Great idea!

Man jumping out of a first floor
window with a hairbrush shot
twenty times by police. Black man.

Sometimes great ideas go astray. Bonners Ferry is a small town with only one high school. It is so conservative they don't offer anything on evolution because, as one teacher told me, "he gets too much flack from the parents." Our little town has a plethora of churches, most of them evangelical. A proposal was recently submitted to our school, signed by 466 people, for a course to be taught on the bible. Someone found out that such courses are permitted in some other schools as long as they are not devotional. They claim they want a course on the bible as literature. As I am sure most if not all of the signers of this petition are local churchmembers I wonder if they know what they might be getting into. It is perfectly obvious that they are just using this as an excuse to get religion into the school but set that aside for the moment. Do you believe these churchgoing people want someone teaching their children that the bible and many of its fabulous stories was written by a bunch of unknown scribblers at different periods of time about characters that may or may not have even existed? I have trouble believing this. They say it will cost $50,000 a year for a teacher and support for the class. The superintendent of the school reportedly said the problem is finding the money. I should think the problem might be a great deal more serious than that. Who, for example, is going to police this teacher to insure it does not become "devotional?" Who is going to pick the teacher in the first place? Would they agree on a teacher who truly wants to offer a purely secular course? Would this eventually end up as a battle about the separation of church and state? Who would oversee the class design? What reading materials would be provided besides the bible, if any? Would biblical passages be regarded as literally true or as just stories? Personally, I think it's a great idea. But only if they hire a teacher who will teach such a course as it ought to be taught. And cynic that I am, I don't believe for one second this is what they want. If they can't get anti-evolution in the schools they try to get "intelligent design." If they can't get religion into the schools they will pretend its "literature." This attempt is so transparent I can't believe they will get away with it, even here in evangelical heaven.

It's that time of year. You know, when the catalogs come fast and furious. Skimming through the latest Chefs catalog looking for something for my wife I came across some items I know she desperately needs. For example, there is a special knife for cutting cakes. It has a 12" high-carbon stain-resistant blade with a double riveted composite handle. It appears to be exactly like every other 12" knife except it lacks a point. It's only $49.99. Then there's a special Dual-Spout Flour/Sugar Dispenser. One spout for measuring and one for large volume pouring. Snap-on lid preserves freshness. $9.99. You can also order special citrus press. Stainless-steel ensures maximum juice extraction, drip stop spout, soft-grip handle and safety switching system for two filters for pulp control. As it is motorized I assume it needs batteries. It's on sale for only $169.99. I couldn't overlook the Wine Chiller that keeps wine at an optimum temperature for full flavor release. It has 33 temperature options and varietal names on the blue backlit LCD screen. You get a mail-in rebate for a free corkscrew. A two bottle one of these gems will set you back a mere $149.99. For another $49.99 you can order a special asparagus steamer. It has a wire basket that inserts into a stainless-steel pot. Of course you wouldn't want to pass up the Vertical Chicken Bee Roaster set for $34.99. This consists of a stainless-steel can-like object that you set the chicken on after you fill it with your favorite beer or whatever. This obviously is the new up-to-date version of beer-can chicken. I won't mention the Pro-ice Crusher for $79.99 as everyone who is anyone these days has this built in to their refrigerator. But don't overlook the 45-Blade Deluxe Meat Tenderizer with razor-sharp stainless-steel blades that penetrate meat without tearing, $39.99. There are many more gadjets like the Tomato-Press, the Roast Cutting Tongs, the Turkey Lifters, and many, many more. I think my favorite is the Shun/Ken Onion Knife with "specially constructed handles that guide your fingers into proper position while razor-sharp VG-10 high-carbon blades do the work." It comes with a special bamboo knife-holder made in Japan. This is a bargain at only $194.99. Along with it you can get a Stainless-Steel Finger guard to protect your fingers, $14.99. I offered most of these things to my wife for Christmas. She said all she wanted was a new roasting pan. Women are so fickle.

LKBIQ:
"In the United States there is more space where nobody is than where anybody is. This is what makes America what it is."
Gertrude Stein