The intent of this blog is to promote human equality, human progress, human peace and justice, and optimism. To accomplish this, to encourage the discussion of ideas after identifying and discovering problems, and then creating positive solutions for "we the people," in order to provide for the "general welfare" and "domestic tranquility" of America now and its "posterity" into the future. To encourage an emphasis on separation of religion and state for all, no matter if this is for those "of faith" in a Maker / Creator (Deists, God-loving people, Christians, various people of spirituality) and atheists or agnostics.

Posts tagged ‘Education’

Living & Learning Moment: Ambiguous Attitudes

Returning to my home today, I had radio station Cool 106.7 (WCDW) on my car radio. I like the tunes from the 1970s and 1980s best, but wonder why we no longer have 1940s, 1950s, or 1960s music? Golden oldies? What are we who like all that music dead now and there is “no one to listen?” Today, I heard a song I had never heard before and don’t know what era it was from. My bet is that it was 1980s or newer. The lyrics included, “don’t back down… stand your ground.”

I thought about such lyrics. Are such lyrics considered ambiguous because of the perspective of the person who listens or is there a common ground for such lyrics? These lyrics about “don’t back down” and “stand your ground,” to me, represent something for me personally. When I am trying to accomplish something I figure these lyrics represent being persistent in accomplishing a goal that has been set. I have been successful in being persistent and then being successful. The results were good for many people, not just for me. In fact, in one instance, my persistence in presenting to my home town school board an idea for hiring a vocal music teacher in the local high school after the separation of buildings created a rift in providing such a position. From the late 1950s until the 1970s, the school had gone from one school for grades K-12 to four different buildings, yet for the arts and culture, there were cutbacks in the education. Made no sense to me, as I would speak with those who had been in the one K-12 building and had more choices for education why there were so many cutbacks. Years later, I learned why. With four buildings it cost more to pay for staff to maintain the buildings so there was not enough money around to hire teachers for the education programs which were necessary. My grandfather, who taught languages in the K-12 building, caught the brunt of that as they curtailed his program. There was no tenure in those days to protect him. In effect, my persistence and working to “not back down” and “stand my ground” helped me in working to get education to advance in the arts, as well as to stop using the brand new vocal music room in a new school building as a “detention center.”

Was there a mathematics teacher or someone in another area who did not like me taking this stand? You bet. I was like an early 19th-Century New York State leader who recognized that building commerce in New York meant taking advantage of the flatlands from the Hudson to Lake Erie and building the Erie Canal. HE was scoffed at and his canal was deemed, “Clinton’s ditch.” Who was the one who proved it was correct to build an infrastructure in order to make New York the Empire State with, ultimately, one of the largest commercial centers in the world in New York City?

As a professor, I always advocated that education we call STEM should also include an “A” in the word and it should be education we call STEAM. STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics. STEAM is Science, Engineering, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics. Perhaps the school district with one building for K-12 figured they needed to adjust to the embarassment about the Soviet Union sending Sputnik into the sky before America had a chance to do it? Thus, STEM is still more important than STEAM? Good grace, Gracie!

After living through the hell and chaos of Florida which was caused by a law pushed by Jeb Bush and the RPOF (Republican Party of Florida) which was called the “Stand your Ground Law,” I have to look at these lyrics in a different perspective. This law has become one in which white people of Florida embrace in order to murder black people. How gross can you get? Is this a return to the lynching parties of Jim Crow? Yeah, it turned out to be quite close. Was the white man who did not like the sound of rap music correct in “standing his ground” by using a gun to shoot a black man who was listening in his car to rap music on the radio? Was the idiocratic man in the movie theatre justified in shooting people who were talking to loud in the theatre? Were these justifications for the words of the song I heard today with lyrics of “don’t back down” and “stand your ground?”

I know how I think about such hatred. I know what I think about these aspects of the words. What do you think about such hatred? What is your perspective on all this? Is there something you can learn in my “teachable moment?” I hope so. America needs to begin learning again. Can I help out?

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An Open Letter to Rick Scott

Dear Mr. Scott:

As far as I can see, you purchased the Florida Governor’s Mansion.  You took advantage of a low voter turnout in 2010.  That’s a shame, when considering you are practically a minority governor forcing your will upon a large number who voted against you.

You appear to worship money and consider money to be more important than human beings.  In the healthcare industry, this translates to an unsavory idea about making money, rather than healing people.  You are pushing this same ideal upon public education, you money-worshiping louse.

Your number one priority is to make money, so you worship it.  You claim to be a “born again” Christian, but you are not my fellow Christian.  You are not a “brother in the LORD” with me and others who are on the small and cramped road to everlasting life.  “The road not taken,” which does not follow conformity to the crowds of money-loving materialistic shallow folks.

