We The People by Ray Stevens!

Pledge of Confusion?

It's a new school year, but an old fight is brewing in American classrooms. Teachers and administrators around the country are scratching their heads once again over the Pledge of Allegiance.

The courts have consistently ruled that students have the right not to recite the pledge in public schools. But now some First Amendment advocates are taking it one step further, arguing that the law compels educators to inform kids at the beginning of school that the decision is entirely up to them.

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I'm torn about this. I'm a deeply patriotic person. I've served my country. I continue to serve the public. There's no avoiding the anxiety and fear, however that I have about this once great country of ours. The America that I live in today, is not the same America that I pledged allegiance to as a child. The liberal movement in America has so blurred who we once were and the things that we stood for that made us great, that I don't even really know who America is anymore.

I'm a grown man, with a fair amount of understanding about the world and how it works and if I'm this uncertain myself, do I really want my kids reciting that pledge? Doesn't that send them a mixed message about making promises you can't truthfully make? I mean, I wouldn't pledge allegiance to this country under the present leadership and direction this nation is heading. Why would I expect my kids to recite empty words?

America is a very dangerous place to be right now. Not dangerous like living in some third world country under a brutal dictatorship...but dangerous like we've lost our identity and our moral compass. If we can't keep our moral compass in our ever changing world, how do we expect the rest of the world to tow the line? I can't pledge allegiance to a nation that is promoting socialism, pushing the liberal agenda so hard that people of morality are demonized, and with leadership that is weakening our nation defensively, fiscally, and morally.

I want very much for my children to have a deep sense of patriotism and serve their fellow countrymen, but they have nothing worthy of pledging allegiance too. I don’t really know how to proceed with my kids in areas like this. I’ve lost my hope in this country and the future scares the living daylights out of me.

Recently, I was engaged in a conversation with a dear relative of mine who accused me of having the socialistic stance compared to that of our national leadership. This discussion took place during the rage that was sweeping America over Obama’s indoctrination speech to our children, in which we kept our kids out of school for.

His argument against me was that I am basically brainwashing my children, because I won’t let them decide for themselves whether or not our leadership is harming America in this present day. I explained that I couldn’t disagree with him more.

My children are 8 and 6 years old. They have no real understanding about how choices made today can dramatically affect so many others for such a long period of time. They’re developing their moral compass and as responsible parents, it’s my wife’s and my job to teach them right from wrong, lives lessons about choice and consequence, and instill in them a value system that will make them productive and responsible members of society.

In short, they’re too young to understand the complexities of how badly Obama and the liberal movement are damaging our nation with lasting bad choice after bad choice. So, we, as parents, must make choices about how best to protect them from the rhetoric of the worst President and congress in American history. We must make choices about how best to explain to them why they are not allowed to watch the speech of an irresponsible man, who has no business speaking to elementary aged school children.

It pains us to look our children in the eye and tell them that our nations President and congress are bold face liars with a seemingly endless lack of morality. How do you explain to a child who knows that killing the defenseless unborn child is a terrible wrong, yet our President sponsored the very bills that support unchecked murder of the unborn? Or how do you have a discussion with them about how our tax system is supposed to work, when the news is pouring in about our leadership cheating the tax system? How do you try to teach them fiscal responsibility when our leadership is spending us into oblivion? How do you explain to a child the need to work for the things in life you want, when our nation is making entitlements our national way of life?

No, I am not the socialist. I am the responsible parent who wants my children to stand for morality, integrity, honesty, and responsibility. It is my first job as a parent to educate my children and give them the tools they need to one day - when they reach an age of maturity and understanding - make responsible, informed, and moral choices for themselves.

My Hometown School System Under Attack by ACLU

One student's parent is about to jeopradize 55-years worth of voluntary religious education in elemenatry schools where I was raised. This is a program that generations of local families have enjoyed. For many families, this is the only exposure to issues of faith and morals they may ever experience. The seed that is planted at the elementary age is something that is often generously harvested later in life.

I'm asking all of my readers to please pray for this legal battle. Pray for all the parties involved and for the judge that will be presiding over this attack. This is a program that I participated in as a child and one I'd love for my children to be able to go through in our current city.

