Opus 2016-126: On the Street: Studious Hypocrisy

As I came back from the coffee urns I again noticed a young woman who was studying hard.  I had noticed her before but this time I looked a little closer to find clues for what she was so focused on.  She had a clip-board with some serious paperwork on it.  Her computer was open.  There were books spread around.  Then I noticed she wasn’t looking at any of them.  Her eyes were glued to her phone where she seemed to be watching a video of some kind.

She reminds me of my students.  Often I can have people that seem to be working so hard and really focused who turn in nothing.  Looks can be deceiving in more ways than one.

Update:  I made another run for coffee and she was still focus on the little screen.  I hope she is not on the jury if I am ever on trial.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-125: Election 2016: Losses and Gains

It looks like many are trying to talk themselves into accepting Donald Trump for the Republican nomination.  I hear others talking about how he could destroy the Republican party and gut the conservative movement.  Time will tell.  If the party dies out it will just be an encore of the Federalist and Whig party cycles.  A new group will arise from the ashes.  It is time for a realignment anyway.  There are too many moderates hiding from themselves in the Republican party.  They might as well move.  There are probably a few Democrats with brains, ethics and integrity.  They should change their coats also.

The big losses for me are different.  As I watch people jumping on the Trump bandwagon I see people and organizations that I used to trust being turned into Mr. Hyde.  I think of Ann Coulter.  She always had a crusty side that was not my style but I could always take her position on things as being well thought out and reliable.  I began to wonder when she was an early supporter of Romney in 2012 and now she has been gung-ho for Trump.  Has the real Ann Coulter been cloned? 

Then there is the Drudge Report.  At one point I felt like he was a good source of news.  I then started noticing that the headline on his links didn’t always give an accurate reflection of the article they resourced.  It finally became clear in this primary that he was structuring his web site to ensure that Trump got the election.

And Sean Hannity seems to have drunk the kool-aid, too.  I don’t listen to him except on vacation.  I have always felt like he was 75% solid and I needed to take what he said with a grain of salt.  I could live with that.  It just keeps my mind alert.  Now people tell me that he was very aggressive against Cruz and seemed to be a Trump fan.

Glenn Beck get a thumbs up for honesty.  He was always in the Cruz wagon.  He stated it clearly and frequently.  For that reason I listened carefully to what he said to filter out the extremes.  At least he did not act like he was unbiased.

I still think Cruz would have been the best man for America’s future.  I will vote for him in the California primary.  I accept that he is out.  I just don’t know where to turn in November. 

My mind may be narrow but it is still open a tiny bit.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-124: Election 2016: Shot or Hung

I really don’t know which way I will go as the California primary approaches.  I will vote because the presidential primary will not be the only decision to influence.  I don’t know if they will let me vote for president.  I might be ejected for the vulgar language that breaks out of my mouth when I mark the ballot.  It would be fitting with the choices I will have.

The question will be, which is stronger?  On one side I have, “Anyone but Hillary.”  On the other I have “Never Trump”.  When I look at the Libertarian ticket I find nothing but a moderate Republican, conservative on finance and liberal on morals.  I can’t go Peace and Freedom if they are still around.  Green party?  Please!  It reminds me of times at school when they would say I had a choice.  My definition of the choice they gave me was “Would you rather be shot or hung?”

I tell the kids at school that Trump has maybe a 10% chance of not destroying the country.  Hillary has 0% chance.  I know that half a loaf is better than none, but what do you do when there is only a chance of one slice and it may be moldy.

Maybe a monarchy is a good idea.  Would I say that if Trump were the crown prince and Hillary was queen?

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-123: Election 2016: Cruz Joins Latin

I would like to say Cruz is still spoken here but it has become a dead language, like Latin.

I have not had time to look into all the spin the media will put on Cruz dropping out.  Someone left a New York Times on a table this morning.  I picked it up and will try to see what I can believe in what it says.  It won’t do any good to go to Drudge.  He has been in the tank for Trump for ages.

