Only The Left Is Allowed To Dissent

Peggy Noonan pens a great column for OpinionJournal.com in which she points out, as so many of us have for so long, that the Left stifles the very free speech they claim to promote. How else do you explain so-called "hate speech" as well as the four recent incidents she points out?

They are always saying they want debate, but they don't. They want their vision imposed. They want to win. And if the win doesn't come quickly, they'll rush the stage, curse you out, attempt to intimidate.

And they don't always recognize themselves to be bullying. So full of their righteousness are they that they have lost the ability to judge themselves and their manner.

And all this continues to come more from the left than the right in America.

The column ends thusly:

What is most missing from the left in America is an element of grace--of civic grace, democratic grace, the kind that assumes disagreements are part of the fabric, but we can make the fabric hold together. The Democratic Party hasn't had enough of this kind of thing since Bobby Kennedy died. What also seems missing is the courage to ask a question. Conservatives these days are asking themselves very many questions, but I wonder if the left could tolerate asking itself even a few. Such as: Why are we producing so many adherents who defy the old liberal virtues of free and open inquiry, free and open speech? Why are we producing so many bullies? And dim dullard ones, at that.

You don't have to be intelligent to be a leftie, just overly emotional.

Update: Further commentary on the topic here.

How I Spent My Friday Evening

Since part of my 10-year-old's homework (why elementary students need homework is far beyond me) is to read for 20 minutes each night and write a few sentences summarizing what he's read, I've made reading together an every-evening event. He grabs his book, I grab mine, and we go somewhere in the house--lately it's been the living room--and we read silently. Every once in awhile he'll tell me what's going on in his story, but that's ok. In fact, it's even better.

What am I currently reading, you may ask? Well, I have two teacher's aides. Both are former pre-calculus students of mine from last year, and both are taking AP Calculus this year. It's been a couple of decades since I've been in a calculus class, and when the day comes that they start asking me questions about their homework, I don't want to have to spend 5 minutes reviewing the section they're studying before I'm able to explain to them what's going on.

So I've been studying my calculus book from 1983.

Continuity. Limits. Differentiability. Tonight I even worked some "homework" problems, including finding derivatives of functions directly from the definition. Quite fun, in some respects.

Those students may be my aides, but I'm still a teacher. Their teacher.

Oh, and after reading tonight? Hot tub. Life is good.

Local High School Student Questioned By Secret Service

Your First Amendment rights to self expression apparently don't include making threats against the US President, an offense under federal law. A Sacramento student was pulled out of biology class and questioned about comments and pictures on a Myspace page. Of course, count on the ACLU to say that it wasn't a real threat so it's protected speech under the First Amendment.

At least her parents admit that what the child did was wrong--then they screw it all up by saying the Secret Service overreacted by even interviewing their cherub.

Nobel Committee Has No Credibility At All

Terrorist Yasser Arafat. Accomodationist/Collaborator Jimmy Carter. Liar Rigoberta Menchu. Potentially Cindy Sheehan.

Have these people no decency?

Update, 10/13/06: The fact that they didn't pick Mama Moonbat changes nothing. The fact that she was even considered shows they have no moral compass.

President Hillary Clinton?

If she governs the way she's been talking, the left won't like her very much. Then again, she'll govern however she thinks will be best for Hillary.

Instapundit (see blogroll at left) has two very recent posts:

Hillary isn't necessarily a nutjob when it comes to Iraq

Hillary thinks torture should be safe, legal, and rare

Affirmative Action For Gays in College Admissions?

In a two-fer tonight, John at Discriminations (see blogroll at left) gets yet another link here at Right On The Left Coast:

I’ve argued here a number of times that many people oppose gay demands for “equal rights” because they saw similar demands from blacks and women, whick they supported, morph into demands for preferential treatment, which they oppose. I’m surprised it took this long to happen, but now affirmative action for gays in college admissions has being seriously proposed at the annual meeting of National Association for College Admission Counseling. And Middlebury College has just begun

giving students who identify themselves as gay in the admissions process an “attribute” — the same flagging of an application that members of ethnic minority groups, athletes, alumni children and others receive, according to Shawn Rae Passalacqua, assistant director of admissions at Middlebury....

