Sand Hill Philosopher

Bozeman's Infrastructure: Tennis Courts

The city of Bozeman, Montana, has decided to use Federal Stimulus money to put special rubber tile on several tennis courts.

Cripplegate Christmas

I'm truly sorry at the "Blog-Silence" this week. It has been a time of:

1.   Excitement over the season and the Savior's birth.

2.   Introspection, gratitude, repentance and resolution.

3.   The busy-ness of preparing the home for such

Saturday Evening Devotional, December 19, 2009

Dear Friends,

Each Friday or Saturday, I am in the habit of beginning to pray, "Oh, LORD, prepare my heart and mind for worship on Sunday!"  This prayer is because I recognize that sin (heart) can hinder me from true worship, but also

Victory Garden: A Lesson in Forgiveness

Today is warming-up here at Cripplegate, and may reach 60 degrees this afternoon.  The cold, clear nights have allowed the low temps to kill off the plants of last Spring, but the broccoli I planted about 8 weeks ago is still alive.

I previously described to you the manner in which an aged cattle water trough had become my Victory Garden, helping me discover a way to garden that overcame my back and leg disability. (See Victory Garden: Overcoming Disability. http://bit.ly/7DdEbL )

Indian Weather Rock Needed in Copenhagen

When I was growing up in West Texas, and old man told this 10 year-old boy that an old Indian had given him a Weather Rock.  It was round, discoid and approximately 3 inches thick and 7 inches in diameter.

That is hard for a boy to ignore, so, I bit the bait, and asked, "What is an Indian Weather Rock."

How Do You Get Rid of a Domestic Partner?

With all the legislation being passed and benefits extended regarding "Domestic Partners," have you wondered just what that is, and why someone needs these benefits?

Domestic Partner Benefits Go Federal

Federal Employee Domestic Partner Benefits

This week, the US Senate Committee approved benefits for Domestic Partners of Federal Employees.

Federal Employees are Social Parasites

They work less.    They produce nothing.    They have become so Elite that they are no longer common, like Real Americans are.

This Week's Favorites, December 13, 2009

Well, Sand Hill Friends, thanks for the good readership and the comments by email and on the blog. I enjoyed reading your Family Christmas Traditions, and will

Saturday Night Devotional Thought

Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the LORD, and not unto men; knowing that of the LORD ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the LORD Christ. - Colossians 3:24

Shared Christmas Tradition #2

A few days ago, a friend, Dr. Debra Kowalski, a child psychiatrist I have known for over 30 years, did a guest blog for The Sand Hill Philosopher. In that post she talked about the importance of Family Traditions. This is how a young person learns where they came from, who their family is, and what the priorities are. Ultimately, they deduce

A Billion Dollars Per Household?

This is too true to be funny.

The next time you hear a politician use the Word ‘billion’ in a casual manner, think about whether you want the ‘politicians’ spending YOUR tax money. A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but try:

Knowing One Another Helps Cooperation

A court has just shut-down a Charter School using a "Classical Curriculum".  One of the major tools that is used in the "Classical Curriculum" is making sure that students have a very strong foundation in the Basics. Then they progress through Latin, Mathematics, Classical Literature and History, much of which is learned by the study of Original Documents.

While long a believer in this approach to education, for a better critique of this approach to education and curriculum please visit www.beehive5.blogspot.com .

Michael Medved mentioned today on his radio program that a judge has once again intervened to "save people from learning the Bible." Interestingly, this particular Classical Curriculum contains studies of the Bhagavad Gita (Hinduism), the Book of Mormon, the Code of Hammaraubi (the oldest known codex of written law, from Persia), Mohammad and Islam. Altogether, ten world religions are studied.

The Judge ruled that it was only the Bible that was a problem, and the school must either drop the Bible from the curriculum, change to another curriculum, or shut the school. This is just another example of Judicial Activism, and Judicial Bigotry.

Interestingly, the curriculum is not a "Sunday School Approach" to the Bible, but a study of its impact on culture, history and the fact that not only Christianity, but Judaism and Islam rely heavily upon the text for their religion, worldviews and customs. While the Bible is generally considered a marvelous book of literature in its own right, many classicists, including William Shakespeare, quoted it frequently. Abraham Lincoln once said, "A house divided against itself cannot stand." That is a simple, profound statement, imbedded in our nation's history. Whether you are Christian or not, the import of the fact, and the clearness of expression can't be denied, even if you discover that Lincoln was quoting Jesus, speaking in Mark 3:25. These words had great impact, and directed minds to a worldview that brought an end to The Great War (US Civil War, 1861-1865).

Medved added that even though his own children attended an Orthodox Jewish High School, one of the best teachers in that school dedicated significant class time to the discussion of the Christian Doctrine referred to as "Calvinism". Was it to teach the Jews that they should become Calvinistic Christians, or Calvinistic Jews? No. It was so they could understand so much history that occurred during the Age of Reformation, and hundreds of years of politico-historical actions effecting the whole world, regardless of the student's own religion.

