I just finished reading Winifred Duke's In The Steps of Bonnie Prince Charlie, and I was struck again by the remarkable loyalty of the Scots, so richly wasted on the Stuarts. Even with a price of £ 30,000 on his head, by their self-sacrificing assistance Charles was able to elude capture by a manhunt that at one point placed a cordon of the Duke of Cumberland's camps at half-mile spacings and his sentries in sight of one another.
After the disaster at Culloden in April 1746, Charles lived in constant exposure and near starvation for five months. His survival, coupled with the Scots' often self-destructive aid to him, suggest to me the difficulty that our forces have experienced trying to locate and capture Osama bin Ladin in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan. It also suggests a measure of pessimism that we may ever catch up with him, being in a worse cultural situation even than the English troops of the "Hanoverian" Cumberland faced among the Scots, and our inability to erect the kind of human fence that Cumberland did.
For what it's worth, I have no idea where our ancestors stood in "the '45". MacLeods figured prominently both in support of the Young Pretender and if not in opposition, at least in careful avoidance of collaborating with him.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Sunday, April 27, 2008
N.C. Homeschool News 04/27/08
NEWS
STATE -- Republicans from the 2nd Congressional District have elected a homeschooled high schooler as part of their delegation to the Republican National Convention this summer. John Calvin Young, son of Hal and Melanie Young of Smithfield, was selected as an alternate delegate to the Convention, to be held in Minneapolis in September. John Calvin, 18, has been active with Republican campaigns and Teen Age Republicans for several years, and will be majoring in political science and economics at Washington and Lee University in Virginia this fall. (GOP 2nd District website, 4/26/08)
WARREN -- Letter writer says that state senate candidate Chuck Stires supports school choice, including homeschooling (Virginia/North Carolina News, 4/23/08)
BERTIE -- South Mills homeschoolers visit alpaca shearing in Windsor
(Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot, 4/27/08)
SPORTS
PENDER -- Homeschooled member Joshua Butrim shares the team's recognition for "Safest Handling of Firearms on the Line" in 4-H District shooting competition at Camp Tuscarora (Wilmington Star-News, 04/22/08)
PEOPLE
BUNCOMBE -- Homeschooler finds interest and diversity in discussions of "Blue Moon Group" (Asheville Citizen-Times, 4/27/08)
STATE -- Republicans from the 2nd Congressional District have elected a homeschooled high schooler as part of their delegation to the Republican National Convention this summer. John Calvin Young, son of Hal and Melanie Young of Smithfield, was selected as an alternate delegate to the Convention, to be held in Minneapolis in September. John Calvin, 18, has been active with Republican campaigns and Teen Age Republicans for several years, and will be majoring in political science and economics at Washington and Lee University in Virginia this fall. (GOP 2nd District website, 4/26/08)
WARREN -- Letter writer says that state senate candidate Chuck Stires supports school choice, including homeschooling (Virginia/North Carolina News, 4/23/08)
BERTIE -- South Mills homeschoolers visit alpaca shearing in Windsor
(Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot, 4/27/08)
SPORTS
PENDER -- Homeschooled member Joshua Butrim shares the team's recognition for "Safest Handling of Firearms on the Line" in 4-H District shooting competition at Camp Tuscarora (Wilmington Star-News, 04/22/08)
PEOPLE
BUNCOMBE -- Homeschooler finds interest and diversity in discussions of "Blue Moon Group" (Asheville Citizen-Times, 4/27/08)
Monday, April 21, 2008
Education Incentives and the Next Governor
The N.C. Family Policy Council has posted its 2008 Primary Voter Guide online.
In the gubernatorial part of the guide, Democratic frontrunners Purdue and Moore did not respond to the 17 question survey; Dennis Neilsen did, though his reponses were very close to the Republican consensus.
Among the five Republicans, there was little disagreement until question 11 -- "Should parents who choose to educate their children in private, religious, or home schools receive a voucher or tax credit from the state?"
