We often think of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain as the progressive couple who launched Columbus on his trip to discover a western route to the Orient.

You know, she hocked her jewels so that Chris could outfit his ships, hire sailors, and bring home spices and such.

And they did do that.

But we are rarely taught that they, and Isabella in particular, were religious zealots to the Nth degree.

On March 31, 1492, about the time Columbus was sailing the oceans blue, Ferdinand and Isabella were sigining the Alhambra Decree.

Also known as the Edict of Expulsion, the document informed all the Jews in Spain that they were persona non grata.

Ya see, Tomas de Torquemada and his buddies in the already instituted but un-official Spanish Inquisition were steamed that Jews who had been forcibly converted to Catholism were not only secretly practicing their old faith, they were trying to reel ‘conversos’, those who had converted, back into the Hebrew fold.

Isabella, the stronger of the two in the Catholic faith, was none too happy about this.

So, the Alhambra Decree was formed giving the Jews until July 31 of the same year to seriously convert or leave the kingdoms of Castille and Aragon, i.e. Spain.

They were promised “royal protection and security” for their remaining time in Spain, and allowed to take all their possessions.  They could take no gold, silver, or minted money!

Nice, Isabella, nice!

I guess she was still paying for Christopher’s ships.

The punishment for any Jew who did not convert or leave by the deadline was death. This of course led many to hit the road, and others to rush to the altar.

The punishment for a non-Jew who sheltered or hid Jews was the confiscation of all belongings and hereditary privileges.  So, there were few Corrie Ten Booms to be found in Madrid!

Some historians think that as many as 800,000 left Spain, half of them going to Portugal…only to find things no better there.  The Portuguese hated them too, and by royal decree created them Christians…see the King of Portugal needed the expertise of the Jewish population to help in their enormous overseas enterprises.   The rest went to Northern Africa, The Netherlands, Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

From most accounts, about 50,000 stayed in Spain, converted to Catholicism or pretended to, and lived in fear of Torquemada and his ilk.

But, they were prolific.  Over 20% of Spanish men today can be DNA mapped to Sephardic Jews.

I guess they had the last laugh.

And, BTW, the Edict of Expulsion wasn’t offically revoked until 1968!

It’s just another historical event that makes me glad I live in the time and place I do!

I’m a baby boomer, a dad, and glad of both.

A recent article in “Details” magazine is all about the NO-Baby Boom.

Apparently, couples are opting out of parenthood.

Mrs. Duggar is not amused!

And I’m frankly, amazed.

There are 58,410,000 married couples in America.

26,896,000 have kids!

That’s less than half.

Now, there are those who are doing their part to keep the population going – Jenny, Greek4Cheerful, Mrs. Duggar and the like, pop out kids at warp speed.

But, alas, many are saying NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The article says that vasectomies are UP among married childless couples.

Way UP!

Granted, there are people who should never have children, sadly, many of them already do.

But, the article says that only 41% of married couples think that children are very important to a successful marriage.

That number is down from 65% in 1990.

36.4% of husbands think that kids are the main source of disagreements between married couples, while 38.9% of wives feel that way.

I honestly can’t remember on disagreement over our children in my marriage.  Money, “things”, ideals, goals, paint color, which movie to go see, but the kids no.

Maybe we were different.

And kids are expensive.  It costs an average of $286,000 for the average two-parent family to raise a kid all the way through college.

And it goes UP for those in higher income brackets.

I never added it UP.

It was all spent in love.  And money, never mattered much as long as A. I had it, and B. it was something that made everyone happy.

Yes, college for two was costly…but, hey they’re both out, working, on their own, and not asking for much.

It takes an average of 7 hours and 36 minutes a day in kid related activities to raise a child.  That’s diapers, food, school, softball, soccer, all that crap.

So, sure it’s a lot of work, but so far, at my place, it’s been worth it.

The article goes on to give advice to those who aren’t sure if they should have kids. 

Your childhood memories aren’t all that great – maybe you should stay kid free.

You’re proud of your non conformist lifestyle – soccermomdom isn’t for you.

You want to dedicate your energy to cultivating a fulfilling marriage – ok, you horny bastard, use a condom.

Childbirth,and childrearing seems “unattractive” – well, guess what neither are pretty, but for many they are great, but if you have doubts – leave it alone.

You want to maintain a youthful lifestyle long into your middle years – well good luck with that, children or not, gravity wins!

Exercising control over your own life is important – kids can screw that UP pretty quickly!

You’re worried about over-population – go hug a tree, not a spouse!

You like to describe yourself as independent.  Well, again, be a non-breeder, it’s probably better.

So, kids or no kids, it’s your choice.

