A principal with principles.........or not?

Dennis Prager writes: Several years ago, I wrote a version of this column. Because it went viral — often listing me as the high school principal who actually gave this speech! — I am revising it and publishing it here. I believe that if every school principal gave this speech, America would be a better place:

To the students and faculty of our high school:
I am your new principal, and honored to be so. There is no greater calling than to teach young people.  I would like to apprise you of some important changes coming to our school. 

First, this school will no longer honor race or ethnicity. I could not care less if you are black, brown, red, yellow or white. I could not care less if your origins are African, European, Latin American or Asian, or if your ancestors arrived here on the Mayflower or on slave ships.
The only identity this school will recognize is your individual identity — your character, your scholarship, your humanity. And the only national identity this school will recognize is American. This is an American public school, and American public schools were created to make better Americans.
If you wish to affirm here an ethnic or racial identity — or a national identity other than American — you will have to attend another school. This includes after-school clubs. I will not authorize clubs that divide students based on any identities. This includes race, language, religion, sexual orientation or whatever else may become in vogue in a society divided by political correctness. Those clubs just cultivate narcissism — an unhealthy preoccupation with the self — while the purpose of education is to get you to think beyond yourself.
Your clubs will be based on interests and passions — clubs that transport you to the wonders and glories of art, music, astronomy, languages you do not already speak, carpentry and more. If the only extracurricular activities you can imagine being interesting in are those based on ethnic, racial or sexual identity, that means that little outside of yourself really interests you.

Second, I am uninterested in whether English is your native language. My only interest in terms of language is that you leave this school speaking and writing English as fluently as possible. The English language has united America’s citizens for over 200 years, and it will unite us at this school. It is one of the indispensable reasons this country of immigrants has always come to be one country. And if you leave this school without excellent English-language skills, I would be remiss in my duty to ensure that you will be prepared to successfully compete in the job market. We will learn other languages here — it is deplorable that most Americans only speak English — but if you want classes taught in your native language rather than in English, this is not your school.

Third, because I regard learning as a sacred endeavor, everything in this school will reflect learning’s elevated status. This means, among other things, that you and your teachers will dress accordingly. There will be a formal dress code at this school. And you will address all teachers by their title, not by their first name. They are your teachers, not your buddies.

Fourth, no obscene language will be tolerated anywhere on this school’s property. If you can’t speak without using the f-word, you can’t speak. By obscene language, I mean the words banned by the Federal Communications Commission, plus epithets such as the b-word, even when addressed by one girl to another, or the n-word, even when used by one black to another. It is my intent that by the time you leave this school, you will be among the few your age to instinctively distinguish between the elevated and the degraded, the holy and the obscene.

Fifth, we will end all self-esteem programs. In this school, self-esteem will be attained in only one way — the way people attained it until decided otherwise a generation ago — by earning it. One immediate consequence is that there will be one valedictorian, not eight.

Sixth, and last, I am reorienting the school toward academics and away from politics and propaganda. No more time will be devoted to tobacco, caffeine, sexual harassment or global warming. No more classes will be devoted to condom-wearing and teaching you to regard sexual relations as primarily a health issue.
And there will be no more attempts to convince you that you are a victim because you are not white or male or heterosexual or Christian. We will have failed if any one of you graduates from this school and does not consider him or herself inordinately lucky — to be alive and to be an American.

Now, please stand and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of our country. As many of you do not know the words, your teachers will hand them out to you.

Z:  He honors individualism, acknowledges English as the language spoken in America, esteems education, doesn't like vulgarity, thinks self esteem should be earned, doesn't agree with indoctrination, thinks we're lucky to be Americans AND expects students to know and say the Pledge of Allegiance.  Some will find him hateful, right?

Do you?  Which subject bugs you?   If you agree with Prager, which particularly resonates with you?   

 Z

Smack me, someone

Some of you know I'm associated with a high school in my area...a private high school.
Yesterday, a young Junior told me she was nervous about a debate class where she was discussing the Dream Act of California...some of which provides, basically, for no tuition for illegals (yes, it's more nuanced than that, but not much and that's not the point of my post).   Here's the point:

I asked her "For or against it?"   "For it,"  she said. I gently asked her "Do you know how that feels to my sisters and friends who've worked terribly hard to provide college tuition for their children?"  "Yes, I understand that side of it," she said.    She added that she was a little worried because she felt her instructor didn't agree with her.   He apparently feels like I do about it.   I took a deep breath and told her my truth:

"If you feel you have all the information you need to make a good decision on this Bill, and if you can back it up with that information and sound points which embellish that information, then GO for it........we don't indoctrinate here, we TEACH here and, if you do a good job, your teacher will grade on that, not that you didn't agree with him."    She looked at me curiously........"I do feel strong in my opinion..."

"Then, you GO GIRL.......give it all you've got.  You tell your truth and do a great job of it."

Now smack me, someone :-)    It was like an out of body experience, right?  I didn't argue the point, I didn't make her feel embarrassed for her opinion.  I heard hers and she surmised mine.   Did it bother me to encourage her to give an opinion I don't agree with?  No, because more important to me is that she had researched the point and could voice her truth.    I wish public school students the same.  But, alas.........

z

Americans pay, illegals do not

What do we say to Americans who worked hard to send their children to college?   How do we explain to mothers and fathers born here, sacrificing so much, and who don't get help like that which illegals are getting as explained in the following article?


California Senate Approves part of California Dream Act:  Teresa Watanabe and Patrick McGreevy, Los Angeles Times, September 1, 2011
 
The college dreams of thousands of students who are illegal immigrants moved closer to fulfillment Wednesday after the state Senate approved a bill that for the first time would give them access to public financial aid.
Part of a two-bill package known as the California Dream Act, the measure would allow undocumented students who qualify for reduced in-state tuition to apply for Cal Grants, community college waivers and other public aid programs. To be eligible, they must be California high school graduates who attended schools in the state at least three years, and demonstrate financial need and academic merit.

But opponents decried the bill, AB 131, saying the state could not afford new spending, particularly on illegal immigrants.
“It’s against the rule of law for benefits to be given out to people here without legal status,” Sen. Doug La Malfa (R-Richvale) said in an interview. “People are just insulted. The state is out of money and we are opening a new door here for more funds to be expended.”
The measure passed 22-11 on a party-line vote, with Democratic support and Republican opposition. It is expected to return this week to the Assembly, which previously approved it, for concurrence on Senate amendments. If approved, it will be sent to Gov. Jerry Brown for his signature.

I question how, at this dreadful financial time, this could happen?  And, again, we're rewarding illegals...many of whom are good people and came here for a better life, but REALLY?    Do we push aside Americans and tell them their kids don't get benefits illegals do?
Please don't make this a 'bash California' comments thread...that doesn't help.   I'm asking you what we tell parents, and don't even think this can't happen in every state where liberals are in charge.
z

Don't let them pray....but make sure you teach them to cheat

WHERE DID INTEGRITY GO IN AMERICA?

You won't believe this story.  Now we have teachers telling kids to cheat and showing them how.    Just how much more can Americans take hearing?  This about did me in.  SO, we have middle school kids who are barely doing a first grade performance and the teachers are afraid so they're changing answers on tests, telling dumber kids to sit near smarter kids to cheat, etc etc.   I"m not kidding, read THIS LINK


Of course, God forbid they say "Under God" in the Pledge or God forbid they allow a moment of prayer....But have teachers asked to perform to a certain level and they'll teach the kids to cheat.  No problem.


And they're blaming NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND!

