The Median Sib

(Drumroll!) The very FIRST Carnival of Blue Stars is up at Blue Star Chronicles! (applause! cheering!) What a great carnival! And what a great blogroll to be a part of!

I’ve spent a good chunk of my morning reading the posts that are listed at the carnival. It has some of the best writing in blogdom by people who have personal knowledge of the military.

The wonderful thing about reading the blogs of members of the Blue Star blogroll is that you get information that the MSM and leftwing politicians ignore or downplay. You read about some of the GOOD things that are going on because of our military. By reading Blue Star blogroll members, you learn of forums for discussing the military, how military families feel about what’s going on in the world, ways you can show support for our troops, how others honor our soldiers, what our soldiers are saying, what other people are saying, what politicians are saying and doing, and you share in proud moments. Most importantly, you know you’re getting the straight information because it comes from people who have personal knowledge of what’s going on and who don’t have a political career or agenda to further by slanting the information.

If you would like to submit a post for next week’s carnival, please send the title and URL of the post to bluestarchronicles (at) yahoo (dot) com.

And if you support our troops and our mission of freedom, if you have a son, daughter, other relative or friend in the military, head over to the Blue Star Blogroll and join!

The Carnival of Blue Stars is also mentioned at Basil’s Blog.

This is a personal post about what’s going on in the United States and the world today. This is what I believe in the core of my soul.

Cowardice is being afraid and running from what you fear - or perhaps ignoring what you fear and hoping it will go away. Cowardice can be manifested in many ways. Dr. Sanity has some great information on that topic - so go there if you want to explore that more thoroughly. Cowards look at the short term. Perhaps by ignoring or running from the threat, they can buy a little time. In the interim, though, whoever or whatever is threatening them gets stronger and bolder. The next time they threaten, they are more capable of victory and can do more damage. Cowardice is generally a short-term response that only serves to make the situation worse. The aggressor becomes stronger. The coward becomes weaker.

On the other hand, bravery is acknowledging the fear, and then moving ahead to face and deal with the fear. It is looking at the long term and knowing that enemies don’t just give up because you don’t want to fight them. You may not WANT to fight, but because your enemy is determined to fight you, you must fight. Not fighting means giving up your freedoms. You don’t back down, make concessions or apologize for your freedoms.

An analogy - It’s a little long - so bear with me:

In a school playground a bully goes up to another child (let’s call him Sam) and takes Sam’s lunch money. Sam sulks but figures the bully got what he wanted, and that’s the end of it. However, the next day the bully does it again. This time he’s bolder because now he knows he can get away with it. So this time he not only takes Sam’s
lunch money, he also grabs the Twinkie Sam had for a snack. Sam is upset. He cries, talks it over with a friend who tells him that if Sam is nice to the bully, then the bully will be nice to him. The next day Sam holds out a Twinkie when he sees the bully headed his way. “Here,” he says, “I brought one for you.” The bully laughs,
grabs the Twinkie and then also grabs the lunch money and the Twinkie Sam had for himself. Another friend tells Sam that he has to fight the bully. So the next time Sam swings at the bully and catches him by surprise and gives him a bloody nose. After that first swing, though, the bully is ready, and he blocks swing after swing. Sam’s friends tell him it’s no use - the bully is blocking his swings. Soon Sam
gives up. The bully laughs again, takes the lunch money and Twinkies, along with Sam’s juice box. Then, for good measure, he gives Sam a bloody nose. Some of Sam’s friends tell him to fight, and one of him teaches him how to fight well. Another of those friends tells the bully ahead of time exactly when and how Sam is planning to fight him. After all, it’s a free country and the bully should know what he’s up against. Other friends tell him that he needs to give up and give the bully what he wants. Other friends tell Sam that the whole situation is HIS fault for not being nicer to the bully to begin with. Soon the friends are arguing among themselves about what Sam should do. Sam is left to handle the bully by himself.

From then on, each time Sam tries to appease the bully or win the bully over with kindsness, the bully just gets greedier and bolder. The only thing that will stop the bully is for Sam to be stronger and for the bully to know unequivocably that Sam WILL NOT let the bully continue bullying. Sam can’t give in - even a little bit. There are no gray areas - no exceptions. It IS a black and white issue. NO bullying will be tolerated. No appeasement whatsoever will be made. It will take a fight and a show of strength on Sam’s part for the bully to get the message. Sam will most likely need his friends to help him.

