Who killed the Constitution?

I wrote that I read the Constitution while I was on my blogging vacation. So I checked the public library for some recent material. There wasn't much. I recommended a book I'd seen at a conservative think tank, and my request was denied--I was told not many public libraries had that book so I should try Ohio State's Law School library. Too bad we're such a low level, low achieving community here in Upper Arlington reading only fiction, cook books and travel books. Anyway, I did find two interesting books at UAPL (most are actually on the amendments). "Who killed the constitution?" by Thomas E. Woods Jr. & Keven R.C. Gutzman, and "America's Constitution, a biography" by Akhil Reed Amar. Notice at the Amazon site the review by Scott Turow of the second title. This paragraph in his review is quite telling--at least it explains what most lawyers in Congress, the courts and the White House have been taught:

"In college, I was taught that the Constitution was essentially a reactionary document, a view that had become standard in the wake of the historian Charles A. Beard's epochal 1913 study, An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States. Beard had contended that the Declaration of Independence contained a broadly idealistic vision of American democracy premised on John Locke's notion that "all men are created equal." The Constitution, on the other hand, was meant to serve the interests of the wealthy; it subverted democratic ideals, especially with its odious compromise providing that each slave be counted as three-fifths of a person for purposes of determining the population upon which congressional districts would be based."

Who killed the Constitution? tells us on the first page that both the right and the left killed the Constitution, and then provides 12 interesting cases from the last century, some well known, others overlooked, that show having the federal government take over health care is nothing new (in actions). I'm only in the first chapter--Woodrow Wilson and Freedom of Speech, and given all the czars and plots afoot now feared by the right, and how unhappy the left was about the Patriot Act, it's really a wonderful way to begin.

Some of the hysteria against Germans in WWI is very instructive, especially in light of the very mild prejudice against Muslims today. There was terrible stereotyping--even though probably a third of Americans were of German ancestry at that time. My family lived in a community after WWII where many people still spoke German, and I remember the suspicion and prejudice that still existed well after the war. During WWI (remember, at first Wilson pledged to keep the U.S. out of war) sauerkraut became "liberty cabbage"--sort of makes you think of "freedom fries" a few years back when sentiment against the French was running high. Germans lost their jobs, changed their names, and some were beaten and killed. In Iowa and South Dakota using German in public was forbidden except at funerals. There were volunteer enforcement organizations and neighbors were encouraged to snitch (remember Obama's request in the summer?) A movie called "The Spirit of '76" got its makers a 10 year prison sentence for portraying the British in an unflattering light (they were our allies in WWI). The authors said they could write a book just on the outrageous suppression of free speech during that period.

So it was that climate that gave us the Espionage Act and the Sedition Act in 1917 and 1918. The first involved promoting the success of our enemies (if Bush had had that most Democrats in Congress would have gone to jail) and the second gave the postmaster enormous powers to remove things from the mails that he decided would hamper the war effort. Of course, "intent" as in hate speech, was one deciding factor. These acts didn't come under court scrutiny until 1919, after the war was over when the Supreme Court heard 3 cases.

One of those cases was Debs v. United States. Eugene V. Debs delivered a provocative speech in which he claimed, among other things, that the capitalists were responsible for the war fever, and that as usual the common man had never had a chance to express his own preference for peace or war. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, and Justice Holmes upheld his sentence. Warren G. Harding who followed Wilson, finally freed him in 1921, saying "I want him to eat Christmas dinner with his wife." It's useful to remember Holmes was a liberal, Wilson a progressive and Debs a Socialist.

Obviously, the first amendment (Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech,) can be trampled today just like 1917 and 1918. Politicians haven't changed in 100 years.

How I spent my vacation (from blogging)

Only my cousin seemed to miss me, but I was on a blogging break for about 6 days. I certainly didn't accomplish all I'd intended, partly because I didn't STOP reading other blogs--which is also very time consuming! And I continued to read in the topics that interested me. I'm a slow reader, have a few eye problems, so reading is sometimes a challenge.

1) Although I forgot to bookmark it, I read a study on NCLB that said it did indeed raise test scores of the bottom, most challenged group. But it was apparently at the expense of the top group which made no progress or even fell back. Sort of redistribution of wealth, Bush style.

2) Learned that the universe is composed 99.73% of "dark stuff." There are 3 types of dark (absence of light). Now we know of a fourth category, and it seems to be sucking in money in the area around the beltway.

