The error of indoctrination and rhetoric
I haven’t touched the sale of various port terminals to Dubai Ports World for a few reasons. Frankly, I’m tried of the coverage. Most of the people discussing this matter involve no discussion, but rather, a shrill unilateral condemnation of the notion of selling port operations to an Arab state. Forget analyzing the facts that security will still be in the hands of the Coast Guard and Port Security Inc.—a Chinese influenced firm—or that having ports controlled by the UAE pales on comparison the danger of our wide open borders. Furthermore, let’s also forget that no American firms have expressed interest in the deal because they refuse to transact business with the Union, who demand salaries upwards of $150,000 for a longshoreman and that electronic transmissions of incoming freight be re-keyed into their system as a concession to maintaining a certain workforce. Let’s just ignore this deal as endemic of major problems battling this country. Remember, the talking points have been for the past 6 years: Bush and his cronies are evil. Equivocal discourse doesn’t fit that agenda.
Right wing talk shows have moved on after providing their own waffling defenses of the ports deal. They’ve moved on to something that I consider equally troubling. Michael Savage and his co-hosts have been ranting about the state of public schools. Laura Ingraham ran with a tape recording of an Aurora, Colorado teacher—Jay Bennish—vehemently regurgitating Michael Moore’s anti-capitalism rants, anti-war rants, and comparing President Bush to Hitler in place of a geography lecture. I don’t know what has happened to this teacher (I must have missed that segment), but the lecture is quite sickening. To hear this undereducated, over-influenced by a single point of view spewing this vile anti-American filth in a publicly funded school with no oversight and no retribution does disturb me. It disturbs me when teachers ignore the lesson plan, and substitute their own political agendas for the lesson plan. The other chief complaints about public schools regard a refusal to post a famous painting of George Washington praying after Valley Forge as a violation of separation of church and state, and a refusal to teach the Declaration of Independence because the documents reference God—or how the fundamentals and foundations of Islam take up a chapter in some history textbooks, while Christianity receives a 5-page section. Of course, that latter point ignores the fact that most of this history taught from the period 0 CE to 1700 and even beyond hinges on Christianity and references it, even if indirectly. But when do they take out religious history entirely, I wonder? However, I think that the point contending that there is a conflict for the students and a distraction for them when placing a sexually-reassigned teacher back in their original school to teach primary and middle-school students.
Though I agree that public schools teachers that try and indoctrinate students into any political philosophy should be vilified and fired, the answer is not ranting about the loss of our nation and its future. Rather, the answer hinges on the foremost conservative principle—that of individual responsibility. Those who want the bible taught in schools, which I think would be infinitely valuable, have that option. They can send their children to private schools, Sunday studies, or educate their children themselves. It breaks down to two options. Until a move is made to implement a school voucher system universally, a system that has been shown to advance all schools and students where implemented, parents have two primary options. Take an extra job—or reduce consumption of other goods—in order to cover the cost of a private Christian-centric or other faith based education, or take the time to educate children on the topics not covered in school. This requires taking the time to determine what lessons aren’t being taught by meeting with teachers, then teaching those topics oneself. Yes, a difficult task for working parents, but if one values education, obviously worth the effort.
Conservatives ought have learned by now not to read from the shrill liberal playbook that rants and fumes at something it disagrees with, cajoling perpetrators and marginalizing themselves as reactionaries. Instead, conservatives need to rely on conservative principles to confront issues like this.
I honestly believe that there is no internal problem facing this nation than accepting one’s personal responsibility. The real challenge rests in the fact of making people realize the gravity of that charge, and finding ways to make oneself accountable.
Below are links to the Bennish story.
>CBS Story
Audio
I haven’t touched the sale of various port terminals to Dubai Ports World for a few reasons. Frankly, I’m tried of the coverage. Most of the people discussing this matter involve no discussion, but rather, a shrill unilateral condemnation of the notion of selling port operations to an Arab state. Forget analyzing the facts that security will still be in the hands of the Coast Guard and Port Security Inc.—a Chinese influenced firm—or that having ports controlled by the UAE pales on comparison the danger of our wide open borders. Furthermore, let’s also forget that no American firms have expressed interest in the deal because they refuse to transact business with the Union, who demand salaries upwards of $150,000 for a longshoreman and that electronic transmissions of incoming freight be re-keyed into their system as a concession to maintaining a certain workforce. Let’s just ignore this deal as endemic of major problems battling this country. Remember, the talking points have been for the past 6 years: Bush and his cronies are evil. Equivocal discourse doesn’t fit that agenda.
