Something to Run On

On the day that the National Intelligence Estimate went public stating that the war in Iraq has created more Islamic radicals, former President Bill Clinton criticized Fox News for not being a balanced news source. He had been asked if he had done enough to fight terrorism and before saying no, he chastised the commentator for not asking the same question of President Bush and his Adminsitration, who had done NOTHING to fight or acknowledge terrorism in the 8 months they were in office prior to 9/11. President Clinton also explained that he had tried to kill Bin Laden, that he had authorized the CIA to do so if possible, and ended the interview by criticizing the small number of troops in Afghanistan looking for the actual mastermind of 9/11 and the overblown importance placed in Iraq.

By making these statements publicly, Former President Clinton gave the Democrats, including his wife, something to run on. Though he is nearly invincible politically at the moment, he showed the Democrats that not only is it okay to have a backbone, it's actually preferred to the wishy-washy, fake, no-substance answers we have been hearing for the past 6 years. I hope that the Democrats finally start standing up and hitting back on these issues, especially since they have the political and moral upper-hand. All we need now are impeachment proceedings.

2,711 US Soldiers have been killed in Iraq
20,486 US Soldiers have been wounded in Iraq

WHEN ARE WE GOING TO DEMAND THAT THIS ENDS??? or at least that we be told why this was begun?

Unanswered Questions

One year after the most devastating hurricane to hit New Orleans and almost five years after the towers came crashing down, WE KNOW NOTHING. We've been distracted, disinformed, and obviously disinterested. Not only do we not know the answers, we haven't even asked the questions. We have collectively failed the people of New Orleans, New York, and New Baghdad. Our nation has an attention span of about 10 minutes. We're told more about John Mark Karr (who DID NOT kill JonBenet Ramsey) and what he ate on his first class trip from Thailand than we are about Ray Nagin's constant struggle, exactly what happened on 9/11, and why, OH WHY, we are fighting a war in Iraq. And it seems like that's okay with us because we don't ask. I am ashamed of us. Maybe we deserve what we get.

2,633 US Soldiers killed in Iraq
19,733 US Soldiers wounded in Iraq

Updated Title: Polygyny - It's Better for the Kids

I wonder how many people stay together for the sake of the children. In this country it's not many since we have a divorce rate so high it's embarrassing, like everything else Americans do., but I think it might be better for the kids if divorced parents continued to live in the same home but carried on slightly separate lives. There's no reason why consenting adults can't come to an agreement on how to date, when to introduce a new member of the family, and how to live, compound style, if need be, so that the kids have access to both of their parents every day. Someone would be able to stay at home with the younger kids at all times, and schedules could be arranged so that an adult is home by the time the kids are back from school. That leads to more supervision for the children, equaling a better education (because someone can make sure their homework is finished), more parental involvement in school (because someone will have the time), and fewer instances of children getting access to things they shouldn't have (like video and computer games, music parents disagree with, TV shows that are inappropriate, etc...) Besides all of that, with several adults paying the bills, more children would have access to private schools.

Update: For the less liberal, click here for information on housing cooperatives.

Use Less Oil

Why is it that no one can seem to use this phrase? Whenever anyone is interviewed about the current crisis in the Middle East or the reduced number of barrels from Alaska, their response is that Americans will have to import more oil from overseas, causing a rise in gas prices. They never say, "Americans will have to use less oil". Obviously no one but Al Gore wants to put a kink in our consumer chain (but who listens to him anyway?), and NO ONE wants to see the oil companies make less money, but how hard is it to say, "Take a walk. Take the bus or train. Build green. Cut down on your use of plastics. Recycle. Put on a sweater. Use cloth diapers. STOP DRIVING SUV's!!!"

They won't say these things because Americans don't want to hear that in order for us to do better individually, we need to make sacrifices as a nation. Americans aren't really good at that word: sacrifice. They're much better at dealing with or repressing the guilt that comes with not sacrificing, if it comes at all. Isn't it our patriotic duty to use less oil, especially when we're at war with one of the major producers of it, and every country that harbors terrorists gets most of their money from oil? This is not a game, people, and it is certainly not a dress rehearsal. THE WORLD IS NOT ENDING. We can reverse the damage we've done and do better in the future.

