Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall!

Happy Anniversary to Germany on this, the 20th anniversary of the tearing down of the Berlin Wall.

These were courageous words spoken by then President Reagan at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. Not even Reagan's own aides wanted him to utter that particular line, yet he did! Discussing the dismantling of the wall and the fall of communism, Reagan's biographer quotes Mikhail Gorbachev as saying, "I don't know if what happened would have happened if Reagan had not been there."

I remember the era and how fearful everyone was to elect Reagan, thinking for sure that he would cause nuclear holocaust. I wrote the president myself with my own concerns (I was about 16 at that time of writing that letter) as one of my brothers signed up for the Air Force during that time and was sent to West Germany, along with his young family, to serve his country and protect our allies as a Russian Linguist.

A small handful of friends and I got to visit Berlin, including East Berlin one weekend in the summer of 1984, while doing mission work there. My experiences can in no way be compared to those who lived through the time of occupation of parts of Eastern Europe by the Soviet Union. I am, however, very thankful to have been able to get to know a few people who lived that life, had family behind that wall. I am thankful to have been able to see some of Eastern Europe and East Berlin for myself. To witness a socialist holiday complete with goose-stepping soldiers and tanks, etc. It was a life-changing experience for this very-blessed American, then a college student seeking to live life with greater purpose.

Our very-long day of walking miles upon miles of exploring in East Berlin, without food until about ten at night when we finally found one of the few small taverns or restaurants in the city. Because it was Stalin's or Lenin's day, what services the city did have available were mostly closed. Lines of people wrapped around the one restaurant we saw after lunchtime, so we'd walk on to the next possible restaurant which we would not ever find.

We made it to Checkpoint Charlie in the late afternoon, with hopes of getting back into West Berlin through Checkpoint Charlie. We were so happy, thinking we could finally get something to eat just across the way! But it was not possible for us to do that.

The East German guards informed us that we could not under any circumstances re-enter the West through Checkpoint Charlie, because we had entered the city by train on another side of the city. As I look at the map of the city divided by the wall and the various checkpoints, we must have come in at Checkpoint Bravo, the only other checkpoint possible for non-Germans.

We drove from West Germany to an appartment of some church members in W. Berlin, but took a train in from West to East Berlin, from what I remember. We were told by our missionary friend that if we took cameras, there was a good chance that the guards would take our film on the way in or out, when they checked us in and out. How I wish I had photos of that weekend.

At that point, trying not to be discouraged, we bolstered ourselves and began the walk back to the other side of the city, hoping and praying for a place, any place, to eat. I cannot remember if and how we were able to find water or something to drink along the way. Convenience shops or kiosks that one would see in free Europe were pretty much non-existent. We probably found juice or some such thing somewhere, because we did spend our money. It was required of us by the guards that we convert a certain amount of Deutsch marks to East German Marks upon entering East Germany, and we were not supposed to take any of those marks out of the East with us when we left.

Sometime after dark, and I do not remember how many hours or miles, we finally found a small, hole-in-the-wall mom and pop place to eat. We were thankful when we were finally seated at a table. It took 45 minutes to an hour to be given a menu. It took up to another hour to be waited on. It was not because we were Americans, I truly believe. We were dressed as German as possible (though definitely Western) and we spoke in German. This place was simply almost out of food.

There were five dishes listed on the menu, but only two were still available. My team and I rallied each others' spirits my making funny references to things such as "now they're going to the barn to slaughter the bull for dinner," etc. I began writing a postcard to my parents while we continued to wait. Another hour after our order was taken, our food finally arrived; a small piece of meat, green peas, and boiled potatoes. It was one of the best meals I have had, simply because of need.

At some point during that weekend, we were able to visit the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, and spend time pouring somberly over the stories and artifacts of those who escaped or died trying to escape from East to West.

This was truly one of the top ten best times of my education. I came away from that experience more grateful for my blessings, and prompted me (still prompts me) to mourn the greed, waste, and indifference that I saw then and still see today. I am not perfect by any stretch in trying to live a less commercial lifestyle and to appreciate the simple things, but this helped to take stock of my life and my values and to live what I believe without apology or shame. I am not anti-capitalist, but, I am a fan of buying what you can afford or need, not being so indulgent.

This post is a perfect reminder of the attitude of gratitude that we should have as we soon celebrate Veterans Day, toward our military~our brothers, uncles, granfathers, sons, sisters, grandmothers, aunts, etc., who have served to protect us and our country through in the armed forces. We owe them more than we can give, and often, simply thanking them can really encourage them.

I know of no better way to leave you thinking about and pondering our blessings, and being thankful to God for them, and our military who have worked and fought to serve and protect us.