Phil Graham wrote in, "Should be a deduction not a credit". Pat McCrory said yes, Bob Orr was undecided, and Fred Smith attached a statement supporting a more general statement of his educational platform:
Fred Smith certainly thought they should. "My personal religious belief influences my worldview and values. I do not check my values and beliefs at the door when I enter the public square," he wrote. "As a public servant, I consider all factors: faith, the rule of law, and common good for all people in my decision making process."
Pat McCrory gave a shorter answer, "The values that I learned from my faith, family, education, and experiences all helped shape my decisions."
Bob Orr marked "Yes" but added, " 'Should' is not the word I'd use. Instead I'd say it's 'permissable or appropriate'." E. Powers was undecided, stating, "I will rely on moral values trust/faith in God".
Bill Graham simply checked, "No".
In the gubernatorial part of the guide, Democratic frontrunners Purdue and Moore did not respond to the 17 question survey; Dennis Neilsen did, though his reponses were very close to the Republican consensus.
Among the five Republicans, there was little disagreement until question 11 -- "Should parents who choose to educate their children in private, religious, or home schools receive a voucher or tax credit from the state?"
Phil Graham wrote in, "Should be a deduction not a credit". Pat McCrory said yes, Bob Orr was undecided, and Fred Smith attached a statement supporting a more general statement of his educational platform:
At this time, I support the removal of the cap on Charter Schools. Charter Schools are public schools and offer parents a choice in the education of their children. I also support home schooling and believe that children who are home schooled should be allowed to participate in public school activities. I believe competition in our educational system is critical for future success.The other difference was the final question, "Should an individual's personal religious beliefs influence the decisions he or she makes while serving in a public office?"
Fred Smith certainly thought they should. "My personal religious belief influences my worldview and values. I do not check my values and beliefs at the door when I enter the public square," he wrote. "As a public servant, I consider all factors: faith, the rule of law, and common good for all people in my decision making process."
Pat McCrory gave a shorter answer, "The values that I learned from my faith, family, education, and experiences all helped shape my decisions."
Bob Orr marked "Yes" but added, " 'Should' is not the word I'd use. Instead I'd say it's 'permissable or appropriate'." E. Powers was undecided, stating, "I will rely on moral values trust/faith in God".
Bill Graham simply checked, "No".
Saturday, April 19, 2008
N.C. Homeschool News 04/19/08
NEWS
STATEWIDE -- Homeschooling is mentioned as part of the education platform of gubernatorial candidate Sen. Fred Smith (Leland Tribune, 17 Apr 2008)
CABARRUS -- State senate candidate Thomas Hill says state should encourage homeschooling as an answer for school construction costs (Charlotte Observer, 17 Apr 2008)
ORANGE -- Editorial calls for refundable education tax credits, and notices that they cover homeschoolers in some states (UNC-Chapel Hill, Daily Tar Heel, 14 Apr 2008)
SPORTS
DAVIDSON -- Davidson County Community College Foundation Scholarship Golf Tournament will fund scholarships that include homeschoolers from Davidson and Davie
counties. (Lexington Dispatch, 14 Apr 2008)
PEOPLE
HAYWOOD -- Homeschool father called "The Michaelangelo of Maggie Valley" (Waynesville, Smoky Mountain News, 16 Apr 2008)
MECKLENBURG -- Homeschool mother Tina Witt wins one of fifty tickets from the Charlotte Diocese to see the Pope in D.C. (WSOC-TV, Charlotte, 14 Apr 2008)
STATEWIDE -- Homeschooling is mentioned as part of the education platform of gubernatorial candidate Sen. Fred Smith (Leland Tribune, 17 Apr 2008)
