control of it all, and has already promised to work it all together for good...

And another great quote from Brad, this is one that really got me: "Faith is seeing what God sees for us."

Faith is what says, "I know there are missiles coming my way, and these God given dreams in my heart, they're going to be obliterated, unless, of course, you put up the shield of faith, and remind yourself, 'Who is God, and can He be trusted?'"

Think for a moment about the words of St. Augustine: "Faith is to believe what you do not see, but the reward of this faith is to see what you believe."

Look at the parallelism there! Isn't it beautiful? and incredibly profound.

I can't exactly say my week totally balanced out. There were still a good many missiles fired my way. But I kept reminding myself to be grateful for the little things. I kept reminding myself to refuse to let go of those goals I'd set in the faith that God was working on my behalf. Saturday morning, I sold the car I'd been trying to sell for weeks. That was one goal I'd placed out there. I knew I had to get rid of it in order to take action on other things. And after several false promises by would-be buyers, a family came along who really needed it, and I was happy to sell it to them. And they even gave me the full asking price for it! Can you tell I'm excited?!?

Sometimes, that vision is just so far off, but don't forget that "the vision is yet for an appointed time...though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry." (Habakkuk 2:3)

Wait for it. Wait for it. Aren't those simply the three hardest words to take to heart? Those three words are the essence of faith. The greatest challenge that we will likely experience.

So, what is that God-given dream that you have all but given up on? Do you really Trust Him? Are you willing to wait?

Or, on a more basic level, are you wanting to be willing to wait for it?

Please consider these things deeply. And since we didn't get the chance to sit down face to face this week, feel free to share your experiences and thoughts in a reply. I would love to hear the encouragement of how He is building that faith and trust in your life. I think we all would, right?

Act Two: This Workforce Stuff Really Blows

2008-08-23T15:20:00.000-05:00

My American Life: a tragedy in three acts

After so much derision, after so much two-faced double speak, after so much belittling and false accusation, the only logical or sane response is to just not care anymore. As much as I want to, I cannot care anymore. If I did, I'd go crazy. The bar is set too high, the demands too unreasonable, the resources too insufficient.

In an ideal world I'd be managing a delicate balance of training, employee relations, quality control, safety compliance, annual certification reviews, production reporting, as well as all the other little things that are necessary to make an operation run smoothly.

But it's not an ideal world. Nor am I a perfect person. Which simply means that all of the above still applies. Except for the balance part. Or maybe just the delicate, because it is all still due every day. But there's not a whole lot of delicate. More like frantic or crazed.

When I first made the promotion I had two goals only. My first commitment was to myself and not a requirement. Even though I wasn't sure of the circumstances the future would hold, I was determined to hold the position for one whole year before moving on; partly for my resume, and partly for personal satisfaction, and partly for the learning experience.

It has now been 15 and a half months.

My second goal was clearly stated, and quite brief, but nowhere near as simple to implement. The workgroup I inherited from my predecessor had a reputation. And not a good one. It was hands down the worst group in the building, even the district. It was at the very bottom. And I said then, "If I can so much as get this group off the very bottom rung of the ladder, I don't even care if we make it to any sort of a remarkable ranking, but just off of the very bottom of the pile, if I can do that one thing, then I will have succeeded."

I worked my butt off. And in the first three months, we shed the reputation.

Granted, it's been off and on since then. The group has seen a fair amount of turnover like the rest of the operation and with new people, we've bounced around, competing with others to not be in that dead last position. But as any of the previous managers of this particular workgroup will tell you, "there's something different about Metro 4. It's not like the others, it's got different challenges, and different problems, and it's not in the same league."

So, why, if I achieved those goals am I so pissed off with the whole production?

Apparently I've accomplished another feat as well. This one was certainly not a goal, but it has been completed nonetheless.

I have tried. I have succeeded at times; and I have failed at others. But never have I wallowed in defeat. I figure, if I leave in the middle of failure, I leave behind a final defeat. But if I wait till I'm a success and I've beaten those challenges and gotten ahead, why leave then, if things are all so peachy?

I say all this, though, to say: I'm no quitter. I will press on. And I'm not one to run from a challenge.

