One Of Star Trek's Worst

Several minutes ago I sat down to a light dinner in front of the tv.  My tv has the Pluto app, and one of the channels on Pluto is a Star Trek channel.  Decision made.

This is not an "on demand" channel.  You watch what Pluto is showing, like the old-fashioned tv channels of my childhood!  A minute or so into the episode I realized which one I was watching, and I switched it off immediately.  It was the third (or fourth, depending on how you count) episode of the entire series, called Code of Honor.  It is perhaps one of the most racist, or at least stereotypical of Africans, episodes of modern tv ever made.

IMDB delivers this synopsis:

When the leader of an alien culture takes a romantic interest in Lt. Yar, he claims her for his own, to the dismay of his own wife, who, in turn, challenges Tasha in a fight to the death.

They conveniently leave out that the leader is a large, black man, and that Tasha is a well-built white woman.  No stereotype there.  The attire that these space aliens wear looks more than a little "African", and shows off lots of skin.  No stereotype there.  They speak in what we Americans would consider an "African" accent.  No stereotype there.  The society is tribal, ritualistic.  No stereotype there.  While the aliens have more technology than we do today, the Enterprise crew regard them as primitive.  No stereotype there.  Physical combat to settle grievances.  No stereotype there.

Just to get a visual image of what the show is like, take a look at the few pictures shown at the IMDB link above. 

According to Wikipedia, the source of all knowledge and wisdom:

Powers and Baron pitched a story based on a reptilian race following a code of honor similar to the bushido code of the Samurai. This was developed into the final story, which was described as having a "1940s tribal Africa" theme by staff writer Tracy Tormé. The episode was received negatively amongst cast, crew, fans and reviewers and has been called "quite possibly the worst piece of Star Trek ever made".

To be honest, I'm surprised that Paramount hasn't pulled that episode and blackholed it as Disney did with Song of the South.  I'm not advocating blackholing it, any more than I like Disney's action, I'm just surprised they haven't (yet) done so.  It's bad.  It's difficult to watch.  I've heard it derisively called "Wakanda In Space", with none of the Wakanda's attractive attributes.  Michael Dorn, the black actor who played Lt. Worf, has said that he was happy not to be in that episode at all.

Again, it's so painful to watch that I just couldn't.  I came into my library and wrote this post instead!

Fascism and Free Speech

This is a satisfactory definition of fascism:

a political philosophy, movement, or regime...that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition

The "economic and social regimentation" requires that business and industry, while still nominally in private hands, serve the interests of the state (or Party). 

Having established that, I present to you the following:

(Not exactly sure who created this, but a friend saw it online and forwarded it to me.  I hope the creator doesn't mind that I've reposted it here.)

Should He Be Fired For Shooting His Mouth Off?

You don't have to have been a reader of this blog for very long to know my longstanding views on a topic like this--the fact that the idiot involved is a teacher does not mean he should necessarily be fired for his foul posting:

In case you missed it, the funeral for slain NYPD Detective Jason Rivera was held on Friday. The procession route for the funeral was lined with thousands upon thousands of police officers and other first responders...

Unfortunately, not everyone was feeling the spirit of paying tribute to the life of the officer who was murdered during a cowardly ambush. One New York City public school teacher took to Instagram and posted a suggestion that someone might want to take a vehicle and plow into the sea of police officers.

He didn't incite anyone, he merely let his own idiocy overwhelm his humanity and common sense:

The post was captioned, “5/30/20: NYPD SUV drives into a crowd of protestors. Ideal conditions for reciprocity.”

I've said it before and I'll say it again:  we teachers are not required to be saints.  We're allowed to have our own opinions, and even to express those opinions outside of school--both of which seem to be the case here.  That the guy is a worthless turd seems, at least to me, to be obvious, but if being a worthless turd were a disqualification for a government job, then government (including government education centers) would be much smaller indeed!

The loser is free to express his worthless opinion, and the rest of us are free to criticize him for having such a worthless opinion.  That's how free speech is supposed to work.  It might feel good to play the lefties' game and try to get this guy fired, but doing so would be at the expense of one of the most precious parts of conservatism--venerating the Constitution, especially the First Amendment.  No, we must attack what he posted, and perhaps even the man himself for being so stupid as to entertain the thought of what he posted, but trying to get him fired is a bridge too far.  If he's to be fired it should be for something related to his teaching, not merely for expressing a gross opinion.

When we talk about firing teachers, there are all sorts of "what ifs".  I used to be against those rare firings of a (usually woman) teacher who was subsequently found to have had nude pictures published to make a little money back in the college days; I've since come to the realization that such firings are reasonable, because we can't have students checking out their naked teacher.  It's just not good for classroom management or decorum.  So there's one example of where a teacher's out-of-classroom actions can be cause for firing, but that cause is because it directly relates to the ability to maintain order in a classroom.  Other outside causes--untreated drug or alcohol abuse, for example--are probably statutory.