The Drinking Age

I was watching an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (don't ask me why) and it was discussing the drinking age. Of course, the way they handled the subject ended badly for everyone, but they made a point that we seem to have forgotten: If teens learn to drink in a safe and responsible environment, they will carry those habits with them the rest of their lives. If they learn to drink 40's in the middle of nowhere and drive home drunk to make curfew, THOSE are the habits they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. The only reason OUR drinking age is so high is that our government doesn't believe that parents can turn their kids into responsible adults. Instead, they feel the need to regulate anything that might hurt us, thereby taking the decision-making out of our hands.

I think it's a better idea to talk to kids about alcohol and teach them to use it responsibly at or before (with direct parental supervision) the age of 16. The countries where the legal drinking age is 16 or lower have very few problems with alcohol. People are taught not to drink and drive (which works better when there is a good and SAFE public transportation system), not to over-indulge (for reference, visit your nearest college), and what their limits are (which isn't happening here, as evidenced by AA and the 12 Steps) in a safe environment surrounded by people who care about them.

Truth, Justice, and...

Superman Returns seems to have gone slightly political. Many people see Superman's slogan change as minor, but I think it represents a larger world view, one that cannot be ignored. It is difficult for Superman to fight for truth in a world where its definition is hazy. We watch news conferences filled with spin and "reality" shows that do absolutely nothing to mimic real life (mostly because that would be incredibly boring). When our soldiers are fighting a war for lies and no one is held accountable, there is no justice.

And what exactly is the American Way? It seems to have more to do with the work of Haliburton than with the work of Green Peace. It is consumerism (oil, and our disposable, planned obsolescence society), greed (Haliburton), superficiality (just watch Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, Extra, etc...), colossal errors in judgment (Bush), and abandonment (the poor, the education system, those in need of health care, Social Security, immigration...). We have run this nation so far into the ground that even Superman doesn't want to be associated with us. Even my father, generally the winner of "Staunch Republican of the Year", thinks we have a better shot at raising a family and doing well for ourselves in Europe or Canada.

2,543 US soldiers killed in Iraq
18,874 US soldiers wounded in Iraq
Accurate count of Iraqis killed: Unavailable

Profanity

As an English teacher, the significance of words means a lot to me. Words are powerful, if you use them correctly. I have always been intrigued by the power people give to certain words, as it they should somehow mean more when there are other words that mean the exact same thing but are somehow less offensive. For example, I heard one of my neighbors tell her ten-year-old son to use the word buns instead of ass and I thought, "What's the difference? He's just substituting one word for another, and all you're really telling him is to use a different word around you." Why should he do that, especially when everyone knows he's going to say ass when he's around his friends and buns when he's around his mom. It's not a sign of respect that he doesn't use "bad" language around his mother.

The truth is, there's really no reason not to use "profanity". The actual definition is "to treat (something sacred) with abuse, irreverence, or contempt", and the last time I checked, asses, shit, and sex certainly weren't sacred (unless you're uber religious, in which case your opinion doesn't count). Some of the smartest people I know say fuck all the time. Does that cancel out the rest of what they say? No. So what's the big fuckin' deal? Why does it really matter if you say poop instead of shit or ass instead of tushie? It only really offends those who have a fucking stick up their asses so far that they believe their shit doesn't stink. Why humor those people? Why limit our freedom of speech just because it upsets someone? Putting up a front so as not to offend anyone is pretty much just lying about who you really are.

*NOTE: Please note the definition of profanity in the title link. Words that are considered to be name-calling or hate-speech, such as bitch, cunt, nigger, spic, etc... are not in the same arena as the so-called seven words you can't say on TV. Though people have the freedom to use these words if they chose, they are considered to be inflammatory when directed at a particular person, and are NOT socially acceptable for general usage. In any case, I DO NOT demand that people stop using them, however, I will not allow their usage in my presence. Part of a free society is the ability to walk away (or delete if necessary).