Right wing talk shows have moved on after providing their own waffling defenses of the ports deal. They’ve moved on to something that I consider equally troubling. Michael Savage and his co-hosts have been ranting about the state of public schools. Laura Ingraham ran with a tape recording of an Aurora, Colorado teacher—Jay Bennish—vehemently regurgitating Michael Moore’s anti-capitalism rants, anti-war rants, and comparing President Bush to Hitler in place of a geography lecture. I don’t know what has happened to this teacher (I must have missed that segment), but the lecture is quite sickening. To hear this undereducated, over-influenced by a single point of view spewing this vile anti-American filth in a publicly funded school with no oversight and no retribution does disturb me. It disturbs me when teachers ignore the lesson plan, and substitute their own political agendas for the lesson plan. The other chief complaints about public schools regard a refusal to post a famous painting of George Washington praying after Valley Forge as a violation of separation of church and state, and a refusal to teach the Declaration of Independence because the documents reference God—or how the fundamentals and foundations of Islam take up a chapter in some history textbooks, while Christianity receives a 5-page section. Of course, that latter point ignores the fact that most of this history taught from the period 0 CE to 1700 and even beyond hinges on Christianity and references it, even if indirectly. But when do they take out religious history entirely, I wonder? However, I think that the point contending that there is a conflict for the students and a distraction for them when placing a sexually-reassigned teacher back in their original school to teach primary and middle-school students.
Though I agree that public schools teachers that try and indoctrinate students into any political philosophy should be vilified and fired, the answer is not ranting about the loss of our nation and its future. Rather, the answer hinges on the foremost conservative principle—that of individual responsibility. Those who want the bible taught in schools, which I think would be infinitely valuable, have that option. They can send their children to private schools, Sunday studies, or educate their children themselves. It breaks down to two options. Until a move is made to implement a school voucher system universally, a system that has been shown to advance all schools and students where implemented, parents have two primary options. Take an extra job—or reduce consumption of other goods—in order to cover the cost of a private Christian-centric or other faith based education, or take the time to educate children on the topics not covered in school. This requires taking the time to determine what lessons aren’t being taught by meeting with teachers, then teaching those topics oneself. Yes, a difficult task for working parents, but if one values education, obviously worth the effort.
Conservatives ought have learned by now not to read from the shrill liberal playbook that rants and fumes at something it disagrees with, cajoling perpetrators and marginalizing themselves as reactionaries. Instead, conservatives need to rely on conservative principles to confront issues like this.
I honestly believe that there is no internal problem facing this nation than accepting one’s personal responsibility. The real challenge rests in the fact of making people realize the gravity of that charge, and finding ways to make oneself accountable.
Below are links to the Bennish story.
>CBS Story
Audio
posted by Hickmania at
11:04 AM
2 Comments:
Ignoring the stupidity above...
There are many good arguments for school vouchers. Many, many good ones. As much as your conservative sensibilities hate to hear it, they work really well in Europe. :P
I think that saying that it will allow parents to get their children a Christian based education is the wrong angle, though. If you put it that way, it ends up being state financial support of a religious institution. At least, that's how I read that argument, though vouchers are a good thing.
Actually, I want to touch on something you'll appreciate. I don't know if you know who Bob McChesney is, but I know you'll know Noam Chomsky and his political views. Anyway, I was listening to Dr. Chomsky on McChensey's radio show about media, and not only did he comment that the port deal was stupid, he also commented on what the asshat says above. He said that the port deal was a non-event and nothing but people being bigots. He also said that those claiming Bush committed 9/11 are morons. The kind of planning that involves and the sheer logistics make a conspiracy astronomically unlikely. That is to say that keeping is quiet would be impossible.
Though, don't take this to mean Chomsky didn't villify Bush. :) He just had more (and some less) intelligent things to say... in addition to calling him a war criminal many times.
PS: It was an NPR show. I know you're really critical of the media in general, but how do you feel about NPR/PBS? A lot of conservatives, and liberals, I know feel it's very balanced. Some parts have bias one way or another, but it seems to come across balanced to me at least.
By
X, at 8:13 PM
I'll leave the comments by 'iamerican' simply because they speak for themselves. As much as we disagree on things, Keith, at least I can recognize the reason and intelligence behind your arguments, tempered by more than a 5 year attention span to history.
As for the vouchers being successful in Europe, I take that as a good sign. I think there are some, and I definitely mean SOME, intelligent public policy initiatives adopted in Europe and other nations that we would be wise to adopt if we hadn't so much hubris--or incompetence.
I don't mean to say that vouchers should only be meant to promote Christian-centric education, rather, that someone who is so inclined to value such an education should see the voucher system as a potential opportunity to send their children to such a school without paying for two educations the way the current system is constructed.
As for your remarks on conspiracy theories--total agreement. Occam's razor cuts down conspiracy theories almost 10 times out of 10. They're just too improbable. They can be fun to hash out though--except when you want to say Bush is equivocal to Hitler. That's absolute nonsense.
As for NPR and PBS, I honestly have no opinion of them. I love the crap out of Nova when it's on PBS, but the other programming doesn't appeal to me that much. I actually listen to a lot of Deutsche Welle, which is kind of like a German NPR. I'm surprised how balanced it is, considering it's broadcast origin.
If you saw John Stewart on Larry King, he made a very good point. The villification of the 'media' doesn't make a lot of sense. It's such a nebulous term, one may as well just say 'people are evil and biased,' because often enough, that hypothesis will hold. However, he later used 'the media' along with 'Hollywood' and some other non-terms like that.
I guess I've had to lay down my guns to 'the media' because the pick and choose method of trying to inform onesself is time consuming. Though I think everyone ought do it, I can't fault them greatly for not doing so.
By
Hickmania, at 12:44 AM
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