a couple more items about public schools

     Is this what our children can expect in public schools?: On Nov. 13, 2008 2008 WorldNetDaily reported that when a 14-year-old girl wore a "McCain girl" T-shirt to school, students told her she should be "crucified" or "burned" for supporting the Republican – but when she wore an Obama T-shirt, everyone complimented her. Illinois 8th grader Catherine Vogt’s mother supported Obama, but her father supported McCain. The teen conducted an experiment to test tolerance among her peers and teachers, the Chicago Tribune reported. But she was surprised by their strong reactions. Vogt began the experiment by wearing a white T-shirt with "McCain girl" painted in red across the front to Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School in Oak Park. She wrote her observations in a journal. "I was just really curious how they’d react to something that different, because a lot of people at my school wore Obama shirts and they are big Obama supporters," Catherine told the Chicago Tribune. "I just really wanted to see what their reaction would be." The students were openly hostile, criticizing her support for McCain. "People were upset," Vogt said. "But they started saying things, calling me very stupid, telling me my shirt was stupid and I shouldn’t be wearing it." The harsh words didn’t stop there. "One person told me to go die," she said. "It was a lot of dying. A lot of comments about how I should be killed." Even Vogt’s teachers chimed in. "In one class, I had one teacher say she will not judge me for my choice, but that she was surprised that I supported McCain," the teen said. "Later, that teacher found out about the experiment and said she was embarrassed because she knew I was writing down what she said." One boy said Vogt should be killed for wearing the T-shirt. "He said, ‘You should be crucifixed,’" she told the Tribune. "It was kind of funny because, I was like, don’t you mean ‘crucified?’" Classmates told Vogt she deserved to be "burned with her shirt on" for "being a filthy-rich Republican," while others accused her of backing homicidal skinheads who sought to kill Obama by supporting McCain. Vogt never said a word about her experiment. She let the comments continue and carefully recorded each one. The next day, Vogt decided to complete her experiment by wearing an identical white T-shirt to school – but this time it had the blue words "Obama girl" painted on the front. "People liked my shirt. They said things like my brain had come back, and I had put the right shirt on today," she told the Tribune. Apparently, the teacher did later talk to the class about their attitude, which was good.

     ‘Browbeating’ teacher still employed: Pete Chagnon of OneNewsNow reported on 11/20/2008 that school officials in Fayetteville, NC, have completed their investigation of a teacher following a classroom incident captured on film. The Independent Women’s Forum says the video shows an elementary school teacher browbeating a student for her support of John McCain in the school’s mock presidential election. "What do you all know about that war in Iraq? Talk to me because your daddy’s in the military; talk. It’s a senseless war," the teacher says on the video. "And by the way, Kathy, the person that you are picking for president said that our troops could stay in Iraq for another hundred years if they need to, so that means that your daddy could stay in the military for another hundred years." The original story said that the superintendent of Cumberland County Schools has responded to the teacher’s actions, stating that he was "disturbed" to see the "uncomfortable position" in which the students were placed due to the "inappropriate" actions of the teacher. "Most disconcerting was the military slant that made its way into this discussion," says Dr. William Harrison. The superintendent says he has launched an investigation into the matter and that he will take appropriate action upon its completion. School officials refused to give OneNewsNow any details of the investigation results, citing a law that protects teachers in cases like this. But officials did say that the teacher, Diantha Harris, is still employed as a teacher in the Cumberland County School district. According to media reports, the school district has received hundreds of phone calls about the incident, and the teacher involved has also received dozens of phone calls at home concerning the video. The Associated Press reported that Harris has said she regrets making the comments and that the student involved, along with her parents, has expressed support for the teacher. [Editor’s note: Well, I DO NOT!  The video makes it quite clear that this is not teaching but indoctrination.)

