My daughter is reading Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" in her American literature class. The class is studying the Puritans and some of the earlier U.S. writers (before it was the U.S.).
In a fine bit of serendipity, the University of Wyoming theatre program in Laramie is opening its season with "The Crucible." It plays at the Fine Arts Main Stage Sept. 29-Oct. 4 with Tuesday-Saturday shows at 7:30 p.m. and the Sunday matinee at 2 p.m.
The story is about the hysteria surrounded the Salem witch hunts of the 17th century. But this was also Miller's response to the McCarthy witch hunts of the 1950s -- another bout of mass hysteria. Miller won the 1953 Tony Award for best play.
Tickets can be purchased in person at the Fine Arts Box Office in the Fine Arts Lobby or online at www.uwyo.edu/finearts, or by calling 307-766-6666. Ticket prices: $14 for general public, $11 for seniors, and $7 for students.
I'd like to be able to say this play is a hard-hitting commentary on our own hysteric times. But better to say it's a ripping good yarn.
P.S. Did you notice the six sixes (666666) in the UW Fine Arts phone number? Is this a coincidence, or does it mean that arts programs at UW are promoting "the mark and/or sign of the beast," a.k.a. Satan? I call for an investigation into these practices. Call your senators! Carry signs and yell out unintelligible things at meetings of the UW Trustees! Better yet, let's have a trial.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
We don't need no stinkin' czars
Wyoming's lone U.S. Representative, Cynthia Lummis of Cheyenne, joined other Republican deep thinkers such as Michelle Bachmann (R-Penn.), Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), and Pete Sessions (R-Texas) as co-sponsors for H.R. 3226: The Czar Accountability and Reform Act or "CZAR."
I suppose this is an acceptable acronym. The legislators had to stoop to borrowing the first and second letters of "Czar." In reality, it should be TCAARA, but that's just an abbreviation and not an annoying acronym to wave in the faces of Democrats.
This bill proposes:
Sponsor is another deep thinker from the South, Rep. Jack Kingston [R-GA1]
I was surprised that Joe Wilson's name wasn't on the list of co-sponsors -- all Republicans, by the way. But you already knew that.
I suppose this is an acceptable acronym. The legislators had to stoop to borrowing the first and second letters of "Czar." In reality, it should be TCAARA, but that's just an abbreviation and not an annoying acronym to wave in the faces of Democrats.
This bill proposes:
To provide that appropriated funds may not be used to pay for any salaries or expenses of any task force, council, or similar office which is established by or at the direction of the President and headed by an individual who has been inappropriately appointed to such position (on other than an interim basis), without the advice and consent of the Senate.
Sponsor is another deep thinker from the South, Rep. Jack Kingston [R-GA1]
I was surprised that Joe Wilson's name wasn't on the list of co-sponsors -- all Republicans, by the way. But you already knew that.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Sen. Enzi: Please explain why getting beat up by your spouse is a "pre-existing condition"
This Huffington Post article was also on AlterNet:
That’s disturbing. Wyoming isn’t the worst state for cases of domestic violence. You have to go to Alabama and Oklahoma and South Carolina (Joe Wilson’s and Gov. Sanford's and Jim DeMint’s state) for that. In fact, those eight states in which insurance companies are able to hang a label of "pre-existing condition" on domestic violence victims includes Oklahoma and South Carolina, as well as Idaho, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota and my own state of Wyoming.
But all states with isolated rural populations have a high incidence of domestic violence. Wyoming is no exception.
The National Census of Domestic Violence Services conducts an annual state-by-state survey. The 24-hour survey on Sept. 27, 2007, of 18 of 24 domestic violence programs in Wyoming, yielded these stats: 349 victims were served in one day; 93 needed shelter or transitional housing; 256 requested counseling, advocacy or children’s support groups. 94 percent of providers could offer counseling, but only 22 percent could offer childcare or transitional housing. There were 61 unmet requests. Meanwhile, there were 107 domestic hotline calls answered.
What about medical care? No stats were given. But a National Violence Against Women Survey in July 2000 found this: "More than one third of all rapes and physical assaults committed against women by intimates results in injury in which women receive some medical care."