My point is that, with the fewest of exceptions, we should be firing teachers for what goes on at work and not what goes on their Instagram pages.  In fact, here is a post from last September summarizing four stories about teachers, and you can see that such a view is consistent in each of them.  So let the teacher above spout off--and face the social opprobrium that comes with his views.  And make no mistake, social opprobrium is as far as I'm willing to go in such circumstances.  Anything above that is harassment and worse.

Update, 1/31/22:  That didn't take long:

“We do not condone or promote violence of any sort. As of this afternoon, Mr. Flanigan is no longer employed at Coney Island Prep,” Coney Island Prep CEO Leslie-Bernard Joseph said in a statement.

“The teachers and staff of Coney Island Prep are public servants; and like all public servants we hold ourselves to a much higher standard,” Joseph said. “We work hard to serve the young people in our community, and we know our police officers do as well, taking innumerable risks, to keep our city safe.”

The teacher also tried to "explain" his comment: 

He claimed his message was “misconstrued” and that he was merely commenting on the “vulnerability” of the crowd of cops.

“I respect the NYPD. I do not condone violence,” he insisted on Sunday. “A 22-year-old police officer murdered in the line of duty is reprehensible. I’m devastated by that.”

Apparently the school didn't buy that explanation. 

While I expected this outcome, I don't support it.

Can One Of These Be The Right Thing, and The Other Wrong?

First, Virginia:

A tip line set up by new Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin for parents to report the teaching of "inherently divisive concepts" in the commonwealth’s public schools is triggering teachers and Democrats, according to a report...

The victory by Youngkin was fueled in part by his pledge to prevent critical race theory (CRT) from being taught in the schools. He appeared to make good on that pledge by including a CRT ban among a series of executive orders he issued soon after taking office.

Now, Colorado: 

Are they both wrong?  If one of them is right, which one, and why?  I'd really like to solicit comments on this one.

I've Been Busy On Joanne's Site

I've left comments here, here, here, here, here, and here recently.  If at least part of the reason you come to Right on the Left Coast is for my views on K-12 education, you might read Joanne's posts and accompanying comments, too.

This Is What Today's Left Stands For

Comic and pundit Bill Maher bragged that he’s “a hero at Fox these days” because he’s willing to call out liberals whom he says “have their head up their ass"...

Maher went on to cite some of his favorite targets: “Canceling Lincoln and Dr. Seuss. Teaching children they’re oppressors. And math is racist, making Mr. Potato Head gender-neutral, and now an emoji for pregnant men"....

When he's right, he's right. 

Anyway, today's lefties are so ridiculous that they wouldn't be taken seriously by normal people if they didn't hold the levers of power.

When Will I Be Able To Breathe At School?

I'll be able to breathe at school when the commissars determine they can't milk any more benefit out of their kabuki theater:

In an Atlantic article published this week, Margery Smelkinson, an infectious disease scientist who works for the National Institutes of Health, highlights the lack of evidence in favor of school mask mandates. "Two years into this pandemic, keeping unproven measures in place is no longer justifiable," she and her co-authors write. "We reviewed a variety of studies—some conducted by the CDC itself, some cited by the CDC as evidence of masking effectiveness in a school setting, and others touted by media to the same end—to try to find evidence that would justify the CDC's no-end-in-sight mask guidance for the very-low-risk pediatric population, particularly post-vaccination. We came up empty-handed."

Vinay Prasad, an epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, makes the same point more emphatically in a recent Tablet article. Forcing students to wear face masks "isn't a matter of protecting children, their teachers, or their grandparents," he says. "It's delusional and dangerous cultlike behavior."

If Dr. Prasad is right, it will be even longer for me.

Educators Should Rejoice When Students Are Able To Accelerate Their Learning

Leftie educators like to talk about “educating all students”—until someone gets ahead. Then we have to hold those students back, in the name of so-called equity.  Good on Governor Youngkin for doing what's best for kids:

The Virginia Mathematics Pathways Initiative (VMPI), an equity-focused educational program that would have eliminated all accelerated math courses before 11th grade, is no longer.

The initiative was removed from the Virginia Department of Education's website after newly inaugurated Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Jan. 15 issued Executive Order 1 to, among other things, "restore excellence in education by ending the use of divisive concepts, including Critical Race Theory, in public education."

"This is just another instance of Governor Youngkin delivering on his promises to Virginia’s students and parents," Macaulay Porter, a spokesperson for the governor, told Fox News Digital in a statement. "The governor pledged to remove the initiative, which would move away from advanced math courses, to restore academic excellence in Virginia and ensure our curriculum is preparing students to excel"...

