Johnny Can't Read

I began faculty development today for my third year here. We reviewed why Johnny still can't read after 60 years of social experimentation by the morons who run education in this state -- and the rest of the country. Thank God someone in Sacramento had the juevos and brains to reinstate phonics and language skills back into the curriculum.

There is an entire generation (at least 15 years worth) of folks who should sue the pants off of the State Education Dept. -- or the morons at each USD -- or the cabal of higher education "Education" depts. who trained these teachers to teach whole language instead of phonics, language competence, etc. The problem is almost criminal in its breadth. When I consider the vast numbers of folks who expend ginormous amounts of time, money, and effort to learn to read properly in college or later because their education bureaucracy let them down and their parents did not know or care (in some cases) enough to teach them to read at home. Come to think of it... Thank God for my Mom.

Here's a good (OK -- "interesting") story on the issue from the Washington Post (08/20/2006).

Ed. This is a republish of an 08/2006 post. I inadvertently published a spam comment and wanted to remove it.

Looking under rocks...

Earlier today I was watching this channel on the tail end of Dish Network called LINK and a show called "Democracy Now". Suffice to say the show is the 21st century TV version of Pravda. Stalin would love the show and the producer which I think is Pacifica (which has a faaar left radio station here in SoCal too).

Anyway I watch the show every now and then to check up on the tinfoil hat crowd and because they do have interesting stories at times on some obscure corners of the world. The unexamined life... right? The show is hosted by a woman named Amy Goodman. Her disdain for Bush is beautiful to watch. Her demeanor is very low key yet she exudes this mixture of hatred for Bush and a near "run for the hills" panic. It's really quite unique on television.

Today's show was about the war on Lebanon by the Zionist entity. OK, they actually called it "Israel", but nary a mention -- not a whiff of Hizbollah rockets fired, Israeli casualties, or anything even remotely balanced. For a good 30 minutes there was a laundry list of Israeli wrongs -- the founders of Israel were terrorists you know. There was an Ambassador named Edward Peck who actually says this. He was the CHief of the Iraq mission under Reagan. I hope to God Reagan didn't actually know this guy. No history of Israel here, but it is disingenuous to the maximum degree to suggest terrorists founded Israel -- just as it would be to say that Israel is always lily-white in its actions.

Anyway... There is absolutely nothing wrong with disagreeing with the the way the war on terror is being prosecuted or with how Bush or Clinton handles the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, etc. but to hear of the outright vitriole against Israel and the complete soft-selling of Hizbollah is shocking. This Peck fellow actually used the "Terrorism is in the eye of the beholder" line. Amy Goodman actually believes there is no difference the Minutemen of the 1775-76 and Hizbollah. I know this breaks no new ground, but it is disheartening to hear so many so out of touch. It borders on the anti-Semitic (and I don't throw around racial politics at ALL) -- only because it is so irrational that it leaves almost no other explanation other than mental illness. Ay Caramba! as Bart Simpson would say.

Mitt Romney -- Mormon President?

Kathryn Jean Lopez has an interesting piece in today's National Review Online concerning the potential candidacy for POTUS of Mitt Romney, Gov. of Massachusetts. Romney also happens to be a Mormon.

Lopez argues, and personally hopes it seems from some of her posts on The Corner over the past couple of months, that Romney will enjoy the support of conservative evangelicals since we of course would vote for no liberal and would never NOT vote if it would result in President Hillary Clinton.

I have been a Southern Baptist since I was three and a believer since I was 7. Let me first say that the thought of another Clinton presidency sends chills down my spine -- this one even moreso than Bill. However, I feel that Lopez misunderstands and underestimates the average Southern Baptist's exposure to Mormonism. A film called The Godmakers used to be standard viewing in youth groups all across the denomination. That Mormonism is a cult is almost an article of faith.

How deep and strong this belief will work against Romney is unknown and perhaps unknowable since many will lie to a pollster because to say otherwise out loud would be intimidating to folks who don't want to sound rude or intolerant. Mormon beliefs are not just different, but border on tinfoil hat wearing. That their scripture is edited more often than the average blog is disturbing. The hold the belief, in the utter and absolute absence of ANY archaelogical evidence that Christ came to Mesoamerica while in the tomb to preach to the natives. Mormons will be gods of their own planets some day. These are disturbing enough, but most troubling is the influence their Prophet might have. He is no Pope -- the Vicar of Christ. He is a direct channel of revelation -- able to change the doctrine -- and it must be followed. It goes beyond sectarian fears of a "papist" John F. Kennedy.

