Hallelujah!  The stolen laptop has been returned, with the veterans' information supposedly unaccessed.

The fiction writer in me can cook up some fantastic stories about how and why this item was returned so suddenly...but I'm not gonna argue, either way.

The question is, does Uncle Sam owe The Family a "get out of jail free" card now?  heh heh.  Ooops, there goes a good story plot!

Mr. Willie Brown sure remembers how to take care of business.  What a great story!

My dad sent me a funny this morning that took me a second, then truly made me laugh out loud.

Those who know me know that I love George W. Bush, but I thought this was a pretty cute.   I think he'd take it in stride, personally.

"Donald Rumsfeld is giving his daily report to the President and the Cabinet.  He says, 'Three Brazilian soldiers were killed today in Iraq.'

"The President says, 'Oh my God!' and he buries his head in his hands.

"The entire Cabinet is stunned because George Bush usually shows no reaction whatsoever to these reports.

"Just then, Bush looks up and says, 'How many is a Brazilian?'"

Happy Monday, y'all!

USA Today has an update on the case of the analyst whose home was burglarized, with the thieves making off with disks containing private information of millions of military veterans.  One analyst fired, a supervisor resigned, and another supervisor on hold for an undisclosed amount of time. 

Hmmm.  Supposedly the information is in code that requires training to get through.  But then again, one in such a position would also be trained to not take home sensitive information without permission, particularly if one's home had already been burgled once and one's neighborhood had been hit several times recently, right?

Let's just hope that all will be well, shall we?  (Reminder...you can get free credit reports without the help of John Kerry.  Don't pay for them, unless you've already gotten all three this year.)

This AP article on Yahoo! News caught my eye because of my background in Native American studies.  It will be interesting to me to see the outcome of these efforts.

We have some folks in Hawaii (or who were recently stationed there) blogging here at HomeschoolBlogger...what are your thoughts?  What have you heard about this at the local levels?

WorldNetDaily has a concise catch-up story on the whole Jesse Macbeth fiasco.  Pretty bad when even the "revolution" doesn't want you, isn't it?

I'm thankful that the weather is turning warmer, because hopefully soon the furnace will turn off.  (I thought it would last week, but we went from an 80 degree day to a 50 degree day...gotta love Washington!)

Anywho, this article about natural gas prices piqued my interest.  "Things that make you go hmmm...."

I truly appreciate this Washington Post article by Wade Zirkle.  The responses of Representatives Moran and Murtha in the town meeting described are truly reprehensible and unacceptable to me.  As I see friends and acquaintances leave for and return from Iraq and Afghanistan (and other locales unmentioned by those of us in the neighborhood with no "need to know"), I remind myself of what our troops really need...and it's not representatives like this to define their "morale" for them.

For those who read my post regarding the fray over the posts at Danny's blog, please note the comment that was left here:

Monday, April 10, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Anonymous

Oh shut up, child abuser

Anonymous, do you know my stance regarding the Pearls and their titles?  Or their beliefs?  Do you know my stance regarding The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC, and its subsidiaries, HomeschoolBlogger.com and HomesteadBlogger.com?  (In fact, did you know that these blog networks are owned by TOS?  One person who posted on Mr. Carlton's blog appeared not to know this fact, since they stated that HSB supports TOS by showing their banners and ads.  That, folks, would be because they're owned by the same company.)

If you did know my stance or my history with any of the above named, you wouldn't leave such a comment.  You would know that, while I have read almost all of the Pearls' books, I do not agree with all, or even most, of what they teach.  I do not practice their teachings nor do I endorse them.  Never have, and never have had to.

You would also know that, while I was previously employed by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC, I am no longer employed by them, nor am I an independent contractor for them at this time.  My position was eliminated in 2005 and I am a freelance writer.  That means I am can post information here on HomeschoolBlogger however I like, within the boundaries of the usage agreements we are all held to.  While there are certain members of the TOS "family" I consider to be friends, I am not held to any level of paid loyalty to support them or their advertisers.

