With Gadhafi’s ouster, a world of possibilities for Libya and its people
Moammar Gadhafi, a longtime dictator and sponsor of the Lockerbie bombing and other acts of international terrorism, has finally lost his grip on power. Libyan rebels have taken the capitol city of Tripoli and are trying to capture Gadhafi, whose whereabouts are unknown. He chose to fight until the end and will now reap the consequences of that decision. Personally, I’d be surprised if he survives at the hands of those with a long, long list of grievances against him, many of a quite personal nature.
For that same reason, Bashar Assad must be shaking in his Syrian slippers. As the Guardian reports:
“The germs of Syria congratulate the rats of Libya,” read many a Tweet, referring to the terms used by each of the countries’ leaders for those fomenting unrest against the autocrats’ rule.
Others activists used the network to urge Assad to watch the news and realize he was next. The situation in Syria is less certain as the regime continues to crack down against almost exclusively unarmed protesters and without the appetite for military invention that helped push the Libyan rebels to victory.
But the impending end of Gadhafi’s rule – who came to power just a year before the Assad dynasty in Syria – has certainly bolstered morale among protesters.
It is also likely to rattle the regime in Damascus despite Assad’s assertions during a television interview last night that he is “not worried”.
While the assistance of NATO was no doubt invaluable to the Libyan rebels — a vindication of the policy adopted by President Obama and others — this remains a victory by and for the Libyan people. Tens of thousands, and eventually hundreds of thousands, took up the struggle against a tyrannical government, gambling their lives by fighting to free themselves from repression, and for the moment at least they have won that gamble.
As a result, they have earned the right to determine what happens next. It’s important to note that this is not a coup in which one strongman, usually with military backing, emerges to topple his predecessor. This is also not a revolt controlled or led from outside the country’s borders, or an invasion such as that which removed Saddam Hussein. This is something different, a genuine movement, a rising up of the people. And that is cause for optimism as we turn to the obvious question of what comes next?
Nobody really knows. Through their military assistance, the United States, NATO and the United Nations have all earned credibility with the Libyan people. Additional non-military assistance will now be needed as the Libyans attempt to rebuild government and identify and elevate new leadership. Again, that must be their battle. Those outside Libya should offer help as requested and needed, but we have neither the resources nor the wisdom to impose a solution. The Libyans have to do it themselves.
Even with such assistance, it is all too plausible that this rebellion will end as most have in the Middle East, with another dictator or power elite emerging to replace Gadhafi. There are no guarantees. However, what we do know for certain is that Gadhafi, a murderous tyrant, is gone. That opens up possibilities for Libya that did not exist a year ago. And if that part of the world is ever to stabilize and join the modern world, this is how it must happen.
– Jay Bookman
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1,049 comments Add your comment
AmVet
August 22nd, 2011
6:46 pm
Paul, in pen’s defense (like he would want ME defending him!!), I also refer to those young men and women in uniform as kids. But in the context of somebody else’s kids.
Your excellent points notwithstanding, I don’ think he is being derogatory with the use of that term…
Thulsa Doom
August 22nd, 2011
6:46 pm
Good Lord, I just realized Joe Mama is still mad about a blog conversation from back in June? Criminy. You really do have a stalker Dave R.
Dave R. - 3k/4k/5k
August 22nd, 2011
6:49 pm
I’m just a lightning rod of hate for the stalker-class, Thulsa!
TruthBe
August 22nd, 2011
6:50 pm
josef, Good for you. But don’t ever bring only a knife to a gun fight.
Paul
August 22nd, 2011
6:50 pm
Dave R.
poison pen used that as an argument against military involvement in our current wars.
I took issue with characterizing adults in the military in such terms.
Each response, from poison pen and from myself, brought in new elements.
You are free to skip reading them.
Scout
You identified it as a parable but seem to interpret it literally, in a business sense. Interesting.
josef
August 22nd, 2011
6:50 pm
jm
Charter schools are a fundamental element in the reform of Orleans Parish Schools following Katrina…check into it…
Dave R. - 3k/4k/5k
August 22nd, 2011
6:53 pm
@@, I just can’t stand the hard stuff unless mixed with copious amounts of fruity juices.