3) I looked at the cheat sheet the Democrats printed up (pdf) of Obama's accomplishments to discuss over turkey. But it really was the turkey. Stuffed and expanded with lies, some created, some saved.

4) I began reading the Constitution of the United States. I may have had to pass a test on it in high school, but all I remembered was the preamble. A few weeks ago I bought a very small book from the Barnes and Noble bargain stack "The United States Constitution and other American Documents" (Fall River Press, 2009). It has almost no commentary except an introduction. I found it a fascinating read, and not at all the document that Obama claimed to know during his campaign, nor the one that conservative talkers say we're losing. It is 100% amazing in its brevity, insight into human nature and ability to see the future based on past events. And to think Congress must print 2,074 pages to fix a "system" that isn't a system, and isn't broken. I think it would be a great stocking stuffer, but I just checked the website, and it says they are sold out. That must mean other people are reading the original documents too.

5) I read an interesting comparison of the recent (Nov. 20 it was revealed about a decade of false information) manipulation and hiding of data about CO2 and its role in global warming with the "banned books" mythology and yearly event of the American Library Association at another blog.

6) I found out by following a link from ChemWeb Newsletter (in my e-mail) what makes up the dust in my house (remember--I was going to clean). Turns out 60% is made up of arsenic. Wow. That sent me right to the window blinds to remove the dust!

7) Read an article on who "invented" the global warming scare and why--it was Margaret Mead!

8) Learned by experimenting that the alcohol hand rub that is now ubiquitous is great for cleaning the bathroom. Dab a little on a cloth and wipe off the toilet flush handle, faucets, door knobs--also does a great job on the mirrors.

9) I made gift cards (I'm not very crafty) for my children's birthdays with inspirational stickers I found in my desk and attached their birthday checks to them--good at any store!

10) Attended a fabulous Thanksgiving service at UALC Lytham Road where Buff Delcamp preached and reminded us that the light of Christ is the answer to darkness in the world (see my #2) and John Stolzenbach got a standing ovation for the 25th anniversary of his ordination. That was followed by a wonderful dinner prepared by my daughter who lives over the river and through Scioto Woods, with lots of left overs to bring home and enjoy. She had alerted me to the pumpkin shortage earlier in the week, but I had a few cans, so we had plenty of pie.

Religion or Science?

Today I was looking through the online The Habitable Planet, a multimedia course for high school teachers and adult learners interested in studying environmental science. I just took a cursory look, but every topic seemed to include something about how fragile the earth's climate is and how man is contributing to its demise through global warming. So when I bookmarked it, I wasn't sure if I should file it under religion or science.

New Christmas dishes

Here's something I didn't need--new Christmas dishes. I bought a set about 10 years ago, and we use them once a year. But I was at the Discovery Shop and saw a hand painted set, priced separately. Well, I didn't want cups and bowls and tea pots and cookie jars, so 6 plates for $15 seemed a bargain. But first I looked for country of origin. I no longer buy anything made in China to use with food. There were no manufacturing marks at all. On the very last piece I turned over I found a sticker that read, "Diane's Delights, Columbus, OH," so I bought them. However, when I googled that name I found nothing, not in Columbus, not any place (for pottery and dishes). Any ideas? Each piece is slightly different, so they are hand painted. I think they are adorable.

Thanks to President Bush, Afghan women now in medical school

JAMA Nov. 18, 2009, p. 2081: "Afghan Military medical school reopens, enrolls women in first class of cadets." Obama dithers, quivers and crumbles for 10 months. Bush freed the Afghan women.

"The recent reopening [of Afghanistan's military medical school closed by the Taliban] in Kabul, in the spring of 2009, could help change the shape of medicine in Afghanistan. . . about one-quarter of students are women. Allowing Afghan women to attend medical school, or any school for that matter, was unheard of in the past [before Bush freed them from the Taliban]. . . Most Afghan women have not been allowed to learn to read and therefore cannot pass an entrance examination. However, the 9 female cadets accepted for medical training passed all entrance exainations and met all stringent scholastic and physical requirements for admission to the National Military Academy of Afghanistan. "Girls in Afghanistan sometimes have acid thrown in their faces for going to school," said CDR Gary Harrison, MC, USN.

"We're at the very beginning, but the legacy we leave here will have an influence for decades to come," said LCDR Sunny Ramchandani, MC, USN, who helped establish the medical school's curriculum.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Facebook--again

Don't blame the Secret Service. They are non-political. Political appointees are not.

