The next two weeks are going to be a bit on the slow side here. I leave for Montana first thing in the morning, and while I should be able to get online in the evenings, there’s no guarantee. Hopefully, the guest bloggers I’ve asked to drop by will keep things updated once in a while.
As usual, you’re invited to share your own tips in the comments.
A Democrat considers where his party has gone;
We need two lively parties to make a good game of “Capture the Flag.” In the end, the struggle is always for the non-ideological “center,” (which has always been fairly conservative outside of the MSM, academia, union loyalists, California, and New England/New York), but which has slowly drifted “rightward” – I think mainly in reaction to the alarming “Leftward” drift of the Dems since JFK – and the high visibility of their irrational and often wackily colorful fringe elements and “lens lice,” as Curtis Sliwa terms them.
The tolerant Left targets a 7 year old homophobe.
Home schooling as criminal offense.
Plus, this amusing anecdote, via private email.
During Premier Calverts recent road trip through the Porcupine Plain and Tisdale area, a cousin of a friend of mine heard a comment made by the premier.
Upon exiting the bus he viewed a yellow field and exclaimed “what a nice crop that is” , his handlers had to explain that the field was actually covered in dandylions.
In a province where finishing a canoe race either first or last is considered all the same, should we not agree with Lorne that there really is no difference between a field of dandylions or a fine crop of canola.
Indeed!
Some years I wonder if a crop of dandilions wouldn’t be cheaper in the long run than a crop you pay to put in, look after and either don’t harvest at all or do but it is worth nothing. Then there are the Genetics Cops looking over your shoulder to make sure you didn’t pirate their seed.
re: Home schooling. I wonder if that kind of state control will be far off here. Just last week Edmonton Public announced big cuts due to lower than expected enrollment. Citing shifting demographics. I know in our County, home schooling is gaining in popularity and acceptance by the local school board. But for how long? I was in a line-up last week, the same day the story about Ed. Public came out, where two ladies behind me were discussing how home schooling is competing with the population of some schools and is a drain on the system.
Re: 7 year old getting beat up by “tolerant” Left:
Check out the Saturday National Post’s editorial, “Sexualizing the classroom”. Gay agenda to be taught in B.C. schools, and “…The deal would also appear to include an agreement by the province to restrict the rights of parents to have their children sit outside during the controversial new lectures.”
I linked to your post, Kate. Enjoy your trip.
1) The cunning linguist deconsructed:
“A noxious form of argument: Noam Chomsky has allowed bile and rhetoric to replace intellectual rigour in his latest diatribe against the present United States administration…”
http://books.guardian.co.uk/reviews/politicsphilosophyandsociety/0,,1800002,00.html
2) The mindless depths of US-haters:
“Anti-Americanism’s Deep Roots: The Current Wave of Hostility Will Ebb. But This Is About More Than the Iraq War.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/18/AR2006061800900.html
Mark
Ottawa
Homeschooling…
It never ceases to amaze me how paranoid lazy parents present themselves as these educated noble pseudo-teachers. Their stupid claims go well beyond the usual ” where drugs and violence are rampant” and now goes to the absurd “pupils are indoctrinated with political correctness and socialism”.
I guess they belive their children have no sense of right or wrong and don’t have the fortitude nor character to deal with life’s challenges.
Always the same conclusion too…how great their children are because of home-schooling.
What a boatload of nonsense.
David Brown – whatever your opinion of homeschooling, it’s amazing that you can call the people who choose to do so “lazy”. Clearly you haven’t a clue of the sort of work required to home school children – about as much of a sense of the developmental curve of children. Do you think children are born with a moral compass as forthright as a judge, with an ethical sense as finely tuned as an adult’s? Clearly, the only boatload of nonsense here is your grasp of parenthood.
rick,
Lazy as in they don’t want to deal with the challenges and resulting benefits of a public education.
Lazy as in they don’t want to go to work rather stay at home in their jammies until lunch.
Lazy in that they want to bring their children up in their own image.
