Update (3/1): There’s a new Christian ezine on the web. Visit and read Christian Women Online!
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It’s funny, in a way, that I have less time to blog now that I’m working from home than when I was working eight hours, five days a week at the day job. 
I’m laboring under a couple of deadlines, so I won’t do much blogging today. Tomorrow…we’ll see.
As an aside, my new friend from the endangered species is a fan of Harry Potter. One more thing in common. I love discussing Book 7 theories. (Only die-hard HP fans will understand.) 
If you’re bored with the posts at LBC, visit Fantasy Fiction for Christians and The Language Artist. If you’re bored with those, peruse my very long blogroll.
Consider this post “open” to anything you want to discuss (within reason). Announcements? Breaking news? A new blog? New job? New toy? An outstanding post?
by La Shawn on February 27, 2006
in Education
The following is a letter to the editor from Sunday’s Washington Post:
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An F for Effort
Prince George’s County is a symbol of black success, so why are its children failing?
Six years ago I taught in the Prince George’s County public school system. I lasted about six weeks, then quit rather than be a well-paid babysitter. The problem: a lack of serious students and school officials who feared parents.
When I entered the Prince George’s system, I was a 25-year veteran of the New York City schools. I also had taught for five years in the District and had spent three years as a teacher and an administrator in Virginia’s Isle of Wight County Public School District. I was a product of the New York City public schools, Howard University, Harvard University and Nova Southeastern University. I knew why excellent students succeeded: They studied.
Unfortunately, too many children in my Prince George’s classes did not study. They were allowed to complain their way out of working hard, and the system lacked the courage to tell parents that their children were lazy and that is why they weren’t succeeding. We expect student athletes to practice every day as a means to excellence, but that same expectation of practice and commitment to academics was lacking in Prince George’s.
Prince George’s is a wealthy county with beautiful homes. Its hard-working citizens are mainly high achievers, and its politicians are astute and powerful. Yet the county has the second-worst school test scores in Maryland. Why is no one asking why the children are not working as hard as their parents did to succeed?
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by La Shawn on February 25, 2006
in Faith
(Originally posted on Friday morning)
Randy Thomas, a former homosexual washed clean by the blood of Christ (!), reports that one of Exodus International’s billboards was defaced in St. Louis, Missouri. Randy is headed that way to attend a conference on Sunday called, Love Won Out.
Pray for Randy and others attending the conference, especially those still in the lifestyle and seeking answers. “Ex-gay” folks are getting lots of threats.
Related posts:
Addendum: Read Randy’s testimony.
Update (2:00 p.m.): Visit these homeschool bloggers (and check out their sidebars for more blogs and resources):
Spunky Homeschool
Spunky Jr. (homeschooled kid)
Victoria Carrington
Jones Blog
Biblical Womanhood
HomeSchoolBlogger directory
Agent Tim (Adorable homeschooled kid - I had no idea he was a teenager until he told me. Hadn’t seen the pic.)
The Rebelution (homeschooled twins)
The Homeschooling Revolution
Homeschooling Helper
Why Homeschool
Dr. Helen (I don’t know if Instapundit’s wife is a homeschooler, but she linked to the gifted story, and some of the comments are must-reads.)
Homeschool FAQ (Answers “Why? and “How?,” and includes links to various homeschool methods.)
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Because too few black students are enrolling in magnet school programs for the gifted, “educators” in Montgomery County, Maryland, decided to experiment “with new ways to reach out to students who might have special abilities but may not have been recognized through traditional screening methods.” (Source)
In other words, they’ve decided to dumb down the programs for diversity, which almost always means “black.”
These stories are a dime a dozen, aren’t they? I long to read one where students of all colors are held to the same standards, and black students are pushed to compete at top levels instead of “educators” redefining top levels and dragging down standards for everybody. Who does this actually help?
