The regressives at Hub Politics have updated their post on English illiteracy to feature correct grammar and spelling after some commentary on the subject here (click here for an updated screen shot). They have apparently left the more complicated issues of hyphenated modifiers and run-on sentences for a future date. They should be applauded for their swift remedial efforts: there is hope for education in Massachusetts after all.
Please share widely!
The Founding Fathers of our once great nation understood the importance of education, reasoning that in order for democracy to work, the electorate had to be well educated and well informed. All things being interconnected, the Founding Fathers included Freedom of the Press, the free exchange of ideas, as the bedrock for our Constitutional Republic. If a populace is not well educated and well informed on the issues which confront it, then the system will fail; for, even a well intentioned system whose Fourth Estate lacks objectivity, honesty, or is otherwise manipulated by the powers of government and corporatism, hubris, propaganda, the electorate will undoubtedly make the wrong decisions.
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We have all seen the results of propaganda within our Congress in the past five years. The so-called intelligence, namely the September Dossier, the Niger Uranium Dossier, which was supplied to Congress on the eve of the vote authorizing the Bush Administration the authority to use our military, and make preparations for war with Iraq, was false. We are still living with the repercussions of this misguided and invalid decision. The world and the Iraqi people were better off with Hussein in power. Hussein was not an ideal leader, and I would certainly not want to live in a country under his rule, but the action our government has taken has exaccerbated our troubles, not resolved them.
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We as a nation were in shock from the events of 9-11-2001. Today, we have the benefit of hindsight, to reflect upon the actions our government took, who knew what when, and to decide for ourselves why. As detailed in the John Conyers report entitled “the Constitution in Crisis – The Downing Street Minutes and Deception, Manipulation, Torture, Retribution, and Cover-ups in the Iraq War – Investigative Status Report of the House Judiciary Committee Democratic Staff” – this report details the status of investigations into the Bush administration’s lies concerning Iraq, pre-war, sanctioned torture and other violations of law by the Bush administration. This 273 page report is evidence, beyond a shadow of a doubt I believe, of the crimes of this administration, and is the most compelling case for Impeachment, and subsequent criminal trial, of any Administration in the history of this country. If we want to remain a Constitutional Republic, we have no choice but to Impeach Bush.
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In the interest of rational well informed public discourse, and the need for us all to be well educated, I feel we need to have a public discussion of the events of 9-11-2001, which has not occurred since that tragic day. I have not heard one politician in the main stream media discuss any of the valid questions, unexplained observances, contradictions of physical evidence to the widely accepted official explanation of that day. I have read the 9-11 Commission report, and have studied the questions raised by this report by people like Dr. David Ray Griffin, as aired on CSPAN last year. I have read the academic paper by Dr. Steven E. Jones, physicist, BYU. I am also aware of previously classified history such as the proposed covert Operation Northwoods from 1962. I have viewed the myriad of media available online of television news from 9-11-2001, and analyses by civil engineers. The fact remains, the official story of 9-11-2001, the official reason the buildings’ collapsed DEFY THE LAWS OF PHYSICS. The World Trade Towers were designed to withstand collisions of planes, multiple planes. The steel used in their construction was arc forged and rated by UnderWriters Laboratories, as mandated by law, to withstand normal fires and fires from hydrocarbon combustion, without appreciable softenning or melting. Steel, especially arc forged steel, cannot be softenned appreciably by hydrocarbon combustion, jet fuel, a type of kerosene. I watched television live, the day of 9-11. I remembered the many, many reports of things exploding within the towers. I recall the eyewitness testimony on that day from fire fighters, police men, newscasters, citizens, who ran for their lives because things kept exploding inexplicably. Ever since 9-11, the main stream media, CNN, Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS etc… have failed to raise these questions, failed to air the very mention of explosions. Yet, a review of the available video evidence remains in the public domain. There is a video available online at google video entitled “9-11 Loose Change 2nd edition”. This video is the best overview of the subject that I have found. It contains an analysis of that day, a compilation of history, public news broadcasts, and analysis. The video is an overview of many very valid question, issues.
I urge you all to consider these ideas, and investigate the information for yourselves. I also urge you to watch the film entitled “911revisited” which is available online also. I wont post links here. High speed internet access is required, as is the necessary media drivers for online viewing. It has been far too long for a public discourse of these events. I would like a public official to discuss these ideas on television or in the main stream press. F.Y.I., 911 Revisited is being shown in a theater in Newton, MA. Wednesday night, May 24 for the first time. It is also available on DVD and can be ordered online. Our government and media lies to us all the time about everything. I am literally sick and tired of this fact. Everyone is discussing what the Democratic Party needs to do in order to re-establish a majority in Congress. The Democratic Party and all progressive political organisations are building their platforms, and searching for the ideas, issues, which will carry us as a nation to a better place. I offer the above ideas as a starting point. I feel we need a platform of true honesty, historical honesty, re-educating the electorate to the truth and dispelling the myriad of secrets concerning our national security. I suggest we return to Constitutional origins, a literal application of law free of esoteric legalese, ambiguity and free of the obfuscation of historical reality and instead offer the nation a platform of honesty. All of our problems can be solved, but only if rational people are well informed. Solve global warming, legalise industrial hemp, promote biofuel, end the oil age, build wind farms and solar arrays. We have the technology to be energy self sufficient in an organic and renewable way which well help Mother Nature cleanse herself of the toxins which we have been emmiting for a century. I pray for our progeny if these ideas are not embraced and nationalised. Thank you for this forum. Thank you for your consideration.
