Biden the Idiot

I was watching Good Morning America this morning at the hospital while NerdDad was having his surgery and they were talking about the Palin speech. I haven’t seen it yet (it is on the Tivo) but it sounds like it was good. Then they had Senator Joe Biden on. He said that he was in the air when her speech started so he missed about a third of it.

So that leaves the question. Do we want to elect someone Vice President when he was smart enough/capable enough to get the same text that the press had ahead of time? Or that he couldn’t have someone tivo/record it so he could see all of it before he went on tv shows to comment?

Idiot.

Hillary Humor

Who can't use a little giggle at Hillary's expense. Well, maybe it isn't funny because it might be true;).

Is it Tigh/Roslin '08?

Some of you may remember my previous post that paralleled John McCain and Colonel Saul Tigh of Battlestar. Well it is nice to know that we are not the only Battlestar Galatica fans in the Republican Party. That is obvious by Palin's distinct Roslinesque look;). Thanks to Michael Doyle over at BurnLab for this awesome graphic!

(We totally are supporting the McCain/Palin ticket but that doesn't mean we have lost our sense of humor.)

First Woman VP?

I have to say that I wasn't very familiar with Governor Sarah Palin before this afternoon. Frankly, because I have 4 kids and went a got a haircut, I still haven't done a lot of research on her. But, what I know I like! There are 2 issues I have already heard of.

First, it appears some of the Mommy Wars are starting. In one of my homeschooling groups a message was posted that you can't be a good mom and balance it all. She was disappointed in the Republican party for picking someone who would be neglecting her family. There was no proof that she neglects her family. Apparently she has her baby with her and has it well under control. I think that it would be a shame for women to start slinging this issue around. While I stay home I think everyone has different situations that work well for them. Do I believe that on the whole everything goes better if mom stays home? Sure, that is why I stay home. But, I only make my own choices and even those are based on today's circumstances. If things change so may my actions.

The second issue I have bandied about is her lack of experience. I haven't looked at her complete resume but...Being the governor of Alaska seems to be better experience than being a junior senator. And that is their candidate for President, not vp.

The last issue is a woman in leadership. I DON'T CARE. I want to see the right person for the right job, regardless of sex.

For the first time I am looking forward to the Vice Presidential debates. She is going to wipe the floor with Biden;).

NerdDad reminded me of the Cheney/Lieberman debate. I did look forward to that but not in the same way. I looked forward to Cheney but Lieberman was too boring to look forward to. While I don't like Biden , he is entertaining (like a train wreck or the show Wipeout).

Now That the Picks Out

Now that McCain's announced his pick for Vice President you should go over and see his short list. It is complete with hand written notes;).

Adam Smith on Public School

On a recent family trip to the library (what else do you expect from a group called the NerdFamily? ;) NerdDad found a great book. It is P. J. O'Rourke's On The Wealth of Nations (Books That Changed the World). Now we here in the Nerd Family are huge P.J. O'Rourke fans, and we can speak of his greatness further in the future, so NerdDad checked it out and found that Adam Smith had his opinions on school and how it should work.

This piece got NerdDad's attention and then he had to share with me;):

Adam Smith was only a tepid fan of public education. As he went on to explain in book 5 of Wealth, he thought that some government subsidy of education was needed so that "even the common labourer may afford it." Teachers, however, should be "partly, but not wholly paid" by the state. "In modern times the diligence of public teachers is more or less corrupted by the circumstances, which render them more or less independent of their success and reputation," wrote Smith, making his modern times sound like ours. And Smith believed that certain very prestigious institutions of higher learning were teaching "a mere useless and pedantic heap of sophistry and nonsense." Was UC Berkeley even around back then?

O'Rourke then goes on to further expand on Smith's views. About how there was value in an ability and not just being a highly (or overpaid) specialist. This is all tied into how our economy works and what should be valued.

To me this further proves that merit of the public school educational experience isn't the education because the public education system can be skewed by itself, its beliefs and its own social agenda. The public education system is not at all driven by what would be considered useful knowledge or what is good and productive. Just as God created man in His image, the public education system is trying to create a society of its own ideals and creation rather than concentrating on the knowledge it is getting paid to pass on.

