Minnesota Prager Discussion Group

The Unforgettable Mr. Lincoln

noreply@blogger.com (glenn ray) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 02:34:00 +0000

At our most recent Prager group meeting fellow organizer, Jan DeSirey offered the following passage as her favorite among the countless Lincoln verbal masterpieces. All Americans should have memorized this beautiful poetic scene for the quickest rebuttal for all those confused about equality in a land of liberty.

"There is no permanent class of hired laborers amongst us. Twenty five years ago I was a hired laborer. The hired laborer of yesterday labors on his own account today; and will have others to labor for him tomorrow. Advancement...improvement in condition....is the order of things in a society of equals." Abraham Lincoln...16th President of the United States
March 4, 1861-April 15, 1865

Ranking American Presidents

noreply@blogger.com (glenn ray) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 21:31:00 +0000

Associated Press just days ago reported that of the 42 Presidents who have occupied the White Hourse, George W. Bush is ranked 36th. Their source for this expertise comes from "65 historians" according to a survey conducted by the cable channel C-SPAN. Billy, in the survey, has risen from the 2000 C-SPAN rankings to 15. Jimmy has fallen to 25. The revelations were carried via MSNBC. The survey advisor and participant, Edna Medford stated, "Today's concerns shape our views of the past, be it in the area of foreign policy, managing the economy or human rights." Harry Truman was rated one of the best leaders. The dogs at the bottom were James Buchanan, the worst, with Andrew Johnson, Franklin Pierce, William Henry Harrison and Warren G. Harding nipping at his heels.
Well, now we have it! More truth from academia! When I taught the "Social Studies" to high school students years ago, I forever used the phrase, "Consider the source!" Let's do that.
MSNBC, C-SPAN, and contemporary "historians", including Dame Edna; this seems to be the crowd we are looking for. If these pundits are associated with the university intellectual community, and I bet they are, where do they come from? Who chooses these judges of historical truth in America? Nearly universally, these judges choose themselves. Left wing, often high school left outs, who have never left the classroom. They form faculty committees who select their replacements, who have been taught by the same breed in that same system the decade before; the blind teaching and replacing the blind. I shall let you, dear reader, for your homework assignment, look up MSNBC for the tenor tones of that institution's political song.
Certain American citizens, particularly those who are not closely associated with academia, might ask, "Isn't it rather early to rank a President who is out of office for only a month?" If they are old enough, as I am, they might remember, that Harry S. Truman, at leaving office enjoyed a 21% approval rating, a rating which would have included the votes of the vast majority of history, geography, psychology, sociology, and political science professors at the unversity where I was in attendance and from other universities as well. There were no Global Warming departments back then. I confess, I felt the same way as my teachers. How could I not? I don't feel that way now. From my studies and learnings since that childhood, I have come to admire Harry very much, and believe him to be a far better President than the man who chose this "little man" from Independence, Missouri to be his vice president, FDR.
Certain American citizens with limited academic background might ask, "What causes William Henry Harrison to be near the bottom of the pile?" These honored historians answer, "Because he spent only 30 days as President, and too much
of that time was spent in bed dying." What a cad that man was....for commiting such acts.
These certain American citizens might also ask, "What about James Buchanan?", the man at the very bottom, who preceded America's best, Abraham Lincoln? "Why is he ranked so low?" Maybe it's because he is thought to have been America's only gay President. Perhaps academia believes he should have "outed" himself , while President, therefore freeing the victimhood class a century before its time.
Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama want every American child to go to college. How prescient they both are. No wonder they did so well in the 2008 Democrat primaries!

Old Truths for the Modern Mind

noreply@blogger.com (glenn ray) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 21:03:00 +0000

6. A baby is an alimentary canal with a loud voice at one end and no responsibility at the other....Ronald Reagan
7. Freedom is never more than a generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same....Ronald Reagan
8. Heroes may not be braver than anyone else. They're just braver five minutes longer....Ronald Reagan
9. We are going to take away from you on behalf of the common good....Hillary Clinton
10..Please provide the date of your death....Letter from the IRS

Old Truths for the Modern Mind

noreply@blogger.com (glenn ray) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 20:36:00 +0000

