In an earlier post Emily quotes de Tocqueville and Patrick Henry on what makes this country great. Our president exemplified this by his response to the news that three earthquakes leveled Iranian villages, killed 70, wounded 1200 and left thousands homeless.
President Bush offered assistance despite the major differences the U.S. has with Tehran over its nuclear program.
"We, obviously, have our differences with the Iranian government, but we do care about the suffering of Iranian people," Bush said at a news conference with the leaders of Mexico and Canada.
"Our differences with the Iranian government" is no doubt diplomatic code, but translates to me as a gross understatement. Just two differences off the top of my head: Iran wants to destroy Israel; that's a big difference. Iran would take any opportunity to nuke the West; another really, really big difference.
But when people are suffering, America always offers to step in, regardless of the differences. What a great country we live in.
I mean, literally get on a plane, get in a cab, drive to my house, break down the door, find a blunt object and crush my skull in...
I won't post the pictures I made for the Painting the Map Red Contest.
But, if you're stout of heart, and you've any desire to see Britney Spears swooning over a bare-chested Hugh Hewitt (or, you just wanna see a bare-chested Hugh Hewitt (or, I guess, if you just wanna see Britney Spears swooning)) then you can see my entry here.
Images Not Safe For Suggestible Single Women Who Like Brainy Men
Blogging has been moderately light (as far as content and commentary) due to an inundation of scholarship deadlines and essays that need to be written. The one I'm currently editing answers the question: Why should Americans help civil rights reformers in the Middle East?
If that's not a loaded question, I'm not sure what is.
I don't remember the last time I posted a quiz on my site. Must be about that time then.
What's Your Theological Worldview?
My results surprised me a bit. Surprise is probably not a good sign.
 | You scored as Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan. You are an evangelical in the Wesleyan tradition. You believe that God's grace enables you to choose to believe in him, even though you yourself are totally depraved. The gift of the Holy Spirit gives you assurance of your salvation, and he also enables you to live the life of obedience to which God has called us. You are influenced heavly by John Wesley and the Methodists.
What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com |
Hat tip: DaddyPundit
Alexis de Tocqueville, French statesman, historian, social philosopher and tremendous fan of America penned the following, truly inspiring and truly true words about our great nation:
I sought for the key to the greatness and genius of American in her harbors...; in her fertile fields and boundless forests; in her rich mines of learning. I sought for it in her democratic Congress and in her matchless Constitution.
Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power.
America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.
(Do these words get to you as much as they do me?)
And if that leaves any doubt as the to Christian origins of the United States, Patrick Henry weighs in to remove it.
It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.
I'm getting a great deal of hits from searches for images of the "Easter Bunny," which of course reminds me of this story.
Which in turn reminds me to link to this story.
MuNu blogger Greg, at Rhymes With Right, (who trackbacked to this post) is a Texan teacher who's on a mission to set straight the thinking of Mexican teens who protest on behalf of...well, they're not sure what they're protesting.
(I actually cheered when I read this post. But not like "cheerleader" cheered or anything. Yuck.)
My students and I had a bit of a discussion on these demonstrations during last period yesterday. Rumor is that they are going to do a walkout sometime today, and since I overheard discussion, I thought I should address it.
I may be accused of going a little bit Jay Bennish, but I think you will see where what I did differed.
And so goes the brilliant exchange:
You know, I'm the last guy in the world to tell someone not to express their opinion, but I think this whole walkout thing we've been seeing on Channel One and I've heard you kids talking about here is a bad idea....
Besides, do you know how these walkouts are being received by your average middle aged, middle class Anglo like me? Do you? You know, the folks who represent a majority of Americans nationwide? I'll be glad to tell you.
{the ringleaders are enthusiastic, and the rest of the class would like a chance to stop working}
I was listening to one of the talk radio stations over the last couple of days -- I don't remember which one, with all that's been going on in my life -- and you had a guy saying "I see all these folks waving Mexican flags and chanting "Mexico! Mexico! Mexico!' I want to go down there and start shouting 'Go back to! Go back to!'
{one of the ring leaders responds "Mister, I think somebody wants to get his ass jumped doing that."}
Jose, you're missing my point. My point is this -- has waving a Mexican flag and chanting "Mexico!" done anything to get this guy on your side? Do you think it is doing anything to get your average middle aged, middle class Anglo on your side?
{"uhhh... No"}
Why not?
{"Cuz this isn't Mexico."}
Yeah -- and what are you supposedly protesting for.
{"To let Mexicans who are here stay here and become citizens."}
And if you wave Mexican flags and chant "Mexico!", what does it sound like you are more interested in being?
{"Mexican. What's wrong with being proud of being Mexican?"}
Nothing -- but I think you are missing the point. If you want to be proud Mexicans and wave the Mexican flag, that's great. But a lot of Americans are going to look at that and think there is a great place for you if you want to do that -- Mexico. If you want to show us that you want to be American citizens and work and live here and follow our laws, what might be a better thing for you to do?
{various kids respond -- "Carry American flags." "Shout 'USA'." "Don't disrupt school."}
Read the rest of the discussion that gave me hope that we might indeed have a bright tomorrow.
Well done, sir. Thanks for trackbacking!
I would have been fired today.
I tutor several fifth grade students. This phase is quite developmental as far as their reading comprehension and writing skills. I gave one of my fifth grade boys a simple writing prompt today: If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would it be, what would you do, etc, etc? Simple enough.
The boy began writing about his desire to go to Korea. He came about this choice quite randomly, as I don't think he's ever given that part of the world more than two seconds of thought.
He wrote about wanting to learn of their culture and way of life, etc. I decided that I would give him a little background on the North-South debacle that is Korea right now. I forgot that I was talking to a fifth grader.
My student then covered his paper with his hand, shielding me from what he was continuing to write. First red flag. Then he proudly handed me his paper, which concluded by saying that he'd like to meet Kim Jong Il so he could "kill him... with his sexy powers."
(Let it be known that "sexy" has never been in any of our vocabulary lessons. I think he's seen Austin Powers one too many times. And he's a fifth grade boy, so destruction is cool.)
I couldn't help but laugh. But then was mortified when he proudly handed his paper over to both his parents while I was standing there. Possibly one of the more embarrassing moments of my career as a tutor. They uncomfortably laughed and I explained that I only told him how awful it was for the North Koreans and that I didn't advocate children killing world leaders.
Kids say the darndest things alright.
This is frightening:
Whittier area students from Pioneer, California and Whittier high schools walked out of classes to protest the proposed federal immigration bill March 27, 2006. The protestors put up the Mexican flag over the American flag flying upside down at Montebello High.
See all the horrifying images at Michelle Malkin's blog.
I will refrain from venting at this point, but I will say that if any student ever walked out of my class to protest something like this...why I'd...
Tip: MacStansbury
Yesterday, Hugh Hewitt broke the news that a water plant facility had been broken into in Massachusetts. More than 9,000 residents were told not to drink the water as it was tested for contaminants.
