Question-When has lack of attention to road repairs gone too far? Answer-When a pothole kills a young wife and mother of two. It sounds unbelievable, but it's true. It happened on a stretch of I-20 in Alabama. In a report on FoxNews.com, it is written that a woman, Crystal Dick was driving along at 70 mph (the speed limit along that stretch of road) and hit a pothole that had been patched and was again breaking down. A piece of concrete flew from under her tire and flew through the glass of the pickup being driven by John Fisher. The concrete struck Fisher's wife Jo, and then sailed into the back of the truck between their two children, through the back glass, and behind the truck, never to be seen.
Fisher pulled over, as did Dick, but the damage had been done. Fisher's wife died the next day. Fisher asked Dick to come with him to the hospital to help watch the kids, but the police wouldn't let her, because they needed a statement. Though Dick wasn't charged, as the accident was deemed caused by the road conditions, Dick still felt terrible. Some people even blamed her, saying she was the one who caused the woman's death.
Fisher doesn't blame her. It was the most random of accidents, and one that was totally preventable. Alabama doesn't have the massive amounts of federal and state funding to completely replace or repair roads that are in need of repair. The best they can do is patch them until funding can come through to do a proper job.
Alabama is now repaving that portion of I-20, but is still several miles from the section that killed John Fisher's wife, Jo. Crystal Dick will no loger drive that section. One life lost, and four lives ruined, all over a pothole that should of and could of been repaired.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Woman Who Received First U.S. Face Transplant Meets Donor's Family
In 2004, Connie Culp was just like any other suburban housewife. One day, however, her husband shot her in the face with a shotgun and then turned the gun on himself. He survived, and went to prison for seven years. She was left clinging to life. The blast shattered half her face, leaving shotgun pellets and bone fragments in her face.
In 2008, she received the face of Anna Kasper, who had died of a heart attack. She met her family for the first time this past Saturday and spent about 90 minutes with them.
It was awkward at first, but soon they talked about the amazing gift Mrs. Kasper had given Mrs. Culp, and how it has managed to allow her to have a normal life once again.
In my opinion, this is one of the great gifts of Christmas. Read the rest of the article and slideshow here.
In 2008, she received the face of Anna Kasper, who had died of a heart attack. She met her family for the first time this past Saturday and spent about 90 minutes with them.
It was awkward at first, but soon they talked about the amazing gift Mrs. Kasper had given Mrs. Culp, and how it has managed to allow her to have a normal life once again.
In my opinion, this is one of the great gifts of Christmas. Read the rest of the article and slideshow here.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Do We Believe In Creationism?
A recent study has indicated that four in 10 Americans believe that humans were created by God about 10,000 years ago. Still others believe God guided our evolution over millions of years. It is mostly Republicans that hold some level of creationist views, and mostly creationists that attend church. This makes sense.
I think as Americans, the idea that we were created by some higher power is inherent in our country's creation. Think about our Declaration of Independence. "[W]e are endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights...." From one of the founding documents of our country, we acknowledged the idea that some higher power was involved in creating us and giving us rights. That's big. Really big. As a christian and history teacher/scientist, I think that we need to look at both sides of the argument. I don't abide by the whole strict seven days thing that is floating around. I take a more pragmatic view; the view that each of God's "days" was actually millions of years.
I urge you, my readers to think about this and your own ideas as you move through this holiday season. Think about the facts and listen to your heart.
Just something to think about.
I think as Americans, the idea that we were created by some higher power is inherent in our country's creation. Think about our Declaration of Independence. "[W]e are endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights...." From one of the founding documents of our country, we acknowledged the idea that some higher power was involved in creating us and giving us rights. That's big. Really big. As a christian and history teacher/scientist, I think that we need to look at both sides of the argument. I don't abide by the whole strict seven days thing that is floating around. I take a more pragmatic view; the view that each of God's "days" was actually millions of years.
I urge you, my readers to think about this and your own ideas as you move through this holiday season. Think about the facts and listen to your heart.
Just something to think about.
Fifth Graders Can't Do Simple Math
x +10=30
The equation above seems pretty simple. Just subtract ten from 30 to get 20 and that equals x. Can you believe that there are fifth-graders that don't know how to solve that without using a calculator? I wouldn't have believed it unless I had witnessed it for myself.
I was working in a classroom, with a small group of kids. One of the kids was having difficulty with this particular problem. I was trying to explain how to do the problem and get the answer. The student could not compute the answer to 30 minus ten in their head. They were in fifth grade. When I tried to break the problem down, the student got even more confused. They couldn't even compute zero minus zero. And forget about three minus one.
This situation drives home the fact that we are giving our students calculators in first grade to do problems such as one plus one. Students today are not encouraged to learn how math works. We want to pride ourselves on our students "doing" algebra in fourth grade, but that is irrelevant if the student can't even perform their multiplication tables with any proficiency. What I say is this--take away the calculators and make the kids think about how the math works, and after they know how to do math, give them a calculator.
For the record, I graduated high school in 1994, and I wasn't allowed to use a calculator until the second half of my senior year. Until that time, calculators were forbidden in math. Physics and Chemistry were different stories.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Obama Can't Play Nice In The Sandbox
We all know that President Obama can't act like a grown-up. He has shown patently juvenile behavior on many occasions. Now a report confirms what we have suspected all along.
He gets mad at the media if they criticize him. He has locked Fox News out of interviews. He has even taken his ball and gone home, leaving former president Clinton to clean up after him. Obama is one of those people that is so smart he is dumb. What I mean is that he is book smart, but lacks "street smarts." While he can talk a good game (so long as he has a tele-prompter), he can't deliver on what he says in a logical, safe way. Yes, we had a deficit when Obama came into office, yes, we had a recession when Obama came into office, but Obama has done nothing but make it worse since he has been in office.
Passing muli-billion dollar stimulus packages for allegedly "shovel-ready" projects (of which there are none), spending more to increase the unemployment benefits, for those who can't find work, and passing a healthcare law that has made most Americans want to take to the streets is not what is needed. In the last two years, Obama has shown himself to be more partisan than Bill Clinton in his first two years. Even after the historic election, Obama is still dug into his position. He refuses to compromise. He is a far-left menace who is not interested in the best interests of the people who elected him, only in his own self-serving interests and angrandizement. Instead of the stimulus, cut taxes even more, give incentives to companies to create and keep jobs here. Instead of expanding unemployment benefits, provide funds to people and communities to retrain those out of work for new jobs in new sectors. Instead of a massively expensive socialistic healthcare law, give incentives to companies to cover people and ecourage them to keep premiums low.
Can 2012 get here soon enough?
He gets mad at the media if they criticize him. He has locked Fox News out of interviews. He has even taken his ball and gone home, leaving former president Clinton to clean up after him. Obama is one of those people that is so smart he is dumb. What I mean is that he is book smart, but lacks "street smarts." While he can talk a good game (so long as he has a tele-prompter), he can't deliver on what he says in a logical, safe way. Yes, we had a deficit when Obama came into office, yes, we had a recession when Obama came into office, but Obama has done nothing but make it worse since he has been in office.
Passing muli-billion dollar stimulus packages for allegedly "shovel-ready" projects (of which there are none), spending more to increase the unemployment benefits, for those who can't find work, and passing a healthcare law that has made most Americans want to take to the streets is not what is needed. In the last two years, Obama has shown himself to be more partisan than Bill Clinton in his first two years. Even after the historic election, Obama is still dug into his position. He refuses to compromise. He is a far-left menace who is not interested in the best interests of the people who elected him, only in his own self-serving interests and angrandizement. Instead of the stimulus, cut taxes even more, give incentives to companies to create and keep jobs here. Instead of expanding unemployment benefits, provide funds to people and communities to retrain those out of work for new jobs in new sectors. Instead of a massively expensive socialistic healthcare law, give incentives to companies to cover people and ecourage them to keep premiums low.
Can 2012 get here soon enough?
Let Them Eat Room Service! Palace of Versailles Opens A Hotel
In a pioneering move, the Palace of Versailles, the former palace of the French kings, is opening up a 23 room luxury hotel. In a report out of France, a privately-owned Belgian company has contracted with the publically-owned Versailles to refurbish and open a dilapidated portion of the palace as a luxury hotel. The Belgian company will "lease" part of the palace for 30 years, paying back part of the profits to the palace as "rent."
The project is made possible because of a grant designed to encourage tourism to encourage development of historic sites and monuments.
The project is made possible because of a grant designed to encourage tourism to encourage development of historic sites and monuments.
The Grinches That Stole Christmas (Or At Least The Red Kettles)
In Little Rock, Arkansas, two men are accused of making off with two kettles containing the day's donations plus the bells they were ringing, according to a report. It should be noted that these two men were ringing the bell at two different locations, and were being paid to do so. The Salvation Army does at times pay people minimum wage to ring the bell.
This begs the question: who would be so callous, so crass as to steal from those that would otherwise have nothing for Christmas? On so many levels this is wrong. If these two men needed the support of the Salvation Army, why don't they ask for it instead of stealing from the organization that seeks to help so many? To do so simply harms others that really need the money/food/gifts/other things that the Salvation Army provides.
It is estimated, that given the two locations that the men were servicing, that hundreds of dollars were stolen. What Grinches! I know that there is a special place in Hell for these two men. I hope they end up on Santa's naughty list and get nothing but coal and switches for Christmas.
This begs the question: who would be so callous, so crass as to steal from those that would otherwise have nothing for Christmas? On so many levels this is wrong. If these two men needed the support of the Salvation Army, why don't they ask for it instead of stealing from the organization that seeks to help so many? To do so simply harms others that really need the money/food/gifts/other things that the Salvation Army provides.
It is estimated, that given the two locations that the men were servicing, that hundreds of dollars were stolen. What Grinches! I know that there is a special place in Hell for these two men. I hope they end up on Santa's naughty list and get nothing but coal and switches for Christmas.
Wikileaks' Assange: What's His Deal
Julian Assange is probably the biggest villain in the world right now. Everyone in America hates him for the three massive leaks of American classified documents he has done in the last year. His obsessive need for "transparency" when it comes to international dealings has led to several deaths, and has damaged U.S. international relations for years. He has no shame.
Assange has also allegedly crossed the line with two of his female groupies. He is charged in Sweden with sexual assault and has been in and out of British courts fighting for his freedom. He is out on bail at the moment, and set to be sent to Sweden to face the charges. In an interview with Britain's Sky News, Assange is of the belief that the Swedish sex charges are part of a larger conspiracy to get him to the U.S. to face espionage charges. This is bogus. Any charges would have to be viewed by both Britain and Sweden. While some of our diplomacy is conducted in the dark, our system of justice is not.
The ironic thing about all this, is Assange wants to desperately protect his privacy. The man committed to splashing the secrets of others across the Internet wants desperately to keep his own counsel. In my view, Assange needs to abide by the old adage "what's good for the goose is good for the gander." He has chosen to expose the private lives of countries, he should expect the same in return.
Assange has also allegedly crossed the line with two of his female groupies. He is charged in Sweden with sexual assault and has been in and out of British courts fighting for his freedom. He is out on bail at the moment, and set to be sent to Sweden to face the charges. In an interview with Britain's Sky News, Assange is of the belief that the Swedish sex charges are part of a larger conspiracy to get him to the U.S. to face espionage charges. This is bogus. Any charges would have to be viewed by both Britain and Sweden. While some of our diplomacy is conducted in the dark, our system of justice is not.
The ironic thing about all this, is Assange wants to desperately protect his privacy. The man committed to splashing the secrets of others across the Internet wants desperately to keep his own counsel. In my view, Assange needs to abide by the old adage "what's good for the goose is good for the gander." He has chosen to expose the private lives of countries, he should expect the same in return.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Blame The Victim
In a report posted on FoxNews.com, defense attorneys in the Yeardly Love murder trial are asking for copies of her medical records to prove she died from prescription drug complications, not blunt force trauma that was allegedly inflicted by their client, George Huguley. This is a big case in Charlottesville, VA, home to the University of Virginia. Both young people were players on their respective UVA lacrosse teams, and were former boyfriend/girlfriend. It is alleged that Huguley smashed in Love's door and grabbed her and shook her, then slammed her head against the wall several times. She was found the next day in a pool of blood, her face disfigured.
The defense claimed that the autopsy report indicated that Love had Adderall in her system. For the uninformed, Adderall is a drug used to tread ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). They claim that Love died from cardiac arrhythmia due to a reaction to the drug, not the savage beating she endured at the hands of their client. The coroner is standing by his findings, stating that the amount of Adderall would not have caused Love's death.
To me, this is just more of the "blame the victim" mentality that is going around. Too often, accused criminals want to "plead temporary insanity," or "deminished capacity.' In my opinion, Huguley has sunk to a new low. This play by his attorneys is a shameless attempt to imply that Love was abusing her Adderall.