two related items

     PepsiCo gives $500,000 to promote the gay agenda in workplace: On Nov. 13, 2008, Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman of American Family Association, reported the following. Pepsi has given Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) a half-million dollars to help push the homosexual agenda in the workplace. Pepsi has a long tradition of financial support for homosexual groups. According to Jacqueline Millan, director of PepsiCo Corporate Contributions, "We are delighted to continue our partnership with PFLAG…(in) promoting the necessary message of inclusion to untapped groups…and that is a crucial step toward building a healthy working environment." Despite the fact that 30 states have passed constitutional amendments defining marriage as being between a man and a woman, Pepsi continues to support the efforts by same-sex groups pushing for homosexual marriage. AFA wrote Pepsi on October 14 and again on October 29 asking the company to remain neutral in the culture war. Pepsi didn’t care enough to respond to the AFA letters. Pepsi’s lack of response indicates the company plans to continue support for the homosexual agenda. Pepsi has given Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) a half-million dollars to help push the homosexual agenda in the workplace. PFLAG is a political advocacy group that promotes radical homosexual political causes like same-sex marriage, hate-crime laws, and gay adoption. Pepsi’s products include Pepsi soft drinks, Frito-Lay chips (800-352-4477), Quaker Oats (800-367-6287), Tropicana (800-237-7799) and Gatorade (800-367-6287).

     The insane rage of the same-sex ‘marriage’ mob: Michelle Malkin, Syndicated Columnist, made some interesting comments on the 2008 election. "Before Election Day, national media handwringers forged a wildly popular narrative: The right was, in the words of New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, gripped by ‘insane rage.’ Outbreaks of incivility (some real, but mostly imagined) were proof positive of the extremist takeover of the Republican Party. The cluck-cluckers and tut-tutters shook with fear. But when the GOP took a beating on Nov. 4, no mass protests ensued; no nationwide boycotts erupted. Conservatives took their lumps and began the peaceful post-defeat process of self-flagellation, self-analysis and self-autopsy. In fact, in the wake of campaign 2008 there’s only one angry mob gripped by ‘insane rage’: left-wing same-sex marriage activists incensed at their defeat in California. Voters there approved Proposition 8, a traditional marriage initiative, by 52 percent to 48 percent. Instead of introspection and self-criticism, however, the sore losers who opposed Prop. 8 responded with threats, fists and blacklists. That’s right. Activists have published on the Internet an "Anti-Gay Blacklist" of Prop. 8 donors. If the tables were turned and Prop. 8 proponents created such an enemies list, everyone in Hollywood would be screaming "McCarthyism" faster than you could count to eight. A Los Angeles restaurant whose manager made a small donation to the Prop. 8 campaign has been besieged nightly by hordes of protesters who have disrupted business, intimidated patrons and brought employees to tears. Out of fear for their jobs and their lives, workers at El Coyote Mexican Cafe pooled together $500 to pay off the bullies. Scott Eckern, the beleaguered artistic director of California Musical Theatre in Sacramento, was forced to resign over his $1,000 donation to the Prop. 8 campaign. Rich Raddon, director of the Los Angeles Film Festival, is next on the chopping block after the anti-Prop. 8 mob discovered that he had also contributed to the "Yes on 8" campaign. Calls have been pouring in for his firing. Over the last two weeks, anti-Prop. 8 organizers have targeted Mormon, Catholic and evangelical churches. Sentiments like this one, found on the anti-Prop.8 website ‘JoeMyGod,’ are common across the left-wing blogosphere: ‘Burn their [expletive] churches to the ground, and then tax the charred timbers.’ In Carlsbad, Calif., a man was charged with punching his elderly neighbors over their pro-Prop. 8 signs. In Palm Springs, Calif., a videographer filmed unhinged anti-Prop. 8 marchers who yanked a large cross from the hands of 69-year-old Phyllis Burgess and stomped on it. In San Francisco, Christians evangelizing in the Castro District needed police protection after the same-sex marriage mob got physical and hounded them off the streets. Enthusiastically shooting themselves in the foot, anti-Prop. 8 boycotters are now going after the left-wing Sundance Film Festival because it does business in Mormon-friendly Utah. Corporate honchos, church leaders and small donors alike are in the same-sex marriage mob’s crosshairs, all unfairly demonized as hate-filled bigots by bona fide hate-filled bigots who have abandoned decency in pursuit of "equal rights." One wonders where Barack Obama — himself an opponent of Proposition 8 — is as this insane rage rages on. Soul-Fixer, Nation-Healer, where art thou?