This morning, two teenagers were arrested in connection with that break in. AP reports:
"At this point, the police are considering this to be a vandalism incident, not an act of terrorism, but all due diligence should be used until test come back, hopefully negative," he said. "We know for sure that when they tampered with the vent cover at the top of the tower some debris had fallen into the water supply."
The two 15-year-old boys, whose names were not released because of their ages, were charged with malicious destruction of property, tampering with a public water supply and polluting the water supply, all felonies, and trespassing, Gilmore said. He said a 15-year-old girl had not been arrested but likely would be charged with trespassing.
The rest of the story is here.
Every few months, Italy seems to really get it right. This is certainly an example.
Abdul Rahman, Afghani Christian convert, granted asylum in Italy.
Just when you thought the world couldn't get any worse, a child poet has been caught red-handed as a plagiarist.
What a world.
:)
MacStansbury reminds us that protests aren't always a bad thing. In fact, several promising demonstrations have crept up all over the globe.
Today my students had some interesting stories to report in reference to the recent protests in Los Angeles.
One of my students attends a Catholic school in close proximity to a large public high school. Her school secured a lock down today because the student protesters from the neighboring school became more than just a nuisance.
One of my other students goes to a local, public middle school. Apparently, during nutrition and lunch, several hundred students began demonstrating in and around the school. She expressed her frustration at seeing a sea of Mexican flags being waved around by angry students. She also confessed what I had suspected--that not one of the students knew the nature of their protests. When I asked her why she didn't speak up, she informed me that she had no desire to get beaten up in the locker room.
Freedom of speech, huh?
On the one hand, it could be considered a sign of a free society when protests take place.
On the other hand, the absolute entitlement and ingratitude of second generation Americans is near infuriating. They're receiving free education (that they walk out of to protest), free health care, food stamps if desired and any number of other benefits afforded to them by this great country. And yet, they're so eager to bite the hand that feeds them.
Most of these kids have no clue what they're upset about. Any opportunity to exercise their right to civil disobedience is fine by them. Just a quick glance at any recent music video reveals the value this generation places on disorder and rebellion.
But don't take my word for it. Dennis Prager calls the student protesters "ingrates" too.
though I could be
I thought I was unique
but I'm only an imitation
he was first
it's the odd verse
the turn of phrases
the grammatically incorrect lines
the lack of punctuation
I thought I was just lazy
I'm a pale reflection
or am I
that's what she says
eccentric
that's what I think
self-centered that's for sure
short lines all about me
isn't that what people like about me
probably not
I think it's because I make them forget about them
to take them to another place
the lower-case letters
aping the style
remembering not to hit ?
you would think it would be easier
it happened in 12th grade
creative writing class
there was a girl there
she was funny
it was the first time my words went in a direction
goingover to
the right side
of the page
she gave me her number
she said she would only give it to me if I'd call
I thought it was another joke
I didn't call her
was that my chance
no, not hardly
I'd sooner remember her name than I'd remember what I wrote
but I still remember the style I wrote it
I made a flirty joke tonight about e. e. cummings
how he never capitalized
I said I was a copycat
she said I was unique
I should get her number
Gwyneth Paltrow, Madonna, and the rest of the British wannabes (and I use that word as a description, not an insult) frequently cite that when compared to Americans, the British receive a far superior education. However, one BBC article might contradict their precious anti-American sentiment.
Improving Literacy in Great Britain
An Ofsted report revealed that despite a 'marked improvement' in English standards, many pupils are leaving primary school without basic skills in reading and writing.
A fifth of 11 -year -old pupils, particularly boys still fail to reach to expected level for English and very few pupils were reading for pleasure.
Sounds strangely like studies conducted in Gwynie's country of origin.
The article was an open thread, with commenters giving suggestions for improving literacy in the UK. The following comments put to ease my fear that Paltrow may have actually been right.
As a secondary school teacher, I encounter many children on a daily basis with literacy problems. A teacher can only do so much. Responsibility also lies with the parents. Parents need to support their own children by encouraging them to read at home instead of watching TV, playing Ps2, etc. I am amazed at times on receipt of letters from some parents who themselves have no grasp of basic literacy skills. What hope have their children? Rubina, London
To improve literacy why not try actually teaching the kids instead of running schools like some extended feel-good nursery. Concepts of success and failure do not harm children. Children improve by experiencing both. Derek S, UK
I teach 16-19 year olds in a college and remain appalled at the lack of basic English Language skills our students arrive with despite being qualified enough to do advanced courses. It doesn't help that our exam boards won't let us penalise for bad literacy. the worst are errors when a word may sound the same as another, such as using 'no' for 'know' and 'way' for 'weigh'. Andrew, Shropshire
So, maybe, just maybe, those snobby Londoners Gwyneth hangs out with are the last of a dying remnant able to read, write and spell in her new favorite country.
Read the article and the rest of the comments here.
While over half a million marched in L.A. to protest the enforcement of U.S. law, 25,000 Christian teenagers rallied in San Francisco to promote Christian values. The reaction?
That’s bad news to Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, who told counterprotesters at City Hall on Friday that while such fundamentalists may be small in number, “they’re loud, they’re obnoxious, they’re disgusting, and they should get out of San Francisco.”
JunkYardBlog has the news links here.
Tip: MacStansbury
Saddam said to have planned "camels of mass destruction" against U.S. forces.
Saddam Hussein planned to use "camels of mass destruction" as weapons to defend Iraq, loading them with bombs and directing them towards invading forces.
The animals were part of a plan to arm and equip foreign insurgents drawn up by the dictator shortly before the American-led invasion three years ago, reveals a 37-page report, captured after the fall of Baghdad and just released by the Pentagon. It is part of a cache of thousands of documents that the United States Department of Defence says it does not have the resources to translate.
I have a keychain from a Marine friend of mine who served two tours in Iraq that has a picture of a camel with a missile strapped to it, and it reads, "Iraqi Cruise Missile." Who knew it was a prophetic insight into Saddam's insurgency plans?
If the translation is correct, it suggests that many of the foreign fighters now attacking coalition forces and bombing Iraqi civilians were directly trained by the Saddam regime, although there are no known reports of camels being used in suicide attacks.
Read the rest here.
Afghan Court Drops Case Against Christian:
KABUL, Afghanistan - An Afghan court on Sunday dismissed a case against a man who converted from Islam to Christianity because of a lack of evidence and he will be released soon, officials said.
The announcement came as U.S.-backed President Hamid Karzai faced mounting foreign pressure to free Abdul Rahman, a move that risked angering Muslim clerics here who have called for him to be killed.
Read the rest of the background information here.
A little Friday afternoon entertainment for those still stuck in the office:
The Mother of all "Pop-Ins:" Alligator Knocks on Florida Woman's Door.
