Shifting Role of American Schools

Traditionally, most American children were educated at home or in private schools. Those public schools which did exist were under strict community control - without state or federal interference. These methods were highly successful, and the nation boasted a 99 percent literacy rate in the early 1880s. At least ten U.S. presidents and numerous other significant figures in history were products of homeschooling. State involvement in public education first appeared in Massachusetts in the late 1840s, though actual control was still local. Parents were allowed to choose the form of education they desired and remained the primary dictators of course content and values.

It was not until the early 1900s that compulsory attendance laws were passed throughout the country and tax-supported, public schools became the primary mode of education. At this time, the theories and reforms of John Dewey, an American philosopher and educator, were gaining popularity. A "scientific humanist" and an original signer of the Humanist Manifesto, Dewey detested religion and believed that society had evolved beyond the need of a God. Man should only believe in that which he could experience.

Dewey is then responsible for bringing secular humanism into America's public school system. And as Abraham Lincoln once observed that the philosophy of the schools of one generation would become the philosophy of the government in the next generation, we can now understand why the generation today has the least morals and godly principles comparing with the generations before.

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You Be the Judge

Let's face it. When you live together 24/7, a homeschooling family is bound to have disagreements and disputes. Our family was no exception. Daily, I found myself settling conflicts between my children over insignificant issues. While they were young, I realized my direct involvement was necessary in helping my children talk out their differences. However, as they grew older, I encouraged my children to resolve more and more of their own conflicts. Instead of me listening to their complaints and acting as a judge and jury, they learned to take responsibility for their actions and resolve their hurts and disagreements in Christ-like love. As my role became less, my children learned a valuable lesson-judging their actions honestly before God usually eliminated others from having to do so.

As Christians, the Bible also commands us to judge ourselves. To judge ourselves rightly, we must lose the total self-life that seeks only to please itself. Judging our actions and thoughts in light of God's Word, we become Christ-conscious, not self-conscious. Just as importantly, we become Christ-controlled rather than self-controlled. All that is self is laid at the feet of Jesus as we recognize that in our self "dwelleth no good thing" (Romans 7:18). Judging ourselves also involves valuing others as better than ourselves (Philippians 2:3) and becoming selfless instead of practicing self-esteem.

What about you? Do you have trouble with your fleshly nature that cries out to please itself? Homeschooling can bring out the worst in our character as we face the daily pressures of raising a family and teaching them at home. If you find yourself demanding that everything go according to your plans in order to make life easier for yourself, you may want to follow some good advice-"For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged" (1 Corinthians 11:31).(AOP)


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Voight: My concerns for America

We, as parents, are well aware of the importance of our teachers who teach and program our children. We also know how important it is for our children to play with good-thinking children growing up. Sen. Barack Obama has grown up with the teaching of very angry, militant white and black people: the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Louis Farrakhan, William Ayers and Rev. Michael Pfleger. We cannot say we are not affected by teachers who are militant and angry. We know too well that we become like them, and Mr. Obama will run this country in their mindset. The Democratic Party, in its quest for power, has managed a propaganda campaign with subliminal messages, creating a God-like figure in a man who falls short in every way. It seems to me that if Mr. Obama wins the presidential election, then Messrs. Farrakhan, Wright, Ayers and Pfleger will gain power for their need to demoralize this country and help create a socialist America.

The Democrats have targeted young people, knowing how easy it is to bring forth whatever is needed to program their minds. I know this process well. I was caught up in the hysteria during the Vietnam era, which was brought about through Marxist propaganda underlying the so-called peace movement. The radicals of that era were successful in giving the communists power to bring forth the killing fields and slaughter 2.5 million people in Cambodia and South Vietnam. Did they stop the war, or did they bring the war to those innocent people? In the end, they turned their backs on all the horror and suffering they helped create and walked away. Those same leaders who were in the streets in the '60s are very powerful today in their work to bring down the Iraq war and to attack our president, and they have found their way into our schools. William Ayers is a good example of that.

