Luther and the Reformation
by George Grant
Entire entry at Grantian Florilegium

". . . Increasingly concerned about corruption within the church--both material and spiritual--Luther suddenly became a public and controversial figure when he published his Ninety-Five Theses, on this day in 1517. They were supremely academic in character--Latin propositions opposing the manner in which indulgences were being sold to raise money for the construction of Saint Peter's in Rome.

The Theses caused great excitement and were immediately translated into German and widely distributed. Luther's spirited defense and further development of his position through public university debates in Wittenberg and other cities resulted in an investigation by the Roman Curia that led to his condemnation three years later and his excommunication a year after that in 1521. Summoned to appear before Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in April 1521, he was asked before the assembled secular and ecclesiastical rulers to recant. He refused firmly, asserting that he would have to be convinced by Scripture and clear reason in order to do so, “Here I stand, I can do no other.”

. . . it was clear that the protesting churches, or "Protestants," would not succeed in reforming the whole Western and Catholic church as Luther had wished. Thus, they established a new ecclesiastical structure--focusing on reforming its worship as much as reforming its doctrine--rooted in the long-lost idea of Sola Scriptura, or "Scripture Alone."

Thus was born the Reformation."

A Mighty Fortress is Our God
~Martin Luther~

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God's own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God's truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.
(Translation by Frederic Hedge, 1853)

On Sep 30, 2007, Ron Paul talked to a group of homeschooling parents in New Hampshire. Hear him in his own words. Part 1

Part 2 Constitution, last few seconds start discussing homeschooling

Part 3 Discusses homeschooling


Continue with the rest of the Homeschool Meet and Greet:
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Link to Statement in printable PDF
Link to Statement:

"My commitment to ensuring home schooling remains a practical alternative for American families is unmatched by any Presidential candidate.

Returning control of education to parents is the centerpiece of my education agenda. As President I will advance tax credits through the Family Education Freedom Act, which reduces taxes to make it easier for parents to home school by allowing them to devote more of their own funds to their children's education.

I am committed to guaranteeing parity for home school diplomas and advancing equal scholarship consideration for students entering college from a home school environment.

We must have permanency in the Department of Defense Home School Tier 1 Pilot Program, providing recruitment status parity for home school graduates. I will use my authority to prevent the Department of Education from regulating home school activities.

I will veto any legislation that creates national standards or national testing for home school parents or students. I also believe that, as long as No Child Left Behind remains law, it must include the protections for home schoolers included in sec. 9506 (enshrining home schoolers’ rights) and 9527 (guaranteeing no national curriculum).

Federal monies must never be used to undermine the rights of homeschooling parents. I will use the bully pulpit of the Presidency to encourage a culture of educational freedom throughout the nation."

Link to other detailed statements on home education:

"The reality, though, is that parents - not "well-meaning" politicians - know what options are best for their kids' education." ~Ron Paul~

I just did an internet search for "Homeschooling Ron Paul" and found a new blog: Home Schoolers for Ron Paul by a homeschool parent from New Hampshire who got to meet Ron Paul at his county GOP picnic. This is a small quote from a post about the HSLDA supporting Mike Huckabee:

"Since Mike Huckabee was recently endorsed by the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) there has been some discussion about why it didn’t endorse Ron Paul. Why would HSLDA endorse Mike Huckabee? The question is: if you wanted to safeguard your right to homeschool, who would you vote for – Mike Huckabee or Ron Paul? The following is a summary of some explanations for this endorsement as suggested by members of a Homeschoolers for Ron Paul meetup group, together with some thoughts of my own, and an attempt to answer this question.

Among the suggestions made by the meetup group were as follows. It was suggested that the Home School Legal Defense Association believes Mike Huckabee, as previous Governor of Arkansas, would have a better chance of being elected, than Ron Paul, and that HSLDA, which has defined itself as a Christian organization, would support Mike Huckabee as a Christian pastor. It was also suggested that neither Huckabee nor the HSLDA share Ron Paul’s idea of liberty, in spite of the fact that they use the word.