The DNC: Really Classing Up the Joint

Apparently I have been wrong in my feelings that the DNC convention and all the liberal protests surrounding it will be a tasteless show of their ill will toward any people who have morals. This is evidenced by the fact that in the many crazy activities going on that week Public Enemy will be gracing everyone with a free concert.

The band's performance was announced Monday, along with three speakers who will bolster the efforts of the activist group Re-create 68.

For those unclear on the slant of Re-create 68, the are also sponsoring speaker Cindy Sheehan.

Here is a glimpse of the band, for those who aren't familiar.

Led by rapper Chuck D, Public Enemy is a pioneer of political hip-hop with groundbreaking albums such as 1988's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and 1990's Fear of a Black Planet. Chuck D continues to comment on issues both in song and in the media, including a radio show on Air America Radio. His sidekick, rapper Flavor Flav, has struggled with an addiction to crack cocaine and has starred in the reality TV show Flavor of Love.

(HT: Bridget Johnson)

You have been BarackRoll'd

Its like being RickRoll'd but funnier!

(HT: Heather@Beehive)

Affair Today, Daddy Tomorrow

So a month ago John Edwards wasn't having an affair. Now he admits to the affair. So in another month will he admit to being the baby's father?

Rehearing on the Big CA Homeschool Case

For those of you who might be interested, Ann has a piece on what happened at the rehearing this week. Now we just wait for the outcome.....

Breaking News: Tim Russert is Dead

Tim Russert has passed away from a heart attack at the age of 58. The host of Meet the Press had the heart attack while recording voice overs an upcoming episode. I knew that Russert had been in politics for ever, working for people like Daniel Patrick Moynihan, but I didn't realize that he won an Emmy for his coverage of Ronald Reagan's funeral. While I didn't always agreed with his political views, he did such a balanced job on Meet the Press that I always liked watching the show. His presence will definitely be missed.

Technorati Tags: Tim Russert

Defense Department Shake Ups

So the Secretary of Defense is "accepting" the resignations of the Air Force Secretary and Chief of Staff due to some slip ups in Nuclear security. That seems like a good reason. I do love the wording of accepting resignations instead of firing their butts!

(HT: Two Babes and a Brain)

Gay Marriage Coming Soon to California

Apparently they will be starting to have same sex marriages(or gay marriages for the search engines;) in California on June 17, 2008. According to this article, the state said that the date is set that far in the future to give the state Supreme Court time to step in. It seems all that will stop it in the near future is for the Supreme Court to issue a stay.

The new procedure isn't really all that shocking. The paperwork that the county clerks will have with not say bride and groom. Also if registered domestic partners are marrying the same person, they don't have to dissolve the partnership first.

I am interested in seeing how this all shakes out.

How dare you keep your own money!

If you are unaware of all financial life here is a harsh truth, in the last few years property values have dropped. Especially in California, a lot. Part of the bills you pay when you own a home is property taxes which are usually a percentage of your property value. This tax price is usually only decided on when you buy or sell the property. But , and this is a big but, apparently you can have it assessed for other reasons and that can effect your tax. (This is something we at the Nerd Family household are currently looking into for ourselves.)

So what would be the problem with a home owner getting a tax break because their home is worth less? Well, a good portion of the tax goes into the school districts. In Larry Ellison's case he will be taking $250,000 a year out of the Portola Valley School District. Apparently his home value has dropped about $100 million from the districts assessment (or wasn't worth that to begin with) and he doesn't want to pay tax on it. Imagine! So based on everything he is due a $3 million refund. There is an entire article about the effect on the school district in the Palo Alto Daily News.

Now am I shocked or angry that they felt the need to do an article on the effect? No, but the issue is that it is his money and he has a right to it regardless of how much of it he has. That means that I have a right to my money too! I think that governments are going to fight all of these reassessments because they "need" the money more. That is just another case of the government thinking they can spend my money better than me. I say scrap the whole tax system and give me my money;)!

