I stood it as long as I could. I've been lying flat of my back, trying to go to sleep, now for about an hour and a half. I didn't dare look at the clock! Just closing my eyes, trying to relax, when all of a sudden. AAAAHHHH! I'm not sleepy! I might as well get up! Trying to sleep flat of one's back, when one is a stomach sleeper is no easy task I must say. For those of you following my progression from back surgery, I am feeling better every day. At the moment, I don't feel so much like typing, but have much I need to say.....
So, here I sit in my comfy recliner with my laptop, writing to say, "hello" to all of you who read my musings and ramblings, and it is 1:30 a.m. here in Alabama!
Unbelievable!! That's all I could think of as I watched the 30 minute paid program lastnight by Barack Obama. I have to tell you something though, it was a learning experience like no other for my precious, almost 12 year old, whom we homeschool. Several weeks ago, we studied about how to do persuasive writing, and how to recognize propaganda in the writings of others. (We all see it daily in commercials, movies, television shows, speeches, etc...) I will have you know that she pointed out each and every one of the different types used in his little paid ad, and we studied 7 of them!!!
I'm going to list them here, because I am often amazed at how so many people become "sucked in" to the things they hear, see, and read, and do not really realize just how outlandish these things can be. For the sake of copyright, I will note that this information is from page 67 of a 6th grade text book published and available through Bob Jones University Press, entitled Grammar 6 - Writing and Grammar, 2nd edition. (NOTE - As a 5th year homeschooler, it is my favorite grammar book so far.)
1) Bandwagon - using phrases like "everybody's doing it" to convince you that you need to join the group and do something too.
2) Exaggeration - using inflated language to make something sound as if it is better or worse than it really is.
3) Flattery - appealing to your pride to persuade you to do something.
4) Glittering generalities - using nonspecific, nice-sounding words and phrases such as "family oriented" or "the American Dream" to make a product or idea look better.
5) Name-calling - using labels or negative words to arouse hatred or disgust for a person, group, or idea.
6) Promises - claiming that good things will happen to you if you do a certain thing or buy a certain product.
7) Testimonial - endorsement by a famous person to get you to buy a product
If you watched the 30 minute "info-mercial" perhaps you noted all of these tactics as well.
It's sad really, what we've come to as a nation. From a group of well-learned statesmen, who knew right from wrong, were taught to read using the Holy Scriptures, and cut their teeth on great classics read to them at the feet of their mothers and fathers, men and women who stood for the principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, we have become a nation full of whinny, cry babies who refuse to stand on their own two feet long enough to care for themselves and their own, who despise true education that is learned through personal study, not done in a classroom for 7 hours a day, but done constantly at the feet of parents and mentors who love them most, and who are willing to invest their lives in them one-on-one, who want them to live to be profitable, well-learned citizens able to care for themselves and their families, and to reach out to meet the needs of those around them. How frightening this era of American citizens is to me. Raised in an educational system which tells them what to think, when to think and how to think, too many become paralyzed and unable to think at all without the help of "experts!"
Several years ago, while reading a book entitled A Thomas Jefferson Education - Teaching A Generation of Leaders, For the Twenty-First Century, I read a quote attributed to a gentleman by the name of Alexander Tytler, who wrote during the founding era of our Country. I googled him and found this sobering information on Wikipedia, I encourage you to read it slowly and carefully and really allow it to sink in ... (As an aside, I do not espouse to all of the writings of the aforementioned book. or it's authors, but it does have much good information that I do agree with wholeheartedly.)
The following unverified quotation has been attributed to Tytler,
"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.
"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.
The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:
From bondage to spiritual faith;
From spiritual faith to great courage;
From courage to liberty;
From liberty to abundance;
From abundance to complacency;
From complacency to apathy;
From apathy to dependence;
From dependence back into bondage."
How's that for Halloween week? Frightening indeed!!!
Abiding in His Sovereignty and the knowledge that,
"The mind of man plans his ways, but the Lord directs his steps."
Proverbs 16:9
Lori