"People familiar with the inquiry into how the Salahis were able to attend Tuesday's gala, even though they weren't on the official guest list, said the Salahis exchanged e-mails with Michele S. Jones, special assistant to the secretary of defense and the Pentagon-based liaison to the White House. It was unclear how well the Salahis know Jones, but Jones includes the Salahis' lawyer, Paul W. Gardner, as one of her 50 friends on Facebook.

Several people familiar with the Jones-Salahi correspondence, including some who requested anonymity because it's part of an ongoing investigation, said the e-mails support the Salahis' case that they were cleared to attend Tuesday night's gala." WaPo

I've talked to Columbus school teachers who've told me they are not allowed to have Facebook accounts. Sounds like a good idea for anyone in public education, academe, or government. Why do you want to tell nosy people who your friends and associates are? Especially reporters from the Washington Post who are good at gossip but not tracking down global warming myths and document screw ups? I looked up Michele S. Jones. She's another "first," and a two-fer, and maybe she just wasn't carefully vetted or wasn't given enough instruction and training on security and the importance of protecting the president from friends of friends. Or then again, perhaps she had nothing at all to do with this and the e-mails to her went nowhere.

Incidentally, far removed from this story but about social networks, have you heard of the book Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives, by Nicholas A. Christakis and James H. Fowler (Little, Brown, 352 pp., $25.99). It's reviewed at City Journal--go take a look. It's not about electronic social networks but the old fashioned type--like the brother-in-law of your best friend.

"Controlling for environmental factors and the tendency of birds of a feather to flock together—happy people prefer hanging out with other happy people—Christakis and Fowler found that we really do emulate those we care about, whether we mean to or not. Being connected to a happy person, for instance, makes you 15 percent more likely to be happy yourself. “And the spread of happiness doesn’t stop there,” they note. It radiates out for three degrees of separation, so that, say, your sister’s best friend’s husband’s mood exerts a greater influence on your personal happiness than an extra $10,000 in income would. If he gains 50 pounds, it will be that much harder for you to stay slim, as the frame of reference for what’s “normal” changes through your network. Or, on the positive side, if he quits smoking, your chances of kicking the habit improve, too, even if you’ve never met him."

Sounds like a title for next year's book club, and that maybe I've put on 10 lbs because my friend's husband can't lose weight.

Monday Memories--our 50th Christmas

We decorated the tree Saturday. As I was placing a shabby, scarred, blue flocked bulb on the tree I commented that this was our 50th Christmas, and it dropped and shattered. Well, it had a useful, long life. The tree we bought in 1993, and have definitely gotten our money's worth, but it is shedding almost as much as a natural tree, and each year, we toss 5 or 6 branches that break. The first photo below is me with the tree we had in 1969--a cut tree which we put in the dining room to keep a certain curious little boy from taking it apart (put a baby gate up). Many of the decorations are still the same 40 years later. I buy one or two new ones each year. We gave up the tinsel in the late 70s when Mystery our first cat ate them and they ended up decorating the litter box.

A Geezer Rant

Ronald Clark, a blogger who's a few years older than me, lives in Indianapolis and writes Banging the Drum. He wrote "Geezer Rant," and here's part of it.

How did it happen that manly men started replacing a hearty handshake with an embracing hug?

How did it happen that a proud free people began letting the Government completely run their lives?

How did it happen that shapely women are now kicking manly men’s butts in pop media?

How did it happen that even sailors blush when hearing mainstream movie dialog?

How did it happen that modern women have now become the sexual aggressor?

How did it happen that grade and high school students now feel free to cuss-out and physically threaten their teachers in the classroom?

How did it happen that it is now socially acceptable to scorn Christianity?

How did it happen that Governments and people are afraid to criticize Islam?

How did it happen that the New York Times changed from the paper of record to an ideology rag?

How did it happen that people who don’t want to work have now become respectable welfare recipients?

How did it happen that it is socially acceptable and celebrated to have children outside of marriage?

And there's more.

Handeling my new van

This morning after exercise class I stopped at the Lane Rd. branch of the Library to pick up a book I reserved (my last request for purchase of a title on the Constitution was denied but that's another blog). While I was there I flipped through the classic CDs in hopes there might still be a Messiah in the box. With hundreds in our congregation using the same material for Advent, I didn't think I find one (probably the largest Lutheran church in Ohio and the library hadn't purchased a new title on Lutherans in the U.S. in 40 years before I asked for one). But--there it was--Robert Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

So on the drive home I popped it into the disc player in my new van, and now can't learn the trick to remove it. But the first 3 or 4 minutes are great. I also learned today what happens if you push the "panic" button on the key.