You know how in some cases, the more you hear about a location, the more you desire to go there?
Not so with Florida.
Mike at InedibleInk sent me this link this morning:
Baptist student finds $30,000 amid debris in New Orleans home while cleaning up.
The student, being a great Christian representative, made sure the authorities were notified and the homeowner given the hidden cash. It's a great story.
My two trips to the Gulf Coast, of course, yielded no such financial results. But we almost made the news. If you count CBN as the news. CBN. Maybe some other post I'll talk about the not-so-forthcoming nature of Christian based media.
Reuters apparently thinks the outrage over the death sentence of the Afghani who converted to Islam is equivalent to the outrage Muslims felt/rioted over the Danish cartoons.
From Little Green Footballs (emphasis mine):
ROME (Reuters) - The strong Western response to a threatened death sentence for an Afghan convert to Christianity looks something like a mirror image of the Muslim reaction to the Prophet Mohammad caricatures printed in the European press.
There have been no riots or sackings of Afghan embassies, unlike the violence that marked the uproar in Muslim countries after the Danish cartoons were published, but the shock and mutual incomprehension expressed in both cases are similar.
Unbelievable. I have no words.
Tip: Mac
(Surgeon General's Warning: The following post demonstrates the typical female behavior of writing for writing's sake, and may, or may not have an express point. Just a little FYI.)
The last few Monday nights have seen the beginning of a new social ritual for me. Many of my friends are 24 junkies. I, personally, could care less about the show, and in fact, spend most of my time mocking the plot lines under my breath (fearing repercussions if any more audible...huge fans in the room). We do, however, take a pool before the show, betting on how many key and insignificant characters will be killed off in the ensuing hour. (This was my doing.)
At the close of the show, most of us spend about 15 minutes discussing what we should do. Eventually, that actually turns into real conversation or prime opportunity to turn the channel to watch Family Guy.
Being that the room is full of 20-30 something singles, conversation can inevitably turn to dating rituals. This can either be excruciatingly pedantic and annoying, forcing me toward an early exit, or it can be down right hilarious. Last night, it was the latter.
The men were outnumbered 2 to 1 (a favorite ratio of theirs, apparently), so they took the opportunity to gleen from the present womenfolk. The men were all musicians (and extremely talented ones), the women ranged from sound engineers to beautician/jewelers to sales associates to me. The mix of backgrounds and personalities certainly made for a more lively discussion.
At one point, someone mentioned the name Josh Harris. That's when one of the guys, a typically happy-go-lucky guy, took on a rather stern expression and in the manner of Randy from A Christmas Story griping about meatloaf, grumbled, "Josh Harris. I hate that guy. He's ruined 'game' for the last 4 years. Every girl and their mother swore off dating after his stupid book. If I saw him on the street, I'd kick him in..."
This of course, opened the proverbial Pandora's Box, and so began an hysterical session of I Kissed Dating Goodbye rants. I just watched and giggled as the group concluded that Josh Harris may have a Jack Bauer complex, here to rid the world of courting terrorists, to restore order and speak peace to the tumultuous waters of the dating process.
That's a group theory...mine's a slight variation of it, but that's for another day. This pointless, but hopefully mildly entertaining post comes to an end for now.
A Berkeley professor just wrapped up a twenty-year study of 100 children that shows whiney children grow up to be conservative and of course, well-adjusted, confident children grow up to be liberal.
From Prof. Jack Block's study:
A few decades later, Block followed up with more surveys, looking again at personality, and this time at politics, too. The whiny kids tended to grow up conservative, and turned into rigid young adults who hewed closely to traditional gender roles and were uncomfortable with ambiguity.
Really?
The confident kids turned out liberal and were still hanging loose, turning into bright, non-conforming adults with wide interests. The girls were still outgoing, but the young men tended to turn a little introspective.
Block admits in his paper that liberal Berkeley is not representative of the whole country. But within his sample, he says, the results hold. He reasons that insecure kids look for the reassurance provided by tradition and authority, and find it in conservative politics. The more confident kids are eager to explore alternatives to the way things are, and find liberal politics more congenial.
On the flip-side, George Will writes about a Pew study showing liberals to be more miserable as a group while conservatives are happier.
Will states:
The right to pursue happiness is the essential right that government exists to protect. Liberals, taking their bearings, whether they know it or not, from President Franklin Roosevelt's 1936 State of the Union address, think the attainment of happiness itself, understood in terms of security and material well-being, is an entitlement that government has created and can deliver.
From my own personal statistical analysis on this subject resulting from over fifty years of observation, I concur with the Pew study that liberals as a group are vastly more depressed and angry than conservatives. Conservatives are too busy taking responsibility for their own personal happiness and well-being. We don't have time to be miserable.
These are the stories that could really cast doubt on the belief that we can help reform the Middle East:
Their Human Rights Commission wants him dead. The prosecutor has called into question Rahman's mental health, stating he might not be fit for trial. (Of course he's crazy; he's anti-Islam.)
The best part? One of his family members turned him in when he found out about his conversion.
The given link provides contact information for the Afghanistan embassy.
Religion of peace, huh?
One-third of French say they're racist.
Speaking of the French, USA Today has an editorial encouraging Americans to stop being so smug when criticizing the recent French protests (details here) and look more closely to see if our own behavior might somewhat resemble theirs.
America does not endow its workers with the right not to be fired. It did not adopt the extensive economic engineering policies that many European nations did after World War II. For that, the USA should consider itself fortunate.
But one can see counterproductive sentiments similar to those of the French protesters in the workers at companies such as General Motors. They demand preservation of generous pensions and lifetime health coverage from employers that might be driven out of business, in part because of those costly benefits. Certainly, promises made by corporations to their employees deserve very high priority, but staying blind to the larger problem is not an answer.
Interesting, short piece. Read the rest here.
Dennis Prager on the recent protests in France:
It is all about a new law in France that allows a company to fire a person under the age of 26, without cause, within two years of being hired.
Wow. Imagine that. You might get fired from your first job.
As it happens, the whole point of the law was to encourage companies to hire young people. The unemployment rate among young people in France is 23 percent. And in many suburbs, it is double that. Meanwhile, French companies are understandably loath to hire 22-year-olds when they cannot fire them except "for cause," which under union rules means something like committing mass murder in the workplace.
But his next line really gets the article started:
What these massive demonstrations reveal is the narcissism, laziness and irresponsibility inculcated by socialist societies.
Is it any wonder why I revere this man so highly?
Read the rest of his article here.
I love Frappr Maps. Now, The Cotillion has one. We're representin from all over the U.S. But we are strangely absent in the North Western United States.
Who wouldn't want to live in North Korea after this glowing report?
"Life is Happy in Tax-free North Korea."
SEOUL (Reuters) - Aid workers say North Korea is short of food, analysts say its economy is a mess and U.S. President George W. Bush says leader Kim Jong-il is a tyrant, but Pyongyang says life is wonderful -- and blissfully free of tax.