Shame on you, Mr. Huguley!
The defense claimed that the autopsy report indicated that Love had Adderall in her system. For the uninformed, Adderall is a drug used to tread ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). They claim that Love died from cardiac arrhythmia due to a reaction to the drug, not the savage beating she endured at the hands of their client. The coroner is standing by his findings, stating that the amount of Adderall would not have caused Love's death.
To me, this is just more of the "blame the victim" mentality that is going around. Too often, accused criminals want to "plead temporary insanity," or "deminished capacity.' In my opinion, Huguley has sunk to a new low. This play by his attorneys is a shameless attempt to imply that Love was abusing her Adderall.
Shame on you, Mr. Huguley!
Attack On Christianity
Christianity is under fire from every quarter. The ACLU, government, and individuals and groups who want to seek to eliminate religion from the public discussion. Now the Pope has come out to say that Christians are one of the most persecuted groups in the world.
In his speech for World Peace Day, celebrated by the Church on January 1, the Pontiff cites the bombing of a cathedral in Iraq, and the inability for Christians to worship in Saudi Arabia.
He appealed to governments to act in order to protect Christians, saying that the persecution of Christians is wrong and goes against God. While I certainly understand this, and being a Christian it is nice to see him saying what Christians have been saying for years, why isn't more being done to preserve our Judeo-Christian heritage here in this country. Our laws are built upon the Ten Commandments, yet we are forbidden to display them in a courtroom. Chidren can have a "moment of silence," but if they openly pray or give thanks to God, they are punished. Liberals have systematically taken away the right for Christians to do some of the fundamental things that we should all be able to do.
We need to stand up and say "enough" and fight for our rights as Christians to read our Bibles wherever we wish, pray without punishment where we wish, and have the Ten Commandments posted in every courtroom in America.
In his speech for World Peace Day, celebrated by the Church on January 1, the Pontiff cites the bombing of a cathedral in Iraq, and the inability for Christians to worship in Saudi Arabia.
He appealed to governments to act in order to protect Christians, saying that the persecution of Christians is wrong and goes against God. While I certainly understand this, and being a Christian it is nice to see him saying what Christians have been saying for years, why isn't more being done to preserve our Judeo-Christian heritage here in this country. Our laws are built upon the Ten Commandments, yet we are forbidden to display them in a courtroom. Chidren can have a "moment of silence," but if they openly pray or give thanks to God, they are punished. Liberals have systematically taken away the right for Christians to do some of the fundamental things that we should all be able to do.
We need to stand up and say "enough" and fight for our rights as Christians to read our Bibles wherever we wish, pray without punishment where we wish, and have the Ten Commandments posted in every courtroom in America.
Ignoring The Will Of The People: The Waning Days Of The 111th Congress
In a recent editorial, David Kupelian discusses what that radical left is attempting to do in the waning days of the 111th Congress. They are attempting to shove legislation down the throats of the very people who repudiated them in November. The DREAM Act, potential tax hikes on businesses and individuals, a new arms treaty with Russia (new START), and finally, the most controversial one, the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell."
While I am certainly all for someone having whatever lifestyle choice they want, and having the profession that they want, the idea of homosexuals serving openly in the military seems to me to be bad practice. When asked, the men and women serving us stated that they didn't want to know if someone was openly gay or lesbian. Some may say that being homosexual is against good order and discipline. I'm not going to try to argue that point. Others say that homosexuals ought to be allowed to live their lives the same way as straight people do. There's a point there, too. Gays and straights both have the right and the responsibility to serve in the military. However, when the military states overwhelmingly that they don't want to know that their compatriot is homosexual, does our government have the right to force that on them?
I say no. This is a much larger decision. We need a strong, united military more than ever right now. Having people dropping out hand-over-fist is not good. Keeping "don't ask, don't tell" in place makes sense. I also think that this monumental of a decision should be put off until the next Congress convenes.
The whole debate brings up a larger point. Should so-called "lame-duck" Congresses be allowed to work on and pass monumental legislation. To me, the answer is not black and white. I would say that one would have to look at the composition of the Congress pre-election and then examine it post-election. If post-election the composition did not change significantly, then the Congress should proceed as normal. If the composition changed significantly, then the Congress should address those bills that are deemed absolutely necessary to keep government functioning and to prevent further harm to the country. The tax-hike bill would be an example of this type of legislation.
The current Congress needs to stop what they are doing and remember what the people said in November. We have spoken, we screamed at you. We don't want your liberal, socialist agenda. Stop the madness.
While I am certainly all for someone having whatever lifestyle choice they want, and having the profession that they want, the idea of homosexuals serving openly in the military seems to me to be bad practice. When asked, the men and women serving us stated that they didn't want to know if someone was openly gay or lesbian. Some may say that being homosexual is against good order and discipline. I'm not going to try to argue that point. Others say that homosexuals ought to be allowed to live their lives the same way as straight people do. There's a point there, too. Gays and straights both have the right and the responsibility to serve in the military. However, when the military states overwhelmingly that they don't want to know that their compatriot is homosexual, does our government have the right to force that on them?
I say no. This is a much larger decision. We need a strong, united military more than ever right now. Having people dropping out hand-over-fist is not good. Keeping "don't ask, don't tell" in place makes sense. I also think that this monumental of a decision should be put off until the next Congress convenes.
The whole debate brings up a larger point. Should so-called "lame-duck" Congresses be allowed to work on and pass monumental legislation. To me, the answer is not black and white. I would say that one would have to look at the composition of the Congress pre-election and then examine it post-election. If post-election the composition did not change significantly, then the Congress should proceed as normal. If the composition changed significantly, then the Congress should address those bills that are deemed absolutely necessary to keep government functioning and to prevent further harm to the country. The tax-hike bill would be an example of this type of legislation.
The current Congress needs to stop what they are doing and remember what the people said in November. We have spoken, we screamed at you. We don't want your liberal, socialist agenda. Stop the madness.
Lawlessness On The Border: The Murder Of An Agent
According to the website The Hill, Border Patrol agent Brian Terry was shot and killed, ostensibly by Mexican drug gangs. This is the sort of lawlessness on the border that has to be stopped.
As a Libertarian, I think that we should have borders that are open, but there should be a process for legalizing people that come here. It shouldn't be a "free-for-all." Our country was built on immigration. If you really want to get technical, even the Native Americans were Immigrants. We as 21st century Americans don't have the market on this country. In my opinion, I think that we sometimes forget that there are still countries out there in the world that have oppressive regimes and horrible economic conditions. America has always been seen as the land of opportunity, and to that end we should allow people to come here legally.
That said, people sneaking across the border, or women coming here and having babies in order to be able to anchor themselves in the country is a poor practice. The 14th Amendment was never meant to be interpreted this way. I don't think we should boot out the illegals we have now that are hard working members of society and havn't commited any crimes, but I do think that they should be made to go through a process of legalization. Those that have committed crimes should be shipped back from whence they came, never to be allowed to come back.
When it comes to Mexican drug gangs on the border killing people, we need all the troops we can get. President Obama needs to stop dilly-dallying and amass troops on the border and shoot to kill these drug toting peices of crap. If we send the message that we will not stand for the import of illegal drugs and the killing of American citizens by Mexican criminals, maybe Felipe Calderon will get off his butt and do something to fix his drug problem.
As a Libertarian, I think that we should have borders that are open, but there should be a process for legalizing people that come here. It shouldn't be a "free-for-all." Our country was built on immigration. If you really want to get technical, even the Native Americans were Immigrants. We as 21st century Americans don't have the market on this country. In my opinion, I think that we sometimes forget that there are still countries out there in the world that have oppressive regimes and horrible economic conditions. America has always been seen as the land of opportunity, and to that end we should allow people to come here legally.
That said, people sneaking across the border, or women coming here and having babies in order to be able to anchor themselves in the country is a poor practice. The 14th Amendment was never meant to be interpreted this way. I don't think we should boot out the illegals we have now that are hard working members of society and havn't commited any crimes, but I do think that they should be made to go through a process of legalization. Those that have committed crimes should be shipped back from whence they came, never to be allowed to come back.
When it comes to Mexican drug gangs on the border killing people, we need all the troops we can get. President Obama needs to stop dilly-dallying and amass troops on the border and shoot to kill these drug toting peices of crap. If we send the message that we will not stand for the import of illegal drugs and the killing of American citizens by Mexican criminals, maybe Felipe Calderon will get off his butt and do something to fix his drug problem.
Michael Vick Wants a What?!?!
In a recent interview, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick stated that he wanted to get a pet. Not just any pet, but a dog. I think I about died. Michael Vick, in case you didn't know, spent almost two years in a federal prison on dogfighting charges. What he subjected pit bulls to was so heinous, I will not discuss it here. Prior to his conviction, he was a star quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, and had a multi-million dollar contract, along with millions in lucrative endorsements. After his conviction, he was let go from the Falcons and then the NFL suspended him. When he got out of prison, his friend, quarterback Donovan McNabb from the Eagles, got him a job as the back-up quarterback. He now makes about $2 million a year.
Vick now states that having a dog would help in his rehabilitation. I say, "no way!" The only pet this man should ever have is a fish, and even that he should be monitored. If you allow him to have a dog, who's to say he won't figure out how to fight it or breed it for fighters? I'm all about redemption and second chances, but from what I've seen, Vick hasn't shown that he is truly sorry. Where are all the ads of him for the ASPCA? What about for PETA? How about as a spokesperson for the Humane Society? I haven't seen it. As far as I can see, he is all talk, and no actions. Actions, as they say, speak louder than words, and Mr. Vick needs to "put up or shut up."
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
World's Shortest Political Quiz
If you have ever wondered where you really fall on the political spectrum, take this short quiz to find out. It's ten questions, and the results may surprise you.
How Can Parents Do This To Their Own Kids?
A recent article from Reuters states that two Alabama children that were murdered by their own parents were tortured before they were killed. This begs the question: how could parents do that to their own kids? If parents don't feel as though they couldn't handle their children, they could go to various organizations for help. They certainly didn't have to resort to torture and murder to deal with their issues. The parents are pointing their fingers at each other, but meanwhile, the body of one child is still missing. At this time of year when love is supposed to prevail, unspeakable cruelty rears its ugly head.
Should We Teach Parenting Skills to the Parents Of Gang Members?
In the grand tradition of "it takes a village to raise a child," some California parents are being forced into "parenting classes" because their children are gang members. These classes are metted out by judges to parents who have children who have been convicted of gang-related crimes for the first time. The hope is that if the parents can be taught how to parent the child, then they can re-guide the child down the path of good, and hopefully keep them out of jail or save them from a worse fate.
The law is called the "Parent Accountability Act," and it aims to guide parents in how to raise their children. My comment about this idea is this: what makes the government the arbiter of what constitutes good parents or good parenting? I know of several cases of parents who are very involved with their children's education and lives, and still their children make poor choices that cause them to get into serious trouble. Does that make these people bad parents? At what point do we say that parents should raise their kids the way that they see fit, and if their children choose to go down a wrong path or make a poor decision, they need to be held accountable. While the appeal of keeping kids (and by extension adults later on) out of jail is great, sometimes we need to let parents do what they think is right and let the chips fall where they may.
The report then goes on to say that the program's slow start is an indicator of the apathy of parents. In other words, parents that don't attend mandated parenting classes simply don't care about their children. They may be too busy working or just disengaged. This has validity on a couple of levels. Many parents of kids that are in gangs or have been convicted of gang-related crimes are from poor, minority backgrounds. The gang provides a type of familial affiliation that may be lacking at home because mom and dad may be too busy working to put food on the table and clothes on the backs of the family to sit down to play "Uno" every night. While ignoring the children that one gave birth to is certainly not acceptable on any level, in today's economic times, and in the struggling economic times of the economically disadvantaged, working multiple jobs is the only way to stay afloat.
Sometimes, a parent needs to teach by example. Showing a child hard work and thrift is parenting as much as sitting down and talking. Kids today are exposed to many different influences, both positive and negative. They choose to make negative associations. No one puts a gun to their head and tells them to join a gang. The child makes that choice. When the child does that, they also make a choice to accept the consequences.
What makes the state such a great teacher of parenting anyway? To me, the state teaching people how to parent is very Orwellian. By telling people how to raise their kids, the state almost assures a group that is lock-step with the statist ideals being espoused by the government. Parenting can be summed up in a few sentences. Teach by example. Make sure your kids understand the birds and the bees. Teach them that drugs, guns, and gangs are bad news. Show them you love them by providing love and attention to them when they need it most, even when the get in trouble for not following your rules. Set boundaries. Stand up to your kids: you are in charge, not them. 'Nuff said.