The "lost" climate data

"SCIENTISTS at the University of East Anglia (UEA) have admitted throwing away much of the raw temperature data on which their predictions of global warming are based.

It means that other academics are not able to check basic calculations said to show a long-term rise in temperature over the past 150 years.

The UEA’s Climatic Research Unit (CRU) was forced to reveal the loss following requests for the data under Freedom of Information legislation." Times on line

On the other hand, some very old stuff is now going to be available on line.

"Rare scientific manuscripts from Britain's Royal Society go online - 30 Nov 2009

The UK’s Royal Society has announced that historic manuscripts by scientists such as Sir Isaac Newton, Benjamin Franklin and others will be published online for the first time. As part of celebrations to mark its 350th anniversary, the society will make original manuscripts of papers published in its journals available to the public via Trailblazing, a new online resource.

Trailblazing contains 60 articles chosen from among the 60,000 that have appeared in the Royal Society's journals. Among the highlights from the Trailblazing site are: a 1770 scientific study confirming that composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a genius and, more recently, acclaimed British scientist Stephen Hawking's early writings on black holes. Also included are Sir Isaac Newton's landmark research on light and colour, a gruesome account of a 17th century blood transfusion and Benjamin Franklin's famous kite-flying experiment to identify the electrical nature of lightning in 1752."

My 2010 Chrysler Town and Country Van

This is a stock photo, but it's about right. I bought it yesterday. It's like marrying a total stranger you met in a bar and waking up in the morning and wondering what did I do? Actually, it's not like that, since I've only been married once, to a man I'd known for 2 years, and never go to bars, so that's fiction, just like a lot of other examples, parables, fairy tales, etc., that has confused some of my readers when I explained Neal Boortz' fictional story about Carrington Motors. But it's really odd anyway.

This morning I went out to the garage at 6 a.m. and climbed in. I wanted to be sure I knew where the lights were because I knew I'd be leaving home in the dark. When I picked up Paul (son-in-law's father) for church this morning, I didn't know which button to push to open the passenger door. When I went to Panera's after church and decided to practice in the parking lot, I managed to power down all the windows but didn't know what to do to get them back up--and it was rather nippy. Also, the key thingy is a bit sensitive and I seem to be beeping the horn.

This van is about 13" longer than my 2002 Dodge Caravan, which means my husband and I have traded sides in the garage. That means when backing out in the dark of the first day of our "marriage" I was headed for the neighbors' bushes instead of the road. Also, it seems to be wider, because I can't get out of the driver's side without bruising my left calf. The frame seems to be about 12" away from the seat in which the rest of my body is waiting for a foot to hit the ground. And I'm not terribly tall.

And junk. Oh dear. Where will I put my junk? Although Chrysler has designed lots of neat storage, some under the floor, nothing hides things quite as well as a bench seat--like the huge road atlas, my extra athletic shoes in the big orange box, the snow scrapper/brush, and a pile of JAMAs. Now the passenger row has bucket seats, not a bench. My old van had a storage net anchored between the two bucket seats in the front--this van has a tidy little box, not expandable. The T&C has all sorts of pockets and cup holders in the door and between the seats--I guess for all the people who eat in their cars. It's a 7 passenger van, but I think you could serve snacks for 12. I don't eat much while driving, but I do drag along a lot of "stuff," none of which will fit in these little compartments.

However, there's a lot to love, too. It's awfully comfortable--no complaints about my Dodge, but this T&C makes it feel like a horse cart--or my husband's Ford Explorer (a fancy name for a small truck). Oodles of positions for the seats, and the middle and back row can disappear into the floor all together if you want to carry a small pony, dry wall, or some living room furniture with you. There are dual ventilation controls and back of the van vents, but I haven't figure that out. We weren't interested in a GPS system but this does tell me which direction I'm driving and the temperature. But I really liked the price. It had about $4,000 in discounts, plus they gave me $4,000 for my van, so it was under $20,000, making it cheaper than my Dodge was in 2002.