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by La Shawn on February 23, 2006
in Haters
Hackers are attacking Michelle Malkin’s servers (site was down for most of the morning) — probably because she posted a lot of Danish-Muhammad cartoons on her site in defiance of haters and their goal to shut down dissent by any means necessary. Defy on, Michelle! (She’s sicced the FBI on the idiots.)
Until her site is up completely, Michelle is blogging at Pajamas Media.
When people have no argument, no leg to stand on, and severely limited reasoning ability, the impulse is to attack personally and peripherally. I’ve been and will continue to be the target of similar irrational impulses. Dissenters and haters won’t silence Michelle, they won’t silence me, and I hope you won’t let them silence you!
(Hat tip: Debbie Schlussel)
Others blogging: Bryan Preston, Sister Toldjah, Bruce Armstrong…
Update:
1) From The Brussels Journal:
In Europe a secularized post-Christian culture is facing a Muslim one. The secularized culture is hedonist and values only its present life, because it does not believe in an afterlife. This is why it will surrender when threatened with death because life is the only thing it has to lose. This is why it will accept submission without fighting for its freedom. Nobody fights for the flag of hedonism, not even the hedonists themselves.
2) A liberal and a conservative find common ground.
Hesperophobia, Part I and Part II
by La Shawn on February 23, 2006
in Faith
Is it naïve to think that if you believe in yourself great things can happen?
Well, I guess I’m naïve. No matter where you are or what you’re going through, you have the power to change your condition.
When I was drinking like a fish, I never once blamed anyone. Like everyone else, I had factors in my childhood that probably contributed to the impulse to drink until I couldn’t remember anything. I was an unbeliever then, but I knew I wasn’t put on this earth to be a drunk my whole life. I held on to that idea. After I stopped drinking I realized that thought gave me hope and kept me alive. After I became saved, I understood that God planted that idea into my unbelieving mind to give me something to hold onto until he could wash away the guilt and shame of those years.
No matter who you are or where you are or what condition you’re in (even the most degraded condition!), amazing things can happen if you believe that you can improve your life. God has a purpose for everything we go through (good or bad), whether we believe he exists or not. (His plans can’t be thwarted by our stiff-necked rebellion.)
Even Christians may not fully understand why we suffer pain and turmoil, but we’re confident that our lives are guided by a living God whom we trust, One who knows things our puny and finite minds can’t even contemplate.
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by La Shawn on February 22, 2006
in General
Update II (2/23): Follow the link to BELIEVE!
Read Scott Ott’s parody.
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Stop the presses!
Someone finally said what needed to be said…publicly. During some government meeting in Houston, three New Orleans council members (guests?) said to “evacuees” what was on so many people’s minds: Get off your duffs and work.
New Orleans doesn’t want its poorest residents back — unless they agree to work.
That was the message from three New Orleans City Council members who said government programs have “pampered” the city’s residents for too long. (Source)
Houston transplants who want to return to New Orleans got a dose of tough love. “We don’t need soap opera watchers right now,” said New Orleans council member Oliver Thomas (pictured).
Thank you, Mr. Thomas! You will be harassed and harangued for being so “judgmental,” but don’t worry about that. The truth is on your side. Please do not apologize!
Poor areas remain poor (with stinky government schools) largely because of a reduced tax base. Too few people in the community are working. One NO council member said the priority is to bring back people willing to work.
The Housing Authority in New Orleans will require future public housing residents to “express a willingness to work.” More productive would be to actually work rather than “express” a soft “willingness” to do so. But who am I to judge?
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by La Shawn on February 22, 2006
in Bloggers
Blogger and promoter Stacy Harp is looking for bloggers to review books. Visit the reviewer page and watch her promotional video.
Although her niche is Christian books, Stacy needs reviewers for a soon-to-be-released book, I’ve Always Been a Yankees Fan: Hillary Clinton in Her Own Words.
You may be wondering, “What’s in it for me?” A few reasons why you should review books:
- Free books!
