Elmo is what?

Saturday has arrived right on time. And we’re still in the same place, doing the same thing. Babysitting. The babies are sound asleep at this hour, or so I believe. Their parents will be here this afternoon to take over and then to take them back home tomorrow. I’m sure that the twins are going to be glad to be rid of their stern grandparents for awhile. And we will be happy to be able to go back to being grandparents, and not so stern. Everyone has their role to play in life and being a disciplining grandparent is not a normal one for us. We don’t mind giving out the occasional, “No, don’t do that…” but a whole week of it is hard on the psyche; theirs and ours. Although I like to think it’s harder on us than it is on them. Even after a scolding that had me, the scolder, reduced to tears…the scoldee was quick to put their arms around my neck and tell me that they loved me. Anyway.

What else is new? The phones are still a problem…or maybe not, depending on your view. Last night the dial tone disappeared, so now we don’t have to worry about the fact that a bunch of phones in the neighborhood were crosswired. No one can call anyone. And when calling SBC to find out the status of the problem, the automated system still tells us that January 24th is the date that someone will appear to repair it.

Locally, according to what I have read, the jury is still out on the Schwarzenegger case. He has proposed spending so much money for infrastructure and education that greed has paralyzed his critics for the moment. The legislature, with an approval rating even lower than Arnold’s, needs to bring home some bacon to their constituents and the governor has spread the table with lots of tempting pork. Greed and power; it’s an amazing thing to watch.

Other news: “Most torso wounds that killed Marines in Iraq might have been prevented or minimized by improved body armor, a Pentagon study shows…” No kidding! It took a study to find that out? And I would guess that most Marines knew about the deficiencies of their body armor a long time ago. But have any Generals or Pentagon officials had to wear that same armor on a daily basis? To save their lives? Somehow I doubt it. And the kicker? “Extra body armor has been available since 2003, but until recently the Pentagon has largely declined to supply it to troops.”

“California's education chief reaffirmed his support for the state's new high school exit exam Friday, rejecting calls from civil rights groups to create alternative graduation measures for students...” Of course he rejected them. He’s an administrator and a bureaucrat. That’s what they do. They are trained to have a narrow focus on life. Follow the rules and never question those rules. Ever.

"I have concluded that there is no practical alternative available that would ensure that all students awarded a high school diploma have mastered the subject areas tested by the exam and needed to compete in today's global economy," O'Connell said. Those words alone tell me that he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

“The schools chief said his unyielding stance is in the students' best interest.” Of course it is.

And now the worst of all of the current news…Elmo is evil. What’s going on in this world when you can’t even trust a talking doll? I think it’s the end of civilization as we know it.