If each of those requests for help came from a different person, that would add up to 127,385. That would add up to almost 25 percent of the entire population. But let’s face it: many domestic violence victims are repeat victims – and the abusers repeat offenders. If you just took one-third of that figure, you get 42,462. They are mainly women and children. If one-third of them require some sort of medical care, that 14,000-some that probably won’t qualify for medical insurance under "pre-existing condition." Some of them will be dead, of course, such as the young woman gunned down by her Army sniper husband two summers ago in Cheyenne. He then drove to the mountains and killed himself. Their children were left behind.
How can we tolerate a "system" that allows insurance companies to deny coverage to women who made bad choices? Many of them leave their battering spouses, along with the kids, and find employment in lower-paying jobs that don’t provide health insurance. If they are lucky enough to find jobs with insurance, they may get nothing due to the pre-existing condition of accidentally walking into their husband’s huge fist.
Sen. Enzi has some explaining to do.
Read entire AlterNet article at http://tinyurl.com/or5d9y
It turns out that in eight states, plus the District of Columbia, getting beaten up by your spouse is a pre-existing condition.
Under the cold logic of the insurance industry, it makes perfect sense: If you are in a marriage with someone who has beaten you in the past, you're more likely to get beaten again than the average person and are therefore more expensive to insure.
In human terms, it's a second punishment for a victim of domestic violence.
In 2006, Democrats tried to end the practice. An amendment introduced by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), now a member of leadership, split the Health Education Labor & Pensions Committee 10-10. The tie meant that the measure failed.
All ten no votes were Republicans, including Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyoming), a member of the "Gang of Six" on the Finance Committee who are hashing out a bipartisan bill. A spokesman for Enzi didn't immediately return a call from Huffington Post.
At the time, Enzi defended his vote by saying that such regulations could increase the price of insurance and make it out of reach for more people. "If you have no insurance, it doesn't matter what services are mandated by the state," he said, according to a CQ Today item from March 15th, 2006.
That’s disturbing. Wyoming isn’t the worst state for cases of domestic violence. You have to go to Alabama and Oklahoma and South Carolina (Joe Wilson’s and Gov. Sanford's and Jim DeMint’s state) for that. In fact, those eight states in which insurance companies are able to hang a label of "pre-existing condition" on domestic violence victims includes Oklahoma and South Carolina, as well as Idaho, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota and my own state of Wyoming.
But all states with isolated rural populations have a high incidence of domestic violence. Wyoming is no exception.
The National Census of Domestic Violence Services conducts an annual state-by-state survey. The 24-hour survey on Sept. 27, 2007, of 18 of 24 domestic violence programs in Wyoming, yielded these stats: 349 victims were served in one day; 93 needed shelter or transitional housing; 256 requested counseling, advocacy or children’s support groups. 94 percent of providers could offer counseling, but only 22 percent could offer childcare or transitional housing. There were 61 unmet requests. Meanwhile, there were 107 domestic hotline calls answered.
What about medical care? No stats were given. But a National Violence Against Women Survey in July 2000 found this: "More than one third of all rapes and physical assaults committed against women by intimates results in injury in which women receive some medical care."
If each of those requests for help came from a different person, that would add up to 127,385. That would add up to almost 25 percent of the entire population. But let’s face it: many domestic violence victims are repeat victims – and the abusers repeat offenders. If you just took one-third of that figure, you get 42,462. They are mainly women and children. If one-third of them require some sort of medical care, that 14,000-some that probably won’t qualify for medical insurance under "pre-existing condition." Some of them will be dead, of course, such as the young woman gunned down by her Army sniper husband two summers ago in Cheyenne. He then drove to the mountains and killed himself. Their children were left behind.
How can we tolerate a "system" that allows insurance companies to deny coverage to women who made bad choices? Many of them leave their battering spouses, along with the kids, and find employment in lower-paying jobs that don’t provide health insurance. If they are lucky enough to find jobs with insurance, they may get nothing due to the pre-existing condition of accidentally walking into their husband’s huge fist.
Sen. Enzi has some explaining to do.
Read entire AlterNet article at http://tinyurl.com/or5d9y
Monday, September 14, 2009
In Boise but not in Cheyenne: first-hand reports of 9/12 teabaggery
Nathaniel Hoffman waded into a horde of 9/12 teabaggers in a Boise park and found that "Tea Party inspired by racial fears." Read his Boise Weekly story (and see more photos) at http://tinyurl.com/qq7fxdAlso, read untamedshrew's 9/12 blog about the Boise rally on 43rd state blues. Here's an excerpt:
I saw three different men armed with pistols. I wanted to get a photo to post here, but I only had my phone camera and didn’t feel comfortable getting close to these dangerous morons. One reportedly threatened another of my fellow demonstrators, telling her, “Just give me a reason.” Scary. SCARY. What on earth were those legislators who voted for the open carry law thinking? Allowing hostile people to carry pistols into a heated situation like that? It boggles my mind.
