YOU WON'T BELIEVE THIS . . . BUT MAYBE YOU WILL (PART I)

I got this in an e-mail from the CENTER FOR INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM and I had to post this to get this information out.  This is absolutely unbelievable. I am copying the text as the CFIF sent it.

The federal government says employers MUST hire people who REFUSE to communicate in English or face the consequences.

Strange, isn't it... our government has a problem pursuing employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens but has no problem going after small businesses and nonprofit organizations that simply ask employees to speak English while they're on the clock!

First, liberals told us we had to give up our religion, even during Christmas and the rest of the holiday season:

No prayers in school...
No nativity scenes on the town square...
No mention of God at high school graduations...

Next they told us we had to give up love of our country:

America is racist and sexist...
America coddles the rich and exploits the poor...
America is the most dangerous nation in the world...

NOW THEY'RE DEMANDING WE GIVE UP OUR LANGUAGE!

That's right!  The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is going after a Salvation Army thrift store BECAUSE IT REQUIRED EMPLOYEES TO SPEAK ENGLISH ON THE JOB!  The store even gave everyone a year to learn English. Two refused and were fired.

Here's what we're heading toward:

You go into a shoe store and the clerk doesn't even know the English word for shoe.

The waiter in a restaurant can't understand what you're ordering and brings you soft-boiled eggs instead of fried chicken.

A worker in a sawmill cuts off your right arm because he doesn't know the meaning of "STOP!"

This madness is one more consequence of allowing 12-20 million illegal aliens to pour across our borders unchecked.

This time, however, somebody is saying "NO MORE! ENOUGH!"

Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) has introduced a bill that -- if passed -- would stop EEOC dead in its tracks.

His bill would "make clear that it is not against federal law for an employer to require employees to speak English on the job."

Since Congress created the EEOC, it has the authority to tell it what to do AND WHAT NOT TO DO!

Hundreds of Businesses Harassed By The EEOC For Requiring English...

Here is what Senator Alexander says about his bill in a press release.

"A federal agency says it's illegal for an employer to require employees to speak in English, which, in plain English, means that thousands of small businesses in American would have to hire a lawyer and be prepared to make their case to a federal agency that there is some special reason to justify speaking English on the job.  I believe this is a gross distortion of the Civil Rights Act and a complete misunderstanding of what it means to be an American."

Lest anyone think this bill would force illegal aliens to speak English at all time, Alexander said this;

"This bill's not about affecting people's lunch hour or coffee break -- it's about protecting the rights of employersto ensure their employees can communicate with each other and their customers during the working hours.  In America, requiring English in the workplace is not discrimination; it's common sense."

In other words, people can speak in Spanish, Swahili, or any other language they wish during their personal time (lunch, coffee-breaks etc.).  Anyone who says otherwise is either misinformed or lying.

By the way, Alexander originally offered a similar bill as an amendment to the Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) Appropriations Bill; and it was added to the CJS Appropriations Bill back in June by a vote of 15-14. 

And liberals squashed it!

A conference committee was to iron out differences between the Senate and House versions and send it to the President.

But the liberals, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, caved in to the advocates of illegal immigration and refused to bring the bill with Alexander's amendment before the conference committee.

Instead the radical and ruthless Pelosi presented an omnibus bill that gutted the amendment. 

Now Alexander's back with a free-standing bill that says the same thing. 

If this bill fails, the EEOC -- and liberals in government -- may declare all-out war against small businesses in America.

In fact, the EEOC filed 200 ACTIONS just this year against employers because they required employees to speak English.  Given the fact that small business contributes the lion's share of jobs and economic growth in America, this behavior is suicidal.

Press One For English

So how do the American people feel about the English language, as opposed to Nancy Pelosi and Barney Frank and Harry Reid and Teddy Kennedy?

According to a recent poll, 80 percent of Americans believe English should be the official language of the nation.

Nearly 90 percent believe it's important for immigrants to speak English.

More that 75 percent believe employers should have the right to require their employees to speak English while on the job.

Yet our own government is actively siding with people who REFUSE to even attempt to learn the English language.

How many times a day do you dial your phone and hear: PRESS ONE FOR ENGLISH; PRESS TWO FOR SPANISH? 

Our entire education system in many parts of the country has been changed to accommodate the children of people who speak languages other than English.

A North Texas friend tells us that virtually all the downtown signs in his city of almost 200,000 are now in Spanish.

America is a melting pot... so many of us had parents, grandparents or great-grandparents who came to the United States from another country.  

Did we make such concessions to them? 

When Italians immigrated to this country, did America immediately introduce bilingual education into its schools, with math taught in Italian?

When others immigrated, did towns and cities all over the country scrap English signs and substitute signs in German or some otherlanguage?

Did anyone ever dial a government agency or bank and hear PRESS ONE FOR ENGLISH; PRESS TWO FOR SPANISH?

More to the point, did the federal government EVER intervene on behalf of immigrants who refuse to learn English?

Everyone is supposed to be treated equally in this country. 

Teddy Roosevelt had it right when he said: "We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language."

Liberals Say Asking People To Speak English Is "Abusive."

Of course some folks think President Teddy Roosevelt was a blow-hard patriot.

For example, there's Laura Boston, who works for the Houston Interfaith Worker Justice Center -- an organization whose name tells you it isn't exactly conservative, or patriotic for that matter.

Ms. Boston says requiring employees to speak English is "an annoyance tactic" and "just part of abuse you sometimes get from some employers."