I went a bit more high tech in this search. Because of Chrysler's financial trouble, I was afraid this style might disappear. And it still could, of course. It's not like God created it--mortals invent things like AGW. I first saw the ad in the Columbus Dispatch. I went on line and looked up all the specs and printed them out. Then I e-mailed two dealers (the one who had the ad, and a Dodge dealer) explaining what I wanted. I got prompt responses and we chatted by phone with me questioning everything on the printout I didn't understand. One salesman sent me a brochure. But the Dodge salesman wasn't even coming close to the T&C in features or price. So after lunch, we drove to the east side (that's another bad point, location of dealer) which seemed like we were going to Pittsburgh, test drove it, and made a deal.

If you've had as many minivans as I have, you'll see this one is more boxy like some of the newish sedans or even the original mid-80s minivan--maybe muscular would be the word. I hope it gets good mileage like my Dodge, which was just great on the road.

Some sing in the shower

Our church, UALC, is using an Advent daily meditation based on Handel's Messiah, written by John Gugel. You can purchase a CD to go with it, or use your own. I have miscellaneous selections from the Messiah, so have been looking up the different selections on YouTube. An amazing variety. One of the most gutsy is this one (Every valley shall be exalted), by a man recovering from a bad cold who appears to be singing in the lavatory off the kitchen. But I also found some really upbeat and jazzy versions by a contemporary (well, 1989) Christian group First Call, as well as a variety of churches which had performed this classic favorite of the season. They are not as polished as the pros, but their devotion and energy is worth watching.

Herman Shuman, obituary

 

James Shuman, me and Herman Shuman (82), 1998

 Herman was the grandson of my grandfather's older sister, Sarah.  We were second cousins. I had met the family in 1949 traveling with my grandparents, and again in 1998 when we went to Pendelton, IN to visit them. James Shuman, his son who is my age, is a genealogy guide for the various Brethren groups, and we'd had discussions on the internet.  He was visiting from California, so we decided to meet and exchange information. Herman and I continued to write at Christmas, and he called me a few years before his death to let me know he'd been ill and wasn't sending cards.

"Herman Shuman, son of Luther and Florence (Miller) Shuman was born November 21, 1916, near Pendleton in Madison County, Indiana in the home where he lived for 93 years. He was baptized into the Old German Baptist Brethren Church on August 25, 1935, to which he remained faithful.

He was married to Ruby Reavis, daughter of Henry and Mary (Long) Reavis, on March 28, 1937, and together they raised four children. He passed away in his sleep on November 24, 2009, at the age of 93 years and three days.

He spent his working years as a farmer. He was a minister in the Old German Baptist Brethren Church for over 60 years.

His companion was called away on April 5, 1994, after 57 years together. He continued in generally good health for another 10 years. Then a weak heart and the accumulated problems of the years began to afflict him.

In February 2005, he fell while in Florida, and was in and out of the hospital at Lakeland, and was finally transferred to a hospital in Anderson, Indiana. At that time, his daughter Lois moved in with him and looked after him for the remaining years. For the past year, his daughter, Sara gave him the nursing care he needed, as he was in and out of the hospital numerous times.

Through it all, he remained cheerful and uncomplaining, and he gave a good testimony to those around him. He authored several books, and he working on a history of the brethren in Central Indiana at the time his health declined.

He will be keenly missed by his two sons and two daughters, James and his wife, Dorla of Modesto, California, David and his wife, Virginia, Sara Miller and her husband, Randy, and Lois all of Pendleton; five grandsons; four granddaughters; seven great-grandsons; 11 great-granddaughters; one great-great-granddaughter; and a brother-in-law, Paul Reavis and his wife, Thelma of Rossville, Indiana.
Memorial contributions may be made to Pendleton Emergency Ambulance, P.O. Box 165, Pendleton, Indiana 46064."

Herman was the author of "The Country Preacher," a biography of Elder Solomon Stoner of the Old German Baptist Brethren.  There is one photo in the book of Herman and his family with Elder Stoner in 1951 in Canada. Ruby, Solomon and Herman standing, David, Sara and James in front; Lois was born in 1952.

Update:  I received an e-mail from Cousin James in January 2010.

"I am very sorry to be the one to tell you that my father passed away at the age of 93 years, 3 days, on November 24, 2009 (I thought my sister Lois had notified you of that). He had been in gradually declining health for the past few years, and especially the past 14 months. He had been taken to the hospital many times during those months, and had returned yet again with a serious infection. He appeared to be responding to treatment, and we were hopeful. He had slept during the evening, then was awake and visiting at 11 - 11:30 pm with Sara, who was spending the night in the recliner beside his bed. She told him she was dimming the lights so they could both get some sleep and he cheerfully said, "All right!" Soon he was asleep again, and she drifted off, only to be roused in less than an hour by the nurse tapping her knee. She said, "I'm sorry to disturb you, but your father just passed away." Sara is certain there was no struggle or unusual sound at all, since she had been caring for him daily for over a year and was alert to his calls for assistance.