The article says that "Parents of children enrolled at the 44 schools say they are frustrated and angry."  So parents didn't realize their child wasn't reading at too low a level?   REALLY?  What parent who spends ten minutes a day on a kid's homework wouldn't know that?  Then there's this:

"For teachers and their bosses, the stakes were high: Schools that perform poorly and fail to meet certain benchmarks under the federal law can face sharp sanctions. They may be forced to offer extra tutoring, allow parents to transfer children to better schools, or fire teachers and administrators who don’t pass muster."

God forbid they fire teachers and administrators who don't pass muster, huh?  Is THAT what the big problem with NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND was?......... the expectation of the excellence we had in our schools in American when we were growing up? WHAT HAPPENED?

How much more depressing news can we take?  How the heck do we reeducate thousands of kids?  And we wonder what's wrong with America?   How many of them do you think will be Democrats voting entitlements?  We're growing voters for that party with our tax dollars!  WOW.

If this made you as mad as it did me, please look at my Sunday Faith Blog below........I think it's a good reminder and very refreshing!
z

Bikers ROCK!

PLEASE WATCH THIS  ...... You'll want to cry and be sick at the same time.
What kind of country tells a kid he can't fly the flag to school on his bicycle 'citing safety concerns'?  Is that what we do, hide our flag because someone, probably from another country, doesn't like it?   Hopefully not.
What should be done is for people to rally and support the young boy..........there's amazing footage here in the linked video which will make you very proud.........Those bikers ROCK!...And thank goodness so many across the country are supporting him.  (those are California bikers, by the way :-)   "The flag will stay there and I WILL RIDE"  God bless that kid!

What do you think of any country which allows a school to tell a child not to fly his country's flag?  Oh, ya, I forgot, we also allow kids not to have to stand up for the Pledge of Allegiance, what was I thinking?  I keep thinking this is still America and leftwingers haven't entirely ruined it yet....silly me.

OH! I just found THIS VIDEO which doesn't have the story but does have the fabulous sights!  ENJOY!

 So, what do you think of those bikers!?  YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!  (I guess you can tell how I feel about them!)

geeeeeeeeeeeeZ

School lunches......they know better than the parents in Chicago schools?

THIS STORY is absolutely amazing.........A Chicago school is now banning lunches brought from home because the school doesn't think they're healthy.

Oh, and by the way, because Conservatives think that is UTTERLY INSANE does not mean we don't think children should eat healthily...just wanted to beat my lefties to the idiotic punch. :-)

Continuing on..........the following paragraph caught my eye:  "During a recent visit to the school, dozens of students took the lunch (provided by the school) but threw most of it in the garbage uneaten."   Z:  Our tax dollars at work.

What I wouldn't necessarily mind is guidelines given to the parents at the beginning of the school year..maybe encouraging certain foods like fruit and vegetables and discouraging too many sweets, who can argue that?  But, banning lunches from home??  Mandatory eating of what the school thinks is right, really?


What do you think?   Would you even agree with guidelines?   Do you agree that parents should send what they feel is right, or do you think the school's right?

My favorite thing at my high school cafeteria was a little plastic bowl with a lump of mashed potatoes and gravy! (I'm practically drooling look at the image to the left!)  I have to admit it isn't the most healthy thing I could have chosen but it sure tasted good.  And, we siblings used to tell Dad, who grilled big, fat, juicy beef burgers, that we preferred the half oatmeal/half beef , very thin little patties they served at school, poor guy!   How about you?  What was your favorite thing to eat at school and what do you think of this Chicago's school's rules?


z

GAY is GOOD...don't you GET it, children??!

PLEASE watch this video; I'd really like your opinion of teaching children this small about homosexuality.  Play close attention to the remarks of the adults...very telling;


We sure don't want anybody hurting others, but I wonder what you think of what they're taught, that they're taught this in school, and at such an early age.

Barack H. Obama Elementary School....closed

An elementary school in New Jersey has to close its doors due to low enrollment even though its name has been changed from Bangs Avenue Elementary School (!) to Barack H. Obama Elementary School. Here's a part of the article from THIS source:

At the time that the school acquired its new name, administrators took a lot of flak for ostensibly focusing on the name change instead of the plight of its students. But the city resident behind the movement, Myra Campbell, believed it would "send a subliminal message" to the students.
"Every time they walk through the school doors, there's going to be a certain amount of pride in where they go to school," Campbell told the Star-Ledger in 2009 (Z: you ought to read this link, too, it's . "We now move forward in trying what we can to improve the academic skills of the students and also the social skills." At the time, another New Jersey school had already been renamed after the president.


Okaaaaay....the students would have more "pride" if they walked through the doors of Barack H. Obama Elementary School?  And Myra Campbell got her wishes?



Imagine that they didn't realize they'd have low enrollment but spent the money in 2009 to change the marquees, stationery, etc etc., to reflect the school's new name....so "a certain amount of pride" would be felt by elementary school kids because Obama's name is on the school???  No demographic studies?  Don't schools know who's in the area?  Also, the link from the Star-Ledger above says "Campbell, who lives a half-block from the school and was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, said Obama is a role model for Bangs Avenue School students and their families, many of whom are poor."
geeeeeeeeeeZ

Minority parents want BETTER....VIVA!

Parents in a largely minority area near Los Angeles are speaking up!  THIS made my day.
Here is a bit from the article:

Ismenia Guzman frets that her 6-year-old daughter is at least a year behind in reading. Victor Barela is worried that his fifth-grade grandson still doesn't know his multiplication and division tables. And Shemika Murphy is determined that her younger daughter get a better education than her older one, who seemed to be doing well in elementary school only to bring home Ds and Fs in middle school.
Together, they and scores of other families whose children attend struggling McKinley Elementary School in Compton plan the first test of a new law that allows parents to force sweeping changes at the state's lowest-performing schools.

On Tuesday, they intend to present a petition signed by 61% of McKinley parents that would require the Compton Unified School District to bring in a charter company to run the school. Charter schools are independently operated public schools.

"Ismenia Guzman, Victoria Barela, Shemika Murphy"...minority names all fighting for their children to be taught better.   I salute you!   Here's more:

"I know it's never been done before, but I want to step up because I'm a parent who cares about my children and their education," Murphy said Monday. She and other parents were meeting with organizers from Parent Revolution, a nonprofit that lobbied successfully last year for the so-called parent-trigger law.
Organizers say the law and the Compton effort represent a paradigm shift in putting children first and giving their parents a decisive voice in demanding better schools.

Oh, but the UNIONS ARE NOT HAPPY (SURPRISE!)
But the mobilization at McKinley has raised concerns. Two school board members and a district spokesman said they were not aware of the petition drive before being contacted Monday by the media, and the state teachers union criticized the effort's low profile.   Here's more good news:

Organizers said the effort at McKinley would be the first of many in California and nationwide. The state allows for 75 such conversions, and other parent-trigger laws are in various stages in other states.

Minority parents are speaking up..........they've supported Bilingual education, maybe they'll finally put that aside, too, so their kids can STOP the chain of being cleaning girls and low-paid gardeners because their English isn't good. 
THIS is what Conservatism wants............opportunity for all legals and a way to break from unions which are doing more harm than good.   GET AHEAD, Minority Americans....we need you to SUCCEED, not be dependent on the left's indoctrination and 'soft bigotry of low expectation'  George W. Bush warned against!
Bravo.   (by the way...NOW is the time to get Republicans involved in these causes...show them who really does care and doesn't just go for their votes)
geeeeZ

VOTE DEMOCRAT, kids! (there's ice cream in it if you do:-)

From THIS article "Three van loads of Hughes High students were taken last week – during school hours – to vote and given sample ballots only for Democratic candidates and then taken for ice cream, a Monday lawsuit alleges."