Boise is no better or worse than any Wyoming city -- just bigger. I went looking for the "9/12 Project Rally" in Cheyenne on Saturday but couldn't find it. I had seen a blurb in the Casper Star-Trib about the Casper rally no naturally assumed there would be one in the Capital City. I left the Fox News coverage of the D.C. rally and went downtown -- but no rally. I explored the Ribfest and Farmer's Market at Depot Square Plaza. Over at the corn truck, one big guy looked askance at my "SEIU for Obama" T-shirt -- but no gun threats. I was disappointed because local teabaggers had staged protests on April 15 with scads of cool signs. They held another patritoic rally on July 4. There was another recent one which I documented on my blog.
But none on 9/12. Perhaps the Cheyenne teabaggers traveled to Boise? Please tell them to come home. We miss them.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Part II: Why I love my insurance company
This is the insurance company that (supposedly) insures Wyoming state employees. Don't know about you, but I am so happy that my premiums and your premiums and the Wyoming State Legislature's premium match have all gone to fund the very comfortable retirement of the CIGNA CEO. Nataline (see vid) wasn't alive to share in our happiness. Who's next for the CIGNA death panels?
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Dems hold pie & ice cream social Sept. 19
Pie is on the Democrats' agenda Sept. 19The Laramie County Democratic Party and the Laramie County Democratic Grassroots Coalition are co-sponsoring a Pie and Ice Cream Social on Saturday, Sept. 19, 1-4 p.m. at 708 Lawson in Pine Bluffs. Wyoming State Senator Mike Massie from Laramie is the featured speaker.
Organizers request that attendees bring a fruit pie, but no cream pies or pecan pies.
Also bring your recipes, household hints and photos for the book that LCDGC members are assembling. Deadline for submissions is Oct.1 and the book will be released in March 2010. Proceeds from book sales will be used to help Democratic Party candidates in the 2010 elections. FMI: Karyn Knutson at karynknutson@hotmail.com.
Million Thousand Moron March on D.C. included sons & daughters of the CSA
The South shall rise again! People who paid attention in history class know that the original Freedom Riders were advocates for Civil Rights in the South during the 1960s. This person's granddaddy no doubt beat up real Freedom Riders in Selma and Montgomery and Jackson.On the front burner -- Dem/Repub chili
Making a batch of Dem/Repub chili this afternoon. Great weather for it -- 52 degrees and cloudy. Football weather.
My chili "starter" was a batch of spaghetti sauce whipped up by my Republican friend Stephen from Lebanon, Tenn. He and his family stayed with us during Cheyenne Frontier Days. Stephen and his wife Kate are Republicans and probably what you'd call fundamentalist Christians. Stephen preaches at cowboy churches and also is a rodeo judge. Almost looks as good in a cowboy hat as I do. Except I don't like horses or rodeos. I play a cowboy on stage every summer at the old-fashioned melodrama. When the final curtain drops, I put away my cowboy duds until next summer.
Ain't that just like a liberal? Merely an actor on the stage of life? Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
Stephen, on the other hand, rides horses and even has some on his rural Tennessee property. He has real horseshit on his boots. He's also a trained chef who can whip up French delicacies one day, a batch of spaghetti sauce the next.
Speaking of spaghetti sauce... Stephen made some sauce for all of us this summer. A few pounds of burger, some canned tomatoes (and a few fresh ones) and spices. He whipped it all together -- along with a salad and garlic bread -- without breaking a sweat. It was fantastic sauce and so much left over that we froze a batch for later. And later is today.
To the defrosted sauce, I added some roasted Hatch chilies from New Mexico, bought this morning at the Cheyenne Farmers' Market. Most people know Hatch for its chilies and the Hatch Cut-Off, a route that links I-25 and I-10 and saves a half hour off the trip from Albuquerque to Tucson. I believe that this part of Hispanic N.M. went heavily Democratic in the 2008 elections.