Court to Reconsider

For all those keeping up on the California Homeschooling drama, the court is going to reconsider their decision. As far as I can tell in the first article I have found, this is not a complete rehearing of the case. They are inviting educators and teacher's unions to submit written arguments. We shall see.

NY Gov Resinged, Finally!

I first heard about the issues surrounding Eliot Spitzer on Monday. He has been caught up in the call-girl scandal that was discovered by a wire tap. All along I heard he was going to resign but never did. Well, he has now. The part I don't buy in the whole story was:

Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned in disgrace Wednesday after getting caught in a call-girl scandal that shattered his corruption-fighting, straight-arrow image, saying: "I cannot allow my private failings to disrupt the people's work."

Yea right. He resigned after he go his plea bargain. I don't view this as a resignation but a excuse. You know what I mean, a "this is why I won't be at work any more" excuse. What do ya'all think?

Homeschoolers: Be Ye Attentive But Not Panicked

I have been emailed quite a bit about the ruling that came down in LA County last week. Some people had wondered if I had heard about it while I have been sick since I hadn't blogged on it. Yes, I have heard but I am not worried, yet. First of all, I encourage everyone to read the ruling. Don't rely on news reports, articles and others to give you a picture. Go find out for yourself.

Having read the ruling (or what ever it is the court released), I have strong concerns but nothing has actually changed yet. The most concerning part is this part:

It is clear to us that enrollment and
attendance in a public full-time day school is required by California law for minor
children unless (1) the child is enrolled in a private full-time day school and actually
attends that private school, (2) the child is tutored by a person holding a valid state
teaching credential for the grade being taught, or (3) one of the other few statutory
exemptions to compulsory public school attendance (Ed. Code, § 48220 et seq.) applies
to the child.

While this is very alarming as a legal precedent, nothing has changed. You can still go file your forms to homeschool in the State of California. Now the HSLDA is currently doing many things to deal with this ruling. The big one that has made it around the homeschooling internet is the petition to get the ruling depublished. From what I have read, depublishing the verdict means nothing has changed. Then this ruling will not be reversed but it will not be considered part of the body of law which constitutes legal precedent. On the whole I am not a big fan of depublishing any verdicts. I think it should either right or wrong. This is a very political way to tell the court what they did in that case was right but let's not use it for everyone. Some things I have read said that this is the easiest way to deal with it because it rocks the boat the least.

I don't really think that the State of California is going to change how we homeschool or if they do, not very much. A big benefit that I do see out of all of this is unification. I am on a few yahoo groups and I am seeing secular, unschoolers, and Christians homeschoolers banding together for a common cause. I think this is great! Studies have shown that homeschooling in whatever form is better for the kids and for society. We need to come together and protect our rights together! I would love to see the homeschoolers of California to maintain some of this unity after this issue has been dealt with.

Technorati Tags: homeschooling, California

Larry Norman and Ronald Reagan

There is a great article on Larry Norman, his fondness for Ronald Reagan, and the affect Norman had on others all centered around a NRB convention in 1984.

(HT: The Weave)

New Obama Slogan

Scott over at GOP Vixen has a great new slogan for Barak Obama, "BAAA-RACK, BAAA-RACK. Barack Obama, man of the sheeple". I agree that it would make a great bumper sticker.

Jack Nicholson Shills for Hillary?

Of course, I don't support Hillary but I thought this was interesting. I also have no idea where it originated with be it Nicholson or other wise.

(HT: GOP Vixen)

Another Great Man Passes

William F. Buckley Jr. died today. There is already a touching tribute, or more appropriately a series of tributes up at National Review. He is an icon in the conservative movement. I personally enjoy the debate he had with Gore Vidal (due to language I am only posting a link). He wasn't a party man but a man of principals and he would take on anyone. May there be more like him. My sympathies and prayers to all who loved him and cared for him.

