Homeschool Fiction

I find it most upsetting in the “We will not let the government interfere with our right to bare (sic) arms” touting, is that those who are saying this aren’t listening to all the details of what’s actually going on in the world. They are only hearing “stricter laws” without hearing the details. There is a lot of fear there.

In response to those who don’t want unnecessary people killed by guns, they call those wanting stricter laws “retarded” and much, much worse.

If, instead, they responded with, “I disagree and here is why…” I would listen. Yet, telling me, “You are stupid and naive if you don’t agree with me 100% [even though I don't have all the facts]” is repelling. This is where the conflict comes from.

I do have facts:

• We don’t allow certain people to join the military due to non-physical issues. These people are considered too unstable to fight for our country, yet they are currently allowed to legally purchase guns. This is wrong.
• Lists of who owns guns should exist and be computerized for quick and easy access by law enforcement. I’m put on a list if I go to the store and buy Sudafed. I should also be put on a list if I go and buy a semi-automatic gun.
• Instilling wait periods for all gun purchases is not unreasonable. It’s actually preventative. Wait periods are required for many other things, guns should have them, too. I’ve never known anyone who needed a gun so badly they couldn’t wait a few days or a week. If they could afford a gun, they could afford a hotel room in a far away city to get away from whatever danger they “needed” their gun for.

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By: Lisa

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Teagan right after her "Life in a Day" clip

When we first heard about the “Life in a Day” project (original blog we read), we were quite intrigued. Everyone from around the world was invited to submit videos, including home videos, of the life around them on Saturday, July 24, 2010. That’s a very large concept! With over 80,000 submissions and 4500 hours of footage, narrowing it down to a 90 minute movie is an amazing accomplishment. Yet, our little clip made it into the film!

July 24, 2010 was a fairly busy one for us, and we didn’t have a clue what we would film. Teagan had a dance performance with her dance team from Sahuarita Dance at a park. She got completely ready for her performance, including make-up and hair in a bun. She was ready, but the rest of the family wasn’t… Since we had 5 minutes to spare, she decided to do what she had been practicing for several months… She waited for everyone while hula hooping and solving the Rubik’s cube. It was a very typical thing to find her doing that summer (as is evidenced in our KGUN9 television interview about Radical Unschooling just eight days before)!

It was quick; it was only one take; it was great lighting, but the camera wasn’t very good… Even still, we sent it in. We weren’t sure what they were looking for, but it was “typical us”, and it only took a few minutes to upload and press “submit”…

Months went by and I received an e-mail telling us that our clip made it to the next round! We were thrilled. I had to sign contracts for both Teagan as the person in the film, and myself as the person who filmed the clip. More months went by… Just a week or two before the film’s debut, we received notification via e-mail saying that a portion of our clip was accepted into the film. We were thrilled.

We were asked not to reveal that our clip was accepted until the day of the premiere. This was hard, since we were so excited! We watched the movie online and were very happy with how it turned out. It truly was a glimpse into “Life in a Day” on Earth. Wow!

Teagan’s portion is at about 30 minutes into the film and lasts ~8-9 seconds. It’s right after a shot of an origami boat with a woman in the background and right before a boy pushing a wheelbarrow down an alley. They chose a portion of our film right near the beginning of our clip.

Here is what we submitted:

Miss the online premiere? Good news! This film will play in select theaters later this year. It is also coming out on DVD, with an additional 45 minutes of videos that were cut from the final movie. We can’t wait to see that additional footage. It’s sure to be moving.

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By: Lisa

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I’m starting here with the actual wording of the Constitution of the United States of America:

Amendment 2 – Right to Bear Arms. Ratified 12/15/1791.

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Those who are working toward stricter gun laws are not asking for the Constitution to be changed or removed. What is being asked for is simple. We want to make it more difficult for people to purchase guns in a short period of time, for rapid firing weapons to be illegal, and for those with mental issues to not be able to purchase guns at all.

Specifically from MoveOn.org:

“Congress must keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people by taking two critical steps: 1) Get all the names of people who should be prohibited from buying guns into the background check system. 2) Require a background check for every gun sale in America.”

There is no reason why I, as a citizen of the United States of America who has never been arrested, can walk into Wal-Mart (or any other store that sells guns) today and buy a semi-automatic weapon and ammunition. I could leave right now and be home within the hour with this–with no waiting period! There is no reason at all that such dangerous weapons are legal and ridiculously simple to purchase. What purpose does an automatic or semi-automatic weapon have other than mass murder? If semi-automatic handguns didn’t make it so quick and easy to fire shot after shot, far fewer people would have been injured in the January 8, 2011 Tucson shootings. If the whole crowd would have had guns (which was perfectly legal for them to have here), then it would have been an even bigger tragedy. This is a fact. Think this would interfere with your Constitutional Right to “Bear Arms”?

Back to the 2nd Amendment:

• First, the 2nd Amendment explicitly discusses firearms for the use of a militia. It does not speak to individual gun ownership rights. Various Supreme Court rulings have upheld the amendments application to individuals rights, but it’s worth noting that that is not the case that the Framers of the Constitution were discussing–ever.

