Obama is not for MY America -- my reply to OFA

OFA -- Obama for America -- sends out these ... entertaining ... emails to those who subscribe. "Know your enemy" and all that, so I subscribed to the emails just to see what was being said.

I actually hit the "reply" button when I read this email, and I sent my response to the sending address. Will anyone read it? Will they unsubscribe me automatically? Will purple-shirted SEIU folks come to my door and show me the error of my ways? We'll see what happens, but I didn't want my response to go completely unnoticed.

First is the content of the email I received (in italics); my response follows.

Brenda --
We're getting outraised -- a first for a sitting president, if this continues. Not just by the super PACs and outside groups that are pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into misleading ads, but by our opponent and the Republican Party, which just outraised us for the second month in a row.
We can win a race in which the other side spends more than we do. But not this much more.
So I need your help. If you believe that regular people should decide elections, then please chip in $3 or more today.
This isn't about me or the outcome of one election.
This election will be a test of the model that got us here. We'll learn whether it's still true that a grassroots campaign can elect a president -- whether ordinary Americans are in control of our democracy in the face of massive spending.
I believe we can do this. When all of us chip in what we can, when we can, we are the most powerful force in politics.
But today is the day to prove it. Donate now:
https://donate.barackobama.com/Outraised
Thank you -- for everything you've done before and everything you're doing now. It matters.
Barack


Dear Barack Obama and the folks running this email address,

I am one of those "regular people": a teacher with a Master's degree, a Highly Qualified license, working at a school which I dearly love. I pay taxes, help my mom when needed, and go to church on Sundays. I got excited when we saw gas in South Carolina for less than $3/gallon, yet I'm old enough to remember gas for less than one-third that price.

My hope is in God, not in you, and I am so excited that change will come to America in November 2012. I will gladly support Mitt Romney with my money, my vote, and my words. There is a reason that this "sitting president" is getting "outraised" -- Barack Obama is a failure as POTUS. Part of the reason might be that "sitting" is not what Obama's been doing. If he'd been sitting around, practicing laissez faire management strategies, we'd be looking at an America that wasn't "fundamentally transformed" but at an America that is both strong and successful. However, we've had a meddler-in-chief, who mostly

• plays golf;
• bows to foreign leaders;
• thinks more highly of himself than he ought to think; (see Romans 12:3)
• "doesn't need" tax cuts because he doesn't work or own/run a business;
• undermines American exceptionalism; and
• campaigns incessantly.

President Barack Obama, you say that the private sector is doing fine, and you want us to avoid the failed policies of the past.
Personally, I cannot wait until we can look back on your Presidency as part of the past.
Thanks from an American voter,
Brenda

The Year In Review--2011

I never finished last year’s “A Year In Pictures” blog post, so I have no idea what makes me think that I can actually finish a year-end review this year. Since I’m writing for three different audiences (family, friends, church), this will either be very simple or essentially impossible.  (NOTE: Yes, I do have friends at church, and there are friends who are like family. It’s just the way it is.)

This will not be in chronological order, nor in order of “importance”.  It’s simply alphabetical.

·         I (or rather my friend Sara) rearranged my living room; I like it.

·         I accepted (again) that just because a thing is advertised as such doesn’t mean that it is so.

·         I acquired a roommate: “the teen”, a 16-yr-old student from our school; a South Korean whose parents live in another city about 10 hours away.

·         I affirmed anew that I really, really hate to fly.

·         I became a Packers fan, thanks to Aaron Rodgers.

·         I bought a breadmaker, and learned to make cinnamon-raisin bread.

·         I celebrated when a student in my class who knew no English four months ago scored an A on a math test.

·         I cheered while our school’s basketball and volleyball teams won games, and lost games.

·         I chose to root for a former Gator, thanks to Tim Tebow.

·         I cried when others realized that God’s plan was for them to go elsewhere.

·         I discovered, via email or Facebook, life-changing events occurring stateside; most were pleasant, but surprising.

·         I had vacation time with friends who are family.

·         I helped my boss, the school’s director, to choose an updated set of curriculum standards for our school.

·         I learned to shoot a handgun. I’m not an expert at all, but it was fun to try. (Also, guns are LOUD.)

·         I made kitty-litter cake for Halloween .

·         I played in the snow for an hour and walked through the slushy mess for weeks.

·         I realized that training is important for people of all ages.

·         I rejoiced when some folks decided to return here next year.

·         I rode in a hot-air balloon.

·         I saw kids (and adults) racked with tears because friends move away at the end of the year, or mid-year, or mid-week.