Battlestar Galactica and Politics

Now I know where I have seen John McCain before. Apparently he is Colonel Tigh (or a replecant model of;)who was revealed as a Cylon. For those who don't watch Battlestar Galactica (Why don't you? I have been meaning to talk to you about this) the Cylons are robots who are trying to eliminate humanity. I love the images that appear to be done by the Metamerist for Pieniazek.

(HT: Adam Pieniazek)

Technorati Tags: McCain, Battlestar Galactica, ScifiChannel

Hilary, Huckabee and PJ

I have heard all the hubbub about Mike Huckabee's subliminal ad, which I thought was hogwash. But I hadn't heard about Hilary's ad where she give us many "great gifts" (including universal healthcare, universal pre-k, etc) until I was reading Jonah Goldberg's piece at National Review. He pointed out the obvious point to me.... Gifts are given freely and cost the receiver nothing and that isn't the case with these things. As a matter of fact I think they could bankrupt us. Jonah went on to quote one of my favorites (both the book and the author) in comparing the candidates, P. J. O’Rourke’s Parliament of Whores.

“I have only one firm belief about the American political system, and that is this: God is a Republican and Santa Claus is a Democrat,” wrote the indispensable O’Rourke.

“God” he explained, is “a stern fellow, patriarchal rather than paternal and a great believer in rules and regulations. He holds men strictly accountable for their actions. He has little apparent concern for the material well being of the disadvantaged. ... God is unsentimental. It is very hard to get into God’s heavenly country club.”

P. J. continues: “Santa Claus is another matter. ... He’s nonthreatening. He’s always cheerful. And he loves animals. He may know who’s been naughty and who’s been nice, but he never does anything about it. He gives everyone everything they want without the thought of a quid pro quo.”

“Santa Claus is preferable to God in every way but one,” O’Rourke concluded. “There is no such thing as Santa Claus.”

I have included both commercials so you can get the feel.

Two Different Versions! Two Different Morals!

I got this from my friend Heather. Normally, I don't encourage such thing but I really liked this one.

OLD VERSION:

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building
his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and
plays the summer away.

Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.
The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!

---------------------------------------------------------------------


MODERN VERSION:

The ant works ha rd in the withering heat all summer long,
building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances
and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and
demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well-fed while
others are cold and starving.

CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the
shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable
home with a table filled with food. Americans are stunned by the sharp
contrast.

How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor
grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and
everybody cries when they sing, "It's Not Easy Being Green."

Jesse Jackson stages a demon stration in front of the ant's house
where the news stations film the group singing, 'We shall overcome.'
Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's
sake.

Nancy Pelosi & John Kerry explain in an interview with Larry King
that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and
both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair
share.

Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity & Anti-Grasshopper
Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer.

The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs
and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is
confiscated by the government.

Hillary gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation
suit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of federal judges
that Bill Clint on appointed from a list of
single-parent welfare recipients.

The ant loses the case.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last
bits of the ant's food while the government house he is in, which
just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because
he doesn't maintain it.

The ant has disappeared in the snow.

The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the
house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who
terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be careful how you vote

Giving Huckabee a Chance

With Fred Thompson being a bit of a disappointment I am going to start looking into Mike Huckabee. While I only saw part of the debate last night, I was impressed by what I saw and what I have heard. My concern is that NerdDad has heard that he is a big spending Republican. That is my one really big problem with George W. Bush. So what do you all think of Mike Huckabee?

Friedman on Schools (Choir Style)

Is there really anything more I need to say?

Thanksgiving: A Celebration of Individual Rights

NerdDad found this great article by John Stossel over at RealClearPolitics about Thanksgiving. It point out that communal living spelled disaster for the Pilgrims and that it was only through individual land (and therefore production) that the Pilgrims were able to survive.

"So as it well appeared that famine must still ensue the next year also, if not some way prevented," wrote Gov. William Bradford in his diary. The colonists, he said, "began to think how they might raise as much corn as they could, and obtain a better crop than they had done, that they might not still thus languish in misery. At length after much debate of things, [I] (with the advice of the chiefest among them) gave way that they should set corn every man for his own particular, and in that regard trust to themselves. ... And so assigned to every family a parcel of land."