Children are not necassarily born with a moral compass or an ethical sense of judgement but they are a lot smarter than you give them credit for, fortunately they will learn despite what you try to teach them.
If you want to find out exactly what my parenting skills are then you should spend some time with my children…19 and 21 years old, they’re religion free, politics free, highly educated, happy and successful well beyond their years. All this because I exposed them and guided them through today’s many of lifes challenges.
A “public education” benifits only the socialist.
Your an asshole brown, raising your children religion and politics free. do you really mean you have raised them with the religion and politics of communism (oops socialism) What a dolt. The first time any teacher tries to pass along this fag recruiting shit to my child will be the last time that teacher pass’s anything on to anyone.
David:
I find it incredible that someone who appears to me to be as wrong-headed and hateful as yourself could raise two perfectly well-adjusted children as those two.
They must have ignored you completely, huh? Well good for them!
“pupils are indoctrinated with political correctness and socialism”
They are at my daughter’s school.
One little ditty at the spring concert:
“we have to share
We have to care
If we don’t
It’s going to ruff
It’s going to be tough”
And this was illustrated by their music teacher who refused to hold the concert in the evening because she works to the BCTF contract, so daytime concert only, for her.
Older students read statements about the continuing problems of racism and environmental destruction.
This at a school with students from 37 nations who seem get along just fine with each other while they play on the grounds that are littered with broken glass and wrappers that they have dropped themselves.
David Brown,
Did you bother reading Joanne C’s post on the article in the Post over the weekend?
“Lazy as in they want their children to grow up in their own image.”
What’s wrong with that?
Lazy is not caring what your children are being taught by complete strangers, many of whom are socialists. Staying home and teaching your children is a hardly lazy, compared to that.
And in fact, children are indoctrinated into pcism, and other intolerable socialist inventions – without parental consent.
Despite what you say about your “religious free” children. I doubt anybody on this site would believe that your children are well adjusted. On the contrary, it’s more likely they are as brain-dead and absurd as you are.
David Brown –
Reading your comment, I find it hard to believe that your children are “politics free”. Quite the opposite – what a scorched earth you seem to have raised them into, denuded of the philosophical richness of religion, of the mental challenges of grasping the political, even of your own heritage, since you think that there’s something unspeakably wrong with raising children in “your own image”. All I see is arrogance and desolation. I don’t know who to feel more sorry for – your kids, who’ve been given almost nothing to build upon as adults, or your suicidal self, apparently motivated by a bottomless self-hatred.
Irwin,
Wanting children to grow up in our own image is just plain egotistical. They inherit our baggage and continue on making the same mistakes we’ve made. Please don’t tell me your life has been mistake free.
Our children should be brought up as individuals that can think for themselves and thrive in today’s crazy world. They can only make real positive change if their minds are emancipated from the mental slavery us adults place on each other.
Absurd is labelling all public school teachers ‘socialists’ as well as believing war and armed conflict is the only solution to create the perfect world according to the whims of Irwin Daisey.
Teach them to make informed decisions then let them decide if they want to be a pacifist or not.
No matter how noble the cause, indoctrination is not the answer. The ability to analyze and act accordingly is.
Love your work but beg to differ.
Read the article and saw nothing to indicate that the 7 year old or his father were homophobes.
But geez wow talk about an ugly homo lobby. Thats as ugly as ….
Thanks for all your good work and entertainment
Wow, David. I don’t think I could disagree with you more than I do on this one. I’m not sure where to start. What do you mean by “the challenges” of a public education? Have you read much about or spoken to many people who actually do homeschool? The homeschoolers I know would probably be better described as pathologically energetic than lazy. I hope you have a bit of time to engage in this discussion – I’m really surprised by your position on this, and by the angry tone of your remarks.
rick,
What you call a scorched earth I call the new Garden of Eden…only my kids know what to do when the serpent comes along, there’ll be no buying in to the beguilement. No sin, no guilt…no mind control!