Thank God, today, we have a strong generation of young soldiers who know exactly who they are and what they must do to protect our freedom and our democracy. And we have the leadership of Gen. David Petraeus, who has brought hope and stability to Iraq and prevented the terrorists from establishing a base in that country. Our
soldiers are lifting us to an example of patriotism at a time when we've almost forgotten who we are and what is at stake.

If Mr. Obama had his way, he would have pulled our troops from Iraq years ago and initiated an unprecedented bloodbath, turning over that country to the barbarianism of our enemies. With what he has openly stated about his plans for our military, and his lack of understanding about the true nature of our enemies, there's not a cell in my body that can accept the idea that Mr. Obama can keep us safe from the
terrorists around the world, and from Iran, which is making great strides toward getting the atomic bomb. And while a misleading portrait of Mr. Obama is being perpetrated by a media controlled by the Democrats, the Obama camp has sent out people to attack the greatness of Sen. John McCain, whose suffering and courage
in a Hanoi prison camp is an American legend.

Gen. Wesley Clark, who himself has shame upon him, having been relieved of his command, has done their bidding and become a lying fool in his need to demean a fellow soldier and a true hero. This is a perilous time, and more than ever, the world needs a united and strong America. If, God forbid, we live to see Mr. Obama president, we will live through a socialist era that America has not seen before, and our country will be weakened in every way.

Jon Voight in Washington Times,

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/28/voight/

Couldn't say it better myself.

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Contented

"And be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:5b)

Because you are a homeschooling parent, chances are your family has given up the "two-income" dream. You've probably done without in many areas including new clothes, vacations, and eating out. Have you been noticing how everyone else seems to have much nicer homes and cars than you? Have you been thinking you are being left behind?

If so, don't allow your focus to be blurred. Stand firm against the evil one and his lies. Satan comes to us in our weak moments of frustration and fatigue and tries to convince us that everyone else has it better. Maybe if you just got a "regular" job and went back to work, you could get out from under the financial burdens you have. Matthew 6:25 says, "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?"

Trusting God for all your needs to homeschool involves a faith that will continue to be stretched. The extra expenses involved in buying curriculum and school supplies will even add more to that strain. Knowing that God will meet those needs but not always the wants is the balance that homeschool parents must find. God always provides, even if it is only macaroni and hot dogs. If we don't have the latest in fashion or the best house on the block, we still can enjoy life and the wonderful privilege of teaching our children. May we be like the Apostle Paul when he said in Philippians 4:11, "...for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."(AOP)



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In the Limelight

Did you imagine your role as a homeschooling mother to be quiet and obscure? Did you picture yourself being behind the scenes and working as a support person only? Nothing could be further from the truth! Every time someone asks, "Where do your children go to school?" you are immediately thrust into the spotlight and find yourself facing an endless barrage of questions.

Many great women of the Bible also faced the same challenge. They had to stand up or speak up for the cause God had placed in their lives. Abigail was led by God to save her family by going ahead of her husband's foolishness and providing a meal for King David and his men. Ruth braved danger in gleaning the wheat from Boaz's field in order to save Naomi and herself. Rahab believed in the God of Israel and put out a scarlet rope to save her family from Joshua and his army. Deborah the prophetess went to battle because Barak didn't have faith to fight without her.

Take courage and know that the God of the universe is with you. Just as He went before Israel as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, He will go before you and give you the words to say when you are confronted. Matthew 10:19b-20 says, ". . . take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you." Trust the Holy Spirit to lead you and be not ashamed of the wonderful opportunity God has given you to homeschool your children.



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Nothing to Wear

Teaching our young children to dress themselves in the morning takes patience. We painstakingly wait as they learn to manipulate buttons, zippers, and shoelaces. But by far the most agonizing aspect of the morning ritual of getting dressed is the statement, "I can't find anything to wear." As mothers we realize that this statement doesn't mean there is nothing in the drawers and closets, nor does it mean that your child has not looked hard enough. What they really are saying is that they think the clothes that are available to them are not good enough for them to wear.

We as adults dress ourselves in the same fashion. We waste our time manipulating the outward appearance because we worry about what other people will think. What about going to the closet of God's Word and choosing to dress ourselves according to His wardrobe as in Colossians 3:12-14-"Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness." Do we desire to dress in the "clothes" God has given us, or do we continue to "not find anything to wear"?