Yes, I KNOW that the kids can't vote, let's not waste time commenting on that ..... please let's not obfuscate the facts.  "The suit alleges three van loads of Hughes High students arrived at the Downtown Board of Elections offices at 1 p.m. Wednesday, supervised by a school employee. School lets out at 3:15 p.m.
When they got out of the vans, the students, the suit alleges, also were accompanied by adults who appeared to be campaign workers or supporters for U.S. Rep. Steve Driehaus, D-West Price Hill, the congressman being challenged this fall by Steve Chabot. When the students got out of the vans, the suit alleges they were given sample ballots containing only Democratic candidates."

Think this is a good idea?  We do want kids to see precincts and sample ballots, but do we need to only show one party on the ballots?  Does this teach or mind bend?  There's a suit filed, this has yet to be proven, but the evidence is pretty clear.  Also, who'd go to the authorities without a sample ballot in hand?
If you think this is innocent, tell us here at geeeZ why you think they'd only have ballots with Democrats on them, okay?  Thanks.
 
I'd say it could get interesting and should get national airing, but, with our media, this story will go away with the rest of them which make the Dems look bad; heck, even Gloria Allred bitched that Hillary voters were intimidated in Houston during the '08 primary!  By the way, what got her to quiet down??  She was angry, speaking out, and now the story.......disappeared, like MAGIC!

GeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeZ
 

Ruining America's Universities...one by one...........thanks to the Left

 
Only a liberal like Jerry Brown would (sorry, COULD) go to UCLA and announce that "we have enough wealth to continue to have a great university..." and we need to "get every kid in the school that can qualify....EVERYONE! documented or NOT!" $$$   Then he says the first thing he'll do as Governor (GOD FORBID) is get a budget signed :-)  There's just no common sense known to these people.
Of course, there's HUGE applause from the crowd of kids because the kids whose parents are paying for UCLA don't realize that their brothers and sisters who were born and raised here and whose  parents are willing to pay won't have slots open to them, which is a phenomenon happening at the California Universities already.  Well, you know, political correctness, allowing illegals in and paying for them, that's what our kids have been indoctrinated with.  What an amazing situation...I guess Brown thinks illegals will LIKE us better if we pay for everything.  He KNOWS they'll love the Left, that's a given.
Imagine an AMERICA where a guy can run by promising law breakers free school and get votes?
Thanks, Lefties..........what a way to ruin a country...right after you totally ruin our university systems.
 (thanks for the head's up, Pris)
z

Labor Day........a rant!

HERE is a pretty good, succinct history of Labor Day. It answered some of my questions about the day, I hope it does yours, too. This day celebrates our American worker and his great contribution to America and the world.

I think that those of us who really 'labor' (I mean hard, roll-up-your sleeve work) need to be in larger numbers. There is no one more respectful of the white collar worker than I am; I'm rightwing enough to know that you don't have laborers without their bosses so we have to protect those bosses in order to protect the laborer's JOB........ but hope America gets back to having more true people of LABOR in the future; those people who will work steel and concrete and plastics and all those things which contribute to the manufacturing effort that made us so strong.

Don't demand your kid goes to college, see what his talents are and, if college is the answer, go~! If it's not, don't get tied down by the 'you won't make it unless you go to college' thing. In Germany, one goes to college or one goes into a trade, a REAL trade, a trade with high expectations and certification that's only achieved with years of study, internship and completion of the requirements. Don't even ask how difficult it is to get to own a car mechanic shop, for example...it's hard enough to get trained well enough to work in one!
Honor the LABORER in your lives (that includes you MOMS who work at home, too!), honor and encourage the children who you feel will do better at real manual exertion and productivity....we need all types!

On this LABOR DAY, let's celebrate and encourage ALL TYPES of workers........white collar and blue collar, and aproned ones(Moms or not!) with the same respect and admiration.

I tip my hat to ALL workers..Have a great day!

z

A Letter from Camp.....Do YOU think even "tough kids" can change? .Sunday Faith Blog ...

MOST of my my Sunday Faith Blogs "write themselves." Nothing had come to me as of this morning, but I knew it would, and it sure did, in the form of the following email (in italics) which arrived Saturday afternoon, on the heels of my Walter Williams post down below about racism. (names have been changed at the request of my friend who emailed this):
Dear Friends, Thank you for your prayers for our kids at camp. The leaders could tell that people were praying for them! I wanted to get you some details on what kind of responses we had from the kids. One of our teen moms, Vanessa (z: who is black), was brought to our Youth teen mom group by a teacher at Venice High who was very concerned about her being depressed. She was living with her "baby daddy's" parents at the time. They speak only Spanish and she speaks only English. Her leader, (Emma), said that she rarely laughed and was very withdrawn, but Vanessa was completely transformed at camp. She laughed more than she had for the whole 6 months she has been part of the group!! She tried every activity, even the scary ones like the ropes course and the climbing wall. She told Emma that she had never heard the Message before. She said she went from being "confused" about God to "curious". It was her birthday a few days ago and Emma brought her a Bible and she will continue to help her to understand what she heard.
The middle school kids all loved being at camp. They were definitely not all "easy" kids for sure! They come from backgrounds of dysfunction and poverty. Some of the boys were going around "bullying" other kids. Chris (z: who is black), one of our leaders, had to put 4 of them in the van and start to take them home. These hard core type guys (z: from the inner city) began crying and said that they REALLY wanted to be at camp and after that they were better behaved. They had a blast and got into every activity. Several told their leaders that they would like a "face to face" relationship with Christ. Their leaders are starting a new bible study for them this Tuesday, so continued prayers would be wonderful. Here is what one of their guy leaders wrote about their time together at camp:
"Stinky, sweat stained and tired, the 11 of us walked up a nasty hill after a fun mountain bike ride. After a while, I felt something tug the water bottle out of my hand, and thinking it was one of the boys trying to be funny, I turned around quickly to see our smallest guy holding a pile of water bottles as big as his chest. Without any prodding or anything, he had volunteered to carry our entire group's water bottles up the hill just because he felt like it. Little windows into how our savior works, and how he moves within us. Our week together was a fun one...we rock climbed, skate parked, pool basketballed and slap-boxed our way through six days together, and we all got to hear a great telling of the Gospel story at the same time. We sat in our cabins and talked about the resurrected Christ, and then we went out and played on the slip and slide for hours. The boys we had got to hear some truth about a God who loves them and cares for them, some of them for the very first time, and then they got to go out and spend a week just being kids. And as the other leaders and I got to just be kids with them, I'm pretty sure we smiled just as much as they did."
Middle school kids are figuring out which direction their lives will head and I know that God has planted a seed in these kids that will help them to choose the right path. Thanks for your prayers! Speaking of middle school kids, I had a wonderful meeting with a teacher at the Middle School in Watts. She wants to start a Youth group weekly club for the kids there. She told me that several of the Christian teachers meet weekly to pray over the school as it has many problems with gangs, guns, low achievement, etc. But in the midst of all trouble there are some pretty terrific kids as well. We just need some more volunteer mentors to work with them in order to start the club. Could I impose on your prayer muscles once again to be used on kids' behalf for this school? Again, thank you for prayers! I know the Lord heard and honored them. Signed....(Z's Friend)

Z: I highlighted in red the part that brought tears to my eyes. These kids were acting up, angry, trying to do what they could do to shake things up until they were threatened with this joyful time being yanked from them and going back to what they know; then they CRIED to stay. These "hard core type guys" CRIED! And then they did so much better! Kids do WHAT THEY KNOW. These kids knew to MAKE TROUBLE, maybe even to react with belligerence when faced with true goodness? But, now they KNOW DIFFERENT! How many kids even KNOW the difference anymore?