My research suggests, first of all, that Huckabee is not as strong a supporter of homeschooling as his campaign might suggest . . . . "

HSLDA has a PAC, which can, and you can see the endorsement here:
http://www.hsldapac.org/dnn/Home/HuckabeeforPresident/tabid/93/Default.aspx

Quote and link with permission and courtesy of Home Schoolers for Ron Paul. See entire post here.

Also, see the HSLDA for a free printout report: Arkansas Home Schoolers Lose Ground With New Law, about Governor Huckabee signing the Act 1117, the H.B. 1724 on April 5, 1999 which began to apply to home schooling families in the 1999-2000 school year. The previous law required parents to provide written notice to the local superintendent of their intent to home school at the beginning of each school year or at any time during the school year a child is withdrawn. The new law increases federal government's role in education which infringes on parental responsibility, authority, and rights. There is now a 14 day waiting period before a parent can withdraw the child from the school which mean exactly that, any parent wanting to withdraw their child from the public school has to wait 14 days. The H.B 1724 also states any home school student who does not participate in the state testing is truant and can be subjected to prosecution.This is less freedom for parents to raise and teach their children as they think best. This is the Mike Huckabee the HSLDA is endorsing?????

Here links to Ron Paul's own words about his position on homeschooling. They are from the United States House of Representatives Legislative Resources.

"For Rep. Paul, each piece of legislation must be examined for its constitutionality; that is, on the basis of whether or not the US Constitution allows the Congress or the Federal Government to engage in the actions described by the proposed legislation. If the Constitution does not allow it, then it must be opposed."

Congratulating Home Educators and Home Schooled Students
"While serving in Congress, I have had the opportunity to get to know many of the home-schooling parents in my district. I am very impressed by the job these parents are doing in providing their children with a quality education. I have also found that home schooling parents are among the most committed activists in the cause of advancing individual liberty, constitutional government, and traditional values. I am sure my colleagues on the Education Committee would agree that the support of home schoolers was crucial in defeating the scheme to implement a national student test." Read here: "Speeches and Statements" September 26, 2000

Texas Home School Appreciation Week
"Mr. Speaker, to be a home schooling parent takes a unique dedication to family and education. In many cases, home school families must forgo the second income of one parent, as well as incurring the costs of paying for textbooks, computers, and other school supplies. Home schooling parents must pay these expenses while, like all American families, struggling to pay state, local, and federal taxes." "In order to help home schoolers, and all parents, devote more of their resources to their children's education, I have introduced the Family Education Freedom Act (H.R. 935). This bill provides all parents a $3,000 per child tax credit for K-12 education expenses. This bill would help home school parents to provide their children a first-class education in a loving home environment." Read here: "Speeches and Statements" May 4, 2000

Parents Must Have Control of Education
" As such I am proud to be sponsoring legislation which will give parents an unprecedented amount of control (in recent history) over their child's education. The legislation is called the Family Education Freedom Act, HR 1816 .... This bill will provide up to $3,000 in tax credits per child, per year, for every American family. Parents will be eligible for the tax credit whether their kids are in public schools, private schools, church schools, or are home schooled. The tax credit can apply toward items such as after-school tutoring, purchasing a computer and educational software, tuition and the cost of books and materials, and almost anything else which the parents believe will enhance their child's education ..... I am absolutely convinced that the key to an educationally prosperous nation is found not in a federal government program, but in the right of parents - consulting with teachers and local administrators - to effectively utilize their moral responsibility for their children. By so doing, we will foster a philosophy of independence, self-reliance, and local responsibility; a philosophy which will permeate our classrooms and our government." Read here: Texas Straight Talk July 20, 1997

Giving power to parents is truly pro-education
Federal 'solutions' are biggest obstacles to academic achievement
"The reality, though, is that parents - not "well-meaning" politicians - know what options are best for their kids' education. Unfortunately, America has been saddled with a tax system which limits the ability of parents to pursue the academic options best suited for their children's individual situations. With combined taxes taking almost 50 percent of the average family's income, there is little left over for low- and middle-class parents to even consider other educational opportunities." Read here: Texas Straight Talk April 20, 1998

Education Freedom Legislation Will Provide Meaningful Reform
"One of my main goals in the 107th Congress is to return control over our children's education to parents and teachers in Texas and across America. Unfortunately, as the federal government continues to increase its influence over education, the role of parents and teachers becomes more and more limited. Over the last 30 years, this increased federal control has proven harmful to education standards while wasting taxpayer dollars.