So his passing was as easy and peaceful as could have been hoped for. As the minister said at his funeral, "He crossed over Jordan nearly dry-shod." And although we miss him greatly, because his mind was clear and sharp to the very end, we rejoice that he was finally freed from a body that was no longer cooperating with him very well at all; it was taking most of his time and energy just to stay alive, and there were fewer "good days" in between increasing lengths of "bad days."

We are adjusting to not having an older generation to look to and care for, but it will take quite a while to finish up his estate. My brother David, who has Parkinson's, is the "surviving trustee" of his revocable living trust, which held all his assets, and sister Lois is assisting him in doing some of the legwork and making the phone calls, etc. that are required. My wife and I have already committed to spending 6 weeks or more there next summer to help distribute his personal property as we go through a houseful of "stuff" accumulated over 93 years (he was born in that house!)."

Update 2017: When I noticed that David, the younger son,  had Parkinson's at the time of his father's death, I checked for his name, and found that he had died in May 2016.

"PENDLETON- David Lee Shuman, 75, of Pendleton, died May 28, 2016 in his home while surrounded by his loving family after a 20-year-long battle with Parkinson's Disease. He was born December 28, 1940 in Anderson to the late Herman and Ruby Shuman.

He was a graduate of Wabash College and Purdue University. He worked with computers at First Savings for 15 years and then at Indiana University and Purdue University in Indianapolis for 15 years until Parkinson's Disease forced him to retire.

He enjoyed fishing, landscaping, studying the Scriptures, computer technology, and spending time with his family. He was a member of the Old German Baptist Brethren Church where he served the Lord faithfully till death.

He is survived by his loving wife of 53 years, Virginia Ann (Terry); three children, Jeffrey (Tricia) Shuman, Bethany (Craig) Skiles, and Kathleen (Randy) Hufford; 11 grandchildren, Lindsay (Brad) Graybill, Brandon (Ruth) Skiles, Kelly (Rick) Land, Katelyn Hufford, Morgan (Clark) Deaton, Ashley Hufford, Mandalyn Skiles, Justin Hufford, Megan Hufford, Hallee Shuman, and Trent Shuman; �and four great-grandchildren. Also surviving are his siblings, James (Dorla) Shuman, Sara (Randy) Miller, and Lois Shuman; along with several nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m., Monday, May 30, 2016 at Wilson St. Pierre Funeral Service and Crematory, Lahm Chapel, 211 E. State St., Pendleton, Indiana 46064.

Funeral Services will be held at 10 a.m., Tuesday, May 31, 2016 at the Old German Baptist Brethren Church, near Pendleton with the home brethren officiating. Burial will follow in Pleasant Valley Cemetery, Pendleton.

A special thanks to Dr. Goshert, Dr. Stevens, Hospice, our church family, and Dennis and Betty Hopkins."

Friday Family Photo--the baby quilt

February 1969, patchwork baby quilt made by my mother.

"Of all the treasures I can boast
I love the patch-work quilt the most.
She pieced it in the long ago,
With patient stitches, fine and slow,
Each block devised of dark and light
Small diamond pieces, looking quite
Like piled-up boxes, or like stairs
To lead you upwards unawares.

I almost hear her voice once more
And see the quaint old things she wore,
The dolman, and the Paisley shawl,
Myself a child again, and all
My childish faith and love surge up
To fill my worn heart's empty cup;
Of all the things she once possessed,
I love the patch-work quilt the best."

"The Patch-Work Quilt," by Eve Egleston Hoyt, 2nd and 6th verses
If I'd made a few notes in 1969, I could have identified most of the fabric in this patch work quilt my mother made. Not today. The memories are gone. In fact, I lifted this photo and poem from my Memory Patterns blog written in 2005--and reading through it, if I hadn't recorded some of those items even 5 years ago, they'd be lost forever. Even if you have no interest in blogging current events as I like to do, a blog is wonderful for family memories and photos (but please, not every step they take--be selective).