All religions have a worldview, which is largely drawn from their religious beliefs. By studying these religions, and worldviews, we will understand each other better. My sons all studied the Major World Religions: I'm glad they did.

Let me try to set aside my outrage over the Bible portion of the court ruling, and close by saying,

Regardless of your opinion of religion in general, your personal choice of religion, or even your denomination within one of the bodies, Don't you think that you will be better educated and understand where the other person is coming from, if you understand at least a little about where their worldview is coming from?

You can have knowledge without Faith.

Just Thinking, The Sand Hill Philosopher

 

This Blog Post: http://bit.ly/7lCUlo   

www.MichaelMedved.com

www.Beehive5.blogspot.com

Shared Christmas Tradition Story #1

Well, Sand Hill Friends, the Christmas Traditions are coming in, and this is the first one that I want to share. This friend recently was blessed to marry a (then) single father of three. They knew each other from college, and were married a little over two years ago. While trained as a teacher, and without previous family, I think a great blessing was given to her when the custodial mother allowed HER to be the children's daycare provider, and they still get all of the Dad's visitation and holiday time! Isn't God more gracious than we can conceive? She writes:

Christmas and Teens - Parenting with all the Pieces

The following is a blog post written by a friend from my first day in college at Texas Tech (Tuesday, September 5, 1978 (9:00am Biology Lab), who fought the battles of pre-med nights with me, and is now an Adolescent & Child Psychiatrist in Ft. Worth, Texas.

Farm Lessons for Life

Rural Life is full of experiences that lead one to those sorts of maxims that can be applied over, and over, to a wide array of problems. Will Rogers claimed that that was what gave him such insight into human nature. Sitting on a porch watching the sunset, riding the plains on a good horse and saddle, or even digging postholes, gives you the time to reflect and figure out just went wrong, and how

EPA Head Mistress Does Not Know Chemistry, or Other Stuff

As you are probably aware of by now, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) made a unilateral decision to classify Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) as a "poisonous" gas, and therefore subject to their regulation.

Why Isn't 'Common Courtesy' More Common?

America is becoming rude, and it is contagious.

Out of Work, or Not Working

   Link to this article: http://bit.ly/2hH38p

 

When I was in medical school in Houston, 670 miles from Muleshoe,

Best of the Week, December 6, 2009

Here are the posts that were most read this week, including  two previous posts that continue to draw a lot of attention.

They are:

How YOU Can Stop Judicial Activism   http://bit.ly/Stop_Judicial_Activism

What Everyone Needs to Know About Economics: Even You   http://bit.ly/8UDPGb

Judicial "Highhandedness" Equals Jucidial Activism   http://bit.ly/Judicial_Highhandedness

If Guns Kill People, Why Do People Go To Jail?   http://bit.ly/54eIDP

Judge Needs Removed: Can Anyone Be "Too Religious"?  http://bit.ly/6Pcgsx

These posts collectively represent three of this weeks most read articles, and the two top articles pulled by readers from previous weeks. If you missed them, don't let it happen again. You ought to at least know what others are learning about.

Just Thinking, The Sand Hill Philosopher

When You Look, Do You See God?

How hard do you have to look to see God? Consider a few examples of the simple (straightforward, always consistent) way in which God has arranged Creation:

Judge Needs Removed: Can Anyone be "Too Religious"?

I have been shocked at many rulings, and have been an activist in pushing for the impeachment of judges who are guilty of "highhandedness", otherwise known as judicial activism, and, sometimes called, "ruling from the bench."

Barbara Boxer on Climate Change Emails

Barbara Boxer, known for her brilliant mind, erudite learning and intimidating ability to express herself, is concerned about "stolen e-mails." J

In a taped interview, she expressed no concern about the lying scientists.

GITMO Judge: Constitution or Risk Impeachment ?

A current case worth watching for constitutionality and opportunity for Impeachment is the Federal Judge hearing the case of the GITMO prisoners. He has been pressured into taking the case by the Obama administration, and it belongs in a Military Court, or Tribunal. It also belonged there several years ago, however.

Judicial "Highhandedness" Equals Judicial Activism

The early Father's of our Nation most frequently removed judges from office with a charge of "highhandedness."

By this term, they meant what we today call "Judicial Activism" or "Ruling from the Bench". In this abuse of power, the courts mistakenly usurp authority not granted to them in the United States Constitution, or when they misapply the Constitution, or any other law, thus rendering the law inapplicable to the type situation for which it was drafted.

Winston Churchill Comments on Saturday Senate Vote

It is often repeated that at a State Dinner in Britain, Winston Churchill had grown weary of the constant challenges of a woman sitting next to him. Churchill was finally overcome by the pinch of the seating arrangement and the woman's brash challenges to him, Mr. Churchill finally queried,

US Federal Judge William Blount Impeached

Many people hold the mistaken belief that a United States Supreme Court Justice cannot be impeached. As an introduction to the idea of cleaning our courts of Judicial Activism, I would like to first rid you of that notion.  The Federal Judges, including the Supreme Court Justices, can, and have been impeached.