Author: Tehanu

  My daughter strikes again with thoughts on the Pledge of Allegiance that students are required to say at her school at the beginning of second block every day.

  I thought this was an interesting essay particularly in light of the “patriot or traitor” meme of the Republican party/ media over the last 8 years.

   (And for those who are interested, she’s furious that she’ll never get to vote for Barack Obama, even if he wins a second term.  So if someone out there can take someone to the polls to vote for him, she’d be most appreciative.)

Cheers- and her thoughts- below the fold.
Socratic Seminar Essay: The Pledge of Allegiance

            Every day, we recite the Pledge of Allegiance.  Without conscious thought, we daily proclaim our loyalty to America.  However, what is the worth of a pledge that is not carefully considered?  It directly contradicts the Constitutional right to free speech and freedom of religion to be forced to say the Pledge, and reciting these words by rote throughout our school years has drained them of meaning.   Clearly, the Pledge of Allegiance need not, and must not, be recited daily.  However, its phrasing also needs improvement.  After all, we pledge allegiance to the American ideals of justice and equality, not to a flag or to a higher power.
            America was founded on the principle of freedom within reasonable limits.  While we do not have the freedom to harm others, we do have the freedom to practice any religion and to speak- or not speak- in ways that do not harm others.  Although we cannot cause  panic or riots by speaking and escape punishment, it is perfectly acceptable to respectfully make our opinions known.  In the Supreme Court case West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette, the right to free speech was also defined as the right not to speak.  Specifically, it was determined to be legal to not say the Pledge of Allegiance.  As long as people stand respectfully with their hands over their hearts, actually speaking is merely an option.  Students cannot be forced to say the Pledge, only to take a brief moment to respect the flag and our country.
            Think of something that we do daily during the school year, such as homework.  While individual assignments might have meaning, imagine if they were all the same.  Most likely, we would complete the task by rote, not paying attention to what was intended.  The same is true with the Pledge of Allegiance.  Because we say it every day at the same time, it has become a mere ritual and has lost some of its meaning.  If the Pledge of Allegiance were to be said less often- twice a week, for example- it would lose its banality and be said with more thought.  Although it is a gesture of respect to say the pledge, saying it without meaning or  understanding is degrading to the ideals of America.  Rather than just being taught the pledge, students should also be taught the significance and history beyond the words.  Although ritual can be useful, the meaning behind the ritual is all too easily lost.
            Now we come to the Pledge itself.  It, like most American manuscripts, is a living document.  It changes with time in response to the needs of the public.  The pledge, then, can be changed if  necessary.  If one examines the pledge, it is easy to see that it must be made more accurate and more capable of transferring its message.  For example, we pledge allegiance first to our flag and only later to the country it represents.  Do we live in a flag?  Are things as flaglike as apple pie?  No, America comes first.  It should hold the place in the Pledge of Allegiance that it holds in our lives.  The phrase “under God” is also inaccurate, as it conveys the impression that America is host to a  dominant, established religion.  However, it states in our own Constitution that we are not a theocracy.  The Pledge should, and perhaps must, be changed in order to accurately convey American values.
            The Pledge of Allegiance, although it is a historical document, is not perfect and unchangeable.  More than fifty years have passed since the last alteration of the Pledge.  If we pledge allegiance to our country thoughtfully and with full knowledge of our pledge’s meaning, we honor America far more than if  we routinely repeat empty words from memory.  If these words are relevant and accurately represent what our country does, that is even better.

  Every once in a while my daughter lets me post something she’s written.  Lately she’s been thinking about getting a PhD. in environmental engineering and another in Archaeology so she can take the knowledge of past environmental disasters and apply it to our modern emergency.

  For those of you who don’t know about my kiddo, she’s currently 11 years old and a junior at a local high school.  She likes her privacy, so I won’t tell you any more than that- other than to say that she’s quite happy with her life and please don’t recommend any books because she’s probably already read them!