The point of the analogy is obvious. The Muslim terrorist bullies have bombed the World Trade Center, the U.S.S. Cole, and finally they were emboldened enough for 9/11. Since 9/11, they’ve terrorized the people of the world with car bombs, suicide bombers, beheadings and other attacks. The bullies are getting bolder and stronger. They even produce videotapes bragging about their plans to cause even further damage to our country. They videotape beheadings and captured civilians begging for their lives. They openly swear that their plans include killing as many of us as possible. And rather than all Americans standing up and saying “We will not be bullied!” and supporting our country and our servicemen who are fighting the bullies, we have Americans who are telling us it’s OUR fault the terrorists are killing people, it’s OUR fault that we haven’t appeased them enough. The poor terrorists have a bad home life. It’s society’s fault they must turn to bullying to get what they want.

The next part of this post has to do with honor. I grew up in the South - one of seven children of a Methodist minister. We children had our squabbles, but one of the basic principles of integrity and honor that we learned early in life is that you respect and support your family. If you disagree, you do it in private. You don’t go outside the family and disrespect a family member to others. A brother and sister may bicker and fight at home, but when they’re elsewhere, they stick up for each other. The same principle holds true for organizations you belong to or for your political leaders. You support your elected officials and your country. If you don’t agree with your mayor, governor, senator, representative or president, then you go through the appropriate channels to get someone elected that you DO agree with. If you vote to support something, then you continue to support it until the mission is accomplished. To the world you present a united front. You stick up for each other.

Islamic terrorists have declared war on the United States, Great Britain, Denmark and other countries that prize freedom. We have freedoms that the Islamic terrorists don’t have, and for that they hate us and want to deny us those freedoms. In fact they’re working to take away those freedoms. We MUST be united in our fight against them, and we MUST fight them. They aren’t going to stop going after us if we pack up our soldiers and go home. They will just be bolder and stronger and more determined because we’ve shown our weaknesses through our bickering, leaking of information, and public disrespect for each other.

Elected officials have responsibilities, too. They are leaders and they set examples. When these leaders stand in public and disrespect the nation’s president and the course of action that they themselves voted for, they undermine the whole country - not just the president. When they use the honor of speaking at a funeral to get in some political digs, they demean themselves. While there a few people who agree with what former President Carter did at Coretta Scott King’s funeral, most Americans see it for what it is. Carter dishonored himself in that moment and demonstrated his stupidity. When people justify their words and actions by saying it’s their DUTY to protest, they are showing a pettiness that is mind-boggling. They are putting their own political agenda ahead of the welfare of the nation.

There have been Democrats who have accused Republicans of acting out of fear. It seems clear to me that the ones who are fearful are the Democrats. So fearful that when it comes to dealing with Muslim terrorists, they’re covering their ears, eyes and mouths - hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil - and believing if they do that, then there won’t be any evil.

Meanwhile the Muslim terrorists are continuing their killings, bombings, beheadings, and and other terrorist activities - ever mindful that this open and hostile dissent from within is weakening their enemy. From my viewpoint, the terrorists’ best friends are many Democrats, the ACLU, the MSM, along with such malcontents as Michael Moore, Cindy Sheehan, and Jimmy Carter.

One thing I stress in talking with teachers about reading is that reading skills and strategies can be taught with just about any quality children’s book as the base for the lesson. However, some stories DO lend themselves particularly well to specific lessons.

An excellent book to use in teaching questioning or self-monitoring is Amelia’s Road by Linda Jacobs Altman. When children ask questions about the text, they are monitoring their understanding of it. This is crucial to comprehension. I’ve had children read a passage, make such significant miscues that the text makes no sense whatsoever, and yet they keep right on going. They aren’t reading - they are simply calling words. That can be deceptive because they “sound” like they’re reading. It is vital that children learn how to monitor their understanding of text.

So it is important to teach children to ask questions as they read. Questions such as “What does the author mean here?” “What might happen next?” “Did that make sense to me?” “What does that word mean?” and any question related to the meaning of the text are all important in comprehending.

