Educatorio

Without a Vengeance

2011-08-30T17:52:00.008-04:00

August 2008 was the date of my last post here. I have to admit, it was a time of depression for me. Having completed both my Masters in Education and my certificate to teach in Tennessee public schools, I was unable to find full time employment. The elevation of BHO to messianic American Idol status and his certain victory only fueled that feeling of wandering in the wasteland of the lost and aged.

Since that time, however, I determined to continue to make an effort to effect change. I officially retired, began drawing early Social Security (for as long as it lasts) to augment my Navy pension and a small annuity payment earned from the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System earned from my years of school bus-driving and employment at the U of Memphis. I am, dear friends, financially dependent on taxpayers (a curious turn).

Additionally, I accepted a commission with Tennessee State Guard, sort of a Rotary operation on steroids. The idea is to provide the Governor a military force when the National Guard is sent abroad. I managed to work my way up to the post of Public Affairs Officer for the 24 county region served by the Knoxville-based 3rd Regiment. I'm responsible for finding opportunities to write press releases, coordinate media interaction and manage the website (http://tsg3.us). Shameless plug.

I volunteer as the Verger for Trinity Episcopal Church in Gatlinburg. For the benefit of the undereducated protestant in more evangelical denominations, a verger is a planner, scheduler and guide for those who serve during the worship. The verger coordinates the readers, crucifers, acolytes and lay eucharistic ministers for each service. Look it up, Don.

With the accession of the false messiah to the White House, I have become increasingly politically active. Worming my way into the publicity activities of the Sevier County Republican Party, I now hold the exalted position of Communications Director and member of the Executive Committee. I am committed to the overthrow of the Republican Party as it currently exists and replacing the country-club elitists in the leadership with committed constitutionalists.

So, having retired, I now have three jobs that keep me looking beyond myself and in service to the church and the community. There's nothing like serving others to take your mind off yourself and deflect feelings of inadequacy and self-pity. Service is, I have found, the perfect cure for depression. I'm also involved in activities that prepare me for the big three events of the future: the eventual return of the actual Messiah, the next Great New Madrid Earthshake, and the election of November 2012.

This is not as good an effort as my first, but it gives the same information without the style. The substance has been provided. All that is missing is the elan of the first version. I have learned my lesson.

Republicans for Obama?

2008-08-15T08:28:00.001-04:00

This morning’s talk radio station in Knoxville featured an interview with the founder of a group called Republicans for Obama. They’ve got a website. Find it for yourself. I’d be embarrassed to link to it.

Republicans for Obama? That’s like Republicans for McCain. Neither represents the values of the Reagan Republicans who valiantly tried to overturn half a century of Democratic tax and spend policy.

Bush 41 never was the Reagan Republican he should have been. In fact, I believe he was fired after his one term because he wasn’t enough like Reagan. Most Americans wanted more Reagan and less of the Rockefeller Republicans that had dominated the GOP for all those years. GWB was elected primarily because the slim majority felt badly about firing his father.

The Republican Party has failed miserably in shrinking the government, reducing taxes and fulfilling the variety of other agenda items Reagan Republicans supported over the years. In an effort to become popular with the mainstream media, the Class of ’94 abandoned their Contract with American and sought, in the name of bi-partisanship, to get along with the Democrats. What happened is that the Democrats achieved their goals and the Republicans sacrificed everything. Thanks to this attitude of appeasement in the name of popularity, a la John McCain, the GOP allowed the nation to be maneuvered into this situation of fiscal disaster.

Republicans for Obama are mostly those who believe that things couldn’t get much worse. They take Obama’s words as solutions rather than looking at the solutions he proposes in the clear light of their effect on the population. Words like “unity,” “hope,” and “future” have lulled them into the belief that things will be wonderful with Obama in the White House, Pellosi in the House, and Harry Reid in the Senate. The reality of his ideas, tax hikes, redistribution of wealth and class envy won’t hold a candle to the emotional desire of RFOs that Americans should “come together.”