Below is a link to a story detailing this attack that made national news on WorldNetDaily.com.

FAITH UNDER FIRE
ACLU to churches: Not on school grounds, you don't
Mom sues district for allowing 'Back to the Book' classes on campus

The American Civil Liberties Union, on behalf of an offended parent, is suing an elementary school district for allowing its students to attend a non-taxpayer-funded religious education program that meets on campus.

For the past 55 years, the Huntington County Community School Corporation of rural Indiana has permitted students in its eight elementary schools to attend religious study groups through a "released time" program.

The program, coordinated by an area church association, enables students with parental permission to be released from classes one hour during the school day to receive religious instruction that cannot be otherwise offered by the public school.

And while a 1952 U.S. Supreme Court ruling permits "released time" religious instruction, the ACLU is alleging that since Huntington County's programs are housed in trailers on school property, they violate the First Amendment's Establishment Clause.

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NKU M.S. Program Graduates First Class

Northern Kentucky University will graduate its inaugural class from the Executive Leadership and Organizational Change master's program on Dec. 20 at the Bank of Kentucky Center.

The inaugural class consists of 25 students who completed the program at the end of the 2008 summer term.

The Executive Leadership and Organizational Change program is offered through the NKU Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./US Bank Foundation College of Business.

Currently the program has 45 highly talented and motivated students and 25 alumni from diverse professional fields and geographic locations including Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, Michigan, Tennessee and Florida.

Press Article

Congratulations to the NKU ELOC graduating class of 2008 and especially to my lovely, talented and motivated wife (who graduated with a 4.0 GPA). The sacrifice, commitment, and effort that you have given to this pusuit of excellence is great cause for celebration. Your families are exceedingly proud of your distinguished accomplishment. Always remember the words of the late great Eleanor Roosevelt, "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." Lest we also not forget Henry Ford's great life lesson, "Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal."

Congratulations! May you always have fair winds and following seas.

Controversy Erupts Over School Proposal to Teach Kids to Fight Back Against Gunmen

A proposal to teach children as young as 10 years old to fight back against a classroom gunman is causing quite a stir in a small town in Massachusetts.

Georgetown Police Chief James E. Mulligan told FOXNews.com the proposed technique was intended to be a "last ditch" thing to be used in cases where a gunman has been able to thwart police and get inside a classroom alone with students.

But others think the last thing you want to teach young kids is how to fight off an intruder with a gun.

"To put that expectation on young, emotional, scared, frightened children is really a slippery slope," says Kenneth Trump, the president of National School Safety and Security Services. "It has a high risk and higher probability of escalating a situation than it would to neutralize the situation."

Source

I have to confess as a parent of two elementary aged children, I am torn. I absolutely can appreciate the points of both sides of this argument. I have said many times that the public school system is the number one most dangerous place in America for a child to be in these days.

We have taught our children since the time they were able to understand us, that if anyone they do not know or even if they do know them tries to make them or take them and they know that's not right, that they are to scream at the top of their lungs, "that man/woman is not my mom/dad, please someone help me." I want them to fight in an environment like that. I want them to make as much noise to draw attention to themselves.

A man with a gun in their school, well I'm just not sure about that. If a man with a gun has entered the school and made it through the ridiculously inadequate security provided, I think I'd rather my child find a safe place to hide and be quiet. It just isn't the same as a group of adults being held hostage on an airplane. Adults are capable of fighting; their capable of reasoning out what the odds are and how best to play them. Children just aren't strong enough or developed enough in their ability to reason out their next move. They can reason, "I need to run from here to there," but they would have trouble with more complex decision making items. "If I have to make contact with this guy, where should I hit/kick him and what should I use as a weapon?"

I guess I lean more on the side of just biding your time and following directions until a rescue plan can be devised and implemented by experts. I just don't think the average child has the capability to make wise choices in such a high stress environment.

Evolution: Fact or Theory?

The Florida State Board of Education will be voting on new educations standards tomorrow, but one of the more than a dozen "big ideas" being proposed has parents across the state up in arms.

