Category Archives: Food for Thought

December 12, 2014 · 6:28 am

Doomed?

From National Review Online, “Progressives Gnaw at the Curriculum”, Mona Charen writes:

“Only about 18 percent of American colleges require a survey course on U.S. history or government. Then again, when they do teach U.S. history, they tend to do so in a highly tendentious fashion. As my colleague Jay Nordlinger has observed, “It’s all slavery, racism, and the internment of Japanese-Americans in World War II.”

This is deadly serious business. Civilizations are not self-sustaining enterprises. People must believe that their society and culture are worth preserving. If we don’t teach our children the fundamentals of American history and government, they will not have the knowledge or perspective necessary to maintain it.”

Her article offers dismal statistics on how young Americans fare at understanding US history, with the educational system mired in grievance politics.  This brought to mind an old LB post, “A few thoughts about the Lewis and Clark expedition”, where I offered my views on teaching history:

“In recent decades so much hot air has been expended over how to teach history and just about every other subject.  Truly discouraging battles continue to be waged over textbooks, where politically charged combatants wrestle over every single entry.  The Texas textbook fights have garnered national media attention.   With so much information available, it seems to me that instead of fighting over whether to include this or that historical figure and how many lines get devoted to each, the time might be better spent teaching kids how to explore history – it should be a journey, or an expedition into uncharted territory not a political mud-wrestling match.   Just look at a few of the entries in the Lewis and Clark journals, where they charted maps and terrain features, they drew pictures of the flora and fauna, talked to the natives, they wrote as many detailed entries as their harsh conditions allowed.  They did this so that they could come back and share it with others.  This is what education should be – sharing knowledge.”

On a tangential topic, teaching kids to be survivors, let me once again recommend Gladius’ essay, “Gimme a Knife” and a wonderful exploration of the Lewis and Clark journals from an American Thinker article by David L. Lenard, “Looking Back at Lewis and Clark”.  Lenard takes you on a rich trip through the journals, offering up fascinating tidbits that contrast survival techniques like caching supplies (burying them) for later use, which will make modern-day, hide and seek,  geocaching using GPS for entertainment seem rather silly.  Lenard contrasts the abilities of the Lewis and Clark explorers to our modern-day culture:

“What a difference from today, where the handwringing of nervous housewives (“God forbid little Jimmy should encounter peanut traces in his food”) dominates our daily existence, and the liberal imperative of nanny-state overregulation promises the illusion of lives lived in perfect safety and perfect comfort, without risk or suffering or even unpleasantness.  Self-sufficiency is anathema to this mentality, but the Lewis and Clark expedition was self-sufficient to an almost unbelievable degree: they not only hunted their own food, but, when necessary, built their own boats; sewed their own clothes; and when it was too cold to travel, built their own forts — not once, but twice.

In our modern republic, where large segments of our population compete to be declared helpless victims so they can receive government handouts, one cannot help but think that little Jimmy might benefit from being sent out with Drouilliard: “Here’s a musket, son — now go kill that deer, and don’t miss, because if you do, there’s a strong possibility you might starve.””

I’ll leave it there for you to think about the educational riches we have available, free and easily accessible, in America, yet so many Americans lack the will to improve themselves:

“Survival is more a mind-set than a setting. Attitude is everything.” – Gladius, “Gimme a Knife”

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Filed under American History, Culture Wars, Education, Food for Thought, General Interest, Politics

December 1, 2014 · 10:33 pm

Militarization in America – except for the US Armed forces

I didn’t really want to jump into the Ferguson mess, but being libertybelle, it’s hard to remain silent.  Enough already!   President Obama and all his friends in the far left activism circle are pulling a fast one on our incurious, gullible mainstream media and playing the race card to silence any who dare question them.  President Obama met with leftie radicals,like La Raza,  race agitators like Al Sharpton, along with assorted leaders from the NAACP, hip-hop, and select law enforcement folks (those who support President Obama’s agenda).  President Obama wants to create a federal police force and he’s using the Ferguson situation to move toward that.  Naturally, he’s already at work on another executive order to nudge more federal controls and oversight of local police forces around the country.  President Obama, through his community organizing friends, staged this entire national crisis. 

