This is another reason I enjoy blogging and finding new blogs.

By way of Fetching Jen’s blog, I found the Big White Hat. On Saturday, 10-15, he wrote about being “chosen.” Rather than simply providing a link, I wanted to reprint it here in its entirety. A truly moving piece:

CHOSEN
Have you ever been the odd man out? Rejection is reality. It happens to us all. It happens all the time. For every evil in the world there is an unequal and opposite good. I say unequal because the good is far greater.

The greatest desire of both God and man is to be chosen.

Chosen. I like to be chosen.

All that is good and right in my life is because I am chosen.

It all started with an irresponsible pair of college students in Lubbock Texas. Wise beyond her years, my birth mother wanted more for me than what she thought she could offer. She checked herself into a home for pregnant women. She knew it would be better for me to be chosen.

Two local kids and their young son were making a go of life in Amarillo. They knew something was missing. So my parents and my brother stood before a judge and I was chosen. They took me to Odessa Texas and never let me forget that I was chosen.

When I was 16, my behavior merited a separation from my car. I rode the bus home one day. At the back of the bus was a young looker sitting with her boyfriend. She looked right through the crowd and zeroed in on me. I did not know it yet but I was chosen.

When I was 17 my good friend informed me that a really good looking girl wanted to meet me. Then I met the girl from the bus. I have never stopped loving her. It is good to be chosen.

Years later, I had made a real mess of my life. The only thing that kept me hanging on was the realization that I was chosen. My loving parents and my friends at a Church across from the park in Odessa Texas wouldn’t let me forget that I was chosen.

One day I was talking to my father. He told me someone had called asking about me. That girl from the bus was back in town. She was back in town to find me. I guess she never really stopped loving me either. Once again I was chosen.

As I ponder my children, I wonder,” Why me?” How could I be the one chosen to turn them into responsible adults? Each of them has their own strengths and needs. I don’t always understand how to do this. But, I know who must do it. Once again I have been chosen.

I try to live my life deliberately. I have my own place in this world. I have a fate, a destiny, a purpose. I am chosen.

When I count my blessings on Earth and when I look forward to my treasures in heaven, I take joy that I am chosen.

I like to be chosen.

Remember I wrote that I’d explain the reason for many conservatives’ reaction to Harriet Miers? The time is here. To begin:

George Bush was reelected one year ago next month, acquiring 62 million votes, winning 51% of the vote. His was the first campaign since 1988 to win a majority of the popular vote. He won more votes than any candidate in US history. His first term primarily addressed terrorism. In the second, the issues were social security reform, the continued war on terrorism, continued economic growth. But let’s examine these things more closely.

First, social security reform tanked, on a concept that was too blunt, too frank, beyond most politicians’ ken — and a good portion of the electorate as well. The problem hasn’t gone away; it’s just been tabled until someone else has the guts to broach the issue or the system itself tanks under its own weight and lack of funding.

But ten years ago, when Bill Clinton himself declared “The era of big government is over” — well, it appears to many conservatives that there isn’t a spending measure, bill, or program expansion that George Bush doesn’t like. He has yet to veto even one spending bill. Some persons peg the phrase “compassionate conservative” on President Bush. But is the CC label achieving results — and at what cost? — literally.

One of the basic tenets underpinning my conservative philosophy is: less government. That which governs least governs best. Push decisions, funding, politics down to the lowest levels: local and state. President Bush has done his best to water the expansion of the federal flower: the Medicare drug benefit (single most expensive entitlement since the 60’s), billions and billions for AIDS (where are the other countries with their generous funding, hmm?), supercharging the Department of Education, creating a huge new department (Homeland Security) and now, “whatever it takes” to “rebuild New Orleans” to the tune of $200 billion.

One one hand, Bush is spending money like water. On the other, we got a tax cut. My dad says: tax cuts are good, we always need tax cuts. So I took my “tax cut” and paid a bill. But “tax cuts” or “no more taxes” + prodigious spending = where the hell is this money coming from? Oh: the money will come from cuts. Tom Delay recently said the federal budget was “pared down pretty good.” He also said “There is simply no fat left to cut from the federal budget.” What?? He recently amended his statement when he saw men approaching with the jacket and Posey cuffs.