You have to wonder why employers would go out of their way to annoy their workers -- a tactic that would be bad for production.  In an automobile plant you'd be sure to get a few doors on backwards every shift.

Obviously Ms. Boston can't understand -- or refuses to understand -- why it would be good for business AND GOOD FOR MORALE if everyone at least attempted to speak the same language.

In fact, it is a good idea for people who wish to live in the United States on a permanent basis to learn English, since fluent English is the key to better jobs and a better life. 

Why do I have the feeling the Interfaith Worker Justice Center isn't really interested in that kind of self-improvement?

JustWho Are The Bigots Here?

The EEOC apparently isn't interested in the role that language plays in the life of our nation. 

The agency would obviously prefer to punish employers than to encourage employees to better themselves.

Columnist Michael M. Bates summarizes the larger role that language plays in our society -- and, for that matter, any society

Tags: , Salvation Army, small business, United States Government, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Senator Lamar Alexander

YOU BELIEVE THIS . . . BUT MAYBE YOU WILL (PART II)

"Our common language is a basis for our cultural unity.  It's far from the only language spoken in the United States, but certainly it's the primary one.  For folks wishing to advance here, knowledge of it is essential.  We do immigrants no favors by bending over backwards trying to accommodate them in their native language, hindering their adapting to a new culture." [Emphasis Mine]

Those who think of illegal immigrants only in terms of economics -- i.e., the benefits they bring to a select segment of corporate America -- should study this paragraph.  It reflects the deepest concerns of those of us who successfully fought these same money grubbers in the U.S. Senate.  (And will do it again if they try to cram amnesty down our throats.)

Let's face it, hindering the adaptation of an immigrant to a new culture only benefits those who seek to EXPLOIT others by creating a permanent underclass in our society... it may benefit some businesses seeking so-called cheap labor... it does benefit liberal politicians who seek more government entitlements and give-aways. 

We love our country and we want it back -- what's left of it.

And we don't want our government persecuting benevolent organizations like the Salvation Army for requiring employees to learn English.

Use the hyperlink below to send your urgent and personalized Blast Fax messages to President Bush and the Republican leadership in the House and Senate.  Tell them to do everything in their power to pass Senator Lamar Alexander's "Protecting English in the Workplace Act of 2007" IMMEDIATELY.

The EEOC took action against 200 businesses this past year because they simply wished to require their employees to speak English on the job.  This campaign of federal government harassment must STOP!  Small businesses in America will be wrecked if the EEOC is allowed to enforce this further dismantling of America!

http://www.cfiflistmanager.org/salvationarmy.html

AOL Members Use This Link

If the above hyperlink does not function, please copy and paste it into the address bar of your browser.

 

Yours In Freedom,

Jeff Mazzella
President
http://www.cfif.org/

 

It's hard to believe that the Federal government would go after the Salvation Army.  But note that they have also gone after over two hundred small businesses the same reason. This is just one more example of how America as we know it today is slipping away.  We have totally abandoned our melting pot philosophy, at least as far as Spanish-speaking people are concerned.  They are not expected to learn our language and adapt to our way of life.  We are expected to accomodate them in every way. Just for the record: I don't mind immigrants coming here as long as they follow the rules and observe our way of life except of course, in their own homes as immigrants have done for generations.

 This is just my opinion, but this action by the EEOC to me looks like the government targeting small businesses to put them out and turn everything over to the large companies, much the like the Federal family farm land grab of the 1970's.  This would be foolish as according to the latest stats, 98% of all businesses in the U.S. employee less than two hundred people.  Small business is the backbone and foundation of American business.  But then again, when was the last time the government made good sense? 

 

Tags: , Salvation Army, small business, United States Government, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Senator Lamar Alexander

A DIFFERING POINT OF VIEW AND MY RESPONSE

For the first time since I started this journal, someone left a comment with a differing point of view.  I welcome differing viewpoints and was excited to see my first one.  So, in keeping with my journal's purpose, I am re-posting their comment and a response.  First I would like to thank the commenter who is THATBOYAINTRIGHT for stopping by and posting.  Here's his post from my previous entry, The War on Christmas Is Not Over:

"You don't know the whole story. The nativity was purchased with taxpayer money and decorated the area around the Mayor's church. That is simply wrong."

 

I researched this a little further and found out a couple of things.  First, the nativity was purchased by the city of Dallas, Georgia, but is located on public land according to the ALLIANCE DEFENSE FUND in a letter that was sent to the AMERICANS UNITED FOR THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE (AU) in response to their lawsuit threat to the city.  You can view the letter from AU by clicking HERE.  The letter from ADF in response to it can be viewed by clicking on this LINK.  According to the Alliance Defense Fund, the display met the U. S. Supreme Court's requirements for "public acknowledgement of the Christmas season."  The Nativity was not the only Christmas display along one of Dallas, Georgia's main corridors.  There were snowflakes, reindeer, Christmas trees, and other non-religious symbols of Christmas.  It would be physically impossible to see just the Nativity scene without seeing the other decorations.  Therefore, it was not an endorsement of any particular religion (Lynch vs. Donnelly, 465 U.S. 668 673 [1984]).  There are two other cases that sum this up very well:  ACLU of Kentucky vs. Mercer County, 432 F.3d at 638: "The First Amendment does not demand a wall of separation between church and state."  In Everson vs. Board of Education, 330 U.S. 1, 18 (1947), the Court held that the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment requiresthe state to be neutral in its relations between believers and non-believers.  It does not require the state to oppose religion or religious expression.  The letter from the Alliance Defense Fund to the City of Dallas explains it in much greater detail.  Please click the referenced link above and take the time to read it.  It's important to have this information as it is not publicized by the mainstream media for obvious reasons.  I still maintain that this was another attempt to promote an agenda.  That agenda is to remove all Christian symbols from the public eye.  I think attempts such as this are just a first step towards outlawing such displays on private property.  Don't think so?  If such legal actions are allowed and removal of such displays is forced upon the public against the will of the people, the next stop is your yard.  The liberal left does things in increments, never all at once.  It seems it's OK to deny Christians First Amendment protection just as long as we are careful not to offend non-Christians.  It amazes me that in less than one lifetime, our society has gone down the slippery slope of moral decay to the point where we even have such a conversation, the beliefs of the majority of Americans have ended up in the courts, and we're having to fight to even maintain minimal rights to express those beliefs freely. By the way, if you happen to question whether or not keeping the Nativity display in Dallas is the will of the majority, as of today there are 6,409 signatures on the petition on TAKING IT GLOBAL in favor of leaving the display.  You can still sign the petition if you wish, just click HERE.