The law is called the "Parent Accountability Act," and it aims to guide parents in how to raise their children. My comment about this idea is this: what makes the government the arbiter of what constitutes good parents or good parenting? I know of several cases of parents who are very involved with their children's education and lives, and still their children make poor choices that cause them to get into serious trouble. Does that make these people bad parents? At what point do we say that parents should raise their kids the way that they see fit, and if their children choose to go down a wrong path or make a poor decision, they need to be held accountable. While the appeal of keeping kids (and by extension adults later on) out of jail is great, sometimes we need to let parents do what they think is right and let the chips fall where they may.
The report then goes on to say that the program's slow start is an indicator of the apathy of parents. In other words, parents that don't attend mandated parenting classes simply don't care about their children. They may be too busy working or just disengaged. This has validity on a couple of levels. Many parents of kids that are in gangs or have been convicted of gang-related crimes are from poor, minority backgrounds. The gang provides a type of familial affiliation that may be lacking at home because mom and dad may be too busy working to put food on the table and clothes on the backs of the family to sit down to play "Uno" every night. While ignoring the children that one gave birth to is certainly not acceptable on any level, in today's economic times, and in the struggling economic times of the economically disadvantaged, working multiple jobs is the only way to stay afloat.
Sometimes, a parent needs to teach by example. Showing a child hard work and thrift is parenting as much as sitting down and talking. Kids today are exposed to many different influences, both positive and negative. They choose to make negative associations. No one puts a gun to their head and tells them to join a gang. The child makes that choice. When the child does that, they also make a choice to accept the consequences.
What makes the state such a great teacher of parenting anyway? To me, the state teaching people how to parent is very Orwellian. By telling people how to raise their kids, the state almost assures a group that is lock-step with the statist ideals being espoused by the government. Parenting can be summed up in a few sentences. Teach by example. Make sure your kids understand the birds and the bees. Teach them that drugs, guns, and gangs are bad news. Show them you love them by providing love and attention to them when they need it most, even when the get in trouble for not following your rules. Set boundaries. Stand up to your kids: you are in charge, not them. 'Nuff said.
Should We Hold Parents Accountable For Their Child's School Attendance?
It has been reported that in parts of Alaska, parents are being fined if their children skip school. Is this a good practice?
In Alaska, children between the ages of seven and 16 are required to be in school. Under this old law, parents can be fined up to $500 for every five unexcused absences. That averages about $100 per absence. The children involved are obviously minors, and one could make a case that a parent that knowingly or unknowingly allows their child to skip is tantamount to child abuse or neglect. However, it has been only recently that Alaska has chosen to enforce this old law that is on the books. One has to wonder: are the fines being charged because the officials are truly worried about the education of the youth, or because coffers are getting lower because of lowered tax income?
On the one hand, the three areas in Alaska mentioned in the article, Unalakleet, Kotzebue, and Bethel, are in the middle of nowhere; areas where economic opportunities and thus tax revenues are few. A trooper in Kotzebue states that it isn't about the money, it is about the kids. However, in the Anchorage school district, the superintendent said she can't remember any truancy cases her district has pursued in at least a decade. Anchorage, being the capital, is more urban, and therefore has more jobs and has more tax dollars coming in. They would also have a larger population, which would mean they would have more school age children and thus more opportunities to enforce this law. For the more rural areas mentiond above, enforcing the law just makes good economic sense in these tough economic times, at least from a government standpoint.
On the other hand, from an educational standpoint, enforcing the truancy law makes sense because kids can't learn when they aren't in school. When kids are skipping school, for whatever reason, their educational process stops temporarily. When that happens on a consistent basis, the school system should step in and take action. The "job" of a child is to go to school and learn so they can become productive members of the society. When they choose not to attend, they are sending a clear signal that they don't care about their futures. There are times when students should be allowed to have occasional "mental health" days. We all get stressed by our jobs, kids are no exception. Doctors don't give notes for "mental health" days. However, excessive use of this behavior sanctioned by the parents sends a couple of clear messages to the child. The first is that it shows that the parent will let their child get their way, at the expense of their education. The second is that school is not important. The third is that the parents really don't care that their child get a good education. When that happens, the truancy laws need to be enforced.
I am in no way a fan of having more government intrusion into the lives of the people, and in most cases I think that it is up to the parent how they choose to raise their child. When the actions of the parent endanger the child and the child's future, the government, in this case the school, should step in and compel the parents to express to their child the importance of going to school to their future.
In Alaska, children between the ages of seven and 16 are required to be in school. Under this old law, parents can be fined up to $500 for every five unexcused absences. That averages about $100 per absence. The children involved are obviously minors, and one could make a case that a parent that knowingly or unknowingly allows their child to skip is tantamount to child abuse or neglect. However, it has been only recently that Alaska has chosen to enforce this old law that is on the books. One has to wonder: are the fines being charged because the officials are truly worried about the education of the youth, or because coffers are getting lower because of lowered tax income?
On the one hand, the three areas in Alaska mentioned in the article, Unalakleet, Kotzebue, and Bethel, are in the middle of nowhere; areas where economic opportunities and thus tax revenues are few. A trooper in Kotzebue states that it isn't about the money, it is about the kids. However, in the Anchorage school district, the superintendent said she can't remember any truancy cases her district has pursued in at least a decade. Anchorage, being the capital, is more urban, and therefore has more jobs and has more tax dollars coming in. They would also have a larger population, which would mean they would have more school age children and thus more opportunities to enforce this law. For the more rural areas mentiond above, enforcing the law just makes good economic sense in these tough economic times, at least from a government standpoint.
On the other hand, from an educational standpoint, enforcing the truancy law makes sense because kids can't learn when they aren't in school. When kids are skipping school, for whatever reason, their educational process stops temporarily. When that happens on a consistent basis, the school system should step in and take action. The "job" of a child is to go to school and learn so they can become productive members of the society. When they choose not to attend, they are sending a clear signal that they don't care about their futures. There are times when students should be allowed to have occasional "mental health" days. We all get stressed by our jobs, kids are no exception. Doctors don't give notes for "mental health" days. However, excessive use of this behavior sanctioned by the parents sends a couple of clear messages to the child. The first is that it shows that the parent will let their child get their way, at the expense of their education. The second is that school is not important. The third is that the parents really don't care that their child get a good education. When that happens, the truancy laws need to be enforced.
I am in no way a fan of having more government intrusion into the lives of the people, and in most cases I think that it is up to the parent how they choose to raise their child. When the actions of the parent endanger the child and the child's future, the government, in this case the school, should step in and compel the parents to express to their child the importance of going to school to their future.
Full Body Scanners: Are They All They're Cracked Up To Be?
We've heard a lot in the last couple of months about the lovely backscatter scanners that certain airports are using to screen passengers. For the uninformed, the backscatter scanners are otherwise known as "full body x-ray." In a recent report, Leon Kaufman and Joseph W. Carlson state that the backscanner scanners may not be as effective as TSA says when it comes to "protecting" us from terrorists.
Kaufman and Carlson state that a large, beveled pancake-shaped item affixed to the abdomen could potentially elude the scanners because it could be easily mistaken for part of the human anatomy. How about them apples? The scanners that are supposed to protect us have a flaw that could be exploited by terrorists in order to harm us. What is TSA's response? They trust the machines. Of course they do. The TSA has invested millions in them and they aren't about to admit that they have made a hugely expensive mistake. A TSA spokesperson states that "advanced imaging technology is a proven, highly-effective, tool that safely detects metallic and non-metallic items concealed on the body that could be used to threaten the security of airplanes." That's bureaucrat-speak for "we don't care what the research says, we stand by our procedures."
The TSA also goes on to state that full-body scanners are but one tool in the aresenal on terror, however, they are the most visible and controversial. They add that airport security has many layers. Don't we all know it. When the airport tells you that you need to get there about 3 hours before your flight in order to make it to the gate on time, there are obviously too many layers. What TSA should do is to go back to the drawing board and look at what other airlines, like El-Al are doing. Obviously, El-Al is doing something right. I can't ever remember an El-Al airplane getting hijacked--ever. We, however, are Americans, and we live under the pretext that the more government, the better. We should look for ways to eliminate the government intrusion in our lives. Ninety-nine point nine, nine, nine, nine percent of people just want to get where they want or need to go. it's that very small percentage that means us harm. Why torment the "regular" folks? Profile. It would go a long way in engendering good will with the American public and eliminating some of the needless bureaucracy that has invaded air travel. I would love to be able to not have to be at the airport at four in the morning to catch a 7:30 flight.
Kaufman and Carlson state that a large, beveled pancake-shaped item affixed to the abdomen could potentially elude the scanners because it could be easily mistaken for part of the human anatomy. How about them apples? The scanners that are supposed to protect us have a flaw that could be exploited by terrorists in order to harm us. What is TSA's response? They trust the machines. Of course they do. The TSA has invested millions in them and they aren't about to admit that they have made a hugely expensive mistake. A TSA spokesperson states that "advanced imaging technology is a proven, highly-effective, tool that safely detects metallic and non-metallic items concealed on the body that could be used to threaten the security of airplanes." That's bureaucrat-speak for "we don't care what the research says, we stand by our procedures."
The TSA also goes on to state that full-body scanners are but one tool in the aresenal on terror, however, they are the most visible and controversial. They add that airport security has many layers. Don't we all know it. When the airport tells you that you need to get there about 3 hours before your flight in order to make it to the gate on time, there are obviously too many layers. What TSA should do is to go back to the drawing board and look at what other airlines, like El-Al are doing. Obviously, El-Al is doing something right. I can't ever remember an El-Al airplane getting hijacked--ever. We, however, are Americans, and we live under the pretext that the more government, the better. We should look for ways to eliminate the government intrusion in our lives. Ninety-nine point nine, nine, nine, nine percent of people just want to get where they want or need to go. it's that very small percentage that means us harm. Why torment the "regular" folks? Profile. It would go a long way in engendering good will with the American public and eliminating some of the needless bureaucracy that has invaded air travel. I would love to be able to not have to be at the airport at four in the morning to catch a 7:30 flight.
God Is Everywhere
Clay Duke calmly walked into a Bay Dale District, Florida school board meeting and walked to the podium. He then turned around, pulled out a can of red spray paint, painted a "V" with a circle around it, pulled out a gun, and started shooting and shouting. He claimed his wife, whom he didn't name, had been fired from the district. The board and superintendant were totally clueless. Some claimed that even Mr. Duke didn't know what he was talking about. Perhaps Mr. Duke was mentally ill.
The amazing thing in all this is that there were at least two times in the whole situation when Duke had perfect shots to kill two people, but either didn't take the shot, or for some unknown reason, missed. The first time happened when school superintendent Bill Husfelt, who bravely said that the decision to fire Duke's wife was his alone, stood up in front of him. Duke took a couple of shots at him. Both shots missed. Duke then took several other shots, shots that missed everyone else in the room.
The second time happend right after the first. Board member Ginger Littleton, seeing one last chance to distract, or perhaps disarm Duke, took a swing at his arm with her large, brown pocketbook. Think some little old lady who is being mugged wapping her mugger upside his head with her bag. Ms. Littleton falls to the floor. Duke turns to her, levels the gun at her, calls here a "stupid [female dog]," but doesn't take the shot. He would have had a perfect, point blank shot, and Ms. Littleton could have easily been dead.
In a post-event interview with Fox News, Mr. Husfelt said that when Duke was standing before him, getting ready to shoot him, he felt "God was standing in front of [him]." That is some powerful stuff. In this season of preparing for Christ's birth, we should remember that when we accept Christ as our personal savior, we get the shield and protection of the Holy Spirit. I encourage everyone who has doubts about where they will end up when they die to read the Bible and learn about Jesus and remember that he loves you and will always be there for you no matter what. In the immortal words of the poem, "when you saw only one set of footprints, that is when I carried you."
The amazing thing in all this is that there were at least two times in the whole situation when Duke had perfect shots to kill two people, but either didn't take the shot, or for some unknown reason, missed. The first time happened when school superintendent Bill Husfelt, who bravely said that the decision to fire Duke's wife was his alone, stood up in front of him. Duke took a couple of shots at him. Both shots missed. Duke then took several other shots, shots that missed everyone else in the room.
The second time happend right after the first. Board member Ginger Littleton, seeing one last chance to distract, or perhaps disarm Duke, took a swing at his arm with her large, brown pocketbook. Think some little old lady who is being mugged wapping her mugger upside his head with her bag. Ms. Littleton falls to the floor. Duke turns to her, levels the gun at her, calls here a "stupid [female dog]," but doesn't take the shot. He would have had a perfect, point blank shot, and Ms. Littleton could have easily been dead.
In a post-event interview with Fox News, Mr. Husfelt said that when Duke was standing before him, getting ready to shoot him, he felt "God was standing in front of [him]." That is some powerful stuff. In this season of preparing for Christ's birth, we should remember that when we accept Christ as our personal savior, we get the shield and protection of the Holy Spirit. I encourage everyone who has doubts about where they will end up when they die to read the Bible and learn about Jesus and remember that he loves you and will always be there for you no matter what. In the immortal words of the poem, "when you saw only one set of footprints, that is when I carried you."