I added some of my own tomatoes, also heavily Democratic like me. Plus some chili powder and cumin, both McCormick brands packed in Maryland, one of the bluest of the blue states despite being south of the Mason-Dixon Line. I also added some Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning blend, packed in Illinois, another blue state (especially around Chicago). Now, the spices come from all over. Harvested by hand by Indonesians and Brazilians making a few bucks a day (if that). I suppose this could be seen as a brand of economic imperialism that goes back to Marco Polo. Are there free-trade spice co-ops? Something I need to look up.
I whipped it all together, simmered for an hour, and filled a big bowl with the results. On the side, I had tortilla chips, sour cream and grated cheese. I ate, and watched portions of the Oklahoma State vs. Houston and UCLA vs. Tennessee football games. Those blue-state devils from Southern California trying to impose their ways upon the godly Vols of the Tennessee hills, Vols as in Volunteers, eager to fight in all U.S. wars going back to the Revolution. You'd think the Vols would have the advantage, but they lost to the Los Angelenos.
Hey, Stephen -- the chili was delicious. I'll freeze some and we can sup together next time you drop into my blue house in the reddest of red states. You're always welcome, pard.
My chili "starter" was a batch of spaghetti sauce whipped up by my Republican friend Stephen from Lebanon, Tenn. He and his family stayed with us during Cheyenne Frontier Days. Stephen and his wife Kate are Republicans and probably what you'd call fundamentalist Christians. Stephen preaches at cowboy churches and also is a rodeo judge. Almost looks as good in a cowboy hat as I do. Except I don't like horses or rodeos. I play a cowboy on stage every summer at the old-fashioned melodrama. When the final curtain drops, I put away my cowboy duds until next summer.
Ain't that just like a liberal? Merely an actor on the stage of life? Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
Stephen, on the other hand, rides horses and even has some on his rural Tennessee property. He has real horseshit on his boots. He's also a trained chef who can whip up French delicacies one day, a batch of spaghetti sauce the next.
Speaking of spaghetti sauce... Stephen made some sauce for all of us this summer. A few pounds of burger, some canned tomatoes (and a few fresh ones) and spices. He whipped it all together -- along with a salad and garlic bread -- without breaking a sweat. It was fantastic sauce and so much left over that we froze a batch for later. And later is today.
To the defrosted sauce, I added some roasted Hatch chilies from New Mexico, bought this morning at the Cheyenne Farmers' Market. Most people know Hatch for its chilies and the Hatch Cut-Off, a route that links I-25 and I-10 and saves a half hour off the trip from Albuquerque to Tucson. I believe that this part of Hispanic N.M. went heavily Democratic in the 2008 elections.
I added some of my own tomatoes, also heavily Democratic like me. Plus some chili powder and cumin, both McCormick brands packed in Maryland, one of the bluest of the blue states despite being south of the Mason-Dixon Line. I also added some Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning blend, packed in Illinois, another blue state (especially around Chicago). Now, the spices come from all over. Harvested by hand by Indonesians and Brazilians making a few bucks a day (if that). I suppose this could be seen as a brand of economic imperialism that goes back to Marco Polo. Are there free-trade spice co-ops? Something I need to look up.
I whipped it all together, simmered for an hour, and filled a big bowl with the results. On the side, I had tortilla chips, sour cream and grated cheese. I ate, and watched portions of the Oklahoma State vs. Houston and UCLA vs. Tennessee football games. Those blue-state devils from Southern California trying to impose their ways upon the godly Vols of the Tennessee hills, Vols as in Volunteers, eager to fight in all U.S. wars going back to the Revolution. You'd think the Vols would have the advantage, but they lost to the Los Angelenos.
Hey, Stephen -- the chili was delicious. I'll freeze some and we can sup together next time you drop into my blue house in the reddest of red states. You're always welcome, pard.
Another pic from D.C. Million Moron March
This sign was distributed today in D.C. by Catholic anti-abortion group all.org. Guess it has no respect for the devout Catholicism of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy. And no couth, either.
Million Moron March today in D.C.
I went to Glenn Beck's Million Moron March and all I got was this lousy T-Shirt
(from a post on http://watergatesummer.blogspot.com)
Friday, September 11, 2009
9-11 Remembrance in Cheyenne
Fifty or so people gathered at the State Capitol this morning to remember the events of 9-11-01.
I still think it should be the "Cheney International Bunker"
Last November following the elections, word came that UW was naming its international studies center after Dick Cheney. Well, that's exactly what happened. Today was the dedication. Both pro-Cheney and anti-Cheney people were out on Prexy's Pasture, basking in righteousness and the last hot day of the summer.