·         I shopped at IKEA on opening day (in fact, we were there when the doors opened) and learned just how easy it is to spend money there when you don’t have to rush through the entire store in an hour or less.

·         I visited with my mom (and aunt) who actually came here, stayed in my apartment, visited my school, ate at my favorite local restaurant, and met the family that I have here.  

·         I walked on paths in two different countries where the Apostle Paul once walked, and stood in places where he might have stood to preach.

·         I watched a teacher’s face glow with joy as she explained how conversations in her classroom lead to students praying, believing, and accepting the love of Christ.

·         I witnessed a kid’s life change by staying the same when the “no” became a “yes”.

Lesson 1 for Leaders and Lemmings: How to Manage Money

A comment written to our leaders and lemmings in response to this at http://www.patdollard.com/.

Dear Congress, POTUS, and #OWS folks,
I bought a recliner Saturday. I bought it on sale, but that was a happy accident. To buy the recliner, I needed money. I could have used the money from my paycheck (about $30K per year), the money in my savings account, or a store credit card. Of course, I need things like food, clothing, and shelter, so I must keep money for those expenses.

The store expected me to give them money in exchange for the recliner I carried home with me. If I use credit, then the store knows that it will get the price it asked AND bonus money for allowing me to take extra time to pay money for the recliner I wanted. If I want something that I don't have money in any account, and I choose not to buy on credit, I can either wait to purchase the recliner after I've saved money, or get another job to pay for the item. It is illegal for me to simply print money and use it for the recliner, or the other bills, or for donations to church/charity.

The government should work the same way. If the government wants to give money to (insert country here), then it should check the accounts for amount of money available, check for bills coming due, consider unexpected expenses, and then decide to give or not. If the government wants to give money to a person because of children in the house, lost jobs, or medical expenses, or if the government wants to care for the soldiers here and abroad, it should take care of those commitments first before spending more. If the money to be given to (insert country here) is more important than lost-job spending, then you stop spending on lost-jobs and start spending the money for (insert country here).

Money doesn't grow on trees, dear leaders and lemmings, and once borrowed, it cannot simply be made to vanish. I don't need to borrow money from others to buy 28 recliners; one is sufficient. I don't need to give money to every charity that asks because the need is great; if I give away all my money instead of paying my rent, I will soon be in need of taking charity from others. Who will give to charity then? If I borrow money for one recliner, and decide it's the wrong color, shape and size, I either make do or sell it to a friend; I don't blame the cashier who sold me the recliner, and I don't demand that the store refund my purchase price.

I paid cash for the recliner. It's comfy and it's mine. World Vision still gets monthly support for a kid, my student loan still gets repaid, and my fridge has food for a few more weeks. I do my best not to live "paycheck to paycheck" but I for sure don't live beyond my means. The government cannot live beyond its means either. That's irresponsible. Those like the #OWS lemmings who insist the government should care for them are as irresponsible and immature as those in charge.

Sincerely,
An American citizen

What does Jesus think of this WaPo post?

Once upon a time, the question "What would Jesus do?" gained popularity in Christian life and literature. Pop culture soon took over this quote from Charles Spurgeon's In His Steps and infinite variations could soon be found: some hilarious, others sacrilegious. Lisa Miller's "On Faith" post from October 20, 2011 entitled "Jesus at Occupy Wall Street: 'I feel like I've been here before' opens with a variation on that question: What would Jesus think of Occupy Wall Street? She writes as the opening sentence of paragraph four:

The Jesus of history would love them all.

Had Miller ended her post with that statement, I would be satisfied. Unfortunately, the article continues, and it rapidly spirals downhill.

Jesus believed that God was about to right the world’s wrongs with a great upheaval – soon – and at that time, a radical reversal of the social order would occur. As he says in the gospels, “the meek will inherit the earth.”

Jesus believed no such thing. Jesus knew exactly what God was doing. Jesus came to earth for one reason: to redeem us from our sins. Galatians 4:4-5 tells us that, as does Jesus Himself in John 14:6. There was no upheaval of the social order in the works. Jesus came to those who needed Him most: the sick.

Mark 2:17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

For further support to her idea, Ms. Miller offers quotes from Dr. Bart Ehrman, who says “The people who ran things (in Jesus's time) were empowered by the evil forces of the world and his followers had to work against these powers by feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, and caring for the sick.” Dr, Ehrman is a self-proclaimed agnostic who is yet a professor of religious studies at UNC; he is wrong about Jesus's followers. Jesus, His disciples, and the others (like Mary Magdalene) who walked with Jesus didn't feed the hungry or care for the sick to work against those in power. Feeding the hungry and caring for the sick was what needed to be done. Matthew 14 tells us that Jesus had compassion on the sick, and that He "looked to heaven" before beginning to share the meager fish and bread that miraculously fed 5000 or more.