 

Tags: Nativity, Dallas Georgia, Alliance Defense Fund, First Amendment, liberalism, Americans United for the Separation of Church of State, Taking It Global

LAHOMA WENT HOME LAST NIGHT

SoaringHeart428

Most of you may already know, but we lost one of our J-landers last night.  At 9:50 p.m., Lahoma (LAHOMA'S LAMENTS) left this world and went home.  Lahoma has been a close friend of my wife's and I just wanted to post a few words in this journal.'

Lahoma understood the meaning of being a true friend.  When my wife, before we met, was going through some of the worst times of her life that no one should have to face, Lahoma was there.  There were times when Nelishia (PRAYING AND BELIEVING) had no family or friends to call on, and folks, I really mean NO ONE.  That's a place that few people have ever been.  Many think they have, but really haven't.  Nelishia had Lahoma.  Lahoma wasn't one to disappear when someone was going through hard times as many so-called friends do these days.  Lahoma was such an inspiration and comfort to Nelishia.  Physical distance separated them, but they are bonded like sisters.  For those of you who understand, Lahoma is a sister.

I believe Lahoma was given this time so she could make things right with God.  We were told that she had made peace with Him, and that is the most wonderful news!  A group from our church went and minstered to her recently.  It was by proxy because Lahoma was asleep and Robert didn't want to wake her.  But he allowed our church group to minister to her through him and he went back to the house and followed their directions.  I think Lahoma was granted this time so that could happen.  I will be eternally grateful that she had that opportunity.  The three of us will be together in just a little while, but Lahoma will be missed here.

                                                                           

Sanfords.net

Tags: Lahoma, Lahoma's Laments, Sister

THE WAR ON CHRISTMAS IS NOT OVER!

I have a couple of items about the War on Christmas.  We have seen over the past few years things coming to the forefront about eliminating Christmas altoghether.  Some of these things most people don't think about such as schools going on "Winter break" instead of Christmas break, stores not permitting their employees to say Merry Christmas replacing it with Happy Holidays.  It's subtle, and many people don't think anything about it.  The subtle approach is what the liberal left has used to advance their agenda over the years, and suddenly the majority realizes what's happened, and wonders how it happened.  The liberal factions always do things incrementally instead of all at once in order to virtually eliminate objections from the majority.

This appeared in a catalog put out by LOWE'S HOME IMPROVEMENT.  Lowe's has refused to call Christmas trees by their proper name, but "Family Trees."   There is one tree pictured upside down in its stand.  Don't know what that's supposed to mean.  In keeping with everything in my journal being properly sourced and researched, here's the link to the catalog so you can see for yourself:

 http://mediaserver2.afa.net/twb2007/lowescatalog.pdf

The next thing is taking place in DALLAS, GEORGIA.  Dallas is a small town in northwest Georgia.  It seems that a group of left-wing liberal extremists, calling themselves AMERICANS UNITED FOR SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE have somehow found this particular Nativity and are threatening to suethe city if they don't remove it.  Well, I know how they found it.  Liberals for years now have been bypassing the legislative process of this country that goes through Congress then the President.  These groups do this in order to bypass the will of the people and promote their own agenda forcing it on the majority.  They pick and choose issues and file lawsuits in the courts that typically end up at the U. S. Supreme Court.  The Supreme Court stepped outside the bounds of the Constitution years ago with their rulings.  If you check out the Constitution, Supreme Court rulings were NEVER meant to become law.  One of their chief functions is to INTERPRET the law, not BE the law.  These nine justices have been allowed to run this country for far too long.  This group is using the same strategy.  This is to continue the attack on Christianity and another attempt to take Christianity out of the public eye.  That has been the goal for many years now.  They use the fictitious "separation of church and state" as the basis for their lawsuits.  Time for a little Constitutional law.  There is no such statement in either the Constitution or the Bill of Rights.  The Constitution does say that Congress shall "make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."  Our Constitution came from the Bible.  Our country was founded by people who were escaping religious persecution because their beliefs were contrary to that of their government, and wanted to worship as they pleased.  So, is there an "issue" with a community displaying a Nativity scene?  Absolutely not!  Non-Christians are not being persecuted by the government because of their beliefs.  If the Americans for Separation of Church and State need a "separation of church and state" issue?  I've got one.  Every year, every public school in the country, displays religious symbols of one particular religion to the exclusion of all others.  What religion you ask?  THE CHURCH OF WICCA.  When is it celebrated?  Around October of every year, Halloween is celebrated and Wiccan symbols are in our schools.  In the Wiccan religion Halloween is known as Samhain and is celebrated on October 31st.  Here is the link for a listing of the Wiccan holidays and sabbats:

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Cafe/1614/Celtwicc/Wicca/Wicca04.htm. 