Dear Fellow Prager Persons: I am inviting you all to share with us at Pragerblog your favorite sayings, adages, or proverbs which have been giving you strength or laughter in your lifetime; the ones you don't want to forget; the ones you'd like us all to remember. Credit the author when you can. Others, I hope, will help us be accurate.
1. The best argument against a democracy is a five minute conversation with a voter...Winston Churchill
2. Children remember everything; whether it happened or not.....Mark Twain
3. I have been through some terrible things in life, some of which actually happened...Mark Twain
4. Nature is one giant restaurant....Woody Allen
5. Great civilizations are not murdered. They commit suicide....Arnold Toynbee

Our New America

noreply@blogger.com (glenn ray) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 17:06:00 +0000

I listened to a conservative radio talk show host the other day interviewing a national Republican regarding the future of the Republican Party. The leader postulated that in 2008 the Republicans nationally had swung too far to the religious right, to the culturally retro crowd. Henceforth, he said, it must wrench itself "to the center", because the country won't stand for the restrictions upon life these extreme antedeluvians represent. Furthermore, he sure said all this in tones very much like those of the lefty snot and snob clan one sees so often performing on television "truth' shows these days. He intimated that opposing gay marriage, universal health care, peace, open immigration, and by not sufficiently confessing white, male America's transgressions of racism, imperialism, and greed, we all failed to recognize the new age, the electability of the glib, bouncy, upbeat, young graduate school candidates fresh out of their classrooms who make women faint and college boys swoon; the leaders of today and tomorrow who have been taught freedom and license are synonymous. Move to the center. Join the crowd, the Republican pontificated.
The man is telling the truth. The man is entirely correct in his assessments and advice. America has become so corrupt in its social, cultural, educational, and economic fabric, conservative values have nearly disappeared from the Establishment norms of human give and take in our country. The retros are indeed living in yesterday's American mainstream. Most still attend church, don't swear, are still married, believe in family, know that the inherent gifts of man and woman are quite different one from the other, don't pass out on pot or enrage on crack or meth every few hours each week, are not gay, and most are not black, and certainly do not live nor want to live in the new age plantation society. They still prefer the individual to the crowd. They still believe in marriage, prefer not to slaughter the unborn, still recognize classic good from classic evil, seek truth rather than flattery about themselves and their children, do not cower under the yoke of makebelieve victimhood to con the local lefty government representative for more political handouts. In short, they'd rather not become a drone. How, retro, indeed. The Republican was right. The retro is our "used to be" America. That America is nearly dead. And the "Republican" party needs to shed much of that old baggage IF the goal is to hoist, somehow, the Party to the ranks of the competitive in contemporary new age American politics. Its members must enter and play in and expand the world of the vulgar, the America of today. We must try to capture a large bite of the Left Wing cultural slime being spread in its newsprint, entertainment, and educational industries, and even in some instances into our churches. Remember Jeremiah Wright! There's the advice for the future!
Later the same day, while watching television, one of those 7 foot plus NBA hotshots was interviewed on ESPN and this highly honored Black hero of American sports, in a three minute interview had seven bleeps cut out of his minimally understandable vocabulary. Other such model setters shoot themselves in the leg, promote cock fights, or celebrate the highest of the "high" life all in the quest to achieve "respect". Truth is, such stars have become major popular role models among many in modern American culture, especially in the Black community; a profile so common it censors almost all of what is decent among the hard working, peace loving retros who strive "retroly" in that plagued community simply to breath and live. And the setting seems to be becoming the norm for the country. Like Chavez's Venezuela, day by day, step by step, the good people yield.....ceding away the needed restraints of a civilized democracy, with less and less learning, less and less personal responsibility, a people with less and less courage, more and more vulgarity, more group think and ever deeper loneliness. Good Morning, 1984!
Glenn H. Ray, member, MN DennisPragerDiscussionGroup

The case for Judeo-Christian values: Values vs (Liberal) Feelings

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn Woolley) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:21:00 +0000

I intended to post this article soon after our December meeting in which we discussed the eroding Judeo-Christian values of western culture. Unfortunately, I found myself almost completely consumed with Christmas and the many self-imposed demands of the season, so this entry constitutes a ‘better late than never’ effort. The attached article by Dennis Prager, originally published February 22, 2005, is well worth reading and the best I found on the topic. By the way, it appears that Dennis has written as much or more than anyone else on this subject…as per the mighty Google search engine.