P.S. Don’t feel sorry for my kids they possess a philosophical richness that transcends religion and politics.
grasshopper,
I feel very strongly about this topic but maybe it’s one I should just stay silent on. I’m not angry at all but because of the nature and how passionate the players are any opposition could come across as anger.
Anyways, I’ve spoken my mind and will now drop it.
Having been a sustitute in the so called ‘school system’, I know that I would never send my child into that door! The teachers act like grade six metally challanged Dippers – they compain to students about the work load and allow students to set agendas. If you want your children to be educated; turn off the T.V. and the internet and put them in a chair for 3 or 4 hours at the kitchen table with books. Failing that, send them to a good private school and visit often to see what is happening in there. Your kids will learn more in a week at home than they will in 2 months at public school.
Oh oh, here is a left winger who gets it.
Luckily for us right wingers the Dems will ignore him or denigrate him for not being progressive.
From the Maggies Farm link (thanks Kate),
“When we Dems begin standing up for America, and abandon socialism, we can begin winning national elections again.”
Prayers up for our soldiers in Afghanistan. The 10th Mountain Division is on the offense, taking this fight directly to the enemy.
U.S. soldiers descended on a mountain ridge Sunday, quickly setting up fortified posts and mortar positions overlooking a key Taliban transport route as the coalition pressed a major offensive that has killed dozens of suspected militants. Troops from the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division poured out of CH-47 Chinook helicopters in the early morning and scouted the mountain for militants.
1 final thought…
From Jema54s post…My kids went to excellent public schools. The teachers took their jobs very seriously and if they didn’t parents organized and had them ‘reassigned’.
My apologies, I forgot to take into account school boards where misguided teachers ran roughshod over the system. In that case concerned parents should have the right to seek other options.
David Brown – Its easy to comment as you do when you have not walked in the shoes of the children who are the victims of the Belgian government’s position and those in Canada who are affected by similar theories around homeschooling as you seem to uphold.
Good news everyone:
Bill Whittle is back.
http://www.ejectejecteject.com/archives/000132.html
He’s using metaphors of exploration and maps. One gem from among many that sums up current liberal thought on just about everything:
Liberal: reality is wrong, my version is right.
Margaret Somerville
Margaret Somerville, a McGill University professor, is receiving an honourary doctorate from Ryerson University. Margaret Somerville is against gay marriage, so protests are expected at today’s ceremony. Ryerson’s president said they might not have offered her the award had they known it would get such negative reaction. Should they have rescinded the honourary degree? cnews
Let us make a list:
Hate Police, Language Police, Smoke Police, Egg Police, Homophobia Police, Human Rights Police, Police Police, No Police To be Found Police, Dalton McGuinty’s UN/Ontario Peacekeeping Police, Native Police, Non-native Resident Police, CSIS Police, Police No Swearing Police, Internet Police, … More Police:
The Etiquette Police. …-
The phone booth returns without the phone
In an effort to appease patrons and etiquette police, restaurants, bars, movie theaters and libraries are carving out spaces
(With Police Files from cnewsPolice)
“They inherit our baggage and continue on making the same mistakes we’ve made. Please don’t tell me your life has been mistake free.”
No I’ve made plenty. That’s why it’s important for parents to use their life’s lessons to guide their children.
“Wanting children to grow up in our own image is just plain egotistical.
“Don’t feel sorry for my kids they possess a philosophical richness that transcends religion and politics.”
That sounds like a religious philosophy to me. What’s the name of those religions that require you to submit to the state or mullah?
“No matter how noble the cause, indoctrination is not the answer.”
Are there no noble causes in your world David?
“No sin, no guilt..”.
Right, just click your heels together three times.
“no mind control!”
Pink Floyd not only a pop band, but sages to the last cohort of boomers.
Anne,
An interesting pattern is starting to emerge. As I see it, it’s a pattern that keeps the Dippers in constant power in Saskatchewan and why some things never change.
