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January 2009 Education, it is not rocket science, by M.E. LaLuna It is really all so simple.  Just use your brain, be pragmatic, avoid being ambiguous and the simple will materialize as the logical pathway towards societal freedom!  I know you are thinking what in the world is she talking about?  I am talking about everything.  We have discovered ways to justify paying more for everything to warrant making more money for everyone so as to charge more by those that are the worker bees!  That is what is all comes down to the almighty dollar.  Case in point:  We spend billions upon billions of dollars every year on a failing education system.  Publishing companies, Universities, Government, warrants the spending necessary by focusing of the supposed failure of our children in schools.  Fingers are pointed at the schools as being failures, but who is being pressured in the classrooms by standardized testing?  Whose scores are being displayed openly in local newspapers?  If there is no failure then there is no need for the multi-billion dollar publishing, training, development, mandates, requirements, etc.  The testing alone state by state to level students, to certify teachers is a multi-million dollar reality.  Guess who is making the money?  You got it, publishers.  Federal and State requirements put in place by many elected officials costs taxpayers billions and every year the requirements change mandating teachers and practitioners to obtain more schooling.  The message out there is that there is a teacher shortage, so the local school systems are in a teacher recruitment movement with the universities.  Recruiting professionals from other fields to secure “highly qualified” teachers at the same time that they are laying off mass quantities of experienced teachers (actually a practitioner is the better term).  If you don’t believe me look into Chicago Public School, New York City Public School systems to see how many lay-offs and school closings there are.  Then look at the major public universities to see how many new teacher programs there are.  Guess who is earning a profit off of that…the school system and the universities all at taxpayer’s expense.  Go look at a teacher job fair and notice how many people are lined up for a few jobs.  Ask how many of them are certified teachers laid off from their current jobs.  Believe me the new graduates from these “fast track” programs are the first hired.  The Universities guarantee it!   Now let’s look at the shortage area for teachers.  It is primarily in special education.  It is sad that the number of children being identified as special ed. is increasing.  I am not saying that there is not a true need, but please understand that school districts receive more funding per student if they can identify a high need child and provide special education.  So again notice who the gains the greatest profit by identifying high need areas.  The schools profit, again at taxpayer’s expense. Education is BIG BUSINESS!  No child left behind, (I pray it will be left behind when Bush leaves office, PLEASE!  It might just be the biggest witch hunt since Salem, many a blue moon ago!)  Please Barack do not let George leave  that mess behind make sure it is swept away!  Between our public schools, private schools, specialty schools, tutoring centers, charter schools, and every not for profit education organization there is, it is sad that the only ones profiting are the adults playing school, while the children who should be the ones profiting from a seeming investment on their behalf are being left behind in an embarrassing wake of a failed system.   This all came to me recently when I was reading a reflection that referenced Abraham Lincoln. As one of greatest writers, orators, leaders of our time he sets the example of how pragmatic, unambiguous, simple it really all is.  He had less than one year of formal education.  There were no Master degrees, BA’s, GED’s, not even an elaborate kindergarten graduation, yet, he learned how to read.  By candlelight he learned the simple reality that “c” added to “a” added to “t” made a sound.  That sound attached to a meaning had a reality.  A simple “cat” could be given symbolic significance and come to life on a page through that symbolic dance.  It is all really simple.  Now please let’s stop reinventing the wheel and get back to basics.  Experience is more valuable than anything anyone could ever get from a $30,000 a year college education.  Oh and if you want a child to know what “c” “a” “t” means, then take them out and let them feel the fur beneath their hands and spell it as they pet the animal that has a symbolic representation.  It is that simple. December, 2008 This article was written with love by the original family Wordsmith, Harold Lester Rapier.  It was found when going through some old family memorabilia.  It is interesting to note that, while it was originally penned to honor Mary Caroline Rapier, it also is a perfect description of Nancy Eileen Rapier.  It’s very safe to say that Dad had a wonderful knack of picking the perfect Bride, Mother, Grandmother, and Great-Grandmother!  (contributed by Maureen Ann Hunger, Thank you Maureen!)                                                                                                                                                                                   Will the Real Santa Claus Stand Up? By Harold L. Rapier (1926-1999) While watching my beloved wife being transformed from a lovely bride to a loving mother to a lovable grandmother as she went about doing her thing year-after-year and Christmas-after-Christmas, I became increasingly suspicious as to the true gender of Santa Claus.  Now, after extensive observation, investigation and contemplation, I believe I can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Jolly Ole Saint Nick is a Grandmother in disguise. First, who is it – as soon as Christmas is passed – begins all over again, going on countless sprees, taking in every sale and coming home with hoards of purchases only to have them mysteriously disappear and never seen again until Christmas Eve? Second, who is it in every household heralds in the new Christmas Season by going about in a state of euphoria, tirelessly filling every room with the sights and sounds and smells that are common to this holiday season until it ignites the Christmas spirit in every member of the household? Third, Santa is commonly described as being “small, round, warm, and jolly”.  Now, tell me, how many fathers and grandfathers you know can fit that description?  However, it is my contention that, if you were to dress the typical Grandmother in a Santa costume with padding, whiskers and all, you would produce a storybook facsimile of Jolly Ole Saint Nick every time! Furthermore, even though I have no tangible proof nevertheless, I believe that the Mothers and Grandmothers purposely contrived this Christmas Myth to mask their own selfless and undying love for children, and to set a shining example for we fathers and grandfathers in hopes that we will endeavor to imitate it in the coming years. Now, if this be so, then we all owe a deep debt of gratitude to that special woman in our lives who, every year, shares her joyful love with us manifested in the image of Santa Claus to make our homes a blessed and happy place each and every Christmas! In conclusion, I pray that God has reserved a special place in His Kingdom for His Missionaries of peace and love: Our Brides, Our Mothers, and Grandmothers. Merry Christmas, Harold L. Rapier