two items related to public schools

     Kindergartner booted over toy gun: Also on Nov. 11, 2008, WorldNetDaily reported that a kindergarten student with a toy gun in Tennessee has been lumped together with a high schooler who allegedly assaulted a classmate, a fifth-grader who was accused of writing a "hit list" of potential victims and another high schooler who brought a loaded gun clip to school – and all have been expelled. According to the Knoxville News-Sentinel, the kindergartner was among eight students expelled after he broke school rules with a toy weapon. "We take all these incidents very seriously," said V.L. Stonecipher, a school official. "Our code of conduct clearly spells out unacceptable behavior and the consequences." The offending toy weapon violated the school’s zero-tolerance rules and resulted in a mandatory year-long suspension, the report said. "There’s no tolerance for kids with weapons of any kind," school spokeswoman Karen Bridgeman told the newspaper (technically, a "toy gun" is not a weapon). "Expelling a kindergarten student for a toy gun is insane," wrote one participant in the newspaper’s forum page. "No toy gun of today hardly even resembles a real one." "We live in a sad time as far as violence in schools is concerned," said another. "Expelling a kindergarten age child for a toy gun takes the rag off the bush though." The issue got the attention of Terry Frank, whose radio broadcasts are heard across the region. "Until every parent either homeschools, demands vouchers, or places their children in private schools, you’re going to continue to see this kind of utter foolishness and insanity," she wrote. "As this young kindergartner was being expelled, my own little third grader was carrying his wooden rifle replica to his class project as part of his re-enactment of Daniel Boone," she continued. "Had he appeared at one of our bureaucratic institutions, he would have needed to convert Daniel Boone’s gun to ploughshares." WND previously reported several other cases, including a shirt with a gun image banished from a school campus, a student who faced discipline for having a pen that carried the logo of a gun company, a student suspended for advocating for gun rights, and a student suspended for a sketch of a gun.

     Student dies after Fla. school shooting: The somewhat ridiculous "zero tolerance" policies like the one cited in the previous article have been instituted because of a rash of gun violence in public schools and are supposed to help "solve the problem." However, they apparently have not. According to the Associated Press, in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, a student died after a shooting at a city high school recently, and police were questioning another student believed to be responsible. A 15-year-old sophomore, Amanda Collette, was confirmed dead after being discovered on a hallway floor by a school resource officer at Dillard High School around 11 a.m. Another 15-year-old girl was being held and questioned by police in the death. "This is a situation where we are more than heartbroken," said Jim Notter, the superintendent of schools for Broward County. The death came after a confusing series of events that started when the teen’s body was found. Police said they did not believe gunshots were heard, and an initial examination found no evidence of a major wound on the girl’s body, leading to confusion about whether or not she was shot. Authorities later confirmed there was a shooting, but Sgt. Frank Sousa, a spokesman for the Fort Lauderdale Police, said it was possible a smaller-caliber gun was used and the wound closed around the bullet. "This appears to be an isolated incident," said Sousa (editor’s note: news reports from around the nation would indicate otherwise). Stephan Willis, a sophomore who said he witnessed the shooting, said the girls were arguing in an outside corridor when the suspect suddenly produced a gun and shot Collette. The school was locked down for a short time after the incident was reported, but classes resumed soon afterward. Still, as police were announcing the fatality, gates were chain-locked and access was being restricted as a news helicopter hovered overhead. Several dozen parents gathered outside. "I’m just trying to get my baby out of here," said Betty Barnes, whose 15-year-old daughter Tiffany is a sophomore at the school. "I want to make sure she’s OK. It’s very scary not knowing." Dillard has about 1,700 students. They don’t pass through metal detectors, but officers are stationed on campus.

items related to the election

     Well, there’s some good news from the last election: While many of us are very disappointed over many of the results from the Nov., 2008, election, here is some good news. Our friend Kim Wolf, a homeschool leader from Miami County, OH, reported the following statement from our friend Mark Stevenson, a homeschool leader from Stark County, OH. "I wanted to give you good news about Jeff Hardin, new member of the State Board of Education for the 10th District. Here is what he said about home schooling: ‘One of the goals of my term on the Ohio Board of Education is to turn the conversation away from charter schools and home schooling. That debate is over. They have a place in the Ohio educational system.’ In a conversation I had with him last night, Jeff said he will be our ‘toughest ally’ on the SBE. He wholeheartedly supports us." We lived in Ohio until we moved to Missouri in 2002 and began our homeschooling journey there, so this is welcome news indeed.