This, to me, showed that children CAN do better if given love, hope, and encouragement....I believe God had a big part in this, too, and you can see that my friend does, too. I hope this encourages you to help a child, to think the best of them and let them know it, believe in them, let them live up to their potential. Please, God, let all children feel this, help us give them a chance no matter what color or creed. Amen.

Have a beautiful Sunday.....help a child, especially a really tough one. Every life is precious.
z

No PRAYER in school?

After being interviewed by the school administration, the prospective teacher said: 'Let me see if I've got this right.
'You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning.
'You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride.
'You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job.
'You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the final exams.
'You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents in English, Spanish or any other language, by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card.
'You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps.
'You want me to do all this and then you tell me. . . I CAN'T PRAY?

Obviously, that's meant to be humorous, to show a teacher's exasperation with the difficult job teaching is today and how it strikes a person odd that prayer's left out of schools when it's never been needed more........do you believe public schools would be better off for a moment of personal prayer (if a teacher could get kids all quiet enough for the same three minutes)? I'm not really one way or the other on this subject myself...it just seems odd that our schools have gone steadily downhill since we ruled prayer out. I found THIS INFORMATION which has some stats since 1963's removal of prayer in school. There are some sound pros/cons there to ponder.

I received the 'teacher's prayer' from a friend and wanted it on my blog.......just wanted to make sure you knew I didn't write that part. ( I wish I had)
z

A Principal's Speech............what do you think?

By Dennis Prager: The speech every American high-school principal should give. (If every high-school principal gave this speech at the beginning of the next school year, America would be a better place.)
To the students and faculty of our high school:

I am your new principal, and honored to be so. There is no greater calling than to teach young people.

I would like to apprise you of some important changes coming to our school. I am making these changes because I am convinced that most of the ideas that have dominated public education in America have worked against you, against your teachers, and against our country.

First, this school will no longer honor race or ethnicity. I could not care less if your racial makeup is black, brown, red, yellow, or white. I could not care less if your origins are African, Latin American, Asian, or European, or if your ancestors arrived here on the Mayflower or on slave ships.

The only identity I care about, the only one this school will recognize, is your individual identity — your character, your scholarship, your humanity. And the only national identity this school will care about is American. This is an American public school, and American public schools were created to make better Americans.

If you wish to affirm an ethnic, racial, or religious identity through school, you will have to go elsewhere. We will end all ethnicity-, race-, and non-American-nationality-based celebrations. They undermine the motto of America, one of its three central values — e pluribus unum, “from many, one.” And this school will be guided by America’s values.

That includes all after-school clubs. I will not authorize clubs that divide students based on any identities. This includes race, language, religion, sexual orientation, or whatever else may become in vogue in a society divided by political correctness.

Your clubs will be based on interests and passions, not blood, ethnic, racial, or other physically defined ties. Those clubs just cultivate narcissism — an unhealthy preoccupation with the self — while the purpose of education is to get you to think beyond yourself. So we will have clubs that transport you to the wonders and glories of art, music, astronomy, languages you do not already speak, carpentry, and more. If the only extracurricular activities you can imagine being interested in are those based on ethnic or racial or sexual identity, that means that little outside of yourself really interests you.

Second, I am uninterested in whether English is your native language. My only interest in terms of language is that you leave this school speaking and writing English as fluently as possible. The English language has united America’s citizens for more than 200 years, and it will unite us at this school. It is one of the indispensible reasons this country of immigrants has always come to be one country. And if you leave this school without excellent English-language skills, I will have been remiss in my duty to ensure that you are prepared to compete successfully in the American job market. We will learn other languages here — it is deplorable that most Americans only speak English — but if you want classes taught in your native language rather than in English, this is not your school.

Third, because I regard learning as a sacred endeavor, everything in this school will reflect learning’s elevated status. This means, among other things, that you and your teachers will dress accordingly. Many people in our society dress more formally for a meal at a nice restaurant than they do for church or school. These people have their priorities backwards. Therefore, there will be a formal dress code at this school.

Fourth, no obscene language will be tolerated anywhere on this school’s property — whether in class, in the hallways, or at athletic events. If you can’t speak without using the F-word, you can’t speak. By obscene language I mean the words banned by the Federal Communications Commission plus epithets such as the N-word, even when used by one black student to address another, or “bitch,” even when addressed by a girl to a girlfriend. It is my intent that by the time you leave this school, you will be among the few of your age to distinguish instinctively between the elevated and the degraded, the holy and the obscene.

Fifth, we will end all self-esteem programs. In this school self-esteem will be attained in only one way (the way people attained it until the state of California decided otherwise a generation ago) — by earning it. One immediate consequence is that there will be one valedictorian, not eight.

Sixth, and last, I am reorienting the school toward academics and away from politics and propaganda. No more time will be devoted to scaring you about smoking and caffeine, or terrifying you about sexual harassment or global warming. No more semesters will be devoted to condom-wearing and teaching you to regard sexual relations as only or primarily a health issue. There will be no more attempts to convince you that you are a victim because you are not white, or not male, or not heterosexual, or not Christian. We will have failed if any one of you graduates from this school and does not consider him or herself inordinately lucky — to be alive and to be an American.

Now, please stand and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of our country. As many of you do not know the words, your teachers will hand them out to you.

What do you think of this? Anything you'd change or add or delete?
z

Prof. Ken Howell was fired........For telling the opinion of the Catholic Church!?

HERE is the article....and here are some clips from it:

The University of Illinois has fired an adjunct professor who taught courses on Catholicism after a student accused the instructor of engaging in hate speech by saying he agrees with the church’s teaching that homosexual sex is immoral.
“Natural Moral Law says that Morality must be a response to REALITY,” he wrote in the e-mail. “In other words, sexual acts are only appropriate for people who are complementary, not the same.”
“Natural Moral Law says that Morality must be a response to REALITY,” he wrote in the e-mail. “In other words, sexual acts are only appropriate for people who are complementary, not the same.”
An unidentified student sent an e-mail to religion department head Robert McKim on May 13, calling Howell’s e-mail “hate speech.” The student claimed to be a friend of the offended student. The writer said in the e-mail that his friend wanted to remain anonymous.
Teaching a student about the tenets of a religion is one thing,” the student wrote. “Declaring that homosexual acts violate the natural laws of man is another.”
Howell said he was teaching his students about the Catholic understanding of natural moral law.
My responsibility on teaching a class on Catholicism is to teach what the Catholic Church teaches,” Howell said in an interview with The News-Gazette in Champaign. “I have always made it very, very clear to my students they are never required to believe what I’m teaching and they’ll never be judged on that.

What do YOU THINK? Should he be fired? Please read the whole article before responding, there's a lot more there.

HERE is where you can send an email to the school voicing your opinion.
Thanks, R.O., my friend
z

Colorado...a good move for kids

Colorado has passed a bill making achieving tenure by its teachers more difficult, a 'bold move' which proponents of the bill say is important because "...it matters that every one of those kids will get across the finish line," Johnston said.
No more passing kids who don't deserve it and resting on unearned laurels anymore......teachers have to perform.
Congratulations to Democrat Governor Bill Ritter for signing this into law....though the "...lawmakers slowed down the process under political pressure from the teachers' union."
Perhaps this will embolden teachers to get parents more involved and try to get discipline back in the classroom......let's hope the testing bar isn't lowered instead.

