Parenting

Vladimir Putin’s War On Gays A Threat That Requires Olympic Boycott On Basis Of Human Rights Violations!

Ronald 7 Comments

The Russian government under former KGB head Vladimir Putin has taken a step which, regrettably, requires an Olympic boycott by the United States and other Western nations on the basis of human rights violations that are unconscionable!

Putin has declared war on gays and lesbians in the following ways:

Russian born children cannot be adopted by gay couples or by any couple or single person living in any country that promotes gay rights, including gay marriage.

Russian police can arrest any tourist or foreign national they suspect of being gay, lesbian, or having pro gay sympathies, and detain them for 14 days for questioning.

Any Olympic athlete, trainer, family member, reporter or fan who is gay, suspected of being gay, or accused of being gay, can be sent to jail.

Any teacher, parent or anyone who makes pro gay statements, or argues that being gay is normal behavior, and any lawmaker, lawyer, or judge who has an open mind on the subject of homosexuality, is subject to arrest and fines.

Any couple accused or suspected of being gay could have their children taken from them by the state, whether adoptive or biological parents, as unfit to be parents.

This set of laws and restrictions are a gross violation of human rights, and totally unacceptable, no matter what a person’s viewpoint on homosexuality, as gays and lesbians are human beings who are entitled to the same treatment under the law as straight people are!

This situation reminds one of the campaign against gays and lesbians by Nazi Germany during the Holocaust, and the mass murder of this group on a level only second to Jews!

Just as Western Europe and Canada and even the United States and portions of Latin America are moving ahead on gay rights and gay marriage, we see Russia moving in the direction of much of Africa and Asia and the Middle East in demonizing gays!

And joining with them in this regard, sadly, are the Catholic Church and many evangelical Christians and Mormons, who are not teaching the vision and tolerance of Jesus Christ, and are now “bedfellows” of oppressive governments, including Russia!

The United States and Western European countries should make it clear that unless these anti gay laws and restrictions are repealed, that they will boycott the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia!

This would be a sad event for the athletes of these nations, but this is a question of basic human rights that cannot be overlooked by any decent government or any tolerant, open minded people! And remember that Olympic participants could become victims under these Russian laws, as well! So there is no choice but to boycott if nothing is done to repeal these laws!

24 Million Children Under 18 Do Not Have A Father: Truly Tragic!

Ronald 5 Comments

As we celebrate Father’s Day, and I rejoice in my two sons, both of whom I am very proud of, the shocking statistic is that 24 million children under the age of 18 do not have a father in their lives!

Some have lost a dad to death, the only good reason for a dad NOT to be in their lives.

But others have dads who fathered them and then left the mother for good!

And others might be known slightly by their children, but are not supporting them financially or emotionally!

And some who are involved sometimes are more a detriment to their children, and can harm them by their casual, uncaring attitude, and inconsistency of their commitment to their children.

It has been said that anyone can father a child, as it is very easy to do that, but to be a dad requires commitment and sacrifice.

There is no greater honor in life than to be a parent, and this author has often said that his greatest accomplishment in life are his two sons, with his published book, blog, and 41 year teaching career (and counting), as minor accomplishments by comparison!

The greatest gift one can possess is the ability to have children, and to spend the rest of one’s life dedicated to their growth, happiness, and success, so that they can cope with the loss of their parent, when that ultimate event occurs.

The fact that this author underwent a quadruple by pass heart surgery nine years ago on June 25, and survived, and has had an opportunity to enjoy and treasure his two sons’ successes since, is the greatest gift that I could have had!

As I write about fatherhood, let us give tribute to the millions of mothers who spend their lives devoted to their children, particularly those who do it alone, without a man in their lives to share the responsibility. They are true heroines, who gain too little recognition, but richly deserve praise!

National Spelling Bee Champion Brings Up Issue Of Our Educational System NOT Teaching Spelling As Important Skill!

Ronald 4 Comments

It was thrilling to see 13 year old Arvind Mahankali of Bayside, New York, win the National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC on Thursday evening.

His accomplishment, and the fact that he had competed three earlier years and been in the Top Ten all three times, is something to honor and admire, as much as any athlete doing well in any team or individual sport.

But does such an accomplishment get the kind of attention it deserves, as compared to sports? Of course not, and in that, there is a problem that needs to be addressed.

It is not “cool” to be smart, to be intellectual, to have academic skills, and it might very well be that this talented young man, for all that he has accomplished, might face bullying or taunting, as not being “masculine” enough, because his accomplishment is in that lost art, spelling.

But it is not just spelling; it is also history; it is also science; it is also geography; it is also poetry; it is also ANY intellectual area of knowledge!

And in that fact, we have a long range problem. And it is in the loss of economic growth, competition with other nations, and in the future of our children.

Why is not spelling emphasized in the school system, and why is it allowed that young people, including many of my own students in the past and present, cannot spell, and do not see that weakness as a big deal they need to work on?

Why is it that ignorance is seen as bliss, and that we have people in Congress who display their ignorance regularly, showing their lack of knowledge or acceptance of science, of truth really in any area of learning, and in fact, wish to cut expenditures and investment in education and in teachers?

And as wonderful as it was to see boys and girls of South Asian heritage being the top ten finalists, why is it that white Anglos of European heritage, and Hispanics-Latinos and African American young people did not end up competing with these kids from South Asia, and often in the past, from East Asia as well?

Could it be the role of parents, emphasizing spelling and history and science and geography and poetry and other fields of learning at home, and could it be also the fact that education is the way that past generations of immigrants and their descendants succeeded in America?

We, as a nation, need to look within ourselves, and work to promote the levels of excellence that these children of South Asian heritage demonstrated, putting the rest of us to shame!

Ultimately, we must praise and give honors and attention more to academic excellence than our worship of sports, as good as it is to promote that field of human endeavor!

The National Geographic Bee: What It Tells Us!

Ronald Leave a comment

Today, the National Geographic Channel had the finals of the National Geographic Bee, one of the scholarly competitions that need to be promoted much more than they are.

The ten finalists, nine males and one female, comported themselves extremely well, and made anyone proud that we have some extremely brilliant students of 13 and 14 years of age to give us hope for the future.

But when one saw people on the streets who were asked very basic questions on American geography and history, the response was absolutely pitiful, as compared to the difficult questions on World Geography, which required sophisticated knowledge by these young scholars.

And also noticed was that the vast majority of the ten finalists were of Asian heritage, with most from Indian heritage, and one of Chinese heritage. Only two of the ten were so called Anglo Americans!

This tells us that Asian Americans far outshine the average young person of any other ethnicity or race, and this is clearly due to the parental influence in Asian American families, over whites, African Americans, and Hispanic and Latino Americans.

This should be a clarion call for parents of all backgrounds to get to work, promote learning, and stop blaming teachers and schools for the failures of their children to excel, as the best educators are really parents, who are motivated to promote their children’s intellectual ability!

If only as much attention was paid to academic pursuits as to sports, this would be a far better nation!

Meanwhile, let everyone salute these ten very outstanding young people who make their families and themselves proud!