Becoming more Christ-like is the ultimate goal for us as homeschooling parents. The Lord does not look on the outward appearance of man, but at the heart as when Samuel was led by the Lord to anoint David to be king. Choosing to dress ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and love is what He can use the most to influence our children and teach them how to live Godly lives.

So what will you put on to wear this morning? Look to His Word and find the clothes that fit and reflect God's character to your family and your world. All the academics you teach will not have as lasting of a value as modeling the love of Jesus Christ in your words and actions. "But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof." (Romans 13:14)(AOP)

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Quantity is Quality Time

Many years ago, parental experts were advocating that "quality time" was all that was necessary for your children instead of quantity time. This belief possibly began to appease the consciences of some women who chose careers over their children and didn't want to deal with the feelings of abandoning their child to the day care center.

However, my personal experience with organized "quality time" was quite different. I found that you could not experience quality unless there was also the dimension of quantity time involved with your children. After all, they were not little robots who turned on and off affections and responses when the convenience of the moment fit into my schedule. They came to me at inopportune times and opened their hearts when I least expected.

Homeschoolers have a unique environment to provide both the quantity and quality time their children need. Deuteronomy 6:7 states, "And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sit in thine house, and when thou walk by the way, and when thou lie down, and when thou rise up." This verse is speaking in regard to instructing our children in God's Word and shows the importance of taking advantage of all times during the day to interact.

Are you spending real quality time with your children? Just because you are homeschooling doesn't mean you are connecting with your child's heart. Allow those quantity times to turn into quality times by being available and looking for opportunities to share meaningful experiences.(AOP)

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Global Warming = Fascism

In the Dailymail British newspaper is described the way the Brits will soon live. I have a little experience with socialism and I can see this is worse. It's fascism. I do not understand how a great country like England, with such brave people, let these things happening to them. Here are some laws they put in place:

The march of the Big Brother state under Labour was highlighted last night as it was revealed that there are now 1,043 laws that give the authorities the power to enter a home or business.
Nearly half have been introduced since Labour came to power 11 years ago. They include the right to:
• Invade your home to see if your pot plants have pests or do not have a 'plant passport' (Plant Health England Order 2005).
• Survey your home and garden to see if your hedge is too high (Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003).
• Check that accommodation given to asylum seekers is not being lived in by non-asylum seekers (Immigration and Asylum Act 1999).
• Raid a house to check if unlicensed gambling is taking place (Gambling Act 2005 Inspection Regulations 2007).
• Seize fridges without the correct energy rating (Energy Information Household Refrigerators and Freezers Regulations 2004).
The rise in clipboard-wielding state inspectors flies in the face of repeated pledges by Ministers to curb the power of bureaucrats.
The full extent of the state's 'powers of entry' is revealed in documents slipped out quietly by the Government last week.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1036561/Now-1-000-laws-let-state-home.html



This is what Al Gore wanted. He does not care one bit about the planet or anything else besides his pockets. He wants power. This will be America in 10 years if we are not careful. Soon, we'll sleep, walk, eat with fear. With fear that Big Brother will get me or you next. What a shame!

Wake Up, America!!!!!!!




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Aren't You Being Selfish?

"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." (Proverbs 4:23)

The words were still echoing in my mind. "If every Christian homeschools their child, what will happen to the public schools?" asked a Christian friend as we chatted over the phone. "Doesn't God tell us to be salt and light in the world?"

Although I didn't have a good answer then, I thought about my friend's exhortation and logic. Examining our reasons for homeschooling, I considered the negative effect of continually exposing my child's heart to humanistic and ungodly teaching. Most elementary-aged children lack the reasoning skills to discern truth from conflicting messages, so how then would a young child be able to debate with a teacher who didn't value the truths of Christ? After all, didn't recent statistics also prove that even highschoolers had difficulty in maintaining their faith throughout college? Clearly, expecting my young daughter to be the salvation for the evils of the public school seemed like a gross burden to place on her shoulders. Was I being selfish in caring about my child's needs before those of society? I didn't think so.

