Post Category → W. Cleon Skousen

Question & Thought for March 21st, 2016!

Question & Thought for March 21st, 2016!
Good Monday Morning!
1. Question – What’s the role of your local school board?
2. Thought – The success of this educational effort was due largely to the careful selection of highly conscientious people to serve on the school committees in each community and supervise the public schools. Historian John Fiske says these school committees were bodies of “great importance.” Then he adds:
The term of service of the members is three years, one third being chosen annually. The number of members must therefore be some multiple of three. The slow change in the membership of the board insures that a large proportion of the members shall always be familiar with the duties of the place. The school committee must visit all the public schools at least once a month, and make a report to the town every year. It is for them to decide what textbooks are to be used. They examine candidates for the position of teacher and issue certificates to those whom they select. (Fiske, Civil Government in the United States [Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1890] (The 5,000 Year Leap by W. Cleon Skousen)
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” (Edmund Burke)
rem – I had no knowledge that I had no knowledge.
Question & Thought & ANDs.

Question & Thought for March 18th, 2016!

Question & Thought for March 18th, 2016!
Good Friday Morning!
1. Question – There is no doubt our economic and social circumstances have changed since the days of the Founders; so has this made the Constitution obsolete?
2. Thought – It will be readily appreciated that the introduction of the word “democracy” (to describe the United States) was actually designed as an attack on the Constitutional structure of the government and the basic rights it was designed to protect. As Samuel Adams pointed out, the Founders had tried to make socialism “unconstitutional.” Therefore, to adopt socialism, respect and support for traditional constitutionalism had to be eroded and then emasculated. In view of this fact, it should not surprise the student of history to discover that those who wanted to have “democracy” identified with the American system were also anxious to have Americans believe their traditional Constitution was outdated, perhaps totally obsolete.
In this author’s college days, it was popular in political science and economics classes to point out that the Constitution was written some two centuries ago by a people who were about 95% farmers. Now, they would say, we live in an industrial society, and the needs of the people can no longer be accommodated under the archaic system provided under the U.S. Constitution. Not only certain teachers expressed this opinion, but U.S. Senators proclaimed it. Occasionally, even a President would say it!
But this does raise an important question. No doubt our economic and social circumstances have changed tremendously since the days of the Founders. Has this made the Constitution obsolete? (The 5000 Year Leap by W. Cleon Skousen)
“Where do you stay?” (Jay Martin)
Just do it! The right thing! The best you can! Take care of others! And don’t text and drive. EnJOY the weekend!
rem – I had no knowledge that I had no knowledge.
Question & Thought & ANDs.

Questions and Thought for February 21st, 2016!

Questions and Thought for February 21st, 2016!
Good Sunday Morning!
1. Questions – Who was the best teacher you ever had? If you left home without anything, what would be the first thing you’d ask someone to send to you? What would the temptation to tell people what they want to hear (rather than what they need to hear) be especially strong in Timothy’s situation? Instead, what is Timothy supposed to do?
2. Thought from 2 Timothy 4:1-5. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct; rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. (From the Serendipity Bible)
“Again, there is no liberty, if the judiciary power be not separated from the legislative and executive. Were it joined with the legislative, the life and liberty of the subject would be exposed to arbitrary control, for the judge would then be the legislator. Were it joined to the executive power, the judge might behave with violence and oppression.” (Montesquieu – middle 1700s)
rem – I had no knowledge that I had no knowledge.
Question & Thought & ANDs.

Question & Thought for February 20th, 2016!

Question & Thought for February 20th, 2016!
Good Saturday Morning!
1. Question – Thanks folks for being an attentive audience. I’ve been doing this question and thought for some 15 years of so. What are the ‘Hot’ topics? That is easy from the responses I get from you. Sex – Politics & Religion are the buttons which stir so many people. (Not necessarily in that order either.) I often wonder the reasons for such a range in views on sex, religion and politics in America today. I think Solomon wondered the same thing long ago if you read Ecclesiastes. I wonder what role our schools play in all of this?
2. Thought – In 1787, the very year the Constitution was written and approved by Congress, that same Congress passed the famous Northwest Ordinance. In it they emphasized the essential need to teach religion and morality in schools. Here is the way they said it:
Article 3: Religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.
​Notice that formal education was to include among its responsibilities the teaching of three important subjects:
  • Religion – which might be defined as a ​‘fundamental system of beliefs concerning man’s origin and relationship to the cosmic universe as well as his relationship with his fellowmen.’
  • Morality – which may be described as ‘a standard of behavior distinguishing right from wrong.’
  • Knowledge – which is ‘ an intellectual awareness and understanding of established facts relating to any field of human experience or inquiry (i.e., history, geography, science, etc.).’ (The 5000 Year Leap by W. Cleon Skousen)
“They’re all in the same plane. they’re all going around in the same direction….It’s perfect, you know. It’s gorgeous. It’s almost uncanny.” (Astronomer Jeffery Marcy describing the solar system)
 
rem – I had no knowledge that I had no knowledge.
Question & Thought & ANDs.