Frankly, a lot of bad stuff has happened to black folks in America since our country’s founding – that is a fact.  Racism still exists, also a fact.  To pick a thug who robbed a convenience store as the poster boy for all that is wrong with the police rubs many law-abiding Americans the wrong way – Michael Brown was a suspect for a strong-arm robbery.  His mother and her husband/boyfriend (not sure which) are inciting riots, which is a crime too.  The husband/boyfriend is a two time convicted drug dealer.  Yet, the professional race agitators descended on Ferguson and keep trying to bury the facts, rewrite the narrative and do complete character makeovers for this decidedly unscrupulous cast of characters.

The altercation between Darren Wilson and Michael Brown, unlike the Zimmerman/Martin situation, took place in broad daylight.  Plenty of  eye witnesses exist.  Some, who the Brown lawyers and professional race agitators presented, were obviously coached.  Now, in modern America cell phones are everywhere.  I work in a store where customers will whip out their cell phones and snap photos of incorrect labels, misplaced merchandise behind the wrong label, etc.  The Brown handlers first tried to pawn Michael Brown off as an innocent child until the convenience store robbery videotape emerged.  With all these eyewitnesses, most, if not all, who had cellphones, photos and videos of  the altercation must exist.  I’ve been wondering who has suppressed those from hitting the media.

While President Obama looks into the militarization of police forces around the country, who is looking into his militarization of the executive branch of the federal government?  President Obama has armed even the Department of Agriculture, but he’s disarming a whole bunch of the US Armed Forces…..  Odd!

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November 29, 2014 · 12:03 pm

Another home truth

The Ferguson, MO rioting in the wake of the Darren Wilson grand jury decision, with the usual cast of professional purveyors of divisive racial politics and race-hustling, showcases not only America’s continuing racial struggles, but even more basically the sharp divide in how “civil rights” lies far removed from “civic duties” among political factional lines and also down racial lines too.  Trying to find a root cause for racial discord in America takes pretty clear-cut explanatory paths, depending on individual racial identity and political lines. The problem with expecting solutions from highly-charged polar opposite political factions boils down to a home truth – politics can’t change hearts or offer a safe place to ford the raging river of racial animus  in America.  More government programs, more politically-motivated awareness campaigns, more in-your-face punditry battles, more riots can not ever help us find common ground, common hopes, common dreams for a real “United States of America”.

In past blog posts I’ve written about Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, oft-referenced, “I Have A Dream” speech.  While the line: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”, gets recited often, another line, perhaps harkening to my Pennsylvania roots with the city of brotherly love, resonates as the simple goal we can all strive for in our daily lives: “I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.”

With Thanksgiving thoughts still warming my heart and  memories of pumpkin pie for breakfast this morning (yes, I baked my own this year) creating a pleasant, all-is-right-with-the-world glow, or perhaps that’s my blood sugar peaking, who wants to think about all the ugliness that surrounds racial politics in America, right?  Often the answers, so simplistic as to sound too easy, are, in fact, the truth.  Yes, the way to unite America is not a political endeavor, but a matter of winning hearts and minds.  Sadly, we have role models, like President Obama, who invest enormous efforts to be “community organizers”, devoted to political action, but completely unwilling to roll up their sleeves and invest in the hard work of helping the individuals in their communities find paths to successfully achieving prosperity in America, rebuilding their shattered communities and families and most importantly winning their hearts to the belief that moving beyond America’s ignoble history on issues of race is not an insurmountable obstacle.

Rioting fuels hate and oddly enough, Maya Angelou, a very unlikely choice for conservative ol’ me to quote, said it best:

“Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet.” –
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/26244-hate-it-has-caused-a-lot-of-problems-in-the

Although we had a busy week at work, some ladies decided we should have a potluck on Wednesday, because my store provides Thanksgiving dinner to those of us who have to work on Thanksgiving Day.   My store, due to being outside a large Army post, with the requisite very diverse ethnic make-up, results in potlucks that are an around-the-world culinary experience.  As everyone eats, there are always questions about some new dish that gets rave reviews and we have certain people who get special requests for dishes, like Marcia from Jamaica usually brings her Jamaican jerk-chicken, Doris makes an excellent German chocolate cake, and the list goes on and on.  Tawanna makes some outstanding collard greens.   Some new associate brought egg rolls that received high praise.