God has given parents the priority of first teaching and training their own children. Yes, Jesus wants our children to influence the world, but they can hardly do so until they are prepared. God's Word tells us to keep the heart with all diligence and that a child must be trained in the way that he should go (Proverbs 22:6). Therefore, before a young person can influence for good without being influenced by evil, they must have a plumb line of truth based on God's Word. Unfortunately, homeschooling families are accused of brainwashing their children with religious nonsense and being intolerant to different ideas and beliefs.

As a homeschooling parent, have you been asked the "What about the kids left behind in public school" question? You know your child's heart. Don't let the world's "salt and light" argument deter you from following God's mandate for raising your child.(AOP)


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Limited Does Not Mean Small or Weak

Limited government can be distinguished from small government. There are instances in which government can be big and expensive and yet its purposes remain limited.

Limited government can enhance our freedom-even though it costs money. The Declaration of Independence is a great meditation on the difference between the absolute despotism contemplated by King George III and the freedom that the Americans hoped to enjoy under their own form of self-government.

Limited government can be compatible with energetic government. That is, limited government that doesn't mean government that does as little as possible. To fight terrorists, or even to arrest and prosecute criminals, requires an energetic government , especially in the executive branch.

Limited government must be constitutional government. Government must be limited to its proper ends, but its means must be capable of effecting those ends.

Limited government, in the sense of constitutional government, is opposed to the political assumptions of the modern state, which arose after the New Deal.

The decline of limited government in the 20th century was not inevitable. Neither is big government's demise inevitable.

Limited government is not a lost cause. The restoration of constitutional government will require a lot from us. It will require searching political reconsideration as well as profound political prudence, neither of which has been on offer, so far, in the 2008 presidential campaign.

(Reprinted by permission from Imprimis, a publication of Hillsdale College)

World's Worst Critic

Homeschooling parents can be their own worst critic. Because the "teacher" inside strives for truth and accuracy, most have a tendency to judge themselves too harshly. Whenever I failed to teach a lesson perfectly or didn't have an immediate answer to my children's questions, I felt like a failure. After all, wasn't a teacher expected to know everything about every subject and have all the answers right at their fingertips? Thinking back, I now laugh at my foolish, unrealistic expectations of myself during the first year of homeschooling. Surprisingly, the hardest lesson learned in our homeschooling family was learned by me-no one's perfect, so learn from your mistakes and move on.

As Christians, we also have a tendency to be too hard on ourselves. We should seek holiness in our daily lives and strive to crucify the flesh's desire to sin, but we must also realize a very important fact-only Christ is perfect and we are frail and but dust (Psalm 103:14). Since we inherit a sinful nature (Romans 3:23) and are susceptible to temptation, Christ knows us better than we know ourselves and challenges us to "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41). Although God knows how to "deliver the godly out of temptations" (2 Peter 2:9a), and provides a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13b), He also forgives us when we make mistakes and fail to listen to Him. As we come in repentance, Christ chooses not to deal with us according to our sins, but instead, His compassion removes our sin as far as the east is from the west (Psalm103:10-13).

How about you? Are you beating yourself up over a past sin which you've already confessed to God? Dear child of God, you no longer have to be under Satan's false bondage of guilt. If you've confessed and repented, Christ has forgiven you. Learn from your mistake and then smile again knowing you're a child of God. Claim for yourself one of the greatest promises in the Bible-"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (Romans 8:1).(AOP)

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Are the Good Times Really Over?

Of all of the presidential contenders' slogans this year, B. Obama's have been the most interesting. His campaign creed is: "Yes, we can." To which any reasonable person would ask: "Can what?" The answer, of course, is "Hope." But again, a reasonable person might ask: "Hope for what?" To which the answer confidently comes back from the BO campaign: "For change." Indeed Obama's signs say: "Change We Can Believe In," as opposed, one supposes, to the unbelievable changes. But the elementary problem with this - which any student of logic might raise - is that change can be for the better or for worse.

Democrats in general, I would submit, confuse change with improvement. They fail to weigh the costs and benefits of change, to consider its unintended consequences, or to worry about what we need to conserve and how we might go about doing that faithfully. They ask Americans to embrace change for its own sake, in the faith that history is governed by a law of progress, which guarantees that changes is almost always an improvement. The ability to bring about historical change, then, becomes the highest mark of the liberal leader.