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Pictures Worth a Thousand Words--Or Maybe Stunned Silence
I have been pretty serious today, and fairly recently, what with cyberbullying, analyzing the benefits and pitfalls of allowing students to redo assignments, the validity of having SPED teachers as glorified aides, and so forth, I thought I would share something that I found insanely funny. I know it isn't nice to poke fun at people, but all I have to say is that when people go out in public, even to Wal*Mart, they should take a final look in the mirror before they leave. They should also think about the appropriateness of the ensemble they are choosing to wear, and whether the clothes fit well. I'm digressing here, so I just think that you should direct yourself to this website and click on "photos." I guarantee that if you weren't smiling when you got there, you will be crying with laughter when you leave.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
The True Stripes of a Liberal
Wow. Leave it to someone like Steny Hoyer (D-MD) to make a remark that essentially invalidates the history of the entire political movement of the country. This country was built upon civil disobedience. The whole nature of the evolution of political parties anywhere is the idea that the person or people running the show aren't doing a good job, and you think yourself and people who think like you would do a better job. So, in keeping with the fine tradition of your predecessors, you and people that think like you get together and form a political party. This is what happened with the formation of the Libertarian Party in 1971.
Today, we have the TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party. This group of people, who basically said "enough is enough" when it comes to the ever-expanding government, and the ever-expanding idea of high taxes. They got together in little grass-roots organizations and began to protest the growth of government and the raising of our taxes to support a bloated and dysfunctional government. As the idea of the movement grew, the individual groups thought to get together and form a national organization. They had a convention, several successful protests, and, as evidenced by the November elections, helped elect several members of Congress. Having Sarah Palin hasn't hurt, either. The TEA Party, while not an official political party, has shown itself to wield incredible power, considering it is an organization built on the odd idea that Americans should keep the money that they earn. It is also amazing that they have managed to become this powerful in just under two years.
These facts, then, totally escape the liberal Democrat Hoyer, who eschews all things even remotely conservative. In a Fox Nation editorial, Hoyer is quoted as saying that the TEA Party is "poisonous" to America. Nice. Maybe Hoyer needs to review not only the proud history of America, but the history of his own party. American history is peppered with stories of third parties, the devolution of certain political parties, and the evolution of others. He doesn't seem to have ever thought of the Progressive Party, led by Theodore Roosevelt as "poisonous." Perhaps Hoyer's disdain is reserved for those parties that do not share his own brand of liberal, tax-and-spend politics.
We as Americans have forgotten our proud history and what we stand for. Some of our leaders view the Constitution as an old, outdated piece of paper with no real relevance in today's world. The president and Congress seem to take delight in treading on this most sacred document in our history, "interpreting" it however they see fit in order to justify their agendas. Both parties are equally as guilty of this. What we need to do is to sit down and actually read the Constitution. Re-learn what it has to say, and re-discover our true American values.
In conclusion, Steny Hoyer is an idiot who is shooting his mouth off, and basically dismissing a large, loud group of people that want nothing more than for government to live within its means, get its fiscal house in order, and start giving rights back to the people instead of stealing them like a thief in the night.
Today, we have the TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party. This group of people, who basically said "enough is enough" when it comes to the ever-expanding government, and the ever-expanding idea of high taxes. They got together in little grass-roots organizations and began to protest the growth of government and the raising of our taxes to support a bloated and dysfunctional government. As the idea of the movement grew, the individual groups thought to get together and form a national organization. They had a convention, several successful protests, and, as evidenced by the November elections, helped elect several members of Congress. Having Sarah Palin hasn't hurt, either. The TEA Party, while not an official political party, has shown itself to wield incredible power, considering it is an organization built on the odd idea that Americans should keep the money that they earn. It is also amazing that they have managed to become this powerful in just under two years.
These facts, then, totally escape the liberal Democrat Hoyer, who eschews all things even remotely conservative. In a Fox Nation editorial, Hoyer is quoted as saying that the TEA Party is "poisonous" to America. Nice. Maybe Hoyer needs to review not only the proud history of America, but the history of his own party. American history is peppered with stories of third parties, the devolution of certain political parties, and the evolution of others. He doesn't seem to have ever thought of the Progressive Party, led by Theodore Roosevelt as "poisonous." Perhaps Hoyer's disdain is reserved for those parties that do not share his own brand of liberal, tax-and-spend politics.
We as Americans have forgotten our proud history and what we stand for. Some of our leaders view the Constitution as an old, outdated piece of paper with no real relevance in today's world. The president and Congress seem to take delight in treading on this most sacred document in our history, "interpreting" it however they see fit in order to justify their agendas. Both parties are equally as guilty of this. What we need to do is to sit down and actually read the Constitution. Re-learn what it has to say, and re-discover our true American values.
In conclusion, Steny Hoyer is an idiot who is shooting his mouth off, and basically dismissing a large, loud group of people that want nothing more than for government to live within its means, get its fiscal house in order, and start giving rights back to the people instead of stealing them like a thief in the night.
English Grammar and Blogging
I'll readily admit that I am new to this blogging thing. I know as I post more and figure out how to use the different tools, I will get into the groove and have a lot of the "bells and whistles" that other bloggers have.
One thing that I do have that some other bloggers don't is a basic command of the English language and proper grammar. I was pretty surprised that while surfing around and looking at other blogs I found one where the person writes in a style that I would describe as "Early Caveman." As I read it, I was appalled by the utter lack of proper punctuation, the mangling of the English language, and the whole F. Scott Fitzgerald "stream of consciousness" thing going on. I have a graduate degree, and even I had to go back and re-read some of the posts because I could not for the life of me figure out what this person was trying to say. I came away from the whole experience with an enormous headache and an appreciation for my teachers who taught me to appreciate having enough pride in myself to use proper English. Also, as much as I hate to admit it, I have to thank my high school typing teacher for teaching me proper typing ettiquette. I have never used a red pen to correct papers in my life (I taught at a school in another state before moving away), but for this blog, I would mark it up so much, it would look like it was bleeding. I think that before a person is allowed to publish a blog that is going to (potentially) be viewed by hundreds, maybe thousands of people, a person should be forced to take a test that would evaluate their command of the English language. I understand that people make mistakes occasionally, but what I viewed was beyond incredible in its lack of comprehension or intelligence. If you would love a good laugh, please visit this website.
One thing that I do have that some other bloggers don't is a basic command of the English language and proper grammar. I was pretty surprised that while surfing around and looking at other blogs I found one where the person writes in a style that I would describe as "Early Caveman." As I read it, I was appalled by the utter lack of proper punctuation, the mangling of the English language, and the whole F. Scott Fitzgerald "stream of consciousness" thing going on. I have a graduate degree, and even I had to go back and re-read some of the posts because I could not for the life of me figure out what this person was trying to say. I came away from the whole experience with an enormous headache and an appreciation for my teachers who taught me to appreciate having enough pride in myself to use proper English. Also, as much as I hate to admit it, I have to thank my high school typing teacher for teaching me proper typing ettiquette. I have never used a red pen to correct papers in my life (I taught at a school in another state before moving away), but for this blog, I would mark it up so much, it would look like it was bleeding. I think that before a person is allowed to publish a blog that is going to (potentially) be viewed by hundreds, maybe thousands of people, a person should be forced to take a test that would evaluate their command of the English language. I understand that people make mistakes occasionally, but what I viewed was beyond incredible in its lack of comprehension or intelligence. If you would love a good laugh, please visit this website.
Our TSA--Protecting Us From OUR Soldiers
This has got to be the most rediculous thing that I have ever read in my entire life. The very sad thing is that it is true. Our government and Homeland Security is out of control and needs to be reigned in. When they start doing this to our soldiers that are coming home after serving in a war zone, there is something terribly wrong. I have to wonder, in a paraphrase of the '60's peace-and-love song, "where has all the common sense gone?"
Students Redoing Assignments--What Are We Teaching Our Youth?
As a teacher, I have the opportunity to impact the future adults of tomorrow, and to teach them socially responsible behavior. The caveat to this is when the school system undermines the attempts of the teacher to teach responsibility and accountability. What I am about to tell you is a true situation, and it screams of how we are educating our youth in mediocrity.
In a particular school in a particular system in a particular state, there is a period twice a week when students who have poor grades on homework/tests or quizzes/classwork are given a chance to "redo" the assignment for the opportunity to raise their grade. No longer can a student refuse to complete an assignment, and no longer is an "F" on certain assignments an acceptable grade. In this age of social promotion without any measurable proof that they have achieved the required mastery of the material, redoing is now considered to be a way to preserve student self-esteem and test scores in order for the school to achieve the ever-elusive AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress). The logic is that some students don't get the material the first time that it is taught, and by allowing the student to redo the inadequate work, he or she will sufficiently learn the material in order to master it. That's the logic, anyway.
Here is how this program works. A student, Sally, is an academically poor student. She doesn't do her homework, pays no attention in class, and generally has a "don't care" attitude when it comes to her education. She does not have any learning disabilities. As a result of this behavior of her choice, she is failing Mrs. Smith's math class. Because the school Sally attends has the above-stated policy of allowing students to redo missed or poorly done assignments, Sally is required to attend "Redo Classes" twice weekly, during the school day, in order to redo the inadequate assignments, or the homework that she failed to do as a choice. This policy applies to all students like Sally. When Sally redoes the assignment, she will get, at most, a low "D", or the minimum passing score in the school system in which she resides. While this seems like a good idea on the surface, what are we really teaching Sally and others like her? We are teaching them that initial mediocrity is totally acceptable, and redos will be allowed. This sets what I consider to be a dangerous precedent. When Sally and her ilk get into the "real world," she will think that mediocrity is always going to be acceptable, and she will never choose to "reach for the stars" on the first try. They will think that their boss will always allow them to redo a project that was unacceptably shoddy. Most employers expect their employees' best on the first try. "Redos" are acceptable only if the boss wants changes made that the employee may not have anticipated. The bigger problem is that the liberal education establishment has embraced this idea. Whether it is to preserve the self-esteem of the student, or to make sure the student does well enough to score well on the test that determines AYP, this practice is just wrong. Students need to learn that "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." When a student chooses to not do an assignment or chooses to not do their best on an assignment, they should be judged accordingly. That student has made a choice that they are not going to do the work. They deserve an "F". If the teacher is teaching the subject thoroughly and giving the appropriate type of homework and class assignments, the student should grasp this subject enough in order to pass the test. If the student doesn't understand the assignment, they need to speak up or talk to the teacher after class and request additional assistance, like tutoring. Allowing students to wallow in mediocrity or less is doing a disservice to the student and society as a whole. There is no shame in a student not understanding the material, where the shame lies is with student failing to get help from teachers that want the student to achieve, and allowing the student to redo the assignment until the desired result is achieved. While some teachers may not really care about the students, they do care about their jobs. Teachers that do not make AYP are subject to disciplinary measures that ultimately may affect their jobs. Choices made by the student to not complete homework or class assignments do not indicate any failure on the part of the teacher to teach the material or indicate that the student did not understand the material, but it indicates a failure of motivation on the part of the student to desire to complete the required work.
Some amount of blame should be laid at the feet of parents. When I was growing up and going through school, I was blessed with parents that encouraged me and made sure that I was completing homework assignments as correctly as I could. It didn't mean that I always got "As" or was a straight-A student, it did mean that I was encouraged to have the aforementioned desire to achieve the best I could on the first try. My parents were very invested in my education. They regularly attended Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) meetings, spoke with my teachers, and examined returned papers with frightening regularity. I was punished if I didn't do my best, and my parents made sure if I needed after-school tutoring, they made me go, and they arranged to pick me up. Parents today, in my estimation, don't care about their children's academic achievement. They simply take what their child says at face value, without ever double-checking with the school or teacher. Any amount of educational research that anyone can access on the Internet will tell you that students that have involved parents generally do better in school than those that have parents that are not involved. If the parents are involved--by going over homework, returned papers, teacher wikis and websites, and going to conferences, the student is going to know that the parent cares and is going to be there to help them and be able to know when the student isn't being open and honest. Too many times today, teachers and administrators are confronted with parents angry with them over the failure of their child. They (the parents) blame the school, instead of their lack of involvement. Additionally, teachers and administrators are confronted with angry parents over fair and appropriate disciplinary measures taken by the school because the parents fail to discipline their child at home.
On the flip side of the equation, those that do not have to redo any assignments are required to go to "Enrichment." This period is where those that are responsible students are "allowed" to read, do homework, or (mandatory) enter essay contests. While having time to read what the student wants appears nice on the surface, the student is required to write a summary of what they have read. It is sort of like the old book report--read the book, tell what you read. To me, this sucks the joy out of pleasure reading time, knowing that the student is forced to be accountable for what they choose to read. Also, by mandating students enter essay contests, poster contests, and science fairs, they are potentially turning these students into reluctant participants. Some students don't want to enter essay contests. They don't want to enter poster contests, and they don't want to enter science fairs. By taking away the "academically inclined" student's ability to make choices, the student becomes a resistant student, and dreads the "enrichment" time as much as the student who is required to go to "redo."