The case for Judeo-Christian values: Values vs (Liberal) Feelings
By Dennis Prager

http://www.JewishWorldReview.com With the decline of the authority of Judeo-Christian values in the West, many people stopped looking to external sources of moral standards in order to decide what is right and wrong. Instead of being guided by G-d, the Bible and religion, great numbers — in Western Europe, the great majority — have looked elsewhere for moral and social guidelines.

For many millions in the twentieth century, those guidelines were provided by Marxism, Communism, Fascism or Nazism. For many millions today, those guidelines are feelings. With the ascendancy of leftist values that has followed the decline of Judeo-Christian religion, personal feelings have supplanted universal standards. In fact, feelings are the major unifying characteristic among contemporary liberal positions.

Aside from reliance on feelings, how else can one explain a person who believes, let alone proudly announces on a bumper sticker, that "War is not the answer"? I know of no comparable conservative bumper sticker that is so demonstrably false and morally ignorant. Almost every great evil has been solved by war — from slavery in America to the Holocaust in Europe. Auschwitz was liberated by soldiers making war, not by pacifists who would have allowed the Nazis to murder every Jew in Europe.

The entire edifice of moral relativism, a foundation of leftist ideology, is built on the notion of feelings deciding right and wrong. One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.

The animals-and-humans-are-equivalent movement is based entirely on feelings. People see chickens killed and lobsters boiled, feel for the animals, and shortly thereafter abandon thought completely, and equate chicken and lobster suffering to that of a person under the same circumstances.

The unprecedented support of liberals for radically redefining the basic institution of society, marriage and the family is another product of feelings — sympathy for homosexuals. Thinking through the effects of such a radical redefinition on society and its children is not a liberal concern.

The "self-esteem movement" — now conceded to have been a great producer of mediocrity and narcissism — was entirely a liberal invention based on feelings for kids.

The liberal preoccupation with whether America is loved or hated is also entirely feelings-based. The Left wants to be loved; the conservative wants to do what is right and deems world opinion fickle at best and immoral at worst.

Sexual harassment laws have created a feelings-industrial complex. The entire concept of "hostile work environment" is feelings based. If one woman resents a swimsuit calendar on a co-worker's desk, laws have now been passed whose sole purpose is to protect her from having uncomfortable feelings.

For liberals, the entire worth of the human fetus is determined by the mother's feelings. If she feels the nascent human life she is carrying is worth nothing, it is worth nothing. If she feels it is infinitely precious, it is infinitely precious.

Almost everything is affected by liberal feelings. For example, liberal opposition to calling a Christmas party by its rightful name is based on liberals' concern that non-Christians will feel bad. And for those liberals, nothing else matters — not the legitimate desire of the vast majority of Americans to celebrate their holiday, let alone the narcissism of those non-Christians "offended" by a Christmas party.

And why do liberals continue to endorse race-based affirmative action at universities despite the mounting evidence that it hurts blacks more than it helps? Again, a major reason is feelings — sympathy for blacks and the historic racism African-Americans have endured. Very often, liberals are far more concerned with purity of motive than with moral results. That's why so many liberals still oppose the liberation of Iraq — so what if Iraqis risk their lives to vote? It's George W. Bush's motives that liberals care about, not spreading liberty in the Arab world.

Elevating motives above results is a significant part of liberalism. What matters is believing that one is well intentioned — that one cares for the poor, hates racism, loathes inequality and loves peace. Bi-lingual education hurts Latino children. But as a compassionate person — and "compassionate" is the self-definition of most liberals — that is not the liberal's real concern. His concern is with an immigrant child's uncomfortable feelings when first immersed in English.

Reliance on feelings in determining one's political and social positions is the major reason young people tend to have liberal/left positions — they feel passionately but do not have the maturity to question those passions. It is also one reason women, especially single women, are more liberal than men — it is women's nature to rely on emotions when making decisions. (For those unused to anything but adulation directed at the female of the human species, let me make it clear that men, too, cannot rely on their nature, which leans toward settling differences through raw physical power. Both sexes have a lot of self-correcting to do.)

To be fair, feelings also play a major role in many conservatives' beliefs. Patriotism is largely a feeling; religious faith is filled with emotion, and religion has too often been dictated by emotion. But far more conservative positions are based on "What is right?" rather than on "How do I feel?" That is why a religious woman who is pregnant but does not wish to be is far less likely to have an abortion than a secular woman in the same circumstances. Her values are higher than her feelings. And that, in a nutshell, is what our culture war is about — Judeo-Christian values versus liberal/leftist feelings.