Ms. Miller continues her post by explaining how "disappointed" Jesus would be with the #OWS movement.

For Jesus, the first thing – the only thing, really -- was God. His ministry was an effort to help guide people toward a kind of moral perfection before the coming of the Kingdom of God.

Again, Ms. Miller misconstrues the message of the Gospel, and the purpose of Jesus's life, death and resurrection. Jesus says of Himself in John 11:25-26 “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in Me will never die." Then He asks, "Do you believe this?”Jesus did die, but He rose again, and lives today.

Ms. Miller's final paragraph consists of a quote from someone involved in the protest.

If the Jesus of history could wander the precincts held by the occupiers, “he’d see his people,” says Marisa Egerstrom, a graduate student at Harvard who organized a posse of chaplains to volunteer at Occupy sites. “I think he would be pretty pleased.”

Jesus is well aware of the protests: the needs, the greed, the occupy-ers who mistreat others, and those who honestly hope for a better future. He is also aware of those who are watching from afar, trying and often failing to convince the occupy-ers that there is another way.

Jesus sees His creation: men and women and children that He created, that He loves, that He came to save. He sees the evil that we have in our hearts, and in some, the light that His love has brought.

Is He pleased? I will not speak to the protest itself, but I know that Jesus cannot be pleased with way He was depicted by Ms. Miller. He would be disappointed that the Gospel was distorted in such a way.

Cultural Sensitivity Used to Spread Moral Relativism in Public Schools, or Throwing Good Money After Bad

The Omaha World Herald reported that OPS buys 8,000 diversity manuals. "The authors argue that public school teachers must raise their cultural awareness to better serve minority students and improve academic achievement" and in an 11-0 decision (with one abstention), the Omaha Public Schools school board voted in April 2011 to give a copy of The Cultural Proficiency Journey to each of its employees. Employees will read chapters as assigned and then meet in small groups to discuss it. Teachers will use part of their professional development time for this study.

We encourage cultural awareness within the teaching staff at my "somewhere in Central Asia" international school. Fact: the school is filled with 240 kids from more than 40 different countries. "Cultural sensitivity" means we learn about other governments and other flags, not just America's. It means we don't allow kids to insult each other's heritage and we require everyone to speak English unless they are in an ESL class or studying HS Spanish. However, we don't buy books with a thin veneer of respectability as a springboard to discuss cultural sensitivity; such books aren't needed. Common sense and human decency have already provided 99.9% of the adults in the OPS system with all the knowledge needed to treat students and families fairly and equitably.

According to the article, in the most recent school year "African-American", "Asian-American" and "American-Indian" populations combine for a third of the district's student population. According to page 10 of http://www.ops.org/District/Portals/0/District/StudentAssignmentPlan/full-plan.pdf, for the 1998-1999 school year, students were 56% “Caucasian-American”, 10% “Hispanic-American”, 31% “African-American”, 1.6% American Indian and 1.4% “Asian-American”. Yes, the demographics have changed. Notice though that 100% of the students are “American.” Page 53 of this .pdf from 2005 states that “LEP children vary considerably with regard to the languages they speak, posing special challenges faced by the larger cities such as Omaha where LEP children speak a total of 38 languages (OPS 2003). Despite such diversity, however, the majority of LEP children in Omaha and Nebraska as a whole are Spanish speaking.”

Indeed, the 2000 census found 95% of the Omaha MSA (metropolitan statistical area) population is American-born. (Table A3, page 188 of the .pdf) found that a fourth of the foreign-born population is from Asia, and nearly half are from Latin America, yet the largest non-Caucasian OPS group is Hispanic. Seems to lend credence to the idea that Spanish is the majority foreign language in OPS schools and homes. The same table continues on page 189, indicating that 92% speak “English only” at home. In 2009, this OPS data showed an increased percentage for the Hispanic-American population: 90% of OPS district's residents are native-born Americans, and 62.5% of those foreign-born are from Hispanic-American cultures. About 86% of the residents speak only English at home, while about 10% of the OPS district residents speak Spanish as the primary/sole language at home.

With such a high Hispanic-American, Spanish-speaking population, the other 92 languages in the OPS district are represented in far smaller numbers:a total of 4.1% of the residents. I would venture that school-to-school, especially for our size, my school with students from 40+ different passport countries is MUCH more culturally diverse than any one of the OPS locations. Yet our students get along well, even as their home countries fire rockets at each other, or have arguments over import/export policies. Our students are encouraged--taught by example--to respect people of all cultures.