But motivating these folks to work hard is like motivating a sloth to run; or better, motivating a slug to jump. The faster and better they work, the easier it will be on them. At least that's what I've convinced myself of and what I've been convinced to tell them. It's partially true, I think. But I'm not even sure of my own level of indoctrination anymore. I'm already enough of a cynic, I don't need to pursue it any more. Which is what it would take to separate fact from fiction around here. The reality that I do know, though, is that the faster they work, the less they get paid.

It's easier on me when they do, but that's not much of a motivation for the average worker. Sure they like me, and they are glad I'm around, but they don't love me. By crossing the management divide I became part of the system where every boss is hated to a certain degree just by virtue of the position. And try as one might, the divide defies crossing.

But too much challenge, too little reward, too much demand, too little resources, too much shitty leadership from above, and too much expectation of superhuman leadership from me, and I am what I was warned to not be. I am a hardened cynic. I am a complaining, whining company bitch. And I do not care.

Worse yet? That last goal I accomplished... What I've become has worked in others the same that was worked in me. I've seen it twice now, and I saw it begin again this week. My workers, embarking on the same pattern of recognizing futile effort, hardening as a cynic, and lapsing into total defeat and nonchalance. They don't care either.

When I see myself reproducing that model which I so despise and which I personally swore never to perpetuate...that's my glowing exit sign, hanging over the door, signaling my time to go.

Close to Home

2008-08-11T15:31:00.003-05:00

Many kudos, thanks, accolades, props, and congratulations go out to a dude by the name of Craig Stutzman.

Here's why.

Act One: School Is Easy

2008-07-08T21:10:00.000-05:00

My American Life: a tragedy in three acts

Yes, it's true. Three papers in the hole. One speech to plan. They say to be really prepared, you've got to spend one hour in preparation and research for every minute of speaking. I believe it. Last night I began with a simple sentence outline. Began with the outline and built the speech on it. Five and a half hours later, I had only two hours left of work to do. Too bad I didn't have as much time to sleep.

But it's a good thing I was just talking about coffee. I got to put theory into practice. I just downed a pot and went to work. So leaving work early (which really only means I have to go in early tomorrow) bought me the remaining prep time, and I knocked that speech out of the ball park. Fast-paced visuals. Interactive props. And seven and a half well-prepared, well-outlined, and well-documented minutes later, I walked off with my expected, but well-earned one hundred percent.

And that's the easy class. That was just for fun. Cause really, I could'a gotten away with just the basics. But I didn't.

Because. I. Am. An. Overachiever.

No? The rest of the week wont be so easy. A short essay. All sorts of topic work, annotated bibliography stuff, eight sources...all before I even begin work on the Grand Final Paper. Then there's something about the Animal Kingdom. And how it's going to be so important to read every word of Chapter 19. Because it's going to be on the final. Which I plan on taking and forgetting. But not before I commit it all to fragile memory. And write another four-pager. And complete the other available assignment.

It's available, I say, because it's extra credit. Which technically I don't need. But maybe, just maybe...what if I bomb it on that Animal Kingdom stuff? What if for some reason the whole Cancer Study falls through? Then I'd be kicking myself.

So I'll do it. Happily even.

Over-Achievement. All-Mighty A.

But you know why I say it's easy? Because it is. It's so simple:

I get to go and sit down. And watch someone talk. And they tell me what to do. So I do it. And if I forget, there's always a handy piece of paper to let me know what is next.

If I fail, which is relative, because every one sets their own goals, really, so my failing might be someone else's satisfaction, but if I fail, I fail on my own merit. I know what it was I didn't complete on time. Or which Test Questions I got wrong. Which chapter I didn't study. And I can always make up for it with that handy extra credit. Because I over-achieve, setting arbitrary goals just because I can. And not just because I can, but because they're so easy. Simple, really.

Prepare the goat for sacrifice!

2008-07-01T11:25:00.004-05:00

Haha...I couldn't help sharing it...

