My Daily Domestic Diigolet 03/04/2008

“The goal of every parent should be to send a child out into the world who is independent, loving, productive and moral,” Thompson says. “Does going to college immediately after high school guarantee those goals? The answer is no.”

But senior Paul Marchioni, 18, is planning to take the road less traveled: Instead of college, he wants to enroll in a local martial arts school to pursue his dream of becoming a professional fighter.

“It’s scary to be a parent and think, ‘What’s going to happen to my kid without that degree?’ says Mark Kuranz, past president of the American School Counselor Association, and lead counselor for the Racine Unified School District in Racine, Wis. “We’ve done a really good job of selling that the ‘American Dream’ can only be accomplished through a four-year degree.”

The reality, of course, is far different. Only some two-thirds of seniors nationwide will enroll in college next fall,

And experts say only 30 percent of jobs today actually require a four-year degree.

In fact, educators point out there are downsides of insisting kids go against their wishes: the hefty tuition cost; the high dropout rate, estimated as high as 45 percent; and the wasted time, if they ultimately decide on a career path with different requirements.

I don’t know if the audience is mobilizing or not. I am urging people — I am using a phrase — the Republicans — our nominee is chosen. It’s John McCain.

Texas is open. And I want Hillary to stay in this, Laura. This is too good a soap opera. We need Barack Obama bloodied up politically, and it’s obvious that the Republicans are not going to do it and don’t have the stomach for it.

This is the presidency of the United States you’re talking about. I want our party to win. I want the Democrats to lose. They’re in the midst of tearing themselves apart right now. It is fascinating to watch, and it’s all going to stop if Hillary loses.

So yes, I’m asking to cross over and, if they can stomach it — I know it’s a difficult thing to do to vote for a Clinton — but it will sustain this soap opera, and it’s something I think we need. It would be fun, too.

But Hillary Clinton, this is what she’s lived for, Laura. You know this. For 35 years, everything she has put up with since she left Yale, went to Arkansas with Bill, has been aimed at this moment. She just can’t quit now.

I see that they’re threatening to sue in Texas over the selection process down there, delegate-wise, because you can vote twice with the caucuses and with the primaries. And if she loses next week, it’s going to be a shame to have to play funeral music. I want the funeral music to play at some point to the Clintons, but not this early.

This is done — we can’t say, Laura. This was started by a L.A. Times columnist who is black.

Who was it that first used Obama’s middle name of Hussein? It was not us. It was Bob Kerrey, over and over again, former Democrat Senator of Nebraska.

Who was it that talked about Obama not just using drugs, as he admitted in his book, but maybe even selling them and dealing them? It was Shaheen, Clinton’s co-chair in New Hampshire.

All of this stuff: the middle name, the drug dealing, the drug selling, the picture of Obama in the turban, all of this has come from the Democrats, not us. And the M.O. is, if somebody on the Republican side starts using his middle name, why, there’s a foul. There’s a violation.

But this is — you know, Obama can’t get away with this. He doesn’t want to be called a liberal. He didn’t want his middle name to be used. And pretty soon, what’s going to happen is if we don’t shut up or speak up about this, the Democrats are going to get away with telling Republicans what they can and can’t say to the point that we’re not going to be able to say anything.

And this is my great fear, that people aren’t going to have the guts to be critical of Obama on the serious things he deserves to be criticized for, such as his absolute ineptitude and danger on foreign policy, just for one example.

Miraculously a dog that refused to eat, faithfully brought him bread as a means of sustenance. The dog used to leave a nearby castle and the lord of this castle having a curious nature followed this dog into the woods and discovered Rocco. The nobleman had pity on Rocco and brought him to his castle where Rocco was cured.

Saint Rocco is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church as the protector against the plague and all contagious diseases.

Judges H. Walter Croskey, Joan Klein, and Patti Kitching of the Second Appellate Court then made an extraordinary ruling. They held that the California Educational Code Section 48222 that exempts private school students from compulsory attendance at government-run schools only applies to those enrolled in traditional private schools. This goes against two previous home school cases handled by HSLDA, that upheld the right of homeschools to operate as private schools: People v. Darrah, No. 853104 (Santa Maria Mun. Ct. Mar. 10, 1986); People v. Black, No. 853105 (Santa Maria Mun. Ct. Mar. 10, 1986).

What is the truly scary part of the Second Appellate Court ruling for religious homeschoolers is the rejection of the Longs’ right to homeschool based on their religious beliefs.

“[The Longs’] statements are conclusional, not factually specific. Moreover, such sparse representations are too easily asserted by any parent who wishes to home school his or her child.”

So the State gets to decide whether a family is homeschooling for religious reasons NOT the family itself

, parents do not have a constitutional right to home school their
children.

The judge was ruling totally against the precedents. The family was in compliance. They weren’t even filing as a “home-based private school”. They were using an ISP. And ACCREDITED ISP, even.

This is bad for us here, and we’re working on how to handle this. We’re not sure what the aftermath is going to be about this. I believe that they can appeal, since there are higher courts available