Home schooling is only the tip of the iceberg and not the answer. Communication and co-operation to develop a system all can feel safe in and be comfortable with is though.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Law/2006/06/18/1639845-cp.html
OPP in Caledonia speak out regarding they are stuck in the middle.
“No I’ve made plenty. That’s why it’s important for parents to use their life’s lessons to guide their children.”
So guide them to the local public school and communicate and co-operate with the teachers there until you get the results that satisfy.
BTW…Never did like Pink Floyd and I believe the lyric was “thought control” ala George Orwell not “mind control” as in religion and politics.
Other than that a pretty good summation there Cal.
David Brown,
“…as well as believing war and armed conflict is the only solution to create the perfect world according to the whims of Irwin Daisey (sic).”
“Don’t feel sorry for my kids they possess a philosophical richness that transcends religion and politics.”
“No sin, no guilt…”
I’d venture to say based on the lie you created and attributed to me that your kids were indoctrinated by a father who would lie about and viciously malign those who don’t agree with his views. It appears what they need is the religion you denied them, in order to cobble together any sort of moral character at all.
Feeling any guilt there David?
Dave Brown: So guide them to the local public school and communicate and co-operate with the teachers there until you get the results that satisfy
And what if you never get results that satisfy and instead all four of your children are hauled off screaming and kicking by police to another community, are made to attend another school and only see their parents in a supervised setting from that day forth. This is not fantasy. I have spoken to several children this has happened (I did not know them before I was approached to help) and they did not care if their parents got results that satisfied. All they cared about was they did not like what happened to them in school and they liked even less the result of their parents trying to fix the problem. How they wish they had been home schooled and not had to deal with this trauma that lasts forever.
Kate,
Your spam filter is a tiny bit too ruthless.
Why is it that all special interest groups and human rights commissions and the liberal govt said that we as cds have to be tolerent and accept other lifestyles and choices. But, when those special interest groups get their way, they are not tolerant of opposing views. Something is very wrong with this, and to think those of us with different views, paid with our tax dollars, their right to force us to agree with them. Just heard that the cdn tourism assoc has taken huge ads out in PASSPORT IN THE US, to encourage gay couples to come to TO to get married. Seems the center of the universe is a great place for gays to visit. So, all straight people, stay away from toronto. I still think there are more of us than them, and as much as they think they have won, the majority of cdns do not consider them married or normal.
Meanwhile, UK “Paras strike deep into the Taliban heartland”.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/06/19/wafg19.xml
Mark
Ottawa
Mary T, I take it you are commenting on the Margaret Somerville situation. Let me say up front I have not let someone’s sexual orientation affect my friendship with them, or advocating for them and their family and believe in protecting their rights the same as anyone elses. However, I believe the majority of Canadians, myself included, agree with your point. What is sad in this case is that Somerville has only advocated in terms of the evidence that children belong with their biological parents. The gay culture has taken this position from a very respected professional to be detrimental to their interests and have swung back with “off with her head”. The fact that there was any consideration at all of reneging on the honour she was being awarded for her work, because of a self interest group’s perspective, is rightly as you suggest the issue we should be concerned about.
David Brown: “It never ceases to amaze me how paranoid lazy parents present themselves as these educated noble pseudo-teachers. Their stupid claims …
I guess they belive their children have no sense of right or wrong and don’t have the fortitude nor character to deal with life’s challenges.
Always the same conclusion too…how great their children are because of home-schooling.
What a boatload of nonsense…”
“I’m not angry at all…”
Ha Ha!! Sure you’re not angry – how does delusional or “in denial” fit? Sounds like your children may have turned out just fine in spite of you rather than because of you. And why, after the crap you’ve been spewing, should we believe you that they are well-adjusted young adults anyway?
Why not play it safe and realize that, if you don’t know anything about the other side of the discussion (ie. home schooling) and you can’t confine your comments to just public school (which you claim you understand), you should just keep your ignorant, angry cakehole zipped? Problem solved. Then you don’t have to defend your moronic generalizations.