Does the ACLU, the Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, or similar liberal groups have any objections?  No.  Their only objections are to religions that believe the Bible.  None other.  A prime example of this was when the ACLU sued a school over a Nativity display in their school library.  This was in the past year or two, and I think it was in Virginia although I can't find anything about it.  The ACLU lied in its legal briefs to the courts and omitted the fact that along with the Nativity, there was a Kwanzaa display, a Mexican holiday display, a Jewish display, and others.  In other words, it was a multi-cultural display.  But, the Christian display was the only one attacked.

The agenda is obvious:  remove any and all religious references and symbols from the public eye.  If this is allowed to continue, then the next thing will be having Christian displays in our own yards on private property removed.  The reason for this attack is that Christianity is the biggest threat there is to liberalism.  The idea is to do away with the threat.

By the way, there is a petition on TAKING IT GLOBAL circulating about the Nativity display in Dallas, Georgia.  So far, there are over 3,500 signatures wanting the Nativity to remain where it is.  The link to the petition:  http://petitions.takingitglobal.org/DallasNativity

Take a minute and sign it and help send these liberals back to Washington,D.C.

 

Tags: Christmas,ACLU,Americans United for the Separation of Church and State,Nativity,Christianity,Christmas trees,Liberalism,Wicca,Halloween,Taking it Global,Dallas,Georgia

PRESIDENT FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT'S "DATE OF INFAMY" SPEECH

Today is the anniversary of President Franklin Roosevelt's speech asking Congress to declare war on Japan.  In recognition of that, here is a copy of his speech.

 

 

 

Tags: President Franklin D. Roosevelt;World War II;Pearl Harbor;Date of Infamy Speech;Japan

DECEMBER 7, 1941 . . . A "DATE THAT WILL LIVE IN INFAMY"

Sadly, today is a day that most Americans know nothing about.  It will be just another Friday, go to work, come home, do some Christmas shopping, what's for supper.  If you did a street poll asking what December 7th was, I wonder how many would know. I suspect very few. The RedHawk Review reports that there are NO articles on MSNBC's front page commerating this day.  There is nothing on the front pages of ABC News, or CBS News either.  That's really something, but not surprising.  Before I go on, here's a video posted on YouTube.  Please take a few minutes to view it before reading on.  It gives just a little smattering of the impact of that day.  You will need to click on the Permalink below so the music video from September 11th won't play while you're watching this video.

Over 2300 Americans died that day.  Many more were wounded.  Eight battleships, including the USS Arizona were destroyed. 

There were far too many acts of sheer heroism to go into detail here. Suffice it to say that our servicemen responded in nothing short of the superhuman.  One man,   Messman Dorie Miller (1919-1943), stationed aboard the USS Arizona, used an anti-aircraft gun to shoot down four enemy aircraft.  He had no training in the use of this gun. He received the Navy Cross for this and pulling his wounded Captain to safety.  All the ammunition was locked up and our men had to break the locks, load the guns, and begin returning fire in less than twenty minutes.     This attack brought the United States into World War II.  Japan was attempting to expand its empire throughout the Pacific and attacked the United States so the expansion would not be opposed.  When Pearl Harbor was attacked, other strategic targets were also attacked such as Midway, Wake Island, Malaya, Hong Kong, Guam, and the Phillipines.  American ships were also torpedoed by Japanese forces on the high seas between San Fransisco and Honolulu.  The Japanese government thought this attack would keep the United States out of their way and they could take over the Pacific unopposed.  It had the opposite effect.  This was a time when our country had solidarity.  The vote in Congress to declare war on Japan was almost unanimous, only one dissenting vote. Boys lied about their age and enlisted to defend their beloved country. This kind of unity and resolve is something that is very much absent today.  America perservered for four long years until victory was won.  Today, I remember and thank all who fought and kept our freedom secure. Take time to remember - we must never forget. 

 

 

Tags: Pearl Harbor;Hawaii;USS Arizona;USS Oklahoma;World War II;Dorie Miller;Franklin D. Roosevelt;War in the Pacific

ENGLISH SPOKEN HERE

This may get me comments of being bigoted, racist, or hatemongering, but that's all right.  In today's America, that's what one gets for standing for what is right.  It's seems peculiar to me that when we expect immigrants other than Hispanics to obey the law in coming here and to learn our language, everything's alright.  But, when we expect Hispanics to do the same, it's racist and bigoted.  Wonder why?  Personally I don't have a problem with ANYONE immigrating here as long as they obey our laws in so doing and assimilate as generations of immigrants have before them.  Anyway, I wanted to share the names of the thirty-three Senators who voted AGAINST designating English as the official language of the United States.  This was sent to me in an e-mail with an open letter to these Senators:

33 Senators Voted Against English as America's Official Language June 6, 2007

Senators,
Your vote against an amendment to the Immigration Bill 1348, to make
English America's official language is astounding. On D-Day no less when we
honor those that sacrificed in order to secure the bedrock character and
principles of America . I can only surmise your vote reflects a loyalty to
illegal aliens.