     Now that the election is over, what will the leftist press do?: The mainstream media keep telling us that in spite of the proof of their liberal tilt they are still able to do their job without bias. Well, according to Jim Brown of OneNewsNow, a media analyst says MSNBC host Chris Matthews effectively admitted yesterday he was an unpaid member of Barack Obama’s press office. Matthews appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe with Joe Scarborough and was asked for his opinion about Congressman Rahm Emanuel’s initial public reluctance to accept the position as chief of staff for president-elect Obama. Emanuel has since accepted the post. During the MSNBC interview, a suggestion was made that there might be turmoil within the new Obama administration, but Matthews refused to get drawn into the conversation, instead saying that as a reporter he was unwilling to "question motives." Matthews: "Yeah, well, you know what? I want to do everything I can to make this thing work, this new presidency work, and I think that –. Scarborough: "Is that your job? You just talked about being a journalist!" Matthews: "Yeah, it is my job. My job is to help this country…because this country needs a successful presidency." Mark Finkelstein, a contributing editor at Newsbusters.org, believes Matthews is trying to accomplish two things, one being improving his ratings, which have risen the further to the left he goes. "[Matthews] has publicly stated that he is interested in running for the United States Senate from the state of Pennsylvania in 2010," says Finkelstein. "It’s the Arlen Specter seat — and this is, I believe, Chris Matthews attempting to position himself for that…to ingratiate himself first of all with Democratic leaders in the state of Pennsylvania, and then potentially also with the Democratic primary electorate." Finkelstein notes that panelists for MSNBC’s election night coverage, including former Democratic Congressman Harold Ford, were even teasing Matthews about his strong affinity for Pennsylvania politics. I have to ask–in 2000, what journalist would have been caught dead saying that he or she had a job to help this country and therefore felt an obligation to to see George Bush succeed?

     Watch out–if it happens in California, it may start happening elsewhere too: Charlie Butts and Jody Brown of OneNewsNow reported that lawsuits are being filed to challenge Proposition 8, the voter initiative that overturned the California Supreme Court’s ruling legalizing homosexual "marriage." Supporters of traditional marriage conducted a successful petition drive to get it on the ballot in the Golden State. Homosexual activists could do the same — but, if successful, it would not go on the ballot for two to four years. Brad Dacus of the Sacramento based Pacific Justice Institute says there are two reasons why the courts are being used again. "They’re attempting once again, of course, to thwart the will of the voters of California by another lawsuit," says the attorney. "We at the Pacific Justice Institute will not take this lying down." Reason #2 — the composition of the California Supreme Court has not changed. As Dacus explains, the same justices that legalized homosexual marriage, albeit temporarily, will be the ones that would make a final decision on a lawsuit. "But if they decide to strike down this amendment defining marriage between one man and one woman; if they decide to do that after unilaterally redefining marriage themselves just a few months ago, …without question every one of them will be taken out of office," Dacus warns. The public, he believes, will not be satisfied with judicial activism a second time. On a related matter, pro-family activists in the Golden State reportedly are already working on another initiative. This one is education-related, and would give parents greater rights in protecting their children from controversial instruction relating to sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Passage of Prop. 8, says Dacus, was the "first battle in protecting the rights of parents who do not wish to have their children indoctrinated to accept lifestyles that violate their convictions of faith." Some have wondered why a homeschooling newsletter like this would contain so much information about the pro-homosexual and same-sex marriage movements. The main reason that so many have chosen to homeschool is that they do not want to have their children exposed to the radical pro-homosexual rights agenda that is being implemented in a lot of public schools. Also, if ithe pro-homosexual and anti-parental rights groups have their way to get more government control over homeschooling (and do not be deceived into thinking that a Democrat president and Congress will not try), they could pass laws that would require homeschool curricula to present homosexuality from a positive view or at least make any presentation of homosexuality in a negative way classified as "hate speech." Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty!