And here are the babies in my daughter's kitchen, just yesterday as we went over the river and through the "woods" to celebrate Thanksgiving at her house. Oh, I love having adult children who can cook for me. We had the most fabulous leftovers for dinner last night--and they sent the carcass home with me--we'll have wonderful soup and casseroles.

We had a wonderful holiday, and I hope you all did too.

Security at the White House

It's so odd, isn't it, that the media goes crazy over Michele and Tareq Salahi who went to Obama's first state dinner without an invitation? All this hubbub from the folks who totally ignored the Climategate story (except for Fox) which is HUGE and should bring down the cap and trade scam to tax us into oblivion (but probably won't with the media's complicity), and couldn't figure out if Maj. Nadil Hasan was crazy or a terrorist. ABC was just outraged. Did it even mention the release of 10 years of e-mail and data that showed manipulation in the climate change research? At least Mrs. Salahi had on an attractive dress that covered her lovely figure as would be fitting considering the culture of the honored guests. After all, they did pass the security check--they weren't armed, or a threat, they just weren't invited. Besides, with a name like Tareq Salahi perhaps Security didn't want to be insensitive and ask questions. Look how far that attitude got Maj. Hasan in the military.

Ohio has bedbugs

And so does your town, apparently. There are bedbug task forces in New York, Columbus, Cincinnati, Chicago. I just heard about it.

And there is a chemical that is 100% effective, according to the Ohio Dept. of Agriculture.

"In tests at the University of Kentucky, the chemical killed 100 percent of the bedbugs exposed to it within 24 hours and kept on killing after eggs hatched, Beal said. That compared with a 16 percent kill rate after 72 hours for a commonly used household insecticide against one strain found in Cincinnati, and 40 percent in another strain."

The department asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Oct.23 for an emergency exemption to allow the use of Propoxur in residences according to the Dispatch. From the reading I did, that doesn't sound likely.

Huffington Post article

THANKSGIVING BLOGGING BREAK

It's a mistake at my house to ever clean out a drawer. Take yesterday. I stopped to read a 1981 invitation for a reunion of McKinley Hall (University of Illinois) residents which included married names, and found my old roommate on the Internet. I've e-mailed her, but. . .I find so many things set aside for another day. Things I could finish if I weren't blogging or researching crazy health bills or reading your blog. I am up to my mascara-free eye lashes in
dust,
clutter,
halls to deck,
unread books,
unprinted files,
shirts not ironed,
buttons not sewn,
computer glitches,
recipes not tasted,
sinks not scrubbed,
decorations to unpack,
Christmas letter labels,
notes to the ill and bereaved,
good
deeds
left
undone,

holiday money appeals to examine,
walks to take before it gets too cold,
veterinarian and doctor appointments,
and to top it all off there is mold growing in the store room!

Does anyone need a dark green baby crib
just 42 years old with a few missing pieces or
wooden poles for heavy lined drapes or
a bathtub grab bar (we have no bathtub) or
five kinds of solvent and wallpaper paste?
Update for a joke:

~ A lady was picking through the frozen turkeys at the grocery store but she couldn't find one big enough for her family.

She asked a stock boy, "Do these turkeys get any bigger?"

The stock boy replied, "No ma'am, they're dead."

Just like the old days

Not a creature is stirring. It's the Ohio State-Michigan game today and all of Buckeye land is glued to their TVs. Except me. It was just like the old days of 1960 this afternoon. I stretched out on the couch and took a nap while my husband watched. He had a game plan. About 11 a.m. he prepared his lunch and set it aside. About 11:55 he came upstairs, warmed it up, and took it back to his favorite chair. This is one organized football fan.

Twiddle dum and Twiddle dee--"spending on things that matter"

Do you remember that phrase after the last election? "Now maybe we can spend money on things that matter," by rejoicing, teary Obama supporters. What a laugh. The welfare state grows no matter who is in office, sometimes more under Republicans, but definitely under the less-than-conservative two Bush presidencies. Once a human services program is in place, who controls the White House or Congress makes little difference in its growth.


"The most significant growth in Human Resources spending is attributable to Medicare and "Health Care Services," an OMB category dominated by Medicaid. Still using constant dollars, these two categories combined to account for 8% of Human Resources outlays under Kennedy and Johnson, 15% under Nixon and Ford, 17% under Carter, 21% under Reagan, 26% under George H.W. Bush, 31% under Clinton, and 34% under George W. Bush. Measure all the Human Services outlays from 1962 (the first year of more detailed OMB historical tables) through 2007 in constant dollars, and it turns out that Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security accounted for just under two-thirds of the total."