Looking back at my 11/08 post, it's not bad. read it for tourself at http://hummingbirdminds.blogspot.com/2008/11/uw-should-build-cheney-village-on.html.
You can also read about today's UW events on the Casper Star-Trib and at Channel 5/KGWN in Cheyenne. While you're at the Channel 5 site, vote in the poll about whether the center should have been named for Dick Cheney.
Looking back at my 11/08 post, it's not bad. read it for tourself at http://hummingbirdminds.blogspot.com/2008/11/uw-should-build-cheney-village-on.html.
You can also read about today's UW events on the Casper Star-Trib and at Channel 5/KGWN in Cheyenne. While you're at the Channel 5 site, vote in the poll about whether the center should have been named for Dick Cheney.
Writer Alexandra Fuller a speaker at WyoDems Jefferson-Jackson Dinner
WyoDems' head honcho Bill Luckett sends this news:
I may go to this one. I've heard Alexandra Fuller speak twice and she's compelling. Great writer too.
Tickets are still available for the 2009 Jefferson-Jackson Dinner Banquet on Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Riverton Holiday Inn. With acclaimed author Alexandra Fuller and Colorado Democratic Party Chair Pat Waak planning to speak, you won't want to miss our annual traditional party rally!
To register today, call us at 800-729-3367 or register online by clicking here. To view event details, please visit our state party Web site at http://www.wyomingdemocrats.com/. It's the featured item on our homepage.
*NEW ON THE AGENDA: Be among the first to preview two video ads we have produced, which we will debut at the dinner, and hear an update on our message and marketing efforts!
As a reminder, we will also have a State Central Committee meeting at the hotel beginning at 1 p.m. on Sept. 26. The evening festivities begin at 5:45 p.m. with a VIP Cocktail reception with our honored guest speakers: author Alexandra Fuller, a
workers' rights advocate, and Colorado Democratic Chair Pat Waak. Tickets to the
VIP Cocktail are $100 a person. The dinner banquet follows at 7 p.m., and tickets are $75.
We have eight-seat tables to the dinner available: $1,500 for Gold Level seating, $1,000 for Silver Level, and $600 for Bronze Level. People who buy a Gold Level table will be admitted to the VIP Cocktail free of charge.
Finally, we have a special room rate at the Holiday Inn of $89 if you ask for the Wyoming Democratic Party's room rate, but that rate expires on Sept. 18, so make your reservation now to get the discount.
Don't delay! Buy your ticket today! Call us at 800-729-3367 or register online.
I may go to this one. I've heard Alexandra Fuller speak twice and she's compelling. Great writer too.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Mad As Hell Doctors stop in Cheyenne
Laramie's Nancy Sindelar featured this in her excellent e-letter:
On Sunday Sept 13, Mad As Hell Doctors will be speaking to promote universal health care. These three docs on their way to Washington, D.C., will present the documentary "Health, Money, and Fear" (2009) that covers the insanity of the current system. The event begins at 12:30 p.m., and will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 3005 Thomes Ave., Cheyenne. Free.
FMI: www.madashelldoctors.com, www.ourailinghealthcare.com, www.uucheyenne.org, 307-638-4554.
On Sunday Sept 13, Mad As Hell Doctors will be speaking to promote universal health care. These three docs on their way to Washington, D.C., will present the documentary "Health, Money, and Fear" (2009) that covers the insanity of the current system. The event begins at 12:30 p.m., and will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 3005 Thomes Ave., Cheyenne. Free.
FMI: www.madashelldoctors.com, www.ourailinghealthcare.com, www.uucheyenne.org, 307-638-4554.
Cheney Rendition Center?
On Daily Kos: The University of Wyoming Rendition Center at http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/9/9/779282/-The-U-of-Wyomings-Cheney-Rendition-Center
From the Casper Star-Trib: http://trib.com/articles/2009/09/09/news/wyoming/739b35431d2de19e8725762b007ef75f.txt
Protest in Laramie tomorrow against the Cheney Center for the Advancement of War Profiteers/War Criminals.
From the Casper Star-Trib: http://trib.com/articles/2009/09/09/news/wyoming/739b35431d2de19e8725762b007ef75f.txt
Protest in Laramie tomorrow against the Cheney Center for the Advancement of War Profiteers/War Criminals.