And on the subject of “things I did not know but learned on Pawn Stars”, I learned the origin of the mixed drink came during Prohibition. As Rick explains it, the bathtub gin was so nasty, the only way to get it down was to mix it with something more palatable.
Thulsa Doom
August 22nd, 2011
6:53 pm
Josef,
Several of those countries I would agree with- especially the South American nations like Argentina which have a heavy European influence. And I had a hot little Cuban girlfriend when I lived in Miami and she was somewhat of a firecracker. But gnerally speaking most Hispanic women come from countries where they wouldn’t dare fight back if they were abused. Not as beaten down as say women in an Islamic culture but certainly not equal relative to men as in north American culture.
josef
August 22nd, 2011
6:54 pm
TruthBe
Funny you should say that…I have and the knife won out…the gunslinger wasn’t expecting it…the click of the blade threw him off guard and I was able to disarm him…baseball bat by the front door…firearm in the nightstand…switchblade out at night on foot in questionable places…
Of course a broken beer bottle is not something to sneer at…
Dave R. - 3k/4k/5k
August 22nd, 2011
6:54 pm
Paul’s become almost as thin-skinned as josef!
Paul
August 22nd, 2011
6:55 pm
AmVet
Thanks for the perspective. I see the point – and how the context (referring third hand vs to individuals) changes the meaning.
When you’re in DFW remind me to tell you the story about one of my sons and an AF recruiter and his squadron commander. You’ll appreciate it.
Paul
August 22nd, 2011
6:56 pm
Dave R.
I learn from the Master -
Dave R. - 3k/4k/5k
August 22nd, 2011
6:56 pm
And with that, I’m off to dinner.
Looking forward to the 10 p.m. episode of Pawn Stars with the guy trying to sell the “Robo-saurus” that can rip cars in half for a million bucks to Big Hoss!
Thulsa Doom
August 22nd, 2011
6:57 pm
“I just can’t stand the hard stuff unless mixed with copious amounts of fruity juices.”
Where I come from we call these froo froo drinks- specially if they have one of them cutesy little umbrellas in em. Nothin wrong with a froo froo drink if you’re on a caribbean vacation of course- specially if the bartender or waittress is a hotty.
josef
August 22nd, 2011
7:00 pm
THULSA
You’ve got a point…professional discretion prohibits too many details, but we had a rural Mexican mother who was a victim…the Puerto Rican, Argentine and Cuban women got wind of it…the rest I will leave to the conjecture…suffice it to say that Pancho went back to Mexico…
1811/0311
August 22nd, 2011
7:00 pm
Paul:
Do with it what you will but it sure wasn’t “socialism”.
“If a man will not work, let him not eat”.
Jay
August 22nd, 2011
7:00 pm
“For example, there’s the refrain from the deniers, including Ravitch, that charter schools skim only the best students in a community. Some may, but not the best ones like those in the KIPP or Success Academies networks, where students are admitted by lottery and which teach the same ratio of learning disabled students as the traditional public schools. Those are facts.”
Sorry, jm. Not a fact. The mere act of parents caring enough to apply for a lottery puts their children in a separate category from the general student body. That should not be interpreted in any way as a criticism of the parents or the school, but it remains a fact that must be taken into account when comparing outcomes.
KIPP is also more demanding of its students, which in effect means those unable or unwilling to compete are forced out of the school, an option not available in the general public school system unless you’re willing to accept a much higher dropout rate, which defeats the purpose.
KIPP also argues against your claim that more money is not needed to produce better outcomes, given that the per-pupil cost at KIPP is considerably higher than at general public schools. For example, “Depending on what one wishes to include in “per-student” expenses, the total cost of the program for NYC students was between $13,000 and $19,000 per student in 2008, $11,023 of which comes directly from state per-pupil funding.” (source: http://www.givewell.org/united-states/top-charities/kipp#Doesitwork)
And your contention that unions are the source of the problem is frankly silly. To the contrary, states with effective teacher unions — i.e. those in the Northeast, upper Midwest and West Coast — tend to do better than on educational tests than those without unions. I am not implying causation with that observation. But it remains a fact nonetheless.
Paul
August 22nd, 2011
7:01 pm
AmVet
That M56X is gonna get you in so much trouble……..
josef
August 22nd, 2011
7:02 pm
DAVE
I’m sensitive, g’dammit!
camillus
August 22nd, 2011
7:04 pm
Here’s a very interesting video of a *CANADIAN* Muslim’s take on Western Society;
Freedom, Democracy, Justice, etc.