There are many good teachers and I hope this inspires all teachers to live up to their best potential and to encourage their kids to do the same. Some put limits on kids, especially troubled or minority kids, but every time we get a great teacher in who inspires confidence and demands excellence, the kids succeed far beyond wildest expectations! Jaime Escalante was just one of those teachers, but it's happening in a Chicago school and many here in Los Angeles again, too.

Do you think your teachers did a good job or are doing a good job for your children? Got any stories, positive or negative to tell about teachers you know? We need to give teachers more support but all we keep doing is throwing money at them which they've demanded when everyone knows kids do best with caring, smart, and inspiring instruction and parents who care....we need to have them earn tenure and feel the community's behind them helping them to get there.

Got any thoughts on this?
z

Z's Memorial Day afternoon,,,who knew I'd be blogging about my day?

..but I did want to blog about it because it shows so perfectly a couple of mindsets I'll never agree with.

First off, it was a lovely, absolutely perfect afternoon in a friend's backyard...hot dogs, burgers, and all the fixings, but REALLY good...watermelon,, carrot cake, you get the picture...NICE. I knew about four people out of 25 or so.

A fellow who turned out knows a very dear friend of Mr. Z's and mine happened to sit down next to me and we realized we both knew this friend very shortly into our conversation so we had something in common right off the bat......and he was fascinating. We talked about many things but the thing that got my dander up was when he told me about his granddaughter who's 8 years old and who was in her public school when they showed a film on Ruby Bridges the other day, Bridges being the little black girl whose parents were encouraged by the NAACP to enroll her into a segregated school in New Orleans in 1960 (Rockwell caught the moment in the painting I've published above). The film they showed these second graders showed this poor black child being taunted by whites and parents pulling their kids out of classes, etc. You can imagine the message his granddaughter got, and she relayed it quite eloquently over dinner that night...how Americans are mean and don't like black people and on and on about this poor little black girl trying to go to school.

This man thought that it was not something we need American children seeing until they're able to grasp things in context and learn the good about this country before they learn the bad, which they should learn about in high school or college but not the formative elementary school years.
We spoke about a lot more, this man's career, the death of his wife, his kids, etc., but I had one ear on the liberal guy, Don, who lives next door to my hostess.

Don was a pip (and no, I don't mean he sang with Gladys Knight!). He came to our table and started schmoozing with some of the ladies near me while I was in conversation with the other guy. Don started talking about how anybody could possibly vote for Meg Whitman for Governor of California when she's very rich and "obviously is just another Republican buying this election" and he was waxing eloquent about Jerry (Moonbeam) Brown who's running for Governor, too, on the basis of his being Pat Brown (previous governor)'s son....that seemed to be the pedigree Don thought was enough to run California.

He then went into a tirade about Dick Cheney, information of which I haven't ever even heard of....and I kept ignoring him as he droned in my ear and I tried to listen to the guy next to me, who WAS interesting but you know me and politics... I SO wanted to argue with Don but I couldn't (God is good :-)

Don then went into how he's a Jew and he feels that as much as he loves Israel he really can't support most of what Israel does because he feels the Palestinians are so right and so sad and so innocent............and the Jews are so rough on them. (!) OH, did I WANT TO TALK? Then, I heard him say he'd just been on a plane where he spoke to a muslim who owns something like 58 Dominos Pizza shops and what a nice guy he was and how he told him muslims don't want to kill Jews and that the Koran never says they should. "Nowhere in the Koran does it say to KILL JEWS" he says, but he admits he'd like to look more into that. (Good, Don, you do that). Okay, now I'm tingling with desire to say something but I can't interrupt the man telling me about his life, right? :-) At one point, I DID say "OH, you are all so lucky I'm not getting into your conversation!" (Don had a group of conservative women and one man as a captive audience because they're really nice people who were afraid to venture any alternative viewpoint!) But, I then turned back to my conversation......

This guy Don was SUCH a nice guy but you could just hear he's full of Olbermann and CNN and hasn't paid any heed to a viewpoint other liberal in his whole LIFE. And I so didn't want to get into it at my friend's barbecue!

Well, I did enjoy my conversation but it wasn't easy with one EAR ON DON! ....and not feeling I should really speak up. But, I wanted so badly to say "Right, Don, Muslims don't want Jews dead, the Koran doesn't tell us that, Israel's wrong and Palestinians are right, and Jerry Brown would be a perfect governor because you liked his dad." OH, and I forgot...Don was telling these people he did go to a party full of Republicans "and they're so vociferous on every subject about their own views"..."and one of the guys said Obama was really wrong about one thing; he didn't put all the bankers in PRISON!" Don seemed thrilled with that encounter..."now HERE is a REPUBLICAN I COULD LEARN TO LIKE!" Oh, cool, Don, glad you approve of THAT Republican.
z

Ethnic studies ...is Arizona right again?

HERE is an article about Arizona's newest move back to SANITY. The first paragraphs are:

Local school and college officials Wednesday blasted the passage of a new Arizona law that bans ethnic studies in public schools, calling it an attack on freedom of speech and minorities. HB 2281 bans schools in the state from offering classes designed for students of a specific ethnic group or that promote ethnic solidarity.

What they've been doing in Arizona is teaching African-American kids African-American ethnic studies....Latinos are taught Latino ethnic studies, and Asians are taught Asian ethnic studies. That's in HIGH SCHOOL, folks. Not the usual and beneficial courses like an English class that includes the great writers of Central America...or a science class which makes mention of Black American scientists....No, I'm talking about classes devoted totally to ETHNIC STUDIES IN AMERICA, depending on which ethnicity you want to choose. I post this because I was disappointed in the Tucson "Director of STUDENT EQUITY" (WHAT kind of post is that?), Mr. Augustine Romero, who was interviewed yesterday afternoon by John King on CNN. I took notes:

When King asked anything that sounded like it wasn't supportive of Mr. Romero, he posed the question as a "Devil's Advocate" question, typical of CNN. Not a "Well, I heard this, though...are you sure you're right?" No, he back pedaled and asked sheepishly his best questions like "Let me play devil's advocate and ask you if it's not true that the superintendent and many of the teachers who are told to teach these studies say these classes are set up to promote resentment for America from these ethnic groups....and that they promote the overthrow of the United States government"

"OH, no..." Mr. Romero responded..."...that's not true.

Mr. King, to his credit, comes back with "And, isn't it true that you say all kids can take any of the ethnic classes and it's a healthy melting pot but the kids actually self-segregate and only take those ethnic classes relating to their ethnicity?"

Mr. Romero answers with "Well, okay...that's true (Z: he'd presented it previously, several times, by saying all ethnicities can take any class and DO, which is apparently not at all true once King put his feet to that fire), but it's because these kids should and like to take classes CULTURALLY RELEVANT to themselves." (Z: your tax dollars at work, folks) "We look at the LESS FAVORABLE ASPECTS OF AMERICA as a MEANS OF UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL POLICIES BETTER SO WE CAN MAKE BETTER POLICIES IN THE FUTURE." (Z: OH, I'll just bet)

Romero than asserts that stats show that students who take these classes perform better, more graduate, and more go on to do well in college. WHY? Couldn't it be that the brighter kids bother to take these kinds of classes, anyway? How the heck could Ethnic Studies help kids perform better in general? Mr. King never asked that.

Any criticism was responded to by Mr. Romero with insults to the critics (surprise!) "The superintendent also voted against bilingual education which is 'basically anti-Latino'."