Here’s what will happen during an Obama presidency. Everybody, except those making less than $35,000 a year, will see their taxes go up. Prices will rise on every commodity as businesses pass on their higher taxes to consumers. Businesses will fold at an incredible rate as entrepreneurs fail to make payroll with increased minimum wage and tax requirements. The stock markets will plummet. The roles of the unemployed will skyrocket. Investments will come from overseas, increasing the control of American corporations by non-American entities. Open borders will insure the influx of more millions of under-educated aliens with no love for America. Welfare roles will soar, medical service providers will fold under the pressure to provide free services, and a general sense of despair will grip American citizens.

Obama wants to unite America. He will do so. We will all be united in our misery.

Where Have You Gone, Joe De Maggio?

2008-02-09T07:50:00.000-05:00

My apologies to my variety of fans and supporters. Shortly after my last post I had to deal with my third heart attack and a simultaneous bout with pneumonia. My recovery was slow and I lacked the energy to blog, or do much else until recently.

The process of my education is now complete. As of December 2007, I am a certified teacher in Elementary Education with a Master's Degree in Education from Lincoln Memorial University. My hospitalization and recovery cause a one year delay in the completion process and allowed me to pursue the Master's. Now all I need is employment.

Education is a lot like real estate. Location, location, location! We have all heard the loud screaming for qualified teachers. Headlines blare that there just aren't enough teachers in the system to fill the demand. The demand, however, is large, urban, predominantly black, decrepit, and dangerous schools where only liberals with the idealistic vision of a social utopia would venture. There are plenty of teachers seeking employment among the various suburban or rural education facilities in more desireable locations, such as the Great Smoky Mountains regions of East TN and Western NC.

And so, I wait, networking to various principals, substituting when I can, proving my worth, and waiting for the next hiring cycle in March and April. Because I am otherwise idle, I find myself with the time and energy to make more regular contributions here. Like a bad penny that keeps turning up, or the poltergeist that simply won't be exorcised, I'm back!

Islam Goes Beyond the Pale, Again!

2006-02-05T10:05:00.000-05:00

As if anyone needed more proof of the insanity engendered by Islam -- just look to the ruckus created by the publishing of cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed in certain satirical situations.

Christianity has managed to maintain a modicum of dignity in spite of the depiction of the Savior in a boxing ring on South Park. Islam could take note of the equanimity of a majority of Christians. We don't like it, but we don't burn down buildings and set fire to cars, etc. They're cartoons, for crying out loud. It sure isn't art!

The extremists (and there sure seem to be a lot of them) who are out to protect Islam from whatever event that gets them riled up would do well to spend as much energy venting against the brethren who give Islam an awful reputation by blowing up innocents.

Islam is not so much a dogma of peace and dignity as a canon looking for something to make them mad. "Whom the gods would destroy they first make mad."

So, could the sinking of that ferry in the Red Sea be a little message from God expressing His almighty displeasure at the methods, means and message of Islam that seems to continually function from a position of rage, resentment and antagonism?

Idiocy on the Left

2006-02-01T09:29:00.000-05:00

Nobody has taken Maxine Waters (D-CA) seriously for a long while. Now the lead kook of the kook fringe of the Democratic party has renewed calls for impeachment of the President.

Angry since Bush "stole" the presidency from Algore in 2000, this element of the Left simply wants that election, and the re-election of 2004 undone. Their concept is to put it back the way it should have been before the Supreme Court ruled that Florida could not continue to recount endlessly until the election came out the way the Dems wanted it.

Two elements stand in the way of an impeachment and removal from office. First, the House is loaded with enough Republicans that an order of impeachment is unlikely. Second, the facts will prevent the Republican majority in the Senate from finding the President guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors necessary for removal from office.

There's another element the Kook Left hasn't considered apparently. There's one member of the Bush Administration that the Left hates more than Bush. That is, of course, the Vice President. Should Bush be removed from office by an impeachment trial, who do you suppose would succeed to the office to fill out the remainder of the term?

Of course, the kook fringe probably thinks they've already got enough dirty laundry on Cheney to impeach him, too! It just shows that the Left doesn't give a damn about the nation. Two impeachment trials within two years would tear this country apart. All the Left cares about is their own political agenda. Hating the US as they do, they are ready to fractionalize this nation until we become paralized and equivalent to Portugal, Senegal or Brazil.

So, once again, America has good reason to ignore Maxine Waters and others like her who haven't the common sense to look down the road and see the effects of their political agenda.