Federal spending grew 30% under Bush’s first term. Before the hurricanes, federal spending grew 7% this year so far. Despite this, contrary to doomsayers, the economy is still doing well. Murders are at their lowest rate since 1965.

Then of course, there is that niggling little Border Issue. The possibility that there may be a nuclear mushroom cloud over a US city. See either movie: Dirty War or Last Best Chance. Not to mention the fact that illegal immigration is, well, illegal. President Bush called those in the Minuteman Project “vigilantes.” I call them American citizens doing a job the President lacks the courage to perform himself. When it takes a French acquaintance of mine seven years to become a US citizen vs. someone who got his or her ankles wet in the Rio Grande — and they achieve the same results — why would you want to go the legal route?

This is an entirely separate hotbutton topic for me which deserves later scrutiny.

In any event, massive spending + (in my opinion) unnecessary appeasement of the left wing (my, that’s working well, isn’t it?) + refusal to secure our borders + the nomination of Harriet Miers = final, open dissatisfaction on the right with a Bush decision.

Plus: President Bush may in fact get the opportunity to make an historical three nominations to the SCOTUS, as it’s possible Ruth Bader Ginsberg or John Paul Stevens may retire in the future, during Bush’s term. That would give the president the chance to impact a full one-third of this court.

So: the Harriet Miers “upheaval?” Not that difficult to figure out. I voted for George Bush, not LBJ. To be coarse: show me some sack, Mr. President.

So there I was. Rummaging around the digital ether when all of a sudden: bang! Pythons are taking over the world! To wit:

A 13-foot Burmese python recently burst after it apparently tried to swallow a live, six-foot alligator whole, authorities said. The snake was found with the gator’s hindquarters protruding from its midsection. Frank Mazzotti, a University of Florida wildlife professor, said the alligator may have clawed at the python’s stomach as the snake tried to digest it.

Ewww!!

The finding confirmed that snakes and gators have an appetite for each other.

New York Post writers Marcus Winters and Jay Green say that everyone knows teachers are terribly underpaid — just ask any teacher, union official or anyone with an interest in the money poured into public education. However, the writers point out that, as of 2002, national teacher salaries average $44,600.

Most, but not all teachers work 9 months a year — though that has changed in some districts. $44K for 9 months? Not shabby.

Doing the hourly wage comparison, the Labor Department says firefighters nationwide earn $17.91 an hour, cops $22.64 an hour and teachers $30.75 an hour. They write:

“Yes, teachers have a vital job to do, and they should be fairly paid. But compared to the 50-hour workweeks and daily insecurity of most white-collar workers, the tenured life of a teacher is a darn good deal.”

Coming up on November 8th, Fornicalians have the opportunity to vote on Proposition 74, which reads:

Proposition 74:Increases length of time required before a teacher may become a permanent employee from two complete consecutive school years to five complete consecutive school years; measure applies to teachers whose probationary period commenced during or after the 2003-2004 fiscal year. Authorizes school boards to dismiss a permanent teaching employee who receives two consecutive unsatisfactory performance evaluations. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Unknown impact on school district teacher salary costs as a result of changes in teacher tenure and dismissal practices. Fiscal impacts could vary significantly district by district.

As I posted earlier, if Prop 74 passes, could “merit pay” be far behind?

Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney spoke about this very subject last Friday on the Laura Ingraham show. She said that Romney had been leading a charge against the political clout of teachers unions in Massachusetts by offering the idea of a $15,000 merit pay increase based on test scores of students.

He said:

What we’ve found is that the underperforming schools in our state are not spending less money than those doing well. Schools that are underperforming do not have larger class sizes than the ones doing better. The major difference between the better schools and the ones that are not so strong boils down to a couple of things.

One is the capability of the teachers involved and their motivation in leading the class, and the other is the involvement of parents. So we’re focusing on both those areas by saying that we want to bring in more excellent teachers, particularly in math and science, by paying a $5,000 bonus to those coming in with math and science backgrounds. We want to pay $5,000 more to those who teach advanced placement classes, in other words, the best and the brightest. And then we also want to pay $5,000 more to any teacher who’s able to be in the top third of their school in terms of helping their kids move from one grade to the next. And that would be assessed by their scores on their exams.