- Get more reading done in your busy life
- Improve your writing skills
- Link-building! - Stacy and other bloggers will link to your review, and there’s a chance the publisher will, too. If you’ve been blogging for awhile, you know how important linking is in the blogosphere. The more links you have (from blogs and web sites in general), the higher your ranking in Google and the Ecosystem.
- Free blog promotion and visibility — As bloggers link to you, other bloggers will be able to find you in a sea of millions of blogs…and link to you!
I like reviewing books. Several years before blogging hit its stride, getting a review copy from a publisher was akin to giving up your first born if you were a freelance writer. The hoops you had to jump through! These days publishers sometimes send bloggers unsolicited review copies. Blogging has impacted mainstream media, the government, and the business world in general. The publishing industry understands the power of blogs and wants to be part of the revolution.
By the way, I’m not being paid for this post. I just want to promote literacy and good blogging.
Contact Stacy.
Update: Soon-to-be-in-the-mail is a book I really want to read and review: An Army of Davids: How Markets and Technology Empower Ordinary People to Beat Big Media, Big Government, and Other Goliaths. I couldn’t bring myself to BUY Glenn’s book during the book signing at CPAC because I’m so used to getting review copies. Spoiled, I guess.
That tends to happen when people send you free books.
Update II: Witness a developing blog swarm on the literary side of the blogosphere.
I reviewed a blood pressure-raising book for Townhall.com called Whatever It Takes: Illegal Immigration, Border Security, And the War on Terror.
Congressman J.D. Hayworth, a Republican from Arizona who once voted against immigration legislation, decided to write a book that exposes the dangers we face from lax immigration enforcement. Legal, law-abiding citizens are at risk, and the government turns a blind eye. Read the review.
Speaking of blind government, American patriots are doing what our federal government refuses to do: deter border jumping. Beginning in April, 6,500 volunteers will guard and patrol the Mexican and Canadian borders. These are volunteers of the Minuteman Project, a subject I’ve written about a lot. I was so glad to learn that some people are doing instead of just talking. (I forgot to mention that I met Jim Gilchrist, co-founder of the Minuteman Project, at CPAC.)
Contrary to popular opinion, the Minuteman volunteers are not “rednecks” or “white supremacists” threatening Mexicans trying to cross the border. They peacefully stand watch at the border, breaking no laws. Just the sight of them seems to deter would-be illegal aliens. In fact, it’s so simple, even a government can do it.
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I was shocked to learn that Austria has a law against, “whoever denies, grossly plays down, approves or tries to excuse the National Socialist genocide or other National Socialist crimes against humanity in a print publication, in broadcast or other media.” (Source)
They’re kidding, right?
Don’t get me wrong. I understand how angry some are when people downplay or deny the Jewish Holocaust, but to make the public expression of it a crime?
Thank God I’m living in America.
No matter how despicable an utterance, no one should go to prison for expressing an idea. But I guess such a sentiment is uniquely American.
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by La Shawn on February 20, 2006
in Lunacy
Wal-Mart stopped selling guns in 40 Gulf Region stores after Hurricane Katrina because too many people were exercising their right to protect themselves from looting thugs.
Until last week, Wal-Mart was also not selling the “morning after” pill, probably for liability reasons. On February 14, Valentine’s Day, Wal-Mart was ordered to sell the pill because failing to do so violated state law. Pharmacies are required to sell “commonly prescribed medications.” Some smart-aleck lawyer obviously convinced the state that “emergency contraception” was a “commonly prescribed medication.”
I wonder if anyone threatened to sue Wal-Mart when it stopped selling guns? Unlike owning “morning after” pills, owning guns is a constitutional right. Moreover, Wal-Mart and any other business has a right to sell or not sell certain products. But the ever-present and expanding nanny-state government stuck its nose in Wal-Mart’s business and ordered it to sell a product. Unbelievable.