I don't much care where you come from, what your religion is, whether
you're black, white or some other color, male or female, democrat, republican or
independent, but I do care when you're a United States Senator, representing
citizens of America and vote against English as the official language of the
United States

Your vote reflects betrayal, political surrender, violates your pledge
of allegiance, dishonors historical principle, rejects patriotism, borders on
traitorous action and, in my opinion, makes you unfit to serve as a United
States Senator... impeachment, recall, or other appropriate action is warranted.

Worse, 4 of you voting against English as America's official language
are presidential candidates: Senator Biden, Senator Clinton, Senator Dodd, and
Senator Obama.

Those 4 Senators vying to lead America but won't or don't have the
courage to cast a vote in favor of English as America's official language when
91% of American citizens want English officially designated as our language.

This is the second time in the last several months this list of Senators
have disgraced themselves as political hacks... unworthy as Senators and
certainly unqualified to serve as President of the United States.

If America is as angry as I am, you will realize a back-lash so stunning
it will literally rock you out of your panties... and preferably, totally out of
the United States Senate.

The entire immigration bill is a farce... your action only confirms this
really isn't about America ; it's about self-serving politics... despicable at best.

The following senators voted against making English the official
language of America :

Akaka (D-HI)

Bayh (D-IN)

Biden (D-DE) Wants to be President?

Bingaman (D-NM)

Boxer (D-CA)

Cantwell (D-WA)

Clinton (D-NY) Wants to be President?

Dayton (D-MN)

Dodd (D-CT) Wants to be President?

Domenici (R-NM) Coward, protecting his Senate seat...

Durbin (D-IL)

Feingold (D-WI) Not unusual for him

Feinstein (D-CA)

Harkin (D-IA)

Inouye (D-HI)

Jeffords (I-VT)

Kennedy (D-MA)

Kerry (D-MA) Wanted to be President

Kohl (D-WI)

Lautenberg (D-NJ)

Leahy (D-VT)

Levin (D-MI)

Lieberman (D-CT) Disappointment here.....

Menendez (D-NJ)

Mikulski (D-MD)

Murray (D-WA)

Obama (D-IL) Wants to be President?

Reed (D-RI)

Reid (D-NV) Senate Majority Leader

Salazar (D-CO)

Sarbanes (D-MD)

Schumer (D-NY)

Stabenow (D-M)

'Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage
morale, and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled or hanged.'

~ President Abraham Lincoln ' Amen ' "

I just thought I needed to share this with you so you would be better informed come election time. I really hope people in these Senators' districts will see this.  There's no way they can deny it or spin it because it's right there in black and white, no two ways about it.  These people need to be voted right out in the next election.

Tags: Immigration, Senator Clinton, Senator Dodd, Senator Obama, Senator Biden, Presidential Elections, English

VETERANS DAY 2007

Here is an exerpt of the history of Veterans Day which was orignally known as Armistice Day taken from the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs website:

"World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.” "In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those

who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…"

Today we honor our veterans for defending our freedom.  We owe a debt that can never be repaid to our veterans who sacrificed and fought for the greatest country this world has ever seen and the freedom we enjoy today.  Most Americans have absolutely no idea what kind of a sacrifice it is just to sign one's name to join the Service.  It doesn't matter whether they see action or not.  Just talk to their families and you'll hear a small part of the sacrifice that is made to be in our military.  Take the time to study history.  Not just the general history of World Wars I & II, but specific accounts.  You will have to agree that considering the lack of resources and manpower in those days compared to today, there is no way we could have even maintained a war of that scale such as we did in WWII in both the European and Pacific theaters except by prayer.  There were so many "hunches" that our troops followed that paid off that I believe were instances of Divine wisdom.  I urge everyone to take the time to thank God for America, the freedoms we take for granted all too often, and those who made it possible then and now.

Soldiers of the 353rd Infantry near a church at Stenay, Meuse in France, wait for the end of hostilities.  This photo was taken at 10:58 a.m., on Nov. 11, 1918, two minutes before the armistice ending World War I went into effect. 

Tags: World War I, World War II, Korean Conflict, Vietnam War, Gulf War, Armistice Day, Veterans Day

UNBELIEVABLE!!

 

This is a photo of Senator Barack Obama, Senator Hillary Clinton, Governor of New Mexico Bill Richardson, and Ruth Harkin.  It was published by Time Magazine.  The photo was taken during the playing of the National Anthem at the thirtieth annual steak fry put on by Senator Tom Harkin in Indianola, Iowa.  Senator Obama, a PRESIDENTIAL candidate, did not put his hand over his heart as is traditionally done here in the United States.  The thing that stood out to me is that even as extreme liberal as Senator Clinton is, she put her hand over her heart.  So where would this put Senator Obama's ideology?  If someone who is running for president, the Commander-in-Chief mind you, has a problem with respecting the flag and the National Anthem, I don't believe that individual should be allowed to run.  Such disrespect would not be tolerated in any other country in the world.  Too bad it's tolerated here and many Americans do not see anything wrong with it.

Tags: Senator Barack Obama, Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Tom Harkin, Steak Fry, National Anthem, Presidential Candidate

HOW CONGRESS WORKS EXPLAINED

I will do a serious entry, I promise!  This came my way today and I just HAD to share it with my readers.  I've tried to embed this video, but AOL won't accept it, so if you want to hear how Congress works in layman's terms, click here.  Enjoy!

 

Tags: Congress, Recess, District Work Period

HERE'S YOUR SIGN!

 

Copyright 2007 by Dirk Whittemore

I'll say it's closed!