WHAT? Being against bilingual education is a bad thing? Why should these kids be more stupid than my own grandfather who learned English in about six months? Why the low level of expectation by Mr. Romero and others of his ilk that these kids need to learn in Spanish? Is it just to make sure they carry on their family tradition of Mexican gardener and Mexican cleaning lady because they didn't learn English? Why wouldn't he want higher expectations for those kids? Of course, the teachers MAKE MORE MONEY when they teach bilingual, did you know that? That's been a big bugaboo here in California and didn't go down well even here when the truth was leaked that it's about bigger salaries, not bigger hearted teachers meaning to help bilingual kids!

Then, I LOVED THIS....this "Director of Student Equity", Mr. Romero, a teacher himself, says "Here is WHERE WE'RE AT.." Where we're AT? I hope he's not teaching English!

Ah, well...please read the article I linked above...HERE it is again......and let me know what you think after having read that and having hopefully read about the interview, quotes of which I present above.

You think specific classes of ETHNIC STUDIES, which the Superintendent of Tucson's School District and many of the teachers say are "promoting resentment among students for America"....and "promoting the overthrow of the US government", are a good idea? Mr. Romero says that's not true, no overthrow is ever discussed (though he admits that his Hispanic Ethnic Studies group is La Raza-based)....has he heard of THIS?

Arizona's Governor Jan Brewer did sign the law..HERE is another piece on it with more information.....There cannot be ETHNIC STUDIES taught anymore........I say those kids ought to learn with all the rest of the ethnicities in their classes about ALL ethnic heroes in America. And, of course, I'd love it if they mention WHITE MEN AND WOMEN and their contributions, too? Don't you? YA THINK!?

z

Obama speaks to the U of Michigan today...PLEASE don't miss reading what he said:

I DON'T BELIEVE I HAVE EVER PUBLISHED ANYTHING THIS LONG OR THIS IMPORTANT FOR EVERYONE TO READ, IT'S LONG BUT WORTH IT...if you don't have much time, please read what I've highlighted in black, red, and blue........! (UPDATE: HERE is AP/Yahoo's article on it...worth reading for the bias)

Below is the text of President Obama's speech at the University of Michigan Commencement, as prepared for delivery. Also, below, are Z's highlights and comments in blue.....

It is great to be here in the Big House, and may I say "Go Blue!" I thought I'd go for the cheap applause line to start things off. (UPDATE: Z: I don't believe he'd say "Go Blue" if he read my comments in blue which I made blue without having remembered he'd said this!! By the way, I hope my sarcastic remarks don't get me on some list)

Good afternoon President Coleman, the Board of Trustees, faculty, parents, family, friends, and the class of 2010. Congratulations on your graduation, and thank you for allowing me the honor to be a part of it. And let me acknowledge your wonderful governor, Jennifer Granholm, your mayor, John Hieftje, and all the Members of Congress who are here with us today. (Z: the "wonderful" was included because she's rumored to be on his short list for SCOTUS nominees. I felt sorry for Mayor Hieftje, who must have felt just a little less wonderful after he wasn't singled out that way, huh?)

I am happy to join you all today, and even happier to spend a little time away from Washington. Don't get me wrong - it's a beautiful city. And it sure is nice living above the store; can't beat the commute. It's just that sometimes, all you hear in Washington is the clamor of politics - a noise that can drown out the voices of the people who sent you there. So when I took office, I decided that each night, I would read ten letters out of the thousands sent to us every day by ordinary Americans - a modest effort to remind myself of why I ran in the first place. (Z: "I was elected, and anybody disagreeing is just 'clamor' and 'noise'")

Some of these letters tell stories of heartache and struggle. Some express gratitude, and some express anger. Some call me an idiot, which is how you know I'm getting a good sample. And some of the letters make you think, like the one I received last month from a kindergarten class in Virginia.

The teacher of this class instructed the students to ask me any question they wanted. One asked, "How do you do your job?" Another asked, "Do you work a lot?" Somebody wanted to know if I wear a black jacket or if I have a beard - clearly getting me mixed up with that other guy from Illinois. And then there was my favorite: "Do you live next to a volcano?"

But it was the last question in the letter that gave me pause. The student asked, "Are people being nice?"

Well, if you turn on the news today - particularly one of the cable channels - you can see why even a kindergartener would ask this question. We've got politicians calling each other all sorts of unflattering names. Pundits and talking heads shout at each other. The media tends to play up every hint of conflict, because it makes for a sexier story - which means anyone interested in getting coverage feels compelled to make the most outrageous comments. (Z: Right off the bat..the campaign speech and insulting half of America and disregarding the rancor at msnbc or CNN...Why was it okay for Bush to get called HITLER by Dick Durbin and Keith Ellison, to only name one horrid insult? I don't remember Obama complaining then...?)

Now, some of this can be attributed to the incredibly difficult moment in which we find ourselves as a nation. When you leave here today, you will search for work in an economy that is still emerging from the worst crisis since the Great Depression. You live in a century where the speed with which jobs and industries move across the globe is forcing America to compete like never before. You will raise your children at a time when threats like terrorism and climate change aren't confined within the borders of any one country. And as our world grows smaller and more connected, you will live and work with more people who don't look like you or think like you or come from where you do.

These kinds of changes and challenges cause tension. They make people worry about the future and sometimes they get folks riled up.(Z: his implication being that that cable channel's type of people don't LIKE diverse people who don't come from where you do, this is why we have tension)

In fact, this isn't a new phenomenon. Since the days of our founding, American politics has never been a particularly nice business - and it's always been a little less gentle during times of great change. A newspaper of the opposing party once editorialized that if Thomas Jefferson were elected, "Murder, robbery, rape, adultery, and incest will be openly taught and practiced." Not subtle. Opponents of Andrew Jackson often referred to his mother as a "common prostitute," which seems a bit over the top. Presidents from Teddy Roosevelt to Lyndon Johnson have been accused of promoting socialism, or worse. And we've had arguments between politicians that have been settled with actual duels. There was even a caning once on the floor of the United States Senate - which I'm happy to say didn't happen while I was there.

The point is, politics has never been for the thin-skinned or the faint-of-heart, and if you enter the arena, you should expect to get roughed up. (Z: then why is he often so defensive in public about the slightest criticism? He couldn't even take a question from Joe the Plumber)

Moreover, democracy in a nation of more than three hundred million people is inherently difficult. It has always been noisy and messy; contentious and complicated. We have been fighting about the proper size and role of government since the day the Framers gathered in Philadelphia. We have battled over the meaning of individual freedom and equality since the Bill of Rights was drafted. As our economy has shifted emphasis from agriculture to industry to information and technology, we have argued and struggled at each and every juncture over the best way to ensure that all of our citizens have a shot at opportunity. (Z: So, you see? There's nothing unusual....no matter WHAT WE do, no matter where we're taking America, taking over companies and setting salaries and taking over health care, and telling you what you can and cannot eat, etc etc... this is business as usual!)

So before we get too down on the current state of our politics, we need to remember our history. The great debates of the past all stirred great passion. They all made some angry. What is amazing is that despite all the conflict; despite all its flaws and frustrations, our experiment in democracy has worked better than any other form of government on Earth.

On the last day of the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin was famously asked, "Well, Doctor, what have we got - a Republic or a Monarchy?" And Franklin gave an answer that's been quoted for ages: "A Republic, if you can keep it."

Well, for more than two hundred years, we have kept it. Through revolution and civil war, our democracy has survived. Through depression and world war, it has prevailed. Through periods of great social and economic unrest, from civil rights to women's rights, it has allowed us slowly, and sometimes painfully, to move towards a more perfect union.

