Legitimate concern
I felt the letter “Fluid socialism” (Dec. 9) was unnecessarily harsh. A close reading of the story “Board members question curriculum” (Dec. 5) shows that Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school-board members had been contacted by local residents — presumably parents of students — who were concerned that “Systems Thinking promoted communism and socialism, and instructed students not to think for themselves.” With such concerns being expressed, our school-board members have a responsibility to investigate the program. The letter writer’s knee-jerk “I know better than they do” reaction isn’t going to help anybody. I appreciate that they were doing their job.
Another part of their job will be to research the program thoroughly — it’s been planned for quite some time — and if they do indeed find that it is a proper program and teaches important skills, to explain that clearly to the parents who raised the objections.
The letter writer did have one point: There are too many Americans jumping at toothless boogeymen these days. We have serious issues to deal with. We can’t afford to be shaking in our boots every time someone cries “socialism.”
Incidentally, “critical thinking” is generally the direct opposite of “not to think for themselves.”
TERRY B. KEIGER
Winston-Salem
Defining the advantage
The editorial “Long-sought project deserves wide support” (Dec. 7) makes me wonder how “home-field advantage” is defined. One school rides a mile to its home field while the other rides five miles to the same home field. Does the school closest to the field have home-field advantage?
If “home-field advantage” is defined as “not having to ride an activity bus to a home game,” then the Journal is wrong. In that case, Parkland High School does not have, nor will it ever have, a home-field advantage. This small point seems to have escaped notice of all those falling in line in support of a Reynolds High School stadium.
One of the fund-raising ideas being mentioned is to sell naming rights to a new stadium. Why name it after a Reynolds sports icon like Herman Bryson or Bob Deaton? Mega Bucks Bank Stadium has a certain ring to it, doesn't it? I'm not certain that selling naming rights is allowed under current facilities-naming policy, but I am fairly sure that our Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school board could be counted on to vote 6-3 on a naming-policy exception.
My hope is that the fund-raising effort falls flat on its face. My fear is that it won't. If supporters come up only a few hundred thousand dollars short, surely they will be able to count on the school board. After all, the board can always vote 6-3 to find that additional bit of required funding somewhere, perhaps from your pocket and mine.
ROSS MECHAM
Winston-Salem
Christians arise
Now is the time for us to remember God loves everyone, and as Christians we need to pray for all, especially our leaders, as they need all the help they can get to return this country around. We remember the times when we were a proud nation and everyone wanted to follow our lead and become citizens, work and be free.
So let us pray daily for all and remember what we stand for.
CHARLES DOWNING SR.
King
Can’t be serious
In your Dec. 8 Scorecard feature (“The cliff keeps getting closer”), one of your “local sources” wrote:
“I rate this (the impasse between President Obama and Congress on the fiscal cliff) long-avoidable political charade as a 0. Yet I recognize that substantive impasses are inevitable with an imperious, silver-tongued president who is dedicated to ‘fundamentally transforming’ America into a post-constitutional authoritarian state. Tyranny, at every step, must be opposed — not just by holdouts in Congress, but by every American who cherishes liberty.”
Next to this response is a cartoon with two clowns thinking, “This guy can’t be serious.” I’m sure the placement was a coincidence, but it sure seemed to fit.
I realize that you want to have a variety of opinions in Scorecard, but this “imperious, silver-tongued tyrant” business is not just disrespectful — it’s delusional. This is the president who, in 2010, compromised with Republicans and extended all the Bush tax cuts. His terms in office have been marked by his ability to compromise. Calling him a tyrant reveals an ignorance of what tyranny really is.
All this guy (or woman, as the case may be) accomplishes with such ridiculous claims is to give conservatives a bad name. And all you accomplish by printing her opinion is the same.
Or is that what you’re trying to do?
HANK BOLES
Winston-Salem
Now is the time for us to remember God loves everyone, and as Christians we need to pray for all, especially our leaders, as they need all the help they can get to return this country around.
ReplyDeleteCharles Downing Sr.
_______
That's all fine and good Mr. Downing. But as AC/DC put it so well many years ago, 'We're on the highway to Hell' with the Democrats in charge.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maOTMYjXjHw
AC/DC is right up Buckboy's alley, right straight up it.
DeleteBucky December 8, 2012 3:50 PM
Meanwhile, we're all celebrating the announcement that Washington Perk will open a downtown location on Fourth Street, right across from our favorite hangout, Camino Bakery. [sic]
AC/DC is right up Buckboy's alley, right straight up it.[sic]
DeleteGood afternoon folks!
ReplyDeleteLTE 1: That some parents would have misinformed and unfounded fears of a new program is to be expected, however, for a member of the school board to also have a misinformed, unfounded fear is completely inexcusable. It just goes to show that some members of our local school board could use lessons in critical analysis themselves. I fear that the person selected to replace Lambeth will have the greatest need for such a course. Btw...the very use of the terms "socialist" and "communist" to describe an educational system proves that some people are completely clueless about what those terms actually mean.