Passalacqua said that gay students bring “a unique quality” to the college, which he said tries hard not “to be too homogeneous.”

At least the proposer, Greg McCandless, associate director of admission at Harvey Mudd College, recognized that his proposal was “tricky.” For example, do only gay students who are “out” bring that “unique quality” to campus?

Of course there's more, if you go read it....

Too Many Asians Trying To Get Into College

John at Discriminations (see blogroll at left) calls it as he sees it:

Fearing that a student body is, or is at risk of becoming, “too Asian” is no more (or no less) racist that fearing that it is not black or Latino enough, and the discrimination against Asians that occurs is the inevitable, predictable result of the discrimination in favor of blacks and Latinos.

I'd recommend reading his entire piece.

This Week's Carnival of Education

It's back home here, but will be on the road again next week. My post introducing the California Teachers Empowerment Network is linked.

Columbia University's Teachers College Still Has Ideological Litmus Test For Prospective Teachers

Joanne's (see blogroll at left) got the story, and her commenters do a pretty good job on the follow-up.

One commenter points out that the Teachers College "conceptual framework" is very clear and blunt about what they're looking for:

We see teaching as an ethical and political act.

At least they're honest, but wow.

Another Open Letter In Support of California's K-12 Academic Content Standards

On July 7th, 2006, California's two most recent former governors signed a joint letter in support of California's content standards. On July 21st, I posted about an open letter by California professors in support of the governors' letter and the state's academic content standards.

Here's another link to that letter by the academics. It's got a few new names, some of them very well known and respected in their fields.

Because the school at which I teach is in an upscale area and many students go on to college/university, many of the teachers at my school (especially the old-timers) like to think of our school as a "college prep" school. Yet, at the same time, they deplore the very state standards that all these university professors think are critical for our K-12 students.

Quite the disconnect.

Being Good At Being Bad

I like this observation from a story at Joanne's site (see blogroll at left):

The teachers in both videos were extremely good at what they were doing, which brought home an unsettling realization to me: You can be very good at doing something that is absolutely horrible.

So what was going on that was horrible? Discovery learning, in which teachers spend an inordinate amount of time trying to get students to "discover", or figure out, what it took the best minds the human race has to offer several centuries to figure out.

An in another indictment of ed schools:

Mr. NCTM moved on to the next comment from another woman who in all seriousness and with no sarcasm intended said “The teacher was very good at not answering the students’ questions.” There was unanimous agreement.

The mind boggles.

Universities Revoke Admissions For High Schoolers With "Senioritis"

Posted in the Chron:

High school seniors applying to college this fall had better follow through on academic promises and avoid "senioritis" because more schools are revoking admission for students who slack off.

Colleges and universities from coast to coast are cutting students whose senior grades drop dramatically or who do not complete the rigorous course of study they promised in their application.

California universities have rescinded hundreds of offers for this fall.

I like this comment from a University of Washington official:

"When they say, 'I'm taking a fourth year of language, I'm taking AP (Advanced Placement) this and AP that,' and when you see their final transcripts, it is underwater basket weaving and intro to breathing ... you wonder if you are on the same planet," said Admissions Director Philip Ballinger. "They don't look the same. You were duped."

You don't say.

And if some students think they can safely get away with senioritis, think again:

Although the University of California, California State University and Stanford University have been revoking admissions for decades, they are becoming even more aggressive about demanding that students be ready for college work when they arrive.

"We want the students to be prepared. The biggest reason students fail in college is their preparation in secondary school," said Jim Blackburn, a CSU enrollment director whose 23 campuses have been trying to reduce the number of freshmen needing remedial courses.

I'm against remedial courses at universities. That's what God invented community colleges for. But no one's consulted me on this matter.

Manufacturers Praise John Stossel Regarding Education...

...or the lack thereof for some students!