I’m always amazed at how when people sit down to share a meal, the petty squabbles subside, conversations almost invariably turn to family and home.  A friendly dinner table is the world’s most under-tapped peacemaking tool.  The simple act of breaking bread together at a table of brotherhood doesn’t seem all that hard and once people can come together and peacefully share a meal and conversation, then all the other politicized barriers fall to the wayside.  Community potlucks could rebuild communities and not cost taxpayers a dime.  Believe it, because it’s true and with so much animosity and hatred in America, at the very least neighbors might make new friends, so there’s no downside to the endeavor.

PS: Here’s an old LB post on the dangers of factions, “The duty of a wise people“, from my hero, President George Washington.

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November 22, 2014 · 4:26 pm

Kitchen knives and such

My kitchen is filled with that horrid pre-Thanksgiving  smell of charred grease wafting from my “self-cleaning” oven and I’ve used that reserved energy from having to scrub and scrape the oven to sit here, sip hot tea and browse the internet.  Aside from the foreign policy and political sites, Pinterest has become one of my favorite sites.  With 72 boards and over 2,000 pins, I feel like a pro at pinning ideas to my boards.  Naturally, Pinterest gets flooded with seasonal recipes, craft, and decorating ideas, which replaced much of my magazine browsing from years gone by.  A new slow cooker sweet potato recipe caught my eye and I am going to try it out with my Thanksgiving meal, since I’m the only one who eats sweet potatoes and the new recipe, Orange-Sage Sweet Potatoes with Bacon,  has a whole lot less sugar than my traditional candied sweet potatoes and might be a good change.  Life in a modern kitchen cooking traditional meals has become so much easier and I enjoy the melding of the two.

In recent years, “brining the turkey”  became a trendy new idea among American chefs, despite the fact that brining goes back into antiquity and my PA Dutch ancestors have been devotees for centuries.  My mother brined all poultry before cooking and I do likewise.  Now, I read a worrisome piece by The Thinking Housewife, “The Decline of Chopping”, on the demise of vegetable chopping due to pre-cut, ready-to-use produce that has come into vogue.  She offers chopping vegetables as therapy, an idea that sounds like it fell from the lips of my own mother, who would give us something to do, if we uttered those words, “I’m bored” or “there’s nothing to do”:

“There is perhaps another reason for the decline of chopping. At the cutting board, one is sometimes alone with one’s own thoughts. Some people in our vain, heavily mediated and distracted world, perhaps through no fault of their own, have no thoughts at all. They only have sensations and emotions. Thus they discover at the cutting board that there’s no there there. For these people, much to be pitied, chopping would be therapeutic. Doctors should perhaps send some of the depressed home with prescriptions to chop so many onions and cabbages a day.”

In large families chores are often assigned by ability over strict rules of “fair distribution of labor” and I became the loyal chopper, peeler, mashing stuff through a sieve person.  Between my mother and my oldest sister, who gained culinary artistry skills in her teens, there existed no room for any more management in our kitchen, so I was the one who would just ask what size they wanted the various vegetables chopped, diced, minced, etc. and then I found a quiet spot at the kitchen table to focus on uniform size and think about how someday I would like to pick my own recipes to cook and not be under their tyranny.  Yes, I dreamed of revolting and trying my own culinary ideas, but to this day, I remain a very precise and diligent chopper and while my thoughts don’t quite plumb the depth of “there’s no there there”, most assuredly lofty thoughts on edifying topics never crossed my mind either.  And really, a food processor can perform a wider variety of chopping functions than I ever dreamed of with a paring knife and chef’s knife (my two go-to knives) or even with this amazing Cutco Santuko-style knife.  A neighbor’s daughter took to selling Cutco knives door-to-door years ago as one her first jobs, thus my one truly marvelous knife.

