Today is.....

SQUARE DANCING DAY!!!!!

*celebrates*


YAY!!!

Enjoy, y'all!

America made Germany look like pacifists

An interesting overview of America's "imperialist agenda" from the book:

The Pity of War --- Niall Ferguson (concerning World War I and it's causes)

Another example may be given of an aggressive power which posed a direct threat to Britain in the Atlantic and Pacific; a power which shared a border over three thousand miles long with one of the Empire’s most prosperous territories. This was the United States.
Though the two powers had not come to blows since 1812, it is easily forgotten how many reasons they had to quarrel in the 1890’s. The US took issue with Britain over the border of Venezuela and British Guiana, a dispute not settled until 1899; went to war with Spain over Cuba and in the process acquired the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Guam in 1898; annexed Hawaii in the same year; fought a bloody colonial war in the Philippines between 1899 and 1902; acquired some of the Samoan Islands in 1899; and eagerly took a hand in the economic carve-up of China. The next stage of American imperial expansion was to construct a canal across the Central American isthmus. Compared with the US, Germany was a pacific power. Once again Britain appeased the strong. The 1901 Hay-Paunceforte Treaty waived Britain’s objection to American control and fortification of the projected Panama Canal; and London allowed President Theodore Roosevelt to ride roughshod over Colombian objections by assisting a Panamanian revolt in the chosen Canal Zone. In 1901-2 Selborne took the decision to wind down Britain’s naval capacity for war with the United States in the Caribbean and the Atlantic. (R. Williams, Defending the Empire, pp. 70f.) This appeasement had predictable results. In 1904 the Americans established financial control over the Dominican Republic; the same thing happened in Nicaragua in 1909 (with military backing in 1912). Woordrow Wilson claimed to deplore “dollar diplomacy” and the “big stick”; but it was he who sent the marines to take over Haiti in 1915 and to the Dominican Republic in 1916; and it was he who authorized military intervention in Mexico, first in 1914 to change the Mexican government and then in March 1916 to punish ‘Pancho’ Villa for a raid on New Mexico. (M. Jones, Limits of Liberty, pp. 396-411.) But no one in Britain said a word. America was powerful; so there could be no Anglo-American antagonism.
British foreign policy between 1900 and 1906, then, was to appease those powers which appeared to pose the greatest threat to her position, even at the expense of good relations with the less important powers. The key point is that Germany fell into the latter category; France, Russia and the United States into the former.

(the bold emphasis is mine)
This is from the view of an English professor. For those among us who stand by a strict, constitutional, isolationist policy....this list is not only shocking, but enlightening. Upon this foundation came about our entrance into World War I, and WW II, and Korea, and Vietnam, and the "cold war", and the first Iraq war, and the current "war on terror".

I'll bet 99% of Americans have no idea that all this happened, or that any of it is a problem.
I'll bet--no, I KNOW that a lot of them also think that the "war on terror" is a decisive battle between freedom and dictatorships. They want us to get "victory" and "liberty" before we pull out. They think that all the death and expense and destruction is justified by the social ends that we are "achieving".

I'll bet most of them don't know or won't believe the quote:
"When war comes, the first casualty is truth..." US Senator Hiram Johnson

Ought to be

Is "modern motherhood" harder than it ought to be?

Some interesting thoughts from a lady on how society has made motherhood harder.

A Vote for a Third Party is a Vote for---

Uhhhhhmmmmmmm.........................






Liberty?

People say that a vote for a third party is a vote for whomever they don't desire on the other side of the Republican vs. Democrat race, depending on whose side they are on.
Of course, the Republicans say it is a vote for the Democrats, and the Democrats say it gives the Republicans the edge.

People have accused me of trying to get McCain to lose and of underground sedition against Obama. An Obama supporter told me that any vote for anyone besides a democrat was just about a crime in her book, and giving me her signature for Ballot access was too close to risk.
One young man angrily informed me that a vote for a 3rd Party was a vote for Obama.
Then, unwilling to know anything else, he stormed away from me.