I believe that parents and teachers can better educate our children than federal education bureaucrats and politicians. With that in mind, this week I will introduce my "Education Freedom Package." This education package consists of three bills designed to increase parental control over their children's education, increase teacher pay, and provide incentives for individuals to make contributions to local schools.

The centerpiece of my education package is the "Family Education Freedom Act." This measure will give parents a $3,000 per-child per-year tax credit. The credit can apply to tuition, tutors, books, computers, and other related educational needs. It also applies equally to parents who choose to educate their children in public, private, or home settings. This tax cut is more effective than current voucher plans, which leave the door open to increased government influence on teacher standards and school curricula. Also, the tax credit takes no funding away from public schools.

The second measure is the "Education Improvement Tax Cut," legislation allowing individuals to claim up to $3,000 per year in tax credits for cash or "in-kind" donations to schools and scholarship programs. The goal is to encourage people to set up scholarship funds for disadvantaged youth, and also become more involved with their local schools.

Finally, I will introduce the "Teacher Tax Cut Act." This measure grants all teachers a $1,000 tax credit, effectively raising their salary by $1,000 annually without increasing local or federal education spending. Last year, new teachers made an average of $10,000 less than other college graduates. With teachers often ranking at the bottom tier of professional pay, the federal government must recognize that teaching our youth is an honorable and important profession. Many others in Congress agree that teachers deserve this tax credit: the "Teacher Tax Cut Act" already has received bipartisan support from Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-North Carolina), Rep. Dan Miller (R-Florida), Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Georgia), Rep. Richard Baker (R-Louisiana), and Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Maryland).

Each time we are presented with a new education proposal from Washington, it involves another layer of harmful federal bureaucracy. No big-government spending program can or will solve our nation's education problems. One-size-fits-all programs simply do not work. I want to give parents the freedom to choose the best options for their children. I want teachers to know that their services are valuable to our nation without making them subservient to federal bureaucrats. And I want to encourage local residents to get involved with their local schools through educational programs and scholarship funds.

My agenda of returning control over education dollars to the American people is the best way to strengthen public education. These bills represent a common sense, pro-family approach that says "no" to more federal involvement in local education and "yes" to more parental and teacher involvement. I thank my colleagues for cosponsoring these important pieces of legislation, and I call on every member of Congress to support meaningful education reform which once again will make American education the envy of the world." Read here: Texas Straight Talk April 20, 1998

The Family Education Freedom Act
"I rise today to introduce the Family Education Freedom Act, a bill to empower millions of working and middle-class Americans to choose a non-public education for their children, as well as making it easier for parents to actively participate in improving public schools. The Family Education Freedom Act accomplishes it goals by allowing American parents a tax credit of up to $3,000 for the expenses incurred in sending their child to private, public, parochial, other religious school, or for home schooling their children.

The Family Education Freedom Act returns the fundamental principal of a truly free economy to America's education system: what the great economist Ludwig von Mises called "consumer sovereignty'". Consumer sovereignty simply means consumers decide who succeeds or fails in the market. Businesses that best satisfy consumer demand will be the most successful. Consumer sovereignty is the means by which the free market maximizes human happiness.

Currently, consumers are less than sovereign in the education "market.'" Funding decisions are increasingly controlled by the federal government. Because "he who pays the piper calls the tune," public, and even private schools, are paying greater attention to the dictates of federal "educrats" while ignoring the wishes of the parents to an ever-greater degree. As such, the lack of consumer sovereignty in education is destroying parental control of education and replacing it with state control.