Duck under the fold to find out what’s in store…
    In Under a Green Sky, Peter Ward chronicles the discovery of the cause of most ancient mass extinctions and explains what effects this cause may have on our world today.  Originally, most scientists thought that impact by a meteor was the cause of all mass extinctions.  The root of this belief was evidence of extraterrestrial impact in the form of helium isotopes most commonly found in space and other debris characteristic of impact.  However, one problem with that hypothesis was that the clear signs of asteroid impact in the Cretaceous rock strata were not present in strata from other eras.  
    According to Ward, chemical markers left by extinct species indicated that there were large amounts of hydrogen sulfide in the water and atmosphere near the extinction borders.  There were also indicators of low oxygen content and warmer water.  The hypothesis developed from this data was that large amounts of carbon dioxide had been released into the air, causing warming, glacial melting, and a disruption of the conveyor currents that maintain oxygen levels in the modern ocean.  The ocean then began to stratify and bottom-dwelling organisms, robbed of oxygen, died out.  Ward says that bacteria that did not require oxygen and produced hydrogen sulfide as a waste product (these bacteria are still present in a few areas today) thrived and produced amounts of this gas that were large enough to kill many land animals after the gas bubbled to the surface.
    Today, humans introduce unnaturally high amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.  Ward says that melting of the polar ice caps has already begun because of the increase in temperature resulting from the rise in greenhouse gases.  If carbon dioxide release is not stopped soon, the conveyor currents will be disrupted, the ice caps will melt over a period of a few hundred years, and the patterns of climate will be drastically altered.  According to Ward, this will cause another mass extinction.
    I recommend Under a Green Sky to anyone who is interested in the past or the environmental movement.  The author’s enthralling writing style and the anecdotes accompanying the discoveries complement the scientific information that anchors the book.  For the first time, there is proof that the increase in carbon dioxide levels will have (and has had) a severe impact.  I came away from the book determined to find ways to reduce my carbon footprint and to work towards the goal of greenhouse gas emissions reduction.  

  My 9 year old daughter is tall, strong, and deeply concerned with what she sees hapening in America.  She wanted me to share with you a paper she just finished for her ninth grade Honors English class.  I know you will welcome her… and with a little encouragement, she just may sign up.

Thanks.

Go below the fold to see

Watership Down and its Allusions to America’s Current State
    America must face up to the loss of democracy and regain our intelligent and vibrant culture.  We have developed a policy of hubristic diplomacy that is responsible for worsening international relations, including the predominant “Bring `em on!” policy for the Iraq war.  There are also signs of American fascism such as cronyism and corruption in government.  America is at a crossroads where it can become a fascist state, lose our culture, or remain a true democracy.  Watership Down is an important cautionary tale in showing that the paths of fascism and willful ignorance both lead to sure ruin.  
    First, one must realize the dangers of  losing our democracy.  The warren of Efrafa is a dictatorship lead by a rabbit named General Woundwort. The rabbits of Efrafa are forced to lead unnatural lives.  Rabbits are “marked,” or bitten, in various places and the scars are used to sort the rabbits into groups.  The rabbits are identified by their mark, as “Every rabbit is marked when he’s a kitten: they bite them, deep, under the chin or in a haunch or forepaw. Then they can be told by the scar for the rest of their lives.”   Rabbits could not visit another group without an officer’s permission.  While Bigwig was in Efrafa, he “went to Chervil and obtained his consent to visit another Mark.”  A rabbit would spend most of the day with his Mark and go out with them to silflay (eat) twice per day.  The rabbit would pass hraka (droppings) in a ditch to be buried because that way it would make it harder to be discovered by man.  The presiding force in America is similar to Efrafa because they both give up natural rights and freedoms in favor of security.      
    Efrafa is an example of what America could become, given time.  America is becoming less democratic, elections are tampered with, and there is ongoing torture and wiretapping.  Our current government has a disdain for the constitution in general.   Fear of  “terrorists” and of “rebel nations” such as Iran and North Korea, forces people to support our current administration.  Dr. Britt`s article, “14 Points of Fascism,” has many points which are prevalent in our own society.  His first point,” Powerful and Continuing Expressions of Nationalism ,” is shown by the “If you aren’t with us you’re against us” policy and ubiquitous displays of flags.  The administration’s disdain for human rights is shown by torture and also by the wiretapping of private phone conversations.  An obsession with our national security is seen in our dwelling on 9/11 and by the image of our president as king, shown by his phrase “Let freedom reign.”   We must consciously work towards permanent democracy in America.   
    We must also be careful not to swing too far the other way.  The Shining Wire warren represents complacency and apathy.  The farmer leaves carrots, lettuce and other such rabbit delicacies to trick the rabbits into getting used to roaming far from the warren so that they can be more easily caught and trapped.  The rabbits also have a disdain for knowledge, which takes the form of a taboo on questions, and the use of shapes, which are stones pushed into the wall in patterns that represent certain things, as distractions.  Willful ignorance can be seen in the elaborately and completely covered up problem of the snares.  They tried to make themselves seem better than other rabbits, so “They found out other marvelous arts to take the place of tricks and old stories.”  The rabbits also live in an unsustainable way, as the traps gradually destroy the warren and there are few or no children to carry on the population.
    We as a nation have many similarities to the Shining Wire warren.  America practices willful ignorance by having disdain for science, such as the government’s refusal to believe that global warming is true.  America also has inferior education compared to other countries, for it has an anti-educational culture.  Cover-ups such as the denial of true torture accusations are currently taking place.  Our mainstream media does not report real news- it reports popular culture blather.  One top CNN article title is “Andrea Yates’ ex-husband weds, days before her trial.”  Our consumeristic way of life is also unsustainable.  Our debt is massive and exponentially increasing.  Many scientists say that the amount of oil in the ground and the amount produced will soon begin to decrease.  This is called peak oil.  As our economy is based on petroleum and petroleum products, it will cause economic and other upheaval and instability.  As one can see, our overall consumption is unsustainable and we must change our ways now or it will be too late.
    However, there is hope for a viable future America.  The Watership Down warren represents the ideal and is the best path to choose out of the three.  It also has a strong sense of community and democracy.  Individuals like Fiver, the rabbit that has visions of the future, and Blackberry, the unusually smart and inventive rabbit, are appreciated, as “They had come closer together, relying on and valuing each other’s capacities.”  All rabbits are given voice and their needs are met.  The warren settles in a place with a sustainable ideal location because they choose to adapt and plan for the future.  The warren allows rabbits to act freely and naturally, leading to the fact that “The warren was thriving at last and Hazel could sit basking on the bank and count their blessings.”  America must regain the society that is represented in the Watership Down warren.
    America ignores obvious signs of danger and degeneration at its peril.  One can see the need for a safe country.  The warren of Efrafa is also very efficient but excessive safety and lack of real thought leads to unnatural and diminished lives.  The need for an enjoyable life must also be considered.  Both people and rabbits are happiest when they can look forward to enjoyment at the end of a day of work, but not at the expense of family or lives.  The Watership Down warren incorporates safety, comfort, and democracy, making it the best option for America.  America shall become no more than another dictatorship if we continue on our present path, but if instead we choose the path of democracy and equality, we shall indeed become a sustainable and community-based nation.

