One Way to Express Your 1st Amendment Rights

I have no problem with this drawing or what it says.

Your comments and opinions are appreciated.

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The New School Prayer

This was sent to me by a friend, it is different than many I've seen what do you think of it????

The New School Prayer

Now I sit me down in school
Where praying is against the rules
For this Great Nation under God
Finds mention of Him very odd

If scripture now the class recites
It violates the Bill of Rights
And any time my head I bow
Becomes a Federal matter now

Our hair can be purple, orange or green
There's no offense, it's a freedom scene
The law's specific, the law's precise
Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice

For praying in a public hall
Might offend someone with no faith at all
In silence alone we must meditate
God's name is prohibited by the state

We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks
And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks
They would like to outlaw guns, but first the Bible
To quote the Good Book makes me liable

We can elect a pregnant senior queen
And the unwed 'daddy' our senior king
It's inappropriate to teach right from wrong
We're taught that such "judgments" do not belong

We can get our condoms and birth controls
Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles
But the Ten Commandments are not allowed
No word of God must reach this crowd

It's scary here, I must confess
When chaos reigns the schools a mess
So Lord, this silent plea I make
Should I be shot; my soul please take
Amen

Something that too many liberals and atheists seem to forget regarding the first amendment - it guarantees the fact that you probably WILL be insulted and or upset sometime today. I know that I am everyday, I see no reason that they too shouldn't share in having things get their noses out of joint.

Your thoughts, opinions and ideas are welcome.

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Immigrants - the folks I've met

Immigrants – 99% of us had ancestors who were immigrants. Even in this ‘modern’ age we have immigrants; I’m not talking about the illegal immigrants, I’m talking about the legal ones. Every legal, first generation American that I’ve met seems to lean to the right and I wanted to know why.

The answer was fairly common in the various folks that I talked with and I tried to make it a wide variety of immigrants (legal). I talked with Hispanics from Mexico, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. I talked to Vietnamese, Thai, Cambodian, Korean, even Chinese. I spoke with Egyptians, Iranians, Syrians, and Iraqis. I asked for the ideas and opinions of people who immigrated from Russia, Germany, Italy and Spain. The common theme that they expressed was that one could make something of themselves in this country that their country of origin didn’t offer. The capitalistic system offers them opportunities that the systems in their counties didn’t offer. Our freedoms, which the liberals use to libel our country (witness flag burning), are freedoms that they couldn’t even dream of in their native countries. The harder and more that they worked, the further ahead they found that they could get. The educational opportunities surpassed anything that was offered in their countries because here, all one had to do was pay the money and get the grades. In their countries, the government decided who could and did get higher education opportunities as well as WHAT you would study – ask around, it’s common in other countries (even in those ‘advanced countries’ like Germany).

Another common theme that I heard was that the legal immigrants didn’t like the illegal immigrants. While they had sympathy and empathy for illegal people from their native countries, they felt that they (the legal immigrants) had done everything legally and proper and believed that everyone should. They were escaping from countries where the government did everything for them, and to them and don’t want our country to turn into another socialist nightmare.

They had seen and lived under ‘other’ governmental philosophies and to a person preferred this living under this one; no contest. They know what it’s like to have limited rights compared to what we have in this country. They know what it’s like to be thrown in prison for speaking out against the government. They know what it’s like to stand in lines waiting for medical care. They know what it’s like to have to bribe police to stay in business and/or to keep you and your family out of jail. Yes, they expressed to me all these thoughts and emotions and without exception they disagreed with the position that the democrats keep trying to push. They understand family and family values and disagree that people who are gay fit under that heading. They understand what freedom of religion means and they realize that it does NOT mean freedom FROM religion as the liberals would like it to be. They epitomize the reasons, the values and logic that made this country what it is and they don’t believe that the democratic position supports this country.

I would like the president to do something about the illegal immigrants; it’s something that he just hasn’t stepped up to the plate on. It’s something that the legal immigrants would like to see something done about – but they realize that the democrats have even fewer ideas about doing something the illegal’s than the republicans do.

Have you had different experiences? I’d like to hear about it. I’ll be posting the synopsis of talking with illegals next. Stay tuned – in the meantime, speak out. Is this what you hear and see or … ?

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Another Example of Bad Government Spending

In my home state (Oregon) the legislators are trying to finish their session so they can go home. Per usual, there are several bills that still need some work and the gap between the house and senate don't seem to be getting closer. Of course you'd think, the governor, shouldn't he step up and show some leadership and try to pull the two sides of the legislature together? Uh, sorry, he's been bought and paid for by the unions and has all the backbone and leadership qualities of a wet noodle.

Here in Oregon, as in most of the country, our economy is rebounding so tax collections are up (we rely heavily on income taxes so the more folks we have working the more taxes we collect). In that spirit, the spirit of "Yeah, we have more money to spend" the democrats just can't find enough stuff to support, prop up or buy; they just have a hard time keeping the spending down. A prime example is Amtrak service.

Yes, here in this state, our state contributes to Amtrak, even though it's a federal entity (a quasi-governmental service) - to keep certain runs here, the state has to pony up some money. We have 3 daily runs that go through, well sort of through our state. The first is the daily long run train, called the Coast Starlight run which runs from somewhere in California to Vancouver B.C. - I have only a slight problem with this run and most of this run is subsidized by the Federal government (still my taxes, just coming from a different pocket, spent in a different way). No, on the more local level we have two other runs that go from Eugene to Portland about a 100 mile trip, twice daily (it makes stops in 3 other cities along the way). It is a favorite barrel of pork that the democrats LOVE to fund. The present legislature has the senate agreeing with the governor to subsidize the Portland - Eugene run to a tune of $9 million dollars while the house wants to cut the service to one train a day a give Amtrak a mere $3 million dollars.

