SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2005
Thought Control in Higher Education
John Leo, a writer for the U.S. News and World Report, has an article in the 10/24/05 issue titled “Class(room) Warriors.” He writes about the cultural left trying to enforce political conformity in schools of education. It’s called “disposition theory” and in effect it works like this: education schools have the unbounded power over what teaching candidates may think or do, what they may believe and value. The rules in certain offices of higher education are that all teachers would be judged by “their knowledge, skills and dispositions.” What are dispositions? This edict was imposed by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.
The NCATE vehemently denies that is imposing groupthink, but the ed schools, essentially a liberal monoculture, use the “dispositions theory” to require support for diversity and a culturally left agenda, including opposition to what the schools sometimes call “institutional racism, classism, and heterosexism.” Predictably some students concluded that thought control would make classroom dissent dangerous. A few students rebelled when a teacher at Brooklyn College School of Education showed Michael Moore’s movie Fahrenheit 9/11 in class and dismissed “white English” as “the language of oppressors.” Five students filed written complaints and received no formal reply from the college. One was told to leave the school and take an equivalent course at a community college. Two of the complaining students were then accused of plagiarism and marked down one letter grade. The two were refused permission to bring a witness to the classroom, a tape recorder, or a lawyer to meet with a den to discuss the matter.
A history professor who defended the dissenting students became a target himself when he wrote an article attacking “dispositions” as a form of mind control. He then faced a possible investigation by an Integrity Committee. Yes these communistic occurrences do happen in the U.S. Enter Philadelphia based Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), a national civil liberties group that does what the ACLU should be doing but usually won’t. FIRE said that “Brooklyn College must confirm that it tolerates dissent, that it is not conducting secret investigations of its own professors.” FIRE says the college has “disavowed any secret investigations.”
The article goes on to detail other cases and concludes that you should say what you think ( I suspect within reason) in class and if the administration moves against you, give FIRE a call.
As a parent, I advise you to not send a child to a college or university, unless you know that the faculty presents and allows free discussion on events, past and present and allows dissent or contrary views. Colleges faculties should teach kids how to think; not what to think. Most kids figure it out but some believe in what the liberal left tries to force them to believe. Some professors are subtle in their approach to “indoctrinating” some of their “moonstruck” students. These are the ones who end up in all kind of marches of protest or do stupid actions like burning the American flag. Most eventually become good citizens in spite of their college education. I did.
For those of you with a conservative bent, I highly recommend Hillsdale University, a small school of higher education in Hillsdale, Michigan. Hillsdale is a private school that does not accept any government money.
The NCATE vehemently denies that is imposing groupthink, but the ed schools, essentially a liberal monoculture, use the “dispositions theory” to require support for diversity and a culturally left agenda, including opposition to what the schools sometimes call “institutional racism, classism, and heterosexism.” Predictably some students concluded that thought control would make classroom dissent dangerous. A few students rebelled when a teacher at Brooklyn College School of Education showed Michael Moore’s movie Fahrenheit 9/11 in class and dismissed “white English” as “the language of oppressors.” Five students filed written complaints and received no formal reply from the college. One was told to leave the school and take an equivalent course at a community college. Two of the complaining students were then accused of plagiarism and marked down one letter grade. The two were refused permission to bring a witness to the classroom, a tape recorder, or a lawyer to meet with a den to discuss the matter.
A history professor who defended the dissenting students became a target himself when he wrote an article attacking “dispositions” as a form of mind control. He then faced a possible investigation by an Integrity Committee. Yes these communistic occurrences do happen in the U.S. Enter Philadelphia based Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), a national civil liberties group that does what the ACLU should be doing but usually won’t. FIRE said that “Brooklyn College must confirm that it tolerates dissent, that it is not conducting secret investigations of its own professors.” FIRE says the college has “disavowed any secret investigations.”
The article goes on to detail other cases and concludes that you should say what you think ( I suspect within reason) in class and if the administration moves against you, give FIRE a call.
As a parent, I advise you to not send a child to a college or university, unless you know that the faculty presents and allows free discussion on events, past and present and allows dissent or contrary views. Colleges faculties should teach kids how to think; not what to think. Most kids figure it out but some believe in what the liberal left tries to force them to believe. Some professors are subtle in their approach to “indoctrinating” some of their “moonstruck” students. These are the ones who end up in all kind of marches of protest or do stupid actions like burning the American flag. Most eventually become good citizens in spite of their college education. I did.