Grasping at Straws

As a teacher, I do my best to remain neutral in the classroom on all subjects, especially those that I am most passionate about. I won't talk about politics, I avoid questions about religion, and I refer them to their parents when it comes to drugs. I do this because I wouldn't want anyone to tell my child how to think about these issues, so I guess it's sort-of a "do unto others" kind of a thing, which is why I was appalled to learn that educators, coaches, and mentors in New Jersey are touring Fort Dix, taking rides in helicopters, and shooting weapons so that they can target their students and encourage them to join the military. Due to this program, recruitment in New Jersey is up, though it is down in almost every other state.

I firmly believe that NO ONE, including a teacher or principal, gets to talk to my child about a career choice (especially one that could get them killed), or any life choice, for that matter, without my presence or permission. The military says the program is designed to give educators a better understanding of what it does. I'm quite clear on the objectives of the US military, thank you very much. I find it disturbing that the government uses the fact that schools use federal money to force them to allow things to happen that are not in the best interest of the student, such as allowing recruiters to spend time in schools and talk to children without parental permission.

As of today:
2,525 US soldier dead in Iraq
18,572 US soldiers wounded in Iraq (at least)
Over 50,000 Iraqi s killed

Obesity

I recently saw a story on the Nightly News about obesity in the United States and how it is becoming one of the largest growing industries in America. People are marketing to overweight Americans with Biggie-sized everything. Even hospitals are widening chairs and beds to accommodate fat people. The story really annoyed me. Not once did they mention WHY Americans are fat, what they can do to reduce their weight, or the health risks associated with being overweight. They made it sound like obesity is just another growing trend. They didn't reference the FDA and how they are failing to do anything to help solve the problem, or that Americans are much more sedentary then they have ever been at any time in our country's past. Nor did they mention that fat people themselves are to blame for the problem. How difficult is it to say, "PUT DOWN THE BURGER!!!"? Eat a salad, or, gasp, exercise. I am disgusted by the obesity problem in America, especially when people are starving in other parts of the world. I feel it is another are in which the people and the government have dropped the ball. This is a selfish, consumer-based, apathetic society. Americans expect to have everything handed to them, and shun hard-work and self-control as if it were the plague.

And I should mention that I am not thin. Before I was pregnant I was 15 pounds overweight, but I NEVER attributed the extra pounds to anything but my own lack of self-control and aversion to regular exercise. I should also mention that since I became pregnant, I have put on a minimal amount of weight because I changed my eating habits immediately, exercised self-control much more, and started doing simple things like taking the stairs and walking the dogs more often.

It's About Time

This is a case of, "right idea, wrong way to go about it". Our Secretary of Education is traveling to other countries to find a way to change the shape of US education policy. Though Spellings is not the first person in this office to do so, it does seem that she's traveling quite a bit more, and often to countries that have nothing to offer us academically.

I agree that we have a lot to learn from certain countries about education, especially if we want our children to be able to compete on a global scale, but some of the ones Spellings is traveling to leave a lot to be desired, and open her up to the criticism that it's all just PR. England's system is beginning to go downhill, but they still have National Education Standards, like France, which is something this country could certainly benefit from. The program in Japan is incredible, and though she's not going there, looking at education in China could also be beneficial. If we're going to go by test scores, she should stop by Sweden, Switzerland, and Germany to get some insight into math education, though she is going to Russia, a country that is way ahead of us in science, along with Canada.

With the war in Iraq and the economic problems we have at the moment, education seems pretty low on the priority list for most Americans. With elections approaching, it is up to the average American to shape the debate. We must steer the politicians away from volatile issues where nothing gets resolved such as gay marriage and abortion and focus on more pressing issues, like how Americans can receive affordable health care and why our children are not as well educated as those in countries with more kids and less money.