Some excellent perspectives are contained in this short lecture;
http://www.livestream.com/ideacity/video?clipId=flv_fd017d81-dc18-42cc-821a-18b86fdea840
josef
August 22nd, 2011
7:05 pm
JAY
So, those tests are a monitor of “success” Yeah, sure, Beverley, whatever you say…and BTW went pretty well with a little gin and relief offered by the blog…thanks for being there in my time of need…
Paul
August 22nd, 2011
7:07 pm
Scout
I noticed in the past you posted the same question several times. If memory serves me correctly, you wanted to know who said, or the origin of, ‘from each according to their abilities, to each according to their needs.”
I think you might’ve known the answer but were just encouraging people to do research. If you really were looking for the source material, you may want to read at the end of the Book of Acts, fourth chapter.
It concerns the early body of Christian believers. Jesus has gone and left the believers/church under the direction of Peter and the apostles. It says: “And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
35 And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.”
So all of them gave all they had acquired thru their abilities, then they received back according to their need.
Then it goes on to tell about a husband and wife who sold all they had, gave most to the church but held part of it back for themselves. Wasn’t a good outcome.
Make of it what you will.
AmVet
August 22nd, 2011
7:08 pm
Paul, I still remember mine. SSgt Don Piper. Funny the minutiae that sticks with a person.
And even in that rinky town in which I enlisted, there were a dozen guys KIA’d in Nam.
And Doom, I have a MAJOR mea culpa to share with you.
I did some investigating recently, even calling the Nebraska Secretary of State. Asked them about voting while on active duty at age 17. The woman was real cool (most Cornhuskers are!) and said there was a guy who had been there that long (!) and that if anybody knew, it would be him. A few moments later she came back and said, “No he didn’t think that was possible.”
I simply misremembered. I voted via Nebraska absentee ballot in 1976, not 1972. Take a guess who I voted for? (grin)
Thought you’d like to know…
Brosephus
August 22nd, 2011
7:11 pm
josef & Jay
I don’t even know why either of you bothered with that. Don’t you know that unions are evil, even the unions that don’t exist as such. The educational associations in GA are no different than any other professional association. I have never, to this date, ever seen any conservative label any other professional association group outside of education related groups as a union. I wouldn’t waste time and/or bandwidth with that argument as you would have more success debating a brick stacked and cemented into a wall.
TruthBe
August 22nd, 2011
7:11 pm
josef, Sounds like you live in the hood or Dekalb.
jm
August 22nd, 2011
7:12 pm
josef 6:50 – if I do well enough financially at some point, I’d consider teaching…. KIPP’s pretty good from what I can tell, read, hear.
Jay 7:00 – some fair points you make sir. Well, I’d say the author was making the unions problems points and I was echoing them, but same result. As the author states, fixing the public school systems is the real need, not more charter schools. However, unions are not embracing reform. Unless one is insane, accepting the status quo isn’t acceptable. Unions fight testing, teacher reviews, firing of poor performers, and advice from principals.
This may be more of a problem with northeastern unionized systems than FL or GA. But that’s all you need to know. Teachers are against improving performance. Nough said.
jm
August 22nd, 2011
7:13 pm
Should have said “Unions are against improving performance. Nough said.”
There are lots of good teachers out there, and most don’t support their union. But its pretty much impossible to undo a union. Kind of like a messed up condo association.
Mr_B
August 22nd, 2011
7:13 pm
“Unfortunately the young often turn out to be nothing more than idealistic young fools.”
Thulsa, God gave us young people to keep us from killing ourselves with cynicism.
Paul
August 22nd, 2011
7:14 pm
AmVet
Time has a way of doing that.
The ‘72 election – I remember as a newbie in college, class discussion touched on the upcoming election, I asked if a person agreed with what one candidate said, but did not trust his character to act according to what he said, and disagreed with another candidate on some issue, but felt the candidate was honest and could be trusted to act according to what he said – which one do you vote for?
Reaction was much as it is on this blog.
And I’m sure you can guess which one I voted for.
Kamchak
August 22nd, 2011
7:17 pm
Sounds like you live in the hood or Dekalb.
I am a part-time resident of the “hood” in DeKalb.