The Triad - M.E. LaLuna

The Triad, what is it and do we need to be concerned? By M. E. LaLuna I have been against the war in Iraq, I have questioned Bush’s and our Bi-partisan congress’ motives, I have pondered the significance of our being there, and until recently I have thought it was a big mistake.  A great part of me still does.  But, recently I have been looking deeper into the global reality of the Iraqi conflict and what it really means.  It means we need to limit the power and control of the Middle East.  It means we need to be present in an area that is unstable.  It means we need to better understand the threat to the East and to the North of Iraq. We do need to be mindful of the past 40 years of unrest in Iraq, Iran and Israel and that relationship as it does indeed affect the entire world.  So,… Recently Senator McCain was asked about the Iraqi conflict during an interview with George Stephanopolous, and my major criticism in his response is this: When he was asked about concern over political and financial growth in Russia and what does it mean to the United States and the rest of the world I was saddened that he only mentioned concern over Putin.  That when he was asked simultaneously about Iran he only mentioned Russia and the instability in Iran, what I wanted him to say was that he was concerned about the Triad between Russia, Iran and China, that he would include in the conversation regarding Putin’s hand choosing of Medvedev that he would discuss Hu Jintao and Medvedev’s alliance against the placement of missiles on the Eastern front to protect European nations against Iran.  Bottom line is this, and I encourage you to read on regarding my rationale on this topic.  Bottom line: Who is contributing to the buildup in Russia?  Who is strengthening Russia economically, politically?  Who is contributing to Iran’s nuclear growth and military provision? It is not solely Russia and Iran helping the other, there is a third party, a large third party, a communist third party. Is Russia gearing up for a fight? Is it just acting as the eastern world’s scarecrow?  Why would Russia seek to act the scarecrow for Iran?  What it is the overall purpose of a military buildup and by what financial means is a recently struggling country able to build up a military strength? Russia is the stop gap between the Western world and China. In order to measure the importance of Russia and its role as either scarecrow or legitimate bully, we must identify what entity is fueling its ability to stand up against the United States in either role. Are the recent investments by Russian billionaires’ (and continued investment) in the rich real estate of Colorado and the recent discussion of drilling for shale oil in the rich terrain of Colorado a coincidence? Let’s look at Russia from a logistic, strategic point of reference.  It is the provider of a logistic land mass that can protect China by land access as well a provider of the necessary nuclear commodities for Iran.  Example: Russia supplies nuclear materials to Iran, Iran supplies oil (and is a leading energy source) to China, China supplies financial support to Russia, Russia builds up as a “junior power” under China, Iran becomes the dominant power in the Middle East, and China continues to consume the world’s energy resources while it continues to build up economically to become the world’s superpower. The evidence that identifies a Triad in the East including Russian, China and Iran has grown in significance.  As the United States continues to trade and enable an emergence of a capitalistic mind-set for the purpose of economic growth for a few key United States investors, we begin to see an emergence of a middle class in China and India.  This consumerism extends to the excessive need for precious metals and raw materials found in Russia and Africa.  In order to put these materials into development an excessive amount of energy is necessary to do so.  The triad of Russia, China and Iran is all a part of the “bigger” plan.  That “bigger” plan is to unseat the United States, disabling it and creating an AXIS that can shut down the US. What does Capitalism look like minus democracy? It is believed that the United States is not included in the end times and part of that is because the United States as we now know it will no longer be in existence.  The United States as a global infant is experiencing what many believe caused the fall of Rome…a disproportionate cost to fuel ratio through "synchronous failure." (Thomas Homer-Dixon, The Upside of Down) Not long ago Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev met to denounce jointly the US missile shield. This concerns me as I am confused as to the mixed messages that China is sending the United States.  China wants US citizen’s investment capital, US financial support and recent philanthropic support following the earthquake, but yet if feels as though we are a military threat.  Russia fears our involvement in and around them logistically, all the while supporting the build-up in both China and Iran.  How can we as a nation befriend and support China, at the same time that China is intimately involved with Russia and Iran? As for this writer, I believe that Russia’s threat should be taken seriously as it has the support of its neighbors.  It is clear that there cannot be a separation between Russia, Iran and China.  Whether it is scarecrow tactics or straight on bullying, it should not be ignored. What does it mean in relationship to the “end?” Well, the end will first be a systematic end to a few, then the many, then an end to all.  Like dominoes there will be a starting point and then an “end” point.  As China consumes mass quantities of the world’s energy resources, financially builds up Russia to the point that they are flexing military muscle and financially enables Iran to rely solely on Russia and China for its continued strengthening in the Middle East we must identify the strongest point of the Axis.