CABARRUS -- State senate candidate Thomas Hill says state should encourage homeschooling as an answer for school construction costs (Charlotte Observer, 17 Apr 2008)
ORANGE -- Editorial calls for refundable education tax credits, and notices that they cover homeschoolers in some states (UNC-Chapel Hill, Daily Tar Heel, 14 Apr 2008)
SPORTS
DAVIDSON -- Davidson County Community College Foundation Scholarship Golf Tournament will fund scholarships that include homeschoolers from Davidson and Davie
counties. (Lexington Dispatch, 14 Apr 2008)
PEOPLE
HAYWOOD -- Homeschool father called "The Michaelangelo of Maggie Valley" (Waynesville, Smoky Mountain News, 16 Apr 2008)
MECKLENBURG -- Homeschool mother Tina Witt wins one of fifty tickets from the Charlotte Diocese to see the Pope in D.C. (WSOC-TV, Charlotte, 14 Apr 2008)
Monday, April 14, 2008
N.C. Homeschool News 4/14/08
NEWS
NATIONAL -- N.C. homeschool mother Jennifer James, founder of National African-American Homeschool Alliance, is part of an article on the growth of homeschooling among black families. She estimates they make up 10% of the homeschooling population, which is an increase over the 5-6% estimate I heard from other advocates and researchers several years
ago. (New York, The Village Voice, 04/08/08)
PEOPLE
NATIONAL -- Former North Carolinian and Environthon coach Mary Sund takes her success with Envirothon to Arizona, where her team from the Home Educators of Yuma takes a third place finish in state competition. (The Sun, Yuma, AZ, 04/05/08)
CUMBERLAND -- Fayetteville homeschool mother Patti Katter featured in story about military wives (The Daily Tar Heel, Chapel Hill, 4/1/08)
CUMBERLAND -- Fayetteville homeschoolers send thanks to local Food Lion for sponsoring their two-day debate tournament (Fayetteville Observer, April 3, 2008)
DAVIDSON -- A 9-year-old Lexington girl is homeschooled due to a rare blood disorder; a fund raiser to defray her medical costs is planned for April 19. (The Dispatch, Lexington,
04/11/08)
NATIONAL -- N.C. homeschool mother Jennifer James, founder of National African-American Homeschool Alliance, is part of an article on the growth of homeschooling among black families. She estimates they make up 10% of the homeschooling population, which is an increase over the 5-6% estimate I heard from other advocates and researchers several years
ago. (New York, The Village Voice, 04/08/08)
DAVIDSON -- Community college holds third homeschooling conference to promote dual-enrollment options. DCCC has also used the conference to recruit homeschoolers for their Early College program, which is a public high school. (WFMY-TV)
DURHAM -- The team from Quest Homeschoolers of Durham advances to the world finals of Odyssey of the Mind, to take place at the University of Maryland this summer (The News & Observer, Raleigh, 04/09/08)
HENDERSON -- Letters from students in the Henderson County Homeschool Association are included in the time capsule of the newly renovated Henderson County Courthouse dedicated this week (The Times-News, Hendersonville, 04/12/08)
WAKE -- Class of homeschoolers takes part in wild bird banding with N.C. Museum of Natural History (The News & Observer, Raleigh, 04/11/08)PEOPLE
NATIONAL -- Former North Carolinian and Environthon coach Mary Sund takes her success with Envirothon to Arizona, where her team from the Home Educators of Yuma takes a third place finish in state competition. (The Sun, Yuma, AZ, 04/05/08)
CUMBERLAND -- Fayetteville homeschool mother Patti Katter featured in story about military wives (The Daily Tar Heel, Chapel Hill, 4/1/08)
CUMBERLAND -- Fayetteville homeschoolers send thanks to local Food Lion for sponsoring their two-day debate tournament (Fayetteville Observer, April 3, 2008)
DAVIDSON -- A 9-year-old Lexington girl is homeschooled due to a rare blood disorder; a fund raiser to defray her medical costs is planned for April 19. (The Dispatch, Lexington,
04/11/08)
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