You're a Republican???

noreply@blogger.com (Dezra Helgeson) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 15:17:00 +0000

The following excerpt is from a full-page ad that was placed in the Washington Post by a businessman named George J. Esseff, Sr. He paid $104,655.60 to run the ad and only did it because he is sick and tired of the way that 'the rich' are portrayed by liberals these days. It is a great read. Read the entire text at www.whatiam.net.

Washington Post, October 20, 2004

You're a Republican???

In today’s America, ask a growing number of high school and college students; their teachers and professors; the self-anointed media elite and/or hard working men and women of all ethnicities, the question, “What is a Republican?”, and you’ll be told “… a rich, greedy, egotistical individual, motivated only by money and the desire to accumulate more and more of it, at the expense of the environment … the working poor ….and all whom they exploit…”
I am a Republican … I am none of those things… and I don’t know any Republicans who are.

WHAT I AM … first and foremost, is a loving husband of some 52 plus years, the father of four and an American who’s proud of his country… and his country’s heritage.

WHAT I AM… is the grandson of immigrants who risked everything, including their lives and those of their children, to escape tyranny in search of freedom.

WHAT I AM… is a man who grew up during the Depression and witnessed, first hand, the effects of the Stock Market crash and the soup lines that followed. I watched as both my parents and grand parents, who had very little themselves, share what food they had with a half dozen other families, who had even less....

Read the entire text at http://www.whatiam.net/

Dennis Graces us with His Presence

noreply@blogger.com (Dezra Helgeson) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 16:54:00 +0000

September 5, 2008
Dennis was in town for the Republican National Convention, and through some fancy footwork by our faithful organizers, we were able to meet with him Friday evening.

Allen Estrin, Speaks!
The evening began with a question being posed to our two guests, "What in your life has influenced your conservatism?" Allen answered first. It was a pleasure to hear from him.

The Man Himself
Dennis shared with us his reasons for being a conservative and then let the audience set the agenda, asking him anything we wanted. After all, it was Friday.

Good turn-out, over 100 people!
Thanks again to Caileen and her mom for sharing their beautiful home for this event. It was a lovely evening.

Comfort "uber allis"
Did anyone else notice Dennis' fabulous sandals? He has mentioned on the radio about his policy of wearing a shirt and tie while broadcasting, though his audience doesn't see him...I guess the spirit of that policy doesn't extend to shoes.

Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment

noreply@blogger.com (mntwinsfanatic) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:22:00 +0000

Spreading the word about another liberal boondoggle.

Defenders Blog: Here We Go Again Minnesota - Hold On To Your Wallets

Liberty!

noreply@blogger.com (MN Prager Discussion Group) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:32:00 +0000

From our discussion on July 10, 2008:

There are three major mottoes which in brief, have been given special status to remind Americans what in our governance we primarily believe in: E Pluribus Unum, Liberty, and In God We Trust. They are written on our currency. The two most important documents of our United States defining who we are and how we conduct our management and perpetuate our cultural lives are the Declaration of Independence and the Supreme Law of the Land, our National Constitution.

Today, what these basic mottoes represent is under attack by the Left Wing of our country's Democratic Party and its leadership in Congress and on the Supreme Court. The motto E Pluribus Unum is to be trumped by "Diversity," In God We Trust is to be wrenched from the Nation's psyche and replaced with Atheism, and Liberty is to be replaced by "Equality. In the preamble to the Declaration of Independence, we read, "We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." In the Preamble to the American Constitution, our supreme law, we read, "We, the People of the United State, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish the Constitution for the United States of America."

Now let us reread both Preambles according to the beliefs, teachings, and practices of the leadership of today's American Democratic Party which promises change in governing our Judicial and Congressional offices, and a Presidential office held by Barrack Obama, if he is elected this November...Who, indeed, is for change.

"We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Equality, and the Pursuit of Happiness."

We, the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and.....Secure the Blessings of Equality to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish the Constitution for the United States of America."

Questions to consider and comment upon:

How does a government secure the blessings of liberty?
How does a government secure the blessings of equality?
From where do we get the Right of Equality?
How will Equality be enforced?
Who judges equality?