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Congressman Harold Ford, Jr., a Democrat from Tennessee, continues to lean ever rightward. If he keeps it up, he’ll be completely disowned by folks like the Congressional Black Caucus for daring to put victim-game politics where it belongs: in the back of the bus of history.
It’s a whole new world over here, my friend.
The Instapundit pointed to an article about Ford, written by Frank Cagle. He and a few colleagues interviewed Ford on a radio show:
Ford said he supports the Second Amendment right to bear arms, he is against partial birth abortion, he argues we have to stay in Iraq until we get the job done and he says he was encouraged on his most recent of four visits to the war zone. He wants to end pork barrel spending and balance the budget by making every department cut spending, and he wants to reform the tax code. (Source)
Being against infanticide is a start, but Ford needs to follow through with the same rationale that led him to that point and oppose child killing in general, no matter how old or what size the fetus.
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Michael Lopez-Calderon:
One of the many interesting discussions that emerged during last weekend’s CPAC gathering was a debate over what role should Euro-American conservatives play in critiquing the politics of race, particularly the impact not only of liberal policies on Black America but also the harmful effects of certain cultural traits that persist among American blacks.
While most of the bloggers – all white – involved in this particular conservation agreed that attacks on the Democratic Party’s social policies were proper, nearly all shied away from raising troubling questions concerning controversial aspects of African American culture. In part, the fear of racism or crossing over into racist arguments led many of the bloggers to self-police their thoughts on this matter. That is healthy and constructive. Most of us have some elements of residual racism and racial preference; however, the latter should not be confused with the former. There lurked a more insidious enforcer, indeed a specter that served as an ever-present external police officer: the charge of racism leveled against anyone who raises a discussion of cultural issues. Totalitarian thought control in the form of political correctness is what kept these white conservatives from exploring cultural issues as a possible source of much of contemporary American blacks’ problems.
What proved most troubling about the white bloggers’ retreat from this topic is that they deferred onto black conservatives the tough love task of critiquing destructive behaviors among American blacks.
Although I disagree with a few points this blogger makes, such as self-policing thoughts is “healthy and constructive,” I think the post captures what I suspect a lot of white conservatives think. (I could be wrong). I’m glad he qualified his “residual racism and racial preference” remark. We all have personal racial preferences, and that’s natural and not necessarily wrong. But the government has no business being in the racial preferences trade.
Bryant Gumbel, once referred to as an “oreo” by certain people, said:
“So try not to laugh when someone says these are the world’s greatest athletes, despite a paucity of blacks that makes the Winter Games look like a GOP convention.” (Source)
Having slept with white women while still married to his black wife (and mother of his children) of over 25 years and leaving her for a white woman, I guess Gumbel has the expertise to speak about the whiteness of things such as the Winter Olympics and GOP conventions.
Sources:
Related posts:
Update: Gumbel’s Personal GOP Conventions
by La Shawn on February 16, 2006
in Bloggers
Glenn Reynolds interviewed bloggers at CPAC for his podcast. Check it out.
His latest column at Tech Central Station is called Blogging: Love or Money? Why the dichotomy? I blog for both!
Making money off a blog requires a lot of traffic, and no matter how much the blogosphere grows, most blogs won’t have a lot of traffic, as Clay Shirky persuasively demonstrated a while back. Shirky observed that blogs, like many other things, follow a power-law distribution in terms of links and traffic, with a small number getting most of the links and traffic, and a much larger number getting much less of either. This was, he argued, essentially a function of attention economics. (I’ve written on that subject here).
Glenn doesn’t quantify “a lot of traffic,” but I suppose it’s a matter of opinion. For instance, I’m averaging a little over 4,000 unique visitors per day. (Some people are surprised when I tell them this. They assumed it was much higher. I wish!) In the scheme of things, that’s a lot for a blog, although I’d be satisfied with 20,000. Let’s face it, though. Most of us will never reach Glenn’s or Michelle Malkin’s numbers or anywhere close (144,000 and 232,856 per day, respectively).
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