Listening to Jan M this morning, a guy from the Catholic Workers Association claimed that by fighting terrorism actually makes us at risk for more terrorism, which I don’t disagree with. He went on to explain that we ought to just stop fighting terrorism, and then they will leave us alone.
what?
Worked real well with Hitler. Works great with abusive spouses.
I mean, yes, short term, it results in more violence. Long term, things get better.
We watched a movie recently. Starring Nicholas Cage. He was an arms dealer. Bad guy. No conscience. The FBI eventually busted him, because they took his garbage and pieced together some stuff he’d shredded. Granted, this is fiction, but I’d be willing to bet that the FBI actually does go through people’s garbage when they believe they have cause. In fact, the FBI went through some peace protestors’ garbage a few years ago here in Iowa.
And I’ve heard a few silly things since then.
– They could have just asked us what we were planning to do, walked into one of our meetings and introduced themselves, we would have told them. Ok, that may be the case. But if I were planning something illegal and the FBI knocked on my door, introduced themselves, and asked what was up, I probably would not say “oh, you know, just planning such-and-such a thing…” Right? I’d say I was planning a peaceful protest.
– They are infringing on our first amendment rights. Not true. You absolutely have the right to espouse any idea you want, to stand on a street corner and shout your beliefs. But the government has the right to investigate you if your free speech leads them to believe you’re planning something illegal. I can say whatever I like here on my blog, but if I said things that led the FBI to believe I was, say, running arms from South America, I’d expect them to start looking through my garbage. (FBI: tip: I put all of my shredded mail and documents in the chicken coop for bedding, and from there, it goes into the compost bins in my backyard, and then to the garden at Abby’s house.)
– There is no such thing as violence against property, only people. The person saying this was arguing that property damage, or plans to damage property, should not be much of a crime, since it’s not violence against people. Well, who owns the property? If someone burns my house down, that’s violence against ME. I might not be physically injured, but you can bet there will be lasting emotional damage and also financial damage.
I’m not in favor of having our rights trampled on, but I AM in favor of catching the bad guys. The IA City folks had organized themselves into groups, some of which were willing to disrupt activities and get arrested, which seems like just cause to me. Maybe the folks in Iowa City were NOT, in fact, the bad guys. But I’m not sure how the FBI can determine this without some investigation.
The Overton Window
Scared the Crap out of me, not because it was scary (I mean, it was a wee bit predictable), but because it was creepily true-ish. The Overton window is a concept similar to, but more complex than, the old frog in a pot of boiling water cliche. Combine that with Don’t Waste A Crisis and you’ve got the concept.
I loved it.
But I will say. Glenn Beck’s said recently on his radio show that he’s tired of people saying that they can’t handle this stuff any more, that it’s too overwhelming. Well, here’s the thing: it is. If I were the extremely wealthy son of the biggest marketing genius in the country, a man who is richer than God himself, such as the main character in the book, then, yeah, it probably wouldn’t seem so overwhelming. For me? A homeschooling business owner who barely has time every day to put on clothes, let alone, you know, shake the very foundations of our oversized government…. overwhelming.
The Edge of Apocalypse.
Another Tim LeHaye book. Perhaps even more poorly written than the Left Behind series, though it’s been a while since I read that series. Unlike in Left Behind, though, this book seemed like it was written for a mainstream audience, and then had God inserted in. Also, the main character was a non believing pilot, with a believing wife and kids. Sound familiar? Um, Left Behind, anyone?
All that aside, the plot line was interesting. Main character is extremely well-connected and convenes his own Roundtable of patriots who are also well-connected. You know, former Supreme Court judges and the like. They try to affect change in an America that’s just far enough in the future, and just far enough down the crap road we’re on that you still recognize it as America, but a very troublesome America. And of course, they can, because they know the right people.
And, again. If I were a former Supreme Court Judge who had the top military defense contractor as my best friend and knew some high-ups in pretty much every industry… I might not feel overwhelmed. I could actually do something. But me, I feel overwhelmed.
— Incidentally, this is one of the reasons that research – and I – says we should NOT give children environmental education of the “habitat destruction” “ozone hole” “global warming” sort. It’s too overwhelming for a child, who feels like he cannot affect any meaningful change in the face of such giant problems. That overwhelming feeling does to children the same thing it does to me – make it really tempting to make it all go away by just ignoring it.
