The Peaceful Gnome

From Anti-War.com Kosovo: Fools Rush In by William S. Lind I f the Balkans had an anthem, it would be that 1950's doo-wop hit, "Fools rush in, where angels fear to tread." The latest Balkan fools are the United States and the European Union, which have rushed in to recognize what Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica rightly calls the "fake state of Kosovo." Why is it a fake state? Because there are no Kosovars, only Serbs and Albanians. Each group seeks to unite Kosovo with its homeland, historic Serbia or Greater Albania. An independent Kosovo has the half-life of a sub-atomic particle. The action of the U.S. and the E.U. in stripping Serbia of Serbs' historic homeland is both a crime and a blunder. It is a crime, first, because no one, not even the...

We clearly have far too many stupid laws, and stupid criminals, and stupid politicians making the stupid laws... Record-High Ratio of Americans in Prison By N.C. Aizenman Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, February 28, 2008; 11:5 More than one in 100 adults Americans is in jail or prison, an all-time high that is costing state governments nearly $50 billion a year, in addition to more than $5 billion spent by the federal government, according to a report released today. With more than 2.3 million people behind bars at the start of 2008, the United States leads the world in both the number and the percentage of residents it incarcerates, leaving even far more populous China a distant second, noted the report by the nonpartisan Pew Center on the States.

Naturalistic Evolution, Theistic Evolution, Old Earth Creationism, Young Earth Creationism, which one is true? Or is there some other I’ve not heard of yet that is the “truth” about how we all got to be where we are? I have been forced to reject Young Earth Creationism for its blatant silliness and implausibility. I mean, clearly the earth is far older than 10,000 years! Look out at the starts and the idea that it was all created "last Tuesday" is just plain silly! Stuff has clearly been out there, and around here, for billions of years. If you can't fit that in with the bible then either the bible is flat wrong or you are reading it wrong. Then there is the Young Earth take on the flood, explaining all of the geology we see around us based on the result of a single massive world wide flood. All of the "science" I read from the YEC perspective was simply bad science, it made no sense at all. Theistic Evolution is, as I understand it, the idea that God d...

I came across this article from New York Magazine about kids and lying. It is fascinating! I had noticed that it seemed Serenity was starting to lie more frequently not too long before we removed her from the public school. She told some huge whoppers when she had been in trouble in class or on the playground or in conflict with other kids there. She really was not very good at it, but she was very persistent with them, refusing to admit to the lie even when confronted with evidence that we knew she was lying. The New York Magazine story says that, in part, kids who suddenly start to lie more are showing they are having trouble with coping. Thrown into elementary school, many kids begin lying to their peers as a coping mechanism, as a way to vent frustration or get attention. Any sudden spate of lying, or dramatic increase in lying, is a danger sign: Something has changed in that child’s life, in a way that troubles him. “Lying is a symptom—often of a bigger problem behavior,” e...

Remember back in the 20th century there was a movement of sorts, or maybe it was just one crackpot, that advocated shooting our TVs? No one did it of course, though a few people got rid of TVs for a time. I remember at our house there was a time, I don't remember how long it was but it seemed like a couple of years to me, when we did not have a TV in the house. I have come across some evidence, I think, that this might actually have been a good idea. We don't watch much TV around here but I'm thinking that maybe we still watch too much! Read The Plug-in-Drug and the The Plug-in-Drug Redux by Mike Rogers. I've ordered two books mentioned in the articles, The Plug-In Drug by Marie Winn and Four Arguments For The Elimination of Television by Jerry Mander. When I mentioned the idea to Lora and Serenity I found major resistance from Lora, but not so much from Serenity. When you combine what you read in The Plug-in-Drug and the Th...

Here is an excerpt from an article by Gary North : WHEN MONEY DIES People ask me: "When will we get our liberties back?" I always answer: "When checks from Washington D.C. no longer buy anything." An overnight collapse of the monetary system would be catastrophic. In contrast, the erosion of the dollar to zero over a decade or more would be liberating. The government is going broke. All over the West, all national governments are going broke. This is the fundamental political fact of our age. This is the elephant in the living room. Two historians of international repute announced this scenario within a few months of each other: Martin van Creveld, in The Rise and Decline of the State (1999), and Jacques Barzun, in From ...