Since the dawn of time, people have been in control of their tools. The stone-age primitive knew the properties of flint and how to turn it into sharp axes. Peasants in the Middle Ages knew how a plow was constructed and how to use it to till their fields. And they sure knew how to master their oxen. In recent history, people used to understand automobiles: even if they were not trained mechanics, drivers in the 1950s knew much of what was under the hood, knew the meaning of the various sounds their car might make, and knew how to fix the beast if it acted up.
Today, the average computer user lives under a reign of terror where he or she is subjected to loss of data at the whim of a blue screen that appears at unexplainable times. We have lost 2,000 years' of progress in rationalist thinking and reverted to superstitious and animist behavior where users chant magic incantations at their computer without understanding the meaning but hoping that the outcome will be blessed. Look at offices around the world and count the number of yellow sticky-notes at the side of computer monitors and you will know what I mean. Each sticky-note has a magic incantation on it with a number of steps that are followed as an offering to the Great Machine. If step 5 in printing handouts from a slide presentation were to sacrifice a goat, then people would do that just as gladly as they click a checkbox they don't understand.

-Jakob Nielsen, in Designing Web Usability

Word of the Day

2008-06-28T17:43:00.003-05:00

::mood::deprived
::music::Pipedreams 0821-Paul Jacobs at Verizon Hall

vicissitude

noun
1. the quality or state of being changeable. natural change or mutation visible in nature or in human affairs

Example:
"A sense of constancy can be derived from unchanging marks that can be carried along no matter what the physical, temporal, or geographical vicissitudes at hand. Tattoos stay, while all else may change." A. Martin, On Teenagers and Tattoos

Quote of the Day

2008-05-27T15:21:00.002-05:00

Speak not to me
about stereo-typing
until you have ceased to be
so stereo-typical.
-Cate

Quote of the Day

2008-05-22T14:41:00.000-05:00

I was going to post another quote. But I found this one buried in my archives. And it jumped out at me. More than the other one. So, I'll post the other, funnier one later.

Meanwhile, I think I'm gonna give this one some time to digest. I need it...good 'ol Gipper...

"My philosophy about life
is that if we make up our mind
what we are going to make of our lives,
then work hard toward that goal,
we never lose - somehow we win out."
-Ronald Reagan

Comparison and Contrast

2008-05-04T15:09:00.004-05:00

People show up, just looking to have a good time. They congregate and talk, making sure to give just the right impression. After all, everyone's just after a little honest-to-goodness fulfillment in life. And so they've got to make sure that it looks that way to everyone around. Which means they get into everything that is the status quo. They get into the singing, and the standing around and talking...even inviting new friends to make sure that they can share in all the fun.

They begin by going up to those people they know and greeting them, catching up on the latest gossip. Then of course it goes on to acknowledging those who they met last time and recognize as such but really don't remember their name or care that much about them. So that quickly degenerates and folks go on to meeting someone new. Why? Well, it's not because they really care about the new person so much as it's just what you do.

Besides, you never know what introducing yourself might get you. All sorts things come to those who make new acquaintances.

But inevitably, people end up doing something stupid. Something idiotic. But that's not such a big deal. Everyone's in one stage or another of weird behavior. It might not really make sense. But hey, whatever you gotta do to fit in.

It's just what you do.

Anybody not yet part of the system might stand off to the side for a while. Just watching and taking it all it. Better to get a feel for the goings on before really jumping in.

But those who've been around awhile...they know the system. They know what to say. They know how to act. They know where to be and who to know. And who not to know. Pretty much, for these people, the world is at their fingertips. And for the most part, they'll get anything they want just by working the system. Most everyone else just kinda gets outta their way.

Everyone else is just there because that's all there is to do. It's better than sitting around at home, apparently.

It's just what you do.

And heaven forbid you have some outlandish idea like, "none of this really makes sense". Nothing will get you expelled faster. Not really expelled as in 'walked to the door expelled'. But you wont fit in. And everyone wants to fit in. So anyone who's sticking around is going to become part of the self-sustaining, vulnerable, idiotic, brainwashed system.

The only difference is, the folks at the karaoke bar have alcohol to blame for it all.
Church folks don't.

A day in my drinks...er, life...

2008-04-30T15:04:00.003-05:00

Inspired by the sundry empty cups and glasses on my desk right now, I had the idea to tally up all the different drinks I've had so far today. And come to find out it's rather varied.