North Korea has one of the lowest per capita income figures in the world. Although it says it has free health care, it cannot supply enough electricity to keep its factories running or to light the country at night.
This story is certainly at odds with the picture my South Korean friends paint of life in the country. They aren't allowed to see their North Korean relatives, and if the Northerners feel gutsy enough to attempt a visit to the south, they risk death. Oh, but they don't pay taxes. So, I guess only one thing is certain for the North Koreans.
A hotel in northern Germany has started charging its guests by the kilo for an overnight stay.
In the town of Norden, close to the Dutch border, guests now have to step onto the scales before moving into their rooms and fork out half a euro ($0.61) per kilogram (2.2 lbs).
But just when the article sounds interesting, it ends with:
Larger customers may be reassured that the hotel turns no one away who refuses to step on the scales and charges no guest more than 39 euros, the normal single room price.
So....they don't charge by the pound...
With all the leftists' shrill cries of how the Patriot Act is eroding our civil rights, I would recommend they go live in Afghanistan and experience what it's like living under sharia law. To any anti-American living here and taking advantage of our laws and freedoms to further your agenda, I invite you most graciously to go to the Middle East and live under sharia.
Abdul Rahman needs our prayers, either by miracle or governmental intervention to spare his life.
Only in Islamic regimes does one pay with his life for converting to Christianity.
Source: Fox News
Seems polygamists feel if gay activists can change the definition of marriage to same-sex, then why not redefine it yet again into one big group hug.
Charles Krauthammer has an interesting article on the dangers of redefining marriage.
Very good case set forth by one who considers himself an agnostic.
On days of great feasting and celebration, I always turn to my Blogling roll to see who might be sharing in the festivities.
This morning, I looked to InedibleInk, thinking, "Surely the devout Catholic blogger has to have something on St. Patrick." But no. He's probably still recovering from dropping the children off at school, most likely having been pinched by all of them.
Then, I turned to J.Phillip at Red Guy. Sorely disappointed there too. Come on, people....it's "everyone gets a free pass to act like a pinching lush" day.
Then, I thought, in the off-chance that John (surname-less) the Pirate is Irish, maybe HE has something on the annual occasion. Yes! I struck gold. Mr. Pirate not only has some great advice for us all, but he informs his readers that I'm one hot little potato according to Star magazine. That's right.
Then, it dawned on me to check the site that prominently featured a "Mc" in it. And, never one to let his festive audience down, Mike McClellan directs you to a St. Patrick's Day dedicated post. (Apparently, my circle of bloggers favors passing the torch...see: this entire post. We're a humble, generous group.)
More epic disappointment when I check The Night Writer. Okay, so maybe epic's an overstatement because there's a highly anticipated "Friday Fundamentals in Film" post. So, you're off the hook.
Never to be accused of slackerage (new word), Blogizdat has a demented leprechaun/troll on his site. A must see.
Further breaking my non-Irish heart, MacStansbury, MAC-Stansbury's got two March 17 posts and no talk of rainbows, gold or Lucky Charms.
Lisa at R Cubed doesn't have a Saintly post, but she does inform us that March is "Play the Recorder" month, to which I kindly encourage everyone NOT to participate in. Too Simpson-esque. ("And now, with a flute up his nose...")
Marc's got some geeky shortcuts for us all, but they won't lead you to four leaf clovers. (I'm running out of Irish references.)
That about wraps up this long I-don't-want-to-write-about-St. Patrick-myself post. Happy St. Patrick's Day! Go pinch someone who's not wearing green. My dad was my first victim. It was a risky move, in that I wasn't wearing green either, but my cat-like reflexes got me out of the situation to run and quickly change into an emerald green outfit, which really only delays the inevitable. He's always watching.
UPDATE: Mr. Writer (or John) has issued his official St. Patrick's Day post at my behest, apparently. It has one of my favorite titles to ever have graced the blogosphere. :)
From Cap'n Bob:
Magnetic forces at the center of the galaxy have twisted a nebula into the shape of DNA, a new study reveals.
The double helix shape is commonly seen inside living organisms, but this is the first time it has been observed in the cosmos.
Click here for more.
Homeschooling often gets a really bad rap, for kids like this. That is not to say that this little girl couldn't have arrived at her racist worldview in the classroom (see Jay Bennish), but being educated by a parental figure who subscribes to a victim, white hating mentality is undeniably dangerous.
As if waiting for letters of acceptance, or otherwise, isn't hard enough, Mac decides to send me a link to an article detailing the fluff inherent in schools of education. And what schools have I applied to? You got it.
Thanks, Mac. If I wasn't entirely certain of my vulnerable state, I am now.
At The Right Place.
Trust me, I was stunned at first...but it all makes sense now. How could I have been so fooled?
Cicero (46 B.C.) must have met Cindy Sheehan before he said, "To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child."
To all the body bag counting, anti-war lefties, I say, "Get a little historical perspective." Operation Iraqi Freedom has been a very successful military campaign. This has not been a strictly air war, much like the first Gulf War, and the presence of troops on the ground means inevitable casualties. All things considered, the amount of American life lost is extremely low when compared to other land/air wars from our country's past.
Not that it should serve as any surprise that the war protesters are not versed in history. (See Jay Bennish, et al.)
I may not be a lawyer, but this sure sounds interesting. Plus, Hugh Hewitt's moderating, so it's guaranteed to be a good time. I plan to attend and see how the other half (or actual, intellectual bloggers) lives.
One of the wonderful benefits of living in the LA area--opportunities to meet and attend events hosted by my favorite pundits, talk show hosts, politicians and authors.
Just thought I'd let the SoCal bloggers know about this, if they didn't already (which they probably did). I don't know about the live blogging bit though. I think I'll stick with my M.O. and write about it hours after the Playful Primates do.
Can't say, "Happy ides of March" day, as Julius Caesar would wholly oppose such a holiday. Of course, dead men tell no tales right?
Sad side note: of all the students I tutor, not one knew what I was talking about when I referenced this infamous date.
In addition to it being famous for Caesar's murder, today also marks "you have one month left to finish your income taxes" day, as well, and new to me, Port McClellan reports that today is EATAPETA Day, as told him by The Night Writer.
In honor of this carnivorous occasion, I'm rethinking my dinner menu to possibly now consist of pollo affinocchiato, one of my favorite chicken dishes. If you've not had the pleasure of having chicken prepared in this incredibly divine manner, your taste buds have only wandered aimlessly in culinary pergatory.
This explains why Jews have historically risen above discrimination, anti-semitism, the holocaust and just plain old world-wide hatred:
A wise man was asked, "Is there anything a person can do to alleviate his desire for revenge, since the Torah [Bible] forbids acting vengefully?'' He answered, "Do something to improve yourself. When you become a better person, it will torment your enemies to no end.''
It certainly does torment their enemies. Daily.