But, on November 4th....what was the real story?

The only states where the margin was close enough between the fat cats, AND the underdogs had enough votes to have swung one way or another were

Montana: There were around 14,000 major-third-party votes. (please note that Paul and Peroutka is some government mix-up, as Peroutka was not running for anything, and Paul had no VP, and was not running under the Constitution Party. Also note: McCain won the state, therefore all these 14,00 souls were not voting for Obama by default)

Indiana: It seems that the only 3rd Party there was Barr, who got upwards of 29,000 votes. Obama won Indiana. IF...and I say IF...every single one of those freedom-loving individuals voted for McCain, he would have been able to win. Even so, he would not have had enough electoral votes to win the election....so it would have been a waste...pun intended)

North Carolina: Also won by Obama. However, there were approx. 14, 000 write-ins, and Barr got a significant number.


and Missouri: (which is still being debated, it is listed as "not yet settled") McCain is winning by a margin of 10,000. If all the Nader people (who BTW see Obama as a right-wing radical) voted for Obama, it would go down to "every single vote counts" mentality. Even so, Obama would still get the Presidency. It is the Electoral College, not the mass of sheep that decides.

The Electoral College.....our last remaining scrap of Republicanism. (and I'm not referring to the party which defames that title)

One of those

Random homeschool moment:
My little siblings are pounding their hands on the table, chanting in unison:

"Rob a BANK, rob a BANK!"

(the baby, at a year and 4 months, seeing the general enthusiasm, is chanting da-da-da in the same intonation)

Don't ask!!!!

EDIT: (later in the day)

Mama: "Wait, are you God?"
Sara: "Oh, no, that was Rea"
(this one is a bit easier to explain as we were reading Exodus , each person had a role/character)

Undaunted

Last night after watching speeches and hearing empty, pretty words, I told my sister"Now we get to read every one's blogs don't we?"

In the general, ignorant sorrow over McCain's loss and the general, ignorant glee over Obama's victory, people are saying very insightful things.
One McCain supporter said that we should not sit idly by and let out founding values be trashed. Many are posting Bible verses and praying.

I am glad that Obama got into office, if for no other reason than this. Christians realized not only that their apathy and ignorance has given them what they seem to most despise, but that instead of sitting back comfortable in the delusion that a conservative Republican was watching their backs, they will be armed, vigilant and diligent for the Constitution, individual liberty, personal responsibility and freedom.

I wrote in a name, because the current one-not-two party system has blocked out any competition. I am not ashamed. In fact, despite the republican well-spread lie, there was effect on the election by the best intentioned people who voted for other than the two evils offered us.
More on that in the next post.

I am undaunted by the newest challenge to American ideals. At least the rest of America is suddenly realizing the danger of an unfettered, gigantic, and monster-sized executive office.

Meditate on these things

All that I am, all that I have
I lay them down before You, oh Lord
All my regrets, all my acclaims
The joy and the pain, I'm making them Yours.

Lord, I offer my life to You,
Everything I've been through
Use it for Your glory-
Lord, I offer my days to You,
Lifting my praise to You
As a pleasing sacrifice:
Lord I offer You my life.

Things in the past, things yet unseen
Wishes and dreams that are yet to come true
All of my hopes, all of my plans,
My heart and my hands
Are lifted to You.

And Lord, I offer my life to You,
Everything I've been through
Use it for Your glory-
Lord, I offer my days to You,
Lifting my praise to You
As a pleasing sacrifice:
Lord I offer You my life.

What can we give
That You have not given?
And what do we have
That is not already Yours?
All we possess
Are these lives we're living
That's what we give to You, Lord

So Lord, I offer my life to You,
Everything I've been through
Use it for Your glory-
Lord, I offer my days to You,
Lifting my praise to You
As a pleasing sacrifice:
Lord I offer You my life.

Lord, I offer You my life.