One McDonalds Vanilla Latte (hey, it was free while they're doing their promo thing, and yes, it was that bad)
One Starbucks Venti iced black tea
Second half some Starbucks Pike's Place Roast drip coffee left over in my travel mug from yesterday (No, I do not mind day old coffee. No, I do not think that is weird.)
One Apple Juice
One glass of water (yeah, I know, after all that I really should have two. But that's for later.)
One half of a glass of strawberry/raspberry/coconut smoothie (homemade, of course)
And who knows what else to come...I'm feelin some more iced tea. Only, sweet this time!

please enjoy the hold music...

2008-04-25T16:35:00.002-05:00

So, I wont get a call back from Sharly till next monday at best. So I wont be getting those reports until prolly the day after that.

And I have to wait 24-48 hrs for my site to publish before I can begin testing.

So, I guess I'll begin brainstorming on the other project I've got on the side.

It pays to be multi-tasking, apparently. So when one thing stalls, no worries, just cycle on to the next thing!

Tax Freedom Day

2008-04-23T17:18:00.002-05:00

YAY! It's Tax Freedom Day today!!!

The average American is now free to earn money to pay for things like housing, medical expenses, and food.

On April 23rd.

That's right, up until now, we've all been working to feed Uncle Sam.

Make you feel better?

Eavesdroppings from a day in the coffeeshop...

2008-04-20T15:48:00.001-05:00

Talkative dude: "On a basic level, we were designed to lie down in the tall grass, eat grapes, and have sex. And the extent to which we do not do that is the extent to which we create stress for ourselves.

3-year-old Kid: "I've never tasted coffee before!" Takes a sip. "Mmmm! Tastes like Baileys!"

Feist at Cains - 4.14.08 - The Proof...

2008-04-15T14:20:00.002-05:00

The Proof...I was there...

...and what an amazing show it was!

...a little sump'm sump'm

2008-04-07T14:49:00.005-05:00

...because I was reminded yesterday, that my blogging is not about me or my vanity, but about what I want down the road. And that is to be able to look back, and have a history of stories of my life, a series of vignettes that tell the story of the whole, and that seem to patch together the incoherency of the present. That, I was reminded, is why I am a blogger.

Today's quote, by one of my favorite authors:

The supreme happiness of life
is the conviction that we are loved;
loved for ourselves-say rather,
loved in spite of ourselves.
-Victor Hugo

Another tidbit, because grassroots is where it's at.

by my friends, bob and eric

And with that, I'll be back...sooner.

Still Falls The Rain

2008-02-18T15:20:00.003-06:00

Still falls the rain—
Dark as the world of man, black as our loss—
Blind as the nineteen hundred and forty nails
Upon the cross.
Still falls the rain—
With a sound like the pulse of the heart
That is changed to the hammer-beat
In the potter's field, and the sound of the impious feet
On the tomb:
Still falls the rain—
In the field of blood
where the small hopes breed and the human brain
Nurtures its greed, that worm with the brow of Cain.
Still falls the rain—
At the feet of the starved man hung upon the cross.
Christ that each day, each night, nails there, have mercy on us—
On Dives and on Lazarus:
Under the rain the sore and the gold are as one.
Still falls the rain—
Still falls the blood from the starved man's wounded side:
He bears in his heart all wounds, — those of the light that died,
The last faint spark
In the self-murdered heart,
the wounds of the sad uncomprehending dark,
The wounds of the baited bear—
The blind and weeping bear whom the keepers beat
On his helpless flesh…the tears of the hunted hare.
Still falls the rain—
Then— O Ile leape up to my God: who pulles me doune—
See, see where Christ's blood streames in the firmament:
It flows from the brow we nailed upon the tree
Deep to the dying, to the thirsting heart
That holds the fires of the world, — dark-smirched with pain
As Caesar's laurel crown.
Then sounds the voice of one who like the heart of man
Was once a child who among beasts has lain—
“Still do I love, still shed my innocent light, my blood, for thee.”

The Blitz is the word that the English use to refer to the sustained German bombing of London and other cities across the United Kingdom between September 1940 and May 1941, during which over 43,000 people perished. In 1942, Dame Edith Sitwell composed this poem in direct response to the Blitz. Sitwell once described this poem in a letter to Benjamin Britten as one of the proudest achievements of her life. With its insistent rhyme and images of Christian suffering, the poem has a relentless quality, much like the bombardment which it memorializes. Of its more obscure references include Potter’s field (a place of burial for the unknown), the brow of Cain (the Bible's first murderer), and Dives and Lazarus (a Biblical pairing of the wealthy man and the destitute beggar) who become equal under the violent rain of war.