     What we can expect when the radical homosexual-rights people get their way: By the way, this is probably something that you will NEVER hear in the mainstream media. On Nov. 11, 2008, Bob Unruh of WorldNetDaily reported that worshippers at a Bible-teaching church in Lansing, MI, were stunned the previous Sunday when members of a pro-homosexual organization named Bash Back interrupted their service to fling propaganda and condoms around the sanctuary, drape a profane banner from the balcony, and feature two lesbians making out at the pulpit. According to a blog posting by Nick De Leeuw on Right Michigan, the Bash Back organization orchestrated a protest in front of Mount Hope Church to draw the church’s security staff away from the sanctuary. Then Bash Backers who had dressed up and mixed in with church worshippers took action. According to De Leeuw, "Prayer had just finished when men and women stood up in pockets across the congregation, on the main floor and in the balcony. "’Jesus was gay,’ they shouted among other profanities and blasphemies as they rushed the stage. Some forced their way through rows of women and kids to try to hang a profane banner from the balcony while others began tossing fliers into the air. Two women made their way to the pulpit and began to kiss," he wrote. According to the alternative Lansing City Pulse – which reported it was notified of the protest ahead of time and sent a reporter along instead of warning the church – the protesters also screamed at parishioners and pulled the church facility’s fire alarm. Printed material protesters distributed said, "We specialize in confronting homophobia, transphobia and every and all other forms of oppression." The report said Bash Back issued a statement today confirming it targeted Mount Hope, which has about 5,000 church participants, because it participates in "the repression of queers." "Mount Hope churchgoers were unclear as to what the purpose of the demonstration was," said a statement from David Williams, a spokesman for the church. "The leadership of Mount Hope Church does not attempt to identify the church as anti-homosexual, anti-choice, or right wing. The church does take the Bible at face value and believes what the Bible says to be the truth," Williams’ statement continued. "According to the Bible, Mount Hope Church believes homosexuality to be a sin, just as fornication, stealing, drunkenness, and lying are sins. No sin greater than the next. Mount Hope Church strives to follow Jesus’ example of loving the sinner but not the sin while helping people change their lives for God’s glory and their improved quality of life. Mount Hope Church also recognizes that to each person God grants freewill." De Leeuw reported "the ‘open minded’ and ‘tolerant’ liberals ran down the aisles and across the pews, hoping against hope to catch a ‘right winger’ on tape daring to push back (none did). "The church’s response? After things settled down, the blasphemy ended, the lewd props removed and the families safe from fear of additional men and women running into and past them the pastor took the stage and led the congregation in one more prayer … not for retribution, or divine justice or a celestial comeuppance (that’s what I’d have prayed for) but instead that the troubled individuals who’d just defiled the Lord’s house, so full of anger and hate, would know Jesus’ love in their lives and God’s peace that exceeds human understanding," De Leeuw wrote. The report comes just a day after video documentation of pro-homosexual protesters in California challenging a 69-year-old woman to a fight because she was affirming the biblical perspective of homosexuality. If the radical homosexual-rights folks get their way, what will they do to homeschooling parents who teach their children that homosexuality is a sin?

     Elderly Prop. 8 supporter roughed up, filing charges: I hate to keep harping on this subject but Allie Martin and Charlie Butts of OneNewsNow reported on 11/14/2008 that an elderly California woman will file charges against homosexuals who attacked her during a protest against the passage of Proposition 8. On Friday, 11/7, homosexual activists and their supporters gathered at the Palm Springs City Hall, protesting voter approved Prop. 8, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Phyllis Burgess went to the rally, and carried a Styrofoam cross through the crowd. As ABC affiliate KESQ-TV carried that rally live, homosexuals surrounded the 69-year-old woman, began pushing her, reportedly spit on her, and grabbed the cross from her arms and threw it on the ground. Burgess remained calm throughout the melee. "I was really so overflowing with peacefulness in my heart that I just couldn’t see this," she says. "It wasn’t in my mind, it really wasn’t." Initially, Burgess said she did not want to file charges, but changed her mind after authorities encouraged her to do so. She says she went to the rally "just to get my remarks across at my city hall, where I have lived for 30 years." She adds: "If it takes endangerment, should that stop me? I’m a senior — we respect elder abuse in this city." Police are reviewing video in hopes of identifying suspects. Charges would be assault and vandalism, both misdemeanors. I had heard about this from WorldNetDaily as reported in the previous news item. I realize that not all homosexuals are like this, but it is evident that this kind of flagrant and even violent activity seems to be increasing among them. OneNewsNow asked if a group of Christians had reacted in this fashion to opponents of traditional marriage, would the incident be reported differently by the media? Randy Thomasson of the Campaign for Children and Families says the attack on Burgess is one of many incidents in California directed at supporters of traditional marriage. He notes that, among the rage and shouting displayed at the rally, protestors also used the "n-word" against black people. But you never hear things about like this in the mainstream media! Pat Boone made an interesting comment about this on World Net Daily. "What kind of twisted freaks would take out their fury at being denied special privileges on a defenseless older woman who probably had absolutely nothing to do with their issue? I’ll tell you what kind of twisted freaks – furious homosexual activists."