  For us, it usually begins with whiskey.  You come to the door after the funeral, pondering combined thoughts of mortality and potential.  You set your things down on the back bed and come forward to make your toast to the dead.  He may have been a bastard, but he was our bastard.  She may have been a gossip, but the secrets she told about the family only mirrored how much she loved and focused on us.  This is a time for remembering the best, for laughing, crying, mourning and reforging.

  It is no secret that I think we’ve shuffled off the mortal coil of the Democratic party, and others have made it plain that they see no death- or at least expect a resurrection in three days time.  That’s fine.  We’re all family and all welcome.  This is a time for remembering and renewal.

So if you want to join the wake, or awaken new resolve for democracy, grab a glass and add your toast beneath the fold.
Tell us your earliest and best memories, explain where you think we are going, how you expect your lives will change.  What do you hope for- and what do you fear?

Let this be a space where we think of something higher than retrenching.  Remember pride?  Remember hope?  We all want that again, although we may differ on how to get there.  It is my hope that by remembering the best we all come out with a renewed vision and energy to take us there.

Mom claims my dad’s always been the last guy through the door before the opportunity closed.  I’m delighted it turned out that way, because this man grew up in a boxcar among the Irish railroad builders.  His mother died in childbirth with him, so he was under the wing of his grandmother, the camp cook.  To this day my dad says he has never seen such body-wearing hard work.

But he got himself out of there by enlisting in the Air Force.  He worked his way up the ranks and retired after 20 years- then he found a job in a factory and was the last man hired before the freeze.  He soon found himself working the jobs of three men.

The company began to go under, so dad scrambled and found a job at IBM.  One of my most vivid childhood memories was the night before his interview when mom dyed his hair.
Dad was terrified that he might be seen as too old to hire, so he allowed mom to apply the blue-black color to his hair.  For some reason the dye stained spots on his face and the entire family panicked.  But he got the job- again as the last man on before a freeze.

IBM fell.  At least it did to the workers who lost what was supposed to be lifetime employment if they did their jobs.  Dad was one of the last men given a decent severance package.  And so, between the military retirement and the small pension, they’re doing fine.

But mom and dad have noticed a trend among their children.  At first they thought it was just me being eco-nuts, so they brought slippers, sweaters and hot water bottles when they came to visit.  Then they went out of state to visit my brother and his family, and found they had to do the same.