If you would like to read more about this idea of "redo time," please click here.
In a particular school in a particular system in a particular state, there is a period twice a week when students who have poor grades on homework/tests or quizzes/classwork are given a chance to "redo" the assignment for the opportunity to raise their grade. No longer can a student refuse to complete an assignment, and no longer is an "F" on certain assignments an acceptable grade. In this age of social promotion without any measurable proof that they have achieved the required mastery of the material, redoing is now considered to be a way to preserve student self-esteem and test scores in order for the school to achieve the ever-elusive AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress). The logic is that some students don't get the material the first time that it is taught, and by allowing the student to redo the inadequate work, he or she will sufficiently learn the material in order to master it. That's the logic, anyway.
Here is how this program works. A student, Sally, is an academically poor student. She doesn't do her homework, pays no attention in class, and generally has a "don't care" attitude when it comes to her education. She does not have any learning disabilities. As a result of this behavior of her choice, she is failing Mrs. Smith's math class. Because the school Sally attends has the above-stated policy of allowing students to redo missed or poorly done assignments, Sally is required to attend "Redo Classes" twice weekly, during the school day, in order to redo the inadequate assignments, or the homework that she failed to do as a choice. This policy applies to all students like Sally. When Sally redoes the assignment, she will get, at most, a low "D", or the minimum passing score in the school system in which she resides. While this seems like a good idea on the surface, what are we really teaching Sally and others like her? We are teaching them that initial mediocrity is totally acceptable, and redos will be allowed. This sets what I consider to be a dangerous precedent. When Sally and her ilk get into the "real world," she will think that mediocrity is always going to be acceptable, and she will never choose to "reach for the stars" on the first try. They will think that their boss will always allow them to redo a project that was unacceptably shoddy. Most employers expect their employees' best on the first try. "Redos" are acceptable only if the boss wants changes made that the employee may not have anticipated. The bigger problem is that the liberal education establishment has embraced this idea. Whether it is to preserve the self-esteem of the student, or to make sure the student does well enough to score well on the test that determines AYP, this practice is just wrong. Students need to learn that "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." When a student chooses to not do an assignment or chooses to not do their best on an assignment, they should be judged accordingly. That student has made a choice that they are not going to do the work. They deserve an "F". If the teacher is teaching the subject thoroughly and giving the appropriate type of homework and class assignments, the student should grasp this subject enough in order to pass the test. If the student doesn't understand the assignment, they need to speak up or talk to the teacher after class and request additional assistance, like tutoring. Allowing students to wallow in mediocrity or less is doing a disservice to the student and society as a whole. There is no shame in a student not understanding the material, where the shame lies is with student failing to get help from teachers that want the student to achieve, and allowing the student to redo the assignment until the desired result is achieved. While some teachers may not really care about the students, they do care about their jobs. Teachers that do not make AYP are subject to disciplinary measures that ultimately may affect their jobs. Choices made by the student to not complete homework or class assignments do not indicate any failure on the part of the teacher to teach the material or indicate that the student did not understand the material, but it indicates a failure of motivation on the part of the student to desire to complete the required work.
Some amount of blame should be laid at the feet of parents. When I was growing up and going through school, I was blessed with parents that encouraged me and made sure that I was completing homework assignments as correctly as I could. It didn't mean that I always got "As" or was a straight-A student, it did mean that I was encouraged to have the aforementioned desire to achieve the best I could on the first try. My parents were very invested in my education. They regularly attended Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) meetings, spoke with my teachers, and examined returned papers with frightening regularity. I was punished if I didn't do my best, and my parents made sure if I needed after-school tutoring, they made me go, and they arranged to pick me up. Parents today, in my estimation, don't care about their children's academic achievement. They simply take what their child says at face value, without ever double-checking with the school or teacher. Any amount of educational research that anyone can access on the Internet will tell you that students that have involved parents generally do better in school than those that have parents that are not involved. If the parents are involved--by going over homework, returned papers, teacher wikis and websites, and going to conferences, the student is going to know that the parent cares and is going to be there to help them and be able to know when the student isn't being open and honest. Too many times today, teachers and administrators are confronted with parents angry with them over the failure of their child. They (the parents) blame the school, instead of their lack of involvement. Additionally, teachers and administrators are confronted with angry parents over fair and appropriate disciplinary measures taken by the school because the parents fail to discipline their child at home.
On the flip side of the equation, those that do not have to redo any assignments are required to go to "Enrichment." This period is where those that are responsible students are "allowed" to read, do homework, or (mandatory) enter essay contests. While having time to read what the student wants appears nice on the surface, the student is required to write a summary of what they have read. It is sort of like the old book report--read the book, tell what you read. To me, this sucks the joy out of pleasure reading time, knowing that the student is forced to be accountable for what they choose to read. Also, by mandating students enter essay contests, poster contests, and science fairs, they are potentially turning these students into reluctant participants. Some students don't want to enter essay contests. They don't want to enter poster contests, and they don't want to enter science fairs. By taking away the "academically inclined" student's ability to make choices, the student becomes a resistant student, and dreads the "enrichment" time as much as the student who is required to go to "redo."
If you would like to read more about this idea of "redo time," please click here.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Trying To Understand Something Insanely Crazy
This is the teacher in me making this post. One of the things that I struggle with as a teacher looking for work is the absolute glut of Special Education Teachers (SPEDs) that are in the schools today. Something that consistantly amazes me is that there are SPED teachers getting SPED pay that do absolutely nothing all day but act as glorified instructional assistans (aides). They go into a classroom, stand over little Johnny or little Suzy's shoulder, basically tell them the answers to the question, read tests to them, watch them use a calculator instead of their minds, and even go so far as to write for the students. This is all done in the name of "full inclusion." I'm sorry. When I was going through school during the 80's and 90's, that sort of thing was never done. I have been in classes (as a substitute) that have about 20 kids and four teachers/aides. That is crazy! I then go into other classes in other schools where one teacher is in charge of 30 hellions, and they have no help. How screwed up is that?
On top of paying SPED teachers SPED pay to act as instructional assistants, some students even have their own "behavior specialist" with them. The role of this person is to basically tell the student how to act. These people are basically there to help manage the classroom because there are a large number of kids who think that the rules of the school and classroom don't apply to them. I say, if the kid can't behave, they need to be disciplined in accordance with the rules of the classroom and school. If they can't behave in socially acceptable ways, then they need to go to some sort of alternative educational placement. I know it sounds very harsh, but when a person sees the amount of tax money wasted on these things, it makes one want to stand up and scream "STOP." The liberal educational system needs to be reformed in order to force every student to achieve their own level of excellence. While I admire attempts to bring all students up, No Child Left Behind has actually done more to damage the long-term educational milieu than not having it. When a school system throws SPED kids into the classroom with non-SPED kids, the non-SPED kids suffer. All the teacher's time and energies are spent managing behaviors and working one on one, instead of working with the class as a whole. If a child is so intellectually disadvantaged as to need a SPED aide or teacher in the "regular" classroom with them, then maybe they need to be in a small-group setting and pulled out of the regular classroom. By continuing the liberal educational policy of "mainstreaming," we are only shortchanging the SPED kids and the non-SPED kids in the long run.
Just something to think about.
On top of paying SPED teachers SPED pay to act as instructional assistants, some students even have their own "behavior specialist" with them. The role of this person is to basically tell the student how to act. These people are basically there to help manage the classroom because there are a large number of kids who think that the rules of the school and classroom don't apply to them. I say, if the kid can't behave, they need to be disciplined in accordance with the rules of the classroom and school. If they can't behave in socially acceptable ways, then they need to go to some sort of alternative educational placement. I know it sounds very harsh, but when a person sees the amount of tax money wasted on these things, it makes one want to stand up and scream "STOP." The liberal educational system needs to be reformed in order to force every student to achieve their own level of excellence. While I admire attempts to bring all students up, No Child Left Behind has actually done more to damage the long-term educational milieu than not having it. When a school system throws SPED kids into the classroom with non-SPED kids, the non-SPED kids suffer. All the teacher's time and energies are spent managing behaviors and working one on one, instead of working with the class as a whole. If a child is so intellectually disadvantaged as to need a SPED aide or teacher in the "regular" classroom with them, then maybe they need to be in a small-group setting and pulled out of the regular classroom. By continuing the liberal educational policy of "mainstreaming," we are only shortchanging the SPED kids and the non-SPED kids in the long run.
Just something to think about.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Football News
The 'Skins disappointed me today. They lost to the Giants 31-7. *Facepalm* C'mon, guys! Get on the ball! You get paid a load of cash to be good at this game. Try winning. You all might like it!
On to Virgina Tech. They are definately in the Orange Bowl. They will be playing Stanford. The teams are pretty evenly matched, though Stanford might have a slight advantage. I'm sure Tech will dispatch Stanford.
To both teams, GOOD LUCK!
On to Virgina Tech. They are definately in the Orange Bowl. They will be playing Stanford. The teams are pretty evenly matched, though Stanford might have a slight advantage. I'm sure Tech will dispatch Stanford.
To both teams, GOOD LUCK!
TSA's Reach Exceeds Its Grasp
According to PrisonPlanet.com, The TSA (Transportation Security Administration) has decided to place any and all individuals that loudly and publically disagree with their "enhanced screening techniques" on the "Terror Watch List." This is the biggest infringement on civil liberties since the institution of slavery. Okay, I might be exaggerating a bit, but if you stop and think about it, we are held captive by the TSA when it comes to airline travel. If you agree to have your "junk" touched by some TSA agent, you lose your dignity, and if you complain or disagree with it, you lose your right to fly. That is the damndest catch-22 I have ever heard. I'm sorry, but the only person who should be touching my private areas is my husband. I think that we are going too far in this.
Take this into consideration. Richard Reid, the "Shoe Bomber" of a few years ago boarded his plane in London, England. He got to the states and then tried to light his Nikes on fire. Abumadullah, the "Underwear Bomber" boarded the plane in the Netherlands and then tried to light his Jockeys on fire in Detroit. The "advanced screening techniques" are not being used in airports overseas, and the TSA is not authorized to work in overseas airports. So, feeling up the private areas of law-abiding American citizens here in, say, Washington, DC, is doing no good. These jerks are getting on the planes overseas and then coming here and attempting to blow up themselves and the plane. I have heard private citizen's groups screaming for the TSA to adopt the policy of El-Al, the Israeli airline. They screen passengers three times, but they use profiling in order to determine who is a real threat to the security of the airline. El-Al claims, and I have no doubt about this, that they can get a person from the parking lot to the gate in about 25-30 minutes. Isn't that a lot better than the 2-3 hours that the average American spends standing in line in what amounts to be worthless screenings?
Our government needs to work smarter, not harder. They need to use profiling in order to determing real threats to the airlines. Focus on those individuals of Middle Eastern descent, instead of the 87-year-old grandma that only wants to visit their grandkid, or the 5-year-old little girl screaming about having her teddy bear taken away and put through the x-ray machine. Granted, 5-year-olds can be pretty annoying, but I doubt that they represent a credible terrorist threat. However, our government wants to be "politically correct" and not offend everyone, so they risk ticking off the entire population. Profiling works for El-Al, let it work for us. It is not a crime when it is built on solid investigative and psychological evidence. This isn't some well-dressed African-American getting pulled over by a Redneck cop for "driving while black," this is looking at the age and ethnicity of those that seek to do us harm and saying "hey, maybe we ought to stop this guy."
The other option is to get rid of TSA and have each individual airline have their own security procedure. If the security of an airline is consistantly deficient, then they will not continue to function within the market without making changes. If another airline is extremely good at screening passengers, then they will have a glut of passengers and become very successful. Let the market come to bear. If an airline institutes "agressive screening techniques," passengers will either flock to them or walk away, saying that they don't want to be subjected to the humiliation of being sexually molested.
Just something to think about.
Take this into consideration. Richard Reid, the "Shoe Bomber" of a few years ago boarded his plane in London, England. He got to the states and then tried to light his Nikes on fire. Abumadullah, the "Underwear Bomber" boarded the plane in the Netherlands and then tried to light his Jockeys on fire in Detroit. The "advanced screening techniques" are not being used in airports overseas, and the TSA is not authorized to work in overseas airports. So, feeling up the private areas of law-abiding American citizens here in, say, Washington, DC, is doing no good. These jerks are getting on the planes overseas and then coming here and attempting to blow up themselves and the plane. I have heard private citizen's groups screaming for the TSA to adopt the policy of El-Al, the Israeli airline. They screen passengers three times, but they use profiling in order to determine who is a real threat to the security of the airline. El-Al claims, and I have no doubt about this, that they can get a person from the parking lot to the gate in about 25-30 minutes. Isn't that a lot better than the 2-3 hours that the average American spends standing in line in what amounts to be worthless screenings?