    One thing more on this subject–and it’s a little scary!: The following does NOT come from some "right wing" news source like One News Now or World Net Daily but from Time Magazine, the poster child for the leftist mainstream media itself. Ever since a slim majority outlawed gay marriage in California (editor’s note: actually, the majority voted FOR defining marriage as it has been traditionally and universally defined, as being between a man and a woman, WSW), opponents have waged national protests and petitions, urging the judicial system to reconsider the results of the Nov. 4 referendum. A National Protest Against Prop 8 has been organized by JoinTheImpact.com. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which opponents say donated more than $20 million to the Yes on 8 campaign, has already become a focus of protests, with demonstrators gathered around Mormon temples not only in California but across the country. The Mormon Church is not the only group being singled out for criticism. African-Americans, 70% of whom voted yes on Proposition 8, according to a CNN exit poll, have become a target. According to eyewitness reports published on the Internet, racial epithets have been used against African-Americans at protests in California, directed even at blacks who are fighting to repeal Proposition 8. Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry, admitted, "In any fight, there will be people who say things they shouldn’t say." In addition to protests, homosexual activists have begun publishing lists online exposing individuals and organizations who have donated money in support of Proposition 8. On AntiGayBlacklist.com, individuals who gave money toward Proposition 8 are publicized, with readers urged not to patronize their businesses or services. Dentists, accountants, veterinarians and the like who gave a few thousand dollars to the cause are listed alongside major donors like the Container Supply Co., Inc. of Garden Grove, Calif., which gave $250,000. (Editor’s note: Of course, the radical homosexual rights people have a right to boycott anyone they wish, but for a group who likes to tar and feather all their oppostion as being characterized by hate, one can surely see the hate oozing out of them in this matter. WSW.) The negative publicity is having effects on both companies and individuals. Scott Eckern, artistic director of the California Musical Theatre in Sacramento, whose $1,000 donation was listed on ElectionTrack, chose to resign from his post this week to protect the theater from public criticism. Meanwhile, lists of donors to Proposition 8, once trumpeted on the Yes on 8 Web site, have been taken down to protect individuals from harassment. "It’s really awful," says Frank Schubert, campaign manager for Yes on Proposition 8. "No matter what you think of Proposition 8, we ought to respect people’s right to participate in the political process. It strikes me as quite ironic that a group of people who demand tolerance and who claim to be for civil rights are so willing to be intolerant and trample on other people’s civil rights." Maybe they will target homeschoolers next!

This is great–compares to Solomon’s wisdom

     A worried woman went to her gynecologist and said: ‘Doctor, I have a serious problem and desperately need your help! My baby is not even 1 yr. old and I’m pregnant again. I don’t want kids so close together.’ So the doctor said: ‘Ok, and what do you want me to do?’ She said: ‘I want you to end my pregnancy, and I’m counting on your help with this.’ The doctor thought for a little, and after some silence he said to the lady: ‘I think I have a better solution for your problem. It’s less dangerous for you too.’ She smiled, thinking that the doctor was going to accept her request. Then he continued: ‘You see, in order for you not to have to take care of 2 babies at the same time, let’s kill the one in your arms. This way, you could rest some before the other one is born. If we’re going to kill one of them, it doesn’t matter which one it is. There would be no risk for your body if you chose the one in your arms.’ The lady was horrified and said: ‘No doctor! How terrible! It’s a crime to kill a child!’ ‘I agree’, the doctor replied. ‘But you seemed to be ok with it in killing your unborn one, so I thought maybe that was the best solution.’ He smiled, realizing that he had made his point. He convinced the mom that there is no difference in killing a child that’s already been born and one that’s still in the womb. The crime is the same!