Frankly, most of the people buying fresh produce know how to handle it in its full state and while the pre-cut and ready-to-use stuff offers convenience, most shoppers do consider the cost and opt for the less costly whole vegetables.  Farmer’s markets across America are thriving too, so I don’t share The Thinking Housewife’s worries on the demise of chopping.    Yes, I use crinkle cut fresh carrots in my soups and stews if I get off from work late and want to throw a meal together, just don’t waste your money on frozen diced up onions and assorted peppers, in hopes of speeding up Tex-mex recipe preparation.  I tried them, so you don’t have to have mushy onions and peppers in your chili.

My store sells a bazillion (yes, really we do) cans of sweet potatoes, but there are plenty of folks like me, who always buy fresh, whole sweet potatoes, and we sell through a bazillion of them too.  That’s what I like about America, you are free to choose and for me, I love the traditional, but some years here in the Deep South, I have been known to rework my holiday menu to more summery foods like potato salad, if it’s one of those very warm Thanksgivings here. I don’t care if we have turkey or ham and one year the kids asked me to prepare roast beef.  We always have plenty to eat, but being a Yankee at heart, I just can’t adopt sweet potato pie, no matter how many years I live here.  Pumpkin pie, made from fresh cooked pumpkin (which used to be a must) to nowadays canned pumpkin, doesn’t matter a bit to me, and if I’m in too much of a hurry, I might even sink to a store-bought pie altogether.  Yes, my mother is turning over in her grave, but there you have it – I opt for easy quite often in recent years.

This whole issue brought to mind a conversation with one of my sons years ago, after he had visited my very busy sister, who was still a full-time state trooper in PA, with a husband and two kids, involved in too many after-school activities.  After his visit we were talking and my sister’s driving skills came up in conversation, because she can traverse the winding mountain roads back home at breakneck speeds.  She also whipped through a lot of fast food lines while he was visiting, as she rushed between work, shopping chores, carting her kids around, etc.  My son told me she told him not to tell me, the stay-at-home-cook-dinner every night-mom, how much fast food she buys.  I didn’t judge her, because I didn’t know how she managed all the stress of her work, plus taking care of her family and all of the housework too.   I admired her for working so hard all the time and rarely taking any time for herself.   And I certainly wouldn’t think less of her if she opted for pre-packaged, ready-to-use vegetables from the produce department.  Feminists make up straw man arguments to attack men, conservatives and anyone else who disagrees with them.  I’ve noticed that vocal “housewives/homemakers/stay-at-home Moms” often do the same thing, heaping grave societal value on trivialities like the demise of chopping.  Homemade, semi-homemade or store bought matters not a whit, it’s the time you make for the people in your life that really counts:-)

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October 14, 2014 · 6:50 pm

America at another crossroads

Gladius forwarded an important Thomas Sowell column, “Local or National Elections?”, which explains the stakes of this year’s battle over control of the Senate. Dr. Sowell, in his inimitable style, reminds us that while Tip O’Neill popularized the “all politics is local” phrase, on some elections in Washington the very course of America’s future rests.   In clear, simple terms he explains:

“In 1860, some abolitionists split the anti-slavery vote by running their own candidate — who had no chance of winning — instead of supporting Abraham Lincoln, who was not pure enough for some abolitionists. Lincoln got just 40 percent of the vote, though that turned out to be enough to win in a crowded field.

But what a gamble with the fate of millions of human beings held as slaves! And for what? Symbolic political purity?

This year as well, there are third-party candidates complicating elections that can decide the fate of this nation for years to come. No candidate that irresponsible deserves any vote. With all the cross-currents of political controversies raging today, what is the overriding national issue that makes this year’s Congressional elections so crucial?

That issue is whether, despite all the lawless edicts of President Obama, threatening one-man rule, we can still salvage enough of the Constitution to remain a free, democratic nation.”

Recently, Gwyneth Paltrow, obviously not well-versed on the arguments in “The Federalist Papers”,  made headlines extolling President Obama’s brand of lawlessness, stating:

“It would be wonderful if we are able to give this man all the power he needs to accomplish the things he needs to,” Ms. Paltrow said.