Our government needs to work smarter, not harder. They need to use profiling in order to determing real threats to the airlines. Focus on those individuals of Middle Eastern descent, instead of the 87-year-old grandma that only wants to visit their grandkid, or the 5-year-old little girl screaming about having her teddy bear taken away and put through the x-ray machine. Granted, 5-year-olds can be pretty annoying, but I doubt that they represent a credible terrorist threat. However, our government wants to be "politically correct" and not offend everyone, so they risk ticking off the entire population. Profiling works for El-Al, let it work for us. It is not a crime when it is built on solid investigative and psychological evidence. This isn't some well-dressed African-American getting pulled over by a Redneck cop for "driving while black," this is looking at the age and ethnicity of those that seek to do us harm and saying "hey, maybe we ought to stop this guy."
The other option is to get rid of TSA and have each individual airline have their own security procedure. If the security of an airline is consistantly deficient, then they will not continue to function within the market without making changes. If another airline is extremely good at screening passengers, then they will have a glut of passengers and become very successful. Let the market come to bear. If an airline institutes "agressive screening techniques," passengers will either flock to them or walk away, saying that they don't want to be subjected to the humiliation of being sexually molested.
Just something to think about.
A Prime Example of Cyberbullying
[Editor's Note: I loctated this little gem on another website. I figured since I had just written a post about cyberbullying that this would be a prime example of said event. Make sure that you read everything carefully. This, folks, is some of the vile hatred that is floating out on the web. I am not going to provide the web address where I got this, as I do not want to give this individual any more "hits" than absolutely necessary. Also, if I make editorial comments about anything written here, I will place it in brackets ([ ]).]
The Delmar Drama Queen Strikes Again!
Posted December 2, 2010 by joealblowholeisimportant [Interesting name, wouldn't you say?] in Uncategorized.
31 Comments
You know when Joe Albero’s site visits are down when he starts dragging out dead kids, whore mothers, and the bikers, who are only trying to do a good thing. [Ahhh...the dulcet tones of those that seek to make our world a better place. In this case, the "dead kid" is a girl named Sarah Foxwell who was killed around Christmas of last year, the "whore mother" is her biological mother, Jennifer Foxwell, and the "bikers who are only trying to do a good thing" are a biker gang that held a "beerfest" ostensibly in Sarah's "honor."]
Remember when Joey used to tout Alexa as the greatest blog ranking in the world? That was until his site numbers started going down the shitter.
Trailing 7 days Trailing 1 month Trailing 3 months Trailing 6 months Max
Alexa traffic rank for sbynews.blogspot.com:
Traffic Rank Change
1 month 440,184 +83,985
Percent of global Internet users who visit sbynews.blogspot.com:
Reach Change
1 month 0.00046 -30%
So what does an narcissistic attention whore like Jo Jo the clown do? He teams up with the shit stained station WMDT, who also has no ratings, to create a big fucking stink over a charity….because they are both desperate. This ginned up story is expected from Blowhole, but WMDT looks absolutely stupid, as a so called news outlet, to be letting Alblowhole lead them around by the nose.
It’s been rumored that WMDT news reporter, Terrence Lee, frequents the rest stop that Albero goes to and owed ’ol Joeyboy a “favor”, so he made a whole story dedicated to sbyscrews, and the terrible bikers holding a benifit for Sarah’s House, because golly, it’s at night and adults might drink and the convicted felon from Delmar might have an issue with that. WMDT proceeds to try to make a pretend outrage TV story about the whole thing and posts it on their site HERE and then proceeds to stink up face book with even more garbage and fake outrage.
Meanwhile, BlowTerrence is over at his site posting pictures of the dried up mother of the year, Jennifer Foxwell, from last years funeral. [Again, notice the kind usage of words, and the humane treatment that is given the mother of the child, and the lovely way Mr. Albero is addressed.]
Jennifer Foxwell States On The Record She Knew Absolutely Nothing About Saturday’s Event
No one outside of the biker community would likely have known about this fund raiser were it not for BlowTerrence and thus a good and happy event would have occurred for a good cause. The HitWhore had to make it into a big shit stained deal about himself and drudge up old memories just to get him the desired hits on his lame blog he craves to make his pathetic self feel significant. [For the record, Mr. Albero's blog is one of the most popular in the Salisbury, MD area.]
Who’s whoring who here?
LikeBe the first to like this post.31 responses to this post.
Posted by I think it speaks volume. on December 3, 2010 at 6:31 am
Blogger Joseph Albero said…
anonymous 10:38, First of all, why haven’t YOU tried to contact me? My name is on every comment I make and my telephone number is at the top of my home page along with my e-mail address.
Something tells me the fact that YOU have made no attempt to contact me is just unreal. Also, WHO ARE YOU? You did not sign your name. What are you so afraid of?
I think it speaks volume.
10:43 PM
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Posted by bully buster on December 3, 2010 at 11:03 am
Who the hell died and made him the go to person for everything Sarah?
Maybe the bikers are using their best sense by keeping “me me me joboy” out of it. They probably know he would turn this entire thing around to be his brainchild if they let him in.
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.. Posted by Dani on December 3, 2010 at 6:49 am
I guess Bikers can’t even do a good thing
terrible joe had to blow it all up like this because the money was going for the other little bastards education but now that joe said something they’ll probably cancel [I love the way this person refers to Ms. Foxwell's other children.]
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. Posted by curious on December 3, 2010 at 9:16 am
I’m not sure how you would go about doing it, but MDT needs to be held accountable for this mess too. I guess bomb them with emails is a start. [Sounds like a plan. You disagree with what someone does, and how a news station acts, so just "carpet bomb" them with emails laced with profanities in order to show your intelligence and anger.]
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. Posted by HaaHa on December 3, 2010 at 10:33 am
He would never admit it but doesn’t the fact that the letter from a family member is anonymous mean a whole lot as well then. No good will be done if I am not involved, what a DICK!!
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. Posted by RidUsOfHimPlease on December 3, 2010 at 11:16 am
WOW, what else can I say? The Holidays won’t be hard enough this year for our community, and impossible for Sarah’s brothers and sisters, her parents, her grandparents, her aunts and uncles and her cousins. After the developments of the past 24 hours, there is no doubt that the anonymous family member doesn’t exist, it was Asshole who wrote and posted that “letter to the editor” with only one intent . . . to stir up shit and get hits. Yes, the organization putting on this event screwed up. They shouldn’t have used her picture without consent . . . and by the way, in my eyes only the Aunt can or should give that consent. She had (has) legal custody of Sarah and the other children. She has been the one in the trenches raising these kids, before, during and after Sarah’s death. Now, in his vile attempt to be the “hero” instead of the villain, Asshole is trying to spearhead a “toy drive” or whatever for the siblings for Christmas. After all he has done to and said about this family – Sarah’s family, whom she obviously loved – including the aunt, the grandmother, the grandfather, the parents, the older sister, if the AUNT AGREES TO ACCEPT ANYTHING FROM HIM OR HIS FOLLOWERS, I will lose all respect for her. Presents under the tree may be scarce, but self-respect means a lot. I direct these comments to some followers here also who have made horrible statements about Sarah’s family. Warts and imperfections notwithstanding – they still loved her and she loved them, so it is time to lay off. I only hope that the aunt and the grandparents (parents of aunt and Jennifer) don’t follow these blogs and are oblivious to the shit that has been said over the past year. [So, let's pass judgement, and make sure that these kids, who have been through hell this past year, have a crappy Christmas, because we hate Joe Albero. Fantastic logic, there.]
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. Posted by Jenn's Shower Massage ;) [Now, this person decides to make a patently sexual remark about Mr. Albero's wife. Nice.] on December 3, 2010 at 12:22 pm
How did Joey end up here ?
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=294866447164&topic=14409
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. Posted by Dani on December 3, 2010 at 12:28 pm
Well judging by Jennifers Court records she lives right down the road from me, I can go ask her
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. Posted by intrusion on December 3, 2010 at 12:32 pm
Lets not forget to remind everyone in the biking community about this stunt next year during bike week.
I’m sure they all can’t wait for Joe to show up riding his gay-bike. [Yes, I;'m absolutely sure that the thousands of Bikers that will come to the area for Bike Week will be appalled by this and will definately not want to come here and spend money and drink beer. If, in your mind, Joe Albero is not "influential," then you don't need to worry about it.]
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. Posted by Anonymous on December 3, 2010 at 12:34 pm
Interesting. 47 took their post about this brew ha ha off their face book page.
“Willam Smith: Why was the Foxwell, Albero, Biker post removed? Did the convicted wife beater, purgerer, tax cheat ask it to be taken down?” [There is no proof for this, just a bunch of hate filled innuendo and rhetoric.]
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Posted by RidUsOfHimPlease on December 3, 2010 at 12:36 pm
Maybe, but they just ran the story again on their 12:00 news. They are just as bad as Asshole!!
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.. Posted by Anonymous on December 3, 2010 at 3:57 pm
How predictable. JoeBlow sets himself up to be hero by making the bikers the villains and then starting a gift drive for the Foxwell children. How disgusting. It’s that time when Joey needs to cleanse his ugly soul. [Yes, how dare Mr. Albero do something nice for kids that wouldn't otherwise have a decent Christmas. He is truly a horrible human being. Maybe this poster should do something nice and go to church in order to "cleanse his ugly soul."]
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. Posted by RidUsOfHimPlease on December 3, 2010 at 5:08 pm
What did I tell you!! The toy drive “drop-off” is his piece of shit building downtown. [Mr. Albero's building is actually one of the nicer ones downdown.] He has not obtained permission from the aunt to do this, because if he had permission he would have correct information on the ages of the children, he is wrong on every one of their ages. Hopefully, the aunt will tell him to take a hike — he’s posturing for a front row seat in April and first-hand information, something which he has not gotten from the family “insiders” – the ones who really matter and who have the knowledge he wants. So, anybody who has contact with the aunt — make sure you let her know what he is up to and let her know that she does not want to take anything from him or his evil followers. [Absolutely. Like I said before, people that want to help other children have a good holiday are evil, aren't they?]
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. Posted by Anonymous on December 3, 2010 at 5:56 pm
You nailed it RUOHP!
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. Posted by Pat Micodpiece [Charming.] on December 3, 2010 at 6:30 pm
You mean someone actually watches WMDT?
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. Posted by Anonymous on December 3, 2010 at 7:06 pm
If you
Albero is so rich, like he claims, why doesn’t he just BUY all the Christmas gifts for the Foxwell’s himself? Oh yea, it’s because he wouldn’t be able to posture as the “do-gooder” after he distroys hundreds of others efforts to do a good gesture.
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. Posted by Anonymous on December 3, 2010 at 7:06 pm
If Albero is so rich, like he claims, why doesn’t he just BUY all the Christmas gifts for the Foxwell’s himself? Oh yea, it’s because he wouldn’t be able to posture as the “do-gooder” after he distroys hundreds of others efforts to do a good gesture. [Just because Mr. Albero didn't publish it, doesn't mean that he hasn't done something nice for these or any other children. This person really needs to get some facts.]
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. Posted by Jenn's Shower Massage ;) on December 3, 2010 at 10:03 pm
Go to WMDT’s Facebook page and join the discussion.
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=294866447164&topic=14409
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Posted by Anonymous on December 4, 2010 at 1:36 am
LOL! Way to go Willy!
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.. Posted by Punky on December 3, 2010 at 10:11 pm
It costs about $1,000.00 dollars to give three children a wonderful Christmas. Rich Boy should quietly gift this family. But the cocksucking scurge has to be out pimping himself. Fuck you!! I’ll be down on Main St. just so I can stop in to see your punk ass run. [And I will be there when the police show up to arrest you for criminal trespass and harrassment, among other things.]
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Posted by Anonymous on December 3, 2010 at 10:59 pm
$1,ooo? It doesn’t even cost that. You can get away with $200 without spoiling them. [Maybe these kids deserve to be spoiled. What a Grinch and a Scrooge. I hope he gets coal in his stocking.] What’s the good if they get 50 presents if there is nothing the rest of the year. The best gift for these kids would be some real parents.
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Posted by Punky on December 4, 2010 at 9:48 pm
Yes, you’re right. So why can’t Joeee spend $ 200.00 dollars of his own money instead of his self-promoting antics. Thats my point. And yes, real parents would be the best gift. But I’m truly lost on how they (children) will get that.
... Posted by JENNIFER ALBERO on December 3, 2010 at 11:23 pm
Hell no I need my crunchy Pb &J
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. Posted by Anonymous on December 4, 2010 at 4:33 pm
Joe has buried the story with massive cut & pastes from real MSM.