Amelia’s Road is the story of a migrant worker family. Amelia is the daughter, and the theme is roads. Roads take Amelia and her family from place to place. They take her where she doesn’t want to go. She imagines a road that takes her to her dream - her own house with blue shutters and a shade tree in the yard. One day she finds an “accidental” road - one that doesn’t look like it had been built on purpose. It leads to the place where she wants to be. “More than anywhere in the world, she wants to belong to this place and know that it belongs to her.” She goes there each day after school and pretends she is home. In the end, the family must follow another road to go to another farm where there are crops to be picked. But this time Amelia leaves something behind and knows that someday she’ll be back. It’s a tender story that tugs at your heartstrings as this young girl yearns for a place to call her own.

The story is rich with possible connections that children can make, with questions about the theme of the book, about a school where the teachers might not even learn the migrant children’s names because they know they’ll only be there a few weeks.

A companion text could be Who Came Down That Road by George Ella Lyon - a wonderful book that also deals with roads and history.

Here is a story - dignified and refined - and hopefully the lesson will stay with you for a long time.

Once there lived a woman who loved baked beans. She loved them, but unfortunately, they didn’t love her. They always caused a very embarrassing and somewhat “lively” reaction. Need I say more?

One day she met a man and fell in love. When it became apparent that they would marry she thought, “He is such a sweet and dignified gentleman. He would NEVER go for this carrying on.” Thus, she made the supreme sacrifice and gave up beans. Married life was bliss.

Some months later her car broke down on the way home from work. Since she lived in the country, she called her husband and told him that she would be late because she had to walk home. On her way, she passed a small diner, and the aroma of baked beans was more than she could resist. It was her birthday, and since she still had miles to walk, she figured that she might as well treat herself to her favorite food since she would walk off any ill effects by the time she reached home. So she stopped at the diner and before she knew it, she had consumed three large orders of baked beans. All the way home she putt-putted, and upon arriving home she felt reasonably sure she could control it.

Her husband seemed excited to see her and exclaimed delightedly, “Darling, I have a surprise for dinner tonight!” He then blindfolded her and led her to her chair at the table. Wondering what special treat he had planned for her birthday, she seated herself and just as he was about to remove the blindfold, the telephone rang. He made her promise not to touch the blindfold until he returned. He then went to answer the phone.

The baked beans she had consumed were still affecting her, and the pressure was becoming almost unbearable. So while her husband was out of the room she seized the opportunity, shifted her weight to one leg and let it go. It was not only loud, but it smelled like a fertilizer truck running over a skunk in front of a pulpwood mill.

She took her napkin and fanned the air around her vigorously. Then, she shifted to the other cheek and ripped three more, which reminded her of cooked cabbage. Keeping her ears tuned to the phone conversation in the other room, she went on like this for another ten minutes.

When the telephone farewells signaled the end of her freedom, she fanned the air a few more times with her napkin, placed it on her laps and folded her hands upon it, smiling contentedly to herself. She was the picture of refinement when her husband returned, apologizing for taking so long. He asked her if she had peeked, and she assured him that she had not.

At this point, he removed the blindfold, and was she surprised!

There were twelve dinner guests seated around the table to wish her a “Happy Birthday!”

If you’re confused with all the talk about different religions, there is a handy-dandy quiz you can take to find out what religion is the best fit for you. Here are my results. No big surprise there. I was holding my breath, hoping my answers wouldn’t put me in the range of paganism or atheism. My mother, after all, reads my blog. Whew!

You scored as Christianity. Your views are most similar to those of Christianity. Do more research on Christianity and possibly consider being baptized and accepting Jesus, if you aren’t already Christian. Christianity is the second of the Abrahamic faiths; it follows Judaism and is followed by Islam. It differs in its belief of Jesus, as not a prophet nor historical figure, but as God in human form. The Holy Trinity is the concept that God takes three forms: the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Ghost (sometimes called Holy Spirit). Jesus taught the idea of instead of seeking revenge, one should love his or her neighbors and enemies. Christians believe that Jesus died on the cross to save humankind and forgive people’s sins. Which religion is the right one for you? (new version) created with QuizFarm.com

I read the blog, DESIRING GOD, for the first time this evening, and the first post I read was a comparison of Jesus and Muhammad and what it means to follow each one. I found it fascinating, and I would love for anyone with more Biblical knowledge and understanding than I have to comment on this. Here are some exerpts:

The work of Muhammad is based on being honored and the work of Christ is based on being insulted. This produces two very different reactions to mockery. . . . If Christ had not been insulted, there would be no salvation.