My blogroll at left includes the blog for the National Association of Manufacturers (ShopFloor.org), a page I visit several times a week. As a former manufacturing manager and projects manager in three small Silicon Valley companies, I'm interested in manufacturing as a field and welcome the views expressed on that blog.

When they write about education, my ears perk up. Two of my three career choices, together in one blog! When they write about John Stossel and his recent issues regarding education, I'm even more interested. They did so recently, and one sentence really caught my eye:

And yes, we know there are plenty of dedicated teachers out there who are quite competent, thank you. But as the biggest end users of the products they crank out, manufacturers have a special concern for the quality of teachers. (boldface mine--Darren)

Manufacturers are the biggest end users of students? I wouldn't have guessed that, as much as we hear about the erosion of our manufacturing base, the outsourcing of jobs, and the primacy of the information economy. Did they make a mistake here, or do they know something that isn't being reported at all?

Either way, they agree with Stossel--go find out why.

North Korea's Nuke

Dictators don't worry about talk talk talk. They use talk talk talk to buy time for themselves. And it's worked, time and time again--this time in Korea.

The reality is that the international nonproliferation regime has failed again, because although people are willing to talk, nobody's willing to actually do anything significant when a country appears close to going nuclear. See also Iran.

Some will blame President Bush for this. I'm sure these same people will now advocate an invasion of Iran.

How Students Look Today Vs. The 80s

The first inkling I had that the 80s might be returning was last year, when I started seeing a number of boys wearing their hair long and combed (but not quite feathered) back. Some are sporting the Spicoli surfer look. It is my sincere hope that women's hair styles from the early/mid 80s remain in the fashion magazines of the time, as they truly were an abomination!

There's a certain group of people today who have been wearing mullets for some time. They are not the topic of this post.

Last night I had duty/guard/supervision at our school's Homecoming Dance. 80s observation: I saw more pink on the boys (shirts and/or ties) than I did on the girls! Remember wearing pink, guys? Of course you don't! We didn't call it pink back then. We called it salmon. But it was freakin' pink.

Still, no one at school dresses today as nicely as we did in the 80s. When I look in my yearbooks, I see students walking down the hall with their hair looking combed (and there was a lot of it to comb!) and wearing nice-looking clothing. I don't see athletic shorts, sweat pants, or ill-fitting clothes in the pages of my yearbooks. Granted, some of the styles are hideous by today's standards, but at least we looked nice in them at the time. No one would have been ashamed to take us anywhere dressed as we were. I can't imagine the same is true today.

Guarding the back door as I was at the dance last night, I watched how the students were dressed. For the most part, the boys looked nice. Yes, some undid their ties and opened their shirts and walked around looking like scrubs after awhile, but at least they showed up looking nice for the most part. Seriously.

The attire of the girls came in three categories:

The first was ultra-formal. I'm sorry, I just can't take it seriously when I see a 16-year-old in ultra-formal wear. They're kids, and they're only playing dress-up. It doesn't look real at all. And walking through the breezeway between the two gyms wearing a long gown and a wrap is kinda comical.

The second group was the ones who looked exceedingly nice. Their dresses (as opposed to the former group's gowns) were attractive, stylish, and appropriate. Kudos to them for knowing the right mix. Fortunately, this group was the majority.

The third group was dressed as skanks. I know that we had people watching for that at the door, and I assume that at least some students were turned away before they ever got in, but I can only imagine what they were wearing after seeing some of the lingerie that passed for clothing that was allowed inside. Parents, please. She's 16. She doesn't look hot, and you're not going to live vicariously through her. She looks like a skank, and you should be ashamed of yourselves not only for letting her leave her bedroom dressed like that, but also for thinking for even the slightest moment that she looks good or that you're the cool parents for having a daughter who could be compared to Paris Hilton in every possible way except money--and folks, money is Paris Hilton's only admirable quality.

I feel better. I think for this post you can call me Professor von Holier-Than-Thou, or maybe Judgie McJudge. But I had to get it out.

Achieving Standards

I applaud Dan of The Exponential Curve for being honest in answering a question I asked of him. But I encourage you to read his post and see if you share my concern that he's participating in "course title inflation".