Source: Jewish World Review
Palestinians are howling about the Israeli raid on their prison which was holding Ahmed Saadat, leader of the Popular Front for the LIberation of Palestine. Saadat is responsible for the assasination of the Israeli tourism minister, Rehavam Zeevi in 2001.
I always knew mom wasn't lying when she said I was smart. I descend from pure mathematical genius!
Okay, descend might be a stretch, as my must-be relative made his mark in 1993.
But a girl can dream....
This just in: Men don't like to stop to ask for directions. At least, that's what the Royal Automobile Club Direct Insurance company says. British men waste 6 million hours lost on the road.
Men even endure a "nagging period" of around 10 minutes from their partner before throwing in the towel and stopping to ask the way, the poll showed.
Based on responses from 2,000 adults, the survey also revealed:
--Some 64 percent of couples admitted to having arguments over getting lost on the road.
RAC Direct Insurance product manager Craig Martin said awareness of the problem could improve driving standards.
Maybe it's because they drive on the wrong side of the road.
John Fund over at the WSJ Opinion is reporting a NailYale protest over the admission of Rahmatullah Hashemi, a former Taliban official.
It seems at least one official from Yale is privately trashing those who disagree with their admission policy. That particular official is Alexis Surovov, assistant director of giving at Yale Law School, who sent an "anonymous" rant to two former students, calling them "retarded" and "disgusting." He sent it from a Columbia University account, but it was traced back to him. Pretty cowardly.
Last Wednesday, Mr. Surovov sent an angry email from a Columbia University account to Clinton Taylor and Debbie Bookstaber, two young Yale grads who are so frustrated at their alma mater's refusal to answer questions about Mr. Rahmatullah that they've launched a protest. Called NailYale, it focuses on the Taliban's barbaric treatment of women, which extended to yanking out the fingernails of those who wore nail polish. In a column on TownHall.com, they urged alumni "not give one red cent this year, but instead send Yale a red press-on fingernail."
I'm going out right now to buy a red fingernail.
Let me clarify: no I'm not a Yale grad, but this is a solidarity issue for all women who get manicures.
(Tip: LGF)
It's not often I willfully neglect my blog. But it's less often that I get the chance to play tour guide and American/California representative to an awesome Kiwi worship team.
This weekend, my church hosted an amazing group of musicians and worship leaders from New Zealand, and I've had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to shuttle them around Los Angeles.
Much has changed within the structure of my church since last they were here in 2004. So naturally the first thing they asked me upon their arrival at LAX was, without disclosing specifics, "What's happened?" Uhhh.
That simple yet difficult to answer question turned into a wonderful conversation, and in a matter of the first 20 minutes of dialogue, I was able to catch them up to speed with church current events, little known facts about President Bush and the North/South prejudice in L.A. County. In fact, I was such an efficient docent, when we approached Ventura Blvd, one of the leaders said, "Are we going into the Valley now?" (You may have to live in LA to get the significance of the "over the hill" issues faced by current residents.)
All this to say, they're homeward bound tomorrow, so I will be back to blogging in the evening, at the earliest.
It's been an insanely busy weekend, but far too much fun to ever complain about the lack of sleep or over exertion of my vocal chords.
A presto.
A very strong essay from the New York Post:
NO one familiar with our nation's increasingly dysfunctional public schools should have found it surprising that Colorado high-school teacher Jay Bennish delivered a 20-minute, anti-American rant straight out of Noam Chomsky and Michael Moore to his 10th grade geography class. Bennish was somewhat cruder than your average leftist teacher - but he is not unique. Smoother, more effective Bennishes are everywhere in our great American high schools. That's one reason why our graduates are so full of self-esteem and have all the right attitudes, but actually know less math, science and history than their counterparts in most of the world's industrialized nations.
Political indoctrination in our universities gets some attention, but it is more widespread and dangerous in our elementary and high schools. The younger the students are, of course, the less likely are they able to withstand - or even detect - attempts at social and political thought control in the classroom.
And, where the professoriate denies that it favors using the classroom as a political bully pulpit, the K-12 public school establishment has adopted a quasi-official pedagogy that encourages the classroom teacher to shape students' beliefs on controversial issues like race, gender, sexual preference and U.S. foreign policy.
The documentation on this is so extensive that Jay Bennish might have a pretty good Nuremberg defense: "My union and my professional teacher association made me do it."
It is obvious there's a disconnect betwixt those in the educational system and the people who are responsible for raising children, namely the parents. The parents try to devise ways to escape situations like this, and are rebuked. This is one of the reasons our blogmarm wants the whole system pitched.
Redo, starting with people like this.
(Hat tip to Sweetness & Light who has the whole thing so you don't have to register)
Top 9 Suggested Jay Bennish Book Titles
UPDATE: Er...
Well, great. That's just great. You know, you think you'd pay attention to the stuff on your own friggin' hat-tipping. This already got posted RIGHT HERE!
I'm going to bed, now.
UPDATE 2: While I have your attention, I thought I'd explain that I fixed the problem with the RSS feeds, so now we should be getting the sweet, sweet embrace of Google Blog Search, and the love that comes with it. In fact, we've already got some love. Batten down the hatches, men.
Not really, but you'd think so after the California Supreme Court said oral sex with kids is OK!
On Wednesday, the California Supreme Court voted 6 to 1 to not force those convicted of having oral sex with underage kids to register as sex offenders with the state. The majority judges said that the law was "too harsh and unfair." Yes, I'm sure that the problem with such enforcement is the resolute "unfairness" of punishing those who know it is a crime and yet do it anyway. How terrible.
The judges justified their conclusion by citing the fact that under the state laws of California people convicted of having actual sexual intercourse with those who are 16 and 17 years of age are not forced to register as a sex offender. Their argument claims a lack of equal protection under the law.
It's this kind of lunacy that reminds me why I'm happy to live on the opposite coast. Ya'll got some real loons out there. Unfortunately, they are the ones wearing black robes, creating the laws.
(Tip for all you Jay Bennish students: the State Senate creates laws, not the courts. I know this is a shock to you, but that's how it works.)
Or, maybe I'm too old-fashioned in my thinking, because, you know, oral sex isn't really sex, depending on what your definition of "is" is.
Here is your inspirational story of the day, thanks to LGF.
God bless our troops.
Is anyone surprised that Wafa Sultan is now receiving death threats.
This is one courageous woman. Calling the entire Christian community to pray for her protection.
(Tip: LGF)
From 9news.com. Sweetness & Light says it best:
It sounds like the student whistleblower Sean Allen is the only one who will suffer from this.
This a great day for Socialists, and another stake in the heart of common sense. Sorry to be so terse, but there's nothing really to add. I feel sorry for those kids at that school, and for their crappy school administration.
According to a recent poll, Californians aren't exactly jumping at the chance to have Sen. Hillary as our next president.
Of course, they interviewed 507 people out of 40 million (!).