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Orwellian Haiku of the Century, “Can you hear me now?”
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“Fascism is definitely and absolutely opposed to the doctrines of liberalism, both in the political and economic sphere.” – Benito Mussolini
Mr. Burns –
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I read your first paragraph with interest. I absolutely agree that the Founders intended a well educated and well informed electorate for our burgeoning Republic. One thing our Founding Fathers did NOT ordain was a role for the Federal government in Education, and I would submit that it has been on a downhill slide since Carter created the Federal Cabinet post in 1976.
I concur. Freedom should be absolute, without government intrusion. I wish individual towns had control over their own schools, with the ability to teach what the tax payers who support these schools deem as important. I am not adverse to state guidelines, as minimum requirements, or as a model to ensure proper education, but too much regulation and/or mandates is adverse to freedom of choice. Those who pay for a system should be the ones who choose.
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As a child of the 1970’s in elementary school, I was subjected to the ITA system, a phonetic language which resembled english, but had different symbols for certain vowel sounds and compound consonants. I still struggle to this day with spelling mistakes. I recall many fellow students in high school who were so adversely effected by the ITA experimental language, that they struggled to pass English in high school, and a couple of my friends indeed did not pass, and had to stay back an extra year before they could qualify for graduation.
The Founding Fathers did not believe in education for slaves, who comprised a substantial fraction of the population, and didn’t feel that the education of women was particularly important either. Fine fellows in many respects, those Founders, but times have changed.
I concur, BMG, Bob.
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Perhaps a more objective, precise way to state what i proposed above, would be the allusion to Constitutional origins but tempered with modern reality based truth of freedom for all. Certainly minorities and women deserve the same rights as caucasian wealthy men.
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Personally, i am still wanting a constitutional legal scholar to explain to me why we dont follow the 14 Ammendment section 2, in cases of voter rights abridgement and the constitutional mandate of proportionate loss of representation to the offending states, districts.
1) Jimmy Carter was not President in 1976.
2) The ED (Dept of Education) was created by a law which was passed in 1979 and took effect in 1980.
3) Despite this, education was established in the Federal government long before this, dating back to the establishment of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) in 1953, under Eisenhower.
4) You make it sound like Carter created the ED all by his lonesome. Not true: he signed into law a bill duly passed by Congress which merely divided HEW into the modern ED and HHS (Health and Human Services).
5) Apropos of (3) and (4): Eisenhower did in fact create HEW all by his lonesome; in those days, the President had the authority to reorganize federal departments as long as Congress did not override him. (This authority was taken away from the President in 1962.) So really, if you want to blame somebody for ordaining a role for the Federal government in Education, blame Eisenhower.
I misremembered the date.
It is very sad how Blue Mass ignored the actual issue of the Hub Politics post. All the comments I’ve seen so far have done a good job of avoiding it as well. Really, none of you have anything to say?
Public education needs to be adequately funded. The sad state of our nation, misallocated financial resources, has once again left the towns with financial predicaments, and, public education being at the bottom of the ladder, trickle down, are left under funded. Many towns are now, again, faced with passing Proposition 2.5 overrides, so that the kids can still have band, sports, arts, books, etc…
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Thank goodness we have all those stealth bombers tho, at 2 billion each. I am also thankful every day that the Ken Star investigation of Clinton spent 40 million dollars in order to … um … what did that accomplish again? Well, I guess they learned a lesson, because they only spent 600 thousand investigating 9-11-2001. I am so glad we have such level headed politicians in control of our budgets. Priorities, my boy, priorities. You reap what you sow.
I find it interesting that Hub Politics pins this one on the Legislature. Where was Romney through all of this??
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Another thought, language (foreign and domestic) should be a vital part of every child’s education. I fail to see how stripping our schools of the ability to teach language is the right answer. I agree that immersion is a great strategy, but disagree that it should be accomplished by stripping our schools.
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My advice to the Romneys, Bushes and Healeys of the world is: Climb out from behind your castle walls every now and then, and see how your subjects live.
in a new post.
…by the 85% hegemony held by the Democrats in the Legislature, and assume that makes them powerful.
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Naturally, three individuals, one of whom is in a secondary position to the other, can outweigh the 175 +/-.
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The fact that Bush has nothing whatsoever to do with state policy is irrelevant. His strength is that of ten, so it must be his fault.