My sisters house?  They put on extra socks and pullovers.  My other brother?  He uses a space heater for the room people are in and piles blankets on the couch for watching TV.

My parents are somewhat perturbed that thier children can’t afford to heat their houses.  But if my dad’s pattern continues then we’d all better stock up on wool:  He’s always the last man in safe before the freeze.

  Remember that scene in the original Star Wars where Luke, Leia, Han Solo and Chewy are being squeeeeezed in the trash compactor?  That’s what the economy is doing right now: gasoline, heating, food, health care, and everything else is costing more while wages don’t even keep up with inflation.  

   Fortunately, I’ve had a chance to hone my frugality skills over the last few years as we tried to homeschool our daughter on a one teacher income.  Oh yeah, and we paid off a student loan and moved from Alaska….

I think it’s time we shared our best tips with each other.  

Go below for the fall frugal fest…
The absolute best source I found for saving money was the Tightwad Gazette, by Amy Dacyczyn.  Do not go buy the series, get them from your library.  Use interlibrary loan if you must; they are out there.

The number one savings tip I gleaned from her was the concept of a price book.  Keep a small notebook with a page for each item you commonly use.  Over the next couple months, write down the prices for these items each time you go the store.  By that point you should have a good basis for deciding what is a real sale, and what is a pseudo-sale.  When you find an amazing buy, stock up!  Use the space under the bed for that case of pineapple.  Fill the freezer with the $1.50/ pound London broil.  (Yes, I am proud of that one.)  This technique does require that you have enough cash to cover a good sale, but the savings over time make it worthwhile.

One of Amy’s best points is to do the actual calculations to determine whether an activity is worth your time.  For example, washing your own car may save you $5.00, but take you a 1.5 hours, making your wage
$3.33/ hour.  On the other hand, cooking at home may yield a “wage” of $10.00/ hour.  Do the math.

I really am concerned about the economy, our pension plans which we will pay into but probably not receive, paying for college, declining wages and the while inflationary caboodle.  It seems to me that this is the time to play it close to home, and start saving for any scary things coming our way.

So please share your tips, recipes and concerns.  Let’s be ready for anything.  (And yes, my grandparents never did really recover from the Great Depression.)

My neighbors are partying.

They have the bar set up in their garage, a loudspeaker blaring, and horseshoes poles in the street.
Why should the thousands of dead and suffering mar their long weekend?  Why should they give up their drunkfest to donate blood or money?  What do their shallow souls know of propriety, shame, empathy or angst?  

Their COORS sign flutters in the late afternoon breeze.
Their kids drive around on mini-motorcycles they call “crotch rockets”.  Adults flutter around the keg.

They voted for Bush- therefore they own each and every one of his bodies.  They made his environmental disasters, his wars, his smirk possible.

I think Republicans have no souls.  

(Crossly posted at My Left Wing- another fabulous blog)

I’ve been with my husband for 14 years, and since we’re still snuggly at night I’d like to think we have some idea of how good relationships work.  For us it has been
respect
division of labor
shared values
shared goals
family and future

In this morning’s shower I was fuming over the DLC and Hillary when the question came to me.  If my relationship with the Democratic Party were a marriage, would I leave?
Right off the bat I’d have to admit it has all the marks of an abusive relationship.
My progressive thoughts are ridiculed.

My reproductive rights are in peril- and my spouse is complicit.  He keeps inviting more and more anti-woman friends over to the house and has a livid fit when I don’t want to entertain them.

My GOTV work is devalued and expected much in the way a slob yells at his wife to bring another beer.

I’m told to shut up and work, because things will be better if I do- once his agenda has been met.  My ideals are pie in the sky anyways.

My values of peace and prosperity are ignored for the crack cocaine of corporate money and the military.  Somehow he just has to keep proving he’s macho.

He keeps telling me this is the best there is.  Everyone else out there is worse than he is, so I’d better stay and do as he says.  ABB.

So if this were a real marriage, I’d have been out the door long ago.  But what about the kids?  Don’t I have a moral obligation to work on the relationship for their sake?  The environment, the Great Society, the ill, young and poor do need me- but my spouse isn’t helping them anyways.  He just focuses on the Joneses down the block.  They can’t come up with anything without him trying to do one better.  He thinks that makes them respect him.  Sad, really.

Last month I made a cake for my daughter’s ninth birthday.  She wanted watermelon balls and balloons hung to the trees.  She received her presents joyfully- a stuffed animal, beading kit, gyroscope, and went off to play in a frosting induced bliss.