Are you suggesting that it is somehow an inferior place to live?
Jay
August 22nd, 2011
7:18 pm
I would have voted for Nixon, if I had the vote back then.
moonbat betty
August 22nd, 2011
7:20 pm
Saddam gone.
Daffy gone.
Assad soon to be gone.
More to come.
What did Carter do?
AmVet
August 22nd, 2011
7:20 pm
Paul, one of the great campaign slogans of all time – Don’t Change Dicks in the Middle of a Screw, Vote for Nixon in 72!
The day he announced his resignation I had just walked into the squadron building for work and it came on the radio. I had to exercise every ounce of restraint I could muster, not to start jumping up and down and whooping like a drunk!
I figured the lifers and occifers would not find my escapade amusing…
Mr_B
August 22nd, 2011
7:21 pm
jm: Why all the personalinvective against teachers? Bad experience in schools? Come to the school where I teach and find the teachers who are “are against improving performance.” And as josef and many others here have pointed out, no teacher’s unions represent any Georgia teacher.
Teachers out of state are probably like most other union members, some love the union and some hate it.
Kamchak
August 22nd, 2011
7:21 pm
I would have voted for Nixon.
In the words of the late Lewis Grizzard, “Brother, I wouldn’ta told that.”
Paul
August 22nd, 2011
7:26 pm
Jay
I was way too idealistic back then. And I liked comparing McGovern’s ideas with his life experiences. He was an interesting guy.
Schrodingers cat
August 22nd, 2011
7:28 pm
What’s the Nixon connection here? Or do I have to read 15pgs?
I was too young to vote for Nixon but old enough to watch…16ish….he had a lot of successes…Watergate was bad, but like most scandals it’s the cover-up is what kills ya … I’ve read a lot about him….he was not a man in the middle ….both his successes and failures where to the extremes
Paul
August 22nd, 2011
7:28 pm
AmVet
You demonstrated remarkably sound judgment at an early age, you know that?
I must add, I’m still pretty idealistic. More realistic, sure, but idealistic nonetheless.
Paul
August 22nd, 2011
7:29 pm
‘if I had the vote back then’
Y’all catch that? Now that’s how the whacks are done!
josef
August 22nd, 2011
7:30 pm
Camillus
Thanks for the link…most interesting….are you familiar with Irshad Manji? Looks like the Canadian Muslims are, well, speaking up and out…
https://www.irshadmanji.com/
@@
August 22nd, 2011
7:32 pm
My husband, a far right-winger, voted for Carter. It’s the homeboy thingy.
It’s his only regret in life…a BIG ONE!!!
josef
August 22nd, 2011
7:32 pm
Brosephus…
I’m a slow learner!
TruthBe
Nope. Buckhead.
Schrodingers cat
August 22nd, 2011
7:33 pm
@@ ” voted for Carter. It’s the homeboy thingy.
It’s his only regret in life…a BIG ONE!!”
I’m in that camp!
josef
August 22nd, 2011
7:34 pm
moonbat
Human rights…big deal with me…
josef
August 22nd, 2011
7:36 pm
jm
Teach…it’s worth every minute…nothing more rewarding in the world as far as I’m concerned…
Brosephus
August 22nd, 2011
7:37 pm
SC
Nixon?? Hell I was too young to vote for Bush I…
camillus
August 22nd, 2011
7:40 pm
Thanks, Josef;
No I was not aware of Irshad… G-d keep her safe & bless her message!
Thanks very much for sharing that link…it sure is encouraging.
best regards to unmentionable & you, too!
AmVet
August 22nd, 2011
7:41 pm
Paul, not really! I got in a lot of trouble when I was in. Nothing really major, no Article 15s, just lots of shenanigans. One time I caught some flak for wearing a US flag while off base and off duty. I’m not kiddin’.
But for the most part, the Sr. NCOs liked me, knew they could count on me and when I really needed them a couple of times, they stood up for me…
cat, we’re just strolling down election memory lane.