Utterly missing in this election season is a serious focus on limited or constitutional government.

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Wonderful Words of Life

Sometimes it's not the words you say, but how you say them that can encourage or dishearten your children. Proverbs 12:18 says, "There is that speak like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health." We as parents must guard the words we choose to say as we homeschool our children. Phrases like "good job" or "I really like the way you did that!" are great motivating tools to use with your children.

Unfortunately, we get lazy in our attitudes and think we can say whatever we want to our children and not affect them.

If our families are the ones we love the most, we need to talk with the loving words that will bless instead of discourage them. When our children do not understand a new concept being taught, correction needs to be done in a gentle and loving manner. Using words that make them feel inferior or slow is something we must avoid at all costs. Allow them the dignity to be wrong.Don't ruin the atmosphere in your home with thoughtless remarks. Nothing will destroy your success in homeschooling quicker than phrases like "Are you still working on that?" or "I don't know why you do not understand this. Your brother learned this right away."

Ask for God's grace each day to fill your speech with His words and to show the love that will help your child be successful in their studies. Proverbs 16:24 says, "Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones."(AOP)


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The Three Systems of Educations: (3) The Leadership System

This system has three primary goals. First, to train thinkers, entrepreneurs and statesmen-individuals with the character, competence and capacity to do the right thing and do it well in business, government, church, school, and family. (though I'll reverse the order)

The second goal is to perpetuate freedom, to prepare people who know what freedom is, what is required to maintain it, and who exert the will to do what is required. These two goals are accomplished by the third: teaching students how to think. Those who know how to think are able to lead effectively and are able to help society remain free and prosperous. The success and perpetuity of our society depend upon leadership education.



My take on this:
While I agree with DeMille's worldly view to a point, I'll go further and say that to be a real leader we have to train our children to learn from the Greatest Leader that ever is. Without Him, we can do nothing. We have to train our children to be leaders where God put them, to preach His Word for His Glory.


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The Three Systems of Education - (2) The Professional System

Private schools arose from the apprenticeship tradition of training youth for specific trades or professions. From kindergarten through the 12th grade, the purpose is to get students into college or technical school; then is to get them into a trade or law school, CPA, MBA, medical school, etc.

This is done by teaching them when to think. The professional system is designed to create expertize. And if you need a doctor, a lawyer or a manager for your business, you are glad they are well prepared.



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The Three Systems of Education: (1) The Public School System

Historically the primary goal of public schools, the reason they were instituted, was to educate the poor so they could get a job and take their place in society. The middle class already had private schools and apprenticeships, and the wealthy were tutored at home.

In class societies, the middle classes have tended toward the professions while the aristocracy receive leadership education. Of course, that left out the lower classes, so many nations established public schools to educate the poor. If we have all these three systems working together, society benefits. But when nearly everyone is getting an education for the poor and hardly anyone is being trained as a leader, the whole nation suffers.

Public schools do have a place, but it is essential that they don't become a monopoly and that professional and leadership training schools are maintained.



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Why Education Can't Be Fixed

Any effort to "fix education" will fail for two reasons. First, education is so many things to so many people: for some, education means job training, for others it means fixing social problems, still others see education as job security or a source of political clout. Americans love education, believe in education and pay big money for education, but few agree on what it is, what it should accomplish, or what methods should be used to achieve it.

Second, the problems of education seem varied and complex; but the complexity is a myth, rooted in a modern misconception about education and educators. The fact is that the only person who can fix education is the student. The more popular options - increased funding, bigger schools, vouchers, the proliferation of private or charter schools, more homeschooling - will not and cannot fix education. They may improve it, perhaps even significantly, but only to the extent that individual students determine to educate themselves and then follow through.

Teaching, not education, should be our focus, because great teaching inspires students to educate themselves. Great teaching will solve our educational problems - in public, private and home schools. . Find a great teacher, in any setting, and you will find a group of students diligently, enthusiastically and effectively educating themselves.

