Why are the kids depressed, anxious, and even suicidal?...

 from the combox.

Comment from an esteemed blogger buddy:

I worry about my grandson on a daily basis. I worry about all of the issues you brought up. I can see his social skills declining, and it worries me. The democrats had a plan and I'm afraid it isn't fully implemented yet.

My answer:

I would look to how home-schoolers handle their kids. In all the years of hubby teaching music the most well adjusted, happy, socialized, and smartest kids were the home-schooled. Therefore, I have to wonder what is going on to make the public school kids so unable to cope. Is it how the parents are handling all this?

Discuss...

To kick it off, here's a few comments on both sides of the issue from an article at WaPo: She hates distance learning. Is home schooling an option?

I am not a teacher but a someone who firmly believes that part of America's school problems have to do with "homeschooling." The concept is ignorant in that it presumes parents have the knowledge, time and energy to properly educate their kids, and if they are working parents, do such after work -- all of which is frequently wrong.
Why not call it instead what Republicans want: Bible-based education or rather information. Useless to intellectual advancement.
I suggest that homeschooling not be used to pretend to educate kids. That's a plain lie. But
teachers must be paid better; students who fall behind should get the benefit of free tutoring to keep up and advance. A well educated public commits few crimes and is a good thing for all of us.

and

With 3 out in college and grad school, and our fourth facing another uneven year of middle school - we decided to homeschool this year. And we couldn't be happier with the decision. We consulted several families in the area that homeschool and settled on a few curriculums that would put us ahead of where the county standards would have us end up for the year. We added some extra extra curriculars, heeding the advice of our friends (they said our student would fly through the curricula).

We've enjoyed splitting teaching duties. We are not tethered to the laptop. We have flexibility to (safely) visit relatives and do some side field trips when convenient. We are taking extra time when we need to dive deeper and we can move quickly on things that are quickly mastered. In sum, this has been fantastic - especially while I've watched our county schools struggle with the school year.

On one hand, we are fortunate to be able to do what we have done. But it is not without sacrifice of time, energy and resources. In the end, it is worth it for the student to have the best year possible.  

 

Bill Whitttle: What would you tell your pre-COVID self to help get through the past year?...(video)

thoughts as we move forward.

Stephen Green nails it when he says, "I would have gone rebel much sooner." It took him several months to go rebel. It took me about two weeks. Around our neck of the woods those stupid directional arrows in the grocery store aisles were largely ignored by everyone.  Surprisingly, most people didn't even notice them.

Scott Ott tells a touching story about his neighbor and how his thinking has changed over the past year.  

  What I remember was how the masses decimated the toilet paper aisle. We practice what many scornfully call "prepping", albeit in a minor way, so we had plenty of potty paper and ended up helping out those who did not. 

I have still not recovered from seeing masked up people. I never will. Masks are nothing more than a capitulation to evil and it appears some people will be wearing them for the rest of their lives. If that's their choice - so be it.

Bill Whittle calls this past year a drill to see how far the government can push the populace into acquiescing to their onerous mandates and demands. Turns out it was pretty damn easy.  The lesson here, my precious poodles, is be prepared for the next "horror virus."  Prepared is the operative word!

  

St. Patrick has Been Cancelled

Today is St. Patrick's Day.  Google has wiped his visage from their little graphic substituting everything green, as in "save the earth green."

Not to worry. We can still indulge in a day of cultural appropriation celebrating the man who is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. Today, everyone is Irish!  

The commie/libtards celebrate their goodness while destroying the less fortunate...

the very people they claim to care so much about. 

It's what they do.

The left preens as the gas prices go up daily.  They're finally sticking it to the oil industry and hopefully helping to do away with "climate change."

No where on their radar are the people who have lost their jobs because of unconstitutional lock down, or are struggling with a low paying job.  

Oh hell, noes!

High gas prices will have a domino effect since shipping costs will skyrocket meaning food prices will also go up.  I've already noticed prices going up in my local store.

But, not to worry - the government is sending them back $1400.00 of their very own dollars which should tide them over until things improve.  Do I have to tell you I'm being sarcastic? 

None of this is going to have a huge impact on us.  We're only two old farts who don't eat a lot.  A tank of gas lasts me just about forever.  We have no plans for vacations and clothes are not a huge issue either.  But millions of people will suffer mightily, and I pray for them every day.

Catholics Under Fire for Upholding Doctrine

Yep! How dare them for saying blessing same sex unions is a big no-no. 

Listen up.  You can't confer a blessing on a sin. It's not about "you can't help who you love."  You should love everyone, but you should only have sex with your husband or wife. Everything else is a sin. Any questions?