For those of you with a conservative bent, I highly recommend Hillsdale University, a small school of higher education in Hillsdale, Michigan. Hillsdale is a private school that does not accept any government money.
School Vouchers
An Editorial in the WJS on 10/14/05 reads “Last month the Bush Administration proposed using federal vouchers to meet the educational needs of 372,000 Louisiana and Mississippi children displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Up to $7,500.00 would follow student evacuees “wherever they are enrolled.” Democrat Ted Kennedy doesn’t want to give parents the money directly so they can decide where to send their children to school. Keeping the money in “the system” allows him and his teacher-union supporters to maintain their political control.
Democrat Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu, who sent her children to private schools last year and didn’t support a pilot voucher program for the poorest of the poor in the District of Columbia. Post-Katrina, she’s cosponsoring a bill as part of a larger relief package that would use federal dollars to cover tuition at private and religious schools. Even Democrat Senator Dodd of Connecticut, another longtime voucher opponent, now says he could support them on a temporary basis.
The kids in New Orleans’s Ninth Ward could have used the voucher system long ago. Better late than never.” End of quotes.
As I’ve warned before, we have only so many years left to bring our schools systems up to the needs of the current world. If it takes vouchers, private schools and religious schools, to do it let’s get moving.
Democrat Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu, who sent her children to private schools last year and didn’t support a pilot voucher program for the poorest of the poor in the District of Columbia. Post-Katrina, she’s cosponsoring a bill as part of a larger relief package that would use federal dollars to cover tuition at private and religious schools. Even Democrat Senator Dodd of Connecticut, another longtime voucher opponent, now says he could support them on a temporary basis.
The kids in New Orleans’s Ninth Ward could have used the voucher system long ago. Better late than never.” End of quotes.
As I’ve warned before, we have only so many years left to bring our schools systems up to the needs of the current world. If it takes vouchers, private schools and religious schools, to do it let’s get moving.
Incentive Pay for Teachers
“How One School Found a Way to Spell Success” by columnist Daniel Henninger is an article in the WSJ dated 10/14/05 Henniger writes about Meadowcliff Elementary School located in Little Rock, Ark. He writes, “About 90% of the K-5 school is black. It sits in a neighborhood of neat, very modest homes. About 92 % of the K-5 students are definable as living at or below the poverty level. Principal Karen Carter abhors the term, poverty level, because most of the parents work at one or two jobs. This refusal to bend to stereotypes likely explains what happened last year at Meadowcliff.”
Henniger writes “The school’s scores on the Stanford achievement course rose by an average of 17% in one year. Against the National norm, the school’s 246 students rose to the 35th percentile from the 25th. For math in the 2nd grade and higher 177 students rose to the 32nd percentile from the 32nd. What happened in nine months?
Meadowcliff has two of the elements well established as necessary to a schools success-a strong and gifted principal, and a motivated teaching staff. Both are difficult to find in urban school systems. Last year this public school added a third element; individual teacher bonuses, sometimes known as “pay for performance.”
Paying teacher on merit is one of the most popular ideas in education. It is also arguably the most opposed idea in public education, anathema to the unions and their supporters. Meadowcliff’s program arrived through a back door. No money was available so they went to the Public Education Foundation of Little Rock but the Foundation had no money for her. So the Foundation produced a private, anonymous, which made union approval unnecessary.
Details were worked out using the Stanford test results to determine the bonus pay. For each student in a teacher’s charge whose score rose up to 4% over the year, the teacher gets $100; 5% to 9%--$200; 10% to 14%--$300; and more than 15%--$400. This straight-line pay-for-performance formula awarded teachers objectively in a way that squares with popular notions of fairness and skirts fears of subjective judgment. In most merit-based lines of work, like baseball, it’s called getting paid for “putting numbers on the board.”
Twelve teacher received performance bonuses ranging from $1800 to $8600. The rest of the school’s staff shared in the bonus pool; that included the cafeteria employees, who started eating with the she students instead of eating in a nearby lounge, and the custodian who the student’s saw taking books out of the library to read.
Total cost: 134,000. The test cost $10,000.