Perhaps you disdain a letter in the scriptures which says, “the love of money is the root of evil [or all kinds of injurious things].”  So how can you maintain a faith in GOD, our CREATOR, and HIS SON, JESUS CHRIST?  As Jesus Christ himself would say, “you hypocrite!”

Jesus Christ became violently angry about those in the temple who were deceiving others.  VIOLENTLY ANGRY.  Seems to point to a very strong message from GOD and that does not indicate WE become violently angry, but learn from the message.

GOD became violently angry at the deception and violence of rape at Sodom and Gomorrah, too.  It was not anger directed at  homosexuality, which never occurred, only suggested.  Because the towns people were selfish and not accepting strangers in their midst, they would often rape strangers of any sex, in order to embarrass the strangers.  The story is about an intervention from GOD, due to his dislike of raping strangers of ANY kind.

Here are some words you should consider:

Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image.
Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD the GOD in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Honour thy father and thy mother.
Thou shall not kill.
Thou shall not commit adultery.
Thou shall not steal.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
Thou shalt not covet.

What part of this don’t you understand?  Shall we discuss false witness?  How about the deception that comes with adultery?  Oh ,perhaps you never cheated on your wife, but how many countless others have you cheated on?  And I am not discussing sex, either.  Let’s discuss the words, “Thou shall not steal.”  You pleaded the fifth, did you not?  Is this deception like that of adultery?  What about “coveting?”  Worshiping money, rather than the true GOD?  What part of this don’t you understand?

One of the original tea party members was able to “get away with murder.”  John Hancock, a scoundrel bootlegging rum into Boston from the islands, murdered a British customs agent and purportedly got away with murder.  He did it all in the name of selfishness, greed, love of money.  Murder is on this list, too.  One hopes you did not do this and get away with it.  But then, you are a part of the modern-day scoundrels called the tea party, are you not?

We now celebrate with a beer named after John Hancock’s partner in crime, Sam Adams.  Sam’s cousin, John Adams, was forced into joining the tea party when he did not wish to do so, due to his repulsion towards their activities.  FORCED, without choice, by scoundrels and shallow low-life people with money made illegally (rum trade) – like drug dealers today.

Shallow low-life scum like you, Rick Scott, who worship money and step on the lives of people are repulsive.  Then you pretend you like people, just enough to get elected.  And at the same time, you destroy those who DO recognize humanity over money – the teachers and professors of Florida.  Students are not customers and have no idea what is best for them, when it comes to education.  The legacy of what has been accomplished and made our nation successful, in the centuries prior to these students, is what is important.  Money is not to be worshiped.

John Adams, our second president, was a member of the same church denomination to which I belong and have spent most of my life:  the Congregationalists.  Former Governor and Senator, Bob Graham, who opposes both the Scott and Jeb Bush higher education plans, is also a rational-thinking member of the same denomination.  This denomination’s legacy IS public education.  Our denomination advocated for public education and did so, not in the name of the worship of money, but in the name of humanity.  Now you, Rick Scott, wish to destroy public education.  You wish to project those of us who stand steadfastly in favor of humanist and secular public education as being devils.  “Judge not lest you be judged.”

Jesus identified Satan.  “Satan is the father of the lie.”  You and the Bush family embrace (George Bush is even quoted as saying this) the words of Hitler’s propaganda minister as he said something like:  “Tell a lie enough times and eventually it becomes the truth.”  Jesus said Satan is the father of the lie!  Perhaps you use psychologists to twist this even further and disguise your lies and projecting the words of good humanist people as lies.  The U.S. Constitution protects freedom of the press, not freedom of the false press.

But then, as my grandmother would say to me, “judge not lest you [thou] be judged,” so how can I point out these things about another person?  I would bet one of your friends in Southwest Florida remembers my grandmother, even to the point of picking on her – many times.  And this friend of yours also forgot his past and those who helped along his way to wealth, thus slighting my own mother, who faithfully served the Republican Party for many years, as a party committee person in NY.

Jesus also said, “turn the other cheek,” to enemies.  Here it is, Rick Scott, so begin slapping my other cheek.  Go ahead.  Bear false witness against me.  You are a hypocrite.  If Jesus could call the deceptive lawyers and business people of his day, “hypocrites,” then I am only following the model of my LORD and Saviour.  Deception is in the 10 commandments, but gets hidden by sex.  I guess it makes us feel better, don’t you know?

Douglas W. Cornwell

Tioga Herald

 

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31 July 2011

Often on this post, I have commented about my Dutch family relationships to the Roosevelt family.  By marriage, my Dutch family, the Schoonmakers, are related to the Roosevelts.  This is well documented in the Schoonmaker genealogy which is available from the Huguenot Historical Society in New Paltz, NY.