Palestinians and the American Press

2006-01-29T08:10:00.000-05:00

George Santayana, Spanish-American philosopher, is credited with the axiom that those who don't remember history are forced to repeat it. The contemporary American mass media fall into the category of those who have conveniently forgotten their history in their current apoplexy over the election of Hamas agents to the Palestinian Parliament.

Fear and trembling, of course, make for interesting news. The media would have us believe that the election of Hamas has the world atremble awaiting the authorized invasion of Israel by an army of hooded Palestinian thugs bearing rocket propelled grenades, AK-47s, and suicide vests of explosives. The key word is authorized.

In the view of the media, the US, which they hate, is in a lose-lose situation. The world knows, they maintain, that US support of Israel is at the heart of the War on Terror (read WWIII), al Qaeda, and the difficulties in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and the entire Middle East. The world also knows that the US is the primary supporter of democracy and the establishment of democratic governments throughout this troubled region and the world. The US is reaping the whirlwind of what they have sown, the media claims, because it was a democratic election that saw the terrorist-based organization, Hamas, put into a power position in Palestine. The US cannot denounce such an election, cannot contradict the results, and must live with the consequences of the election because it was conducted within the context of democratic ideals.

Balderdash! History is replete with the democratic election of evil people with vile policies. Most recently, a pseudo-democratic election produced a terrorist as president of Iran. The US is not alone in condemning this crackpot's plan to engage in nuclear power development leading to the ability to produce nuclear weapons.

Perhaps, though, the single most relevant event in the last two centuries was the election in Germany that brought Adolph Hitler and the Nazis to power prior to World War II. The major powers of the world came together to form an alliance to defeat the Axis powers bent on world domination.

The fact that a democratic election produced empowering in Germany and in Palestine of evil people with awful ideals does not mean that the world has to tolerate either the ideals or the people. World War II proved it.

The US has taken the first step in calling for Hamas to disarm and abandon its policy for the destruction of Israel. The world community will, for the most part, concur in that policy. If those two conditions are not met, Hamas will place Palestine in the same court as Nazi Germany.

The American media may be laughing behind their hands at the predicament they suppose the US government finds itself. They have, however, failed to remember their history. As a people, Americans are greatly blessed because they have a government that remembers the salient facts of that history.

Colossal Waste of Time and Money

2006-01-12T17:46:00.000-05:00

Leave it to the Federal Government to waste our money and it’s time.

The latest scam involves the United States Senate, and specifically, the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA). He will vote for the confirmation of Samuel A. Alito as an associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Taking out my crystal ball, I can state with some certainty that Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) will vote against the confirmation. So will Diane Feinstein (D-CA), Charles (Chuckie) Schumer (D-NY), and Russ Feingold (D-WI). Notice a pattern?

Failing a filibuster by Democrats in the Senate, Judge Alito will be confirmed. There are more Republicans in the Senate than Democrats. Unless some weak-kneed Republicans shift sides (as they have done on several recent key votes), Alito will receive a majority of the votes and will be sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts, the last nominee to be skewered in the complete waste of time and money that has become confirmation hearings.

Everybody knows going in what positions the Republicans will take. They also know which way the Democrats will vote. No amount of attempting to skewer a candidate will change any of that. Within the next few days, Ted, Chuckie, and Diane will all announce they’re unable to support Alito’s confirmation. We already know that. Why in the world did everybody spend so much time and taxpayer money over the last three days attempting to get the Judge to tell how he would rule in any given case?

It is grand-standing. The American taxpayer foots the bill so the not-so-loyal opposition can rant, protest, nit-pick, and posture for the special interest groups they represent in front of a national TV audience. And, because everybody knows which way they will vote, the process is absolutely without meaning. Nothing has been disclosed. Judge Alito did not announce his position on any substantive issue. Nobody’s mind was changed. Everybody will vote the way they always vote – along party lines.

What we have endured for these last few days has been a sham and a scam. It is truly a shame that it has cost so much of the taxpayers’ money to put on this mostly objectionable show. We ought to stop it.

The method needs to be changed. Once the appointment is announced, the Senate should be given one month to gather details, staffs read opinions, and Senators appear in sound bites to state their positions. Then, the appointment should stand before the Senate in a simple up or down vote. Majority wins. Full stop. Lots cheaper.