----
Glenn Ray, Organizer

Seder Success

noreply@blogger.com (MN Prager Discussion Group) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 04:21:00 +0000

The First Annual MN Prager Discussion Group JULY 4 Seder was a fabulous success! Thanks to everyone who attended. We had about 30 people attend and participate. The dinner was wonderful...thanks to all who brought side dishes and desserts.

After dinner we gathered to say the Pledge of Allegiance then sing the first verse of the Star Spangled Banner (sorry again about starting on such a high note. ouch!). Then we sat in a large circle and we each had the opportunity to take a few minutes to talk about how we came to be in America. It was interesting to find out how many were first generation in American.

We ended with a reading of the Declaration of Independence. It was divided into 13 sections and 13 volunteers each read several lines. Many people commented that it had been years since they had read it and/or they had never heard it aloud before. This is a tradition we will continue.

Glenn has offered his home for the 2009 July 4 Seder and I am willing to head the committee for next year...anyone else want to pitch in?

Thanks again to everyone who came!

Jeopardy! a la Prager

noreply@blogger.com (Dezra Helgeson) — Mon, 12 May 2008 17:29:00 +0000

Thursday night was so much fun! Thanks to everyone who came and participated in the Jeopardy! a la Prager game. Since the night's theme was Male/Female, we teamed the men against the women. The men won by only 100 points! All did a great job.

After the game we gathered in a circle to review and discuss the recent Male/Female Hours on Dennis's show. Thanks, Joel, for facilitating that.

See you next month with Katerine Kersten, columnist at the Minneapolis Star Tribune, who will talk to us about media bias and the Fairness Doctrine.

See Katherine's Column from today here: http://www.startribune.com/local/18846129.html

Pioneer Press Editorial – Kathleen Parker

noreply@blogger.com (Susanne) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:12:00 +0000

I thought this editorial by Kathleen Parker, regarding Obama, was worth posting…..

http://www.twincities.com//ci_8935563?IADID=Search-www.twincities.com-www.twincities.com

4th of July Seder

noreply@blogger.com (Dezra Helgeson) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 06:06:00 +0000

Do you agree with Dennis that the meaning of Independence Day and why America is great is lost today? We'd like to put together a 4th of July Seder to remind us of all those things our founding fathers knew when they risked their lives and livelihoods as they signed the Declaration of Independence.

If you are interested in being on a committee to organize this event, your participation is welcome. Please email Dezra your name and contact information.

What Keeps Dennis Prager Up at Night?

noreply@blogger.com (Dezra Helgeson) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 05:27:00 +0000

This was the topic that Dennis was asked to speak about at Monday's lecture. The event was sponsored by am1280 the Patriot. Dennis had to admit that he is blessed as such that nothing keeps him up at night. But assuming the spirit of the question was the same as "What Preoccupies Dennis Prager," he continued his speech by saying that several things do; some important and one trivial. Here are a few things that I jotted down.

The first was children. He quipped that problem children are always problems, and non-problem children...were problems, too.

He also spoke about unjust suffering. Dennis claimed that since he was about five years old he struggled with the idea that good people suffered, through no fault of their own. He talked about natural suffering (cancer, early death of loved ones, etc) and man-made suffering by those who are evil. He paraphrased someone, I think he said it was Rabbi Steinberg??? Correct me if you know. He said "the believer has to account for unjust suffering and the atheist has to account for everything else."

Dennis said he hates evil and believes that many in this world do not HATE evil. He said he can't understand the joy in torture that some people seem to have. He understands bad acts, like why a man would want to rob a bank...he wants money and doesn't want to work. That's understandable. But finding joy in watching people burn to death is incomprehensible. He spoke of a Holocaust survivor who described the Nazi guards, not as human, but as monsters with human faces. And that it would be a great thing if the the worst, most evil one percent of humanity were to drop dead, it would be a good thing. Though admittedly, the next worst, most evil one percent would be ready to step into the shoes of those who just died. Dennis said people would ask how he could believe in a God who would destroy human life with a flood, such as during the time of Noah. Dennis indicated that that is the kind of God he could really believe in! (There was applause after this sentiment, but not roaring. Dennis asked rhetorically why only some of us clapped, or challenged those of us who did not clap to ask ourselves why we wouldn't want to have the worst, most evil parts of humanity eliminated.)

