A Star is Born

Texas, our Texas! All hail the mighty state!

Texas, our Texas! So wonderful, so great!

Boldest and grandest! Withstanding every test!

O empire wide and glorious, you stand supremely blest!

Do Texas school kids still start the day with that song? I'm guessing probably not, but it was the second thing we did every day, right after the Pledge of Allegiance.

I'm pretty sure every Texas student within driving distance still visits the San Jacinto Monument at least once. I remember being really impressed back then, and it's still impressive today.

It stands over 567 feet high. The star on top weighs 220 tons!

I liked running my fingers over this beautiful Texas limestone when I was a kid. Is there any doubt that Texas was once covered in water?

The interior is cool and echo-y. There are dioramas of early life in old Tejas.

The wonderful Charles Shaw paintings were new to me. This one depicts Sam Houston's men destroying a bridge over the Brazos, so Santa Ana's reinforcements couldn't cross.



Here is Stephen F. Austin, who actually changed his first name to Estevan and learned fluent Spanish. (Wonder what the modern English-only movement thinks of that?)

And Sam Houston, who is known for his wise and measured leadership. His men wanted to attack too soon, but he chose his moment well.

The Mexican soldiers were resting, their backs to the water. And when Houston's men attacked, the afternoon sun was in the their opponents' eyes.

Some say that Houston should have dealt with Santa Ana in a different way. After all, here is the man who massacred Fannin's army...

But Houston kept his eye on loftier goals, and didn't get distracted by revenge.

As we left the monument and looked at the peaceful fields around us, I tried to envision the men camped in the trees next to the Brazos. The Mexican soldiers, exhausted after an all-night journey. And the ragtag band of settlers, nervously waiting to attack or be attacked.

God bless you, Texas, and keep you brave and strong!
That you may grow in power and worth
Throughout the ages long!

Why I Joined the Coffee Party

My mother's conservative "Christian" friend sent her an email entitled "Prayer Request." Here is what it said:

Dear Lord, this past year you have taken away my favorite actor, Patrick
Swayze, my favorite actress, Farah Fawcett, My favorite musician, Michael
Jackson and my favorite sales man, Billy Mayes.

I just wanted to let you know that my favorite president is Obama....

And my favorite congressman is Pelosi...... Amen

This is beyond offensive. Is it really acceptable to pray for the death of another person, just because you disagree with his or her political opinions? I understand that this is meant as a joke, but should Christians even joke about asking God to harm another human being?

Tonight the health care bill was passed. I can't say whether it will actually improve the lives of Americans, but I am appalled that the political discourse has devolved into joking about the death of our President.

I love this!

Just listen. Maybe you don't believe in "big government" but should "big business" be running our country instead?

Maybe you don't like Obama's policies, but should you plug your ears and say "LA LA LA," or should we have open, rational discourse about how to solve our problems and improve our country?

Nothing will be accomplished if we deliberately sabotage the debate. If you just want to see a productive exchange of ideas without the diversion tactics, take a look at the site and decide for yourself. I'm in.

Warning: Opinions Ahead

If you want to read a post about homeschooling or something pleasant, skip this one and wait a couple days. This post is a list of the random thoughts going through my head as I do laundry and other mindless stuff. (I spend a lot of time muttering to myself.) Seriously, if you are offended by opinionated rants, stop by on Wednesday instead...

Did you hear this statistic? 47 million Americans don't know where their next meal will come from. Do I even need to say that this is unacceptable? Schools are sending kids home on Fridays with backpacks of food, so the kids will have something to eat over the weekend. People who never dreamed of it before are seeking help at food banks. Wherever you stand politically, whatever you believe about personal choice and responsibility, you have to admit that hard-working people are struggling and it's not their fault. (I happen to believe that our former "leaders" should be in jail for robbing this country while making their rich friends even richer, but that's just me...)

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Here is something troubling: Dude's scout pack just finished up their annual food drive, and donations were way down this year. I mean, way down--they went from 5 truckloads of food to three. Why?

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Oh, how I wish Obama hadn't waded into the healthcare tarpit in his first year. We needed jobs, jobs, and more jobs. A public works program. If banks and car companies deserved a bailout, why not working people?

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Why do people complain about tax-and-spend Democrats, but never about spend-spend-spend-and-don't-tax-the-rich-or-big-business Republicans?

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Mr. and Mrs. Salahi: congratulations on being the tackiest human beings alive. I guess some people prefer negative attention to no attention. It was Michelle Obama's night to shine, not yours. You are the type of people who would upstage the bride and groom at a wedding, aren't you? The only people lower on the dignity scale are the Heenes, because they involved children in their scheme.

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Speaking of tacky...Sarah Palin. Hey, how's that governorship going? Oh, yeah, you wouldn't know, would you? But I'm sure you're right: shameless self-promotion and going on a book tour are WAY harder than just being president. Please, keep talking.

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I need to stop dwelling on this stuff. Time to go outside with the kids and dogs!

More School?

Check out this link, if you haven't seen it already.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_more_school

I predict higher dropout rates. We don't need more school hours or days--we need more effective school hours and days. We need more teachers, so each class has a manageable number of students (no one can give 24 kids individualized attention, not even SuperTeacher!) We need lessons that reach kids with all learning styles. And we need to stop preparing kids to take tests and start preparing them to have full, rich lives and a lifelong love of learning.

Supersim and Dudeman ask us each morning, "So, what are we talking about today?" It makes me so happy to hear the excitement in their voices. They don't dread going to school anymore. (Well, OK, they don't exactly jump for joy when we work on mulitplication tables, but they do focus and get through them because they know the next hour will be really fun and interesting.)

I'm so blessed to be able to have this time with my kids. I understand that longer school days would benefit parents with long work days, who need a safe place for their kids in the afternoon. I can't fix society today (it's on my list for next week!) but I can do what I think is best for my family. If I had to send them to school for 8 hours a day, they would go crazy and so would I!

Warning: Political Rant Ahead

It's un-American! It's un-American to question the President! We should get behind him and support all his efforts...

Oh, wait, that was last year. This year, it's just fine to question the President.

Feel free to question ANYTHING now! Question his motives! Question his morality! Accuse him of any outlandish plot you can think of! He wants to deny medical care for your poor old grandmother! He wants to deliberately bankrupt the country! Go ahead--come up with the craziest bullhockey you can! Question his country of origin for God's sake!

Remember when protesting a war-for-no-reason was unpatriotic and anyone who questioned Bush's reasoning was a traitor? Remember when we were supposed to fall in line and shut up because THE PRESIDENT KNOWS BEST?

Those days are over, people. The rules have changed and now, not only is it just fine to express dissent, but it's also fine to disrupt, disrespect, and completely disengage from reality. Because when you're on the losing side, and you have nothing successful to show for the past 10 years, the only option is to tear down and criticize.

So, let me see if I understand correctly... Everything was perfect during Bush's years. Everyone had lots of money in the bank, all the healthcare options they needed, great job and education opportunities, and an unassailable sense of complete security. Our soldiers were on an indefinite spa-vacation in the Middle East, and we made sure they had everything they needed once they came home. Then, Obama showed up from Kenya, ruined the country, forced us all to convert to Islam, and tried to kill our grandparents.

So, folks, is there any doubt where I stand on this issue? You want to quit reading this blog, go ahead (all three of you.)