Our Lives Reimagined

The time to face the fact our lives as they were 50 years ago, or even 5 years ago, is over.  The truth has kicked down our front door, raided our refrigerator, and is relaxing in our lounge chair.  It's never going to be the same - ever. 

 The children are suffering irreversible psychological and emotional damage from being separated from friends and families.  Toddlers are growing up without being able to see expressions on faces  - an important part of growing up.

We have a country of fearful masked up zombies wandering about.  Just yesterday at the grocery store, at least half of the people had filthy rags on their faces and were peering about with dead eyes. 

Obviously, the people who have lost their businesses or jobs are going to have to radically rearrange their lives. 

If we believe our old ways of living are over, and I do, then it's time to re-envision how we're going to arrange our lives as we move forward.

What have been your challenges since this insanity started and how are you dealing with them? What's better and what's worse?  Let's share our insights and coping skills. Thank you in advance.

More:

NEO: Were the lockdowns the worst public health decision in 100 years?

Are Wuflu lockdowns racist?...

 Michael Matt thinks they may be and I think he's right.

But first - BUT FIRST...

How about a little Costco update rant?  I hit up Costco yesterday (Wed.) to cash in my rewards check and cancel my membership. I actually donned a mask - the only time I've done so in this entire ridiculous mask mandating time only because Costco has become one of those country major mask nazis.  I really wanted my $541.00 with as little fuss as possible. 

 I hopped in the customer service line, and was about 4 feet behind the woman in front of me. She turned around and said, "Aren't you supposed to be 6 feet away from me?" 

After just staring at her for a moment or two, I pulled down my mask and said, in my best Catholic school girl manner, "Idiot!" 

She displayed virtual signaling shock to which I said, "Yes - you heard me right." 

She then suggested that maybe I shouldn't be shopping there. Bingo, you bit*h. That's the plan.

And there in, my sweet petunias, is the main reason I won't be shopping there, staying 6 feet away from the elitist sheeple who are crammed into that warehouse.  It looks like a TB ward with hundreds of masked up germ spreaders.

After I left with my $541.00 rewards cash, I had a lovely time at the Carpet Warehouse picking out new flooring for my bathroom, Grocery Outlet, where I snagged a bunch of cute sunglasses and other cool stuff, Super 1 Foods for 98 cent per pound asparagus, and Ace Hardware for paint.  In none of the following venues was a mask required and more than half the peeps were free and unmasked. 

Michael Matt is on fire!!

From Remnant TV:

RTV launches a new program, "The Follow-up," in which Michael J. Matt expands on just one point from his most recent Editor's Desk.

In this episode, Michael takes a closer look at the underlying racism that is inherent in many of the COVID lockdown policies across America.

Using his own city of Minneapolis as an example, Michael explains how America's inner-city minority communities suffer far more under the lockdowns than do those living in the suburbs.

While Joe Biden has pledged to use the full power of the Federal Government to go after the "domestic terrorists" who breached the Capitol on January 6, he seems uninterested in even addressing the domestic terrorism going on every single night here in Minneapolis, the victims of which are mostly from minority communities.

With gun violence, car jackings, rape and drug abuse skyrocketing under the lockdowns, Michael asks the question: When will politicians be held responsible for the death and destruction their draconian lockdowns have caused in what were once America's greatest cities?

RACIST LOCKDOWNS: The Destabilization of America

Here's some great Remnant links:

This "Follow-up" refers back to the Editor's Desk episode PRO-CHOICE: Aborting the Great Reset (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6drq4...​) Sign up for our FREE E-LETTER, and let us contact you whenever a new video is posted. https://remnantnewspaper.com/web/inde...​ Subscribe to The Remnant Newspaper: https://remnantnewspaper.com/web/inde...​ Subscribe to Remnant TV's independent platform: https://remnant-tv.com/user​ Like, Comment, and Subscribe to our YouTube channel! Shop REMNANT MERCH: https://shop.remnantnewspaper.com/​ Follow Michael Matt and The Remnant on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Michael_J_Matt​ Follow Michael Matt on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.matt...

Updates...

just a quickie.

Our internet access continues to be sporadic, and it's driving me slightly batty. Posting will be spotty until I find a new internet provider.  AT&T's solution is to buy a new modem (approx $175.00), which may or may not work. I don't think so. I'll be liaising with my computer guru to ascertain my next steps. 

One Tab is up to 327 saved tabs of information, which in my opinion is important.

But you know what's really important? Doing the stuff my station in life demands of me.

And I don't think my station in life is to spoon feed information to people who are more than capable of ferreting out the truth all by themselves.

Cynical? You betcha.