• Second, the Amendment is concerned with the security of the State, again not individual security. The Founding Fathers had just suffered through the oppression of England’s government and didn’t want a repeat of that situation. This amendment was not written with the intention of protecting homeowners’ right to shoot burglars.

• Lastly, and most importantly, it says “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms”. The key words being “the people”, not “the individual”. Congress cannot prevent the public in general from bearing arms, but it certainly may restrict particular individuals.

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By: Lisa

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One of the many reasons I don’t post on this blog as frequently as I used to is because of Facebook. Using that resource, I’m able to post notes and photos and general life comments to my friends and family quickly and easily.

That said, since the shootings in Arizona on January 8, 2011, there has been a meme floating around on Facebook that upsets me greatly. It states: 

To everyone who is calling for stricter gun laws in light of the tragedy in Tucson, may I offer this little tidbit: If guns kill people, then pencils misspell words, cars drive drunk, and spoons made Oprah fat ! Remember: Hold the person accountable for their actions, not the means they chose to utilize!!! (reposted)

Why does this upset me so much? Because it’s illogical and faulty in its attempted analogies.

So you think you know what that meme was saying? Think again.

Pencils can spell words correctly and communicate with people; cars can get people where they need to be and even get help to where it’s needed; spoons can feed the starving. What can a gun do, other than put a hole into something? It’s not even a good tool for that. They serve one purpose and that is to kill someone (or an animal).

We have laws to keep cars (and the people in and around them) safe. We have laws to keep food (and the people eating them) safe. We even have laws on that pencil to prevent libel (to keep the reputations of those written about safe). So why is it so unreasonable to at least make guns less dangerous?

For me, the (420 character) meme should be:

To those calling for no gun laws, I offer an important observation: Guns kill people, yet we live in a world w/ few laws on them. We have laws protecting us from words people write w/ pencils, from cars we & others drive, from food we eat (& utensils we eat w/), & more. Hold people accountable for their actions, including taking away their rights when they prove themselves incapable of using them responsibly. Repost.

If you were to outlaw pencils in order to prevent misspelled words, people would still be free to write with pens. If you were to outlaw cars in order to prevent drunk driving, people would still be free to drive trucks. If you were to outlaw spoons in order to prevent obesity, people would still be free to use forks. We are wanting to outlaw SEMI-AUTOMATIC weapons and the right to purchase any/all firearms by those with criminal records, and this would prevent mass murdering rampages, since these are the only tools for that job. It wouldn’t be possible to hit 18+ people in seconds with a revolver.

Currently brandishing a firearm is LEGAL in Arizona. I’ve even had one pointed at my house (my bedroom window in Tucson, specifically) and was told by the police that the person(s) doing this did nothing illegal. This is ridiculous. We should be able to agree on some basic standards of gun safety. This is not about taking guns away from everyone. Can’t we agree to some common sense protections? Rather than arming everyone in order to protect ourselves from the “bad guys”, doesn’t it make sense to at least make some minimal effort to keep the guns away from the “bad guys” from the start? And to limit the damage that can be done by these guns?

Some would respond that we would only be hindering the law abiding citizens, not the criminals who would continue to get their guns through other means. I would remind those people that the shooter in Tucson legally purchased his firearm. The Virginia Tech shooter also purchased his gun legally. So did the Fort Hood shooter. Yes, determined criminals will probably still find weapons, but shouldn’t we at least make it a little difficult for them? Shouldn’t we reduce their available options? Shouldn’t we try to reduce the overall supply of these weapons of mass murder?

To make blithe comparisons between semi-automatic handguns and pencils is to trivialize the issue and disrespect the memory of those who were wounded and killed in Tucson.

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By: Lisa

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Quick:  Name a high school teen movie. Doesn’t matter when it was made.

Okay, now name another, and another–again, it doesn’t matter when they were made.

Now, what do they all have in common? Yes, they all have striking similarities, don’t they?

• The popular kids exist in them, being mean to the rest of the kids.
• There are cliques and special groups of people who barely, if at all, overlap.
• There are bullies, beating up the nerds.
• There are nerds, looking dorky and geeky–in the bad way.
• There is angst, as though that is a natural occurrence for people in their teenage years to feel [it's not].

Honestly, every teen movie out there was a lot like my own high school experience–sucky and not worthy of repeating. Once I discovered a better way to raise my kids, I jumped on it. My daughters are both homeschoolers who have never experienced socialization like it is shown in the movies and on television.

Does that mean that we, as society, should be worried that homeschoolers won’t be emotionally damaged like the rest of us since they haven’t had the torture of school? Do you honestly believe that people who don’t go through mainstream “education” proceedings are the ones who aren’t properly socialized?

