What is a violation?

What do you think is a violation to you, to your person? If someone insisted that you didn't have the right to talk, would that be a violation? Would anyone else have the right to tell you, to make you be quiet? Maybe the old don't yell "fire" in a crowded movie house case applies, you can't be allowed to say anything or in such a way that it endangers anyone else. Barring that, no one has the right to tell us not to talk to each other, do they?

What if someone thought you lean too much, or didn't concentrate properly and so insisted on you wearing a vibrator on your hip to "remind" you to concentrate on your work? Would that be OK with you? Would that be OK for you to wear for about 6 hours or so a day? Oh, and the vibrator would go off every 57 seconds (why not round off to a minute?). Would that be helpful, or profoundly distracting and extremely humiliating and uncomfortable?

The reason I'm asking all of this is to see if we all can agree that these ideas, someone telling you you're not allowed to talk, or someone making you wear a vibrator to "remind" you to work, are a violation. Are they still a violation if it's a teacher making kids be quiet and wear a vibrator? I think it is.

I just heard a woman's story about her son at our library homeschooling open house. In a meeting with the teacher and the principal she learned that her kindergarten son leans as he does his work, and it's not an issue generally, except during story time when he might touch someone else. Could they maybe help him move over a little and then he could lean all he wants? Wouldn't that work and not humiliate or stigmatize? Is leaning wrong? Is it a character flaw? Does it damage anybody else? Does it damage him? He leans. Oh my God! Are 5 or 6 year olds not supposed to lean? Physiologically, are they supposed to be still? Should healthy kids not move?

The mom also found out in that meeting that her little son is also easily distracted (some would maybe re-frame that to say that he is exceptionally observant, but I'm biased that way...). They put a vibrator on him to go off every 57 seconds or so to remind him to concentrate. Um. Not to put too fine a point on it but, isn't that completely screwed up?! Under what scenario would that ever be seen as a reasonable idea, a good idea, a helpful idea? If you buzz someone every 57 seconds how will they be able to concentrate on anything--ever? The mom also told me that the teacher had told her son that the vibrator would help him think clearly and would help him come up with ideas to write in his journal...so, every time the vibrator went off, the kid thought that it would literally give him an idea to write about. Unfortunately, the vibrator did not give him anything except confusion and discomfort and a sad mom. She has pulled him out of school and will be homeschooling him. Didn't they violate his person in making him wear something on his body, without his parents knowledge or approval?

I spoke with a couple of other moms who are both PTA parents who have met with the principal at their school about the lunch policy. You see, the kids, 5th graders, are to come in from recess for lunch and at the threshold are to gain full control of themselves to the point that they mustn't speak loudly or jostle each other, and if they do, the whole lunch room must then be silent and have a "silent lunch". They will not be allowed to talk with one another.

When I went to observe what would have been my son's kindergarten when I was researching homeschooling, I noticed that the only time the kids were allowed to talk with one another was at snack time--they didn't even have a recess for the half day kindergarten--otherwise, the talking kids would be reprimanded (gently, but still) and reminded that they could not talk, but they could raise their hands and maybe be called on. Those kids that are so bursting with enthusiasm or discomfort from a sock seam or just have the wiggles are seen as disruptive, or uncooperative. It quickly becomes apparent that they are "bad".

So these PTA moms are doing their research and are going to homeschool their kids in the Fall. If one of the uninformed arguments against homeschooling is that there are socialization issues, I would ask what happens when kids are not allowed to talk to each other freely in an entire school day? Their only time to commune with one another is at lunch and then that's taken away because people are not understanding the nature of kids and giving them time to transition from recess to inside lunch.

The PTA moms took their "silent lunch" concerns to the principal and he told them he already knew where they were going with this. He felt that some things need to be done for the common good. He felt that silent lunches every once in a while were a good thing for the kids.

Yeah, I don't think so and neither do they. They're pulling their kids out of school and are glad to be joining our homeschooling group in the Fall.

The PTA moms also were telling me about the ironic poster on the hallway wall right outside the principal's office. It says, "In order to get respect, you must give respect." unless you're busy violating little kids in all sorts of ways day in and day out. In that case, they're just expected to give you respect and not receive it in return.

In Lieu of a West Virginia Post...

Tomorrow, West Virginia will come out in full force and rally behind Hillary and give her a gargantuan sized win over Barack Obama. It sucks, but it's true.

So let's just turn our attention elsewhere, shall we? Check out this great poll from pollster.com.

