aldenswan.com

I used to be from Minnesota. I probably shouldn’t admit that, but I do… However, I don’t think I ever voted there (maybe once?), so I guess I don’t feel responsible for Minnesota politics.

I happened to catch Jesse “the Body” Ventura on Larry King a moment ago. Apparently he’s not running for Minnesota State Senator, but he’s leading Al Franken, who really is running.  What a weird state.  Of course, I can’t imagine Al Franken as a serious politician, even in Minnesota. Even after Jesse Ventura. Or after Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale.  Of course, I live in Oregon, so I can’t brag. We’re so lazy here that we all mail in our ballots days early, just so we can stop paying attention to the political ads.

I did think Ventura was kind of a kick as governor, especially as he wasn’t my governor. However, hearing him on Larry King tonite reminded me of just how ignorant the man really is. It’s kind of funny that he says what he thinks, but then you realize that this is what he really thinks! He was making fun of Bush praying before his decision to to into Iraq.  I don’t know that Bush ever said that God told him to invade Iraq, only that he had prayed about it. I appreciate that - I don’t for a moment think that it was an easy call for Bush, and those who do think that are just plain idiots. No one makes a decision like that - even from a career standpoint - without giving it a lot of thought, and often, prayer.

Ventura, though, is too smart for that, saying that in his nearly 57 years, God has never spoken to him. As my favorite rabbit would say, “what a maroon.” Jesse, you may have never spoken to God, but if you’ve never heard Him speak (in the land of 10,000 lakes, yet!), you just weren’t listening.

He did make one sensible comment though:

“I think that bodes very badly for the Democrats in the fact that you have an unpopular president, a more unpopular Congress and a senator in lockstep with this president and now you have a third party candidate who hasn’t announced and you have fallen behind him. I think the Democrats are in some serious trouble.”

But, today is apparently the last day to file, and it appears that Franken’s lack of success has awakened hope in a number of would-be contenders.  So who will it be?  Another pro wrestler?  Another comedian?  Maybe a real politician who wants withdraw yesterday from Iraq and raise taxes??  Or, perhaps a retired hockey player whose campaign will focus on bringing pro hockey back to the Gopher State? I think he’d get my vote.

Ah, but it’s all good fun, as they say…

From the Telegraph.co.uk:

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Communist leader of the Soviet Union, has acknowledged his Christian faith for the first time, paying a surprise visit to pray at the tomb of St Francis of Assisi.

Accompanied by his daughter Irina, Mr Gorbachev spent half an hour on his knees in silent prayer at the tomb.

His arrival in Assisi was described as “spiritual perestroika” by La Stampa, the Italian newspaper.

“St Francis is, for me, the alter Christus, the other Christ,” said Mr Gorbachev. “His story fascinates me and has played a fundamental role in my life,” he added.

Mr Gorbachev’s surprise visit confirmed decades of rumours that, although he was forced to publicly pronounce himself an atheist, he was in fact a Christian, and casts a meeting with Pope John Paul II in 1989 in a new light.

The Telegraph, however, got nearly everything wrong about St. Francis, but that’s beside the point. According to the Times Online, Putin has joined the Orthodox Church as well:

Mr Gorbachev has long acknowledged that he was influenced by his grandmother, an Orthodox believer and is a a regular participant in peace conferences in the Umbrian town where St Francis is buried. Vladimir Putin, a former KGB officer, has also turned to Orthodox Christianity and wears a cross round his neck.

People laughed at Ronald Reagan when he had voiced suspicions that Gorbachev was a “closet believer.” Well, it seems that Reagan was right once again. It’s not clear exactly when Gorbachev made a full conversion to Christianity, but it appears that there were at least seeds going back to his childhood, and his meeting with the Pope can now possibly be looked at in a new light.

What impact will this have on Russia? It’s hard to say. I’m not an expert (or even a novice) at Russian culture, but I suspect that there are many Russians who - while maintaining the official atheism - had some leanings toward Christianity who may at least consider Gorbachev’s admission of faith as reason to reconsider.

It’s good news for Gorbachev, obviously, and can only help bolster the church in Russia.

For those of you interested in the recent California Appellate Court ruling concerning homeschooling, here’s a response that a friend of a friend received to her e-mail to the Governor’s office:

From: governor@govmail.ca.gov < governor@govmail.ca.gov>
Date: Mar 10, 2008 5:42 PM
Subject: Re:Homeschooling
To: [deleted]

Thank you for contacting me about the recent Second District Court of Appeals ruling on home schooling.

Every California child deserves a quality education - but it is the parents’ right to decide what’s best for their children. Parents should not be penalized for acting in the best interests of their children’s education.

This ruling is outrageous and must be overturned by the courts. If the courts do not act to protect parents’ rights, then - as elected officials - we will.

Again, thank you for adding your voice to this important issue.

Sincerely,

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Technically, homeschooling is not legal in California. All homeschooling - and there is a lot of it - is done as home-study programs under either the public or a private school. However, a private school can exist merely as a record-keeping service for self-study programs. It’s a funky setup, but it’s worked okay. However, being that homeschooling is technically illegal, there is some potential for abuse and persecution from the State in it’s various forms (and it does happen, more often than it should).

Perhaps this ruling is a good thing, as it’s opened some eyes about the situation. It’s probably time that California establishes some real homeschooling legislation.