Chao for now,

Javamom

The Big 21st Century Children's Book Banning: CPSC Rulings on Lead in Childrens' Books ~ Perspective of One Book Restorer and Conservator

I love (but do not idolize) old books. I have just a few of my Grandfather's old schoolbooks. They would be banned now...

I enjoy restoring and preserving old and vintage books. It is a fascinating thing to work with paper materials, cloth materials, adhesives, needle and thread, leather. It is fascinating to see how different books and papers respond to various treatments in the process of restoring them and preserving them for future generations. That is why I studied book restoration for years.

Hubby is an American Lit. Teacher and a Master of English.

We have always loved the more rare and obscure titles of vintage books, but enjoy classics from Mark Twain, Louisa May Alcott, also classics from British History and Literature, as well. We have always homeschooled. Many and many homeschoolers use vintage books (or even not-so-vintage-books printed pre-1985).

I have my own personal collection of Nature books, Americana, history and biographies, for both adults and children. I also have a lot of very old Charles Dickens novels, and enjoy multiple other British authors, as well. I have a decent collection of old Geography books...you can not read more interesting travel and geography books than were written a hundred years ago.

Have you ever read the Opal Wheeler books for children about famous Composers? They are simply lovely; so beautifully written. They are not dumbed-down into bits of boring facts, but are narrative in nature. The same is true for some of the editions of Children's Plutarch or Children's Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb, just to name but a few examples. Who writes for children in that way anymore? I know that some of these titles are available in newer or in cheaply done, softcover editions, but I love the stamped, embossed, covers, the wonderful illustrations; the craftsmanship of the cloth-on-board, older editions. They should be kept available, preserved, to be enjoyed by future generation, as I am able to enjoy my Grandad's school books. Craftsmanship sadly and largely went out the window long ago, but there is still a band of booklovers and bookbinders who appreciate and value such work, who learn to work within, handle carefully, and preserve that work.

It is from the above perspectives that I share this post today.

I have literally been dumbfounded by the crazy details and the far-reaching implications of the August 2008 CPSC (US Consumer Products Safety Council) ruling:

Guidance on the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) for Small Businesses, Resellers, Crafters and Charities

This act was well-intended, and I am all for protecting children from dangerous levels of lead and phthalates. But this one act over-reaches this mark to such a detrimental point.

Since the Act was instated on February 10th, all products...each and every item intended for children 12 and under must be tested for lead and phthalates (not some simple, inexpensive pen blot test from what I've read) or be tossed out. And yes, this includes children's books. Frustration and outcry from the American Library Association and others finally led to the CPSC amending the original banning of all children's books en masse, narrowing it down just to children's books published before 1985. Oh. WOW. THAT's a relief, isn't it?

Not in the least!!

Many good websites have broken down and chronicled the journey of this act, and subsequent reactions (and lack of reactions) with very good details, and I will share a few of them later in this post, so that I don't misrepresent something, or become redundant.

But first, allow me a brief rant (an activity I do not often indulge).

This act was passed by the Democratic-led Congress and signed by then President Bush last August and went into effect on Feb. 10th of this year. I'm not the only one who is confused or overwhelmed because so much information and even some misinformation has been floating all over the internet for the past few months, but almost NOTHING has been covered in the news. So regular Joe and Ann American do not know about it, much less care. Hugh Hewitt finally brought it up on his radio show this past Monday, and I was cheering from the driver's seat of my van as I was driving to tutor a student in Spanish.

Glen Beck is said to have shrugged off the need to mention anything about this, because he (alledgedly) said that there is not enough public outcry to justify it. (Grrrrrrr)

Can I mention the timing...the timing is also horrendous, when many families are tending more and more to need to shop at Goodwill and thrift stores in order to clothe their families. Our family has benefited from such practices for decades, (many things still have new price tags on them) what with living on Hubby's income as a teacher and afterschool director. (My minimal contributions over the decades has been just enough to keep an emergency fund from time to time).

More Americans are seeing the need to live within their dwindling means, and thrift shopping and antiquing is one way to accomplish that. The reach of recent legislation and implementation is so broad and so patently bad, it is already putting some small businesses out of business, or forcing them to become expats overseas.

I have been silent on the matter of the now-banning of books (intended for children) printed pre-1985, simply because I was literally knocked almost speechless, and I had such hopes that the American Library Association and other interested groups would be able to plead for some sense to come back into Congress's heads...perhpas that they would be able to reason with the politicians and the powers-that-be the ridiculousness of their actions.