The Family Education Freedom Act will also aid those parents who choose to educate their children at home. Home schooling has become an increasingly popular, and successful, method of educating children. Home schooled children out-perform their public school peers by 30 to 37 percentile points across all subjects on nationally standardized achievement exams. Home schooling parents spend thousands of dollars annually, in addition to the wages forgone by the spouse who forgoes outside employment, in order to educate their children in the loving environment of the home.

Ultimately, Mr. Speaker, this bill is about freedom. Parental control of child rearing, especially education, is one of the bulwarks of liberty. No nation can remain free when the state has greater influence over the knowledge and values transmitted to children than the family.

By moving to restore the primacy of parents to education, the Family Education Freedom Act will not only improve America's education, it will restore a parent's right to choose how best to educate one's own child, a fundamental freedom that has been eroded by the increase in federal education expenditures and the corresponding decrease in the ability of parents to provide for their children's education out of their own pockets." Read here: Speech and Statements January 31, 2001

Ron Paul has sponsored and introduced the “Family Education Freedom Act” 6 times:

1997 in the 105th Congress as H.R.1816.IH
1999 in the 106th Congress as H.R.935.IH
2001 in the 107th Congress as H.R.368.IH
2003 in the 108th Congress as H.R.612.IH
2005 in the 109th Congress as H.R.406.IH
2007 in the 110th Congress as H.R.1056.IH

Find any and all legislation Ron Paul has sponsored here.

I've been interested in and reading about Mike Huckabee's views and position on homeschooling to compare with Ron Paul's. In fact, I have not heard any candidate say he is opposed to home schooling. Several along with Mike Huckabee have said they are for home schooling and support it. It's interesting to look at their voting records to see if and what type of legislation they have personally introduced and sponsored. Also, what they have actually voted for and signed. Their voting record indicates to me more of what they really think about homeschooling.

I'm not satisfied with Huckabee, sounds too familiar, too much of the same I've heard for the past 16 years, saying one thing and voting differently ...... and then some, increasing the role of government in education, in personal lives (federal ban on smoking), more taxes.

The following is taken from The Wall Street Journal Opinion section:

"Mr. Huckabee attributes his support to the fact he is a "hardworking, consistent conservative with some authenticity about those convictions." He is certainly qualified for national office, having served nearly 11 years as a chief executive. I have known and liked him for years; on the stump he often tells the story of how we first met outside his boarded-up office in the state Capitol, which had been sealed by Arkansas Democrats who refused to accept he had won an upset election for lieutenant governor in 1993. But I also know he is not the "consistent conservative" he now claims to be."

This next quote came from the article found here:

"President and Founder of Eagle Forum, Phyllis Schlafly, said this about Governor Huckabee: "He destroyed the conservative movement in Arkansas, and left the Republican Party a shambles." She went on to say, "Yet some of the same evangelicals who sold us on George W. Bush as a 'compassionate conservative' are now trying to sell us on Mike Huckabee."

The HSLDA has this to say about "Why Should Congress Abolish the Federal Role in Education?" and also has a free printout report: Arkansas Home Schoolers Lose Ground With New Law, about Governor Huckabee signing the Act 1117, the H.B. 1724 on April 5, 1999 which began to apply to home schooling families in the 1999-2000 school year. The previous law required parents to provide written notice to the local superintendent of their intent to home school at the beginning of each school year or at any time during the school year a child is withdrawn. The new law increases federal government's role in education which infringes on parental responsibility, authority, and rights. There is now a 14 day waiting period before a parent can withdraw the child from the school which mean exactly that, any parent wanting to withdraw their child from the public school has to wait 14 days. The H.B 1724 also states any home school student who does not participate in the state testing is truant and can be subjected to prosecution.

How consistent is this? How is legislation such as this helpful for (name it what you will) parental responsibility, authority, rights, family policy, parent-child relationship, home schooling? How can the HSLDA support Huckabee????????

