Arkansas Blog

It pains me to agree with JB but he has the point that is all too evident to thinking people, at least those who are not trapped by their dogma. And to the reader, you and your ilk need to worry less about others and their religion and focus more on equality and tolerance, then you might understand what JB writes.

Ahh, the interview column...Masterson interviewed himself in today's dem-zette. I hope, he, Masterson, gets the mental health help he truly needs.

I doubt Brummett would make much of an Episcopalian, Those are the folks who used Warren Stephens' money to build their very own segregation academy, all in the name of the Episcopalian Church. John would more likely make a good pro-choice Catholic.

If the Episcopal schools are seg academies, are the Catholic, Lutheran, and Protestant Christian schools any different?

Brummett sets up a classic straw man argument when he says,

"But about this terrorist sympathizer business: To say you voted against Obama because you thought he was Muslim or because his middle name was Hussein is to admit that you voted on a basis that was ethnically superficial and stereotypical or nationally superficial and stereotypical."

Most people are NOT saying they were concerned that The Beloved Leader was a muslim or that his name was Hussein, John. What I hear them saying is that he has shown an alarming tendancy not only to associate with extremists (yes, even terrorists), but also to adopt their worlviews.

Brummett sets up a classic straw man argument when he says,

"But about this terrorist sympathizer business: To say you voted against Obama because you thought he was Muslim or because his middle name was Hussein is to admit that you voted on a basis that was ethnically superficial and stereotypical or nationally superficial and stereotypical."

Most people are NOT saying they were concerned that The Beloved Leader was a muslim or that his name was Hussein, John. What I hear them saying is that he has shown an alarming tendancy not only to associate with extremists (yes, even terrorists), but also to adopt their worldviews.

a great point Petronius.

also, both brummett and ark times failed to consider the union card-check and obama's love for union controlled labor in their analyses.

I don't see how you see Episcopal School and some of the other very good private schools as a segregation academy. Episcopal, I happen to know from looing into it at one point, offers aid and scholarships to students from all walks of life, and they have a commitment t diversity. Sure, some private schools may be "segregation academies" you could argue, and specifically those with a fundamentalist Christian bent. Some of the Christian Schools here don't even teach real science so why would you want to educate your kid there unless it's all about some insular, bible belt view of Jesus and staying with your own kind. The reality is Arkansas, and specifcally Little Rock, needs these good private schools. PA is another school that offers a great education, has a great faculty. It may be viewed as a haven for rich Chenal kids but that is not the case in reality. We need these schools. Bascially, we need all the education focused schools we can get. Outside of Central, are there really any other public high schools that you could say present a competitive education. Hell, even some of the private schools here are lacking. Catholic High doesn't even have advanced placement classes. Someone can correct me if i'm wrong. I'm not certain but I think that is true. But Mount St. Mary's has a rigorous curriculum and offers a wide range of advanced placement.

There will always be private schools. They serve a vital funcation. Don't blame private schools for the inadequacies of public schools here and in most US cities. Public schools work and work great in small, affluent districts arounnd the country and occasionally in others, but they are the exception. Silly to demonize the private schools. Education rules. Knowldge rules. You don't have some degree of NATIONALLY competitive seconday education available to families and you do so at your own peril as a city. Everyone here needs ot quit arguing about private schools and maybe start valuing them for the role they play in a city and state that desperately needs to move forward on education as the stakes are high.

"Sure, some private schools may be "segregation academies" you could argue, and specifically those with..."

...entrance examinations.

Maybe entrance exams serve a different purpose. Maybe they insure that students with a certain level of proficiency are admitted so that the school remains academicly driven and not just another mediocre school that has to teach to the lowest common demoninator. The ateks are high. Get more of our kids educated to world class standards and send them to schools where they can continue that and then come back or you run the risk of falling from 49th to 50th.

Just the way it is. Her's a telling example of how disfunctional our thinking is here to some extent.

OK, the windmill jobs we just got and the HP jobs. They are great, sorely needed and very weclome. And everyone should be glad we got them. But to hear the bsuines and government leaders here talk about it you'd think we are now a hotbed of the knoweldge economy and we're going to play a huge role on the cutting edge of the bext big thing, the alternative energy push and the greening of the world.

Reality is these are not true "knowledge economy" jobs. They are relatively moderate skill, relatively low wage postions. Good fro us to be sure but far from where the real money and industry is going to be pushing the envelope.

So we don't even get the level we really need to aspire to. Unless we get that how can we recongize the real level of education needed to get there. It's all related. The entire dialogue needs to change.

So yeah, we need schools where kids can charge ahead without having to wait on little Johnny and Jane who can't read so well. Just reality.

The State of Arkansas must do a better job of informing voters about what's on the ballot and what a yes or no vote actually means when it comes to initiatives. California does an excellent job and should be a model for what we need to do in this respect.