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Posted by Anonymous on December 5, 2010 at 12:53 am
It’s because no one showed up at his joint today.
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Posted by Tom Mcguire on December 5, 2010 at 12:56 am
I would to have loved to been there but. Ok well he just smells [So, when we can't think of something intelligent to say, we just resort to elementary school name calling crap.]
. Posted by David on December 5, 2010 at 6:57 am
Unfortunately, that’s not the case. He states in the article it begins on the 11th. So NEXT WEEK will be the first day he collects gifts. But you know as well as I do that his minions will give a lot of gifts, simply because of the emotions of what happened.
... Posted by nomojo on December 5, 2010 at 7:10 am
What I’d like to see is a post about albero’s statement (well, several statement’s) concerning the status of the advertising money he collects from his hobby blog. Depending on what he wrote at the time, all or part of his ad money was being “paid forward” to local charities. Yeah, the catch phrase that he borrowed from Pohanka because he doesn’t have an original thought of his own in that pea brain. Sure he gave the Salvation Army 5 grand and made sure that everybody and his Mother knew about it. That maniac spreads so much BS that he forgets what he wrote. We need to remind him and keep on reminding him until he stops that hate spreading, shameless self promoting website he calls sbynews. [The site isn't self-promoting. There is real news about Salisbury, MD, the surrounding area and the nation and world. This guy needs to get some reading comprehension skills.]
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Posted by pay it forward on December 5, 2010 at 11:54 am
Pohanka went with toys for tots I hear because of the stinker any truth to that?
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.. Posted by nomojo on December 5, 2010 at 10:45 am
I gotta hand it to him….Dude does have a sense of humor:
Narcissism No Longer A Psychiatric Disorder
[Not a moment too soon, eh?-- Editor]
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Posted by bully buster on December 5, 2010 at 11:20 am
I guess he can come off his meds for good now. [Pot, meet Kettle. 'Nuff said.]
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The Delmar Drama Queen Strikes Again!
Posted December 2, 2010 by joealblowholeisimportant [Interesting name, wouldn't you say?] in Uncategorized.
31 Comments
You know when Joe Albero’s site visits are down when he starts dragging out dead kids, whore mothers, and the bikers, who are only trying to do a good thing. [Ahhh...the dulcet tones of those that seek to make our world a better place. In this case, the "dead kid" is a girl named Sarah Foxwell who was killed around Christmas of last year, the "whore mother" is her biological mother, Jennifer Foxwell, and the "bikers who are only trying to do a good thing" are a biker gang that held a "beerfest" ostensibly in Sarah's "honor."]
Remember when Joey used to tout Alexa as the greatest blog ranking in the world? That was until his site numbers started going down the shitter.
Trailing 7 days Trailing 1 month Trailing 3 months Trailing 6 months Max
Alexa traffic rank for sbynews.blogspot.com:
Traffic Rank Change
1 month 440,184 +83,985
Percent of global Internet users who visit sbynews.blogspot.com:
Reach Change
1 month 0.00046 -30%
So what does an narcissistic attention whore like Jo Jo the clown do? He teams up with the shit stained station WMDT, who also has no ratings, to create a big fucking stink over a charity….because they are both desperate. This ginned up story is expected from Blowhole, but WMDT looks absolutely stupid, as a so called news outlet, to be letting Alblowhole lead them around by the nose.
It’s been rumored that WMDT news reporter, Terrence Lee, frequents the rest stop that Albero goes to and owed ’ol Joeyboy a “favor”, so he made a whole story dedicated to sbyscrews, and the terrible bikers holding a benifit for Sarah’s House, because golly, it’s at night and adults might drink and the convicted felon from Delmar might have an issue with that. WMDT proceeds to try to make a pretend outrage TV story about the whole thing and posts it on their site HERE and then proceeds to stink up face book with even more garbage and fake outrage.
Meanwhile, BlowTerrence is over at his site posting pictures of the dried up mother of the year, Jennifer Foxwell, from last years funeral. [Again, notice the kind usage of words, and the humane treatment that is given the mother of the child, and the lovely way Mr. Albero is addressed.]
Jennifer Foxwell States On The Record She Knew Absolutely Nothing About Saturday’s Event
No one outside of the biker community would likely have known about this fund raiser were it not for BlowTerrence and thus a good and happy event would have occurred for a good cause. The HitWhore had to make it into a big shit stained deal about himself and drudge up old memories just to get him the desired hits on his lame blog he craves to make his pathetic self feel significant. [For the record, Mr. Albero's blog is one of the most popular in the Salisbury, MD area.]
Who’s whoring who here?
LikeBe the first to like this post.31 responses to this post.
Posted by I think it speaks volume. on December 3, 2010 at 6:31 am
Blogger Joseph Albero said…
anonymous 10:38, First of all, why haven’t YOU tried to contact me? My name is on every comment I make and my telephone number is at the top of my home page along with my e-mail address.
Something tells me the fact that YOU have made no attempt to contact me is just unreal. Also, WHO ARE YOU? You did not sign your name. What are you so afraid of?
I think it speaks volume.
10:43 PM
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Posted by bully buster on December 3, 2010 at 11:03 am
Who the hell died and made him the go to person for everything Sarah?
Maybe the bikers are using their best sense by keeping “me me me joboy” out of it. They probably know he would turn this entire thing around to be his brainchild if they let him in.
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.. Posted by Dani on December 3, 2010 at 6:49 am
I guess Bikers can’t even do a good thing
terrible joe had to blow it all up like this because the money was going for the other little bastards education but now that joe said something they’ll probably cancel [I love the way this person refers to Ms. Foxwell's other children.]
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. Posted by curious on December 3, 2010 at 9:16 am
I’m not sure how you would go about doing it, but MDT needs to be held accountable for this mess too. I guess bomb them with emails is a start. [Sounds like a plan. You disagree with what someone does, and how a news station acts, so just "carpet bomb" them with emails laced with profanities in order to show your intelligence and anger.]
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. Posted by HaaHa on December 3, 2010 at 10:33 am
He would never admit it but doesn’t the fact that the letter from a family member is anonymous mean a whole lot as well then. No good will be done if I am not involved, what a DICK!!
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. Posted by RidUsOfHimPlease on December 3, 2010 at 11:16 am
WOW, what else can I say? The Holidays won’t be hard enough this year for our community, and impossible for Sarah’s brothers and sisters, her parents, her grandparents, her aunts and uncles and her cousins. After the developments of the past 24 hours, there is no doubt that the anonymous family member doesn’t exist, it was Asshole who wrote and posted that “letter to the editor” with only one intent . . . to stir up shit and get hits. Yes, the organization putting on this event screwed up. They shouldn’t have used her picture without consent . . . and by the way, in my eyes only the Aunt can or should give that consent. She had (has) legal custody of Sarah and the other children. She has been the one in the trenches raising these kids, before, during and after Sarah’s death. Now, in his vile attempt to be the “hero” instead of the villain, Asshole is trying to spearhead a “toy drive” or whatever for the siblings for Christmas. After all he has done to and said about this family – Sarah’s family, whom she obviously loved – including the aunt, the grandmother, the grandfather, the parents, the older sister, if the AUNT AGREES TO ACCEPT ANYTHING FROM HIM OR HIS FOLLOWERS, I will lose all respect for her. Presents under the tree may be scarce, but self-respect means a lot. I direct these comments to some followers here also who have made horrible statements about Sarah’s family. Warts and imperfections notwithstanding – they still loved her and she loved them, so it is time to lay off. I only hope that the aunt and the grandparents (parents of aunt and Jennifer) don’t follow these blogs and are oblivious to the shit that has been said over the past year. [So, let's pass judgement, and make sure that these kids, who have been through hell this past year, have a crappy Christmas, because we hate Joe Albero. Fantastic logic, there.]
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. Posted by Jenn's Shower Massage ;) [Now, this person decides to make a patently sexual remark about Mr. Albero's wife. Nice.] on December 3, 2010 at 12:22 pm
How did Joey end up here ?
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=294866447164&topic=14409
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. Posted by Dani on December 3, 2010 at 12:28 pm
Well judging by Jennifers Court records she lives right down the road from me, I can go ask her
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. Posted by intrusion on December 3, 2010 at 12:32 pm
Lets not forget to remind everyone in the biking community about this stunt next year during bike week.
I’m sure they all can’t wait for Joe to show up riding his gay-bike. [Yes, I;'m absolutely sure that the thousands of Bikers that will come to the area for Bike Week will be appalled by this and will definately not want to come here and spend money and drink beer. If, in your mind, Joe Albero is not "influential," then you don't need to worry about it.]
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. Posted by Anonymous on December 3, 2010 at 12:34 pm
Interesting. 47 took their post about this brew ha ha off their face book page.
“Willam Smith: Why was the Foxwell, Albero, Biker post removed? Did the convicted wife beater, purgerer, tax cheat ask it to be taken down?” [There is no proof for this, just a bunch of hate filled innuendo and rhetoric.]
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Posted by RidUsOfHimPlease on December 3, 2010 at 12:36 pm
Maybe, but they just ran the story again on their 12:00 news. They are just as bad as Asshole!!
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.. Posted by Anonymous on December 3, 2010 at 3:57 pm
How predictable. JoeBlow sets himself up to be hero by making the bikers the villains and then starting a gift drive for the Foxwell children. How disgusting. It’s that time when Joey needs to cleanse his ugly soul. [Yes, how dare Mr. Albero do something nice for kids that wouldn't otherwise have a decent Christmas. He is truly a horrible human being. Maybe this poster should do something nice and go to church in order to "cleanse his ugly soul."]
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. Posted by RidUsOfHimPlease on December 3, 2010 at 5:08 pm
What did I tell you!! The toy drive “drop-off” is his piece of shit building downtown. [Mr. Albero's building is actually one of the nicer ones downdown.] He has not obtained permission from the aunt to do this, because if he had permission he would have correct information on the ages of the children, he is wrong on every one of their ages. Hopefully, the aunt will tell him to take a hike — he’s posturing for a front row seat in April and first-hand information, something which he has not gotten from the family “insiders” – the ones who really matter and who have the knowledge he wants. So, anybody who has contact with the aunt — make sure you let her know what he is up to and let her know that she does not want to take anything from him or his evil followers. [Absolutely. Like I said before, people that want to help other children have a good holiday are evil, aren't they?]
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. Posted by Anonymous on December 3, 2010 at 5:56 pm
You nailed it RUOHP!
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. Posted by Pat Micodpiece [Charming.] on December 3, 2010 at 6:30 pm
You mean someone actually watches WMDT?
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. Posted by Anonymous on December 3, 2010 at 7:06 pm
If you
Albero is so rich, like he claims, why doesn’t he just BUY all the Christmas gifts for the Foxwell’s himself? Oh yea, it’s because he wouldn’t be able to posture as the “do-gooder” after he distroys hundreds of others efforts to do a good gesture.
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. Posted by Anonymous on December 3, 2010 at 7:06 pm
If Albero is so rich, like he claims, why doesn’t he just BUY all the Christmas gifts for the Foxwell’s himself? Oh yea, it’s because he wouldn’t be able to posture as the “do-gooder” after he distroys hundreds of others efforts to do a good gesture. [Just because Mr. Albero didn't publish it, doesn't mean that he hasn't done something nice for these or any other children. This person really needs to get some facts.]
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. Posted by Jenn's Shower Massage ;) on December 3, 2010 at 10:03 pm
Go to WMDT’s Facebook page and join the discussion.
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=294866447164&topic=14409
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Posted by Anonymous on December 4, 2010 at 1:36 am
LOL! Way to go Willy!
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.. Posted by Punky on December 3, 2010 at 10:11 pm
It costs about $1,000.00 dollars to give three children a wonderful Christmas. Rich Boy should quietly gift this family. But the cocksucking scurge has to be out pimping himself. Fuck you!! I’ll be down on Main St. just so I can stop in to see your punk ass run. [And I will be there when the police show up to arrest you for criminal trespass and harrassment, among other things.]
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Posted by Anonymous on December 3, 2010 at 10:59 pm
$1,ooo? It doesn’t even cost that. You can get away with $200 without spoiling them. [Maybe these kids deserve to be spoiled. What a Grinch and a Scrooge. I hope he gets coal in his stocking.] What’s the good if they get 50 presents if there is nothing the rest of the year. The best gift for these kids would be some real parents.
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Posted by Punky on December 4, 2010 at 9:48 pm
Yes, you’re right. So why can’t Joeee spend $ 200.00 dollars of his own money instead of his self-promoting antics. Thats my point. And yes, real parents would be the best gift. But I’m truly lost on how they (children) will get that.
... Posted by JENNIFER ALBERO on December 3, 2010 at 11:23 pm
Hell no I need my crunchy Pb &J
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. Posted by Anonymous on December 4, 2010 at 4:33 pm
Joe has buried the story with massive cut & pastes from real MSM.