So my friend Mike has a blog just for writing about the books he’s read. And so I’m going to totally copy him here in this blog.
But I’m going to have to start by mentioning every book I can recall reading recently.
People of Ember/City of Sparks. I listened to this on CD, and since I’m too cheap to pay the library for adult books on CD, this is from the YA section. And you can totally tell it was written for a YA audience. Not bad books, but a little predictable and all about teenagers.
Eragon Trilogy, oh, wait, I mean “Inheritance Cycle.” I just listened to this, after reading it about two years ago. The first three books anyway. He still hasn’t written book four. The bum. I also listened to the author interview after the last book in the series. I found it interesting that Mr Paolini just loved writing the parts with Roran and Katrina, whereas I found them to be the least interesting (potentially because they were written by a teenager with no real sense of what it would be like to be in a lifelong committed relationship where one person would walk to the ends of the earth, killing everything in his path, ignoring the dangers, to rescue the other from evil). The interview was also interesting because every time he was asked where he got the idea for this or that or the other thing, he alluded to reading a lot of fantasy books but never came out and said “ok, I got the idea to include the political wranglings because I read Dune.”
I was struck, when listening, by how the things I reacted to emotionally were different from the things I reacted to while reading. The same thing happened with Lord of the Rings. (The audio version had me in tears during the last big battle when the ship comes up the river and they don’t know who’s in it and they think they’re all goners and yet they determinedly battle on, only to discover that it’s Aragorn and they’re elated and you can almost hear it happening before you.)
Anyway. Different things stood out. Also, the reader read Saphira’s voice as a deep gravelly sound, whereas in the movie, the voice is provided by that chick from the Mummy movies. I like her Saphira voice better.
I thought that the second time through the series might cement in my memory the events of the third book a little better, but even though I have literally just finished it this week, I still can’t remember most of the plot details. I find that very bizarrely interesting.
Lord of the Flies. I listened to this in its entirety yesterday. Yeah, I’m glad I skipped it in high school (how, though? I don’t specifically remember, but I know it was assigned, and I know I didn’t read it). Not my favorite book ever. Part of it might have been the reader, who was also the author. I thought at first this might make it better, because the emphasis would be put in the places intended, but the author read like, well, an author. He paused a lot in the middle of sentences, just to breathe in. And his voice had very little inflection, and he did not voice the characters differently. Yikes. I wish Brendan Fraser read more books… Regardless, the plot kept me interested, but not overly so, but again, I wonder if part of that was my struggling through the voice that was reading the story.
That is all that comes to mind. I’m working my way through A Patriot’s History of the US. My goal is to keep ahead of where Wally is in History, which means I’ll be able to return this book to Mike in approx. 11 years. LOL.
Oh, yes, I bought myself a new binder system. We were at Target gorging on 3 cent notebooks when I noticed this modular binder set they had (also on clearance). The set consists of a large double-ringed binder (two sets of three rings) that was like $3, and then various things to put inside – regular-size binders ($1.74), clipboards (with grommets for the rings), etc. I got myself about 6 of the regular-size binders and one clipboard.
The reason this was appealing to me was the ability to divide out the varied sections of my current binder into separate binders, but still have a “home” where they could all be together. My binder has in it my daily to-do lists, my mid- and long-term planning, my Wallypop planning, and all of our Homeschool plans and notes. It’s been a hassle of late to have to flip back and forth and back and forth between the homeschool sections and the daily life sections every morning.
So this is the “Life” binder. The first section there is my daily to-do lists. I use one page every week.
The other sections are “long term,” “master lists,” “project 1,” “project 2,” and “Homekeeping.” Long Term contains things like my annual goals, lists of longer term projects and statuses of said projects, etc. Master Lists is things like Christmas presents, packing lists, etc. Project 1 and Project 2 are self-explanatory. Homekeeping contains my weekly and monthly cleaning lists, as well as a few articles about homemade cleaners, stain removal, etc. (though most of this type of stuff lives in my Home binder, which is not included in this system since it is not used on a daily basis.)
Behind those sections are these sections: Wallypop, Boulevard Designs, and Lists. These contain longer-term planning for both businesses, as well as master lists for those businesses. (Packing list for baby fairs, list of clothing blanks in inventory, list of EOs I own, etc.)
Last, my calendar.
The orange notebook is the Homeschool notebook. The first section here is our Weekly Plan. I plan 2-3 weeks at a time.
