Pies and Poker

After work tonight My step-son and I made four pies: a pair of the cranberry walnut and a pair of pecan. While they were baking, Katleen and I taught her son how to play poker. It was fun. Also, while they were baking, I charged the fruitcakes. I'm trying Tennessee sour mash whiskey this yesr. It probably isn't too different from Bourbon whiskey. I get off work early tomorrow and will head south to somewhere near San Dieago to meet my son's parent's in law. They invited us for Thanksgiving. Taking pies and fruitcakes with me.

A Failed Hunt

I went pheasant hunting again this morning. The club I am in has dogs. The dog dog I used was uncontrolable. She would not follow commands to halt, and would flush brirds when they were 80 to 100 yards away from me (the max range of a shotgun with bird loads is 40 yards.) She would not stop moving when a pheasant was running on the ground, which means she was between mee and the pheasant. All togeher, I missed two birds because of my poor shooting, and three birds because of the dog. I'm going to be in San Diego on Thanksgiving weekend to meet my son's wife's parents). but the weekend after that I'l try again for pheasants. The best thing about today was being with Kathleen. I have hardley seen her for months because of her masters degree program but she went out into the field with me today, and after my failure to get pheasants she went with me to Black Bear Diner for breakfast (There is a "travelling" exception for all the Orthodox Church's fasts.) where I had the best club sandwich of my life.

Pheasants and an injured hip

Today is Monday. On Saturday morning Basil (son #4) and I went pheasant hunting. (I am a member of a hunting club in Birds Landing and it is a lot of fun.) The dog flushed a bird within 10 minutes but Basil missed and I couldn't shoot at it because Basil was standing between me and the bird. The next bird the dog flushed Basil shot at about 30 yards. Then the dog got distracted by something and rand off. I was whistling and calling and it was gone, chasing something. Then I stepped in a hole. It wasn't too deep, only about 5 or 6 inches, but it made me fall and hurt my hip. Agony. I could barely stand. I spent the rest of Saturday and all of Sunday in bed. I went to work today but evey step hurts. Even sitting in a chair hurts. I hope it heals quickly.

In other news, I am writing a new course based on a book titled Unhumans. I'll pitch it to the headmaster later this week.

I am enjoying the Nativity Fast. Tonight's dinner: A roasted butternut squash.

First Good Rain

I was going to go coyote hunting today but it's raining too hard. That's okay. We need the rain.

Basil was here last night. We made fruitcakes. It was a lot of fun.

I lost my election by about 900 votes, but I came in ahead of a known communist who is part of the local democratic party machine. So I'm happy I was able to keep her off the board, at least.

Life and Real Life

Life: I have met more politicians and press people and community activists than I have ever wanted to meet. And I am a politician. Everyday someone wants me to carry water for them. Everyday someone tempts me to say something I do not believe is true. Everyday the promise of votes is dangled in front of me if I will compromise. Politics is dirty. BUT the Vietnamese are with me. When I knock on their doors and tell them what I want to do they get excited and say they will vote for me. And the Indian grandfathers agree with me and say things I never expected; "America used to be verdant. Men like you can make it verdant again." But there are some groups who hate me.

I was at a meeting the other night where people were openly talking about Communism as a good thing. I did not engage them on their Satanic ideology but I stuck to my talking points: Student achievement, parental rights, and balanced budgets. The audience hated me. They blamed the state legislature for poor academic performance. They wanted to talk about how excellent it is to have Aztec dancing (The Aztecs practiced human sacrifice. Why are public school students dancing for their gods?), liberated ethnic studies, raises and housing for teachers, and community health clinics in schools. And they know that if I'm elected to the board I will work against all of that because it doesn't promote academic achievement. Over the weekend the teachers union sent out 60 precinct walkers to defeat me.

Real life: Kathleen, my son Basil, and I went to my brother's Celebration of Life. I can't describe it. I was overwhlmed and had to leave early. I am looking forward to pheasant hunting in November.

A diamond Ring, my brother, and a gun

Three days ago I looked at my hand and did not see my Dad's wedding ring. I looked all over the house and did not find it. After several hours I gave up and went to bed. As I layed down I remembered Saint Phanorious. So I asked him to help me find the ring.