But I couldn’t imagine life with out these.

…Hell has indeed frozen over.

I actually agree with someone.

And it’s the President!  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike the President, I just generally don’t agree with ANY President, or too many other people for that matter…it’s just one of my “things”.

After all, when two people agree on everything, one of them is no longer necessary.  I like to stay contrary…it keeps me necessary!

However, President Obama said this week that “Too much testing makes education boring for kids.”

And he’s right!

He went on to add, ”Too often what we have been doing is using these tests to punish students or to, in some cases, punish schools.” The president spoke to students and parents at a town hall hosted by the Univision Spanish-language television network at Bell Multicultural High School in Washington, D.C.

Now, I know that all the talking heads will be all over this and stressing the “dumbing down of America” crap, but the man has a point.

There are other ways to prove you know something than just testing.  Kids do well in things that interest them, and kids do well when things are taught in an interesting way and not when they are taught “to a test”.

And what’s a standard?  Who decides?  How did they get the power to do so?  Does the Mississippi in “Tom Sawyer” really represent life, or is that just what some lonely spinster English teacher said a hundred years ago?  Mark Twain’s not around for us to ask…so, we make it UP?

President Obama went on to add, “policymakers should find a test that “everybody agrees makes sense” and administer it in less pressure-packed atmospheres, potentially every few years instead of annually.”

OK, back to reality, Mr. Prez, “everybody agrees”…dude, you’re in Washington…wake UP!

I know there has to be some sort of measurement, but the pressure cooker environment of testing kids and testing teachers, which is what it has become, does little good.

This recent push of the Obama education agenda comes from the fact that practically no one has met the requirements of the former adminstration’s Child With The Left Behind No Child Left Behind policy.  I watched it fail on a daily basis.

So, kudos, Mr. President…now, what’s your plan?

…Ok, so I’m a worrier.

I have these friends, Joe and Sheri.  Sheri and I worked toghether at Brookwood High School for nearly eight years.  We became good friends.  It’s rare to have a really good friend at work, but I’ve been pretty lucky in that category.  I’ve had several.

There seems to be one person you connect with just a little more than others, and Sheri was it.

Joe, an amazing wood-worker and handy man, has been retired for several years, Sheri retired in May. 

They, as many retired couples do are enjoying the scenery around them and in some far flung places.  So, when I get the answering machine or the voice mail, I ususally don’t worry.  I know they’ve hooked UP the 5th wheel to the giant gas guzzling Dodge and headed for the mountains or elsewhere.

But one day, not at band camp, I called and someone answered.  It wasn’t Sheri, and it wasn’t Joe.  It was a voice I didn’t recognize…AT ALL!

The young man on the phone informed me that Joe and Sheri were out of town, and he was house-sitting, and watching Aunt Mary – who by the way, is a whole ‘nother post!

I didn’t ask who he was, but I was a tad non-plussed when he offered UP the fact that he was their grandson.

Like I said, I’ve known Joe and Sheri for nearly eight years.  Not once, not in a single conversation, not ever have they mentioned a grandson.

Two granddaughters, yes, two sons yes, a dog or two, Aunt Mary, yes, and yes, but a grandson N E V E R!

I was worried!

Instantly, the thought of murder and mayhem clogged my brain…I was, shall we say, “concerned”.

I could see the headline in the AJC “Elderly Couple Slaughtered In Their Home!”

or “Retirees Held Hostage By Unknown Man!

I instantly called Sheri’s cell phone.

Voice mail.

So, I panicked!

I raced over, drove by the house a couple of times – and nothing looked awry.

The Dodge was there…cause for concern, but the Bronco wasn’t…did I mention gas guzzlers?

Since the Ford was gone, I felt a scooch better, but not much.

So I called the cell again.

Again, voice mail.

And I drove by again.

All evening I wondered if I should keep checking, call the police, knock on the door, demand a tour of the house, and make sure they were not duct taped in the basement…you know, check this grandson crap out.

But alas, I decided to err on the side of sanity, and do nothing.

Then the phone ran, caller ID – Sheri’s cell.

A sense of relief, yes.

But it wasn’t Sheri, it was Joe.

Now, Joe and I are friends, but he’s not a phone talker, and when I call, he usually hands the phone to Sheri.  So, again, concern.  He simply, said, “Hey, we’re out of town, and the kid who answered the phone is the son of the house-sitter, he refers to me as his grandpa.”

Yet, still I wondered.  And I worried.

But, I talked to them both over the weekend, and they’re fine…so, they either escaped, or he’s letting them make phone calls.

Sometimes I wonder if I did the right thing.

Sometimes I wonder if I’m crazy!