Ron Paul has sponsored and introduced the “Family Education Freedom Act” 6 times:

1997 in the 105th Congress as H.R.1816.IH
1999 in the 106th Congress as H.R.935.IH
2001 in the 107th Congress as H.R.368.IH
2003 in the 108th Congress as H.R.612.IH
2005 in the 109th Congress as H.R.406.IH
2007 in the 110th Congress as H.R.1056.IH

Find any and all legislation Ron Paul has sponsored here.

Huckabee's voting record can be reviewed here as well as Ron Paul here, at the Club For Growth.

Another overview of Huckabee's views: Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul here from Know Your Vote

Three other places for overview guidelines on all the candidates, see 2decide.com, OnTheIssues.org, and KnowBeforeYouVote.com

Track the bills introduced by congressional representatives at GovTrack.us Tracking the 110th United States Congress: Ron Paul

Track the money of political campaigns at opensecrets.org: Mike Huckabee here and Ron Paul here

This is An Open Letter to the Protestant Community in Behalf of Ron Paul by Laurence M. Vance from the the LewRockwell.com site:

"Member of Congress and Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul is the premier advocate for political and religious liberty in politics today. He is the most pro-life, pro-family, pro-property, pro-Constitution politician in history. If it is possible to be more Jeffersonian than Jefferson, then Ron Paul is the man.

On issues that are dear to the vast majority of Protestant Christians, Ron Paul stands head and shoulders above the other candidates. Consider just a few.

The Issues

Abortion: Ron Paul is a physician who has delivered more than 4,000 babies. He not only opposes federal funding of embryonic stem cell research and partial-birth abortion, he is against abortion itself. As he himself has said:

In 40 years of medical practice, I never once considered performing an abortion, nor did I ever find abortion necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman. In Congress, I have authored legislation that seeks to define life as beginning at conception, H.R. 1094. I am also the prime sponsor of H.R. 300, which would negate the effect of Roe v Wade by removing the ability of federal courts to interfere with state legislation to protect life. This is a practical, direct approach to ending federal court tyranny which threatens our constitutional republic and has caused the deaths of 45 million of the unborn. I have also authored H.R. 1095, which prevents federal funds to be used for so-called "population control." Many talk about being pro-life. I have taken and will continue to advocate direct action to restore protection for the unborn.

Religion: Ron Paul has issued a statement of his personal faith that should satisfy Protestant Christians of any persuasion:

I have never been one who is comfortable talking about my faith in the political arena. In fact, the pandering that typically occurs in the election season I find to be distasteful. But for those who have asked, I freely confess that Jesus Christ is my personal Savior, and that I seek His guidance in all that I do. I know, as you do, that our freedoms come not from man, but from God. My record of public service reflects my reverence for the Natural Rights with which we have been endowed by a loving Creator.

The reason we do not find very many references to religion in his writings and speeches is because, unlike President Bush, Dr. Paul does not cloak his political proposals with religious rhetoric in hopes of beguiling Christians.

Family values: Ron Paul lives his family values. Unlike Christian "leaders" like prophecy guru Hal Lindsey, who is on his fourth wife, and adulterous Republican politicians like the thrice-married Newt Gingrich and Rudy Giuliani, Dr. Paul has been married to the same woman for fifty years, and has five children and seventeen grandchildren. He also opposes same-sex marriage, and has voted to prohibit federal funding for the joint adoption of a child between individuals who are not related by blood or marriage.

Gun control: Ron Paul is the gun owners’ best friend. Not only has he consistently opposed the expansion of federal gun control laws, he has introduced in Congress the Second Amendment Protection Act to repeal unconstitutional federal laws that allow bureaucrats to restrict the constitutional rights of law-abiding gun owners. Dr. Paul opposes waiting periods, instant background checks, and government databases of gun owners.

Illegal immigration: Ron Paul is opposed to "open borders." He believes that the U.S. government should fight terrorism by first securing its own borders. Because he believes that true citizenship requires cultural connections and an allegiance to the United States, he favors an end to birthright citizenship. And because he believes that it insults legal immigrants, he does not favor amnesty for illegal immigrants in any form. But Dr. Paul is not anti-immigrant in any sense of the word. He believes that the immigration problem fundamentally is a welfare state problem. He joins the vast majority of Americans who welcome immigrants who want to come here, work hard, and build a better life. He opposes welfare state subsidies for illegal immigrants that alienate taxpayers and breed suspicion of immigrants. Dr. Paul also believes that all federal government business should be conducted in English.