Teachers teach and students educate. Students are the only true educators. Historically, every other method of education fails. Education occurs when students get excited about learning and follow through; students do this when they experience great teachers. (O.V. DeMille-A Thomas Jefferson Education)




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Pruning Pains

"Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away: and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes, that it may bear more fruit." (John 15:2)

The process of pruning can seem shocking in our spiritual lives. When God allows circumstances that outwardly appear to destroy our hopes and dreams, we may humanly react like my young daughter in the garden. Not understanding the purpose behind the pain, we are tempted to believe that God doesn't know what He is doing or that He doesn't love us. However, if we learn to come to the Lord in humility and total dependence during these trying times, He will carefully shape our character into the image of His Son. In the end, the fruit of righteousness, that God desiresinall His children, will be produced from His careful and loving pruning.

Do you feel like your life is in the pruning process? If circumstances seem to be robbing your joy and causing you to doubt God's love, don't let your pain cause you to run from the Lord. Instead, run into the arms of your loving Father and allow the Holy Spirit to comfort you as God continues to perfect the good work which He has begun in you.

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing." (James 1:2-4)

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America and the U.N.

"Norming" is our European friends idea that the U.S. should base its decision on some kind of international consensus, rather than making its decisions as a constitutional democracy. It is a way in which the Europeans and their left-wing friends here and elsewhere try and constrain U.S. sovereignty. We are sitting at the table with a majority of countries that have no traditions or understanding of liberty.

A professor from a major European university said: "The problem with the United States is its devotion to its Constitution over international norms." Duh??

Take, for example, the question of death penalty.At the federal level, procedures have been reformed to meet objections from the Supreme Court, so that the death penalty can be handed out in appropriate cases. Opinions on the subject change constantly as we debate in the US whether we should have a death penalty and, if so, under what circumstances. But at the UN this debate is closed; the death penalty has been ruled out.

Another issue is gun control. In 2001, the UN had a conference about international trafficking in small arms and light weapons - weapons that flow into conflict zones and pose a risk to UN peacekeepers. The idea was to discuss methods to deal with this threat. But the discussion turned out to have nothing to do with small arms and light weapons in African or Asian civil wars. Instead it was about gun control in the US, with advocates of "international norms" pressing for the prohibition of private ownership of firearms of any sort. The US delegation made it clear that while we were concerned about the illicit flow of weapons into conflict area, we were not going to sign on to any international agreement that prohibited private ownership of guns. We have a Constitution that precluded any such restrictions.

These kind of "norming" exercises by which foreign governments hope, over time, to build up a coral reef of UN resolutions and pronouncements that can be used to manipulate US policy.

So in all the areas where the UN shouldn't be involved - issues best left to sovereign countries - it is very successful in passing judgement, especially when it can spit in the eye of the US. But in the the one area where the UN could be of most use in promoting international peace, it has failed completely. So much for "norming"

Under the current system, the US pays 22% of the cost of most UN agencies, and 27% of of peacekeeping costs. We are far and away the largest contributor, and every year Congress pays the bill as apportioned by the General Assembly. The US should pay for what it wants and insist that it get what it pays for. This would break up the entitlement mentality at the UN and foster an organization that is both more transparent and more effective.

International peace and security was the objective that motivated the founders of UN after WWII. And it started a long list of unfulfilled promises. Not only during the Cold War, but the present case of Darfur, or the case of Iraq, too. UN is willing to talk but not to act.

There is one point of view here in America - a view given expression during the 2004 presidential campaign by senator Kerry - holding that American foreign policy should meet some kind of "global test". By this way of thinking, America needs, in effect, to demonstrate the legitimacy of its foreign policy decisions by getting the approval of the UN Security Council or some other international body. The same suggestion will no doubt surface again this year, in the run-up to the November election. In the 21st century, then - just as in the 20th - the political decisions we make here in the US will be much more significant than those made at the UN.

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Pledge of Allegiance - Happy 4th of July!

I: Me; an individual; a committee of one.

Pledge: Dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity.

Allegiance: My love and my devotion.

To the flag: Our standard; Old Glory; a symbol of freedom. Wherever she waves, there is respect because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts. Freedom is everybody's job.