The Meadowcliff bonus program is now in its 2nd year, amid more phenomena rarely witnessed in “school reform.” Last years bonuses were paid by an anonymous donor; this year the school board voted to put he pay for performance bonuses on the district’s budget. The teacher union insisted that Meadowcliff’s teacher vote for a contract waiver: 100% voted for the waiver. Another grade school, with private funding, will now try the Meadowcliff model.
The Meadowcliff program has the support of both Little Rock’s superintendent and Arkansas director of education. 100 administrative positions from the central bureaucracy were cut and the dollars saved, 3.8 million dollars, were rerouted back to the schools.
Financial incentives of some sort are needed to stop math and science teachers from jumping to private industry. School districts have to innovate fast because jobs and populations are migrating internally. The district hired 180 new teachers this year and Little Rock has to find a way to hold its best teachers. The teachers seen at Meadowbrook Elementary seemed pretty happy there.”
As I watched and listened to a presentation by District #150 officials to the League of Women’s Voters, I am a member of LWV, on the closing and building of school, I hope that the Board and Administration is looking for ways to raise student performance and keep and attract competent principals and teachers. I know they are but this district cannot afford to wait another day to implement programs that will keep good teachers and attract better principals and administrators.
Where and when and how much money can be raised is a question on most every bodies mind these days. No one wants a property tax rise unless they can see a direct benefit to the community now, because this community is becoming harder to convince that so many projects deemed to be in everybody’s best interest having not worked out to well.
Promising those fleeing the city that help is on the way without raising our already too high property taxes will not hold them unless they see improvement in this school year of 2005-2006. That is where the communities’ interest lies right now and has lain for the past number of year.
Too many projects in this community are dependent on a cash strapped state and federal government. Maybe more wealth people will step forward and finance more of these local projects starting with the #1 priority in the City of Peoria, the public school systems. A good place to start is with a model of Meadowcliff’s financial performance incentives and a Vo-Tech Center staffed with certified teachers and skilled volunteers. We have stalled these projects way too long and the negative results are becoming more visible each day.
P.S. Anyone wanting to read this complete Henninger copy can retrieve it from the libraries or I will fax you a copy. Let me know on this site or send me an email.
Henniger writes “The school’s scores on the Stanford achievement course rose by an average of 17% in one year. Against the National norm, the school’s 246 students rose to the 35th percentile from the 25th. For math in the 2nd grade and higher 177 students rose to the 32nd percentile from the 32nd. What happened in nine months?
Meadowcliff has two of the elements well established as necessary to a schools success-a strong and gifted principal, and a motivated teaching staff. Both are difficult to find in urban school systems. Last year this public school added a third element; individual teacher bonuses, sometimes known as “pay for performance.”
Paying teacher on merit is one of the most popular ideas in education. It is also arguably the most opposed idea in public education, anathema to the unions and their supporters. Meadowcliff’s program arrived through a back door. No money was available so they went to the Public Education Foundation of Little Rock but the Foundation had no money for her. So the Foundation produced a private, anonymous, which made union approval unnecessary.
Details were worked out using the Stanford test results to determine the bonus pay. For each student in a teacher’s charge whose score rose up to 4% over the year, the teacher gets $100; 5% to 9%--$200; 10% to 14%--$300; and more than 15%--$400. This straight-line pay-for-performance formula awarded teachers objectively in a way that squares with popular notions of fairness and skirts fears of subjective judgment. In most merit-based lines of work, like baseball, it’s called getting paid for “putting numbers on the board.”
Twelve teacher received performance bonuses ranging from $1800 to $8600. The rest of the school’s staff shared in the bonus pool; that included the cafeteria employees, who started eating with the she students instead of eating in a nearby lounge, and the custodian who the student’s saw taking books out of the library to read.
Total cost: 134,000. The test cost $10,000.
The Meadowcliff bonus program is now in its 2nd year, amid more phenomena rarely witnessed in “school reform.” Last years bonuses were paid by an anonymous donor; this year the school board voted to put he pay for performance bonuses on the district’s budget. The teacher union insisted that Meadowcliff’s teacher vote for a contract waiver: 100% voted for the waiver. Another grade school, with private funding, will now try the Meadowcliff model.
The Meadowcliff program has the support of both Little Rock’s superintendent and Arkansas director of education. 100 administrative positions from the central bureaucracy were cut and the dollars saved, 3.8 million dollars, were rerouted back to the schools.