I’ve never looked at Christianity as being based on insults. It continues:

Most Muslims have been taught that Jesus was not crucified. One Sunni Muslim
writes, “Muslims believe that Allah saved the Messiah from the ignominy of
crucifixion.”1 Another adds, “We honor [Jesus] more than you [Christians] do. . . . We refuse to believe that God would permit him to suffer death on the cross.”2 An essential Muslim impulse is to avoid the “ignominy” of the cross.

So Muslims feel that they honor Jesus more than Christians do?
Some scriptural background is given for the basis of mockery in Christianity.

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of
evil against you falsely on my account” (Matthew 5:11). During his life on earth
Jesus was called a bastard (John 8:41), a drunkard (Matthew 11:19), a blasphemer
(Matthew 26:65), a devil (Matthew 10:25); and he promised his followers the
same: “If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will
they malign those of his household” (Matthew 10:25). . . .

Read on.

The caricature and mockery of Christ has continued to this day. Martin Scorsese
portrayed Jesus in The Last Temptation of Christ as wracked with doubt and beset with sexual lust. Andres Serrano was funded by the National Endowment for the Arts to portray Jesus on a cross sunk in a bottle of urine. The Da Vinci Code portrays Jesus as a mere mortal who married and fathered children.

How should his followers respond? On the one hand, we are grieved and angered. On the other hand, we identify with Christ, and embrace his suffering, and rejoice in our afflictions, and say with the apostle Paul that vengeance belongs to the Lord, let us love our enemies and win them with the gospel. If Christ did his work by being insulted, we must do ours likewise. . . . It means that a religion with no insulted Savior will not endure insults to win the scoffers.

So what do you think? Read the entire article. I started to quote more of it here, but I think it’s important to read the whole post.

I was in a meeting with several other teachers today, and after we had handled the business we had been charged with, the conversation meandered its way to the topic of the “strangest Christmas gifts.” One teacher told about getting a “pooping Santa” one year from a student. Apparently this Santa poops little red and green balls of candy.

Nahhh! I thought. Who on earth would sell something like THAT? When I got home, I googled “pooping Santa” - and found it at THIS site. Amazing, isn’t it? Of course, after I looked at some of the other items available at the site, I realized that a pooping Santa was comparatively mild or at least par for the course. I mean when a store has an entire category of merchandise devoted to farting items, you know that good taste and respectability are not part of their mission statement.

Everyone at the meeting laughed about the pooping Santa, and a couple of people said they wanted to find one because it would be a funny gift for next Christmas. As they were laughing, I thought about how Santa Claus is a symbol representing a religious holiday. A pooping Santa is not a very respectful thing, is it? Should we now start burning, boycotting, picketing, and killing people over this?

In my new resolve to stop obsessing about Islamic terrorism or U.S. politics in my blog, I thought I’d chill out by listening to music. I just heard a new Kenny Chesney song, “Living in Fast Forward.” Here are the lyrics:

The body’s a temple
That’s what we’re told
I treated this one like an old honky tonk
Greasy cheeseburgers
And cheap cigarettes
One day they’ll get me if they ain’t got me yet, ’cause

(Chorus)
I’ve been livin’ in fast forward
Hillbilly rockstar out of control
I’ve been livin’ in fast forward
Now I need to rewind real slow

My friends all grew up
and they settled down
Nice little houses on the outskirts o’ town
They work in their office
And drive SUVs
They pray for their babies
And they worry ‘bout me

(Chorus)

I’m always runnin’, son-of-a-gunnin’
I’ve had a good time, it’s true
But the way I been goin’
It’s time that I tone it down just a notch or two

Oh yeah…

(Chorus x 2)

Yeah I need to rewind real slow…
Yeah I still got some miles to go…

Just love it. “I” have been living in fast forward too much lately. I think I’ll do a little rewinding.

