Quote:

She was heartily ashamed of her ignorance. A misplaced shame. Where people wish to attach, they should always be ignorant. To come with a well-informed mind, is to come with an inability of administering to the vanity of others, which a sensible person would always wish to avoid. A woman especially, if she have the misfortune of knowing any thing, should conceal it as well as she can....

Northanger Abbey Volume I

TeenPact

This past week, I have been attending the charter class of TeenPact Pennsylvania. I had more than a "blast", and definitely plan on repeating the class next year, and possibly attending some alumni events, should God provide.
I did not go expecting much, but not being attuned to this culture (which fact this week has only more securely fixed in my mind...what IS the "hokey-pokey"?) I was not sure what TO expect.


At 12:45, Monday afternoon we walked up the steps to the Pennsylvania State Capitol Building, where (after passing through security) we were greeted by a man in a suit, and directed to our destination.
The rest of the day was spent surveying the ropes, and learning the basics of what would be covered the next two days.
Tuesday morning, we began with singing, a bible study, and a "prayer walk". Then, the leader began a lecture on why he believed in Theistic Evolution. Debate followed, some questions, and a couple students moved into the forefront of the debate. I was confused, because his position contradicted what I had understood of the program, and the position of the founder. The student at the end of my table wrote a note and passed it down, "He doesn't really believe it, he just wants us to debate", which turned out to be the correct analysis. A speech by the Chief of Staff for Judge Marjorie Rendell followed.
We then went out on a field experience, and learned about lobbyists, and walked around the capitol trying to find said specimen of creature, and asking them questions. Lunch next, divided by committees, where we discussed the bills assigned to our committee. (Each student was required to write a bill to present to the legislature)
After lunch was a speech by Representative Sam Rhorer, and then a field experience of examining forms of media, identifying their bias, and analyzing the facts, opinions, and emotions presented in a newspaper article.
Upon re-assembling, we were divided into two political parties, the Party Party, and the Surprise Party, and we formulated party platforms on the issues of Education, the Economy, and whether or not to change the state dog to the Chihuahua, or keep the Great Dane. We then elected two representative candidates, and one gubernatorial candidate.
Following this, was the TeenPact Legislature, where Parlimentary Procedure was strictly followed, and the bills passed by committees were presented to the entire class. Two bills failed, and one passed unanimously. The daily quiz came next, and then we were dismissed.
Wednesday, everyone lobbied the class with cookies, candy, and pamphlets supporting their party, and their candidates, and the daily devil's advocate subject was the "separation of church and state" which evil Johnathan stoutly defended. Field experience consisted of analyzing bills. After lunch, a speech by Mr. Paul Clymer, last field experience (the house and senate) and a slideshow about political campaign disclosures, and gerrymandering, and (of course) the awesome legislature... although the other two committees decided to gang up on our committee, and they passed a resolution making our committee sing and dance the hokey-pokey before the entire class.

Thursday, we had our final quiz immediately after prayer, and the our "Daily DA" (welfare). We then had a game time "Contitutional Power Grab", and then we broke for lunch, finished up all our committie's bills. Legislature was even better than before, in the Majority Caucus rooms (with it's official desk, and gavel), and bills seemed more hilarious than before....but then we had to adjourn singe die. I am sure all the emotional females felt very badly about it, and one girl even put a crying-face on her notes page. Graduation followed, and everyone got a pretty piece of paper stating their achievement and a handshake from all the staff (I got hugs.....from the girls). Then, we all got sharpies, and everyone signed almost everyone else's blue TeenPact logoed shirt. Then, we were all encouraged to come to Alumni events...which I think would be at least as exciting, if not as profitable.

I got to sleep in Friday, and today, we have Grandparent's over!

3 Kids?

I thought the National Average was 1.5, but maybe I am mistaken. This article discusses the interesting comments one recieves from people when you announce your expectation of a third child.

This link shows that the "average 'family' size" to be 3.2.

Rant ala Politico

I am SO glad I can vote!! Are you aware, cher reader, that you are of no use in the world until you turn 18? Your signature cannot be honored, you have no social status, and nothing you do will be paid attention to without someone in charge giving you allowance. (unless you commit a crime, and then you are given a slap on the wrist and told very solemnly to "not do that again" and set free) However, even when you turn 18, you are only worthwhile so much as you vote and smoke.