Financial incentives of some sort are needed to stop math and science teachers from jumping to private industry. School districts have to innovate fast because jobs and populations are migrating internally. The district hired 180 new teachers this year and Little Rock has to find a way to hold its best teachers. The teachers seen at Meadowbrook Elementary seemed pretty happy there.”
As I watched and listened to a presentation by District #150 officials to the League of Women’s Voters, I am a member of LWV, on the closing and building of school, I hope that the Board and Administration is looking for ways to raise student performance and keep and attract competent principals and teachers. I know they are but this district cannot afford to wait another day to implement programs that will keep good teachers and attract better principals and administrators.
Where and when and how much money can be raised is a question on most every bodies mind these days. No one wants a property tax rise unless they can see a direct benefit to the community now, because this community is becoming harder to convince that so many projects deemed to be in everybody’s best interest having not worked out to well.
Promising those fleeing the city that help is on the way without raising our already too high property taxes will not hold them unless they see improvement in this school year of 2005-2006. That is where the communities’ interest lies right now and has lain for the past number of year.
Too many projects in this community are dependent on a cash strapped state and federal government. Maybe more wealth people will step forward and finance more of these local projects starting with the #1 priority in the City of Peoria, the public school systems. A good place to start is with a model of Meadowcliff’s financial performance incentives and a Vo-Tech Center staffed with certified teachers and skilled volunteers. We have stalled these projects way too long and the negative results are becoming more visible each day.
P.S. Anyone wanting to read this complete Henninger copy can retrieve it from the libraries or I will fax you a copy. Let me know on this site or send me an email.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2005
Some Observations
Drive to the junction of the new Charter Oak Drive, Allen Road and Rt. 150. Observe the beautiful landscaped sloping roadsides; observe the dirt washing off these slopes, the pieces of the of sod slopes that slide down these hills, look at the dirt washing down these slopes into ditches that eventually drain into the Illinois River. Ask yourself if the entities that designed these eroded slopes had any experience in landscaping? Did they earn a bonus for finishing this ugly landscape job early? Or is this just typical of the designing of some IDOT engineers? Were these eroding landscapes purposefully designed to create more work later on? Is the idea to put more mud in the Illinois River so we can ship it to Chicago or New Orleans? Do these eroding slopes give visitors a good impression of Peoria? Surely I am not the only one that noticed this sloppy job?
On October 13, 2005 a headline in the JS stated “Ameren’s (Cilco) Future is Cloudy.” “Utility officials raise possibility of corporate bankruptcy.” The article quotes Warner Baxter, Ameren’s executive v-p and chief financial officer as saying “If Ameren’s utilities are not allowed to recover their costs through the rates charged to the consumer, a variety of “adverse consequences” could develop. Those consequences could include “the extreme, which could be a sort of bankruptcy situation, and we certainly have no hope and trying to go down that path because really no one wins.”
Flash back to 2004 where a headline in the JS stated that “Ameren/Cilco provided a “lead gift of $500,000.00” to the children’s playhouse.” This playhouse will occupy the remodeled old pavilion soon to be vacated as the Peoria Park District moves their headquarters “temporarily” into the old IDOT building on Knoxville. It appears that Ameren wants to raise the rates to it’s customers to avoid bankruptcy. It appears that the public may pay higher rates to Ameren so they don’t go “bankrupt” and Ameren takes part of our money and gives it to the Peoria Playhouse in their name and takes credit as being the “generous benefactor”. Hmmmm.
In a presentation to the Peoria Park Board on 10/12/05 by a member of the Junior League, the board was told that the annual operating budget of the Playhouse would be $413,100.00 and the Playhouse would be “self-sustaining. Remember that number because at some point the $100.00 may become significant!! (Have I heard the phrase self-sustaining before?) Sounds familiar; was it the RiverPlex?”
An article in the JS dated 12/12/02 and titled “Park (Peoria) officials set to discuss softball site. Passed over project could be a boon to Peoria in 2006.” Park Superintendent Bonnie Noble said “board members have been working on this for several months and this project could provide Peoria with enough fields to host the National Softball Association 2006 regional girl’s fast-pitch tournament.”
I don’t believe I am the only bearer of the bad news that no matter what miracle Ms. Noble is capable of pulling out of increased property taxes and increased fees, no new tournament approved softball fields will be completed in time for a tournament 8 months from now. But some of those hundreds of kids and their families playing over in East Peoria will spend some of their money on the Peoria side of the river if they have any money left when they leave the Paradise, also in East Peoria. A win-win; right?