If only they pointed that out in school.

Greatest Political Ad Ever!

Regardless if you like Huckabee or not, this is a great commercial.

(HT: GOP Vixen)

Are All Politicians Cut From the Same Cloth?

A interesting development came up when Lynne Chenney was researching a memoir of growing up in the western state of Wyoming. Come to find out Dick Chenney and Barak Obama are 8th or 9th cousins. So is it true that we are all being ruled by these uber-families;)? You know, the Kennedy/Schwarzeneggers and the Obama/Chenneys;).

I just think this is all cute and funny.

Planned Parenthood Charged

Planned Parenthood in Kansas has been charged with 107 criminal counts. About time they got charged. What I find sad is that False Information is a Non-Person Felony but a Unlawful Late Term Abortion is a Misdemeanor.

(HT: Michelle Malkin)

Oh Joy, I live in a Nanny State

California has become the 3rd state to enact a ban on being in a car, smoking with kids. While I don't smoke (asthmatic and would probably die;) I just don't like the government telling me what to do with my kids. This is a slippery slope....

Deaths

Madeline L'Engle died Thursday at age 88. She was the author of Wrinkle in Time and many other great books. Literature and the world will miss her.

Pastor D. James Kennedy also dies this week at age 76. He actually died as a result of a heart attack he had in December. While I listened to him on the radio in hugh school and college, I was shocked (pleasantly) to see he was a founding member of the Moral Majority. He will also be greatly missed.

Both families are in my prayers.

New York Nanny State

Once again New York City has a new ban. This time it is parents smoking in a car with kids. Now I don't smoke, don't like smoking, can't have people smoke around me and I have asthma. Those issues are not the issue. The issue is how much control should the government have? This is private property with their own kids. It is a slippery slope. Smoking around your kids is bad. So is cussing, eating cookies, not getting enough sleep, etc. So are we going to fine everything? Will there be a checklist for raising your kids? I think the biggest thing that scares me about this is that I live in California and can see it happening here.

This also reveals a truth I have known for a while. Bloomberg may be a Republican but he is not conservative. While he hasn't signed off on this specific law he did have some comments pertaining to this subject.

When asked in January about a similar proposal in Rockland County, Mr. Bloomberg said people should have the right to smoke in their own cars, but "if it's a child in the car, who doesn't have the ability to speak up and protect themselves, then society does start to have an interest."

(HT: Two Babes and a Brain)

Supreme Court Upholds Partial Birth Ban

This just in! In a 5-4 ruling the US Supreme Court has upheld the Partial Birth Abortion Ban as being Constitutional. They said that it didn't effect a woman's right to have an abortion but the method. Very Good!

How could you educate for $25000 a person?

I am assuming better than the Washington DC schools. According to the Washington Post the kids of the district have a few ideas:

Among the things that they wanted to see in every public school: "books when school starts," "heat in winter," "air conditioning in summer," "healthy meals," "water fountains that work," "music and art classes," "counselors who are able to help us" and "teachers who care about their students and can teach."

My question is what are they already spending the money on? This is yet another reason for vouchers or even tax credits for schooling.

(HT: Joanne Jacobs)

What will 2007 look like?

Over at Jewish World Review, James Lileks take a hilarious look back at 2007 from January 1st 2008. One section stood out in both hilarity and truth;).

American politics were in that blessed period between elections, but jockeying continued for the presidential spot in both parties. Hillary Clinton made a masterful move to the center by coming out against gay marriage for stem cells; Barack Obama continued to run on a platform of being Barack Obama, and Mitt Romney continued to remind people of his impressive chin. Rudy Guiliani rolled out a new campaign slogan: "Why? Because I'll Nuke Them Old-School Style if I Have To, and You Know It," while John McCain's team came up with a GOP base-tested slogan, "Suck It Up, Haters! It's Him or the Witch."

NerdDad says the McCain slogan is all ready for the bumper stickers.