Life only COUNTS when it turns the grand old age of 21, and then you are allowed to be a responsible citizen, voice your opinions to your elders, and work for any extended period of time.
It highly annoys me that, until July, I have no importance in the world. Even my signature is worthless. It is all the result of a government that wants teens and children to be completely dependent. If you don't have the power of citizenship...they do (or someone does). It will be eventual, that even 20-somethings don't have their citizenship power, and the 60+, and then down from there, and up from 30, until the government (or rather, those who are running it) has all the power and the generations used to meekly submitting to their "minor" fate will continue to submit, and Marx will be looking up at us with joy.

Edit: In response to the comment alleging that this post calls for the government to allow children to vote--
No, I'm calling for a reduction of government restrictions on "teens" aka young adults. I do not think that children should vote.
I think that life should be valued whenever it benefits society, and when it can be responsible and improve its surroundings.
I also think that the "minor" status (although necessary for younger children) should be downplayed, because it encourages immaturity and the phenomenon seen in "teens" and "tweens" know as "wild oats". Responsible citizenship is not exactly possible when one cannot even sign their name, and have it respected.

"A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches" (Proverbs 22:1) does not start at 18, or 21!

I found this

I found this under the title: Very Interesting and Unusual Scientific Facts

A comment:More specifically, men in America speak about 1500 moderately important/necessary words during the day, whereas women in the U.S. utter approximately 15.

Re-what?

Has anyone ever consciously thought recently that the Union of the States of America is a republic? Or was? Or was meant to be? Or what it matters?


Past the typical definitions, and the biased definitions, let us look at the original Constitution (with the first 10 Amendments) and think.

A democracy is a system of government where the people choose who governs them. In a democracy, the majority rules, and what the majority wants is what the government must do.

A republic is a system of government where the people choose who upholds the laws that they have decided to live under. In a republic, the representative of the people (whether he be a president, senator or governor) is elected to follow and keep the laws of the state/commonwealth/country.

In the original Constitution, State/Commonwealth Senators to the government of the United States were appointed by the legislatures of the State/Commonwealth. The problems of majority/minority were non-existent because they didn't matter.

One example is in 1868, when Andrew Johnson was a hair away from being impeached. The House of Representatives impeached him by a landslide, but the Senate was trying to balance on a teeter-totter of the law vs. the people. In the end, only one vote decided it. The senators who dared voted against impeaching the president. Johnson's conduct may have been scandalous and he may have been a bad president, but there was no legal backing for impeaching him.

In my Internet search to verify the names of the dissenters, I came across this comment:

But the duty of the Senators, with whom we indeed differ, will be only the plainer. They must follow their sincere convictions, conscious that in so doing they maintain the only permanent principle of a free government; and their task will be the more difficult because they will maintain it against the cry of the party which is its natural protector.

Well people, I hate to break it to you...but a democracy stinks. Majority rule is only one step away from the tyranny of the majority. Then comes the tyranny of the few...and that is only another name for socialism.

It would probably be folly to try to assign a date to the day we became a democracy, but I think that the day the 17th amendment was ratified is close enough!

Representation:

Do you females out there know that NOW is representing you to Congress and the Federal Government? NOW is an organization bent on bringing you full representation but even so, they have a membership of 0.00166 of the U.S. population. Apparently this irks them!

In 2007, the US of A (and Puerto Rico) had about 302,000,000 people. NOW has a membership of "more than" 500,000. Yet, they are the largest feminist organization.....poor them!

Women on the line

This lady (if she really wants to be called that) is finding out why fighting wars isn't exactly the best thing for a female to be doing.

Why might this be? What inhibits women from being exactly like men? I really don't think anyone wants my answer!

This mother is finding out how far is too far....in methods such as brainwashing and you-are-no-different-from-them-there-is-no-reason-why-you-should-be-treated-differently.

I really enjoy the links I get from LAF!!!

Misc of the Day:

It has been scientifically proven that stroking a cat can lower one's blood pressure.

Wake up call for cat people!

Definition:

Buying a house = Paying for the right to be taxed