United: That means we have all come together.

States: Individual communities that have united into forty-eight great states. Forty-eight individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose. All divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common purpose, and that is love for country

And to the republic: Republic―a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern. And government is the people, and it's from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.

For which it stands, one nation: One nation―meaning, so blessed by God.

Indivisible: Incapable of being divided.

With liberty: Which is freedom; the right of power to live one's own life without threats, fears, or some sort of retaliation.

And justice: The principle or qualities of dealing fairly with others.

For all: For all, which means, boys and girls, it's as much your country as it is mine.

And now boys and girls, let me hear you recite the Pledge of Allegiance:

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands: one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country, and two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance: Under God. Wouldn't it be a pity if someone said this is a prayer, and it would be eliminated from schools, too?

-Red Skelton

NOTE: On June 26, 2002, the Pledge of Allegiance was banned from public schools. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled it was an unconstitutional establishment of a religion, since the patriotic pledge contained the phrase "under God." However, on June 15, 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the phrase "under God" in the pledge would remain intact. Today, the controversy continues as legal battles rage on about the pledge's constitutionality. As Christian homeschooling parents, we have a wonderful opportunity to impact our children with a love for our country. May we and our children always boldly proclaim that God is indeed the source of this country's many blessings!

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Spiritual Battle

"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7)

Christian education is a spiritual battle which must be fought by every homeschooling parent. The desire to see our children raised according to the standards of God's Word requires more than wishful thinking. We must ever be alert to Satan's schemes and the world's ways to suck our children into the main stream of ungodly learning. We must be willing to risk popularity and acceptance to lead our children down an educational path that declares God is at the center of all things and the beginning of all creation. Most of all, we must declare our own love for Christ and be willing to crucify the flesh and its selfish desires in order to win our children's hearts to the Lord.

The great men and women of faith mentioned in Hebrews 11 are listed as our inspiration to hold fast to God's truths. Like Abraham, we must be willing to follow the Lord wherever He leads. Like Moses, we must be willing to give up the pleasures of life to serve a higher purpose. Like Rahab, we must have faith to believe that what the Lord says is true. Like Noah, we must face opposition daily, even if it takes years to complete the task that God has given. Like countless others who never saw the results of their faith, we must cling courageously to the future promise that God will bless the work of our hands in the lives of generations to come (Psalm 112:2).

Are you feeling the temptation to give up on homeschooling? Sending your children to public school next fall may seem appealing, but it's simply taking the easy way out. If the Lord has led you to teach your children, pray for the courage and wisdom you need to stand firm and fight. Raising your children in the Lord is as much a spiritual battle as resisting temptations for yourself. Don't give in to the lies and harassment of those around you. Fight for the hearts and minds of your children and for the work that God can do through their lives in winning countless souls to Christ.


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I am a BAD American!

I Am Your Worst Nightmare. I am a BAD American.
I believe the money I make belongs to me and my family, not some mid level governmental functionary, be it Democratic or Republican!
I believe that owning a gun doesn’t make you a killer, I believe it makes you a smart American.
I believe that being a minority does not make you noble or victimized, and does not entitle you to anything.
I believe that if you are selling me a Big Mac, do it in English.
I believe everyone has a right to pray to his or her God when and where they want to.
My heroes are John Wayne, Babe Ruth, Roy Rogers, and whoever canceled Jerry Springer.
I don’t hate the rich. I don’t pity the poor.
I know wrestling is fake and I don’t waste my time watching or arguing about it.
I’ve never owned a slave, or was a slave, and I WILL NOT pay reparations for something that I didn’t do.
I haven’t burned any witches or been persecuted by the Turks and neither have you! So, shut up already.
This is AMERICA, I believe if you don’t like the way things are here, go back to where you came from and change your own country!
I want to know which church it is exactly, where the Reverend Jesse Jackson preaches, where he gets his money, and why he is always part of the problem and not the solution. Can I get an AMEN on that one?
I think the cops have every right to shoot your sorry ass if you’re running from them, because if you’re not guilty, WHY are you running?
I also think the cops have the right to pull you over if you’re breaking the law, regardless of what color you are, that’s the job we’re paying them to do.
And, no, I don’t mind having my face shown on my drivers license. I think it’s good, it lets you know it’s really me.
I’m proud that the word ’God’ is written on my money.
I believe that if you are too stupid to know how a ballot works, I don’t want you deciding who should be running the most powerful nation in the world for the next four years.
I dislike those people standing in the intersections trying to sell me stuff or trying to guilt me into making ‘donations’ to their cause.
I believe that it doesn’t take a village to raise a child, it takes two parents.
I believe ‘illegal’ is illegal no matter what the law makers think.
I believe the American flag should be the only one allowed to fly over American soil! If you want to fly the flag of YOUR nation at the top of a flag pole, by all means, do so, IN YOUR OWN NATION! And if the American flag is NOT your flag, then this is NOT your nation
If this makes me a BAD American or causes you to classify me as a racist, then yes, I’m a BAD American and a racist.
If you’re a BAD American, if you share the same feelings and beliefs that I do, please, copy and post this on your web site for everyone to see.
We want our country back! GOD BLESS AMERICA!
AMEN.