"…The Youngkin administration with Superintendent Jillian Balow and Assistant Superintendent Elizabeth Schultz have eliminated the Virginia Math Pathways Initiative, which was going to deny students advanced math in middle school," she (Asra Nomani of Parents Defending Education) said. "This war on merit must end. Our schools must be places for all children to be challenged academically and grow. We expect this is just the first step in rolling back the damage that has been done by the insidious ideology of critical race theory and its destruction of education in the name of ‘equity.’"

Must Be All Those Republicans/White Supremacists In San Francisco

The article states that there were 8 "anti-AAPI" hate crimes reported in SF in 2019, 9 in 2020, and 60 in 2021.  The SF police chief said that one man was believed to be responsible for fully half of the 2021 numbers.

Oddly enough, the article didn't answer the most obvious question.  For lefties, race/ethnicity is everything, so...what racial group is most at fault for these crimes?  My guess, after a few decades of paying attention to the leftie media:  if they didn't tell you it was white people, then it wasn't white people.

Been Too Long

I need a little get-away, so I've booked Saturday night in Reno.  A little splurge--a hot tub room!

You Probably Wear A Similar Cloth Mask

Those of you who are required to, those of us who must participate in 'Rona Theater, wear masks like these:

Any Media Bias Here?

Earlier today this was the top story on the web site of the major Sacramento newspaper:

Sacramento-area anti-mask conspiracists target elementary school principal at his home

The protest over a student being sent home is the latest concerning attack on non-elected officials. One expert called it “terrorism.”

Kettle, this is Pot.  You're black.

The Insanity of the Left

As a friend said:

That’s because “woke triggered nonbinary” offers a big steaming pile of mentally ill nonsense that adds up to nothing. 

Patriotism

When I was growing up, members of both political parties were proudly patriotic.  That's not the case anymore.  Being patriotic shouldn't be reserved only for conservatives:

MORE LIKE THIS, PLEASE: This Mom Is Helping Parents Discover Pro-America Content for Kids. “We don’t want to do anything that’s political. We merely want to present families and educators with resources that unite us as Americans, that provide the rightful telling of who we are as Americans.”

Systemic Racism and Domestic Terrorism

If what's described below is "systemic racism" and "domestic terrorism", then the definitions of "systemic racism" and "domestic terrorism" have been watered down so as to be meaningless.  Threatening to ruin students' academic futures?  Par for the course for lefties--and a great look for a school district:

Attorney Mark T. Harris is charged with helping district address an incident at West Campus High School in which a vice principal was subjected to racially derogatory statements online, and a separate incident at Kit Carson International Academy in which a teacher used the n-word twice in a discussion with students…

Leone also expressed concerns about a separate incident a year ago at Luther Burbank High School in which a student and teacher had an exchange over the N-word. A subsequent faculty discussion reportedly became hostile…

“The fact that we are still a district that suffers from systemic racism is on us. It’s a responsibility that I take very seriously. I also acknowledge that we have a lot of work to do,” said (Superintendent) Aguilar…

“We’re not accusing you or your kids of anything, but if your kid is found to have committed these atrocities, we’ll do everything we can to make sure that kid gets to wear that jacket,” said Harris. “So your plans for that kid to go to Brown or Harvard or Stanford or Cal? Maybe you need to think twice because that kid’s going to have to deal with the fact that they participated in domestic terrorism as far as I’m concerned some of the things that these young people are accused of, but that’s the end result.”

This story, from the major Sacramento newspaper, involves the Sac City Unified School District.

It's My Blogiversary

On January 23, 2005, this blog went live.  17 years and over 13,000 posts later, here we are.

My, how things have changed!

A CNN Assessment of Biden's First Year

Wow. CNN's Scott Jennings lists several of Biden's failures and asks "Are we any better off on these three issues that we crucified Trump over?"  link, with video

It's been awhile since I agreed with anyone on CNN as much as I agree with Jennings.

There's an old saying in the English language:  don't throw the baby out with the bath water.  A lot of people didn't like mean tweets, and look what we got by replacing President Trump....

The "Socialist Deception"

You can count on those who lived under communism/socialism to be against it, while those who lived with the comforts of capitalism pretend they’re doing everyone a favor by advocating communism/socialism:

OPINION: Living under a communist regime, the last thing you could imagine is that, by coming to the United States, you would be exposed to people who really believe that socialism works

Conservatives Believe In Individuality

Lefties believe in groupthink:

Anti-woke blacks are “erased,” writes Erec Smith, who teaches rhetoric at York College of Pennsylvania, in Newsweek. Their words are misconstrued, their characters slandered.

“I want to make individuality cool again,” Smith said in an interview.

His journal, Free Black Thought publishes black writers who go “beyond the relatively narrow spectrum of views promoted by mainstream outlets.”

Read the brief post, and watch Smith's video:

One Month From Today

You know what one month from today is?  Two's Day:  Tuesday, 2/22/22!