Toasting Life

2008-01-01T15:56:00.000-06:00

I wrote this a while back. But I just happened to pick up a book today, and out fell the paper on which I'd originally written this.

And as I read through it again, it hit me how fitting is is for today, being New Years Day, as well as the whole of the coming year.

Originally, it was titled "Of Living Death". Somehow, that isn't fitting anymore. I like it better this way. I like the idea of...

Toasting Life

Time and place
Rhyme and rhythm
Why are they so elusive?
Pictures and visions
Thoughts and dreams
There's only one life to live.

If wind could only
Talk of what it's seen
Would it tell of vanished hopes?
And dreams could only
Speak their piece
Revealing emptiness of imagination?

When thoughts have given
way to words
And dreams to written
Plans of future
Why do I sit in blissful trance
Not quite moving to the rhythm of dance?

Treat this peace
this wretched calm
As if it were living hell
Now end this suffocation
Of perfect dreams
There's only one life to live.

What makes me mad...

2007-11-23T13:08:00.000-06:00

Few things get me more riled up than irresponsibility: when some individual human being either refuses to, or has been rendered incapable of taking responsibility for their past, present, and future thoughts, actions, and attitudes, and the ongoing effects (consequences, if you will) each of these will have on their own life and relationships, the life and relationships of everyone they come in contact with, as well as the the corporate environment of any organization they are involved in.

Yes, one person does matter that much.

And this guy just pointed out how I'm going to have to deal with it for the rest of my life, and increasingly so, as it is a self-perpetuating, viscous cycle, unable to redeem itself.

Grrrr...

So, while you think your precious children are off at their local government school learning how to read, how to do basic mathematical computations, how to communicate effectively in the English language – plus a bit about science, health, our economic system and American and world history – your kids may instead be engaging in exercises created by leftist, anti-capitalist college professors designed to teach them that wealth is distributed, rather than earned, and that our economic system is based on something comparable to a mad scramble for pennies.

Here, I want you to read the entire instructions for this classroom exercise. Go through the entire exercise and see if you can find the word "earn" one single time. Read the exercise for yourself and see if you can find one reference to actually working to acquire wealth. Look for any reference to the benefits that can flow from good decision making.

Students, for instance, are given the opportunity to donate pennies to others, but the exercise does not give students with more pennies the option of actually hiring a student with less to actually perform some task or chore (clean out my book bag?) in exchange for a few pennies. No! Never! We can't teach that in a government school! Why in the world would we want to teach school children that preparation, knowledge, training, hard work and good decision making are the keys to acquiring wealth?

These institutions are no longer schools. They are government indoctrination centers, owned and operated by government and staffed by government employees who have every reason to teach dependency on government and no reason to produce a generation of children who have learned how to depend on themselves.

The single most prevalent form of child abuse in this country is the act of sending a child to a government school. We worry incessantly about the separation of church and state. We would do well to devote half as much attention to the separation of government and education.

Call him extreme. But it's true. This system of education only breeds irresponsibility.

Just shoot me now.

He's Going to be HERE!

2007-10-04T13:34:00.000-05:00

::mood::full
::music::tulsamusicpulse

"Miami to Las Vegas & Home Again" featuring David Osborne on the Steinway at the Coleman Theatre [more info...]

October 18, 2007, at 7:30PM

The Coleman Theatre continues its Centennial Celebration with this hometown favorite. For more information, call 540.2425.

Bedtime snack

2007-10-03T21:32:00.000-05:00

::mood::sleepy
::music::not right now

A little slice of heaven, it is...
...a freshly opened jar of peanut butter.

My grandpa's grandson, am I...
...smearing it on crackers just before bed.

Quote of the Day

2007-09-27T12:13:00.000-05:00

"Everyone thinks of changing
the world,

but no one thinks of
changing himself."

-leo tolstoy

UPS Man

2007-09-24T13:41:00.000-05:00

::mood::laughing out loud
::music::deep enough to dream, from the album short term memories by chris rice

take this, firefighters of america...

...who's got the sexiest job now?