What do you expect, when according to the LA Times, 96.4 million people tuned in to watch a football game comprised of players who hate America, advertisers who despise you, and millionaire entertainers who insult you and think you're a rube. 

Seriously folks? 

These are the same people who are backing this sham-wow dog and pony show going on in DC.  Were these fools in DC elected, and getting paid over 200K a year to waste their time trying to destroy the best president this country has ever had?

Apparently so.

And 96.4 million people hunkered down in their homes under house arrest, grateful for being thrown a crumb of entertainment, and pretending how we're living is normal. Does it get anymore depressing than that?

The Burning Platform’s Jim Quinn has a a two-parter that makes me look positively cheerful. Part one, A Strange Game, lays out what the heck is going on, and Part two is his prescription for how we move forward.  I'm in agreement on at least 90% of his suggestions in part two. The other 10% will take a bit of rumination. 

In the meantime - keep the faith. Pray and tend to your station in life like your life depends on it, because it does, 

 

How has the scamdemic changed your life?...

inquiring minds want to know.

After reading Poll: Only 35% of Americans ‘Comfortable’ Returning to Normal Routine at Breibart, I reflected on how my life and routines have changed. Now I'm wondering about you, my precious poodles.

I realize that depending on the state and city you live in, your stories will differ as to how your routines or life was changed.

Breitbart:

According to the survey, conducted June 30 – July 3, slightly over one-third of Americans feel some sense of comfort in returning to their normal routine.

Only 15 percent said they were “very comfortable,” and 20 percent said “somewhat comfortable.” The majority of those surveyed, 59 percent, indicated they felt some level of discomfort in resuming their normal activities.

Twenty-seven percent said they were “somewhat” uncomfortable, while 32 percent said they were “very” uncomfortable.

...Generationally, Boomers expressed the highest level of discomfort in resuming normal activities (64 percent), followed by Gen X (57 percent), Millennials (56 percent), and Gen Z (54 percent). 

You can read the whole thing at Breitbart, but these pull quotes pretty much sum it up.

Okay - I'll kick it off:

I admit to being a tiny bit fearful the first week or so of the Wuflu being blasted from every news site. Fear is a natural response to the unknown.  After doing my own research, I replaced fear with anger.  Now, being angry is also not good for one's health, so I quickly squelched that odious emotion.

We don't eat out a lot, so restaurants being closed wasn't a big deal.  The gym being closed was a bummer, and I suspect contributed to my piriformis injury (which as of yesterday is waaaay better - thank you all for your prayers.)

However, it didn't take long to realize that my major source of social interaction and "fun" activities revolved around running my errands. I'm on first-name basis with half or more of the staff at Costco, Wallyworld, Super One grocery store, and Ace Hardware.  And the random peeps shopping are all my "friends" and someone to converse with.  There are no strangers in my world.

Suddenly, there was no one to talk to. The stores had weird tape all over the floor keeping us apart, many of the people had their faces hidden behind filthy little rags, and the cashiers were barricaded behind plastic shields.  I found that very depressing and very weird.

Humans are social creatures.  We respond to the expressions on the faces of others.  Smiles, frowns, a raised eyebrow, a wink all "speak" to us.  When faces are covered it's almost as though that person has ceased to exist.  I've noticed the masked people do not make eye contact, but instead furtively look away. Is it because I'm not masked and they fear me? I have no idea.  But if the goal of the commie/libtards is division, the forcing of masks ranks at the top of the odious scale. 

And the toilet paper.  OMGosh!  You don't want to get me started on the run on toilet paper.  What was that all about?  I buy the 48 pack of Marathon TP at Costco and usually have 2 or more packs, since I snatch it up whenever there's four or five bucks off.  For some reason, we only had one full one and half of another, so I was able to give my friend 24 of my rolls.  We still haven't run out of TP. 

Since the bulk of my shopping is at Costco and they now require masks which I refuse to wear, I've had to substitute with items from Wallyworld or the grocery store. I've discovered that many items were available elsewhere at comparable pricing and similar quality. Sorry, Costco. I had one large order delivered from Costco and realized a huge hidden savings since I didn't grab a bunch of extras I would have if I was in the store. Sorry, again, Costco.

The worst thing of all was having my church closed up.  It was only through the intercession and lobbying of our pastor that we could have unlimited people at my dear friend's Requiem Mass on May 9th - and we thank him.

Will our life ever be the same?  I doubt it. But I'm hopeful that whatever replaces our "old normal" will be better. It's up to each of us to make it so.  I'm thankful that I live in Idaho, and I pray for the people who live in states that are keeping people from work, church, and play.

Your turn.

That was about the only thing Freud got right!