All's calm at school after Obama Speech Day
This evening I attended the open house at my daughter Annie's high school, Cheyenne Central. The wily administrators schedule the event as a replica school day. Seven minutes sitting at my kid's desk in World History. Listening to the teacher describe the school year in detail. I take notes, of course, the inveterate scribe. The bells rings and me and my bum knees have five minutes to weave through hordes of neighbors to get to the other side of the building for P.E. Nice gym, or should I say "athletic center." One big b-ball/v-ball center court with practice courts lengthwise at each end. Big bleachers for the fans. Wooden floors that give a little when you run so you don't end up with shin splints after every game.
My high school gym had one court, wood over concrete which made the floor as hard as, well, concrete. There was a stage along one side and cramped bleachers on the other. The end walls were about three feet from the out-of-bounds line, which was one reason we never got through a season without a player smashing into the wall and breaking a crucial bone. Still, our court was better than the one across the county. It was an aging World War II Quonset Hut with support poles that were on the court. The poles were covered with mats, just in case. And it was a technical foul to use a pole for a pick. But many of us tried anyway.
It's not just the facility when it comes to schools. My daughter has several small classes staffed with two teachers. In physical science, there's two teachers and ten kids. Pretty darn good, I say. Sure, I pay my taxes and all that blah blah blah. But you can't pay enough for the dedication I've seen from the teachers and counselors and administrators at Central High School.
Now about that Obama speech today. At the open house, I expected to see phalanxes of bug-eyed students wandering the halls chanting: "Repeat after me -- I'm a socialist community organizer who wants to kill Grandma." But I only saw a few, those whose minds have already melted down from watching too much FOX News.
Annie said she didn't have a chance to see the speech because her algebra classroom doesn't have a TV. I can understand why. Leninist/Stalinist/Hitlerist Obama messages might leak out of the tube and creep into the minds of the students who should be concentrating on equations. Annie said that a couple of the kids had made snide remarks about Obama but there didn't seem to be any major protest or massive walkout or let's-all-yell-at-the-TV-screen event. The school district had made viewing voluntary, saying that teachers could show it during class time or show it later. Students could opt out, spending their time in some worthwhile pursuit, such as study hall or sneaking a smoke out in the parking lot.
I did notice that two of the eight teachers I visited had quotes from Pres. Obama written on their white boards. That's something, I guess, although probably enough to get some Glenn-Beck-watching Know Nothings wildly indignant. But they get wildly indignant about every little thing. Too bad they didn't pay attention in civics class back in the day.
My high school gym had one court, wood over concrete which made the floor as hard as, well, concrete. There was a stage along one side and cramped bleachers on the other. The end walls were about three feet from the out-of-bounds line, which was one reason we never got through a season without a player smashing into the wall and breaking a crucial bone. Still, our court was better than the one across the county. It was an aging World War II Quonset Hut with support poles that were on the court. The poles were covered with mats, just in case. And it was a technical foul to use a pole for a pick. But many of us tried anyway.
It's not just the facility when it comes to schools. My daughter has several small classes staffed with two teachers. In physical science, there's two teachers and ten kids. Pretty darn good, I say. Sure, I pay my taxes and all that blah blah blah. But you can't pay enough for the dedication I've seen from the teachers and counselors and administrators at Central High School.
Now about that Obama speech today. At the open house, I expected to see phalanxes of bug-eyed students wandering the halls chanting: "Repeat after me -- I'm a socialist community organizer who wants to kill Grandma." But I only saw a few, those whose minds have already melted down from watching too much FOX News.
Annie said she didn't have a chance to see the speech because her algebra classroom doesn't have a TV. I can understand why. Leninist/Stalinist/Hitlerist Obama messages might leak out of the tube and creep into the minds of the students who should be concentrating on equations. Annie said that a couple of the kids had made snide remarks about Obama but there didn't seem to be any major protest or massive walkout or let's-all-yell-at-the-TV-screen event. The school district had made viewing voluntary, saying that teachers could show it during class time or show it later. Students could opt out, spending their time in some worthwhile pursuit, such as study hall or sneaking a smoke out in the parking lot.
I did notice that two of the eight teachers I visited had quotes from Pres. Obama written on their white boards. That's something, I guess, although probably enough to get some Glenn-Beck-watching Know Nothings wildly indignant. But they get wildly indignant about every little thing. Too bad they didn't pay attention in civics class back in the day.
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