Of course, it won’t change. As long as there are opportunities for politicians to posture, they’ll strut. And, they’ll strut with additional arrogance if they can do it on our dime.
What a shame. What a sham. What a waste.

No Child Left Behind

2006-01-02T08:58:00.000-05:00

According to a Fox News report, the No Child Left Behind concept has proponents on the left and the right. The left, generally the NEA, wants to do away with standardized testing. The reason for that position is that the teachers’ unions don’t want teachers held to account for student performance, or their own, for that matter. It is a symptom of the desire of the left that no one should bear personal accountability for their own success or failure. It is always somebody else’s fault.

The right, on the other hand, wants closer local control of school system. Under NCLB the Federal Government decides what works and what doesn’t. It is an anathema to the general states rights position of conservatives who want the Federal Government’s participation in local issues minimized if not eliminated.

The problem with that concept has been highlighted in the last year by the situation in New Orleans. The ineffectiveness of local and state governments prior to and in the wake of Hurricane Katrina demonstrated that they are no better at running programs and ignoring the pressures of politically influential forces than the Federal Government. As long as local and state governments operate on patronage systems in which the unqualified are given positions within the government based on political affiliation rather than merit, programs are doomed to failure. The root of success or failure of NCLB is the question of responsiveness of government to local concerns of parents and students.

Granting that the Feds are generally less responsive than municipal authorities, it only takes attendance at one school board meeting for the citizen to discover that parental concerns figure only marginally into the deliberations of local officials. Exacerbating that problem is the participation level of parents. Schools loaded with at risk children whose home life is influenced by drug use, crime, gang activity and parental irresponsibility suffer from parental apathy as well. If parents don’t care about student achievement, to whom does it fall to ensure improvement in education and accomplishment of the goals laid out in NCLB?

No mandate from on high will correct the educational failure of students whose parents don’t care. Youngsters from such families face insurmountable difficulties. Their actions must contradict the apathy of their parental units, the pressure of peers to disregard benefits of education, and the unresponsiveness to government officials to their essential needs for engagement and security. To ask a second grader to oppose those oppressive social pressures to treasure and excel in education is unrealistic and unreasonable. They are not equipped emotionally or psychologically to accomplish those activities.

Remediation may well be the only answer for these children. Should they survive their socio-economic circumstances into young adulthood, resources must be made available for them to recover the fundamentals of education ignored in lower grades. The ideals of NCLB have a much better chance of success if facilities for this kind of remedial learning are made available to those who finally have the physical, emotional and psychological capacity to ignore governmental unresponsiveness, parental apathy and oppressive peer pressure to secure the benefits of education for themselves.

End of 2005

2005-12-30T09:26:00.000-05:00

Being the end of a disasterous 2005, it is only appropriate some notes be posted.

Time may think Bono is the Man of the Year, co-served by the Gates', but my determination is that the person or thing that most affected the year was --

The Weather

While earthquakes are not essentially weather, the resultant tsunami in South Asia certainly affected millions of humans and set the tone for the year. Following those separate but connected disasters, the hurricane season surely occupied the news, with the destruction of New Orleans capturing the attention of the world.

I was thoroughly delighted to see the continued dissolution of the liberal ideology as the maniacs on the left attempted to make the weather a political issue. Idiocy reigned as such notables as Calypso Louie babbled their nonsense about exploding the levis and selectivity of race in rescue.

My favorite image among all the horror of New Orleans was not the hundreds of submerged school busses ("We ain't goin' on no school busses. We want coaches!), but the view from the helicoptor of one family in the 9th Ward that had apparently taken appropriate precautions. Amongst the muddy sewage water surrounding their neighborhood, this family secured a chorinated pool. As the helicopters passed over the scene, the children were playing in the pool and waving at the aircraft, not begging for rescue, but greeting the world media as a symbol of what good common sense and preparation could accomplish in the midst of disaster.

These people took responsibility for their own survival in a marvelous contrast to those who depended on the government to extract them from their situation. The government, at all levels, gave us floating bodies, flooded school busses, the Superdome catastrophe, and the opportunity for a liberal media feeding frenzy. Those who chose to take personal responsibility for their own lives and behaviors continue to thrive and rebuild for the dependent classes who refuse to be responsible.