THE SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS IN OUR PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM

I was intending to write about something totally different this time, but comments made to me by a co-worker inspired me to choose this topic instead.  I've had strong feelings about our now sub-standard public education system for years now.  I have seen a decline in the quality of education which has led to a noticeable decline in even the most basic skills in our young people.

Larry, the Cable Guy once joked in one of his routines about ordering a meal in a fast food restaurant which totaled $4.81.  He said to give the teenager working the cash register $10.01, and "watch the fun begin."  He presented it in a humorous way, but he was also commenting on the fact that many young people can't do basic math such as counting back change.  Is this a problem with the intellect of today's young people?  No, absolutely not.  It's a serious indictment of our public schools.

Another very serious indictment of our public schools is how well home-schooled children do in comparison to their public school counterparts.  According to a 1997 study entitled Strengths of Their Own: Homeschoolers Across America by Dr. Brian Ray, the 5,402 home schooled students performed significantly higher than public school children.  A second study conducted by Dr. Lawrence Rudner of 20,760 home-schooled students showed that those who were home-schooled their entire school-age years had the highest academic achievement.  Lest anyone play the race card here, the studies have shown that race is not a factor.  Parents do a much better job than the professionals.  Home-schooling also blows away the myth MORE MONEY = BETTER EDUCATION.  The average cost of a home-schooled child in the Strengths of Their Own study was $546.  The average cost per student in public school was $5,325.  Yet, the home-schooled children tested on an average in the 85th percentile while public school students scored in the 50th percentile.  Getting your money's worth as a taxpayer?  I think not.

This leads me to another point.  As you know, school systems are continually coming to you, the taxpayer, with their hand out.  School boards are constantly wanting to raise property taxes, and in states that allow it, institute a local-option sales tax and keep it going for funding. They lead you to believe that they are really hurting for money and don't have enough fundng to provide an adequate education.  No matter how much funding is available, haven't you ever noticed that there never seems to be enough?  The idea that school systems don't have enough money is a total myth.  Governmental entities as a whole all lead you to believe this.  Go get a copy of your school system's budget.  It's public information.  It will surprise you I'm sure.  There's at least one study that showed that school systems spend all they can get.  It was published in the School Reform News September 1, 2007. 

School children are being indoctrinated with this belief.  A twelve year old daughter of a family in our neighborhood came to the door selling to raise funds for her school.  We said something about her having to go selling things to raise funds for the school.  She replied,"Our school is poor."  Just like that.  It's unfathomable that this particular school has stooped to this level.  Another story:  a co-worker told me this week about what he referred to as a scam by the elementary school two of his children attend in a neighboring county.  The school announced that it was going to have an "art day" and got the students excited about it.  My co-worker thought it was great too and the children would really enjoy it.  The students were to spend all day creating artwork.  Then, the school said the students' work would be framed, and the best works hung in the school permanently.  It turned out none of their work was hung.  Anyway, my co-worker was thinking this was an awesome thing to do for the children.  Then came part three of the scam:  parents could purchase their child's work for $25.00 each.  No explanation of where these proceeds were to go, just if the parents didn't "claim" their child's artwork, it would be disposed of.  Unbelievable, and my co-worker was very angry about it.  He also has a problem with the door-to-door selling to benefit the school.  He put it very well when he said that his children were not laborers for the school.  I totally agree.

Back to the quality of education problem.  In an article written for Hunan Events by Representative Scott Garrett, R-New Jersey, Returning Education to the Basics by Leaving No Child Left Behind, the problems with the No Child Left Behind initiative are outlined.  I appreciated the spirit of this initiative, but as Rep. Garrett stated, it "entirely missed the mark. It centralized accountability in Washington with the bureaucrats and appointees at the U.S. Department of Education, completely bypassing the legislators in 50 state capitals, countless township school boards and local elected officials, and -- most importantly -- administrators, educators, and parents allacross the nation.  Instead of encouraging teachers to be creative in engaging their students in the classroom, NCLB’s testing requirements have forced teachers to “teach to the test.” Many states have actually lowered their standards in order to maintain their federal funding.  NCLB hasn’t encouraged creativity or competition.  Instead, it set standards to a lowest common denominator and established a race to the bottom." 

"Here’s just one example:  A school in my district that is consistently cited in publications as one of the top performing schools in the State of New Jersey was actually placed on the Department of Education’s highly publicized “early warning list.”   But, this is not an underperforming school.   In fact, every year, nearly 100% of the students graduate and go on to attend college and the school’s average combined SAT score hovers at 1100.  This is a school bursting at the seams with motivated teachers, students, and parents.  But, it was put on the warninglist because one student did not meet NCLB’s requirement for what they deemed was 'adequate performance.'   This is not an isolated example." 

"It’s important to note that all 50 states have taken some form of action, whether it is legislative or legal, against No Child Left Behind. You can view this link to see what specific action your state has taken.  It’s clear that states are speaking in unison that they don’t believe NCLB is meeting the needs of their children.  But despite the state action taken, NCLB does not allow states to opt out of these federal education mandates unless they are willing to give up the federal education funding that goes with it.  I want to give states the ability to opt out without loss of their taxpayers’ federal funding."  This is the type of extortion to which Washington has always resorted to force issues on the states."

Dr. Walter E. Williams, who is a professor of Economics at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA, wrote an article entitled What's Wrong with Education?  Click on the link to the article.  It's very revealing.  I'll hit only a couple of high points here.  The first will be a direct quote:

"Here are some test questions. Question 1: Which of the following is equal to a quarter of a million? (a)40,000 (b) 250,000 (c)2,500,000 (d)1/4,000,000 or (e)4/1,000,000? Question 2: Martin Luther King, Jr. [insert the correct choice] for the poor of all races. (a) spoke out passionately (b) spoke out passionate (c) did spoke out passionately (d) has spoke out passionately or (e) had spoken out passionate. Question 3: What would you do if your student sprained an ankle? (a) Put a Band-Aid on it, (b) Ice it, (c) Rinse it with water."