The same mindless drivel permeates America, with citizens completely uneducated about The Constitution, American history and more importantly our foundational principles.  In country music small remnants of American ideals still linger and Paltrow’s comments  brought to mind the lyrics from an old Aaron Tippin song, “You’ve Got To Stand For Something”: “You’ve got to stand for something or  you’ll fall for anything!”   What Paltrow is preening about is giving one man unchecked power.  In her isolated, elitist celebrity bubble, she rubs elbows with movers and shakers of the American political left, but one can only wonder if she has ever read “The Constitution of the United States”.

My friend, Minta, expressed the erosion of American ideals based on our founding principles, in our latest email exchange:

“I think we need to think about two different countries, one called the United States and the other called America. Most people in our country no longer live in America, just the States. It’s a useful way to view it. They can absolutely be un-American, because America is an idea set onto a real country. If that country loses the idea—the ideas and ideals—America will cease to be. This is the fight we are waging: to keep the United States being America too.”

In lieu of fabricated narratives, lame hash-tag campaigns and repeating hollow slogans, it’s time for Americans to do some independent research away from political ideologues on either side of the political aisle.  Dr. Sowell feels this election is imperative to check the tide of lawlessness (yes, even some liberal law professors have spoken out against President Obama’s brand of “I’ve got a pen and a phone” governance by executive decree) and I hope a Republican majority can check executive hubris, but our problems, while magnified by high-profile attention to Washington, stem from a lazy, uneducated citizenry, bereft of even a morsel of dedication to civic duty.  More than half the country receives some form of hand-outs from Washington, content to believe in what is owed to them rather than what they owe America.  We have become a nation of mindless followers and one election, albeit a crucially important one, won’t change America, until, “we the people” can sit down at the dinner table as one nation, united by our American ideals.

President Lincoln, attempting to unite a divided America at the close of the  US Civil War, left us with these immortal words:

“It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

His words remain important, but even more important is how a man from humble origins became one of the most pivotal presidents in American history.  “The Eloquent President”, by Ronald C. White, Jr.,  takes you on a journey of understanding Lincoln through his words and as one of our most gifted writers and orators to ever hold the office of President, plenty of material exists.  Lincoln didn’t have access to public libraries or the internet; what he had was the intestinal fortitude to pick himself up and work hard to improve himself.  He refused to believe in “insurmountable obstacles” (yes, that ever-recurring LB theme – “faith to move mountains” and a willingness to work hard).  A little story from Lincoln’s youth explains how this backwoods lawyer found the words to pen the Gettysburg Address.  White writes:

“When Lincoln moved to New Salem he made the decision to master the English language by an intense study of grammar.  While living in New Salem, Lincoln heard that a farmer, John Vance, owned a copy of Samuel Kirkham’s English Grammar.  Lincoln walked six miles to get it.  He was twenty-three years old.” (pages 102-103)

No one handed President Lincoln a free ride to an Ivy league school and likewise Dr. Sowell’s personal biography demonstrates that with hard work anyone can succeed.  Lincoln walked six miles to track down a book he thought held the key to improving his grammar; Dr. Sowell, a poor black man from Harlem,  worked hard to acquire an education in the 1950s, long before the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964.

A few years ago I wrote a piece, “The Quest For American Leadership In The 21st Century: A Few Home Truths” and I still think my three-step plan is worth considering:

“The quest for our 21st century American leaders starts with you. Step One: Think for yourself; move away from being swayed by political partisans hurling talking points at you. Take the time to study issues, candidates and find your own moral compass. President George Washington, my favorite founding father, wrote a list titled, Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior In Company and Conversation”, 110 rules covering everything from admonitions not to clean your teeth with the tablecloth to don’t run in the streets. He ended with #110: “Labour to keep alive in your breast that Little Spark of Celestial Fire Called Conscience.” That should be your guide.

Step Two: Be the leader of your own destiny. Don’t be a follower of populist movements. left or right, unless you have completed Step One. Before becoming a political lemming, allowing professional media figures to press your political hot buttons, calmly discuss issues with family and friends. In our 24 hour news cycle, internet-connected world, misinformation, disinformation and outright lies can circle the globe in minutes. Don’t let these control your political reasoning, refer back to Step Two.