*I forgot to include this last night: Nebraska City Library quarantines their collection of children's books this very week. Here is another link from a librarian showing a couple of photos from her local library, where she has marked out the books that she knows this ban includes. Just in case you don't believe the scope of this Act.



Many Americans don't even know it happened, what all the bans include, and it simply overwhelms me to the point of disbelief that it all really went into effect. It is difficult to put it all down in words


1) I am coming out of the shock, denial, and disbelief that it would mean the banning of wonderful books from my own childhood, but of my parents, grandparents, and so-on, and so-on....childhoods; some beautiful books, both in their artistic display of covers (though some bindings and papers were made on acidic materials, papers with high iron contents, or were printed in the wrong grain direction), the words and stories themselves will be lost. Some have sneered, "Well, no one reads those old books anyway."

If this would be protested well, and be publicized well, then maybe a poll could be taken to prove that there are whole groups passionate about the preservation of old books for the sake of history, heritage, for their unequaled quality of writing and content that they contain, not to mention a whole different set of standards which were celebrated 'once upon a time.'

Now I am fuming and beyond disappointed in our politicians: the Democratic-majority congress and my former Conservative and Republican representatives and President. (I am an independent now) I am so upset by their knee-jerk overreactions to the lead-laden charms, toys, and other cheap junk imported into our country that made all the news last year.

Libraries have "sort of" been given a one-year reprieve. People at thrift stores are already throwing away good, useful books. Some are probably worthless, but many...so many that have gone out of print never to be published again...what will become of these?

Why can't people just hold their horses? Do nothing for a time. Take the books off the shelves but don't toss them into the proverbial incinerator just yet, please!!

My frustrations ~

1) Our former President and Congress voted on this sweeping, overgeneralized legislation without even reading it and digging into what it would require for businesses and people that it likely never thought it would effect. Note this quote from Federalist Paper #62 ~

"It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood; if they be repealed or revised before they are promulgated, or undergo such incessant changes that no man who knows what the law is today can guess what it will be tomorrow. Law is defined to be a rule of action; but how can that be a rule which is little known, and less fixed?" (Hat tip: The Amused Cynic)

2) I was already teetering near the edge in my passion and disgust for politicians and what they end up becoming in the machine of The Beltway. I *so* know and believe that God is ultimately in control, and I trust Him and have almost given up on trying to "make a difference" on a grand scale.

3) I therefore prayed that the American Library Association, and other lobbying blocks would be able to sway the aforementioned politicians to see *reason* before the Feb. deadline rolled around.

Ha. Ha.

Look, I am all for getting rid of unnecessary and dangerous chemicals in plastics (Phthalates) and the high amount of lead in charms, jewels, toys that are predominantly come from imports from the far east. Why could not the testing requirements be on those highly known offenders and products? Oh, yeah, because the powers-that-be are always quick to throw out the baby with the bathwater in order to save us from ourselves.

For much more detail about all of this confusing mess, read Val's blog. I've bought many children's books and book sets from her over the decades. Check out Walter Olson's writing at Overlawyered...he keeps posting updates and thorough, and some downright angering/disappointing reports from the Folks in Denial at the New York Times . Also read the interesting effects to the ATV industry. Check out a touching personal story by lawyer Mark Bennett. Then read the incredible in-depth insights by fellow homeschooler, the brilliant Deputy Headmistress in her multiple and ongoing posts at The Common Room. I've bought children's books from her family, as well, and read or own many of the books she has recommended to so many people over the years. She writes further about one of the links I shared (via FaceBook) a couple weeks back about Senator Jim DeMint's efforts to reform this mess ~

"Senator Jim DeMint has a reform bill in Committee right now. That link is to an article he wrote about it, this link is to a site where you can read the test of S. 374, his reform bill. There is also a version in the House, here is where you can read the actual bill. Unfortunately, it's in the same Committee that gave us this bill in the first place. She goes on to list the members who have been selected to serve on the Energy and Commerce Committee in the 111th Congress. Please contact them and ask them to support HR 968, and specifically to exempt books, all books, not just those published after 1985, and thrift shops from all but the recall portions of the bill ."

I see that she has linked to Overlawyered, as well. The news update there is not good on a just- cancelled Congressional meeting where small business owners were supposed to get a chance to share the consequences of the CPSIA on their businesses. I guess they can't handle the truth, and they don't want the truth getting out, because they might lose face.

If you are beginning to see where this is leading us--to a nationwide book ban...heck, the ban has already happened, people...it is just not being reported in the media--then DO something to try and help get this thing repealed. If you are already doing something, I will join you in the protest. I could write about the protest that Etsy is brewing up...but I'll simply link to it for now.