And now the question for your generation is this: how will you keep our democracy going? At a moment when our challenges seem so big and our politics seem so small, how will you keep our democracy alive and well in this century?

I'm not here to offer some grand theory or detailed policy prescription. But let me offer a few brief reflections based on my own experiences and the experiences of our country over the last two centuries.

First, American democracy has thrived because we have recognized the need for a government that, while limited, can still help us adapt to a changing world. On the fourth panel of the Jefferson Memorial is a quote I remember reading to Sasha during our first visit there. It says, "I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but...with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times." (Z: First, picture him reading that to a little girl? Secondly, ..well, keep reading.....that 'institution' he's getting to is, basically, the constitution.)

The democracy designed by Jefferson and the other founders was never intended to solve every problem with a new law or a new program. Having thrown off the tyranny of the British Empire, the first Americans were understandably skeptical of government. Ever since, we have held fast to the belief that government doesn't have all the answers, and we have cherished and fiercely defended our individual freedom. That is a strand of our nation's DNA.(Z: imagine? the term 'individual freedom' coming from HIM?)

But the other strand is the belief that there are some things we can only do together, as one nation - and that our government must keep pace with the times. When America expanded from a few colonies to an entire continent, and we needed a way to reach the Pacific, our government helped build the railroads. When we transitioned from an economy based on farms to one based in factories, and workers needed new skills and training, our nation set up a system of public high schools. When the markets crashed during the Depression and people lost their life savings, our government put in place a set of rules and safeguards to make sure that such a crisis never happened again. And because our markets and financial system have evolved since then, we're now putting in place new rules and safeguards to protect the American people. (Z: So, you SEE? This country needed government THEN and it NEEDS IT NOW! Never mind what the government did to delay recovery from the Depression. And, if all of this is SO GREAT, why is stimulus money NOT being spent as it was in the CCC and WPA? Where is that 'shovel ready'??)

This notion hasn't always been partisan (Z: What, to "protect the American people? Is this notion now partisan?!). It was the first Republican President, Abraham Lincoln, who said that the role of government is to do for the people what they cannot do better for themselves. He would go on to begin that first intercontinental railroad and set up the first land-grant colleges. It was another Republican, Teddy Roosevelt, who said that "the object of government is the welfare of the people." He is remembered for using the power of government to break up monopolies, and establishing our National Park system. Democrat Lyndon Johnson announced the Great Society during a commencement here at Michigan, but it was the Republican president before him, Dwight Eisenhower, who launched the massive government undertaking known as the Interstate Highway System.(Z: "Republicans did BIG GOVERNMENT STUFF, WHY CAN'T I? How can Republicans nag about that NOW?")

Of course, there have always been those who've opposed such efforts. They argue that government intervention is usually inefficient; that it restricts individual freedom and dampens individual initiative. And in certain instances, that's been true. For many years, we had a welfare system that too often discouraged people from taking responsibility for their own upward mobility. At times, we've neglected the role that parents, rather than government, can play in cultivating a child's education. Sometimes regulation fails, and sometimes its benefits do not justify its costs. (Z: How I WISH he believed this)

But what troubles me is when I hear people say that all of government is inherently bad. One of my favorite signs from the health care debate was one that read "Keep Government Out Of My Medicare," which is essentially like saying "Keep Government Out Of My Government-Run Health Care." For when our government is spoken of as some menacing, threatening foreign entity, it conveniently ignores the fact in our democracy, government is us. We, the people, hold in our hands the power to choose our leaders, change our laws, and shape our own destiny. (Z: There was a big laugh as he talked about that sign obviously from a Tea Party..he chuckled and waited and grinned and got the audience laughing, too........he wouldn't dare talk about the myriad of signs that were thoughtful and clever)

Government is the police officers who are here protecting us and the service men and women who are defending us abroad. Government is the roads you drove in on and the speed limits that kept you safe. Government is what ensures that mines adhere to safety standards and that oil spills are cleaned up by the companies that caused them. Government is this extraordinary public university - a place that is doing life-saving research, catalyzing economic growth, and graduating students who will change the world around them in ways big and small. (Z: "SO, Government is GOOD and you will love big government")

The truth is, the debate we've had for decades between more government and less government doesn't really fit the times in which we live. We know that too much government can stifle competition, deprive us of choice, and burden us with debt. But we've also seen clearly the dangers of too little government - like when a lack of accountability on Wall Street nearly led to the collapse of our entire economy.

So what we should be asking is not whether we need a "big government" or a "small government," but how we can create a smarter, better government. In an era of iPods and Tivo, where we have more choices than ever before, government shouldn't try to dictate your lives. But it should give you the tools you need to succeed. Our government shouldn't try to guarantee results, but it should guarantee a shot at opportunity for every American who's willing to work hard. (Z: this copy of the speech left out his comment about iPods and Tivos..."I don't understand any of that...I HAVE TWENTY-THREE YEAR OLDS FOR THAT")

The point is, we can and should debate the role of government in our lives, but remember, as you are asked to meet the challenges of our time, that the ability for us to adapt our government to the needs of the age has helped make our democracy work since its inception.

The second way to keep our democracy healthy is to maintain a basic level of civility in our public debate. These arguments we're having over government and health care and war and taxes are serious arguments. They should arouse people's passions, and it's important for everyone to join in the debate, with all the rigor that a free people require.

But we cannot expect to solve our problems if all we do is tear each other down. You can disagree with a certain policy without demonizing the person who espouses it. You can question someone's views and their judgment without questioning their motives or their patriotism. Throwing around phrases like "socialist" and "Soviet-style takeover;" "fascist" and "right-wing nut" may grab headlines, but it also has the effect of comparing our government, or our political opponents, to authoritarian, and even murderous regimes. (Z: Clever of him, isn't it, to throw in 'right-wing nut'? And, he sure does like to deflect the fact that many Americans, (MANY) do think he's taking us into socialism, but "that's 'just silly' and I'm priming these kids to think it's silly, too!!" big grin)

Again, we have seen this kind of politics in the past. It's been practiced by both fringes of the ideological spectrum, by the left and the right, since our nation's birth.

The problem with it is not the hurt feelings or the bruised egos of the public officials who are criticized.

The problem is that this kind of vilification and over-the-top rhetoric closes the door to the possibility of compromise. It undermines democratic deliberation. It prevents learning - since after all, why should we listen to a "fascist" or "socialist" or "right wing nut?" It makes it nearly impossible for people who have legitimate but bridgeable differences to sit down at the same table and hash things out. It robs us of a rational and serious debate that we need to have about the very real and very big challenges facing this nation. It coarsens our culture, and at its worst, it can send signals to the most extreme elements of our society that perhaps violence is a justifiable response.(Z: Perhaps, if he WOULD sit fairly, and actually listen to the Right instead of all those close-doored meetings in the senate, House, etc., we COULD bridge differences? Is he kidding with this? Does he think these graduates don't read? has he seen Pelosi and Reid and their power grabs? Oh, ya..never mind..these grads are so indoctrinated they can't see two sides of anything)

So what can we do about this?

As I've found out after a year in the White House, changing this type of slash and burn politics isn't easy. And part of what civility requires is that we recall the simple lesson most of us learned from our parents: treat others as you would like to be treated, with courtesy and respect.

But civility in this age also requires something more.

Today's twenty-four seven echo chamber amplifies the most inflammatory soundbites louder and faster than ever before. It has also, however, given us unprecedented choice. Whereas most of America used to get their news from the same three networks over dinner or a few influential papers on Sunday morning, we now have the option to get our information from any number of blogs or websites or cable news shows.