Probably not.
Now if my friend Dan Daly, you know Dan from the Civic Center board who somehow underestimated costs of the new expansion by quite a bunch, will look up his notes, I believe he will find that a new softball complex was part of the vision that Tim Cassidy, Peoria Park District President, presented to Dan and to the public, along with a vision of a $32 Million dollar expanded African Zoo, a new skateboard park and a financially solvent park district. All this without raising property taxes or selling more bonds than they pay off yearly. (Now around 23 million owed) The “vision” included a financially solvent RiverPlex (lost $7 million dollars in the first 40 months of operations) and the saving of the Peoria Park District from those who wished to destroy the parks. I quote an article in the JS (3/17/03) in which Mr. Cassidy said “elect me and save the Peoria Park District.” Hmmmmm.
Another observation was that the Peoria Park Board cancelled a number of full board meeting this year. A board member said the reason was that they had NOTHING to talk about. Hmmmm.
Just an observation but it appears some things are going wrong with a lot of the “visions” presented to us by some of our leadership. Just an observation.
Well, enough observations for one evening except I might mention that the Peoria County Board will NOT be raising your property tax rates for next year. In fact the rate is expected to decrease slightly. And yes, I will be running for another term on the Peoria County Board because even at my advanced age, I know something about the “fiscal responsibility" of an elected official to the people who elected him.
On October 13, 2005 a headline in the JS stated “Ameren’s (Cilco) Future is Cloudy.” “Utility officials raise possibility of corporate bankruptcy.” The article quotes Warner Baxter, Ameren’s executive v-p and chief financial officer as saying “If Ameren’s utilities are not allowed to recover their costs through the rates charged to the consumer, a variety of “adverse consequences” could develop. Those consequences could include “the extreme, which could be a sort of bankruptcy situation, and we certainly have no hope and trying to go down that path because really no one wins.”
Flash back to 2004 where a headline in the JS stated that “Ameren/Cilco provided a “lead gift of $500,000.00” to the children’s playhouse.” This playhouse will occupy the remodeled old pavilion soon to be vacated as the Peoria Park District moves their headquarters “temporarily” into the old IDOT building on Knoxville. It appears that Ameren wants to raise the rates to it’s customers to avoid bankruptcy. It appears that the public may pay higher rates to Ameren so they don’t go “bankrupt” and Ameren takes part of our money and gives it to the Peoria Playhouse in their name and takes credit as being the “generous benefactor”. Hmmmm.
In a presentation to the Peoria Park Board on 10/12/05 by a member of the Junior League, the board was told that the annual operating budget of the Playhouse would be $413,100.00 and the Playhouse would be “self-sustaining. Remember that number because at some point the $100.00 may become significant!! (Have I heard the phrase self-sustaining before?) Sounds familiar; was it the RiverPlex?”
An article in the JS dated 12/12/02 and titled “Park (Peoria) officials set to discuss softball site. Passed over project could be a boon to Peoria in 2006.” Park Superintendent Bonnie Noble said “board members have been working on this for several months and this project could provide Peoria with enough fields to host the National Softball Association 2006 regional girl’s fast-pitch tournament.”
I don’t believe I am the only bearer of the bad news that no matter what miracle Ms. Noble is capable of pulling out of increased property taxes and increased fees, no new tournament approved softball fields will be completed in time for a tournament 8 months from now. But some of those hundreds of kids and their families playing over in East Peoria will spend some of their money on the Peoria side of the river if they have any money left when they leave the Paradise, also in East Peoria. A win-win; right?
Probably not.
Now if my friend Dan Daly, you know Dan from the Civic Center board who somehow underestimated costs of the new expansion by quite a bunch, will look up his notes, I believe he will find that a new softball complex was part of the vision that Tim Cassidy, Peoria Park District President, presented to Dan and to the public, along with a vision of a $32 Million dollar expanded African Zoo, a new skateboard park and a financially solvent park district. All this without raising property taxes or selling more bonds than they pay off yearly. (Now around 23 million owed) The “vision” included a financially solvent RiverPlex (lost $7 million dollars in the first 40 months of operations) and the saving of the Peoria Park District from those who wished to destroy the parks. I quote an article in the JS (3/17/03) in which Mr. Cassidy said “elect me and save the Peoria Park District.” Hmmmmm.