LTE 2: Finally, someone recognizes the fact that Parkland is also without a stadium on its campus. I suppose my alma mater doesn't count for whatever reason. After all, they only had ~$8MM in scholarships awarded this past spring for full rides to Ivy League schools, Davidson, Duke, Wake and UNC.
LTE 3: Oops, a repeat from yesterday or the day before.
LTE 4: Ah yes, Deb being Deb. I've had some online chats with her and she seems like a nice enough lady, but Lordy have mercy she is one of the most ideologically blind persons I have ever encountered. If 1+1=2 doesn't correspond with her world view, then it's just another "liberal conspiracy". I'm happy to see Mr. Boles call Deb out on another of her hyperbolic rants, but don't expect any changes. To the Debs of the world, 1+1=3 regardless of all the evidence to the contrary.
It's not the high school that counts, or its academic performance. It's how much money your daddy has. That's how you get a stadium built.
DeleteHee Hee....liberals....like they don't know that.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteEven if we had a dumb-sniffing dog, we could not find anyone dumber than you-know-who.
DeleteBucky December 8, 2012 3:50 PM
Meanwhile, we're all celebrating the announcement that Washington Perk will open a downtown location on Fourth Street, right across from our favorite hangout, Camino Bakery. [sic]
Even if we had a dumb-sniffing dog, we could not find anyone dumber than you-know-who.[sic]
DeleteHave to note the passing one of the greatest musicians to ever walk the earth: Ravi Shankar.
ReplyDeleteIndeed…
ReplyDeleteIn addition to his own extraordinary traditional compositions, Shankar, via the influence of Yehudi Menuhin, wrote several pieces using western classical music forms.
Contrary to popular belief, his first association with western pop music was not the Beatles, but David Crosby of the Byrds, who wrote several songs heavily influenced by Indian music, the best known being “Why” and “Eight Miles High”, although the influence spilled over into the general sound of the Byrds.
It was Crosby who introduced Shankar to George Harrison, which led to Shankar actually performing with the Beatles and to such Beatles’ songs as “Norwegian Wood” and “Within You, Without You.”
Before Shankar, Indian music was virtually unknown in the US. Today its influence reaches into every genre of our music. RIP Ravi.
I'll bet you know as much about Indian music as you do about thermo-nuclear weapons. What a pencil-headed dope.
DeleteRemember when Obama told you the Affordable Care Act would make healthcare costs go down?
ReplyDeleteHere's some interesting info. Your medical costs/insurance etc. will likely go up at least $63.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/dec/10/obamacare-fee-of-63-per-person-to-begin-in-2014/
________
We'll just throw that lie in with the rest of them.
ROTFLMAO…
DeleteAs always, Buckboy gets his "news" from the smelliest and most out of date sources.
The issue under discussion has been thoroughly covered over the last two years in all of the legitimate media. It is not surprising that the Washington Times has just discovered it, because:
1. The Times is owned by the "Reverend" Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church…Loony Toons and Merry Melodies! In August 2010, the paper was sold by the church at large to a loonier faction of the church.
2. Unlike legitimate newspapers, the Times does not report its circulation figures, for a very good reason…it would be embarrassing. As a result, since advertisers pay by number of subscribers, it loses huge sums of money every year, which are covered by the vast wealth of the "Reverend" Moon. It is thought that he has poured over $2.5 billion of the money he has siphoned from his sucker "moonies" into the "paper".
3. Thousands of free copies are delivered daily to government offices, almost all of which end up either in the circular file or the hamster's cage. The actual paid circulation is thought to be less than 10% of that of the legitimate Washington Post. Who is that less than 10%? You already know the answer. The ones who never get the message, the lunatic fringe.
Again, monkey see, monkey do.
ReplyDeleteThat saying comes from a folk tale that originated in Mali, in West Africa. It was brought by slaves to the Caribbean Islands in the 18th century. During the flush times of the 1920s, many Americans vacationed in Jamaica and brought back the phrase, which became a fad.
Of course, the point of the story is to make fun of people who mindlessly copy others, having no idea what they are doing. The tale:
Once upon a time there was a traveling cap salesman from Bamako who wore his entire stock of caps on his head; they consisted of his own checked cap, then a bunch of grey caps, a bunch of brown caps, a bunch of blue caps and finally a bunch of red caps on the very top. He strolled through towns and villages chanting, "Caps! Caps for sale! Fifty cents a cap!"
One day, the peddler sat down under a tree to take a nap, with all his wares still on his head. When he awoke, all the caps but his own were gone - stolen by a troop of monkeys, who now sat in the trees wearing them. The peddler ordered them to return his caps, scolded them, and yelled at them, but the monkeys, as monkeys do, only imitated him. The peddler finally threw down his own cap in disgust - upon which the monkeys threw theirs down as well, right at his feet. He stacked the caps back on his head and strolled back to town, calling, "Caps! Caps for sale! Fifty cents a cap!"