Greyhound runs 6 trips a day between the two cities and the state (and the feds) doesn't subsidize them at all, and the cost is cheaper per person per ride. The math figures out to be that each trip on Amtrak costs the Oregon taxpayer $91 per person/per one way trip. The only arguments for the subsidy is that "taking the train is relaxing" - seriously, that is the only real argument for the subsidy. Hey I agree, taking the train is nice, it is relaxing but so is taking a limo or to make the trip really quick, jump in a plane. Should the state pay for your relaxation? If so, I want to relax at a resort somewhere and maybe the state should pay for that too.

Look rather than fund every nice idea that comes along, how about keeping our budgets in check. Rather than acting like a kid who 'found' another dollar in his pocket and has to run to the store to buy candy with it; why don't we act like adults and maybe cut our taxes if we have THAT much money to spend. We are crying in this government for more money for state police, more money for prison beds, more money to help the poor, the needy and the elderly but somehow the democrats don't want to use $6 million to do that, no, they want folks to have relaxing commutes instead.

To me this is just another example of 'government gone wild' - they have gotten so far away from the basics of government that the humor has gone out of it. If they don't want to cut taxes or refund that money back to the taxpayer then how about funding programs for the needy, last I looked those riding the train didn't qualify as needy.

However, you take might be different - is it? Sound off, tell me what you think.

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Our Old Friend - The Spotted Owl

Do you remember the Spotted Owl? He was at the center of some huge enviromental battles that seemed to pit logging interests against the enviromentalists. The enviromentalists tried to paint the loggers as the bad guys, making themselves the good guys. In truth, both had a point but in the court of mainstream media (MSM), those were the roles assigned to each group.

Here we are several decades later and guess what? Those little imps, the spotted owls, seems they like to nest and live in areas that are tailor made for forest fires. Oddly enough, when a good size forest fire breaks out, we lose a lot of those spotted owls - kinda of a 'catch 22' wouldn't you say? In fact "Spotted owls have declined for at least the past 15 years, said Eric Forsman, a biologist with the Pacific Northwest Research station in Corvallis.

That population drop has been dramatic in Central Oregon, largely because of wildfires. In 2003, the B&B Fire burned 92,000 acres on the Sisters Ranger District. In 2002 the Eyerly Fire burned about 24,000 acres on the Sisters Ranger District and the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. South of Bend, on the Crescent Ranger District, the Davis Fire burned 21,000 acres in 2003.

At least 18 of the 24 known spotted owl nests in the Sisters District went up in smoke during those fires, ..."

So here we are on the brink of another forest fire season and the debate rages on regarding the thinning of the forest; or at least the clearing of some of the underbrush. There are rules and regulations even when it comes to salvaging timber from a fire, turns out they have to carefully survey (after a fire) to make sure there are no owl nests (shouldn't be any nests, I'd guess that the suckers burned up - ya think?). Now they are trying to make safe zones around known nests and again there have to be surveys to make sure there are no nests in the areas that they are thinning or doing away with the underbrush. Unless the thinning and clearing takes place, the forest fires could be bigger, more intense and be harder to fight - but if we clear, we MIGHT run the owl out of some of their habitat.

So what should we do kind reader? Thin and clear the forests to cut down the chance of fires and make them easier to control once they get started? Or let nature take it's course, fight them when and however we have to but save the spotted owl habitat (until the fire destroys it)? The link to the story that got me thinking about this is here. What are your thoughts?

Opinions and comments welcome.

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Would I ... ?? (School Vouchers)

Ran across an article that talked about the fact that Ohio is expanding it's voucher program to more than triple it's present size (link). It will give funds to students who attend schools that persistently fail academic tests. It will give a voucher of $4250 to students who are in K - 8th grade and $5000 to students in high school.

It is no surprise to anyone who reads this blog with any degree of regularity that I have a very poor opinion about public schools. While I realize that the school experience has to do with parental involvement with the child and the school; I also admit that much of the 'experience' lies within the child and how much responsibility they take in their own experience/education. Still, I strongly disagree with the politics that the public school system is shoving down our student's throat and I have some strong issues with the lack of the school holding the students responsible for certain standards and expectations.

By the same token, most private schools are VERY expensive. A local private non-religious high school (actually it also includes a grade school) is well over $10,000 per year. Most of the private religious high schools go from over $5000 a year to over $12000 a year. Obviously a huge huddle to overcome, especially when you're income is low/limited. I'm presently struggling with trying to find a private high school for my sophomore after her freshman year confirmed (to me) what a disaster the public school system has become.

Sooooo - after reading about the Ohio situation I found myself thinking, "If Oregon had the same situation, would I place my child in a failing school - on purpose - with the end idea in mind that the next year we could use the voucher to put her into a decent school?" My, the idea is certainly tempting - of course in this liberal/socialistic state (Oregon) I'll be dead and buried before such an idea (vouchers) EVER would pass here, but what if? I admit, I would be VERY tempted - in fact I'd probably do it. There are/would be some moral issues that I would have to deal with and I can't tell you what would finally happen if I were confronted with this situation but I thought I might bring it to you the readers.

Question of the day: If your state gave vouchers to students who attended schools that consistantly failed academic tests; would you enroll your child into one of those schools for one year with the goal being to garner a voucher and transfer them to a private school the next year?

What is your take on that question? Of course an easy idea (Buffalo not withstanding - Buff, we know where you stand on this one) would be to just give every parent the money the state spends on a child's education and allow them to place the student wherever they believe the student is getting the best education - but in this land of freedom, we can't allow THAT particular freedom.

Comments and opinions are welcome.

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