C'mon, friends! This is not a partisan issue. Let's keep hounding Congress and the CPSC (available through the links above). Let's make calls to some think-tank lawyers who see the dangers of losing whole chunks of history, artisanship, art, you-name-it.

Project Gutenberg, Bartleby and other e-text projects are able to digitize or print up some of the OOP books, but many will be lost because they are so obscure, but none-the-less important accounts of biographical and historical nature.

Let's get this grassroots effort growing!


Exhausted Javamom

The Alfred E. Smith Benefit Dinner

Did any of you see / hear this event? I bet it's up on You Tube by now. How refreshing it is to see the two candidates in this light, instead of what we have had to listen to (spin) on the main stream media outlets, or the fearful tones of the scary e-mails being sent to you and me and everyone.

Both candidates were very, very funny, poking fun at themselves and roasting each other a bit. They were a lot more humble and seemed pretty genuine. I wish more campaigns could be run on humility. Ah, well, I can dream, can't I?

Lightening up the tone of the campaign (any campaign, really) is just what the doctor ordered.

I'm looking for a link to post, but most of them only give a brief snippet, not even half the story, so they lost much by not being more thorough...or purposefully not being more complete and inclusive.

Too bad.

Javamom

multi-partisan families? I'd like to hear from you

Bi-partisan and multi-partisan families, I want to hear from you!


I vote on a regular basis, even in primaries, and I like to follow politics and issues on a fairly regular basis, but I don't like to write political posts and I'll tell you why:


~ I am an idealist and no party offers very much of what I long for

read: Jesus was neither a republican nor a democrat

~ I am a life-long learner and student of history

~ Politics, parties, and people get painted with too broad a brush far too often, and a lack of human compassion follows shortly thereafter.

~ When the discussion devolves into name calling (and you can see/hear it from all sides) I shut it off and out, because purpose and plain facts and voting records are being ignored.

~ I live in a large, bipartisan...actually more like a multi-partisan family. I rather thrive on the things and ideals that unite instead of the things that divide us. I also love hearing the good points from all sides of a discussion or issue. I will not shut someone off if they don't agree with me on an issue. I like to hear reasoned, calm discussion. I believe in the ability of people to agree to disagree while still maintaining a friendship. The problem is, very few people are actually taught how to pull this off without becoming angry, offended, judgmental, and etc.

~ My studies (which will forever be unfinished, but not unfocused) of history, religions, denominations, languages, literature, art, classics, philosophies of education, even practical trades can all be categorized under anthropology. I have come to think that perhaps this has muddied the political waters for me. This does make it much easier to vote for each person on an individual basis instead of along party lines, but it makes my job to research all the candidates more important (and more time-consuming) than if I simply vote along party lines and platforms.

~ writing about this open-mindedness...being an independent thinker and sometimes undecided voter, or whatever *you* may call it, could add a wedge in relationships with either friends or family.

~Terminology is loaded on all sides. Folks define words differently and claim a word or ideal as their own party's "pet" project or platform.

There are other reasons, but I think this list is reflective enough of what I'm trying to say.

My point for this post? I want to hear from people living in bipartisan and multipartisan families about what makes your family work. I don't even know if there are that many in my networks...I guess I will find out (I hope...people tend to be very shy and skittish about this, if it exists in their homes). If my regular readers know of family or friends who would qualify, please send them my way. If I don't hear from anyone, then I just have not been able to find the audience, yet. I did a google search and literally came up with just two or three sites with similar topics. Not a large audience.

So I will try word-of-mouth of my friends and readers. I would love to stir up some support! Tell me (if you don't mind being open about it) about your bipartisan or multipartisan family...the positive things that come out of your relationships and differing thoughts and opinions on politics and beliefs. I could tell you some of the ways our family discusses and juggles, or chooses to keep part of the discussion simple, so as not to overwhelm the younger ones in the family, or those who don't like controversy at all.

But today, this weekend, I'd like to hear from others on their successes.


(an aside: Yes, those who don't like controversy need to learn how to handle it, but we don't want to provoke the wrong things. We have learned the need to take a gentle, more subtle approach most of the time, or we will end up frustrating those and planting quite different seeds than we would like).

I love my family and extended family, have learned so much and been so pleasantly surprised many times in these open discussions. It is all very fascinating (and only sometimes a little tense).

My final thought: A mountain has many sides, angles, inclines, valleys and hidden caves and trails. We cannot really know the mountain by observing it from only one vantage point or from a flat picture. I think Charlotte Mason said something similar to this thought in Volume three...I will have to dig that up...


Sincerely,

Javamom