American Sovereignty: Ron Paul is against any form of a world government or a new world order. Because he believes that the United Nations is a corrupt organization that was designed to undermine sovereignty and representative government, he has introduced legislation to withdraw the United States from the UN. Dr. Paul likewise opposes the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SSP), the NAFTA Super Highway, and any form of a North American Union. He believes that these plans are the result of an unholy alliance of foreign consortiums and government officials. Rather than resulting from the demands of the free market, they are an extension of government-managed trade schemes that benefit politically-connected interests. Dr. Paul also opposes foreign aid since it is generally nothing more than U.S. taxpayer dollars given away to corrupt foreign governments."

Michael Anthony Peroutka of the American View endorses Rep. Ron Paul:

"I endorse Rep. Ron Paul for President. And I endorse him not because he is the lesser of two evils. A Christian can never endorse any kind of evil. I endorse Rep. Paul because — from a Christian/Biblical and Constitutional perspective – he is, by far, the best candidate running for President.

— Rep. Paul believes, correctly, that the Bible is the infallible, inerrant word of God and thus it is not the role of God-ordained civil government, at any level, to feed, house, clothe or educate anybody.

— Rep. Paul takes his oath to God as a Congressman seriously and believes, correctly, that the Constitution is the highest man-made law in our land, that it severely restricts what the Federal Government can legally do, and it must be obeyed. This is why, as he states on his campaign web site, he has: never voted to raise taxes; never voted for an unbalanced budget; never voted for a Federal restriction on gun ownership; never voted to raise Congressional pay; never taken a government-paid junket; and has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch.

In addition, Rep. Paul has voted against: the Patriot Act; regulating the Internet; and he voted against the Iraq war. He does not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program. He returns a portion of his annual congressional office budget to the U.S. treasury every year.

— Rep. Paul, again correctly, is truly pro-life and believes that there are no circumstances under which it is OK to murder by abortion any innocent unborn babies."

See entire endorsement here and more info, see "Excerpts of Our Exclusive Ron Paul Interview" from American View.

~Bliss Carmon~
THERE is something in the autumn that is native to my blood–
Touch of manner, hint of mood;
And my heart is like a rhyme,
With the yellow and the purple and the crimson keeping time.
The scarlet of the maples can shake me like a cry
Of bugles going by.
And my lonely spirit thrills
To see the frosty asters like a smoke upon the hills.
There is something in October sets the gypsy blood astir
We must rise and follow her,
When from every hill of flame
She calls and calls each vagabond by name.

There is a new homeschool blog network put together by Dana. Here's a link to the Homeschooling Network page.

~Robert Frost~
Spades take up leaves
No better than spoons,
And bags full of leaves
Are light as balloons.
I make a great noise
Of rustling all day
Like rabbit and deer
Running away.
But the mountains I raise
Elude my embrace,
Flowing over my arms
And into my face.
I may load and unload
Again and again
Till I fill the whole shed,
And what have I then?
Next to nothing for weight,
And since they grew duller
From contact with earth,
Next to nothing for color.
Next to nothing for use.
But a crop is a crop,
And who's to say where
The harvest shall stop?

Two of Frances Schaeffer's books, True Spirituality and The Mark of a Christian, were instrumental in helping me understand my faith better. I later read more of his books and also some of Edith's. Right now the girls and I are reading Edith Schaeffer's Hidden Art of Homemaking. A few weeks ago I found some current information on Edith Schaeffer. The August 2006 blog post of The Tapestry Project, a blog about the personal history of the Schaeffer's ministry with L'Abri, says she is still living at an age of 92. If that hasn't changed then she would now be 94.