All major AR incumbents just went through an entire election cycle without any scrutiny whatsoever... in a time of the worst debt, needless wars and greatest assaults on our constitutional liberties... in modern history. Something is broken and it's much much more than racism.

I also think it's time for campaign finance reform in the extreme.. Public finance only, with real debates including all candidates and no.. that means zero, television and radio advertising allowed. Other countries such as France do this with much better results. WHile we all watch the media discuss the woes of the republican party... all elected officials are probably spending more time the week after an election raising money and jockeying for position in consideration of their next election cycle rather than doing their jobs... This must stop.

Clearly the major parties in AR (and elsewhere) need to recruit candidates who are not part of the chamber of commerce protection racquet.. among other things.

There are plenty of ways to change/improve the level of discourse/standards in our public debate/decision making while honoring free speech... not considering the highest bidders and the blatant liars to be those we honor most would be an excellent start.

Racism is just part of the problem... the last few years of "terror" proved that.. Emotional decision making has trumped reason to a fault.. and the rich win far to often this way for all the wrong reasons.

I attended Catholic schools through the first year of college because my parents though I would be better prepared for life with an education based in Catholic theology. Maybe they were right. Who knows? I'm an Episcopalian today.

I'm not burdened with the knowledge of what lies in the hearts of others, so I'll just give them the benefit of the doubt and allow as how they may send their children to church-affiliated schools because they too think their children will be better prepared for life with an education based in the religion of their choice.

But IABL, blacks and hispanics don't score as high as whites and asians on the entrance exams. they are racist applications promoted by the Bush administration and Rethuglicans and now they want vouchers to keep the schools segregated.

People from all backgrounds don't score as high because of ability, background, exposure or lack thereof to a learning oriented, stimulating home environment, too much TV and not enough direct exposure to complex language. Difficult issues, yeah, some cultural maybe, all contribute but bottom line if you water down the private schools you haven't done anything that helps. You've merely weakened a nation, to steal a line from a movie. Not a perfect world. But if you end up fucking up the private schools too then we're all fucked. So it is what it is . Perhaps you'd agree that private schools are a necessary evil at best, but necessary to be sure.

Maybe, Little Rock doesn't need to keep this charade that someday, somehow we're going to have halfway decent public education. Yeah, that might happen in our lifetime. Good luck with that ongoing fiasco. What it really needs is private schools that people from all walks of life can use pubic money for. That may be the answer. Get rid of all the public schools, shut down that failed experiment and make them all smaller and private, entrepreneurial, learning driven. Cut out all the bullshit. The urban public school model is outdated, inefficient, too expensive, and completely immersed in a spirit-sapping vortex of negativity. Only the government could fuck up something so important so completely. Frankly, urban school systems just can't ever get it done. That has been proven everywhere for how many years? Somehow some schools do very well, in spots at least, and some students manage to eke out a decent education despite the reality. And I for one applaud all teachers. they give it their all in a very difficult job, with little support. But the system is rigged against success. Given the standards of the day, the time to call urban public education out may be here.

Maybe?

but IABL, if we pump tons of money into the system then everyone will get really smart. all we need is computers in every classroom. if we paid the existing teachers more then they would try harder.

Overall, teachers will never make more relative to other sectors. However, in many states, in many districts, teachers make a pretty good living, some very good. Not in urban districts. things have to be dealt with as they are, not as they will probably never be. another reason the urban model is broken. i think teaching is either a calling or else it is a naive career choice by kids making career choices with too little input and information. Teachers are great, but unless you love having two months off in the summer, who the hell would want to be a teacher in an urban school system. That can't be any fun. One part social worker, one part saint, one part educator. Underpaid? Sure but you know that going in. don't go into public education in a district that pays low and expect it to change. Just don't do it. Note to teachers: It's never going to change. where' the money??? It's a calling, not a great career unless you're pure of heart that way.

Computers are only as smart as the system making use of them. No, I don't see computers having a real impact given the folly of the system. You mean there are classrooms in Little Rock without a computer being used, integrated into the classroom? If that is the case, then just points how what a joke the system has really become.

>>What I hear them saying is that he [Obama] has shown an alarming tendancy not only to associate with extremists (yes, even terrorists), but also to adopt their worldviews.<<
Posted by: Petronius

"Associate?" This is Palin talk while she her self has attended secessionists meetings and distributed their literature.

But please do give us examples of exactly which "extremists" worldviews Obama has adopted?

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sjp,

You're correct. His "L" side revealed a true ignorance of the preferences, beliefs, leanings or reactions of that side except what the CCRRR pundits O'Reilly, Limbaugh, Scarborough, Hannity have been selling as the speech and beliefs of liberals for 'ere long.'