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Posted by Anonymous on December 5, 2010 at 12:53 am
It’s because no one showed up at his joint today.
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Posted by Tom Mcguire on December 5, 2010 at 12:56 am
I would to have loved to been there but. Ok well he just smells [So, when we can't think of something intelligent to say, we just resort to elementary school name calling crap.]
. Posted by David on December 5, 2010 at 6:57 am
Unfortunately, that’s not the case. He states in the article it begins on the 11th. So NEXT WEEK will be the first day he collects gifts. But you know as well as I do that his minions will give a lot of gifts, simply because of the emotions of what happened.
... Posted by nomojo on December 5, 2010 at 7:10 am
What I’d like to see is a post about albero’s statement (well, several statement’s) concerning the status of the advertising money he collects from his hobby blog. Depending on what he wrote at the time, all or part of his ad money was being “paid forward” to local charities. Yeah, the catch phrase that he borrowed from Pohanka because he doesn’t have an original thought of his own in that pea brain. Sure he gave the Salvation Army 5 grand and made sure that everybody and his Mother knew about it. That maniac spreads so much BS that he forgets what he wrote. We need to remind him and keep on reminding him until he stops that hate spreading, shameless self promoting website he calls sbynews. [The site isn't self-promoting. There is real news about Salisbury, MD, the surrounding area and the nation and world. This guy needs to get some reading comprehension skills.]
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Posted by pay it forward on December 5, 2010 at 11:54 am
Pohanka went with toys for tots I hear because of the stinker any truth to that?
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.. Posted by nomojo on December 5, 2010 at 10:45 am
I gotta hand it to him….Dude does have a sense of humor:
Narcissism No Longer A Psychiatric Disorder
[Not a moment too soon, eh?-- Editor]
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Posted by bully buster on December 5, 2010 at 11:20 am
I guess he can come off his meds for good now. [Pot, meet Kettle. 'Nuff said.]
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Redskins Game Today!
Today at 1pm the Redskins play the Giants and the Meadowlands. The 'Skins have lost 4 straight to the Giants, and in my opinion, they (the 'Skins) need to win the rest of their games this season in order to get to the playoffs. GO 'SKINS!
On another football note, the Virginia Tech Hokies beat the Florida State Seminoles 44-33 to win the ACC Championship. Coach Beamer got the Gatorade bucket dumped on him. As cold as it was in Charlotte, NC last night, I bet he was freezing! Virginia Tech is headed to the Orange Bowl against a yet-to-be-determined opponent. GO HOKIES!
On another football note, the Virginia Tech Hokies beat the Florida State Seminoles 44-33 to win the ACC Championship. Coach Beamer got the Gatorade bucket dumped on him. As cold as it was in Charlotte, NC last night, I bet he was freezing! Virginia Tech is headed to the Orange Bowl against a yet-to-be-determined opponent. GO HOKIES!
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is a huge problem in the country. You see it everywhere from Twitter to Facebook to MySpace, to individual blogs. Everywhere you look, people use the anonymity of the Internet to shamelessly attack people. Blogs are the worst, because many people can post under anonymous names, or any name for that matter. They can shamelessly attack and parry and withdrawl without any fear of reprisals. When young children are attacked by cyberbullies, that is the worst. Kids and teens are the most vulnerable among us. They are not fully formed emotionally and are therfore not equipped to deal with the fallout of vicious emotional attacks. Add to the problem adults getting involved with the attack and you have an even worse problem. I can understand parents wanting to get involved and defend the honor of their child, but when they stoop to the juvenile level of name-calling and vicious attacks, it simply has gone too far.
At some level, the child should fight their own battle, and the parent should be standing by to give support or advice if asked for it. The parent shouldn't be standing by to give attack tips and actually participate in the viciousness. That is simply unconsionable. What needs to happen is if the situation escalates, the parents need to step in and start a dialogue and then have the teens meet and discuss their differences. Petty nastiness is not the answer. We as a society have allowed ourselves to degenerate into pettiness and name calling because it is expedient. We need to bring civility back to the table and bring back the values that our parents and grandparents had. We have gone too far in the direction of permissiveness, and have allowed our children to do and say what they want without giving them any consequences for their actions. I say that if a child does or says something that is morally bankrupt, they need to be disciplined and told that that is not how a proper society treats each other.
At some level, the child should fight their own battle, and the parent should be standing by to give support or advice if asked for it. The parent shouldn't be standing by to give attack tips and actually participate in the viciousness. That is simply unconsionable. What needs to happen is if the situation escalates, the parents need to step in and start a dialogue and then have the teens meet and discuss their differences. Petty nastiness is not the answer. We as a society have allowed ourselves to degenerate into pettiness and name calling because it is expedient. We need to bring civility back to the table and bring back the values that our parents and grandparents had. We have gone too far in the direction of permissiveness, and have allowed our children to do and say what they want without giving them any consequences for their actions. I say that if a child does or says something that is morally bankrupt, they need to be disciplined and told that that is not how a proper society treats each other.
Hypocrites
What gets into people sometimes? So many people claim to be Christian or "good, moral people," yet they sit and spew hate. When people make a conscious decision to threaten people, they should not be surprised when the person they are threatening decides to take some sort of action. It is simply human nature. People that want to complain and do nothing to improve the situation are not really wanting to change anything. All they want to do is to is vent to make themselves feel better.
The word I hear bandied about most is "pussy." Everyone calls everyone else a "pussy" for not fighting, or fighting or threatening or take your pick of whatever undesirable action. They yell and scream that the other is a "pussy," but yet they don't back their own words up with measurable, intelligent action. Cursing and name calling is neither measurable or intelligent. It is the action of people who are nothing more than kindergarteners, and their victims are the people forced to listen to their vile diatribes. As a teacher, I liken this behavior to the old TV show "Romper Room," where fun, play and mayhem prevail, and there is one poor, unsuspecting person that has to moderate the childishness. I just have to say to anyone that engages in this type of behavior, cut it out! It accomplishes nothing, and makes you look like an enormous fool in the long run. If you are under 13, continue to act in a stupid, foolish manner. if you are over 18, act like the adult your age indicates you are.
The word I hear bandied about most is "pussy." Everyone calls everyone else a "pussy" for not fighting, or fighting or threatening or take your pick of whatever undesirable action. They yell and scream that the other is a "pussy," but yet they don't back their own words up with measurable, intelligent action. Cursing and name calling is neither measurable or intelligent. It is the action of people who are nothing more than kindergarteners, and their victims are the people forced to listen to their vile diatribes. As a teacher, I liken this behavior to the old TV show "Romper Room," where fun, play and mayhem prevail, and there is one poor, unsuspecting person that has to moderate the childishness. I just have to say to anyone that engages in this type of behavior, cut it out! It accomplishes nothing, and makes you look like an enormous fool in the long run. If you are under 13, continue to act in a stupid, foolish manner. if you are over 18, act like the adult your age indicates you are.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Twelve Guido Days of Christmas
This is just too funny. I'm not trying to offend anyone, but this is very cute!
Merry Early Christmas, Pizanes!
Merry Early Christmas, Pizanes!
What is the Right Thing to Do?
Last year, around Christmas, a little girl named Sarah Foxwell disappeared from the city of Salisbury, MD. People from all over the city and county turned out to look for her. Unfortunately, she was found dead on Christmas Day. She was being raised by her aunt, as her mother was "absent," and that is being very kind.
This year is going to be very hard on the aunt and Sarah's siblings, and it is unfortunate that some unscrupulous people are attempting to trade off of the Foxwell tragedy by holding dubious fundraisers that allegedly will have the proceeds going to a scholarship fund in Sarah's name. Joe Albero, a local Salisbury-area blogger is trying to spearhead a toy drive for the children in the family. This is an admirable thing to do. Now, here's where the story gets interesting. The Anti-Albero people want to lambast him for exposing the dubious group and for spearheading the toy drive for the kids. How pathetic and crappy can one nasty group of people be? They want to complain about the fact that this person is taking credit for doing something positive, and yet they won't step forward and do anything that would make the Christmas of these kids a little better. These nasty people are truly the dregs of society, and need to quit their complaining and do something positive. They claim that they want to rid Salisbury of the "scourage of Albero." If they want to do that, the best thing that they can do is step in and do all the positive stuff that Joe does in order to take away Joe's ability to do and take credit for these positive actions. However, this will never happen. Anti-Albero people simply want to sit back behind their computer screens and complain about the good one person is trying to do, instead of stepping up and "stealing his thunder." I challenge Dr. Delusional and all the other Anti-Albero people to do something, instead of complaining and doing nothing to improve the situation. Whining from a computer keyboard is not accomplishing your goal. Getting out and doing would.
This year is going to be very hard on the aunt and Sarah's siblings, and it is unfortunate that some unscrupulous people are attempting to trade off of the Foxwell tragedy by holding dubious fundraisers that allegedly will have the proceeds going to a scholarship fund in Sarah's name. Joe Albero, a local Salisbury-area blogger is trying to spearhead a toy drive for the children in the family. This is an admirable thing to do. Now, here's where the story gets interesting. The Anti-Albero people want to lambast him for exposing the dubious group and for spearheading the toy drive for the kids. How pathetic and crappy can one nasty group of people be? They want to complain about the fact that this person is taking credit for doing something positive, and yet they won't step forward and do anything that would make the Christmas of these kids a little better. These nasty people are truly the dregs of society, and need to quit their complaining and do something positive. They claim that they want to rid Salisbury of the "scourage of Albero." If they want to do that, the best thing that they can do is step in and do all the positive stuff that Joe does in order to take away Joe's ability to do and take credit for these positive actions. However, this will never happen. Anti-Albero people simply want to sit back behind their computer screens and complain about the good one person is trying to do, instead of stepping up and "stealing his thunder." I challenge Dr. Delusional and all the other Anti-Albero people to do something, instead of complaining and doing nothing to improve the situation. Whining from a computer keyboard is not accomplishing your goal. Getting out and doing would.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Christian AND Libertarian?
Here's a thought for the day. A person can be both a Christian and a Libertarian. How is this possible? If one were to think about what the Libertarian Party stands for--that is a reliance on self over government, and social freedom it is completely compatible with the Christian world view. Let's look at some of the social conventions of the day.
When it comes to homosexuality, for example, the Bible (and Christianity by extension) abhors such abberant behavior. The Libertarian viewpoint states that a person can make whatever personal and moral choices that they want. Christians are not supposed to judge people, as passing judgement is way above the pay grade of a human. That duty is left to God. If you really think about it, a Christian should be a Libertarian, as it takes all the pressure off of us to pass moral judgements. We should not be "legislating morality," but instead be working towards helping ourselves and our country be more free. We should not be legislating ourselves into some sort of state-sanctioned slavery, but instead live our lives as the Bible says we should and let God pass judgement on the lives of those around us. If we are truly living the life that God wants us to live, then we don't need to be worried about the world around us, we are automatically free. Additionally, since Libertarians support the idea of less government in our lives, if we live our lives by a Christian example, we will automatically be helping our fellow man rely less on the government and be helping him get on his feet and be a productive member of society.
Just something to think about.
When it comes to homosexuality, for example, the Bible (and Christianity by extension) abhors such abberant behavior. The Libertarian viewpoint states that a person can make whatever personal and moral choices that they want. Christians are not supposed to judge people, as passing judgement is way above the pay grade of a human. That duty is left to God. If you really think about it, a Christian should be a Libertarian, as it takes all the pressure off of us to pass moral judgements. We should not be "legislating morality," but instead be working towards helping ourselves and our country be more free. We should not be legislating ourselves into some sort of state-sanctioned slavery, but instead live our lives as the Bible says we should and let God pass judgement on the lives of those around us. If we are truly living the life that God wants us to live, then we don't need to be worried about the world around us, we are automatically free. Additionally, since Libertarians support the idea of less government in our lives, if we live our lives by a Christian example, we will automatically be helping our fellow man rely less on the government and be helping him get on his feet and be a productive member of society.
Just something to think about.
Hatred and Vitriol
I am generally a very nice person. I hate a lot of nastiness. What surprises me is that there are people out there that do nothing but have blogs committed to the politics of personal destruction. Allegations, innuendo, and downright lies are the norm. These same blogs also allow the nastiest comments, filled with graphic and gratuitous sexual references. What hurts is that these blogs attack people that are trying to do things to better their communities. These hate-mongers contribute nothing positive to their own city, town, or country, but then want to destroy those that want to do the right things. When the person being attacked has tried to change the tone of the debate and tone down the rhetoric, these vitriolic "people" crank up the hate, choosing instead to pile on the attacks. Someone I know once said that when you point your finger at someone, you have three pointing back at yourself. Maybe "Dr. Delusional" needs to examine his own deficiencies instead of constantly attacking Joe Albero and "The Delmar Watchdog."
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