~George Cooper~
"Come, little leaves," said the wind one day,
"Come o'er the meadows with me and play;
Put on your dresses of red and gold,
For summer is gone and the days grow cold."

Soon as the leaves heard the wind's loud call,
Down they came fluttering, one and all;
Over the brown fields they danced and flew,
Singing the glad little songs they knew.

"Cricket, good-by, we've been friends so long,
Little brook, sing us your farewell song;
Say you are sorry to see us go;
Ah, you will miss us, right well we know.

"Dear little lambs in your fleecy fold,
Mother will keep you from harm and cold;
Fondly we watched you in vale and glade,
Say, will you dream of our loving shade?"

Dancing and whirling, the little leaves went,
Winter had called them, and they were content;
Soon, fast asleep in their earthy beds,
The snow laid a coverlid over their heads.

~Emily Dickinson~

The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
The berry's cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town.

The maple wears a gayer scarf,
The field a scarlet gown.
Lest I should be old-fashioned,
I'll put a trinket on.

~Rainer Maria Rilke~
Translated by Robert Bly

The leaves are falling, falling as if from far up,
as if orchards were dying high in space.
Each leaf falls as if it were motioning "no."
And tonight the heavy earth is falling
away from all other stars in the loneliness.
We're all falling. This hand here is falling.
And look at the other one. It's in them all.
And yet there is Someone, whose hands
infinitely calm, holding up all this falling.

(speaking about the internet)

". . . the issue is who regulates this? Are we responsible for our own lives? Are we responsible for our children? Are we responsible as parents? Or is it the government that is the nanny and is suppose to take care of it? That's the only issue ... we endorse freedom ... You know the Founders were very well educated and they came to the conclusion that individual rights were very important and they talked about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And they believed in property rights and I'm a strong believer in that. I believe in natural rights. I believe in God given rights. I don't believe any rights come to us from our government. Governments are designed and the purpose is to be very limited to protect those rights so that individuals don't take them from us with the use of force . . ."

Now, this man, Ron Paul, has encouraged me. I've been learning more about his views since I heard him in the debates earlier this year. Particularly encouraging is his views on homeschooling. He has my attention, possibly my support.

More info here at: Daily Paul and Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Ron Paul. More info at: Ron Paul Forum. Read his Statement of Faith. LEARN what Ron Paul thinks about the current issues at the Ron Paul Library. All things Radio/Video/MP3 audio files here.

Brief Overview of Congressman Paul’s Record:

He has never voted to raise taxes.
He has never voted for an unbalanced budget.
He has never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership.
He has never voted to raise congressional pay.
He has never taken a government-paid junket.
He has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch.
He voted against the Patriot Act.
He voted against regulating the Internet.
He voted against the Iraq war.
He does not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program.
He returns a portion of his annual congressional office budget to the U.S. treasury every year.
He is routinely voted the "tax payers best friend".
He has been married for 50+ years to the same woman.
He has delivered over 4000 babies.

Congressman Paul introduces numerous pieces of substantive legislation each year, probably more than any single member of Congress.

More about Ron Paul

Hear the "Story of Ron Paul":

~Mrs. Myra Scovel~
Presbyterian missionary to China and India


What do they do on blissful days like this,
These poor who have no God?
When autumn sets a torch to every tree,
When ecstasy all but bursts the heart...
What do they do---with no one to say "thank you" to?

~Robert Frost~



Oh hushed October morning mild,
Begin this hour of the day
Slow.
Make the day seem
to us less brief.

~Humbert Wolfe~




Listen! the wind is rising,
and the air is wild with leaves,
We have had our summer evenings,
now for October eves!

~George Cooper~
October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came-
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.

The Chestnuts came in yellow,
The Oaks in crimson dressed;
The lovely Misses Maple
In scarlet looked their best;
All balanced to their partners,
And gaily fluttered by;
The sight was like a rainbow
New fallen from the sky.

Then, in the rustic hollow,
At hide-and-seek they played,
The party closed at sundown,
And everybody stayed.
Professor Wind played louder;
They flew along the ground;
And then the party ended
In jolly "hands around."