Golden Days magazine

      Somehow, I received a flyer from Golden Days Publications about their new magazine. "Introducing an exciting new magazine for all ages. This magazine features stories from the 1800’s based on the actual lifestyle of that era. Let this magazine educate you on the style of living in the city and country back in the 1800’s. With numerous crisp pictures, not found in any printed books found in today’s society, and with five continued stories each month, this is a must have magazine for every family. Subscribe today for your family, friends, etc., and enjoy this refreshing publication!" The flyer says that the magazine is good for "libraries, schools, hospitals, waiting rooms, homeschools, churches, outreach, missionaries, neighbors, friends, children, grandchildren, cousins, nieces and nephews." The subscription price is $24 for 1 year, $46 for 2 years, and $129 for 6 years. For more information, contact Golden Days Publications, 420 Weaver Rd., Millersburg, PA 17061.

Warning about a new video game

      Tammy Hud posted the following on a homeschooling e-mail list (just in time for those who are starting to buy things for holiday gifts). She said, "I received this information yesterday in my copy of Think magazine put out by Focus Press (a great magazine by the way) and thought it was information worth passing along to those who may not be aware of the content of this game. I have not personally seen this but I understand it is currently available for purchase. I’m sure the description on the package does not describe the content the way this article does. I hope this helps you make a more informed decision if you had thought of purchasing this game for your child."   Here is the warning.

     There is a new video game that is taking the teen market by storm. Created by Will Wright (creator of the Sims series), this new video game promotes the entire evolution of a species. The purpose of the game is to develop civilizations and create species beginning in a Cell stage swimming in the ocean. As you progress through the Cell stage, your single-cell character slithers out of the primordial ooze, grows legs and crawls out onto dry land to enter the Creature stage. Next the game player focuses on the Darwinian concept of "survival of the fittest" as the struggle to survive focuses on feeding, mutating, and forming a new and better species. After learning how to use fire you move into the Tribal stage, which is followed by a Civilization stage in which you build small cities and create vehicles. You eventually "evolve" to the Space Stage where you, the god of your universe, interact with aliens in other universes. Parents should not miss the underlying evolutionary message of this game. While it may prove "fun" to young people, it embraces a secular worldview that all living things are the product of organic evolution. There are more (and healthier) ways for young people to have "fun" that don’t include a Godless theory of origins. The staff at Focus Press encourages parents to THINK twice before purchasing this video game for their children.

Some good news from a public school for a change (but it took a lawsuit to get it)

      Concerning a subject about which I thought there was a note in a previous blog (but I guess that the item of which I am thinking was about a fifth-grader who was suspended for wearing an anti-Obama t-shirt), Drew Zahn of WorldNetDaily reported on Oct. 28, 2008, that a federal judge in Minnesota signed an injunction telling a sixth-grader’s school that it cannot stop him from wearing pro-life T-shirts to class. Twelve-year-old "K.B." of Hutchinson, MN, had committed in April to wearing T-shirts with a pro-life message to his middle school every day for a month. According to the boy’s attorney, however, his principal and teachers told K.B. – so identified because of his age – not to wear the T-shirts, publicly singled him out for ridicule in front of his schoolmates, removed him from class, sent him to the principal’s office, forced him to turn his pro-life T-shirt inside out, and threatened him with suspension if he did not stop wearing the offending shirts. With the help of the Thomas More Law Center, a non-profit law firm that provides representation without charge to defend Christian beliefs in the public square, K.B. filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court. Following the court victory, Richard Thompson, president of the Law Center, commented, "This young Christian was not afraid to stand up for his pro-life beliefs despite ridicule and threats from school officials. We are pleased we were able to vindicate his constitutional rights."