Seems there is a vital learning function to just playing around with whatever is at hand and playing with commercially produced toys doesn't really seem to work for that. I guess I'll encourage more free form play time for Serenity, not that she is lacking in the self talk department and imaginative play, she does both frequently. Check out this NPR story. Old-Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills by Alix Spiegel Listen Now [7 min 50 sec] add to playlist Tim Pannell Researchers say imaginative play allows children to make their own rules and practice self-control. Corbis Morning Edition , February 21, 2008 · On October 3, 1955, the Mickey Mouse Club debuted on television. As we all now know, the show quickly became a cultural icon, one of those phenomena that helped define an era. What is less remembered but equally, if not more, important, is that another transformative cultural event happened that day: The Mattel t...

Aha! Now when I say that all of this racket is driving me nuts, I have scientific backing, of sorts, for my contention! :-) Read The Noisy Epidemic By Elizabeth Svoboda

Just a comment here on the relationship between Kosovo and the Alamo, both are icons of a heroic defense of freedom in the face of overwhelming odds. Both were defeats for the ones who look to them for inspiration. Kosovo is where the Serbs fought the mighty Turk Empire and were defeated. The Alamo is where a few Texans fought the Mexicans and were defeated. Now then, imagine if the Alamo were seized by the UN and returned, along with 1/4 of Texas, to Mexico by Russian and Chinese UN troops because the population of that part of Texas was mostly Mexican anyway and the Texas authorities had been cracking down on violent Mexican attacks on police stations in the area and a brilliant Mexican propaganda campaign convinced Europeans and Asians that it was some sort of genocide... This is exactly the same situation as Kosovo. Do you wonder how most "American" Texans would react to such a thing? Probably with a lot more violence than the Serbs have shown so far would be my gues...

I don't know exactly where this comes from but it's attributed to Gordon Neufeld . I saw it on a homeschooling email list, it makes good sense to me: The prevailing assumption is that the greatest drawback to homeschooling is the loss of social interaction with peers. Times have changed however, making peer interaction more of a problem than an asset. Instead or peer interaction facilitating the process of socialization, it is now more likely to lead to the premature replacement of adults by peers in the life of a child. Such children become peer-oriented rather than adult-oriented and are more difficult to parent and teach. Furthermore, peer-oriented children fail to mature psychologically and their integration into adult society is compromised. Because of escalating peer orientation it is now the school that has become risky business. What was once the most powerful argument against homeschooling is now its most persuasive defense. Contrary to prevailing concerns, homeschoo...

This was posted on the SF Gate comments section, I love it : I *puffyheart* wikileaks! Even though I've assumed using it will only add to the algorithmic evidence against me when the Patriotic PMCs take over. My only sadness was that not many people knew about this wonderful website. Well, that's over. Thanks corrupt Bush-appointed judge! Thanks evil Nazi-money-laundering bankers! And thank you, America, for finding a Wikileak mirror site and discovering how good freedom really feels. It's like that last scene in "V" is for Vendetta, we've all got to be willing to wear the mask.

I saw an article today on SF Gate about some nit wit Bush appointed Federal Judge ordering a website I'd never heard of called Wikileaks shut down because they were publishing some bank documents from some corrupt Swiss bank. The amusing thing is that they can't actually do it! Even more amusing is that this just draws attention to the site and makes it that much more visible, yay idiot goons! :-) There are mirror sites all over the world and it's almost impossible for thuggish police state goons to figure out how to close off all of the leaks :-) One mirror site is here: http://wikileaks.be/wiki/Wikileaks The US site they tried to close down is still here: http://88.80.13.160 "Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?' Expediency asks the question, 'Is it politic?' Vanity asks the question, 'Is it popular?' But, conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?' And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe,...

Ah well it's clear that America truly is dead and gone. I had hoped that with the strong campaign of Ron Paul, with the enthusiastic participation of those thousands of freedom lovers who turned out and who contributed, there would be at least a ten or fifteen percent vote for freedom and peace. Instead Ron got the usual fringe vote, negligible in the larger picture actually. Amerikans instead voted, on the Republican side, for a crazed maniac bent on a hundred years war, bent on world conquest through an insane plan I wouldn't even attempt if I was playing Civilization ! On the Democratic side Amerikans opted for empty platitudes about "change." As if voting for someone with a different skin color actually meant change when his policies are identical to those of his opponents! That is the same idea as the monolithic opinions of those who advocate "diversity" in the universities, they don't mean diversity of opinion but of skin colors, it's mean...