Mormons are generally nice, kind, love their families, and I have long term friends who are Mormons. I would vote for them for mayor or even Governor, but President of the U.S. gives me pause. I'm not saying I wouldn't vote for Romney -- only that I would struggle and pray through the decision. Also of course, it would depend on other factors such as available alternatives and his actual stances on the issues.

I know I'm not alone in this and it makes me nervous to say it because most folks don't know how to argue, just hurl insults and bromides about intolerance, phobias, etc. The hierachical nature of the religion makes me nervous. Protestants, like Bush, have no adherence to a single man, and don't as a general rule believe in continuing and direct revelation from God. The canon is closed, we are far from perfect, and there is no one human to whom we owe any ultimate fealty. Perhaps this fear of the Mormon faith is overblown, perhaps not. But I have absolutely no qualms in expressing doubts in light of the gravity of the consequences.

Israeli Heavy Lifting

Looks like Israel will be doing what we should be perhaps doing. Invading Syria would be costly and might be beyond Bush's political capital. Ideally Hezbollah would voluntary disarm, learn to tolerate Israel and go home to wives, etc. Unfortunately, that is not the way they seem to work. So I hope (reluctantly) that Israel can put enough pressure on Syria to get them to crack down or perhaps trigger an internal regime change. Jets in Damascus seems to be the only way. It's sad, but inevitable it seems, that it had to come to this.

I cannot wait for the apocalyptic sermons to come out.

Not much going on today...

I did see North by Northwest today for the umpteenth time on TCM. I love that movie. Exactly how girl like Eva Marie Saint gets to be a "girl like her" is still a mystery.

World Cup

Like I have anything to say about soccer. I'm not surprised the U.S. lost, I'm happy Mexico lost because I wouldn't want to keep hearing about it. That is the depth of my futbol commentary.

I have to say...

It's a Grind coffehouse has the best Passion Tea -- ice cold and tasty, especially when it's 105 degrees outside. It's not manly, but it's too damn hot for coffee.

The State of the Language

I have been teaching a graduate English class modeled on law school "Law and Literature" courses this summer. It has been awhile since I've read any literary criticism and I have to say... the English language has been and is in real trouble. I knew lawyers and judges as well as politicians were able to twist the language and distort words such as "is", "person", and "privacy", but ay caramba! Lawyers have nothing on Stanley Fish, et al. regarding the distortion and fabrication of meanings and intentions.

Between feminist critique, queer theory, and deconstruction it's no wonder reading literature is as fun as eating dry toast. If one doesn't get a political message (or whatever the queer theorists get out of anything!) then the reader is a comlete simpleton. Beyond that the reader of poetry or a novel can feel free to make up his own interpretation -- after all the reader participtes in the authoring of the work according to some of these dolts. It's a new work every time it's read. Making an "A" in English must have never been easier. How can a professor question little Johnny's reading of Ode on a Grecian Urn?

The dangers inherent in this elite language cartel populated by elite literature professors is the same as that inherent in the admittedly larger cabal of law professors and elites who not only delight in, but advocate the destruction (I should say deconstruction) of our language. Namely, the hoi polloi, many of whom already lack the necessary time, skills, or access to the halls of power, will find themselves pushed even further out.

Law has almost always been the domain of a relatively select few, and literacy has not been widespread either. Limiting access to the stories that inform us about our virtues and vices as well as the narratives of our various neighbors is dangerous to liberty and stability. Shakespeare is not limited to the domain of the English major or even worse, the English Ph.D. The sorry state of state-funded education (with much parental blame) dovetails nicely with the elite literary critic's seeming desire to close access to the world that literature opens up to all of us -- at least those of us who can read..

Tookie's Demise

Less than 7 hours to the appeal of Tookie Williams to a Higher Court. Hopefully between now and then he will find real and lasting redemption and not the fake jive-ass kind he's been peddling for over 2 decades. I don't relish his death, but if ever one deserved to die -- Tookie Williams is it. He must be responsible -- either by his own hand or by the fruits of his labors -- for a significant minority of the murders of African-Americans these last 30 years. I wonder if it could be quantified? Between his own murderous life, the 2 sons he's left to us (one a murderer and the other a , for now, alleged rapist), and last , but not least the Crips he must bear the mark of thousands of murders since the early 1970s.

I was prepared to vote for anybody but Arnold Schwarzenegger next time aropund if he'd granted clemency. I should've known, but who puts faith in politicians anymore? Arnold's cocktail parties will be especially frosty when his tenure is over.

Schwarzenegger's Decision is well written and thoughtful. He's got good people doing that job. In the end, Williams "redemption" is just as fake as he is/was.

Still... who has the pager at the 9th Circuit?