Littlestuff Weekender12-18-2010

This “Weekender” will be somewhat transitional as we move from such cheery subjects as secession into more positive ones like family, communities and compassion. A reader accused me of whining and moaning about the state of affairs in our country but said that I didn’t do anything proactively for change. He may be correct, but Jeremiah has an entire book in the Bible dedicated to him. Personally, I may be handicapped by my past experiences. As a former broadcaster and college teacher, I am aware of how shallow our knowledge is about the matters of liberty, freedom and personal responsibility.


Who are you, treasured readers? I don’t know who you are. I do not know what you know. I have no clearly defined matrix for identifying how much, how often or why you read “Littlestuff.” So, allow me to share my target demographics with you, and please do not be offended by my descriptions of you. You are relatively unsophisticated in the matters of political theory, economic theory, Constitutional law, systematic theology and political strategy. Certainly some of you are well read in one or more of these disciplines, but for the most part, you have a rudimentary knowledge of them. As do I. My role for this daily column, as I see it, is too increase my awareness (and yours) of these various fields of study, then attempt to integrate them into a coherent game plan for our nation. Fortunately, for you and me, most of the heavy lifting has already been completed. The Framers and Founders possessed an extensive knowledge of these areas, and Almighty God has “breathed” His Word to provide guideposts for our lives. As I sit before this keyboard every day, I attempt to capture, to understand the historical wisdom available to us and within 700-1000 words to transmit it to you. Please take note that as I structure my columns, I am learning with you.

More books and authors:

Historical fiction by the Shaara’s, Michael and Jeff.

Fantasy by Orson Scott Card

History by Victor Davis Hanson (classical period)

Historical and legal analysis by Mark Levin

Richard Viguerie, G.K. Chesterton, J.R.R. Tolkien, Michael Lewis, Bernard Lewis, George Orwell.

Two books by Nathaniel Philbrick: “Sea of Glory” and “Mayflower.”

More poetry: Robert W. Service

This list is not exhaustive, but if you read everything by every one of these authors, you will not need another list until next Christmas. 

During the Christmas season I often found myself in a somewhat reflective mood. As we were returning from my sister’s home yesterday following the Earl Family’s Christmas dinner, I was struck by how things have changed over the past half-century or so. When I was a young dude, we would have a Christmas noontime get-together at my paternal grandmother’s home. My dad was the eldest of eight, and everyone would attend except for when one uncle was serving in the military. It was a large and raucous crowd. All of my Dad’s siblings lived within 20 miles of Grandma’s house. There were no excuses for not attending. On the maternal side we would go to Grandpa and Grandma’s on Christmas Eve. Again, my mother was the eldest of eight children. Two of her siblings lived outside of a 25 mile radius. They both had lived in various places as one pursued his Ph.D. and the other worked with the Marriot Corporation, but when it Christmas eve, they came home. The Wenner household like the Earl’s was overflowing with people and laughter.

It’s different today. First, our families are smaller. Instead of loud noises of joy, there is the hum of discussion. Our families have scattered. My little nuclear family of four has spent 13 years living out of state and away from “home.” I sense that the notion of family unity and invincibility has been lost. We’re no longer this strong, tightly knit unit of people with common purposes and common blood. We are now scattered little islands whose roots are not so great a priority.

In many ways our small towns and communities reflect the changes in our families. The towns are smaller now and some of the traditions have become too big or too expensive to continue. Maybe, in lieu of developing 2, 5 or 10 acre estates on the fringes of the metropolis, people would be better served to work with the small towns to rebuild, to renew the community. Maybe I shouldn’t view “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

Comments: earl4sos@gmail.com or cearlwriting@hotmail.com www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com