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."