a couple of items about school taxes

     At last, an HONEST public official: Here in Illinois, the legislature passed the County Schools Facility Occupation Tax Law in 2007 to provide a way for school districts to generate money through sales taxes collected within the county. Governor Rod Blagojevich vetoed it, one of his few acts that I would agree with, although his reasoning was that the new money should be generated through a statewide capital plan rather than sales taxes. He wanted to increase money for public schools but by raising it in other ways besides a sales tax. However, the legislature overrode his veto. Anyway, with the new law in effect, Marion County, where we live, had a one-percent sales tax increase for the county schools on the ballot this past month. Our local newspaper, the Salem Times-Commoner, reported on Oct. 24, 2008, that "Salem City Manager Thomas Christie told the Salem City Council on Monday that the proposed one-percent sales tax increase that would help fund area schools could be a serious detriment to the local economy." Christie said, "I fear that businesses that are already operating marginally, due to our negative national economy, may very well go under. The others will face even lower profit margins, forcing them to lay off employees or cut back on operating hours." With this feeling that the salex tax increase would put local businesses on an uneven playing field with retailers in surrounding counties, "He also noted that the tax increase could hinder the city’s economic development efforts to encourage new and expanded retail developments." Finally, a public official who actually understands the net effect of tax increases!

     Let me tell you a story about that: Since the advent of compulsory school attendance laws, the primary vehicle for funding public schools has been the property tax. When the educational bureaucrats and their willing accomplices in the government found that they had wrung that turnip for about all it was worth and people were voting property taxes down like swatting flies, they turned to sales taxes, income taxes, state funding, "gaming," and other attempts at wealth redistribution to fund their pet projects. Shortly after we moved to Dayton, OH, probably around 1991 or so, the Dayton Public Schools put a property tax increase on the ballot to increase funding for the schools. They ran frightening commercials about how the property values in Dayton had taken a nosedive several years before when the schools had gotten bad and argued that they needed the increased funds to keep that from happening again. Since we had just bought our first house, I was understandably concerned with property values, even though we had no children of school age at that time and had already pretty well decided that we were going to homeschool anyway, and under the motto "love thy neighbor as thyself," knowing that most people do depend on the public schools for the education of their children, I voted for the increase. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me! The DPS turned right around and used a large portion of that tax increase to give the superintendent something like a $50,000 a year raise (most people in Dayton didn’t even make $50,000 a year!) because he was such a good administrator and they wanted him to stay in Dayton rather than move somewhere else where he could make more money. What really frosted me was that two or three years later this same superintendent resigned in disgrace for having conspired with the DPS treasurer to engage in "creative bookkeeping" to make it appear that the Dayton Public Schools were solvent when in fact they were going bankrupt. That did it for me. I determined that I would never, under any circumstances, ever vote for a tax increase for schools again–period (and indeed, generally vote against almost any tax increase). So far as I am concerned, the public school system is totally corrupt and broken and no amount of money can fix it. In fact, giving more money to public schools is like throwing good money after bad down a rat hole. So, I suppose that you can guess how I voted on the Marion County sales tax increase. It failed.

What HSLDA does for homeschoolers here in Illinois

     As I said in a previous blog, Illinois has good laws regarding homeschooling, but that does not stop the educational bureaucrats from trying to make it hard on homeschooling families. On Oct. 24, 2008, in a notice headlined "Truant Officer Threatens Court Action over Absences for Illness," Home School Legal Defense Association reported the following. For the past two years, Illinois teenager Margaret (name changed to protect privacy) has struggled with chronic illnesses, which caused multiple absences from public school. To accommodate Margaret’s health needs while ensuring that she receives a good education, Margaret’s parents decided to homeschool her. Following proper procedure, the family submitted a letter of withdrawal to the principal of the public school Margaret attended and began teaching their daughter at home. However, the DeKalb County truant officer repeatedly called the family, threatening legal action. She had been tracking Margaret’s absences for the past two years and continued to harass the family about them, despite the fact that Margaret’s parents had obtained doctor’s excuses for nearly every one. The officer also demanded that the family obtain approval from the local school district to homeschool Margaret or risk being summoned to court. She then referred the situation to the assistant superintendent. The family contacted HSLDA Senior Counsel Chris Klicka, who wrote a letter to the assistant superintendent and truant officer. Klicka explained that Illinois law does not require parents to obtain approval to homeschool, nor does it require notification that a parent is homeschooling. He verified that Margaret’s family is in full compliance with the requirements of Illinois law and demanded that the truant officer cease harassing the family. To date, the family has not heard back from any school official.