My notes say "free will, concrete." Sorry, I can't remember why I wrote that down. I should have written this recap on Tuesday.

Dennis talked about the role of luck. Especially in the role of a good marriage. He told the audience that his father confided in him that luck was the secret to a lasting marriage. Luck is an element when choosing a spouse because how could you possibly know at age 25, or so, what that person would be like for the next 50 or 60 years.

Dennis's trivial preoccupation, he admitted, is "what is the best stereo system?" In a self-deprecating manner he mused, "Diogenes was looking for truth, Prager is looking for the perfect amplifer." He admits this hobby is not edifying, but insists that it and others have kept him sane. When he is reading Stereophile, a magazine that reviews stereo equipment, he is able achieve total relaxation. Dennis then defined relaxation as "nothing troublesome is on your mind." He then suggested that women may never find relaxation on this definition. There was laughter and general agreement from the audience.

Dennis said he loves America, but is worried for it. "No great civilization has endured forever." The three mottoes of America: Liberty, E pluribus unum, and In God We Trust are losing to Equality, Multiculturalism, Secularism - values espoused by the Left. He reminded us that "bad values marketed well, will sell better than good values marketed poorly."

And though Dennis has concerns, as we all do, he says he doesn't let his concerns make him unhappy.

One last note: In attendance that night was Manny Laureano, Principal Trumpet of the Minnesota Orchestra. He started the evening out for everyone by playing The Star Spangled Banner. Everyone stood, placed hands over hearts and sang along. It was amazing to be in a room of 600 people singing our National Anthem. I love to sing, and sang this song at the top of my lungs (much to the chagrin, I think, of the man standing in front of me.) Below is a picture of Dennis trying out a tune on Manny's trumpet prior to the start of the evening. Manny doesn't look like he's worried about his spot in the orchestra.

--------------

I hope that those of you who attended had a good time. If you can think of anything else Dennis said that you want to add here, please comment.

Recap of Saturday Morning's Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Dezra Helgeson) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 20:16:00 +0000

Here is Sam's synopsis of the meeting:

The Saturday Prager Group met on 3/22/08 at the Roseville Public Library. This meeting is structured such that members bring in topics of interest, and the one with the most votes becomes that meeting’s topic for discussion.

There were 9 members in attendance. Members suggested a number of topics, including “What is a conservative?” “Is democracy always preferred?” and “In hindsight, was the Iraq war a mistake?” The topic gaining the most votes was “Where have all the grownups gone?”

The members attempted to analyze what kinds of changes have occurred in American culture over the past 60 years that have confused the role of adults in general and diminished the role of parents in particular.

Wide-ranging theories were put forth, including the loss of moral authority within the traditional white culture that began with the advent of the civil rights movement in the 1950’s as well as other “rights” movements that followed; a decrease in the authority of religion to preserve traditional moral beliefs; the desire of those who survived the Great Depression and World War II to not visit hardship upon their own (Baby Boom) children; and the impact of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity on traditional beliefs in absolute truths.

All agreed that the changes appear to have been harmful on balance to children and parents alike.

Report on Dennis's Debate at the Atheists' Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Dezra Helgeson) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 01:29:00 +0000

One of our members wrote a great review of the debate on his own blog. Read it here.

If you had a chance to go, please add your thoughts or comments.

Why Americans are so far behind in MATH!

noreply@blogger.com (JRHelgeson) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 07:50:00 +0000

Today at the Ultimately Happy™ meeting, the subject came up about the abysmal state of Math Education. I promised to share this link with the group, then decided to simply post it to the blog.

Dennis, I really hope you get a chance to see this!

I recall hearing on Dennis' show last year his interview with Neal McCluskey, a policy analyst with Cato Institutes' Center for Educational Freedom and author of Feds in the Classroom: How Big Government Corrupts, Cripples, and Compromises American Education. (6/20/2007)

Corrupting Education (Opens in new window)

I just want to rant on and ON! The Educational Unions are just killing the education system. The dishonesty of the debate about school vouchers was made evident in Wednesdays conversation that Dennis had with Martin Andreasson, Swedish Liberal People's Party politician. Socialist Sweden, it turns out, has a national school voucher system which, thanks to the increased competition, has improved the quality of education there.