And, by the way, what made the public school system the omniscient being all-knowing in the ways of educating our children? Because of your wonderful children, bias aside? Maybe your just the gullible blowhard you’ve come across as from your previous statements.
Anne,
Firstly, there are children that should be taken away from their parents. Like if they are in a situation created by David Karesh and the Branch Davidians or if they are in some kind of real or mental (indoctrinated) danger.
Secondly, if a family lives in a community where children are removed from their parents and forcibly taken to another locale for schooling then that family should move.
Thirdly, my views and frame of reference come from growing up in Southern Ontario with liberally minded parents. I have no experience with other situations such as evangelical conservatism or what it’s like to grow up in rural Saskatchewan.
Ham,
When you settle down I’ll answer your questions.
Dave Brown: No-one has said there are not children who should be removed from their biological parents – we have advocated for such without any success in cases where a child has been exhibiting unquestionable signs of abuse – bruises that have been attested to being physical abuse by an ER physician for example. The child was returned by police to the parental situation after the child agreed on a taped interview he was very scared of the scenario and did not want to go back. (We are talking about a five year old.) It took a concernted effort to change the situation and stop the emotional damage to a child where he was resorting to such things as trying to burn the home down that police returned him to.
However, until you understand these situations do exist in this country I am proud to call home, rather than commenting from your personal scenario you should not pontificate with statements such as the parents should move. The parents would in all probability move if they could and if they could find out where there children are – problem is they can’t to both scenarios. I have known parents to be arrested, charged and found guilty for going to the school and getting angry because no-one can tell them where their child is and school was the last place the parent knew where they were. Try understanding things from someone else’s perspective rather than my kids went to public school, my kids are OK so everyone else’s should be and people are lazy if they homeschool! I never homeschooled but that does not mean that if circumstances were different I might well have had to in order to ensure the best interests of my children which I am legally obligated to uphold.
David, all of my questions are rhetorical. I have already seen that you have no realistic, educated answers for any questions on this topic.
And “settle down”? Reread your very first post. My post was merely written in the same style. I guess you are the ‘pot’ to my ‘kettle.’
Mary T. But, when those special interest groups get their way, they are not tolerant of opposing views. Something is very wrong with this, and to think those of us with different views, paid with our tax dollars, their right to force us to agree with them. Wow! I thought I was the only one left on the planet that thinks like that. I’m glad to see that there are two of us. I’ve been fighting this battle by myself on my blog.
I’m absolutely flabbergasted. I’m lazier because I home school? I thought I had heard everything possible from the ridiculous left wingers whose usual lame argument is, “Aren’t you concerned about socialization?” To which I love to answer, “Yes, that’s exactly why I’m not letting them hang around the schools!” Seriously, though, I didn’t realize it was lazier to teach my kids than to drive them to school everyday and drop them for 6 or so hours and then day care for the rest. Wow! I’m going to try to convince my husband that this is the lazy option and go back to work for a break! I can tell you didn’t stay home with your kids. Noon in my jammies?! Only in last week’s best dream!! I don’t know what you’re smoking, there my friend, but you need to stop. You’ve gone brain dead. Okay, so you’re not my friend, but you are brain dead.
Congratulations Mr. Brown on your children’s upbringing. At least we will have 2 more citizens who will be free from the blinders of religious dogma and political bias, which, unfortunately, both rear their ugly head on this blog far too often.
BTW, David, ditto. I am also from SW Ontario and raised by Liberal parents, in a school system whose mediocrity shocks me daily. It didn’t stop me from learning that the state does not need to raise my children and that I have a choice to work hard — YES, WORK HARD at home schooling my children and allowing them to reach their potential instead of being taught that being top of the class is what makes you a pariah and that doing little will still rate an A average which is what happened with me. I was never challenged in school, but my kids are able to go above and beyond what the schools would have taught them and are challenged by the curriculum, never being bored with learning. They are learning to love to learn which will serve them far better than any public school program they may miss. Okay, I’m stepping away from the keyboard.