Another observation was that the Peoria Park Board cancelled a number of full board meeting this year. A board member said the reason was that they had NOTHING to talk about. Hmmmm.
Just an observation but it appears some things are going wrong with a lot of the “visions” presented to us by some of our leadership. Just an observation.
Well, enough observations for one evening except I might mention that the Peoria County Board will NOT be raising your property tax rates for next year. In fact the rate is expected to decrease slightly. And yes, I will be running for another term on the Peoria County Board because even at my advanced age, I know something about the “fiscal responsibility" of an elected official to the people who elected him.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2005
Take Back the Right
Before we vote next spring and next November, we need to read and listen to all sides of all issue that will be presented. “Take back the Right, How the Neocons and the Religious Right have betrayed the Conservative Movement,” by Author Philip Gold should be on your “to read” list. While this book is talking mostly about the party of which I am a member, it should be good reading for anyone. I will quote some of the statements Mr. Gold makes (he lists an extensive bibliography) that I think are noteworthy:
Gold quotes Ortega y Gasset in his book the “Revolt of the Masses” who writes “If you want to make use of the advantage of civilization, but are not prepared to concern yourself with the upholding of civilization-you are done. For me nobility is synonymous with a life of effort, ever set on excelling oneself, in passing beyond what is to what one sets up as a duty and an obligation.”
Gold says author Bruno Snell noted what happened when the ancients began to question their ways. He wrote “men had very decided notions of what was expected of them. But when human behavior became an object of detailed investigation, many practices which had earlier been regarded as highly estimable did not withstand the pressure of the new criticism.... As more of sections of society became aware of their own merit, they are less willing to conform to the ideal of the once-dominant class. It is discovered that the ways of men are diverse.”
Gold quotes Barry Goldwater “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” Goldwater spoke of how “America had lost the brisk pace of diversity and the genius of individual creativity.”
Gold tells the story of a young psychoanalyst, new to his trade and ardent about it’s possibilities, who sought the master for advice. According to the tale, Dr. Freud listened politely, then answered: “Don’t try to save people. They don’t want to be saved.” Wise counsel. Then and now.
Gold quotes Alexander Haig, upon being asked by somebody why he talked the way he did, is alleged to have replied “Sometimes it’s better to be not understood than to be misunderstood.” He may have been on to something.
Gold quotes Liberal Sharon Krause as saying “Four features of honor as a quality of character are elaborated: its high ambition, the balance of reverence and reflexibility, partiality, and the mix of recognition and resistance. The substantive codes of honor may vary.
To the extent that we obscure our own aristocratic capacities and liberal democracy’s aristocratic elements, we deny ourselves potentially powerful sources of individual agency and withhold crucial support for individual’s liberties. Those with honor above all else refuse to believe they are victims of circumstances.”
Gold continues “Neocons are, I believe a transient political and intellectual phenomenon. They have no power of their own. A few hold high-level positions but none hold a genuinely inner – circle position, and none of the present crop has ever won, or could win, a serious election.”
When JFK’s geniuses where being extolled to then House Speaker Sam Rayburn, the old pol listened politely and said “you may be right and they may be every bit as intelligent as you say. But I’d feel a whole lot better about them if just one of them had run for sheriff once.”
Gold continues Neocons don’t run for sheriff, or anything else. They are Idea Men. They think Geostrategic Big Thoughts. And they are ever more hated within the conservative movement. Some find their arrogance unendurable. Other wonder if their commitment to Israel might not be a bit too ardent, especially since so many of them are Jewish. Most of the Neocons have the same arrogance that led to Vietnam. Whatever we do is good because we do it. And we can do whatever we please.”
Gold continues “The first generation of Neocons brought to conservatism-or could have brought-exactly the kind of humane aristocratic sensibility and demand for responsible excellence that conservatism needed.”
Gold quotes writer Robert Kaplan from his book “The Coming Anarchy”---a condition demanding the sternest of Pagan virtues and no delusions concerning the redemption of others. There will be resources to fight over, especially oil and water. Religion will also be a global casus belli, especially between Islamic minorities and Christian and other majorities and Islamic majorities from Egypt to Indonesia. In truth, all these struggles, and more, interlock. And since 9/11, and certainly since the United States undertook to redeem Iraq, America has groped for a new way of understanding the world encompassing these struggles, and our role in it.”
