Comments on: Contra Homeschoolers

By: The Statesman

The Statesman — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 23:39:57 +0000

One ought never to turn one’s back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half. Never run away from anything. Never!
Winston Churchill

“Still, if you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than live as slaves.”
–Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (1874-1965),_The Gathering Storm,_bk.I ch.19 p.348 (Houghton Mifflin, 1948)

By: Matt Parker

Matt Parker — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:11:33 +0000

Mr. Martin,
You say, “On both hands the retreated, isolated, and insulated homeschool community is too withdrawn from politics to have any relevance in its midst.” You then expect us to say, “How can I make positive contributions and engage in the political arena?”
Respectfully, you are missing the point Mr. Martin. We are not like you. We do not want to be involved in government. We want to be left alone by government, as you have stated. Homeschoolers are not going to suddenly invest their lives in attempting to create ‘Utopia’. We will stay in our hiding holes and fly under the radar. We will be silent. We will not choose involvement in government until our hand is forced, but if it is forced, we will be involved. The spike in attention by homeschoolers is not an indication that we desire a more integral part in government interaction. It is a reflex reaction. If you and your colleagues decide to pass legislation that is poorly designed, we will respond, but our response will not be more legislative involvement. It will be through litigation. In summary, suggest what you will, but I do not foresee droves of homeschooling parents becoming state legislators or active participants in the legislative process. It is not apathy, as you have postulated, it is just a differing world view. Keep your inefficient, bureaucratic, lack-luster education system off our toes, and there will be no “Arkansas Tea Party” of 2009.

By: Renee

Renee — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 12:32:42 +0000

If you ever address on paper those things which you feel need to happen in the homeschool community, please send your thoughts my way! I’d love to hear more!

I want you to know you are in my prayers and our family is thanking God for the stand you are taking!

May God bless!
Renee Green

By: Mark Martin

Mark Martin — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:52:49 +0000

JS,

I could not disagree more.

First, the failure to immediately to call out Republican failures over the last eight years caused a rot within that will take decades to overcome. I do not intend to let the same thing happen to the homeschool community.

Second, I have not even started addressing those things which really needs to happen within the homeschool community, nor will I likely use this public space to do so. However, the rest of society is so conflict adverse that rather than learn to maintain unity through (and inspite of) conflict they instead opt for total conflict avoidance by remaining silent or fracture into hundreds of different subcultures. That is the exact rot that permeated the evangelical church at the turn of the century and ultimately led to many of the problems we have today in modern society.

Our weaknesses are not unknown and for me to leverage this time (a historically short window of opportunity) of increased activity to motivate and inform home educators on the necessity of becoming effectively and diligently involved in the political process is entirely appropriate.

I have been wrong in the past, and am very very inclined to re-evaluate the appropriateness of my actions. It is upon much consideration, and reconsideration, that I took this stand. I am sorry that we disagree.

By: JS

JS — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:38:51 +0000

Rep. Martin,

Some of your criticisms are well-founded and should be addressed, however, it’s dangerous to lecture the home school community during a fight that must be won. I say this because your words are going to give Rep. Cook’s terrible bill expediency when it should be stopped in its tracks. There is a time for such criticisms — “iron sharpens iron” — but calling home schoolers out publicly like this (when our opponents are looking for weaknessness to exploit) is irresponsible. It’s important to show public unity even if there’s internal friction. This is a conservative, pragmatic approach and I urge you to show more discretion in the future.

By: Renee

Renee — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:08:40 +0000

Mr. Martin,
I’ve enjoyed reading several of the posts on your blog. Thank you for your fight for what is right and good, freedom.
Renee

By: Bill

Bill — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 03:55:57 +0000

We believe this anti-homeschooling bill will improve our society and unify our nation. Please vote “Yes”.

Your comrades,

Fidel Castro & Hugo Chavez

By: A.R.

A.R. — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 20:42:47 +0000

I enjoyed your conversation this afternoon [Editor's note: I spoke to this poster on the phone today]. I believe that you are correct. I also believe that we have a responsibility to take an active part in our elections and review who is running and how they have voted in the past.

Personally, I do vote regularly, and I do research before I vote on the candidates. I believe we need to exercise our rights before we lose them. Thank you for taking time with us today.

Thank you so much for this challenge.

By: Stuff from Around Arkansas, March 10 | The Arkansas Project

Stuff from Around Arkansas, March 10 | The Arkansas Project — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 20:40:29 +0000

[...] Bound: Blogging GOP Rep. Mark Martin has advice for the home schooling crowd on how to make a difference in the political arena. (Off the [...]

By: H.B.

H.B. — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 20:31:39 +0000

I think L.L. might have misconstrued Rep. Martin’s comments about donations. I don’t think he meant to convey “I won’t listen unless you donate” but rather “you want what you want, but you don’t want to help achieve it”. For better or worse, winning an election takes money, and if we homeschoolers don’t financially support pro-homeschooling candidates and PAC’s they stand little chance of success.