And yes, Nixon was not incompetent. Just paranoid and a malicious, miserable man with power in a party of malcontents…
Doggone/GA
August 22nd, 2011
7:43 pm
“And yes, Nixon was not incompetent. Just paranoid and a malicious, miserable man with power in a party of malcontents”
Did you know that Johnny Carson finally told his writers that he would not do any more Nixon jokes? Said “He’s a sick man”
Schrodingers cat
August 22nd, 2011
7:47 pm
Thanks Bro – as if this past few weeks didn’t make me feel old enough…..an AARP mailing and a half century marker….but I’m still 26 upstairs..
hopefully you’ll get there someday too
josef
August 22nd, 2011
7:48 pm
camillus
Thanks for the good wishes…and, ssshhh, don’t tell anybody around here….but I’m a secret agent for Irshad’s PR Department…
Seriously, though, she’s a heroine of mine…and the best part is what a great sense of humor she brings to so serious a discussion…
Kamchak
August 22nd, 2011
7:51 pm
…..an AARP mailing…
Heh, heh heh — only one of many to come….
josef
August 22nd, 2011
7:54 pm
K’chak
Ain’t it the truth! Not to mention those calls offering help with “asset management for your retirement!”
camillus
August 22nd, 2011
7:54 pm
Why doe’s that not surprise me, Josef.
“let a message/testimony be confirmed by 2 or more witnesses”
Brosephus
August 22nd, 2011
7:57 pm
SC
If it makes you feel any better, I got my first AARP mailing around 10 years ago when I first moved to the Atlanta area. My wife didn’t let me live that one down for a long, long time. I’m actually part of that forgotten generation. We’re old enough that we’ve been paying into SS, Medicaid, and other things for 20 years plus, however, it seems like we’ll be the first ones to retire without even getting a whiff of the money we’ve already put in.
I clocked b’day #38 this year, and I feel every bit of it. Old and wise enough to know when to pick and choose my battles, and still young enough to open up a keg of whoop ass if necessary for that battle.
Schrodingers cat
August 22nd, 2011
7:59 pm
Kam – et tu, Brute?….i chuckled too…for a moment
Kamchak
August 22nd, 2011
8:00 pm
If a cat in a box receives an AARP letter in the mail, in can be assumed that the envelope is both sealed and opened until we open the box to make a determination.
Kamchak
August 22nd, 2011
8:03 pm
Schrödinger’s cat
Can’t pretend that growing older never hurts.
Mr_B
August 22nd, 2011
8:05 pm
josef @ 7:36. Yeah! and they even throw in a paycheck once a month!
Mr_B
August 22nd, 2011
8:06 pm
josef: how about the calls helping you dispose of your timeshare?
moonbat betty
August 22nd, 2011
8:08 pm
Human rights?
I believe Bush activated a huge African initiative?
For aids and famine relief.
What has Obama done?
Besides cluster bombs?
Mick
August 22nd, 2011
8:10 pm
jm
You 110% miss the point about teaching and try to make unions the culprits, it’s way more complex but I will simplify; Education and learning is a three legged stool, parents, teachers, students. Take any one of the legs away and the stool fails. As for the jeb bush testing myth, remember this, in order for a test to be valid and reliable, the test must be consistent and proven. the florida fcat is a test that has been changed and altered every year of its existence. You can make a test that will give glowing results but has minimal substance. Why do you think SAT’s are used as a benchmark test? Because they are reliable and valid, not some johnny come lately testing company in the game for profit. Stick to something you supposedly know about like the stock market…
josef
August 22nd, 2011
8:10 pm
Mr B…
Back when I was starting out on life’s journey and working in the newspaper, we had a payroll clerk who was something of a tyrant and a suck up to the owners…we had this one employee, a character, who went in one day and told her “I’ve come for that so-called paycheck…” That’s about the way I feel when they throw me mine…
Jm
August 22nd, 2011
8:12 pm
Bro 7:57
I’m the same generation
Someone has to buck up and fix this. Might as well be us. Won’t be the boomers or current retirees. Someone has to save america from financial Armageddon. I’m willing to do my part…. You?
Mary Elizabeth
August 22nd, 2011
8:13 pm
“Why all the personal invective against teachers?”
————————————————————-
The Koch brothers have had a mission of dismantling public schools, and unions for that matter, for years, and that has translated to disparaging public schools and public school teachers. Some citizens are not aware of how public opinion regarding public schools and teachers has been negatively manipulated.
See the following video. South Carolina schools may be resegregated, if not by race certainly by class, as a result of the Koch brothers recent campaign there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mbJhjCbwo8&feature=share
————————————————————————————————
A few words of mine on another blog recently, somewhat altered.