The next morning I asked my wife to help me look for the ring, for I did not want to explain to my siblings that I lost our Dad's wedding ring. Within 5 minutes Kathleen saw the ring on the kitchen floor. So, today, I put it back on the 3rd finger of my left hand. If you are reading this, I beg you, pray for the salvation of the mother of Saint Phanourios's.


Earlier today my sister Rebecca, my brother Mark, and I got together at my sister's house. There were many tears. My cousins. Friends of my oldest brother from 70, 50, and 30 years ago I knew. Many other people were there. Nephews and nieces, great-nephewes (Oh, my great nephew D.J., I have hopes for him!) and great nieces, grandchidren and and friends, lovers, and... I do not know how to describe them all. All were there. I think I will see them all tomorrow when they have a "celebration of life" service.

Friends, if you have an opportunity, remember my brother Kenneth in your prayers.


My brother, Ken, before he died chose to give me one of his guns, a 300 winmag rifle. I am astonished and totally unworthy of such a magnificent gun. I imagine that it will not achieve it's telos until it is in the hands of one of my sons.

The Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association

About 11:30 this moring I received a phone call from a really nice woman who invited me to talk to the board of the Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association. So, after work today I met with them for about an hour and, I think, I won their endorsement. I really liked them and believe in what they stand for. I hope they liked me.

Campaign news and other things

The election is exactly 1 month from today. I have done two candidate forums (one for the League of Women Voters and another for a coalition of community activists and charter schools.) I have a couple of parent volunteers going door to door for me. The county GOP gave me a list of frequent voters so I am calling them and going door to door to visit them. Somone who works in one of the schools called me and told me she is supporting me but is afraid to help publically because the union might retaliate. Tomorrow I am visiting a bunch of churches in my district and leaving flyers under the windshilds of the cars in their parking lot.

Basil, my youngest son developed an abcess on his arm last week. He saw the nurse at the Maritime Academy and she sent him to a physician. The physician said it is too big to heal on its own so next week Basil will undergo surgery. He is doing well, otherwise. He especially enjoys his accounting class.

Anselm lives in Maine now. He and his wife were moved by the Navy to Maine. He isn't on a new boat, the U.S.S. Hampton has been transfered from the Pacific Fleet to the Atlantic Feet for maintenance and retro fitting. He will be there for the next three years getting sea pay but only going to sea for a few days or a couple of weeks per month to test repairs and upgrades. This means he gets to be home with his wife while still getting sea pay and the submarine bonus. (I'm expecting grandchildren within the year.)

Anselm and Tiffany have on-base housing and he says it is really nice. Rank has privileges. Sadly, a couple of nights ago he was expewriencing horrible abdominal pain and his wife took him to the emegency room. Out came the appendix.

At my job things are going well. In my world history class I have my students read lots of stuff, for example, when learning about Sumer I have them read the Baal Cycle from the Ugaritic texts. I have them read Hesiod's Theogony and part of Works and Days. I have them read contemporary accounts of life in Sparta and Athens. I have them read Demosthenes' Against Naeara so they can see the cruelty of the ancient world toward women. I have them read parts of Julius Caesar's account of the conquest of Gaul so they can see how conquored people were treated. I have them read accounts of Romulus and Remus and Horatius at the bridge, the rape of Lucrece, and the death of Camila so they can see the hard heartedness of the Romans.

On Monday and Tuesday of this week I gave them a lecture on the Julio-Claudian dynasty, detailing the depravity of those emperors, but pointing out that whn Augustus was emperor Jesus was born, and that when Tiberius was emperor Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead.

On Wednesday I explaind that something happened in the Roman Empire that changed it, that Jesus' teaching began to spread. And I showed my students how St. Andrew carried the Gospel into Armenia and Georgia and Persia. How St. Thomas took the Gospel to India. How St. Paul took the Gospel to Turkey and Greece. How St. Matthew took the Gospel to Africa. Then on Thursday I explaind what a gospel is, that it is announcement of a new king's policies, and we began reading the Gospel of Luke aloud in class.

Every few versus I have to ask, "What would a Roman think of this?" or "What would a slave in Corith think of this?" "How would a temple Prostutute in Ephesus reasond to this story?" "Why might the centurian behave like this?" "Do you think the Roman Empire is going to tolerate this Jewish man commanding the wind to die down when their chief god Jupiter is the sky god?" And then on Mount Tabor when the Father speaks of Jesus as his Son, one of my students, a very bright 13 year old Chinese girl said, "Mr. Karnes! This is the opposite of Baal overthrowing El and Zeus overthrowing Chronos and Jupiter overthrowing Saturn!" So I didn't have to even ask a question.