Had it not been for my ancestor, Capt. Frederick J. Schoonmaker, financing the American Revolution to the brink of his own bankruptcy, this nation may have had a Schoonmaker with a huge mansion running for president.  But Capt. Frederick “lost his shirt” by financing the building of the chain across the Hudson River (one end of the chain was on the present-day location of West Point).   He is an example, unlike the Bush family, which derives from the same geographic area as the Roosevelts and Schoonmakers, of commitment to community and one who takes a dim view regarding the love of money.  This is the same contrast of a wealthy Schoonmaker with the Koch brothers and others today.

The hateful people of the 21st century tea party quote the original Tea Party, but abandon all sense of community which existed among those who funded and supported the American Revolution.  They all do this out of love for money and reckless abandonment of love for the human community.  The tea party’s actions are being performed in the name of a 20th-century atheist bitch (so-called Jew – a traitor to her Jewish roots) who was pissed at the Soviet government when she came to America acting like she was some kind of expert about what life in America should be about.  These things are being done in the name of a wealthy family which once owned a chain of salons in a Caribbean nation and also in the name of a former legislative leader of the government on that island nation.  None of these people understand the American way of life and our heritage for love of community, so there actions are those of hatred – in support of the fascist Bush family.  There is no toleration of an opinion regarding hatred.  It is not an opinion.

Last night, I viewed the DVD, Eleanor and Franklin.  It was quite revealing.  Many people, both Republicans and Democrats, could learn from Franklin D. Roosevelt.  Having read a great deal about FDR and Eleanor, the film appeared to be quite close to reality.

A scene the ideological Republican tea party members need to consider.  A belligerent reporter approached President Roosevelt (standing on crutches, by the way, due to his polio – need I remind pigs today who don’t know what it feels like to be helpless), he asked four questions and the president addressed each one.  The reporter asked FDR:  “Are you a communist?”  The president answered, “no!”  The reporter continued:  “Are you a capitalist?”  FDR:  “No!”  The reporter:  “Are you a socialist?” FDR:  “No!”  The reporter:  “What are you?”  FDR:  “A Christian and a Democrat!”

Today, FDR’s answer to the last question probably should have been:  “An Episcopalian and a Democrat” – because so many so-called Christians have lost sight of the focus of Jesus Christ and mis-represent Him.   But then, a Nigerian Anglican archbishop, the Episcopal bishops in Pittsburgh and central Florida also mis-represent Jesus Christ, too.

A lesson for President Obama and the Democrats.  FDR made a comment about “putting Americans back to work,” but I never heard him talk about “jobs creation.”  To me, jobs are just one part of “putting Americans back to work.”  But Democrats today focus ONLY on that one little aspect, forgetting the opportunities (as do the tea party folks) which give Americans the ability to invest in their future.  On the opposite extreme, the tea party folks think ONLY about entrepreneurship (greedy selfish entrepreneurship which abandons any sense of community) and these tea party people toss out every aspect about creating jobs.  Thus, we have a polarization in America today – stimulated by the vengeful attitudes of fascists like the Bush family.

FDR created opportunities in the form of “bonds.”  Victory Bonds and the like.  Democrats never propose strings attached to the tax cuts of the wealthy.  For instance, Democrats never propose the following to the wealthy of America:  if you want the tax cuts, then here is where you need to invest the money from your tax cuts:  Bonds… in Housing, Education, Food, or Health bonds.  Government bonds underwritten by the private sector.  An alliance of public and private in order to make this nation healthy and “put Americans back to work.”

FDR believed in “unemployment compensation,” but I believe he would have been appalled at what he would see in the system today.  Corruption.  People who have become lazy and LOOK for the “shortest distance between two points.”  Construction workers located in the cold snowy areas of the nation who collect during times when weather prohibits them from working.  Teacher unions don’t get this type of unemployment during the summer, but are under attack today.  I knew a union member (now deceased) in the trades who was appalled at the existence of such horse s*** unemployment “handouts.”  Yet union members are the ones taking it on the chin today?  During World War II, this now-deceased CWA member fought valiantly against fascist Mussolini, losing a thumb in the conflicts in Italy.  This union member also admired FDR and Nelson Rockefeller of New York.

Solution:  if weather prohibits people from working, then the government provides funding to help such people bring home income, rather than handing out unemployment checks.  For instance, Vermont imports students from Australia to run the ski lifts during the winter – while unemployed construction workers in the northeast sit on their asses with no work.  The government could be the catalyst to help bring employers and potential employees together, rather than providing handouts which ultimately create lazy people.

I believe, if the Bush family and others would drop their goddamn vindictiveness against FDR – which clouds their decision-making capabilities – then we could, as a community of Americans solve our problems more effectively.

Drop the goddamn ideology and solve our problems  – NOW!  Stop the horse s*** and develop a better cup of ice cream!

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