This summer I am participating in an 8-week online class to examine, discuss, and practice creating authentic, real-world assessment opportunities for my 7th graders. I am being exposed to websites that assist teachers in creating online assessments and activities that students can use at school or at home. I am rewriting lesson plans to meet the needs of the advanced learners and those who struggle. I am networking with other teachers from around the state. How much does this opportunity cost me out-of-pocket? A whopping $30, just a little less than the OPS paid for TWO copies of this book. The OPS teachers could have participated in a class such as mine, or put that $130,000 to many other uses, providing a much greater benefit to their students. School board members could have provided training for writing across the curriculum, or purchased graphing calculators for middle-school math classrooms, or funded a state-of-the-art science lab. Rather than teaching teachers how to use technology more wisely, the district bought a book that has garnered only 4 reviews on amazon.com in 18 months; 3 of the ratings were 1-star. (Of course, the book is also for sale directly from the publisher; the CampbellJones's website misspelled the publisher's name in the above-the-fold links to Corwin.com's site.) At least OPS received a discount of nearly 50%; www.corwin.com and www.amazon.com both offer the paperback edition at a price of $28.95 per copy. Just because something is available at a discount does not mean it is worth the purchase. Don't overlook the fact that these books were paid for with federal stimulus funds. Federal stimulus funds--our tax dollars--were spent to purchase books that may be propaganda more than anything else.

This manual with a subtitle referencing “profound school change” isn't about cultural sensitivity; it's about indoctrinating teachers and eventually students in leftlibs' inane social justice. In my opinion, the OPS purchase--which included copies for the custodial staff--was about one thing: spreading the lie of moral relativism. A few selections from the World Herald article.

The authors assert that American government and institutions create advantages that “channel wealth and power to white people,” that color-blindness will not end racism and that educators should “take action for social justice.”

                  and

The book says that teachers should acknowledge historical systemic oppression in schools, including racism, sexism, homophobia and “ableism,” defined by the authors as discrimination or prejudice against people with disabilities.

                  and

The authors ask readers to reflect on several hypothetical cases, including that of a gay “teacher of the year” afraid to post family photos of his male partner for his school's Family Day, an African-American parent upset by a sixth-grade Early-American Day because African-Americans were enslaved in those days, and a principal whose attempt to reach out to Muslim students backfires when he announces over the intercom that students should welcome Muslims though they “might believe in violence.”

The authors — Franklin and Brenda CampbellJones and Randall B. Lindsey — all former teachers, write that their intent in the book is “to prepare educators to unshackle themselves from tradition and become facilitators for reconciliation of historical injustices.”

Franklin CampbellJones said in an interview that although some issues in the book are considered “challenging” and “taboo,” discussing them is important to break down barriers to educating every child.

He said the book has been well-received by other school districts using it, including San Diego and Atlanta, and districts in Maryland and Canada.

The fact that this book combines moral relativism with “reconciliation”--simultaneously discouraging American citizens of all ethnic backgrounds from believing in American exceptionalism--was a tingle-inducing bonus for the liberal authors and purchasers. Educators are asked in this book to "acknowledge the existence of white privilege in America, that 'white' is a culture in America and that race 'is a definer for social and economic status' ” in order to reach cultural proficiency. 

School Board president Sandra Jensen was quoted: “Recognition that one might have a certain perspective is critical to treating all people equally.”The article closes with a quote from Nancy Edick, dean of the College of Education at the University of Nebraska at Omaha: “The rich life experiences of a diverse classroom contribute to an excellent education. It's an education that helps prepare our kids for a world they're going to live in, an increasingly diverse world.” Both of those statements are true. Diversity is a reality: our global communications network brings news and ideas from place to place in a manner of milliseconds, not months. This book seems to do little to encourage intellectual diversity, but instead intends to foster divisiveness.

Not all historical or cultural perspectives are factual, or valid, or worthy of acceptance. People have value; their opinions and beliefs (including mine, perhaps) do not always have value. If a student in my classroom states that the shape on the board is a square because it looks like a square from his perspective, yet the measurements of all four sides are not equal, the student's perspective is incorrect. His perspective has little value beyond showing me how I can educate him to understand the correct mathematical perspective. The language the child speaks at home does not change the fact that the student's perspective was incorrect, as was the response he made based on that perspective.

The fact that the OPS district plans to "look for ways to apply some of the concepts in the classroom and workplace" should make us take notice. Moral relativism is not a concept that belongs in a federally-funded program as professional development for public school teachers; nor should American exceptionalism be discounted and discredited in that same venue.