More interesting facts about the persistence of poverty and the corresponding growth of the welfare state at "Reforming Big Government."

Ohio’s HB 318

Late Wednesday, Ohio Senate Democrats rejected the latest Republican amendments to HB 318. The bill will attempt to fill the $851 million gap in the FY10-11 budget. The Senate Finance Committee has adjourned indefinitely--for time to enjoy a Thanksgiving Holiday while thinking this through. Too bad our federal Senators didn’t do the same--they could have used the T-holiday to read through 2074 pages commiting us to trillions of debt and the takeover of private businesses, all for the extremely small percentage of Americans who don't have health insurance (and that won't even change!). Then they could have enjoyed a turkey tryptophan stupor instead of gorging on this other turkey stuffed with pork and shredded taxpayers‘ investments.

Following are the provisions rolled into the substitute bill that were highlighted by Senate Finance Chairman Sen. John Carey (R-Wellston) during Wednesday evening's hearing. This information was provided by AIA Ohio which has a horse in this race, the Ohio Construction Reform Panel's recommendations which could determine how architects will do business with Ohio for the next decade. Notice the money hoped for from casino fees.

- Allows one-third of the scheduled income tax reduction to go into effect rather than freezing the full reduction. This nets the state $278.7 million in FY10 and $284.0 million in FY11.

- Creates a trigger mechanism by which an increased portion of or the full scheduled income tax rate reduction would occur if the governor moves forward on VLTs, or if excess casino revenues are generated within the biennium and could be used to offset GRF.

- Restores $25 million in FY10 and $35 million in FY11 for chartered, nonpublic schools that were disproportionately cut in the budget process.

- Transfers the casino licensure fees, approved by voters as 'State Issue 3,' into the GRF to offset current regional job program expenditures. This provides $200 million in FY11.

- Grants waivers for school districts regarding unfunded mandates for all-day kindergarten and class size reductions.

- Allows school districts to privatize transportation services if they choose to do so.

- Provides flexibility in state report cards for school districts that failed to meet adequate yearly progress (AYP) in certain sub groups.

- Allows broader use of joint purchasing by education service centers and school purchasing consortia.

- Includes SB190 ROTC high school credit provisions.

- Requires DAS implement paperwork reduction/cost savings strategies. This is estimated to save $10 million/year.

- Includes comprehensive sentencing reforms. This is estimated to save $20 million in FY10 and $30 million in FY11.

- Establishes an oil and gas drilling pilot program on state-owned land at Salt Fork. This is estimated to bring in $10 million in FY11.

- Removes pay cut language as it is now contained in SB209.

- Creates a privatization commission to study state functions that could be privatized.

- Specifies that future collective bargaining contracts let by the state will coincide with the state's biennial budget time frame.

- Requires that three state agencies (natural resources, education, and transportation) undergo performance audits.

- Studies a state government restructuring plan similar to those proposed in SB52 and HB25.

- Studies potential cost savings and economic benefits to Ohio employers and injured workers by allowing private insurance companies to compete with the Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC).

- Requires the auditor of state's office to determine if BWC has adequate reserves compared to industry standards and to recommend rebates if an over-reserve is determined to exist.

- Studies cost savings that may be achieved if the state were to go to a four-day workweek.

- Transfers functions of the School Employee Health Care Board to DAS and deletes GRF appropriation in the Department of Education. This saves $800,000/year.

- Transfers $15 million per fiscal year from the liquor profits fund into the GRF.

- Transfers $15 million per fiscal year from the Housing Trust Fund into the GRF.

- Transfers $1 million per fiscal year in total from three public safety education funds (83G0, 83N0, and 8440).

- Specifies that the insurance settlement funds for the Lake Hope State Park lodge be used for the purpose of fixing that site.

- Uses half of the current scrap tire fee to provide funding to the state's soil and water districts.

- Ensures correct appropriation authority for the Department of Mental Health's 408 line item.

There are many things in here that deserve a closer look--and it's happening in all states, not just Ohio. Like that Housing Trust Fund--that's created from real estate transfer fees, but is used in conjunction with federal funds for housing programs. 20 years ago no state had this--now about 40 do. The high unemployment rate is squeezing the flood of tax money to a dribble. During the boom years, did anyone at the state or federal or local level think they should have paid down their debt instead of adding more programs?