On a personal note, 2005 had a balance of successes and disappointments. I managed to extricate myself from the factory known as the University of Tennessee and enroll in a teacher certification program with some light at the end of the tunnel. I completed the first semester with respectable passing grades.

Among disappointments was the passing of my mother. She had been in various health care facilities throughout the year, ending up in the same hospice that had housed Terri Schiavo. Like Ms. Schiavo, my mother did not leave that facility alive. It was not the fault of the hospice. My mother made the decision that her quality of life was lacking and chose to shed the weight of this vale of tears. The Woodside Hospice made it possible for her to pass on December 18th with the least amount of discomfort.

Now we are on the verge of 2006. More will die because that is the nature and fate of humanity, to be born, to live and to die. Some will go violently. Far more will pass in their sleep. Headlines will scream indignity and injustice. Reality will expand beyond the small world of the TV screen and individual personal experience. The year will be, as others have before it, like an immense jigsaw puzzle. Pieces and parts must be garnered from a wide variety of sources for the true picture to emerge. Those who simply rely on others to make their vision will, no doubt, be disappointed. Those who have failed to learn the lessons of history will, of course, be forced to repeat the errors.

The fact is that January 1 will be much the same as December 31. Only the calendar changes. People, on the other hand, will slog through their lives, all headed for the same ultimate result. Hope rests in the realization that true achievement comes in the lives touched and improved by the efforts of those who will shoulder that responsibility. Those who live only for themselves are doomed to disappointment and dissatisfaction. True joy comes in the process, not necessarily in the success, of helping each other.

If you doubt the truth of this ideal, consider this. Who is more happy, the Coast Guard aircrewman who rescued hundreds from the rooftops of flooded New Orleans, or those who stood, stranded, with signs of need born of decades of dependence?

Santo Subito!

2005-04-10T08:38:00.000-04:00

There’s something in the psyche of Western culture that has developed in the past 40 years. It is a need to be a part of important events. I believe it started with the protests of the Viet Nam War back in the 60s. Since then it seems this desperate desire to matter in the grand scheme has become prevelent in society. Some examples, the articles left at the Wall in D.C.; the flowering of particular sites following the deaths of the rich, famous, or young; protest marches in favor of and opposition to the war in Iraq, the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, etc., etc., etc. People seem to have a tremendous need to be counted, make a contribution, or merely a statement regarding larger than life issues.

So it appears to be regarding the death and sanctification of Pope John Paul II. Signs appeared during the funeral service demanding sainthood for the deceased pontiff. Cries of “John Paul, the Great” arose from the crowd in a variety of languages. People, ordinary people, expressing a personal desire for general acceptance of their idea. It makes me twitchy.

Was John Paul II a saint? Definitely so. All we who are believers are saints, with a small “s”. Was he a Saint? Well, frankly, I don’t know. The process of beatification and canonization is usually a long one. The last pope to be singled out for the honor was John XXIII (that’s 23, for you folks in Frayser). It’s a process that has not been completed in his case. Now there is a swelling public sentiment that JP II deserves immediate recognition as a Saint, big “S”. It appears that the trend to express an idea publicly, to react emotionally to JP II’s death and make a difference to the world has found resonance, especially in the world’s news organizations.

Personally, I don’t really care if JP II is canonized a Saint next Tuesday. Not being one to cling to the belief that praying to Saints matters (my petitions go to the Father through the Son, period), I consider it a nice honor for a really good guy, and not much else. JP II did give us a marvelous example of humility and endurance. His pontificate was marked by certain problems in other areas, though. But, hey! Whose isn’t?

Should the Roman Catholic Church declare JP II a Saint immediately (Santo Subito)? Sure. Why not? It’s no skin off my nose. But, it does provide one more interesting occurrence of the little people making a large statement based on the emotionalism of the moment. It is a dangerous precedent.

Blind Justice

2005-03-31T15:22:00.000-05:00

Terri Schiavo has passed away. What an enormous miscarriage of justice.

One has to wonder what was going on in the minds of all these jurists when they refused to review the facts in this case. Now, my education is far from complete, and sometimes I get a little lost in the forest because I can't see around all the trees. But, even a dolt like me considered that her guardian, that is, her husband, Michael, might not have her best interests at heart.