Hat tip: Mac
Who's to say that this truly was a Harriet Mier situation, but it sure appears Hugh Hewitt called it.
Dubai company to surrender port operations to an United States entity.
My only concern is that we lose the partnership of the UAE in the War on Terrorism. I wouldn't care to see this dissolve our ties.
Michael Savage can now avoid an aneurysm.
If you live outside of the Los Angeles area, you most likely have not been following this story. If you live in the LA area, you probably haven't either. But you should.
Independent Sources has been closely watching the campaign of Christopher Arellano for Los Angeles School Board. Arellano's record is so undeniably questionable that it's a joke he's still even in the running. The explanation for this, however, is that he's in the pocket of the Teacher's Union. What they want, they get. Unfortunately.
Here's the breakdown of the story:
1. Arellano and other candidates are approached by the LA Times and asked to take a rudimentary algebra quiz, just to test their basic knowledge of the subject. The others take it. He refuses and becomes irate at the Times for even suggesting it.
Read the short report here. (Let it be known I used "rudimentary" before seeing it in the post.)
2. Independent Sources discovers that Arellano has been lying about his college degrees supposedly obtained from UCLA and USC. Both universities deny awarding him any degree.
3. Turns out, Arellano has been arrested a few times for shoplifting before the Teacher's Union gave him a job. Shouldn't that say something?
Read about those here.
Finally....
4. Arellano actually won a primary and is now in a run off with Monica Garcia, not a fraud. Thus far, the teacher's union shows no desire to distance itself from Arellano.
That and more is here.
This should be very interesting and indicative of the Teacher's Union and educational board's ethics and interests.
More to come as soon as I get it.
UPDATE: Arellano's web site still chalk full of false statements.
The Nose on Your Face has Top 9 Suggested Jay Bennish Book Titles:
9. Letters From My Parent's Basement
8. Superanticapitalisticjewsarequiteatrocious
7. From Bushitler To Brownshirts: Fun With Cliched Nazi References
6. You Can't Spell America Without M-E
5. Apple Pie: Tasty Patriotic Treat Or Vile Fascist Tort?
Read the rest here.
I personally think that the fine readers of this blog could offer some incredible suggestions to the infamous geography teacher.
(Hat tip: MacStansbury)
Jay Bennish's father has said that he and his son have received death threats. None of those were reported to the police. Just to the mainstream media, which casts a little doubt on the veracity of Bennish's complaints. (If it is true, shame on anyone who'd threaten his life; that just doesn't help anyone. Especially the communist/terrorist nations who have him on their payroll.)
Ace of Spades HQ, who must think I'm stalking him with the sheer number of outgoing links, has some things to say about the recent development. And by recent developments I mean Bennish's father calling the opposition to his son's remarks "MacCarthyism," (that's original) among other outrageous emotional claims. It's a must read. Have I ever misguided you? Rather, has secret tipper Mac ever misguided you?
Finally, the official position of Portia Rediscovered regarding anti-American, pro-Communist, terrorist sympathizers can be summed up in a recent comment by "U.S. Paratrooper:"
I have proudly served my country voluntarily in the U.S. Army. I have felt and been given the respect of this country's citizens. I firmly believe in my country's values and beliefs. If you like the other point of view (the U.S. is the enemy or the U.S. is on the wrong side of the political spectrum than the rest of the world.) then take this advice: Go to the nearest airport. Quickly race to one of the ticket counters and buy a one way ticket to Iran or Iraq. Next, race down the terminal so as not to be late, and get on the fastest plane you can afford to book, and finally get the hell out of this country and off of my team. Go wave another country's flag. You most likely have never waved the flag of the United States of America. So, enjoy your first attempt at patriotism on the other team.
And don't let the door hit you on the way out. :)
No, really:
Three college students, including two aspiring actors known around campus as pranksters, were arrested Wednesday in a string of nine church fires across Alabama.
Federal agents said the defendants claimed the first few fires were set as “a joke” and the others were started to throw investigators off the track.
Future headline: "Alabama residents hang college students as "a goof," didn't intend for youths to die.
Maybe it's because I'm so close to Alabama (I live in Georgia, and have lived in Alabama and Mississippi), that it's amazing that this even happened, or that this had become a non-story so quickly. This is another instance of the persecution of Christians, and yet...nothing. Front page news, stuck on F-3, 2 inch copy; but at least it's still in the papers.
Look for this story to disappear, because, you know, the church-burners were liberals. It's okay when liberals torch things. I'm just wondering...where any of these churches predominantly black? Makes you wonder, doesn't it?
From Little Green Footballs:
Arab American psychologist Wafa Sultan is a very brave lady, as she confronts a bearded cleric on Al Jazeera television and gives him a severe dose of righteous truth.
To watch the interview (not lasting more than 6 minutes), click here.
This woman is a force to be reckoned with. Though the truth about Islam and its ideology should stand on its own merit, it always seems to be more credible coming from an Arab. She delivers a searing indictment of the culture and of the willful ignorance within the culture. It is an absolute "must watch" clip.
Fellow MuNuvian, Ace of Spades HQ, has posted a pop quiz inspired by the teachings of one Jay Bennish.
1. What river did conquistador Hernando DeSoto discover?
a) The Mississippi River
b) The Missouri River
c) The Rio Grande
d) What river did he discover? Discover? As if there weren't a diverse and ecologocially-sensitive people living there for 5000 peaceful years of enlightened communal property sharing before. Yeah, kind of like Hitler "discovered" the Sudetenland, right? You know what I'm talkin' about.
For the rest of the questions, continue here. (Be forewarned that Ace likes choice words, aka mild profanity.)
Hat Tip: LGF
Why don't I put money down on these things?
Jay Bennish appeared on the Today show with Matt Lauer, patriot extraordinaire. Rather than talk substance, Lauer sympathetically suggested that Bennish was set up, perpetuating more un-truths about the situation, namely that Sean Allen and his father first went to talk show hosts. Not true.
Generation Why? has an excellent story as well as excerpts from the interview and from newspaper articles that show Lauer to be a, shall we say, liar?
Wizbang also has more on the Today show interview as well as a column from the Rocky Mountain News, also fully sympathetic to Bennish.
Did these people not listen to the audio? How could you be sympathetic to a man who says that the people who died in 9/11 were only made innocent by our invention?
We are talking about the Today show, however. The same show that brought us the blonde reporter "rowing for her life" in New Orleans flood waters that couldn't have been more than six inches deep.
(Hat tip: MacStansbury, capital "M" and "S.")
Hugh Hewitt has the transcript of his interview with Sean Allen, the high school student who recorded Jay Bennish "teaching geography," up at Radio Blogger.
Sean and his father Jeff both state that the odds of Bennish getting fired are slim to none, and that his termination is not their desire.
The sad but somewhat predictable part of this whole story is that Sean has gotten all sorts of physical threats, anonymously of course.