The Oregon primary is on May 20th, a week away. Tomorrow is West Virginia---la la la la la la la la, I can't HEAR you, la la la la la la la ...

See the orange dots? That's Obama. See the blue dots? That's Hillary. See the numbers? They show Obama's projected win over Hillary when Oregonians will come out in full force and rally behind Obama and give him a gargantuan sized win over Hillary. I think we should all just stay positive about this thing, and realize that the voters in Oregon will put Obama over the top in the delegate count. The people will decide this for Obama.

If you want some real analysis and not just my hand over my ears singing la la la la la about West Virginia, I suggest you check out this post from Daily Kos. It makes the point that Appalachia may be the most homogeneous region in the United States and the most insular and uneducated and poor--you know, Hillary's demographic. They don't take too kindly to no outsiders there...

From the post:

The ethnic and cultural character of this part of the country has been more static since the 19th century than anyplace in America. Outside of some of the new growth areas north of Atlanta or Huntsville, or in some of the college towns, most of the people in Appalachia trace their heritage back to immigrants from the borderlands of Northern Britain who began settling the region over 200 years ago. Outside of the Northern part of Appalachia—Pennsylvania in particular—relatively few Eastern or Southern Europeans from the great waves of immigration that started in the 1880's have moved in to the area. It's the most homogeneous region in America. The region is home to few Catholics, and is heavily Baptist and Methodist.

In the 19th century, migrants from Appalachia moved west. People from Appalachia settled and put their stamp on the Ozark region of Missouri and Arkansas, on Okalahoma and the southern Plains, on North Texas, and eventually they were a big part of the initial growth of Southern California.

West Virgina and Kentucky are right in the heart of Appalachia, so I don't think Obama will fare well there, but he has done very well with whites everywhere else, as is explained in the post.

Come on Oregon! Let's show West Virginia that there's nothing to fear, but fear itself! We can move forward! We can overcome our past divides!

Check out this post too from Daily Kos. It explains how and why West Virginia shouldn't be written off and the people forgotten there. Yes, they're voting for Hillary, but they are a swing state and can be persuaded to see things in a new light if they're not talked down to.

West Virginia, I can't hear you! *hands over ears* La la la la la la la la...but, I want to hear you. I think you should be heard. We all should.






Because, this land was made for you and me. This land is your land. And, this land is my land.

My Mom

I'm the youngest of four children. My sister, D., is 4 years older than me, my sister S., is 8 years older than me and my brother M. is 9 1/2 years older than me. I'm the littlest. I was the one who was made to sit right next to the T.V. to hold the channel dial in just the right way so that we could get reception on our old black and white T.V. so that we kids could watch WGN Family Classics--old movies like Mutiny on the Bounty--or we would watch a Peanuts special because it was time for the Great Pumpkin to visit the pumpkin patch for Linus. Every night we would watch Dick Van Dyke.

As the littlest in a group of four siblings, it was my job to get reception. It meant that I would see the screen at an extreme angle, because I also had to not get my head in the way. For the longest time I didn't mind--it didn't occur to me to mind, because after all, how would we watch anything, unless I held the plastic dial just so? It was only reasonable. Poor kid. And yet, as we sometimes point out at family gatherings, I'm the only one who doesn't wear glasses--maybe that radiation wasn't so bad, eh? Maybe you SHOULD sit so close to the T.V.

When we would pile into our green Ford station wagon to go anywhere, my sister D. and I would be the ones in the back. There were no seat belts. Say what?! Yes, people-born-after-the-70s, there was a time when families would travel together and the kids would not be strapped in and neither would the parents. What were we thinking??? Really, let's just sprinkle everything with DDT, eat some red dye # whatever it was, and let the kids jump around in the very back of the station wagon! Not only that, but my Dad would smoke a big cigar, even on our cross country trip to Colorado. At home he would smoke cigars and pipes, depending on the mood and what he was reading at the time. My Dad would be in his chair in the living room reading and smoking and then would be the last up to bed, but meanwhile I was in my room reading with a towel blocking the bottom crack of the door to not let the light leak out and I would eventually go to sleep, book in hand.