"Okay, Unk," you say. "Where's your facts?"

1. Michael prohibited any attempts at rehabilitation for the wife he loved so much.

2. Michael is living with another woman and has fathered two children by her subsequent to Terri's accident.

Those two facts alone make the case for a review in my feeble mind. Anybody else?

It doesn't matter if the starvation and dehydration of Terri cause her pain. Whether it did or not, her nourishment and hydration were removed and she was killed. Babies get nourished and hydrated even though they can't speak. Why was Terri's case any different? Would we do the same to Stephen Hawking?

Mostly I am struck by the insensitivity of the the various judges and courts. All I wanted was somebody with the guts to step forward and say, "Put it back! Let's not deny nourishment and hydration until we've had a chance to review all the facts." But nobody would. Nobody was willing to even look at the relevent facts.

As a believer in the afterlife, I know Terri is in a better place this afternoon than she was in this morning. I hope, as a matter of simple justice, that when each of these judges crosses over in his or her own passage to the other side, the first vision he or she has is that of Terri Schiavo. What do you think she would say? "Thank you for helping to kill me, your Honor."

Cochran Croaks

2005-03-30T00:50:00.000-05:00

Famous black attorney Johnnie Cochran has died at his home in LA at the age of 67, victim of an inoperable brain tumor. The pinnacle of Cochran’s career was the use of an absolutely scandalous racist tactic to free double murderer O.J. Simpson from criminal charges brought by the LA District Attorney. Simpson was later found guilty in a civil trial and ordered to pay $33.5 million to survivors of his ex-wife, Nicole, and her beau, Ron Goldman.

Cochran managed to convince a largely ignorant black jury that the LAPD had framed Simpson in an attempt to blame a black man for a crime they couldn’t solve. Preferring to believe the idea of a police conspiracy against Simpson, the jury acquitted the former Heismann Trophy running back of criminal murder charges in the stabbing deaths of his ex-wife and her friend. After the jury announced its verdict Simpson promised to find the actual killer or killers of the duo.

Cochran was diagnosed with the brain tumor in 2003. He now knows for certain who murdered Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. The rest of us knew years ago. He probably did, too, but victory was more important to him than justice, especially victory over the EVIL Los Angeles Police Department.

Bye, bye, Johnnie. One day your name will be synonymous for the miscarriage of justice. Meanwhile, may you be condemned to a special kind of Hell in which you get to watch OJ murder Nicole and Ron, up close and personal, time after time, repeatedly, for eternity.

It Isn't Rocket Science!

2005-03-25T08:42:00.000-05:00

As the hours tick off and Terri Schiavo’s life fades away, I am moved to contribute to the loud, if not always effective, debate over this issue.

I first heard about this situation from radio broadcaster Glenn Beck well over a year ago. It may have even been two years ago. I am inclined to agree with Beck’s position, and am definitely onboard with Bill O’Reilly’s take on the subject. I won’t take up my own space outlining their positions when you seek them out for yourself (www.glennbeck.com, and www.billoreilly.com).

As a society we are reaping the whirlwind. We have a nation ruled by judges. Too many of these judges have strange ideas about what is important. Apparently, the majority opinion among judges regarding this issue is that the right to die precludes and pre-empts all other rights. At the heart of the issue is, of course, abortion. The right to choose is more important than a parent’s love or desire to serve. What insanity! What will we lose by allowing this woman to live? The answer to that is the equivocation found in the courts regarding the definition of life, and more to the point, worthwhile life.

As of this writing the courts, the judges, are backing off the issue, saying only that all legal issues pertaining to this case have been addressed. Lawyers! Nobody has the guts to simply decide that if there is a glimmer of life in the body of Terri Schiavo, and she has the support system to continue to live (as provided by her parents and other members of her family), then she ought to be permitted to live.

There is something sinister going on here. Michael Schiavo’s refusal to move on with his new life with his live-in girlfriend an their two children (WHAT!?!) and allow Terri’s parents to have custody of their daughter, his intentions to demand immediate cremation of Terri’s body once she passes, and allegations of abuse of Terri by Michael lodged by certain of Terri’s past care-givers cast broad shadows of doubt over this whole situation. As one politician said some years ago, “The seriousness of the charges require an investigation.” Allowing Michael Schiavo to control the evidence in a potential investigation in which he might be the perpetrator is whacko.