My sister is a professional teacher. She took a year off to home school her own kids. She worked incredibly hard at it. Had a little classroom and everything. Then she needed to go back to her job so she put them in a private school, and she went back to teaching public school. She wouldn’t trust the public system.
Oh hell, now we’ve got another lunatic who doesn’t understand that this is a logic based blog, otherwise known as Conservative.
Lunatic Lew,
Before you congratulate your new found lefty friend, know that he places lies in peoples mouths (or keyboards) whose views he doesn’t agree with. That leaves plenty of questions about the indoctrination of his own kids – let alone if anybody can believe his words – that they are ‘well-adjusted.’
Joanne C,
Same with my sister in-law who is a principal in the Ontario public system.
Ham,
I don’t have “realistic educated answers” because all the questions posted are either rhetorical, sarcastic or of an emotional nature.
————————————————
If you stop and think about it, all kids are home schooled…they’re only in school 5-6 hours a day about 150 days of the year…the rest of the time they’re at home learning from their parents.
A formal education makes up only a small part of knowledge.
I know I’m on the right track because everytime I air my views on this topic proponents go ballistic.
Thanks Lew, good to know there’s others with open minds.
Irwin Daisy – Same with my sister in-law who is a principal in the Ontario public system. Yes, this is Ontario too.That doesn’t say much for McGuinty. Now they are taking away more power from the trustees, so that the provincial government will be able to decide which schools stay open, etc. The trustees will only be figure-heads.
And still on the subject of schooling, this is from Friday’s Post, about the gay BC couple who won a binding contract to influence school cirriculum –
“But the Correns said the anticipated changes to the K-12 curriculum along with tougher limits on parental rights to remove their children from classes teaching “sensitive content” are far more important and represent a major victory after a 10-year human rights battle to have gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people reflected in everyday curriculum.”
So is this about tolerance or indoctrination?
David Brown said, “…you should spend some time with my children…19 and 21 years old, they’re religion free, politics free, highly educated, happy and successful well beyond their years.”
How can they be “politics free”? If they neither hold nor can defend opinions about religion and about politics, how on earth can they possibly be called “highly educated”? Are they complete tabula rasa? That’s hard to imagine at the age of 19 and 21. Teflon, maybe?
What you’re describing about your children is a fool’s paradise, Mr. Brown. I suppose they’re “happy” because, as the saying goes, “Ignorance is bliss.”
And what, I wonder, would their successes be? Merrily going along with the status quo? Do they make a lot of money? Does “everyone” like them? Are they “nice”? Well, beware if all wo/men speak well of you.
They sound like just the kind of “useful fools” we really don’t need at this point in our history.
The CP, of the MSM, has placed the “Big Lie” front and centre in this story.
The “Big Lie”? Guite was “sponsorship program boss”.
Guite was the boss? No. Guite was a clerk/ a willing collaborator/a clerk who did what his Bosses, Chretien/Martin, told him to do. Guite was paid well for his obedience to his masters.
The boss/bosses of the AdScam fraud were:
AdScam Chretien/Martin. …-
Sponsorship boss Guite gets 3 1/2 years for defrauding federal government
MONTREAL (CP) – Former sponsorship program boss Chuck Guite was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison on Monday for defrauding the federal government.
cnews
Well, David, I suggested you shut it when it comes to things you don’t have a clue about, but you insist on making things up on the fly. If you had the first clue about home schooling (and I probably only have half of the first clue), it is not about kids watching you mow the lawn, helping you do dishes, or watching television. It is about an environment that facilitates and encourages learning an approved curriculum. When kids are in school whether it be a private home or a public school, they are there to learn the curriculum. That’s what we’re talking about here, David. Quit diverting the subject to something completely different.
And how can you guage whether you are right or wrong based on others going “ballistic.” If I call you an imbecile and you go ballistic, does that mean I’m on the right track or does it mean I don’t know what I’m talking about? You choose.