Yes, the PPPP Albanian Kosovars are wonderful folk. Look how they so generously redecorated the Devic Monastery in Kosovo : After all of that, recovery, but what now with "independence? 18. December 2007 - 10:56 The Devic Monastery endures, it is alive and the sanctuary that is surrounded by barbed wire continues to exist. Almost devastated during the 2004 pogrom, the sanctuary has recovered, the refectories and the church have been renewed. Манастир Девич слава 2007 The Devic Monastery - everything is as it is in any temple of faith. And yet, nothing is the same: Barbed wire around the Holy Place, foreign soldiers armed to their teeth, armored vehicles. They were here in the spring of 2004 and the picture was the same. Devic underwent an assault back then, and the army was rescuing the nuns. The monastery was burnt down and relics centuries old disappeared in the flames, the shelter was burnt down, and the Monastery's property was looted. From such ashes and dust, just like ...

Here is an interview from Der Spiegel on the "independence" of Kosovo. February 19, 2008 INTERVIEW WITH BALKANS EXPERT DUSAN RELJIC 'Kosovo Is not Independent, It Is an EU Protectorate' Kosovo's declaration of independence has been recognized by many Western countries, but Serbia claims the move is illegal. Kosovo expert Dusan Reljic tells SPIEGEL ONLINE about his concerns that the move will undermine international law, pave the way for future disputes and prevent longterm peace in the region... ...The decision of the Kosovo Albanians to proclaim independence is not something that the EU has endorsed. The EU has been pushed by the US into this position. This was not original EU policy. Read More.

I was getting all cranky just today thinking about how some Lutherans talk about politics. I was discouraged thinking that maybe my take on freedom might actually make me "not Lutheran" in some vital way. Then I came across this wonderful post on Lew Rockwell, actually it was linked from the author's blog that I read from time to time. It's great stuff and I take it to mean that I can still be a Lutheran. :-) After all it's written by a genuine Lutheran pastor! Heh. In any case, here it is in all its glory! Original is here , the blog Father Hollywood is here . Voting and Freedom by Larry L. Beane II This is the time of year when we get unsolicited e-mails and phone calls urging us to vote for this person or that. I got an e-mail from a poly-sci grad student from George Mason University urging me to vote for a particular candidate because I'm an ordained minister. To his credit, he did write back when I replied to his spam. Usually, you just get annoying ...

Martin Luther , born on 10 November 1483 in Eisleben, Germany, initially began studies leading toward a degree in law. However, after a close encounter with death, he switched to the study of theology, entered an Augustinian monastery, was ordained a priest in 1505 and received a doctorate in theology in 1512. As a professor at the newly established University of Wittenberg, his scriptural studies led him to question many of the church's teachings and practices, especially the selling of indulgences. His refusal to back down from his convictions resulted in his excommunication in 1521. Following a period of seclusion at the Wartburg castle, Luther returned to Wittenberg, where he spent the rest of his life preaching and teaching, translating the Scriptures and writing hymns and numerous theological treatises. He is remembered and honored for his lifelong emphasis on the biblical truth that for Christ's sake God declares us righteous by grace through faith alone. He died on 18 F...

So, the murdering-Muslim-terrorist (yeah, I know that is triply redundant) puppets occupying that part of Serbia known as Kosovo have now declared "independence" , an "independence" that will last exactly as long as it is propped up by its sponsors, the American Empire. As soon as the Imperial Storm Troopers no longer are available to prop it up, it will vanish back into Serbia. The truth is this is NOT a real state, it is a new province of Albania , taken by force, by military invasion, from Serbia, and given to evil criminals, all with the backing of the American Empire. Yet one more reason to pray for the destruction of the Evil Empire that America has morphed into, may it vanish along with the Mongols into the dust bin of history. Boo Hiss etc... I advocate immediate secession for the California Republic, if it's good for Kosovo it should be OK for us. USA out of California NOW! No, I'm not kidding...