The tabs here are “Weekly Plans,” “Mid and Long Term Planning,” “Scope and Sequence,” “Ideas and Thoughts”
Weekly plans have a page for every week, with a section for every subject and a general idea of what we’ll learn about plus resources listed. Mid and Long Term Planning has, gee, longer term planning. Scope and Sequence contains several lists I’ve acquired from various sources of first (or in some cases, second) grade scope and sequence information. Ideas and Thoughts is random stuff. “Columbus – make a compass with magnetized needle” is in there right now.
The page on the left is our Character quality chart, and then there’s a pencil pouch.
Behind the two notebooks, I have a few translucent plastic pockets. (One contains the food allergy information we obtained from the doctor’s office.)
So far, I like the set, but we’ll see how it works out over the next few months.
You know, I’ve been watching some 9/11 specials on TV. One of them is titled The Man Who Predicted 9/11. It’s about a guy who was the head of security for Dean Witter. He assessed the threats to the twin towers and then took steps to minimize the impact to his company. He and a consultant (a friend of his) realized early on that the underground parking (which was unguarded pre 1993) was a major weakness. He developed escape plans, and he drilled the employees – complete with evacuations – about every month.
Everyone hated him.
Then 1993 happened. And he gained the support of management, and most of the employees.
After 1993, he re-assessed the threats against the building and decided that another attack would most likely be aerial. He was, in fact, so concerned about this that he tried to convince upper management to move away from the WTC. Meanwhile, he continued drilling the employees. They began to hate him again. Several of the employees who survived (and most of them did) talked about what a PITA it was.
But on Sept 11, when they saw the other building on fire, they left. When the guards at the lobby told them they didn’t need to evacuate, they left anyway. They left because their security officer had drilled it into them that if there is any danger – any danger – the first thing you do is leave the building.
Apparently, the company had security officers (volunteers, just regular employees) on each floor who were in charge of evacuating their floors. Guess what? They actually did it.
And most of the Dean Witter employees got out.
This was such an interesting program to me, as a former disaster preparedness person. When I was working, one of my interestingly varied duties was developing the disaster recovery procedures for my department (the financial department). This covered not only getting people out of the building (and drilling evacuations), but also where we’d set up operations if we had to leave the building, where we’d get supplies, how we’d get the systems back up and running, computer backups, what files did we need to have copied and kept off site, what supplies we wanted to have in our emergency boxes at the warehouse, etc. It was actually a really fun aspect of my job.
And one that the rest of the company hated. Really. They didn’t want to practice evacuating. They didn’t want to take the time to think through whether there were physical files that they’d really miss if they caught fire. They didn’t want to sit down to figure out alternate ways of getting information – or of how we’d handle reporting requirements if we were unable to get information on a timely basis. I’m not going to pretend that the stakes were as high in our 8 story building. (I often joked that I didn’t personally need an evacuation route, because if push came to shove, I’d just jump.)
But I was struck, while watching this program, about how, because he drilled and drilled for an emergency, the folks in his office knew what to do as soon as they realized it was an emergency. It’s important.
The Mother Nature Network has posted a photo list of the top 10 places to survive the apocalypse. Since this is National Preparedness Month, it seems timely, does it not?
But the photo list’s first page pokes a little fun at people who are storing up food and ammo in the event of apocalypse or zombie attack. Now, I will admit that we joke about our own preparedness steps by saying we do them for the coming zombie invasion, but we all know that we’re really preparing for any disaster, large or small. The folks in Louisiana didn’t have zombies attack, but they certainly could have used a well-thought-out personal preparedness plan and a box of supplies and food, eh? Just this summer, families across Iowa have had to evacuate their homes on short notice due to flooding – think those families might have appreciated a box or a few bags pre-packed with the basic supplies they’d need for a few days in a shelter?
People prepare for the worst-case scenario, because that way, they’re ready for the smaller disasters that are much more likely to happen.
Also, when did it stop being spelled Koran?
Anyway.
So the guy has the right to burn whatever he wants. I mean, the Supreme Court has ruled (despite good taste and respect) that it’s OK to burn the flag, right? It’s clearly legal to burn the religious text of any religion he wants. He can.
I don’t think there’s a legal basis to stop him. I’m assuming that it’s not illegal to have a bonfire. It’s not illegal to hate. It’s not illegal to be a jerk. It’s not illegal to be an idiot. It’s not illegal to be pompous. It’s not illegal to violate the sensibilities of an entire group of people.