Swiped from: http://bastisays.info/

No Free Speech for Conservative Students

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5NeLyMZUYM

Roderick King is a sophomore and student senator at University of Wisconsin. He knocked over 4000 white crosses that "Pointers of Life", a pro-life group, obtained permission to place on campus grounds.

The display was meant to symbolize the 4000 unborn babies who are aborted each and every day in the USA.

So far, no disciplinary action whatsoever has been taken against Mr. King, and the student government has decided to put off the issue hoping we'll all forget about it and they don't have to punish one of "their own".

This is the kind of thing that happens on college campuses on a regular basis, where conservatives face this kind of oppression.....mostly from students, but especially from student government associations who are thoroughly dominated by a leftist agenda.

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NO to Marxism!

I wrote couple of days ago about the Global Poverty Act S2433. If this bill passes, it will cost the taxpayer $ 845 billion in addition to our current foreign aid expenditure. The best part? It will be administered in conjunction with the U.N. This is about global income redistribution. Their distribution - our income. Did you hear much debate about this? So far this proposal is barely on the mainstream media radar.

How are we going to do this? Soon, there are going to be 7 billion people in this world. Why don't we export capitalism? Why don't we export democracy? Why don't we have Peace Corps and other volunteers teaching people, teaching societies how to become civilized and advanced? We, instead, attack profits, corporations, we attack business men, we attack innovations, we attack the very engine that makes our economy works, rather to urge the other countries to do the same, to follow suit.

This isn't a war on poverty, it's a war on global poverty coming out of our pockets! No more sovereignty, no more borders! No wonder the libs want open borders! In other words, the other nations would like us better if we give them our money, and our trade agreement shouldn't be about business profit, creating jobs, creating wealth, but benevolent social action.

This is a disaster on the horizon beyond which my imagination would let me go. This country was founded on the belief and natural law ( that all of us have a right to live freely and to pursue happiness). We all have property rights that all we earn through labor and time belongs to us. A small amount goes to the government to ensure the enforcement of the law and the general protection of the nation.

Liberals don't believe in natural law. God given rights. They take the concept of equality ( equal access to justice, equal access to liberty, equal access to pursue happiness, to pursue private property) and what do they say? We're all equal, not unique individual human beings. They twisted this in a sick marxist viewpoint. Equality of outcomes - that's where they are. We Americans are too rich, we are too powerful, we got to give it up, we got to downsize the way we live and who we are. We have to summit to the tyrannies of the world.

Not one word from Obama and the other leftists about what the rest of the world needs to do in order to advance it's own cause, it's own people! Not one word about their responsibilities, about how they need to reform!

NO, You and Me, the next generation, our children, they insist to be poor, they insist that the American dream that you and I pursue isn't an American dream after all, that it's a nightmare! The liberals want us to look at our country through the lenses of the glasses worn by marxists, we're supposed to measure our worth and our value based on what people overseas say about us!

Why should we do that? Are we going to learn from history or are we going over the cliff? Our children will ask us how could we do this!!!!




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