This development can be both good and bad for democracy. For if we choose only to expose ourselves to opinions and viewpoints that are in line with our own, studies suggest that we will become more polarized and set in our ways. And that will only reinforce and even deepen the political divides in this country. But if we choose to actively seek out information that challenges our assumptions and our beliefs, perhaps we can begin to understand where the people who disagree with us are coming from.

This of course requires that we all agree on a certain set of facts to debate from, and that is why we need a vibrant and thriving news business that is separate from opinion makers and talking heads. As Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan famously said, "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts." (Z: Yes, Mr. Obama, just WHERE ARE the young investigative journalists who should be looking into your background, who paid for Harvard for you, the truth about your relationships, the truth about your Chicago experiences, the truth about your czars...I could go on and on and so could most of America.........where ARE the young kids who used to believe in investigating the slightest stories which smacked of confusion or lies? But, then, without them because they're too indoctrinated, you slam those who DO have the guts to raise questions, criticize, to raise objection with facts and figures.......)

Still, if you're someone who only reads the editorial page of The New York Times, try glancing at the page of The Wall Street Journal once in awhile. If you're a fan of Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh, try reading a few columns on the Huffington Post website. It may make your blood boil; your mind may not often be changed. But the practice of listening to opposing views is essential for effective citizenship.

So too is the practice of engaging in different experiences with different kinds of people. For four years at Michigan, you have been exposed to diverse thinkers and scholars; professors and students. Do not narrow that broad intellectual exposure just because you're leaving here. Instead, seek to expand it. If you grew up in a big city, spend some time with some who grew up in a rural town. If you find yourself only hanging around with people of your race or your ethnicity or your religion, broaden your circle to include people who've had different backgrounds and life experiences. You'll learn what it's like to walk in someone else's shoes, and in the process, you'll help make this democracy work.(Z: Does he really believe there's been DIVERSE THINKING in U of Michigan's classrooms? Is he THIS out of touch?!:-)

The last ingredient in a functioning democracy is perhaps the most basic: participation.

I understand that one effect of today's poisonous political climate is to push people away from participation in public life. If all you see when you turn on the television is name-calling; if all you hear about is how special interest lobbying and partisanship prevented Washington from getting something done, you might think to yourself, "What's the point of getting involved?" (Z; I'm thinking those Tea Party parents are setting some pretty good examples to their kids about participation in public life....)

The point is, when we don't pay close attention to the decisions made by our leaders; when we fail to educate ourselves about the major issues of the day; when we choose not to make our voices and opinions heard, that's when democracy breaks down. That's when power is abused. That's when the most extreme voices in our society fill the void that we leave. That's when powerful interests and their lobbyists are most able to buy access and influence in the corridors of Washington - because none of us are there to speak up and stop them.(Z: Who's he mean here by "most extreme voices?" Oh...and, oops....does he realize how buying access and influence in Washington is BIpartisan?)

Participation in public life doesn't mean that you all have to run for public office - though we could certainly use some fresh faces in Washington. But it does mean that you should pay attention and contribute in any way that you can. Stay informed. Write letters, or make phone calls on behalf of an issue you care about. If electoral politics isn't your thing, continue the tradition so many of you started here at Michigan and find a way to serve your community and your country - an act that will help you stay connected to your fellow citizens and improve the lives of those around you.

It was fifty years ago that a young candidate for president came here to Michigan and delivered a speech that inspired one of the most successful service projects in American history. And as John F. Kennedy described the ideals behind what would become the Peace Corps, he issued a challenge to the students who had assembled in Ann Arbor on that October night:

"...[O]n your willingness to contribute part of your life to this country...will depend the answer whether a free society can compete. I think it can."

This democracy we have is a precious thing. For all the arguments and all the doubts and all the cynicism that's out there today, we should never forget that as Americans, we enjoy more freedoms and opportunities than citizens in any other nation on Earth. We are free to speak our mind and worship as we please; to choose our leaders and criticize them if they let us down. We have the chance to get an education, work hard, and give our children a better life. (Z: too much to comment on here, plus it's too upsetting to think some of the grads in the audience there actually believe he believes this...or that those voices of criticism have been respected or that he honestly thinks criticism of leaders is a good thing, even criticism toward him)

None of this came easy. None of it was preordained. The men and women who sat in your chairs ten years ago and fifty years ago and one hundred years ago - they made America possible. And there is no guarantee that the graduates who will sit here in ten or fifty or one hundred years from now will enjoy the same freedoms and opportunities that we do. America's success has never been a given. Our nation's destiny has never been certain. (Z:, actually, it was pretty well a given until very recently, Mr. Obama..and some of us believe it was 'preordained')

What is certain - what has always been certain - is our ability to shape that destiny. That is what makes us different. That is what makes us American - our ability at the end of the day to look past all of our differences and all of our disagreements and still forge a common future. That task is now in your hands, as is the answer to the question posed at this university half a century ago about whether a free society can still compete.

If you are as willing, as past generations were willing, to contribute part of your life to the life of this country, then I, like President Kennedy, still believe we can. Congratulations on your graduation. May God Bless You, and may God Bless the United States of America.

Z: I watched the whole thing live. I'm sorry you couldn't see the big toothsome grins, the pauses for the laughs he expected from this DIVERSE and OPEN MINDED GROUP after words like "right wingers." The speech was A CAMPAIGN SPEECH....He might as well said "I JUST DON'T GET WHY EVERYBODY DOESN'T LIKE ME. I JUST DON'T THINK THAT PEOPLE WITH DUMB POSTERS LIKE THAT ONE ABOUT MEDICARE ARE STANDING UP FOR THINGS THEY BELIEVE, DOING JUST WHAT I URGED THESE GRADS TO DO...TO 'PARTICIPATE IN PUBLIC LIFE', 'PAY ATTENTION', 'CONTRIBUTE ANY WAY YOU CAN'...NO, THEY'RE JUST STANDING IN MY WAY, DON'T YOU ALL SEE THAT? REPUBLICANS USED TO BELIEVE IN BIG GOVERNMENT, TOO....THEY'RE ONLY PARTISAN NOW WHEN THEY OBJECT OVER SEEING MY ADMINISTRATION BUYING COMPANIES, SETTING SALARIES, TAKING OVER HEALTHCARE AND ENERGY........DON'T THEY SEE THAT IT'S PARTISAN NOT TO GO ALONG WITH MEEEE! MORE PEOPLE SHOULD LISTEN TO MSNBC AND SEE MY SIDE, THAT SHOULD KNOW THAT 'PARTICULAR CABLE CHANNEL' I SINGLED OUT IN THIS SPEECH IS WRONG AND OLBERMANN IS RIGHT!"

I give up...this speech made me very emotional but not the kind of emotional I used to get when I heard graduation speeches from past presidents....not when I felt like that president loved America and loved those kids and actually did encourage open minds and diverse education in college classrooms and honoring all ways of thinking.........no, I didn't feel emotional like that at all.

What do you think of the speech?

UPDATE 3pm EST: I was stunned to see my sitemeter had so many reading this post and checked to see that Google's listed my blog as the first blogger to carry his speech....I hope we can get some good conversation here in the comments section...I'll delete any incivility ASAP but would like to know if anybody didn't think this sounds like a campaign speech or if he might not have wanted to discuss JOBS instead criticism of BIG GOVERNMENT since Michigan's one of the most hard-hit states for unemployment. Of course, many think that BIG GOVERNMENT is the solution to NO JOBS and, let's face it, government (very sadly) is the biggest employer, isn't it? Maybe, in Obama's eyes, this WAS the right speech to make, particularly in Michigan? I guess that verifies my opinion of the speech.

z