Step Three: Follow the rules. President Lincoln’s call for reverence for the laws provides the keystone to rebuilding a stronger America. When political aspirants lack personal integrity, obfuscate on public issues, or find excuses for not following the rules; move on and continue your quest for worthy leaders. To honor those who sacrificed all, to secure our blessings of liberty, at the very least we all have a duty to become informed citizens, who demand men and women of character to lead us in this century.”

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Filed under American Character, American History, Food for Thought, General Interest, Gladius Maximus, Politics, The Constitution

September 5, 2014 · 6:37 pm

What Ever Happened to Vocations?

Short piece by William F. Gavin over at The Corner, National Review Online:

“It occurs to me that the concept of a “calling” or “vocation” has practically disappeared in public life. We settle for “education” or “career.” But a calling is not about what you learn or how much you make.”

 

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July 31, 2014 · 5:26 am

The Biggest American Deficit : Trust

An link to G. Murphy Donovan’s essay at the American Thinker:

Trust stands alone in the glass menagerie of fragile personal and national virtues. Without trust, individual, commercial, and civic relationships are impossible.  Children must trust parents, couples must trust each other, and families must be ….

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June 25, 2014 · 4:22 am

The Meaning of IS, at long last….

Courtesy of National Review Online:  The Devil’s Dictionary

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Filed under American History, Culture Wars, Food for Thought, Foreign Policy, General Interest, Politics, The Constitution, The Media

June 8, 2014 · 12:59 pm

Abandoned in Afghanistan?

The always excellent  US security nightly newsletter,  Nightwatch, put out by KGS, offers the following comments on the Taliban exchange:

“Comment: The mainstream media have covered the increased risk of hostage-taking as the direct and foreseeable result of the hostage exchange. This was not a prisoner of war exchange.

 Two points not mentioned in most mainstream commentary are noteworthy. This exchange invests Omar and his Islamic Emirate with stature that neither had when the Taliban ruled in Afghanistan. It negotiated as an equal with the US and got the better deal. That sets a precedent for potential deals with other NATO members. It is a powerful disincentive for Pakistan to rein in Omar and his cohorts.

 The second point is the release of the five Taliban leaders will boost Taliban morale; help improve their organizational and fighting skills and enhance their operations. It might have a ripple effect on the now divided Pakistani Taliban.

 The timing could hardly be worse for Allied forces. As NATO draws down its forces, the Taliban get an influx of experienced leaders, undermining years of effort to degrade the leadership. These were men Mullah Omar trusted in the early days of Taliban rule.  He now has a seasoned core around which to build a reinvigorated administration and movement.”

Nightwatch is John McCreary’s baby and his bio is here.  What I like is often the “comments” are delivered with a touch of humor, but rest assured always carefully researched, with the facts differentiated from the opinion.

Now a subject I haven’t heard any military experts talk about yet and one that I have questions about is:  “What impact does the release of those terrorists, in addition to the troop draw-down have on the day-to-day security situation for those remaining troops left in Afghanistan?  What is the true readiness assessment of the Afghan National security services on whom they will have to rely?   Will a reinvigorated Taliban potentially leave our remaining troops vulnerable?  How does the draw-down affect the resupply and support situation, with an already overstretched supply route?  Has the CINC ever asked about the safety of the troops he is leaving in Afghanistan- vulnerable in such small numbers?  What will their mission be – hunkered down on a base or will they still be out on patrols?

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June 5, 2014 · 7:04 pm

A short piece by Stanley McChrystal

Here’s an opinion piece, “Securing the American Character”, by Stanley McChrystal in Politico Magazine.  This excerpt gives you a taste, but the entire piece is worth reading:

“Our country has always been driven by big ideas. We were founded on the principle that “all men are created equal” — a revolutionary concept in the 18th century. Social movements like the drive for civil rights propelled us closer to the ideals that our Founders espoused. The GI Bill empowered our returning veterans to lead the country as they came home from World War II. Each of these big ideas responded to crises of the time — taxation without representation; the hypocrisy of separate but equal; 16 million veterans demobilizing from war. Right now, we are facing a new crisis: Citizenship no longer demands a common experience — and so we no longer believe in a common future. The time has come for a dramatic and bold response that calls on every young American to serve.”

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