I know that this is a touchy subject, and I don't create this post to pick a fight, point fingers, or criticize. My concern is genuine, and I would like other input on the topic. While I won't speak for Dan, I'm sure he would welcome such input as well.

The Result of Progessive "Compassion"

Robert Taylor Homes. AKA "The Projects."

"I saw so many kids get killed, … and I didn’t want that to happen to my child,” Sistrunk says. Four of her 13 children were shot at Taylor. She calmly details the arm and leg wounds they suffered and the exact spot each was injured – the playground, the elevator, the streets. The lesson was clear: No place was safe.

Probably George Bush's fault.

Excellent Commentary on the Recent Events at Columbia University

If you haven't heard, or have been living under a rock (relative to the blogosphere), the leader of the Minuteman Project was to speak at Columbia University--when leftie students created such pandemonium and violence that...well, you get the idea.

RightWingProf (see blogroll at left) says it all. He points out, as we conservatives (and centrists!) often do, that the left has no tolerance for views it doesn't like.

It should surprise nobody that these idiots felt entitled to shut up Gilchrist; it's hardly a secret that "progressives" have no respect for the Constitution or the right of conservatives to speak. It also should surprise nobody that Columbia is reacting as if they disapprove, when they and their left-wing policies are solely to blame for creating this situation. Nor should anyone be surprised that Columbia is trying to white-wash this by calling it a violation of free speech, when it was a physical asssault.

If that is what it means to be progressive, I'm even more proud to be a just-right-of-center moderate.

California Legislature Passes Bill Teachers Unions Don't Like

No word yet on whether Governor Schwarzenegger will sign it. From the major Sacramento newspaper:

Senate Bill 1655 may be the first in the nation to alter union contracts that protect experienced teachers but don't give low-performing schools enough freedom to hire the people they want.

The bill, introduced by state Sen. Jack Scott, D-Pasadena, would help districts snag promising new teachers early in the year. It also would give struggling schools the right to refuse bad teachers whose seniority otherwise might guarantee them a spot on the faculty...

The bill contains the seeds of drastic change. For one, all districts would be allowed to hire new candidates as early as mid-April without considering their seniority.

Currently, many urban districts must give their tenured teachers the first crack at vacancies well into the summer. By that point, many of the best novices have received job offers from suburban districts with less restrictive contracts, proponents say...

The bill also would give principals in very low-performing schools -- schools that are ranked 1, 2 or 3 on the state's 10-point scale -- the ability to turn down teachers who want to transfer from elsewhere in the district....

No analysis exists showing how many districts would be affected. But large, urban districts such as San Diego, Los Angeles and Fresno would see changes in some of the hiring policies spelled out in union contracts, Rhee said.

Locally, both Sacramento City Unified and San Juan Unified school districts have teacher labor contracts providing schools limited choice in hiring, with some priority given to candidates with experience in the district. The bill would allow those provisions to last only until April each year. The legislation would take effect as existing union contracts expire.

It'll be interesting to see if this has any effect at all on student performance at low-performing schools. Regrettably, it may take a few years to generate any data worth analyzing.

This story is over a week old. I guess I've got to navigate a few web sites to find out if it was signed or vetoed.

Sacramento Icon Going Away For Good

So long, Tower Records. You were very good to me during my teenage years.

In the 1940s, Russ Solomon began selling records from the back of his father's drugstore in the Tower Theatre building on Broadway. He opened the first Tower store on Watt Avenue in 1960, and really put Tower on the cultural map when his San Francisco store opened in 1968...

The legendary music retailer, born in the rear of a Sacramento drugstore but brought to its knees by the Internet and discount chains, was sold Friday to a liquidating firm after a court-supervised bankruptcy auction that spilled over two days.

The liquidator, Great American Group of Woodland Hills, agreed to pay about $134.3 million for Tower's inventory, money that will go to Tower's creditors...

Solomon's family still owns 15 percent of Tower but will walk away with nothing from the bankruptcy. Solomon could not be reached for additional comment.

That's the price of progress.