“. . .and I worked with school psychologists, social workers, counselors, parents, teachers, and others to help students with special needs become better adjusted in school.
Parents have no idea what the masses of students are dealing with in our nation. A given charter school, or private schools, can take care of only a very few of the masses. To think that private schools can ever take care of the masses of students – and their myriad variations of need – is naive, at best. As a wholistic system of design, it is inadequate although some individual students may be helped.
Students cannot learn if they are not taught individually on their own instructional levels. Students have various ability levels and do not learn curriculum at the same pace.The answer is to put more resources into public schools and to train teachers better in individualized attention to instruction. That means more paraprofessionals, more team teaching, more parental tutors, more business involvement as partners in education through furnishing resources and personnel to come into public schools to help with individual instructional need, and also to function as mentors to students.
If, as a nation, we cannot offer public education to every student with our tax dollars, we are failing to live up to our founders’ intent of what America should be. Jefferson was a strong advocate of public education, for all, because he knew literary creates an elevated citizenry. Public education needs to be improved, not dismantled.”
(I posted this simply for reflection. I don’t care to entertain discussion, myself, on the points I have made this evening.)
Kamchak
August 22nd, 2011
8:14 pm
In spite of my warnings, we are being herded over the cliff of economic catastrophe.
Kinda late to the party with that observation.
About thirty years too late.
Trickle-on, Econ 101, laissez-faire, phlogiston alchemy had an expiration date.
Jm
August 22nd, 2011
8:16 pm
Mick 8:10 and what you miss is good teachers can and do make a world of difference. Government can’t tell parents what to do. But we can hire and reward good teachers.
Furthermore I refuse to believe the parents in the US are somehow so much worse than those in the other 30 nations ahead of us now
Our teachers on average suck thanks to unions
Kamchak
August 22nd, 2011
8:16 pm
josef: how about the calls helping you dispose of your timeshare?
Or reverse mortgages.
Thulsa Doom
August 22nd, 2011
8:17 pm
Oh Good grief. Mary E. thinks the Koch brothers are the ones responsible for the dismantling of the U.S public. education system. You can’t make up stuff like this.
josef
August 22nd, 2011
8:17 pm
moonbat
Bush gets high marks in my book for what he did for AIDS in Africa…human rights was Carter…Obama? Remember, I didn’t vote for him in 08 and won’t vote for him in 12…but he has, imho, done a pretty good job of transcending race, his Libya policy has been the right one, imho, no bloodbath in Benghazi (though that may be Susan and Hillary!), a good role model for husband and father at a time we needed them greatly, loved it when he served the bankers a glass of water…lots of things which, in the grander scale of things may not be so outstanding, but speak to a good nature…oh, yes, and as for policies? Some pretty good appointments in the advisory…course he’s a bit too far to the right to suit me…
Jm
August 22nd, 2011
8:18 pm
Mick I look forward to hearing what u propose to fix the other 2 legs of the stool
The teaching problem is fixable but broken and the unions don’t want to fix it. It’s really indefensible and the populace is waking up to it. Liberals need to learn to adapt and change or they will lose
Schrodingers cat
August 22nd, 2011
8:18 pm
Kam – Wow…talk about a flashback…I was a “Who” fan in the day…saw them post Keith Moon….and later a fond appreciation for PT in the early 80’s…..what was her name?….anyway…I’ll have to reacquaint myself with the lot…
Cheers!
Jm
August 22nd, 2011
8:19 pm
Gotta go Mick let me know how to fix those other two legs
Research and supporting links required
Thulsa Doom
August 22nd, 2011
8:20 pm
This film and investigation connects the dots and reveals why the Koch brothers are trying to end public education and how their wealth winds up in the hands of Jim Crow. Watch the video, then call David Koch and tell him to stop funding school resegregation now.- Mary E’s link on the Koch brother’s war on education.
I don’t know what’s crazier- the people that make up crap like this or the people that believe it.
Brosephus
August 22nd, 2011
8:22 pm
jm
Last time I made a statement in that arena, I was accused of beating old people into the pavement. I have no problem stepping to the plate to correct past errors. Somebody’s gotta straighten things out.