The Board of Education has proposed 18 "big ideas" in an attempt to raise educational standards across the Sunshine State. But one of the supposedly major ideas mandates that evolution be taught as fact, and that it be taught as the "fundamental concept underlying all of biology."

According to the Orlando Sentinel, parents across the state have flooded the Florida Department of Education's website, denouncing the new science standard. Many parents have threatened to pull their children from public schools if the new evolution standard passes, and others have called for evolution to be taught as theory alongside creation and intelligent design. However, officials are rejecting those ideas as religious indoctrination.

Source

As a parent of two young children I am deeply concerned about the actions of the Florida Department of Education. Neither evolution nor creationism can be explained or proven to a scientific fact. There is much evidence to support both sides of the aisle.

To remove the choices in education and learning leads us closer and closer to a socialist nation. Evidence should be presented and the students allowed to draw their own conclusion. I believe in creationism. I don't profess to know everything there is to know on either evolution or creationism. I do understand that there is as much scientific evidence to debunk some evidence of evolutionism and to support creationism. My point is, that this is a choice that I have made after the things that I have learned. I wasn't forced or compelled to believe in something that violated my faith and understanding of the world as I know and believe it to be.

Public schools are the most dangerous place in the world to be for our children already. That trend began when we began to remove God from the classroom. For all these scientific advocates out there, I remain dumbfounded that they can't see the pattern of decline our society has taken since the removal of God from our society.

Homeschooling and Socialization: Debunking the Myth

Recently, I had to do a research paper for an English class I am taking while working towards a degree. My topic was on socialization aspects related to homeschooling. Today I received my grade - an" A" I'm happy to proclaim - and so now I feel like I can finally post it for review.

I was very surprised by the results I found. I hope you enjoy the reading.

Homeschooling and Socialization: Debunking the Myth

Opening Day of Spring Quarter

Yesterday began the spring quarter of my academic sophomore year. I recently graduated from the core program and am now working on electives for my degree. I think the elective portion of my degree is making me more nervous than my core portion did. I haven’t had to write a formal paper by assignment for a grade in over seventeen years. Reading is not my preferred method of learning and I only like research if it is something that impassions me.

My classes this quarter are English Comp I, Medical Ethics, Sociology of Human Sexuality, and Psychology 101. All four of these classes are going to require extensive reading and writing by assignment. I am excited about participating and learning, but less than passionate about finding the time to read, research, and write.

One particular paper is already causing me grief and I haven’t even started to write it. At some point, in my Sociology of Human Sexuality class, I will be required to write a paper in defense of why sexual education should be taught in the public school system. I don’t know that I believe that it should be. I mean, I believe that the biology and mechanics should be taught, but at what age? I have serious concerns about the content of sex ed classes. Too often, the curriculum works in issues that I feel violate moral boundaries and I do not want my children to be led to believe that homosexuality is normal and perfectly acceptable. I don’t believe that it is, and I want to instill in my children that it is morally wrong according to our faith in Jesus. You read about schools and teachers pressing the envelope and enraging us conservatives routinely.

I’ll also have to write a paper refuting the top ten reasons given for people choosing not to use condoms. The professor has been kind enough to provide us with those reasons and this assignment will be easier to write about than the sex ed one, but not much.

We’ll be reading the entire 600-page textbook for this sociology class in ten weeks. I haven’t broken down that reading for this one class, but I can tell that is a lot of reading. That is just one class.

Medical Ethics, which I am really looking forward to, is going to have me reading too. I love topics of morality and ethics. This class, I expect, will hold my interest and lead to very interesting discussions. I learned a great deal just in the first day.

Psychology will be an online class for me. I am not sure how I feel about this class yet, but I am going to put my best foot forward.

Finally, the most important class, which will also be the most difficult for me is English Comp. Most important, because it will hopefully help me write more mechanically correctly and with an improved style and ability. This class is a foundational class; in that it will help me better prepare my written assignments for classes to come. The only issue with it is that it also requires a major research project and writing by assignment.

At any rate, tune in often as I hope to dazzle you with the concepts I am learning. I hope to find a lot of material to write about from my Ethics and Sociology classes. Of course, I’ll be so busy writing papers; I won’t have time to blog. We’ll see how it goes.