The more I deal with Serenity day to day the more I realize that the old fashioned spare the rod spoil the child stuff is just plain wrong. Here is a piece from Jan Hunt on the Natural Child site that I found reproduced on the Joyfully Rejoicing site: Ten Ways We Misunderstand Children By Jan Hunt, M.Sc. 1. We expect children to be able to do things before they are ready. We ask an infant to keep quiet. We ask a 2-year-old to sit still. We ask a 4-year-old to clean his room. In all of these situations, we are being unrealistic. We are setting ourselves up for disappointment and setting up the child for repeated failures to please us. Yet many parents ask their young children to do things that even an older child would find difficult. In short, we ask children to stop acting their age. 2. We become angry when a child fails to meet our needs. ...

Here is an article about unschooling in the UC Santa Cruz student paper, City on a Hill Press. It's pretty positive sounding I think. So far we, meaning Serenity, Lora and me, have been going in this direction for the most part . I make suggestions and Serenity either is interested so we follow up or she says she doesn't want to do that and we veer off into another direction for the time being. That whole concept makes me pretty nervous though :-) How can this work out in "real life?" As if this isn't real life ! As a result of my nervousness, I picked up the Five in a Row book so I could feel like I have some structure. We've only been using it for a couple of days so I can't say yet how that is going to work out, though I'm still following the same guidelines I set for myself earlier, if Serenity wants to go some direction other than the one I'm aiming at at the moment I try to switch to what it is she is wanting to know or do. I guess...

This is just plain grotesque: If you have ever wondered why they are called PIGS that sure made it plain. Overweight, overbearing abusive PIG. A slap up side the head with a brick and then being forced to get a productive job that doesn't involve harassing people would be an appropriate punishment for this jerk.

A physician and priest living in Rome during the rule of the Emperor Claudius, Valentine become one of the noted martyrs of the third century. The commemoration of his death, which occurred in the year 270, became part of the calendar of remembrance in the early church of the West. Tradition suggests that on the day of his execution for his Christian faith, he left a note of encouragement for a child of his jailer written on an irregularly-shaped piece of paper. This greeting became a pattern for millions of written expressions of love and caring that now are the highlight of Valentine's Day in many nations. [From " Commemorations Biographies ," Lutheran Service Book, LCMS Commission on Worship]

I mean, this job doesn't pay very well by Bay Area standards and the benefits are pretty minimal, so why am I still here? It's the schedule mostly. So let me explain myself. A "normal" full time job is 9-5 Monday through Friday. That means you would work: 5 days a week times 52 weeks a year or 260 days If you get 10 holidays a year off then you work 250 days If you get 3 weeks of vacation then you work 237 days 365 days in the year less 237 days worked leaves you with 128 days (4.2 months) to yourself. Now there is my schedule here at my job. I work full time but I work an odd schedule, I work Sunday 8 hours, Monday and Tuesday 12 hours and then every other Wednesday 12 hours. So, I work 3 days one week and 4 days the next week, out of every 14 days I'm off 7. On this schedule I start out with a base of 182 work days per year. If I get 10 holidays that would leave 172 work days I get 3 weeks of vacation so that leaves 159 work days 365 days in the year less 15...

An interesting take on things: In conventional schools children are literally prisoners: the law keeps them in. Learning according to inclination is not an option; children's inclinations are not considered relevant; adults tell them what they must learn. They make the best of it and enjoy themselves as much as they can, but they are always under someone else's authority, unable to conduct themselves as they would wish, unable to follow up their own interests. School seems to be designed to destroy their individuality , to turn them all, as the Swiss teacher, Jürg Jegge says, into cogwheels that will fit smoothly into the machinery of society. Governments cannot make schools ideal merely by altering the amount of topic work or testing children more often or buying more computers or improving the staff-student ratio. The ideal school must have an entirely different atmosphere. It must not even try to manufacture cogs. Dan...

I go back and forth on this one. I want to eat vegetarian, so I start doing that and make some big declaration about it. Then I change my mind, usually due to the fact that almost everyone around me is munching on the flesh of dead animals. Then there is the whole "diet" thing. I went on the Atkins diet a couple of times, it really works for losing weight but I hate the feeling of being stuffed full of dead flesh and fat. I never really feel good when I'm doing that. Then I tried the Dean Ornish diet , which is the exact reverse of the Atkins diet. All vegetarian no fat. Both are pretty extreme and both worked for me and both didn't work long term because I love all the foods on both sides of them. Vegetarianism doesn't work for me because from time to time I actually like meat. So what to do? I'm overweight by a good 40 pounds and need to get rid of it... oh wait, exercise ! But that is so HARD ! I want it to be EASY ! All right then, I've d...