Now you’d think we’re preaching heresy of some kind, by suggesting that we want to give more money to teachers. The teachers’ union doesn’t want more money for teachers unless it’s only based on tenure. They want mediocrity not to be considered as they look at pay; they want a pay system based on tenure alone. We want to see it based on merit, on commitment, on involvement and on excellence.

Laura asked: What does this look like in the legislature?

This is going to be a campaign that takes a long time to win. I believe that our education reform plan will move forward this year, but not in its entirety. I think it’s a campaign that will need to enlist the minority community. My democratic party in this state, which controls 85% of the legislature, has long received the support of unions as well as minorities. But there’s a gap here, and it’s going to be growing, between minorities and unions.

As the minority population recognizes that the failure of the schools is costing their kids their future, I think you’re going to see the minority community, over time, realize that real reform that changes the way unions work in our schools is essential.

Laura said: Governor Schwarzennegger in California had merit pay blocked when he came up against the enormously powerful teachers’ unions. How do you propose to get around that in your state?

This is the sort of thing where you do the calculation and you say, okay, there’s no way you can win this. But you have to start the fight. You have to start the campaign. You have to keep fighting and campaigning for this around the country. You have to say, our kids are more important than the teachers’ union bosses. Look, the teachers agree with me. The teachers want the kind of program I’m proposing. They want to be recognized as a profession where the best performers are rewarded more effectively, with a great future career and better pay.

But the teachers’ union doesn’t want that. They want to protect their very weakest union members. And over time, we’re going to be able to wear down the unions, because the parents and the teachers are going to demand that kids come first.

Governor Romney continued:

You know, it’s interesting to me that this country has proven to the world that our system, where the best are rewarded, where people have freedom of choice, where people are able to build their own success, that works. A lockstep socialist system does not work. And in teaching, that message hasn’t gotten through. The teachers’ unions are clinging to a model which has been proven to be ineffective. The teachers themselves, I believe, in growing numbers, and certainly parents and kids recognize that we should be rewarding the best teachers a lot better.

I want to see our best teachers paid a lot more money. And our worst teachers, I want them to get effective training or move on to careers where they can be more successful.

In my opinion, this logic is absolutely unassailable.

Let’s distill this down to its basic elements: a bunch of white supremacist wingnuts decided they wanted to march in Toledo, Ohio, yesterday except they didn’t get to march, per se.

“Authorities said there was little they could do to stop the group, because they did not apply for a parade permit and instead planned to walk along sidewalks.” Mayor Jack Ford, who is black, said “They do have a right to walk on the Toledo sidewalks.” Ford at one point confronted leaders of the mob and tried to settle them down.

“A gang member in a mask threatened to shoot him (Mayor Ford), and others cursed him for allowing the march, the mayor said. He said he didn’t know if the man who threatened him was actually armed, but he blamed gangs for much of the violence. The march had been called off because of the crowds, and the white supremacists had left.”

In all, 114 people got arrested. Buildings got burned. Property was destroyed, cars were overturned, crowds threw rocks and objects at police and fire personnel. You likely saw the video on Saturday. From Yahoo news:

Neighbors were divided about the city allowing the march. “They don’t have the right to bring hate to my front yard,” said Terrance Anderson, who lives near a bar that was destroyed. Other neighbors said the group had a right to have their say. “Too bad the people couldn’t ignore them,” said Dee Huntley.

I don’t get it. Maybe I’m just thick. A bunch of idiots come to your neighborhood and you decide to participate in a riot that ends up destroying businesses and infrastructure where you live.

And apparently Terrance Anderson doesn’t get it either — rioters burned his neighborhood bar. What’s the upside of that?

Lawfully, the First Amendment (Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.) still applies — like it or not.

Organize your own march. Keep it peaceful. Keep your neighborhood intact. But trash your own backyard? To borrow a phrase from a General I admire: those folks are “stuck on stupid.”