Had "Anonymous" taken the time to leave a considerate comment asking my beliefs or my stance on any of the issues, s/he  might have learned that I grew up in a household that would be considered abusive, well beyond the scope of what the Pearls suggest and some parents consider to be "abuse".  I hazard a guess here, but should the Pearls learn of my story, I think they would be angered themselves at how I was treated.  Mr. or Mrs. Anonymous, I could tell you stories that would leave you shaking in your shoes, seething with rage, about what a little girl went through.  But wait...if you call the Pearls' methods abuse, and call me a "child abuser" without knowing how I discipline my child, you probably wouldn't want to hear my story.  Oh, and you told me to "shut up"...therefore you don't want me to speak of what I've survived.  Am I reading that right?

This individual has chosen to call names and be insulting, rather than research or leave a valid comment professing their stance on whether calling names is an acceptable, cause-furthering option in an argument.  Proof positive that even though this person may actually share my beliefs regarding the Pearls, s/he would not know, because s/he chose not to read between the lines and see that at NO POINT in my previous post did I support either side.  And that most specifically, I didn't support the Pearls in that post, because I don't personally support their ministry.

*sigh* 

And yet, we have Danny Carlton, who took the time to acknowledge my post and the heart of it, which was that name calling did no real good for me as the reader.  Kudos to Danny (and his wife, since he mentioned her in his comment to me), for seeing the post for what it was, and not slinging mud for no reason.

To prove a point here, I will leave this original Anonymous comment on my blog for all to see.  HOWEVER, should anyone else decide to hide behind the Anonymous poster feature, they will find that such comments are deleted.  If you are going to be so bold as to leave a comment, step out from behind your curtain and log in, leaving behind contact information, such as the location of your own blog or your email address.  Otherwise you do nothing to earn anyone's respect or further your cause...no matter what it might be.

That said, don't try to argue with me to tell me that you're right and "they" (whoever "they" are, whichever "side" you may fall on, dear reader) are wrong.  I have my beliefs about who is right and who is wrong, and frankly, it's somewhere in the middle of both extremes.  None of the people who posted regarding the matter over at Danny's blog will change my mind or sway my opinion, but the ones who clearly stated their points have earned my respect.

I don't have to agree with them to respect that they played fair.  I bet they don't run with scissors either.

A friend of mine forwarded me this link today, to a post at Danny Carlton's blog (and the ensuing commentary) about "Education wolves in Homeschool sheep's clothing".

Without commenting on the subject matter itself (which I shall do at a later date [which would be defined as "whenever I have the time and energy, so don't bother asking my opinions just yet"]), I wish to comment on the tone and language used by both "sides" in the commentary on Danny's blog entry.

Last I checked, calling a person "liar, liar, pants on fire" was juvenile.  It lost its wit about the 3rd grade for me, personally.

Calling other individuals morons, questioning their intelligence or ability to read, or anything else about them, is not an argument for one's case.  It's a little trick the politicos use, and it's called mud-slinging.

Folks, I don't care which "side" you're on.  If you wish to express yourself intelligently, and make specific points to support your case and detract your opponent's case, I'll read it or listen to it.  So will other people, and they will be more likely to support your cause or be swayed by your comments to at least respect your opinions as valid.

If you're just going to sit around and wail and gnash your teeth and throw names and insults around...you'll win no man's respect.  No woman's either. 

You might give them heartburn, a headache, or a good laugh at your expense (or your opponent's) but you shan't win their respect, admiration, or support.  There are people on both ends of the spectrum represented there that I probably actually do agree with, but I wouldn't bother to say so out loud, based solely on their inability to present a clear, fair argument without resorting to name calling. 

There's enough division in the homeschooling community, whether it comes from secular vs. religious homeschoolers, one denomination vs. another, one method vs. another.  Face it, folks...we don't all agree!  Suck it up.  Move on.  Sharing opinions and doing research is one thing.  Spewing vinegar everywhere is another.