Sean Allen: With the situation the way it is, I'm looking at other schools that I can attend, just because I put my safety and the safety of my family in front of everything else.
Hugh Hewitt: And...wise thought. Jeff Allen, do you think it's going to end up being somewhere else he'll have to go?
JA: I'm pretty sure it's going to be. But interestingly enough, we've been looking at other schools today, and another school called and asked if Sean would come to their school, if he actually transferred.
More thoughts to come on the role of educators. In the meantime, I have some wicked comment threads, minus a few obscene comments, if you're bored. :)
To all the new readers and commenters (due to the Jay Bennish epic saga), a warm welcome to you.
Here are a few guidelines I have for comments:
1. No profanity. Profanity will most likely get your entire comment deleted, unless the rest of your thoughts are exceptionally brilliant. (Not likely.)
2. When responding to a post or other comments about a controversial topic, please try to remain on topic and address issues, rather than resort to ad hominem attacks.
3. If the desire to insult me regarding my politics, hair, undergraduate school, burns so great within you that you must expell some of the heat, please, take a deep breath, count to 10 and email me, if you must. Otherwise you are not contributing to constructive debate and your comment will be promptly deleted.
That's basically it. Be good citizens of civil society and no one will get hurt.
I do reserve the right to delete any comments I deem inappropriate.
Thank you, and comment away!
Your humble site owner.
The ACLU has lost another coveted case. Jay Bennish has decided to drop his lawsuit against the Cherry Creek School District.
But the school's gag order has been lifted, slightly, so watch for Bennish to hit the lefty conference circuit. And, of course, the inevitable, upcoming book deal.
It's not just the fact that a teacher went on a left-wing rant that disturbs most sensible people (particularly those on the Right who value education), but it's the fact that most, if not all, of what he so angrily spouted was/is false. And he's preaching at high school students who wouldn't know otherwise, either because they're far too young to remember for themselves or because they wouldn't know the first place to start to refute him.
But Dignan's 75 Year Plan has a mission to dissect the whole audio file, sound bite by sound bite, to prove that Colorado's Mr. Bennish is woefully wrong.
So, for those desiring to know more about his claims, read his rebuttal here.
Conservative Thinking has a lovely bio pic of the geography teacheras well as several news stories regarding the event that's burning up the blogosphere.
(Hat tip: Hugh Hewitt)
Kids say the darndest things, all right. Here's one little girl's idea for the most selfless Valentine ever. Even terrorists need a little love, or tough love. Read the story here.
Hat tip: my dad. (Thanks for the laugh.)
Shocking new development: 18-year-old brains aren't as mature as 25-year-old brains.
What will they think of next?
Hugh Hewitt has single handedly exposed John Zogby as a fraud. Radio Blogger has the full transcript and audio of what proved to be a short interview, ended of course when Zogby courageously slammed his receiver down.
HH: Did you got to Iraq to oversee the taking of the poll?
JZ: No, I personally did not. I've polled Iraq 14, 15 times, but I have a partner in the Middle East who does my Middle East polling. That's a standard procedure for those of us with global firms. We have partners overseas, some of us have franchises that actually conduct them.
HH: Who is that partner?
JZ: Hmm?
HH: Who is that partner?
JZ: Informational International.
HH: And did they send someone into Iraq to oversee it?
JZ: Yes, they did.
HH: Do you know who that was?
JZ: Yeah, employees of their own.
HH: Do you know which one?
JZ: Yeah. Does it mean anything to you?
HH: Yeah, I'd like to know.
JZ: What if I'd mention their names?
HH: I'd like that.
JZ: Well, I'm not going to mention them on the air for security reasons.
HH: They don't live in Iraq, though.
Mr. Zogby is apparently unfamiliar with the whole "direct question" thing that those crazy talk show hosts like to do.
Hewitt goes on to press the issues with Zogby, asking questions regarding the disconcerting inconsistencies and plain confusing statistics from his "poll." It's a very amusing read, and short. I highly recommend it.
Something is inherently wrong with the whole situation. He refused to elaborate on the details, methodology and flaws in the statatistics, ergo his poll should be dismissed entirely. At least, in my humble opinion.
And in case you won't be able to read the transcript, the poll was paid for by a wealthy anti-war activist. BUT, we have John Zogby's personal assurance that the donor's political views in no way influenced the research or outcome of the poll.
Michael Savage says that liberalism is a mental illness. In the public school system, it seems to be a pandemic disease. The last few days are prime examples of the seemingly insurmountable obstacles clear thinking people who believe in the integrity of teaching, not preaching, have to overcome.
As a tutor, I've been a firsthand witness to the decline of our society, as seen in student-teacher relations and the decay of classical curriculum. There is a tremendous discrepancy between the behavior and expectations of the students enrolled in Catholic/Private schools and those enrolled in public schools (spare a few).
One of my students, who was enrolled in a Catholic school through junior high, is now a student in a public high school. He's a very eager student whose parents have high expectations of him, but he's found that not to be anywhere near the norm at his new school.
Yesterday, he related just two examples of how horrible things have become. He said it's not unusual to see students in his Algebra class wearing headphones and falling asleep in class. In fact, most of the students behave in such a manner. His teacher has actually pulled him aside to say he's one of only seven students passing and that she appreciates his participation in class.
When I asked him if his teacher does anything to punish or rouse the sleeping beauties, he replied, "Well, she tries but they just look at her and put their heads back down." To which I replied, "Oh, heck no." (I was an assistant teacher in several classrooms while completing my undergrad degree, and under no circumstances were students allowed to misbehave, fall asleep or use profanity. I was well versed in course talk in several languages by that time, so I was able to "bust" kids trying to get away with swearing in Spanish and Armenian, much to their chagrin.)
After being horrified simply by the fact that students could be so pathetic in their conduct, he said that was just the tip of the iceberg. After class, one of his fellow students asked the teacher if she could help him with something. She told him she was unable to at the time, and he replied, "F--- you, B--ch." I gasped (I'm not naive; I'm a very strict teacher is all) and asked, "Did she do anything then?" He replied, "They never do."
I'm currently working on a response to the lack of discipline in our public school system, among a plethora of other problems there as well. Of course, not all public schools are that way. My brothers went to a very strict public school, and my youngest (Peter, or "Portia's other, other brother") informed me that cursing at a teacher was enough to get a student suspended, no questions asked.
What kind of lessons are we teaching these students if we not only allow for them to sleep through their education but to so blatantly disrespect authority? This does not bode well for our future. It won't be long from now before most of these kids are old enough to vote. Of course, the liberals already know that (see last five posts).
There must be some sort of left-wing virus infecting high schools.
UPDATE: Apparently, Generation Why? had the skinny on this story yesterday. Here's that link. (It's the second half of the post.)