Yesterday I had to buy her a bra.

What is going on that our children are entering puberty so quickly?  Is she alone in this?
From CNN:

OK, she was getting dark hair on her legs at 8 and there were some afternoons when I suggested she visit the deodorant.  But I was 12 before I needed this.  And guys, trust me when I say that a kid who can’t find her flip flips isn’t ready for this.

So why?  

In this matter we’ve done the best we can, while realizing that there are pesticides all around us that we aren’t aware of.  My mom is ORTHO woman- I am LIKE HELL woman.  But we go to parks, visit folks…
We even buy organic milk just to avoid the growth hormones.

What else?

Not this bundle of muscle.  She rides dressage, jumps for hours on the trampoline, runs circuits aroundd the yard, scoots up and down the block at amazing speeds and does pull ups on her loft bed for fun.  Her legs and arms are rock solid.  Her belly is too, which is why I couldn’t figure out what all that jiggling was last time she trotted.

Verdict?  Not applicable.

So I have a lovely young girl who is undergoing changes that should be left for later years.  This is happening more frequently.  We also live in a highly sexualized culture, where women are valued above all for their ability to titilate men.  And Georgio is likely to get 2 Supremes which makes my daughter more at risk for losing her ability to choose what happens with her body.  

So what does sleep have to do with raising a profoundly gifted child?  

Take trip through cinematic history with me, back to a Cary Grant Film called I Was A Male War Bride.  In this farce, the lead character couldn’t find a place to bunk because her didn’t fit the authorized profile of a war bride- female.  All the paperwork was designed for females, asked personal questions for females and- here’s where we fit in- he didn’t fit their red tape and so he didn’t really exist.  It was beyond their duty to help him, so each clerk shuffled him along while stating “I know.  But you can’t sleep here.”

Follow me beneath the fold.  (I promise to put funny anecdotes at the end!)
We first got the clue that we didn’t belong when she was 2 and we joined playgroups, which moms are told are essential for socializing their kids.  One of the fun things about this for parents is the chance to talk to another adult.  They would usually talk about baby milestones and tell anecdotes.  Notice I said “they” because I quickly realized that I wasn’t allowed to celebrate my daughter’s accomplishments in the same way.  They saw her reading, listened to her speak and felt that they were bad parents because their beloved child wasn’t doing these things.  I usually got 2 reactions.  The first would be requests for teaching materials, the second a slur about pushy moms.  Time to move on.

Look!  Preschool!  That has got to welcome her.  Why I saw the room was filled with shelves full of activities.  Oh, she’s too young?  But she’s reading…  I see.  She needs to socialize with her peers.  Fine.  Put us in the toddler class and we’ll wait.

You get the idea by now, but it continued for her for years. In elementary school we were told to just not give her any work and see what she does with her time (and my $4,000 of tuition!)  One psychologist did the numbers for us- 1 in a million, which means that a teacher would encounter one child like this in 6,666 years of teaching- if this teacher taught 150 students each year.  

This last spring we met with the local high school principal who completely agreed that her academic needs were at that level (if not beyond) but because she is 9- she can’t go there.   So I’m forced to homeschool, which has been wonderful for the family, but when I try to get lab equipment from the school district I’m told that “lack of science equipment is one of the things you have to put up with when you choose to homeschool.”

As you know from my last diary, things are going quite well now.  We’ve created a safe space for her to thrive- and she can sleep here.

And since I promised you stories, here they are.

Once when she was five, she sat in the back of the car doing what kids of that age do when they are bored and have only fingers and nostrils to amuse themselves.  I caught a glimpse in the mirror and did what moms do in such circumstances; say boogers are gross, dirty and not food.  Her counterargument?

1.  Nasal mucous is meant to catch pathogens that would normally make us ill.
2.  Vaccines make antibodies by introducing the pathogen in a safer way.
3.  Ingesting these pathogens is actually a smart way to protect yourself against getting ill.

You want another?  

My daughter has always been interested in babies.  She devoured books on child development, focusing on the blastula and gastrula stages with great interest.  Since we wanted her sex education to be gentle and introduced casually we got a book that spoke about what happens when mom and dad feel loving… and I left it around for her to find.

She glommed onto it immediately, and I braced myself in the kitchen for THE INEVITABLE QUESTION of how the sperm get in mommy.

She came out and said “Mom, I have  a question about what I read in this book.”  More bracing on my part.  “Yes, honey?”

“How does the matrix of the egg change so quickly that only 1 sperm gets in?”