"Having reviewed the questions, guess which school grade gets these kind of test questions: sixth grade, ninth grade, or twelfth grade. I'm betting that the average reader guesses: sixth grade. You'd be wrong. How about ninth grade? You'd still be wrong. You say, "Okay, Williams, I can't believe they're twelfth grade test questions!" Wrong again. According to a School Reform News (9/01) article "Who Tells Teachers They Can Teach?", those test questions came from tests for prospective teachers. The first two questions are samples from Praxis I test for teachers and the third is from the 1999 teacher certification test in Illinois. And guess what. Thirty-one percent of New York City public school teachers fail teacher certification tests. According to the Chicago Sun-Times (9/6/01) 5,243 Illinois teachers failed their teacher certification tests. "  UNBELIEVABLE!!!  I'll move on.

"The Chicago Sun-Times a<SPANCLASS=CORRECTION id="">lso reported that, "One teacher failed 24 of 25 teacher tests - including 11 of 12 Basic Skills tests and all 12 tests on teaching learning-disabled children. Yet, that teacher was assigned to teach learning-disabled children in Chicago. That's classic the blind leading the blind."

"Most of these inept teachers are graduates of the nation's schools of education. Unfortunately, for the most part, schools of education, either graduate or undergraduate, are home to students who have the lowest academic achievement test scores when they enter college and they score the lowest among college graduates taking tests, such as GRE, MCAT, or LSAT, to enter professional schools. If we're really serious about improving public education, we'd shut down schools of education. There is absolutely no relationship between teacher quality and having graduated from a teacher's college and being teacher certified. There may even be a negative relationship as suggested by the fact that students who are home-schooled by parents who've had no teacher training have achievement scores higher than 85 percent of all other students."

"Another serious education problem isthe fact that many teachers have little or no training in the subjects they teach. According to the U.S. Department of Education, 36 percent of public school teachers -- 972,000 teachers out of 2.7 million nationwide - didn't major or minor in the core subjects they teach. In other words, there are teachers teaching math and science who might not have taken a single class in those subjects."

This is very alarming and is an indication that if you must have your child in a public school, you as a parent have to stay very actively involved in his/her education.  You as a parent must continually hold school officials accountable.  This situation also makes one wonder about the state of tomorrow's workforce.  Just think about the areas of engineering, technology, and medical practice that we all depend on every day.  There needs to be a turnaround, and quick.

By the way, it was a home-schooled boy that won the National Spelling Bee this year, and will be taking calculus at the University of California at Berkeley this fall.  He's thirteen years old.  

Tags: Public schools, education, teachers, No Child Left Behind, National Spelling Bee,

REMEMBER . . . NEVER FORGET

I haven't done an entry in several weeks.  I haven't given up, there's just been so much going on.  I'll do an entry soon and try to write regularly.  I have so much to talk about, but today, we need to pause and remember September 11, 2001.  An unprecedented attack on our soil, and to borrow a famous quotation, a "date that will live in infamy"(Franklin D. Roosevelt, December 8, 1941).  Many of our fellow Americans died on this date.  When they left to go to work,  boarded the airplanes, and the man who was working on the television tower at the time of the attack, never dreamed that it would be their last day on Earth.  They never dreamed it would be the last time they would see their spouses, their children, their neighbors in this life.  We can never afford to forget, but as we all know, Americans have very short memories and have already forgotten much.

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We have already forgotten what it was like, about those that died, not only citizens, but those that were running towards the danger while survivors were escaping - police officers, firefighters, EMS personnel, and the list goes on and on. Many paid with their lives. Remember how quiet everything was the next day?&nbsp It wasn't just because no airplanes were flying. It was an eery quiet. The nation was stunned. We didn't think it could happen . . . again. In 1941, we didn't think it could happen then either. History DOES repeat itself if we don't learn from it the first time.

 

Please pause for a few moments and remember the families of those left behind. Also remember our Armed Forces currently fighting for our freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as their families. Thank a vet, no matter in what war they served. It's precious little for the sacrifice they made for YOUR continued freedom.

 

Tags: 9/11, Patriot Day, Support Our Troops, World Trade Center, Twin Towers, Pentagon, United 93, Iraq, Afghanistan, War on Terror

THE U. S. ATTORNEY GENERAL "CRISIS" - NOT!

Before I get into my topic, I want to include a link to Carolyn's journal, NO APOLOGIES - BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVES ON WORLD EVENTS.  This link takes you to an excellent entry she made recently.  It concerns the "Islamification" of our country while not affording the same privileges to Christian faiths.  This is a very long entry, but it's REALLY, REALLY worth your time.  The discrimination is clear, and we are much farther down this road than you may realize.  Please take the time to read this entry.