The inmates are running the asylum!

On Acting

2005-02-27T07:50:00.000-05:00

Now that it is over I can confess that I performed in a dinner theater murder mystery last night (Saturday, Feb 26, 2005). I played a phoney-baloney Italian chef looking for a mention in an upcoming book on great chefs. The author was guest of honor at the dinner and winds up dead. When it was done, the audience decided I didn't do the killing.

What brought this on was the question I received during rehearsals from one of the other cast members. "Have you ever acted before?" I nearly laughed at her. My first experience in a play was the 1st grade Thanksgiving presentation in which I played the Pilgrim Father. I have, however, been playing parts for virtually my entire life.

I first came to the realization that "all the world's a stage" when I was working as a limousine driver in Memphis (one of the least favorite of my many jobs). My epiphany was that the best way to do that job and maximize tips was to play the part of a limo driver. It had never been my intention to become one and was, in fact, a stopgap job in between real ones. I knew, however, that I could play the part of a limo driver as if it had been part of an elaborate stage play.

The real epiphany was that I had been playing parts like that for my whole life. Husband, father, manager, friend, confidant, substitute teacher, elder in the church, and even Chief Petty Officer when I was in the Navy. I am one of those people who has migraine headaches born of the fear that someone will one day discover that I really don't know what the hell I am doing. I'm just playing a part.

This is, apparently, not a unique phenomenon. There are lots of people suffering from the same fear. While I don't have data, there is anecdotal evidence that this fear is widespread. It helps those of us who are afraid feel a little more "normal". That and the Shakespearian reference to the situation partially quoted above. "We are all but players on that stage."

Last night's experience was quite comfortable for me. I have always loved the stage. It seems to calm me when the words and actions are prescribed. It relieves me of the responsibility of behaving appropriately in various situations. On the stage I am acting, everybody knows I'm acting. It is something I know how to do. Nobody will "find me out". Besides, I have a lifetime of practicing how to act.

They Sure Don't Make it Easy

2005-02-25T11:32:00.000-05:00

Having decided teaching was my long term professional goal I set about the process of certification. It is an interesting but little known fact that those of us who have BA degrees in disciplines other than Education have to take additional courses to become certified as teachers in Tennessee's public schools. Correction, that is Tennessee's elementary and secondary public schools. A mere BA qualifies one to teach at the college level, be it community college or full-fledged university. But, one can't teach 6th grade without a certificate.

And, they sure don't make it easy. The advisor at UT Knoxville reviewed my transcript from U of Memphis and determined that I need to take Anthropology, Biology, Chemistry, Economics and Geography before I can begin taking any of the courses that contribute to the actual certification. My perception of U of Memphis as Tiger High is reinforced.

There is no fast track, either. One would think that someone of my age and background would be credited from some life experience in the process. Not so. It remains to slog determinedly through the freshman-level survey courses the State has determined are required to teach our munchkins the A-B-Cs and 1-2-3s.

The single positive aspect is that once all these requirements are completed, including a semester of student teaching, the certificate is awarded and I will be twelve hours shy of a Masters in Education. Twelve hours is four courses. That is two semesters for a lazy slug like me.

If you run the math, it's two semesters for the survey courses, two semesters for the Education courses, a semester of student teaching, and two semesters for the final twelve hours. I'll have my certificate in 2007. I'll have my MEd in 2008. If I live that long. Then, I'll be able to teach children. Like I'm not able at present!

The Best Job in the World

2005-02-21T19:43:00.000-05:00

In the past, I thought airline pilots had the best job in the world. That was before I considered the emotional toll of carrying hundreds to the Pearly Gates as some mechanical jackscrew failed and the equipment fell out of the sky. Since then I have discovered that education is the most fundamental, necessary and vital function of every human being. We all have some responsibility for educating toward the future. Within that responsibility is the joy of expanding a young mind, instilling respect for learning, and the special sense of accomplishment when the synapses fire and education is accomplished. Without a doubt, it is the best job in the world.