Gold concludes “we must take back the right to be citizens, effective participants in the public world. This is how we must learn to live, once again. And this is what; above all else, a new conservatism must strive for.”
Anyway, the book is worth reading. Most of the above reflects my own feeling.
However, there are numerous statements by Mr. Gold that I would doubt.
I’ll close with quotes from Cal Thomas in today’s JS: “Many people are drawn to power less to advance certain policies than for ego satisfaction and future job prospects. Bush needs contrarians on his staff and he should meet with “average” people as often as possible.”
What goes on in our highest ranks of government reflect what goes on in our cities and local communities. Does anybody out there believe that the Civic Federation, The Chamber of Commerce Executive Council, the Peoria Park Board, the Zoological Society, the Museum Board, the Peoria Public Library Board, the Civic Center Board to name some of the most prominent, I’ll exclude political parties and some unions, would have average people or ESPECIALLY people with contrarians views on their boards?
Isn’t the way societies are run is by all agreeing with the ones who have the power and the gold or for those who have other peoples gold with charismatic or “gang type” leadership qualities who can lead people into act of violence; those people who ordinarily wouldn’t smash police cars, burn buildings and loot? For these “leaders” once an idea is conceived, there is no turning back no matter how wrong or untimely the conception.
As you read this, millions of people are planning to rob you, kill you, or harm you in endless ways and turn this planet into utter chaos while a too large part of our citizenry sit slumped at their desks, bored by their teachers and their lives, watch endless hours of mindless Sitcoms and endless baseball, football and baseball seasons. Other millions are working hard preparing themselves to succeed for the benefit of mankind, especially in the United States; people both in this country and all across the world. Many of them do have your best interests at heart; many don’t. Those of you involved or not involved, had better hope we have more students and adults’ preparing themselves to be good citizens and leaders in the United States. Much information suggests we are “losing ground” to many other countries.
My advice; get involved in the politics of this community and this country, hopefully as a conservative and a liberal; of course, in the OLD meaning of the two terms. If you have no interest in your community or your countries politics and promote the status quo, don’t complain about the decisions made by our Neocons, our aristocratic, our selfish and our poor or bad leadership. Try not to make public opinions in criticism of the country you profess to love; these opinions when appearing in diverse medias, give our enemies the backbone they lack. Our enemies use our own words and actions to kill those we wish to save. Many of them do plan ways to kill us; Neocons, liberals, conservatives, far left and far right “leaners” and poor or disadvantaged people. Our enemies will make no distinctions. Sorry.
But we hope we can always keep the right to disagree. But we are obligated to do more than just complain. In many countries such as in the Middle East, you do not have that right even to complain; or many other rights.
Gold quotes Ortega y Gasset in his book the “Revolt of the Masses” who writes “If you want to make use of the advantage of civilization, but are not prepared to concern yourself with the upholding of civilization-you are done. For me nobility is synonymous with a life of effort, ever set on excelling oneself, in passing beyond what is to what one sets up as a duty and an obligation.”
Gold says author Bruno Snell noted what happened when the ancients began to question their ways. He wrote “men had very decided notions of what was expected of them. But when human behavior became an object of detailed investigation, many practices which had earlier been regarded as highly estimable did not withstand the pressure of the new criticism.... As more of sections of society became aware of their own merit, they are less willing to conform to the ideal of the once-dominant class. It is discovered that the ways of men are diverse.”
Gold quotes Barry Goldwater “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” Goldwater spoke of how “America had lost the brisk pace of diversity and the genius of individual creativity.”
Gold tells the story of a young psychoanalyst, new to his trade and ardent about it’s possibilities, who sought the master for advice. According to the tale, Dr. Freud listened politely, then answered: “Don’t try to save people. They don’t want to be saved.” Wise counsel. Then and now.
Gold quotes Alexander Haig, upon being asked by somebody why he talked the way he did, is alleged to have replied “Sometimes it’s better to be not understood than to be misunderstood.” He may have been on to something.
Gold quotes Liberal Sharon Krause as saying “Four features of honor as a quality of character are elaborated: its high ambition, the balance of reverence and reflexibility, partiality, and the mix of recognition and resistance. The substantive codes of honor may vary.