Why is it that the R side can always tell what the L side will say or do without ever having listened to what any representative of the L side actually did or said? When I see a column like Masterson's I wonder why I control my nausea, anger and ear pain to listen to "Faux New", O'Reilly, Limbaugh, "Cheeto Joe" to keep current on the R side.

This is Palin talk while she her self has attended secessionists meetings and distributed their literature.

But please do give examples of these meetings she attended, as they relate to seccessionism...not states' rights.

I beleive the previous word used was Currahee

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Arkansas went for McCain due to racism and belief that Obama isn't a Christian. That's sort of a Bible and guns thing, don't ya think?

And to head it off at the pass, the Republicans in Congress don't want to bail out the big 3 US automakers because their plants are unionized. Anything to kill the unions even if it means the US doesn't build an American car. The neo-con plan is hard at work and will until Obama confronts it dead on and chokes it to death.

IABL, you sure give a lot of credit to ALL teachers. Something you don't hear much but really affects the system is the crappy teachers that weigh down the system with their tenure. Teachers can be idiots too. I'd find it really hard to believe that even half of these top wage earners (what? $35k/yr?) show up to teach because it was their goal in life or they want to help kids. If they could make more money, they'd be out in a flash. now there are some really good teachers that have answered the calling. But in more cases than not I bet they teach in public school because no one else will hire them.

Conspiracy all the way, eh DBI?

Republicans don't want to bail out the big 3 because they've been sucking wind and have a shitty business model. We understand this. You rely on people like Barney Frank for financial advice.

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Here's some questions I'd like some feedback on: If the economy continues tanking, will private school families begin to return to public schools? If so, will they demand better public schools? Or will daddy sell his last set of golf clubs and work 14 jobs? Will private schools be forced to lower their fees, resulting in lower teacher salaries?

Just wondering.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised at anything proposed by this blog. You use the words 'hatred' and 'racism' with every other word and describe anything that you disagree with. I could just as easily say that New York supported obama because they hated capitalism. I did not support McCain but your labeling those who voted for him as racist is somewhat narrow minded and so typical of leftists.

I know of a very good private school, in NYC, that is expecting up to 20% turnover, which is unheard of. but will their be attrition here. i defintely think so. People have to make th trade off between private seconday school and paying for college. I think you'll see Central get more students.

My kid goes to PA and LR Central has come up. Problem is, we don't live in Little Rock.

It's all a matter of priorities. Some parents would choose a new car or boat payment over private school. I'm middle-aged and I've never had a new car in my life. Cable TV, eating out and a lot of other things would go by the wayside before tuition.

". . . Propagandists use the name-calling technique to incite fears and arouse prejudices in their hearers in the intent that an invoked bad name will cause hearers to construct a negative opinion about a person, group, or set of beliefs or ideas that the propagandist would wish hearers to denounce. The method is intended to provoke conclusions and actions about a matter apart from an impartial examinations of the facts of the matter. When employed, name-calling is thus a substitute for rational, fact-based arguments against an idea or belief, based upon its own merits. . . "

Name-calling instead of intelligent discourse and tolerance of differing opinions has a long history. Hitler did it, Stalin did it U.S. Citizens and Soldiers did it in War I, War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq I, Iraq II, Afghanistan, Panama, Grenada etc. It's a lot easier to discriminate, abuse or kill, when by calling them "sub-humans," "capitalists," "reds," "imperialists," "heinies," "krauts," "japs," "nips," "gooks," "wops," "ragheads," "wogs," etc., you demote them to things instead of people.

It also seems to have become the hallmark of those unable to defend a political belief or tenet with facts, just as profanity has always been the recourse of those too inarticulate to express their passions in intelligible English. . . ."

Someone once said, "Homophobes are driven by fear. Fear of their own repressed desires or of being publically identified as a homosexual."

"Profanity - The loud type of vulgarity." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"From a common custom of swearing men easily slide into perjury; therefore, if thou wouldst not be perjured, do not use thyself to swear." ~ Hierocles

"Nothing is a greater sacrilege than to prostitute the great name of God to the petulancy of an idle tongue." ~ Jeremy Taylor

doc, point well taken. I'll admit that I have at various times called Bush every name in the book, ditto Palin. I do think that differs from the hateful labels directed at whole segments of people.
Case in point: My brother, a decorated Vietnam vet, once referred to the NV as "gooks." Forty years later he is ashamed that he was brainwashed into believing that an entire population of people, men, women, and children, were somehow inferior to us "good Americans."
I did have a good laugh a day or two ago when someone called me a fuckhead...the same someone who is obviously too stupid to know how to post comments and thinks Max is "banning" him, so he registers again and again and again.
Anyway, thanks, and have a great week.

eh?

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FUCKHEAD

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