Furthermore I refuse to believe the parents in the US are somehow so much worse than those in the other 30 nations ahead of us now
I’ll have to object to that one. I’ve seen plenty a parent who’s outlook and actions on their kid’s education gives me reason to fear the future. We have a pretty bad crop of parents festering amongst us right about now. That’s what happens when you have kids raising kids and refusing to listen to advice from others who have already traveled the road they’re embarking upon.
Schrodingers cat
August 22nd, 2011
8:24 pm
Messiah – you kill me…really
Do your own homework…at least wiki and google
Can you explain to the average Joe, why black holes can’t have “hair”?….a seriously question
moonbat betty
August 22nd, 2011
8:26 pm
Enter your comments here
josef
August 22nd, 2011
8:26 pm
Timeshares and reverse mortgages…yow! Those, too…
FORGOTTEN
“…and, sure, the demons who populate Germany are suddenly going to see the light about the Jew’s Banks”
Is that sarcasm, or are you serious? Please, clarify…
AND
“Libya is a patched-together state of ethno-sectarian tribes”
Hunh? Libya is one of the most ethnically homogenous states in the ME and almost entirely Sunni Muslim…tribal? To a flaw…patched-together, to a degree…but as far from ethno-sectarian as you can get in that part of the world…a few Berbers, a handful of Christians and that’s it…
AmVet
August 22nd, 2011
8:27 pm
betty, read up on Bush’s Africa “aid”.
Lots of hype, but his record on that continent is really very poor. And even his much ballyhooed AIDS help was pretty screwed up.
As for your earlier question, it should be redacted to read what did Carter/Reagan/Bush/Clinton/Bush do?
Mr_B
August 22nd, 2011
8:28 pm
josef: Back in the 50s most employers paid with cash, which came in a small brown envelope. One midwestern manufacturer began including a note which read “Your pay is your business. Please do not discuss it with other employees.” One Friday, a long-time employee handed the envelope back to the paymaster. Inside was a note that read “Don’t worry. I’m not any prouder of it than you are.”
moonbat betty
August 22nd, 2011
8:28 pm
I too have one of these pos iPads
They stink!
Mick
August 22nd, 2011
8:29 pm
jm
I’ll tell you what mr. know it all, go teach for one year, then get back to me. Sure there are some lousy teachers, as there are doctors, lawyers. Parents have the most power in getting rid of incompetent teachers, they can demand it. What about private school teachers that have no unions? You think all of them are picture perfect? Anti-union bias will only take you so far, then you have to see the real issue as it hits you between the eyes – it’s the parents home environment for learning, it’s the student’s responsibility to pull their own weight, and finally it’s the teacher who transmits the knowledge – get it?
Kamchak
August 22nd, 2011
8:30 pm
…a few Berbers, a handful of Christians and that’s it…
Whew! Had to read that twice. I originally read Beibers.
One of him is bad enough without someone cloning him.
Thulsa Doom
August 22nd, 2011
8:31 pm
AmVet,
Got your post earlier about voting when you were 17. It was pretty obvious all along that you probably just misremembered. But you know us cons. Never let a good opportunity go to bash a liberal. Anyway I kinda figured that all along. Just wasn’t going to let you know it. Anyway, its all water under the bridge to me. And a mea culpa on my part for being such an ass over it.
josef
August 22nd, 2011
8:32 pm
jm
If you do go into the schoolhouse, you’re going to be surprised at just how few “liberals” you’re going to find on the front lines…come sit in the teachers’ lounge…you’ll get quite the earfull…
Brosephus
August 22nd, 2011
8:34 pm
First we had AmVet’s mea culpa, and now this???
And a mea culpa on my part for being such an ass over it.
What in the hell are y’all drinking on?? and who drinks that heavily on a Monday??
josef
August 22nd, 2011
8:35 pm
Thulsa
And a tip o’the tam for that apology to ZamVet…
K’chak…
Kamchak
August 22nd, 2011
8:36 pm
But your heroes, and traitors, Dick Cheney and Rumsfeld REFUSED TO ATTACK.
You seem to be laboring under the misapprehension that I vote Republican.
I’m a die hard liberal, sport.
Mick
August 22nd, 2011
8:37 pm
brosephus@8:34
It’s the rodney king solution, “can’t we all just get along?”
josef
August 22nd, 2011
8:37 pm
FORGOTTEN
FOGOTTEN
REPEAT…..