To the extent that we obscure our own aristocratic capacities and liberal democracy’s aristocratic elements, we deny ourselves potentially powerful sources of individual agency and withhold crucial support for individual’s liberties. Those with honor above all else refuse to believe they are victims of circumstances.”
Gold continues “Neocons are, I believe a transient political and intellectual phenomenon. They have no power of their own. A few hold high-level positions but none hold a genuinely inner – circle position, and none of the present crop has ever won, or could win, a serious election.”
When JFK’s geniuses where being extolled to then House Speaker Sam Rayburn, the old pol listened politely and said “you may be right and they may be every bit as intelligent as you say. But I’d feel a whole lot better about them if just one of them had run for sheriff once.”
Gold continues Neocons don’t run for sheriff, or anything else. They are Idea Men. They think Geostrategic Big Thoughts. And they are ever more hated within the conservative movement. Some find their arrogance unendurable. Other wonder if their commitment to Israel might not be a bit too ardent, especially since so many of them are Jewish. Most of the Neocons have the same arrogance that led to Vietnam. Whatever we do is good because we do it. And we can do whatever we please.”
Gold continues “The first generation of Neocons brought to conservatism-or could have brought-exactly the kind of humane aristocratic sensibility and demand for responsible excellence that conservatism needed.”
Gold quotes writer Robert Kaplan from his book “The Coming Anarchy”---a condition demanding the sternest of Pagan virtues and no delusions concerning the redemption of others. There will be resources to fight over, especially oil and water. Religion will also be a global casus belli, especially between Islamic minorities and Christian and other majorities and Islamic majorities from Egypt to Indonesia. In truth, all these struggles, and more, interlock. And since 9/11, and certainly since the United States undertook to redeem Iraq, America has groped for a new way of understanding the world encompassing these struggles, and our role in it.”
Gold concludes “we must take back the right to be citizens, effective participants in the public world. This is how we must learn to live, once again. And this is what; above all else, a new conservatism must strive for.”
Anyway, the book is worth reading. Most of the above reflects my own feeling.
However, there are numerous statements by Mr. Gold that I would doubt.
I’ll close with quotes from Cal Thomas in today’s JS: “Many people are drawn to power less to advance certain policies than for ego satisfaction and future job prospects. Bush needs contrarians on his staff and he should meet with “average” people as often as possible.”
What goes on in our highest ranks of government reflect what goes on in our cities and local communities. Does anybody out there believe that the Civic Federation, The Chamber of Commerce Executive Council, the Peoria Park Board, the Zoological Society, the Museum Board, the Peoria Public Library Board, the Civic Center Board to name some of the most prominent, I’ll exclude political parties and some unions, would have average people or ESPECIALLY people with contrarians views on their boards?
Isn’t the way societies are run is by all agreeing with the ones who have the power and the gold or for those who have other peoples gold with charismatic or “gang type” leadership qualities who can lead people into act of violence; those people who ordinarily wouldn’t smash police cars, burn buildings and loot? For these “leaders” once an idea is conceived, there is no turning back no matter how wrong or untimely the conception.
As you read this, millions of people are planning to rob you, kill you, or harm you in endless ways and turn this planet into utter chaos while a too large part of our citizenry sit slumped at their desks, bored by their teachers and their lives, watch endless hours of mindless Sitcoms and endless baseball, football and baseball seasons. Other millions are working hard preparing themselves to succeed for the benefit of mankind, especially in the United States; people both in this country and all across the world. Many of them do have your best interests at heart; many don’t. Those of you involved or not involved, had better hope we have more students and adults’ preparing themselves to be good citizens and leaders in the United States. Much information suggests we are “losing ground” to many other countries.
My advice; get involved in the politics of this community and this country, hopefully as a conservative and a liberal; of course, in the OLD meaning of the two terms. If you have no interest in your community or your countries politics and promote the status quo, don’t complain about the decisions made by our Neocons, our aristocratic, our selfish and our poor or bad leadership. Try not to make public opinions in criticism of the country you profess to love; these opinions when appearing in diverse medias, give our enemies the backbone they lack. Our enemies use our own words and actions to kill those we wish to save. Many of them do plan ways to kill us; Neocons, liberals, conservatives, far left and far right “leaners” and poor or disadvantaged people. Our enemies will make no distinctions. Sorry.
But we hope we can always keep the right to disagree. But we are obligated to do more than just complain. In many countries such as in the Middle East, you do not have that right even to complain; or many other rights.
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