And my students ask me question's too. "How do we know this is true?" I answer "What did Thucydides rely on?" And my students call out, "Texts and living memory!" and I say, "Yes, that is what Luke relied on, too. He knew Peter and he knew Mary."

"Did he really do that?", they ask at least once on every page. All I say is "We only know what the text says" And they ask "Why did he do that?" And I say "We'll have to keep reading."

Cruise Covid

I just heard that my father-in-law, a 90 year old knight of St. John of Matla (hospitaler) and his wife caught covid on a cruise. I am worrried about them. If you are able, please, pray for Harry and Nora.

My first candidate forum.

The League of Women Voters held a candidate forum tonight. It was my first time to go to one of those. It was fun but, wow, the other candidates are not serious people. The house is burning down and they want to paint the walls. They kept talking about music and dance and community involvement while 80% of the students leave the 8th grade unable to read and write English. I just kept hammering away on student achievement.

The Campaign

It is pretty difficult. I have threee opponesnts. One of them is an incumbent who is much loved by the community but is part of the reason the school district is broke and the kids cant read. One of them runs just because he is Vietnamese and gets the votes of many in the Vietnamese community, keeping them from voting for a conservative. He has run before and won, but he has refused to take office, which means the board appoints someone to fill his seat. Of course, the the board has a majority backed by the teacher's union. My third opponent is the wife of a San Jose City Councilman. I don't know much about her, but he is a race-Marxist. I also hear that the teacher's union has pleged $30,000 and 200 phone bank hours to defeat me. All I want to do is teach kids to read and write English.

And I have no money nor time. And I don't know anyone in east San Jose to donate money or hours. And I work full-time and have family and church responsibilities. People are pulling me in many directions. I met with a guy from a charter school a couple of days ago. He said, "Really? You have no organization backing you?" I'm thousands of dollars in debt because of this campaign. I wish I had never agreed to run. All I want is for kids to learn how to read and write English.

My Grandfathers

My father's father died when he was 43, I think. He was a lead and zinc miner in and around Commerce, Oklahoma. He died of silicosis of the lungs back in the late 1930's, or at least before WWII. His legal name was Clarence but everyone called him Bill.

My mother's father was a preacher (And an artilleryman in WWI). He served as a pastor in East St. Louis, Illinois. and as a missionarry to Mexico and, at the end of his life, a pastor in the central valley of California. His name was Clovis Cagle, in the United Pentecostal Denomination. That is a Christian denomination that denies the Trinity. His brother was the superintendant of the California district and, sometime in the 1950s, he visted my grandfather's church and put him out because he thought my grandfather was a Trinitarian. Isn't it funny that I, my grandfather's grandson am an Orthodox Christian who hangs all of life, even all of existence on the relationships between the Persons of the Holy Trinity.

Well, now I am running for school board in east San Jose and am trying to get in touch with the pastor of the largest church in east San Jose to get his permission to put flyes on the cars in his church's parking lot. I hope he recognizes the threat my oponents pose to the salvation of the kids in his church. I hope we can work together to save them.

And now I covid.

Seriously, I'm teaching 7 different subjects(Econ, U.S. hist, world hist, current events, college prep, and entrepreneurship, shotgun team), taking one class, and running a political campaign. And I have Covid. I am falling behind. Uggh.

Covid Again

Kathleen had a headache on Wednesday. Thursday she had a fever and started coughing. On Friday she tested positive for Covid. I had the virus and was sick for a few days. My son, Basil was sick for months. My step-daughter had it it and was miserable for a week. Right now Kathleen is so sick she is semi-delusional. I hope the people who designed this virus suffer 10x more than they have made members of my family suffer.

Move-in Day

Basil (Son #4) moved into the dorms at Cal Maritime today.

I found out today that the reason the Secretary of State's office has been rejecting (3 times!) a form I have to file in order to spend money for my campaign is that I have been using an old version of the form. (Question: Why would the Secretary of State have the old version of the form on her website?) Oh, well, I now have the latest version of the form and am mailing it to her today.