“…and, sure, the demons who populate Germany are suddenly going to see the light about the Jew’s Banks”
Is that sarcasm, or are you serious? Please, clarify
josef
August 22nd, 2011
8:38 pm
BOSEPHUS
It’s the alcohol…Friday I was just about ready to sit down and have a sip with Helen Thomas…
Mary Elizabeth
August 22nd, 2011
8:39 pm
Thulsa@ 8:17 p.m.
“Mary E. thinks the Koch brothers are the ones responsible for the dismantling of the U.S public. education system.”
————————————-
Your statement is wildly dramatic. It implies that I think the Koch brothers are the only ones responsible for dismantling U.S. public education. That is misleading to readers. I never said that. You did not read carefully enough. And you mislead.
The Koch brothers are two – of many – of a rightwing ideology who are pushing the agenda of dismantling public schools. There are also others, who are not ideologues, who want to change public education to private education for their own reasons. However, there can be no doubt that the Koch brothers, and many others who are ideologues as they are, have been trying for years to cut severely government programs.
Check out the website on the video I gave above, and check out ALEC, which dates back to 1973 and which involves many, many more than simply the Koch brothers in this ideological agenda to make America more Libertarian. The Atlantic did an extended expose on the Koch brothers about a year ago. Open your eyes.
AmVet
August 22nd, 2011
8:39 pm
Thanks, Doom. You’re…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66UUgH5k1eo
Thulsa Doom
August 22nd, 2011
8:40 pm
Mick @ 8:29,
I would agree with you on the role of parents in education today. It just seems to me that its more a problem with parent’s in today’s culture than anything else. Very few people think that the problem is teachers. Many of us cons think part of it is teacher’s unions- not to be confused with teachers.
I can’t speak for anyone else here but growing up k-12 I can think of one incompetent teacher out of all the many teachers I had. I think what his deal was that he just mailed it in since it was his last year and he was retiring. Otherwise I can’t think of one single teacher that I didn’t admire or in retrospect that wasn’t good to excellent at his job. Especially in high school where just about every teacher I had was exceptional. And I went to school in Alabama. I would find it difficult to believe that in one generation that the teaching profession just completely went to shyte. I’m not buying it. Teacher’s unions I have a different opinion on alltogether.
I’ve no problem with them representing teachers adequately but its ridiculous some of the teachers that don’t get fired and while I want our teachers to be well paid I think that in some states like California one of the problems bankrupting the state is the powerful public unions.
Soothsayer
August 22nd, 2011
8:45 pm
Jay: he’s baaaaaaack! Jay, Jay, Jay, Jay, Jay, Jay are you listening?
Gator Joe
August 22nd, 2011
8:46 pm
Jay,
It’s fascinating to hear the Right Wing negatively spin what they, and most intelligent, thinking people know, that the President’s decision regarding Libya was correct. Of course only they, contrary to the facts, can describe the President’s actions as wrong.
Also Jay, you have a heavy load to shoulder now that Cynthia has moved on. It’s got to be tough for you to be the remaining voice of reason here.
Brosephus
August 22nd, 2011
8:47 pm
Mick
I never thought I’d see the day. Next thing, Jay will be posting cute pictures of baby kittens on Friday evening.
josef
I don’t think Golden Grain would accomplish that!!!
Thulsa Doom
August 22nd, 2011
8:47 pm
AmVet,
As usual nice video selection. Loved it.
josef,
Hell I owed it to AmVet. It was long overdue
brocephus,
Did you go to school in Central Alabama also or just college at ASU? Don’t know about you but I thought I got a fine k-12 education in the public system. Dozier, then Georgia Washington, then JD. Others may look at the finished product and disagree on that “fine k-12 edumacation” in my case of course.
Jm
August 22nd, 2011
8:48 pm
Josef 8:32 doesn’t immensely surprise me
I do think teaching is very difficult, even for bright students
All the more reason we need very high quality teachers. Our children are our future and our most important resource
If they don’t have the skills needed to compete, we will all be poorer off. Not just them
Dave R. - 3k/4k/5k
August 22nd, 2011
8:48 pm
The Koch brothers . . . .
BOO!
Somebody needs to share the rubber room with our other conspiracy theorist.