My children are social beings. They love being around people. They also love solitude. They are not anti-social, nor overly needy of “teen” relationships. They are, what anyone would call, perfectly social in every way a human should be. They are interested in others, lively in their pursuits, and kind to all. I can’t say this of many other people in this world…

The truth is that giving a child an upbringing in the world (like homeschooling does) is more normal than a school environment could ever be. May there never be a need for another teen angst movie for the damaged to heal themselves with again…

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By: Lisa

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I recently heard a mother of a young girl openly announce to the world that she was going to be spending time alone with the daughter and her daughter’s friends, and it was her intention to embarrass the girl as much as possible and in as many ways as possible. She was actually going to count the number of times her daughter was fully embarrassed.

That left me flummoxed and flabbergasted.

I’m announcing to the world right here and now that I will never, ever, purposefully embarrass any one of you, most especially my very own children.

I discussed this with my 14yo daughter and she couldn’t even understand the concept of why anyone would want to do this. I tried explaining peer pressure and bullying to her and her always-unschooled mind couldn’t even comprehend this type of living.

Did you hear that??? She couldn’t even comprehend peer pressure and bullying, and the idea of a parent purposefully embarrassing her own child confused her greatly. Isn’t this a better way of being?

Make this promise today: Never embarrass your children on purpose.

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By: Lisa

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As the new year began, I embraced my annual habit of picking a “Word of the Year”. My 2009 word was ALLOW. My 2010 word was INTENT.  Each served me quite well. These each came to me quickly and I took them on with gusto.

My 2011 word didn’t come as quickly… The end of 2010 had me in a situation that I don’t find myself in very often (since becoming vegan, that is; before that I was in this situation nearly 100% of the time). In fact, it’s been over two years since I’ve been there last… I was sick. I had a horrible cold all over Christmas and New Year’s which left me feeling groggy and achy, craving sleep and rest.

At first I was annoyed at this disruption of my holiday festivities, but now I’m looking at it as a gift. The gift to slow down and really savor each and every experience. I’ve always been an appreciative person, taking nothing for granted, but there is a difference between appreciation and savoring. For 2011, I pick the word: SAVOR.

In 2011, I will savor:

• Love; I will be present with friends and family, and especially allow myself to be fully into my time with those I love. I will savor every second.
• Life; Our time on Earth is limited, I will enjoy each moment I have here to the best of my own ability without fear standing in my way. I will savor every second.
• Food; I will only put food I love into my mouth and I will fully taste each and every bite. If I find myself unconsciously eating, I will stop. I will savor every morsel.
• Relationships; I will enjoy my relationships just the way they are. I won’t wish for people to be who they are not, and I will be happy that I get to enjoy each and every stage of my children’s lives (especially when it all seems to be going too fast). I will savor every person in my life.
• Weather (in all its forms); I will not spend time wishing the weather were different than it actually is. It’s not like it is controllable! I will savor that which I cannot control and savor the heat and cold, as it comes to me.
• My body; I will love myself as-is, because I am glorious just the way I am! I will savor all that I am capable of doing.
• My writing; I will enjoy the process of creating, including the “what I have I gotten myself into” stage. I will savor my imagination and appreciate its power.
• My stuff; This one might seem superficial, but it’s really not. I will enjoy my possessions, each and every one of them. If I don’t love them, I will happily pass them along to someone who will. Life is short, there is no reason I should surround myself with things I don’t like. I will savor everything, as it all enriches my life and makes it worth living.

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By: Lisa

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Just north of Flagstaff, AZ, lies Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. Yes, there is a real volcano (actually a bunch of volcanos) in Arizona. Here are a few photos of us (mostly on Lenox Crater, as the public isn’t allowed to climb Sunset Crater anymore):

Lava flow

Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument

Gorgeous Zoe sitting on one her favorite things in life: a huge Volcanic Rock!

Teagan and Zoe on Lenox Crater--note the classic 45 degree slope indicative of a volcano!

Zoe, Greg, and Teagan climbing down Lenox crater

Zoe and Teagan at the bottom of Lenox Crater

Zoe at Sunset Crater

Greg and Lisa on Lenox Crater

Teagan, Greg, and Zoe on Lenox Crater

Greg on Lenox Crater

Teagan on Lenox Crater

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By: Lisa

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As big Star Trek fans, we just had to go to the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk since we were passing by Riverside, Iowa, on a recent trip. Our only disappointment: the giftshop wasn’t open!

Here are a few photos from our fun time:

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By: Lisa

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For those who don’t know, I’ve been writing regular articles on Vegan Mainstream. I currently have a dozen or so articles there, with plans to write at least one a month (usually 2-3). Stay tuned for several holiday related articles, as well as a couple of very fun interviews! Unlike this site, you can even write comments on the articles!

Recent articles have included:

• Celebrating Halloween: What’s a Vegan Kid to do?
• Vegan-izing Your Home
• Kickstarting Your Vegan Business through Crowdsourcing and Crowdfunding
• 10 Ways to Reach Kids with the Vegan Message
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• Proceed with CAUTION with your Vegan Words
• Vegan Families on the Road: Ten Quick Tips
• Summer Vegan-Friendly Business Promotions
• The Quiet Influence of Living by Example: Ten Tips
• Top 10 Vegan Stereotype Myths
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By: Lisa

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