Thirteen things THE MEDIAN SIB likes or would like to hear 1. Wow! You’ve lost weight! 2. Who’s your personal trainer? You look buff. 3. Congratulations! You’ve won the lottery! By the way, it’s now considered non-taxable income. 4. It was announced today that scientists have discovered a medicine that completely heals ALL kinds of illnesses. 5. I love you, Grandma Carol. (Actually I like to hear ANYTHING said by Sweet Stuff and Sunshine) 6. There’s a new instant transporter available now, and it will shorten the trip to visit your mother from 3+ hours to 3 minutes. Now you can drop by for an evening chat several times each week. 7. This is the mall business office, and you’ve won an unlimited shopping spree. 8. Hi, I’m finished cleaning your house now. It is spotless. You’re laundry is finished and put away. I’ll be back tomorrow to clean out the garage and attic. 9. Welcome home. I’ve prepared a delicious meal for you. No, I don’t need any help. Just rest on the sofa awhile, and I’ll let you know when it’s ready. Here’s the book you wanted to read. Would you like a glass of sweet tea while you wait for dinner? 10. We loved your book, and we’ve decided we want to publish it immediately. We anticipate a large printing. Could you start on the sequel now? 11. New flash! Muslim leaders worldwide have denounced violence and terrorism. All Muslims have made a vow of non-violence and non-aggression. 12. Your teeth are perfect - no dental work needed. 13. Will you look at that! You’re ahead of Michelle Malkin and Instapundit in the TTLB system! Links to other Thursday Thirteens! (Leave your link in comments, and I’ll add you here) Nicole Norma Kelly mar Killired Mary Ma Uisce Dariana Janne Karen Eric Stacie Kimmy Joan Megan Lazy Daisy Jane D Chickadee

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

This afternoon my fifth grade reading group came to my classroom. Jeremy told me he had a joke for me. Here it is in its entirety:

Why was the man crazy?
Because he couldn’t have a drink of whiskey.

He went into gales of laughter. So, there you have it - fifth grade humor.

For anyone interested in education - the Carnival of Education: Week 53 is now up at The Education Wonks. I’ve spent awhile this morning reading some of the posts. The Carnival covers the spectrum of what’s going on in education today. Once again, I’m honored that one of my posts was selected for this edition.

A new carnival just starting is the Carnival of Children’s Literature. It will be hosted at Here in the Bonny Glen. I know some wonderful teachers drop by to read my blog. So consider clicking over to get information and then submitting a post for the first Carnival of Children’s Literature.

Joan at Daddy’s Roses has a funny post about dull sermons.

One thing I’ve noticed throughout all the news stories about the lunatic Muslims burnings, killings, rioting and boycotting…the signs are written in English.

The intended audience is the west. Their purpose is to influence westerners - not to express their beliefs/desires/insanities to their own people. A sign written in Arabic would be worthless for their purposes. English signs guarantee that their message will be spread here.

This topic has been blogged to death. However, if you want to read more, here are some of today’s posts on the irrational Islamic response to Danish cartoons that actually downplay and minimize the reality of what the “religion” of Islam has become. The Pirate’s Cove, Power Line, Right Wing News, Protein Wisdom, Dr. Sanity, The Anchoress, Blue Star Chronicles, Daily Pundit, The Political Pit Bull, Sanity’s Bluff.

And here are the cartoons that the Muslims “claim” incited them to their violence. It would be laughable if it weren’t so tragic. Michelle Malkin has the Muhammad Cartoons Blogburst.

I support Denmark, and I support Israel. Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Press are paramount - even if someone feels insulted or offended as a result of the exercise of those freedoms.

The Washington Post had a story this morning that made me laugh.

Afghan officials suggested that the violence outside Bagram air base indicated that insurgents were trying to capitalize on religious indignation . . . . “The protests started out about the cartoons,” said Kabir Ahmed, the Bagram police chief. “But there is the possibility that al Qaeda is motivating these people to use violence against the Americans.” (emphasis mine)

You think? Let’s not jump to any conclusions now!

. . . Iran, meanwhile, announced it was cutting commercial ties with Denmark, and the pro-Russian government of Chechnya said it would not allow Danish aid groups to work there.

Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face!

When I’m shopping and there’s a choice between a Danish brand and another - I’m choosing Danish every time. At least they are standing up to the bullies, and I respect and support that.

It’s a Tuesday Link Fest!
Blue Star Chronicles is part of a Tuesday Link Fest Party. Information can be found at Linkfest Haven. Others who are part of the link fest are: TMH’s Bacon Bits (who has a post on “safe self-harm” - interesting!), Stuck On Stupid.

Send a trackback to this post, and I’ll add you to the list (as long as you link back to this post/blog in the post you send.) Disclaimer: Opinions/Comments in trackbacks do not necessarily reflect those of THE MEDIAN SIB.

Trackback to this post: http://haloscan.com/tb/mcarol49/113931481870608869

Blame Bush! has a new post up discussing all the havoc wreaked by the Shrub over the past weekend. Follow some of the links. They show the nature of our enemy.