One time, we all piled into the station wagon and went to the zoo. I was very little, maybe two or three years old. I had a teeny, tiny yellow vinyl purse. It was the kind of purse that a little girl would love to tell you about--how it was yellow and shiny and had a little snap to close the flap and I could have put flower petals in it or a piece of bark found in our backyard amid the violets and next to the pussy willow, or one of Barbie's shoes. I'm sure I would have liked to share that with nice people except that I was desperately shy. Maybe not desperately shy, but shy. I wouldn't start coming out of myself until second grade when I discovered that I could crack up a table of first graders at lunch time. Maybe talking wasn't such a bad thing.

I have dim, distant memories of the zoo trip. We were near a cage of crazed spider monkeys, or some other kind of screechy, jittery monkeys, and I was near the bars. One monkey darted out a little hand and snatched my yellow purse away from me. The monkeys had it! I cried. So, my mother lioness Mom just stuck her hand right in the cage and snatched it back! Ha! Now, that's a Mom.

In the 70s my Mom also rode her bike over to Art Hodes house and took lessons and learned to play a mean jazz piano from him. She has a wicked left hand, very elegant, and has played in a big band that she just retired from after 10 years. Now, she goes every week to a local hospital and plays piano in the lobby and has people come up and compliment her and has even gotten a gig to play at a wedding reception and at a restaurant on New Years Eve. Now, that's a woman.

I remember my Mom would dust the house listening to Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday. As a child I was exposed to all sorts of music--folk, big band, blues and mostly dixieland jazz. My kids are also now hearing all sorts of stuff. We all like it here.

I also remember that my Mom had her household much more organized than I ever have mine. She managed it. The were notes on the cabinets and a master list on the table and jots on the calendar and then scribbles over them as each day was marked off. Items were transferred from one list to another and this all took place in the kitchen. The kitchen that had the medium sized primary colored flowers scattered all over the wallpaper that reminded my Dad of Babar and the elephants' butts when they frightened the rhinos away by disguising them with wigs and paint to look like faces. The flowers did look a little like that, but it was cheery. On the counter was a can that held pencils and pens. There was a choice of writing implements.

My Mom, it should be understood, had a lot to manage. She had little league and ballet, and gymnastics and softball and tennis and tap and choir concerts to take us all to. She had to get herself to Art Hodes once a week for her lesson, there were three sets of orthodontist appointments (how come M. didn't need braces?), dentist appointments for all, cooking and cleaning up after 4 kids and her cigar/pipe smoking husband. She had a lot to keep track of. And she liked to use a certain pen to maintain it all in her notes and calendar.

It turns out that we all liked that pen and would walk it right out of the kitchen and use it for homework or writing down phone messages or for doodling. Mom would absolutely freak out if the pen went missing. She could have used another pen or a pencil, but she wanted her favorite pen and now I realize is that so much to ask for?! Is it?!

We kids, on the other hand, just thought she should lighten up. God--there's a whole can of pens or pencils! What's the big deal?! It didn't occur to any of us that we grabbed that pen in the same way that our Mom did--that pen ruled. It was a pleasure to use. Everyone chose that pen, it just felt right. If it was no big deal, then why didn't WE choose another pen or pencil?

It was not until adulthood that I realized the significance of that pen. That pen was my Mom's sanity. That was her tool to keep her family together. That pen helped her control an almost completely uncontrollable group of people and their time and all of their demands on HER!!! She needed that pen. She needed her notes.

One time, I was about 10 or so, and I took down every single note from the cabinets and hid them all and waited in mischievous delight. My Mom came in from outside, shrieked, in her gentle way, and demanded to know where they were right now! She laughed with me as I got them all for her.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom! Sorry about the whole pen thing. I get it now. Thanks for grabbing my purse back! I would do the same for my daughter, if I could.

Here's Art Hodes for you Mom.

Here's Bessie Smith for you Mom.

Here's Billie Holiday for you Mom.

Happy Mother's Day Mom--I love you!

Does John McCain Know the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States?

Here's the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Here's the Oath of Office that the President must swear to as is prescribed by the Constitution in Article II, Section 1, Clause 8:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

The Constitution then is the highest law of the land and it is the foremost duty of the President to protect it. A President obviously must understand it and know what would be constitutional and what wouldn't. It's his job.

So does John McCain know that his good friend, Reverend Rod Parsley, thinks that the purpose of the United States is to destroy Islam?




That's unconstitutional, right? If the United States set out to destroy a religion, that would be against the First Amendment, wouldn't it? There's no way John McCain would align himself with such anti-American views as that, right? The Constitution is America. The freedoms outlined in it are what America is about and has been from the beginning.

Does John McCain know the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States? I don't think he does.

Maybe someone should tell him...