Work is going well. I am teaching a new course: Entreprenrurship. I don't know much about it (The only time I attempted start a business, back in the early 90s, I had to shut it down because I received a letter from the District Attorney telling me that my business was illegal.) so I am signing up for an on-line course on entrepreneurship at a community college and will be teaching it to my students as I am learning it.

I haven't mentioned this very sad news yet because my oldest brother is a more private person than I am, but he has cancer and is dying. If you have an opportunity, please, pray for my brother Kenneth, his wife, children, and grandchildren.

Transfiguration

Transfiguration was yesterday. It's the day we take fruit to church to be blessed. I have a lemon tree and two grapevines, niether of which has ripe fruit on them. But I went to church anyway and and gained much from the service. I used to not see the big deal about the Transfiguration of Jesus when I was younger but about 20 years ago I watched these four lectures by Bishop Kallistos. They are worth your time.

Matt Karnes for Alum Rock School Board

If you Google my name this blog appears first in the search results so I am going to put my campaign website here. I'm posting this on August 2 but I'm setting the date to election day so it stays at the top of my blog www.karnes4arusd2024.org

What we've done during July

A couple of days after I made that last post about Independence Day, Kathleen and I left for the high Sierras. It was our goal to go over the Sonora Pass on the way to Las Vegas. In the past Kathleen and I had been as far as the Strawberry Inn and the snow mobile area a a couple of miles beyond that, but because of snow the CHP had always locked the gate to automobile traffic when we were up there. But Strawberry is at about 5,000 ft elevation and the Pass is another 4,000 feet above that.

We had lunch in Sonora (Thanks, Jeff, for the resaurnt recomendation.) after lunch we fun looking in some antique stores. And I showed Kathleen where I panned for gold when I was a little boy. Then we headed up to the pass. One of the neat things was stopping and wading in the headwaters of the Stanislaus river, and then, once over the Pass, seeing another river, the West Walker flowing to the east and, eventually, into Mono Lake.

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Oh, I should mention the lightning storm we ran into at the Pass. Lots of rain and snow and lighting. The wind was so stong and visibility was so low we had to pull over to the side of the road for a little while.

We spent that night at the Willow Spring Resort in Bridgeport. I liked it. We didn't use the fishing pond but I saw one Dad with two little kids fishing in it. The rooms for rent are clean but nothing special. I think the real attractions t Willow Springs Resort are the plentiful RV hookups and the proximity to good fishing places. But we were just passing through.

After that we went to Mammoth Lake to find some breakfast but it was super crowded with people, like all ski resort towns, I guess. So we skipped breakfast and went on down the road. Crossed through a Shoshone reservation and wound up in the town of Beatty, Nevada where we happened upon Smokin J's BBQ. HUGE PORTIONS OF MEAT. It ws excellent and it was enough to feed us that day and the next two. I should mention all the wild donkeys just south of town. You have to be careful not to hit them while driving.

The next three nights were spent at a resort in Las Vegas. It was our second time to go there and sit through their sales pitch in exchange for a three night stay. We mostly slept and watched C-Span for 3 days but we did buy into Blue Green this time. We weren't going to but two of the locations are marveolus. Golfing and hunting got us. So we are Blue Green "owners" now. It isn't really owning anything, rather it is pre-paying stays at a couple of hundred resorts. If I live 7 more years, I think, it should pay for itself. The salesman said 4 but, I think, 7 is more realistic.

We drove home over the Tehachapi Pass to the south. It was fun for Kathleen. She didn't know that the Sierras get taller and steeper the farther south you go. And she got to see the oil fields near Bakersfield, something she lectures about in her history classes but had never seen. And we stopped at Casa de Fruta for dinner while driving from the San Juaquin Valley through the Pacheco Pass and into Gilroy.

Oh, while driving over the Tehachapi Pass we came across a radio station playing a decades old recording J. Vernon McGee. I hadn't heard him since 1990. It was Kathleen's first time hearing him. She said, "This is what you listened to on the radio when you were a kid?!" Then a few days after that I took Basil fishing at Pillar Point. And then a few days after that I took Kathleen fishng there and then to The Moss Beach Distillery for fish tacos and iced tea while watching the sunset from the cliffs.