Last night Mike and I went to the Symphony in San Francisco. It was wonderful, as usual. We heard three twentieth century pieces performed in reverse chronological order. Ingo Metzmacher and Hélène Grimaud You know Ligeti if you know 2001: A Space Odyssey. Celebrated French pianist Hélène Grimaud performs Bartók’s last piano concerto—music of calm and elegiac beauty.“Grimaud is a tremendous pianist and tremendously enjoyable.”– Boston Globe CONDUCTOR AND FEATURED ARTISTS Ingo Metzmacher , conductor Hélène Grimaud , piano PROGRAM Ligeti - San Francisco Polyphony (1974) Bartók - Piano Concerto No. 3 (1945) Shostakovich - Symphony No. 6 (1939) The only down side was when we went to our table during the intermission our drink order had been mangled! Instead of two glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon we wound up with two glasses of Sauvignon blanc! Ack! White wine! :-/ Then today I worked for Pat so having been up late last night I'm really worn out at this point in the week. ...

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Lent is the 40 days before Easter. If you count forward you will notice there are more than 40 days between today and Easter, that is because Sunday's don't count and you don't fast on the Sundays! Because every Sunday we celebrate the resurrection, all Sundays are considered to be another Easter. Tonight we will have a service at our church that will include the imposition of ashes, the pastor makes a cross from ash on your forehead and says "From ashes you came and to ashes you shall return" or something close to that. At our church the ashes are made from palms brought back to the church by the members who saved them from Palm Sunday last year, they are burned and mixed with some oil for the imposition. This is a season of repentance. From the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod's web site : --------------------------- Q. What is the significance of Lent? A. Early in the Church's history, the ma...

This week Serenity and I went and saw "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" at the theater. Serenity loved it! It was nice and wholesome and taught that you don't have to be big or strong or especially smart to do the right thing and to be a hero. It is clearly directed at the very young group but it's watchable by an adult, if I qualify as an adult :-) Angry Gnome gives this movie: At home we watched "The Last Mimzy" on DVD. That was a great movie! It was OK for the little one while being engaging for the adults in the house. It was a nice blending of magic and science fiction too, things that looked like magic were actually produced by science in the end. It also taught a nice lesson on the dangers of the "Homeland Security" police state we have in America today, the intervention of the government thugs produced howls of displeasure from Serenity, Lora and I, Mike just looked annoyed, he really hates it when we harp on the evils of the...

From Ron Paul's web site. I think he is the most homeschooling friendly of all the candidates. www.HomeschoolersforPaul.com Your Child, not Washington’s The federal government does not own our children. We cannot allow Washington lobbyists and bureaucrats to decide when, how, and what our children will learn. Your Tax Dollars Returned to You I will advance tax credits through the Family Education Freedom Act, which reduces costs and makes it easier for parents to home school. Your Child’s Education Back in Your Control My commitment to ensuring home schooling remains a practical alternative for American families is unmatched by any other presidential candidate. Returning control of education to parents is the centerpiece of my education agenda. "Parental control of child rearing, especially educa-tion, is one of the bulwarks of liberty. No nation can remain free when the state has greater influence over the knowledge and values transmitted to chil-dren than the family." “...

We have now been home schooling for 2 weeks and I think things are going quite well. Serenity is happy and learning constantly. She is also enjoying the ability to stay up later and sleep in late in the morning. I think that is a good thing too. :-) The local school principal is still a bit unclear on the concept and has been calling both Lora and I on the phone trying to figure out what we are doing. She can't seem to find Serenity School listed on the State of California's web site, well neither can I for that matter. That is not a big surprise though, we are talking about a government agency after all! So, we are going to send the principal a copy of the Private School Affidavit that Lora filed two weeks ago. That should take care of things I think. If not we have the help of the California Homeschool Network to fall back on. It really is annoying that the state, and those who work for the state, have the idea that all children belong to them and that we need t...