I've been following the U. S. Attorney General story off and on since it began.  The issue is supposedly the firing of eight Attorney Generals by U. S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.  When all of this started, I wondered what all the hub-bub was about since anyone in an appointed positions serves solely at the pleasure of the appointing authority.  That means that the individual can be fired for NO reason.  I was a personnel officer for a state government agency for almost ten years, so I knew that firsthand.  Appointed positions are THE MOST political positions there are no matter what anybody says.  This so-called "scandal" is just another move by the Democrats to discredit the Bush administration - nothing more.  On July 29, 2007, Chris Wallace with the Fox News Channel did an interview with Senator Russ Feingold.  Senator Feingold's responses indicate there is absolutely no story here.  Here is the transcript from that part of the interview: 

WALLACE: Meanwhile, this week a House committee held two White House aides in contempt, and a Senate committee issued a subpoena for Karl Rove to testify, all in the investigation of the firing of U.S. attorneys.Senator, so far, Congress has been investigating this issue all year. You've heard from 14 witnesses. You've received 8,500 pages of documents.Can you point to a single smoking gun, any hard evidence, that the White House has done anything illegal?

FEINGOLD: I think clearly with regard to the NSA surveillance program that we've been talking about...

WALLACE: No, no, I'm talking about the U.S. attorneys, sir.

FEINGOLD: Well, I believe they probably have. I can't give you anything definitive on that, but I do believe there's been terrible misconduct and misleading approaches here.

And look. My view is that our first priority is getting us out of Iraq. We have had successes in terms of raising the minimum wage. We are going to pass a major lobbying and ethics bill. We've passed an energy bill. We've got the pay-go rule back in place. This is what we spent six months on.

But now we have started some accountability. This was a week of accountability — a censure resolution proposal that I made, the call for the special counsel, the issuing of contempt orders.

This administration is trying to prevent us from learning the facts about these situations that you've asked me about. Until we can learn the facts, how do we know whether they have committed anything illegal?

That's something that we as members of Congress have an obligation to find out, not just a question of whether we should do it or shouldn't do it. We need to ask these questions or we're not doing our job.

WALLACE: But you know, I think the question is, is this really going anywhere? Is this substantive oversight or is this political theater?I mean, the point is on the U.S. attorneys which we're talking about, six-month, seven-month investigation, 8,500 pages of documents, 14 witnesses, and you say yourself as a member of Senate Judiciary you haven't found any hard evidence that the White House has broken the law.

FEINGOLD: Well, I happen to think they probably did break the law here, but I don't think the investigation is over, and...

WALLACE: But do you have any evidence of that?

FEINGOLD: ... until we — well, that's why we're asking for people like Karl Rove and others to come down and testify so we can actually examine the evidence.

We haven't had access to the evidence. How are you supposed to examine it when you can't look at it?

WALLACE: Finally, while all this is going on, as you pointed out, you plan to introduce legislation or resolutions this week to censure the president, two resolutions.

When you tried this last year, only three Democrats signed on to your motions or to your resolutions. Wouldn't the American people rather see Congress do something about lower drug prices, about energy policy, about student loans, all part of the Democratic agenda, that you haven't passed so far rather than engage in this political theater?

FEINGOLD: Well, Chris, that's just not true. We have passed a major energy bill in the Senate. We have passed major legislation on student loans and higher education. The fact is we have done those...

WALLACE: But forgive me, Senator, but none of it has gotten through Congress.

You can see how Senator Feingold evaded the questions and did not want to admit that after all this expenditure of YOUR MONEY, there is absolutely NO evidence of any wrongdoing on this!  But, apparently, he intends for this charade to continue.  I agreed with Mr. Wallace in that I would rather see Congress spend their time and MY MONEY on worthwhile endeavors.

There is avery good article on the Media Research Center's website about another aspect of this "controversy."   The mainstream news media ignored the firing of NINETY-THREE U. S. Attorneys during the Clinton administration.  Yes, that's right - former President Clinton fired ninety-three U. S. Attorneys.  I can't put the entire article here due to its length, so click on the Media Research Center hyperlink above and read it in its entirety.  Here is one quote from the article:

"The broadcast network evening newscasts, which didn't care in 1993 about the Clinton administration's decision to ask for the resignation of all 93 U.S. attorneys, went apoplectic Tuesday night in leading with the "controversy," fed by the media, over the Bush administration for replacing eight U.S. attorneys in late 2006 -- nearly two years after rejecting the idea of following the Clinton policy of replacing all the attorneys. Anchor Charles Gibson promised that ABC would "look at all the angles tonight," but he skipped the Clinton comparison."

Here is another portion of the article expalining Brit Hume's reaction to the new media ignoring the Clinton firings:

"Brit Hume led his Tuesday night Grapevine segment by scolding his media colleagues for how "news stories reporting that the Bush administration had considered firing all 93 U.S. attorneys across the country failed to mention that that is exactly what Bill Clinton did soon after taking office back in 1993." Hume explained how that was not noted, "even in passing, in front-page stories today in the New York Times and the Washington Post, or in the AP's story on the subject."

It's clear how one-sided this is and what the real intent is.  It has nothing to do about justice or doing what's right.  It's ALL about discrediting the Bush administration in an attempt to give the Democrats an edge in next year's elections.  Is it ANY coincidence that all of this is going on right before the elections take place?  I have an idea this won't be the only thing we see tried in order to gain a political advantage.  I have some advice for the Democratic party and the candidates running for the Presidency:  Why not run on YOUR OWN MERITS, YOUR OWN TRACK RECORD, YOUR OWN QUALIFICATIONS, and let the voters decide who they want?  I know this is a new concept, LOL, but as I recall this is what our electoral system was designed for.

Please click on my hyperlinks and read these articles in their entirety.  It's well worth your time to read it for yourself.

Tags: U. S. Attorney Generals, President George W. Bush, U. S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, former President Bill Clinton, Fox News Channel, Media Research Center, Muslim, Islam