And today I finished all the paperwork for my candidacy and took the oath that qualifies me to run for school board. They make candidates hold an American Flag when we recite the oath to defend the Constututions of the U.S. and the State of California.

Matt Karnes for Alum Rock Union School District Trustee

For, at least, 30 years Alum Rock Union School District has been troubled. For example, reading proficiency has never been above 50% and the school board was seen as a stepping stone to higher office, so board members came and went on their way to city council, planning commision, water board, or other local, county, or regional offices. Thus the mission of the School District was neglected by the board.

When I first moved into this school district 10 years ago it was about the time some of the corruption was being exposed. Since then sutudents and parents have been staging protests, there has been fraud in no-bid contracts, public confidence in the district has eroded, there have been Grand Jury investigations, bonded indebtednes of the district has increased, property taxes to pay for the school district have increased, the county is threatening to take over the district's finances because of a $20,000,000 budget deficit, and worst of all reading proficiencey levels in all grades have decreased, with 80% of the district's students leaving the 8th grade not able to read and write English proficiently. Nevertheless the Alum Rock School District claims to be "Celebrating 90 years of Service, Perseverance, Love, Trust, and Equity!"

What I will try to accomplish by working with other board members includes the following:

1. While not neglecting the State of California's standards in social studies, math, science, et cetera, or cutting any legally required spending, I want to redirect every penny possible and every instructional minute possible to emphasize English language reading proficiency in all classes.

2. To avoid a cycle of failure that sends kids to highschool where they will only fail for lack of preparation, I will put forward a policy of advancing students to the next grade only when they have met grade standards for math and English.

3. I want stop using borrowed money to pay for opperational costs and when I an on the board I shallll always vote against that kind of irresponsible spending.

4. De-emphasize the use of technology in the classroom and return to the use of books to increase facility with the written word and reading comprehension.

5. Implement a Parental Choice policy that includes all district-run schools and high performing charter schools, while revoking the charters of schools that do not perform at district average or higher, as measured by standardized tests.

6. End the practice of keeping students who are proficent in English in the English Language Learner (ELL) designation. Administer the ACCESS test to every ELL every year and move those who pass the test out of the ELL designation and into regular English classes.

7. Implement a totally transparent bidding process that requires a minimum of three bids on every project.

8. I will not vote for a budget or project that relies on state or federal money that the district does not have in hand.

It is very expensive to run for office in Santa Clara County and Alum Rock Union School District. Just getting my name on tha ballot and voter guide costs $2,600.00 For the sake of the kids in my school district I am asking you to support my candidacy. I would appreciate a donation of ANY amount up to the legal limit of $520.

Two ways to Donate now!
Text "read" to (888) 444-8774 or go to our donation website.

Thank you for your support.

Summer School, Pentecost, Independence Day, and more.

I finished teaching summer school on July 3. I was mainly working on the period from the War of 1812 through Lee's surrender to Grant at Appomatox. It was much time and many people and events to cover in 4 weeks but we did it. The highest grade in the class was a B- while the lowest grade was a C-. I also supervised some ESL students from Vietnam who had to read They Shoot Canoes, Don't They? and write responsive essays.

On Pentecost Kathleen and I went to the Festal Vigil at the Cathedral in San Francisco. It was good to be in service with Archbishop Benjamin again. Pentecost was his last time to preside at the Divine Liturgy. He is too ill to continue. The next morning Basil and a friend went there for Divine Liturgy. Basil said it was sad to see Archbishop Benjamin, who Baptized Basil, take off his miter and give it to someone else.

On Independence Day, Kathleen, Maximo, Basil, and I were going to go to a minor league baseball game and see fireworks after. When we arrived at the stadium we learned that the baseball game was the day before. It was a good fireworks show though. They set the outfield on fire.

Today, for the shared meal after the Divine Liturgy, I made Texas Caviar but I subtituted one can of corn for one of the cans of black-eyed peas. I thought it would be nice with a little bit of sweetness. It was. I've been a member of the American Legion for years but until today had never been to a local post (my membership was only with the national organization). Today, after church I transfered my membership to the Post in my neighbrhood, Post 791, the oldest American Legion post in the Bay Area. Then, Kathleen and I visited it and really enjoyed meeting all the people there. Kathleen is already calling it "our new hang out."