I don’t know if I am going to bother following the election from this point on.  I imagine my normal sunny Pollyana disposition will reassert itself.  It reminds me of the guy who didn’t know why he was in the handbasket or where he was going but enjoyed the ride.

What a way to wake up on a Wednesday.  And I still have to go to work.

For those who think Cruz was just another sleazy politician I will submit that you ain’t seen nothing yet.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-122: Plow and Crown: Serfs Down

Down through history one of the ways that the nobility has kept the common people in their place is to control their mobility.  The Romans did not let the Jews ride horses.  The Muslims did the same.  One of the great equalizers of modern times was the automobile and it wasn’t even the invention that made the difference. 

The instigator of liberty was Henry Ford who developed the assembly line and brought down the price of a car so that the average working man could afford it.  No longer did you need to live within walking distance of your job.  No longer were you confined to the shopping choices within carrying distance.  The world opened up.  You could run away from oppression or run toward a confrontation.  It was your choice.

That kind of choice is what the elites of the world hate.  One of the enemies of totalitarian tyrants is the ability of the common people to vote with their feet.  How are you going to find someone to clean your toilets if the poor woman down the street can drive to a better paying job?  How are you going to increase taxes if the man down the street can pack up and drive to another state?  The Communists made it impossible for common people to have a car that would run and they still had to build a wall to keep them in, with machine gun towers no less.

There is a reason that people like Al Gore and the environmentalists are pushing to take you out of your car and put you on a bus.  They can control the bus lines.  They can set the schedule and determine the routes.  They can suck up your time waiting on others to arrive.  They can force you to rub elbows with people you would rather avoid.  More time wasted and more energy in worry for your safety means you have less time to think and cause problems.

The historic battle between the plow and the crown is about who is in control.  What other reason would people push government controls instead of free markets.  Capitalists learned a long time ago that in order to make a lot of money they needed to have a population that made enough to buy their product.  Socialists don’t care about that.  They know that if they are in control they will have good health care, good food and effective air-conditioning.  They can have their cake and eat yours too.  Let me paraphrase a tired statement from the anti-war protestors:  What if we had a revolution and you didn’t get their because you missed the bus.

If buses were cost effective we would have people clamoring to start bus companies.  If trains were what people really wanted they would not need to be subsidized by your tax money. 

Give me liberty.  Give me a car.  

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-121: Censored: It Was a Cock and Bull Story

During lunch time I was checking out news on the internet.  I saw a link that looked interesting and needed a little follow up.  I clicked on it and instead of a news story I got the Nanny.  Our school Thought Police decided that I could not go to that sight.  Why?  It denied access because the title of the post had the phrase “cock and bull story”.  You see, the word “cock” might offend some of my students.

I still don’t know what the article was about.  I would assume that if I were doing research on roosters I would be out of luck.  I also would not be able to find out how to get my diabetic devices reading to push a needle through my skin. 

Protect the children.  We all know how clean their language and their minds are.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-120: Election 2016: Not Just for President

Have you ever had to take something back five times to get it fixed right and it still didn’t work?  It starts in public education where they never hold students accountable for their behavior.  Picture the kid who has done no work all year, comes to you a week before graduation and wants to make up the work.  Some teachers say to themselves, “O joy, he is finally waking up.  I will give him a chance to show that I care.”  The kid turns in a bunch of trash and the teacher passes him. 

Who is the bigger fool?  Is it the teacher who actually thinks he is making a difference or the student who thinks he is getting away with something?  The future waits.

Unfortunately you are in the kids future.  The oil change you asked for is assigned to him.  If you are lucky he will remember to put the plug back in the pan.  Will you get the clerk at the DMV who has a work ethic?  Consider how the order never seems to be right at the fast food joint.  The pills in your prescription are wrong. 

They are learning these skills today under the lesson plan called “self esteem”. 

Will you be having a school board election this year?  It matters how you vote.  Will your state be voting on judges this year?  It matters how you vote.  Will you be voting for the people who makes the laws this year?  It matters how you vote and November will be about more than a president.

So pay attention.  How the future works out depends on what happens today.

homo unius libri