From Free Republic: Class Syllabus "Geography" Teacher Jay Bennish. This is geography? Here's some fun things to do:
1. Count the times "political" or "social" come up
2. Find the right-wingers in this list:
· NPR (National Public Radio) 1340 AM · The New York Times
· The Wall Street Journal
· The News Hour (PBS) channel 6
· The BBC News (PBS) channel 12
· www.npr.org
· www.pbs.org
· www.guerrillanews.com
· www.tompain.org
· www.cato.org
· www.heritage.org
· www.indymedia.org
· www.freespeech.org
· www.newamericancentury.org
· www.brook.edu
· www.zman.org
3. Figure out how "Students will not be permitted to insult or belittle others in the class, respect is paramount, tolerance is also extremely important" and "Disregard for these rules will not be tolerated"
4. Try and find an instance of "geography" in there
5. Go find a political science syllabus, and see what you'd need to change to make this fit
Something is amiss with the comments on my site. I'm getting loads of error reports, but the problem does not necessarily lie there but rather in my complete unsavviness when it comes to solving such problems. My plan? Wait it out until someone who knows what he's doing comes along to rescue me.
The Colorado teacher whose fascinating history lesson (in twenty minutes covering Cain through the Iraq war) is finally making headlines fits very nicely into the insanity category, as I suspected he would. (Again, for the full audio, click here and see this post.)
Houghton Mifflin's definition of one who is insane: "Afflicted with or exhibiting irrationality and mental unsoundness." Mr. Bennish, we've got a nice, brand new, white jacket just for you, sir.
Mac sent me a few links on the story as it's been developing:
Rocky Mountain News reports student protests over the paid suspension of Mr. Bennish.
Generation Why?, or Texas Rainmaker, gives a few sound bites of the file, the teacher's email and comments from other parents about the teacher's curriculum.
Michelle Malkin has the entire transcript, for your convenience. She insists that you still have to listen to believe. I concur.
Paid leave...please.
UPDATE: Is anybody surprised that he hired an ACLU attorney? Let alone the man who represented Ward Churchill, David Lane? Didn't think so.
Little Green Footballs reports that a Colorado High School Geography teacher goes on a crazy anti-American rant (claiming as fact that we are the most violent country in the world) and one of his students records it all. In a Geography class, he covers the drug war, anti-tobacco lobbying and the constantly cited Bush=Hitler connection.
This man's a nut. He says the Chinese and Iranians have every right to invade the U.S. because we produce cigarettes.
And naturally, you have to hear his definition of capitalism.
But be forewarned, your blood pressure may rise since access to physically knock some sense into the man is not a possiblity.
Here's the audio. Click at your own risk.
UPDATE: About ten minutes into the recording, the student recording the nutcase begins to challenge the teacher's flat out lies. You can't help but feel badly for the students who are being intimidated and yelled at by a fanatic teacher who clearly makes it seem as though he's all-knowing.
He uses the classic liberal tactic of deflection when asked a direct question. In his rage, he covers more territory than Alexander the Great.
Honestly, I can't even summarize the audio. You just have to listen. This makes my blood boil. He points to the U.S. flag and says, "That's been the real symbol of terrorism since 1492."
This is sick.
Dennis Prager on Why the Left Doesn't Blame Muslims for Muslim Violence:
There's a certain consistent pattern regarding the worldwide Left's assessment of culpability for Muslim terror. It is the fault of the murdered.
When largely Muslim rioters burned and looted for a month in France, who was blamed? France, of course -- France doesn't know how to assimilate immigrants, and, as the BBC reported on Nov. 5, 2005, "[Interior Minister Nicolas] Sarkozy's much-quoted description of urban vandals as 'rabble' a few days before the riots began is said by many to have already created tension." Calling rabble "rabble" causes them to act like to rabble.
In fact, one way to describe the moral divide between conservatives and liberals is whom they blame for acts of evil committed against innocent people, especially when committed by non-whites and non-Westerners. Conservatives blame the perpetrators, and liberals blame either the victims' group or the circumstances.
We Americans are used to this. For decades, liberals have blamed violent crime in America on racism and poverty, i.e., on American society far more than on the murderers, rapists, arsonists and muggers themselves. Conservatives blame the criminals.
It would be easy to quote the rest , but I'll just say, "Read the rest here."
In the article, Mr. Prager writes of the absolute hypocrisy of the left in journalism toward the recent Muhammed cartoons published in Denmark. Apparently, religious sensitivity is now a tremendous concern of theirs, except when it comes to publishing articles and cartoons that defame and disrespect the Christian or Jewish faith, of course. Why? Because Christians and Jews aren't going to avenge the artwork (term used loosely) by murdering innocents or members of the newspaper.
And yet. And yet, one of the claims I hear frequently from liberals is that Christianity is responsible for murdering hundreds of thousands of people every day. (When asked for evidence of this, there is an unsurprising lack.) They have no problem laying blame at the feet of Christians, if indeed Christians were murdering people by the droves, but when confronted with the truth that it's Muslims that are responsible for murdering thousands of Christians and Jews every day, silence becomes them. But that's only for about two seconds, until they get their bearings and say, "It's Christians' fault. They murdered a bunch of Muslims in the Crusades." Or, "Well, if our policies in the Middle East were more tolerant, that wouldn't happen."
There is no defense for the false accusation made about Christians. Apparently, if they were murdering thousands, they have no reason to do so. But when hard evidence is given that Christians are in fact the ones being slaughtered, in Africa and the Middle East, there's good reason for it. Why else isn't there an uproar over the recent, brutal torture and murder of a Jewish boy by Muslims, who shouted scriptures from the Qu'ran over the boy's screams?
Liberals will mock people of faith for being just that, citing their belief that we don't live in reality. And yet, they're so quick to dismiss actual events and flippantly excuse murder because they either don't want to admit it's going on or they believe it's fully justified. Most liberals also cling tightly to a moral relativist and cultural relativist worldview. Their claims that one culture is wrong in committing fictional murders not only betrays them because of lunacy, it also renders their worldview impotent by contradicting the central tenet that all things are relative.
So, who's living in reality?
That would be the supposed number of troops that say we should pull out of Iraq by at least the end of the year, according to a new Zogby poll. And while anti-war activists are busy shouting their hallelujahs and praising the day, there's a touch of something...not right. In fact, there's a whole lot of "not right" in the poll.
»» Jason Smith says the numbers contradict each other.
»» Cass says the methodology is questionable.
»» Kyle Caldwell from Port McClellan says that this would be a major shift from what we've seen from all the reports from every other source (including every soldier I've personally talked to).
»» Dan Riehl says that we need to know who's doing this poll.
»» Citizen Smash...well, he doesn't say what he'd say...but he sure tells you what it sounds like.
1. Portia is pronounced wrong
2. It takes 7 hours to make a round-trip to Orange County - not because it's so big, it's because of that lovely SoCal traffic
3. Porsche wants to be called a nerd
4. HONEST!
5. She has rapper friends, as in "more than one"