So he has the right to burn the Quran.
The real question is whether or not he should.
And everyone in the media seems to be all in a tizzy about what other countries and other groups outside of the US are going to think about us because of it.
(Frankly, I think we’d be better served by a media who has the balls to say “hey, everyone else in the world, in America we have freedoms and rights you can only dream about. That gives idiots the freedom to be idiots, too. Don’t like it? Tough.”)
But here’s something interesting. The guy with the Mosque 2 blocks from Ground Zero. Yes, he can legally build whatever he wants there, as long as he doesn’t violate zoning or other regulations. I don’t think there’s a legal basis on which to stop him. It’s not illegal to violate the sensibilities of an entire group of people.
So the real question is whether or not he should.
I don’t see the two situations as very different. I’m surprised that the media seems to.
I am pleased to report that Randy and I got done everything that was on each of our respective lists (he made his own list of his own choosing and wanted to work Friday evening and Saturday for as long as it took). I did not end up having to do any of his tasks (though I chose to do one as a fun surprise for him), and we both finished up with plenty of time to relax and play. He spent Sunday morning playing with his smoker, and we enjoyed Living History Farms and some fellowship with the Glanns on Sunday afternoon and evening, and I think a bit into Monday morning, as well. Other than some time Monday working on taking the pool down, we also spent Monday just chillaxin’.
Lest there be any confusion (ahem), I did not present Randy with a list of things he was supposed to do and demand he have them done on a certain deadline. He emailed me his list of things he wanted to do this weekend and I showed him mine. And I combined them into one blog post so I didn’t have to worry about losing a piece of paper. If his list had been “sit on my ass all weekend,” that might not have been 100% fine with me, but I guess I would have just done my stuff regardless, and the pool and lawn would have sat neglected and life would have moved on.
It should not be a surprise to anyone who lives in a home that there are tasks that need to be done around a home, just to keep it running. Those tasks are not all mine to complete. By mutual agreement, Randy has areas of his jurisdiction, and I have my own.
Also, though I’ve always said that if you notice something and it bothers you, then take care of it yourself, I’ve started to notice something that bothers me, and that’s that I’m the only one in the house who notices things and takes care of them. So I’m taking care of that problem by trying to encourage higher levels of Observation and Ownership among the other dwellers in this house. We all live here. We can all help keep it tidy. Nobody disagrees with this idea, but it’s the implementation that’s a little lax. Yes, I’m sure other people’s children do things like spontaneously pick up the silverware that was carelessly left on the table after a meal. Though my kids are really good – REALLY good – about putting away toys, markers, etc., there is still room for improvement in owning messes that you didn’t makes.
It should also not be a surprise to anyone in a marriage that marriage is a partnership, with each person helping the other. If I’m overwhelmed by my to-do list, it’s Randy’s job to help me. If he’s overwhelmed by something he has to do, it’s my job to help him. So I don’t honestly think he would have been upholding his end of the marriage bargain if he really did just sit on his ass all weekend while I took care of kids and also took care of the Going Into Fall things that needed to be done. And because he’s generally a good guy, I don’t think he WOULD do that, either.
I would also not be upholding my end of the marriage bargain if I didn’t ever let him sit and relax, because that is a need as much as getting the lawn mowed is a need. (And why I stay up until 2 some days. I need that alone relaxing time.)
Sometimes I do end up having to take care of his stuff because it’s not getting done and it bothers me more than him or because it just simply must be done. (Weed whacking for example.) Sometimes I’m really stressed about everything I have to do on a daily basis and adding those few extra tasks is enough to drive me straight over the edge. Particularly weed whacking, because it HAS to be done (it’s not optional and even if it’s not a priority, it’s the law) and I can’t do it with children (Genna will get run over and it’s too dangerous to do with her in the carrier, with the hills, the weed bits fly pretty high and they sting).And sometimes this makes me grumpy, because it’s not like I’m ever just sitting around with nothing to do, you know? But I get over it.
Regardless, we had a good weekend.
This month’s wonderful surprise for Randy? I cleaned his workout room for him. He had it on his to do list for this weekend, but was running out of steam, so I went down Saturday morning and did it for him. And dang did I pay for it in terms of Allergy Misery.
The View From Here 