Martin Andreasson (Opens in new window)

At least whenever I need to relax, unwind, I can always sit back and get a good laugh out of the Maths system in the UK:

Ultimately Happy Reminder

noreply@blogger.com (Dezra Helgeson) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:04:00 +0000

The Ultimately Happy group is meeting tonight at John's gallery. See sidebar for address and directions.

We'll start at 7 pm. See you then!

David Strom, Guest Speaker in April

noreply@blogger.com (Dezra Helgeson) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 04:26:00 +0000

On Thursday, April 10, David Strom will be our guest speaker. We are very excited that he will be addressing us. Some of you may already know David Strom from his weekly radio program which airs on am 1280 the Patriot (Saturdays 9-11 am), his former position at the Taxpayers League of Minnesota, or his current post as President of the Minnestoa Free Market Institute.

If you aren't familiar with David Strom, you can listen to podcasts of his show, and also read this lovely excerpt from wikipedia. com:

David Strom (born 1964) is President of the Minnesota Free Market Institute. Prior to the formation of MFMI, David served as President of the Taxpayers League of Minnesota.
Strom graduated from Carleton College (1987) in Northfield, MN, with a degree in Political Science and holds a Masters Degree in Political Science from Duke University (1992). He has taught political philosophy at Duke University, North Carolina State University, Carleton College, and the University of St. Thomas.

Strom is a Fellow at the Claremont Institute, a regular contributor to the local ABC affiliate’s Sunday morning news program At Issue and hosts a weekly radio show on AM 1280 The Patriot. He now has a regular weekly column at Townhall.com.

Please plan on attending and think about friends, family or neighbors who might like to come. Guests are always welcome.

Safety in Numbers

noreply@blogger.com (Dezra Helgeson) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 22:19:00 +0000

Is there anyone out there who wants to carpool and/or sit together at the March 23rd debate at the Atheists' conference? I am not going, but I thought there may be others who want to meet up for this event.

Add a comment if you are interested in doing this and one of the organizers will contact you.

Book Club Recommendations

noreply@blogger.com (Dezra Helgeson) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 03:21:00 +0000

Okay, Book Clubbers, here is where we get to suggest, discuss, and vote on the book we want to read for our next meeting in May. If you have a book recommendation please COMMENT to this posting. Include in your comment:

Book Title
Author
Number of Pages
One paragraph that describes the book and why it would be relevant to a book club of Prager listeners.

Thanks for your input!

Book Club a Success!

noreply@blogger.com (Dezra Helgeson) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 03:16:00 +0000

We had a great time at the first MN Prager Book Club. We had a smaller group of people and we were each able to speak and be heard.

Peg started the discussion by asking each of the attendees to share where they had been and what their initial reaction was when they first learned of the attacks on 9/11. It was a good way to get in the mood to discuss Lawrence Wright's The Looming Tower: The Road to Al-Qaeda.

If you read the book, but didn't have a chance to attend on Friday, feel free to add any comments to this posting about the book, or your reaction to it.

Thursday Night Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Dezra Helgeson) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 03:13:00 +0000

Thanks to everyone who came to our Thursday meeting on the 13th at the Sabes Jewish Community Center.

We got to listen to and discuss the points in Dennis's speech: What You Don't Learn at College.

We're looking forward to April's meeting that will be put together and hosted by organizer Joel Quinnell. Stay tuned for more information.

Dennis's Debate at the Atheist Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Dezra Helgeson) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 17:27:00 +0000

Sunday, March 23 - 10 am to 12 noon
Click here for more details

Anyone can attend the debate. It's free.

from the American Atheists Conference website:

Debate between Dennis Prager and Frank Zindler
(Resolved: The Jewish God Exists)

Frank R. Zindler is the managing editor of American Atheists Press and the author of The Jesus the Jews Never Knew, a book that argues that the ancient Jews never heard of Jesus of Nazareth. In fact, they had never heard of Nazareth either. Formerly a professor of biology and geology, for many years now he has worked as a linguist and science writer.

Dennis Prager is one of America’s most respected radio talk show hosts. He has been broadcasting on radio in Los Angeles since 1982. His popular show became nationally syndicated in 1999 and airs live, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to Noon (Pacific Time) from his home station, KRLA. Widely sought after by television shows for his opinions, he’s appeared on Larry King Live, Hardball, Hannity & Colmes, CBS Evening News, The Today Show and many others.