Defining free speech
- Thread starter twofbyc
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"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." - Hanlon's Razor
Hey, I’m willing to consider the possibility that stupidity explains Trump’s actions (although his past makes malice seem much more likely).
I'm willing to consider the possibility that stupidity explains the actions of politicians of all the parties.
Here the way that works.
The Garrison Commander Colonel Chris Midberry (Garrison Commander is like the mayor, he pays the electric bill, fixes potholes, and probably has oversight over the schools on post). COL Midberry will call the School Superintendent in, show him/her the news about the elementary school library over-reacting, tell him/her that the librarian has exercised poor judgment and that poor judgment has reflected discredit on the installation and the Army writ large. Please fix the mistake (i.e. put back books that mention slavery and civil rights), and counsel the librarian about intentionally trying to embarrass the chain of command and that, should similar things like this happen in the future, his/her future employment might be called into question.
* Unless the books say that slavery was a good thing and that the civili rights movement was bad thing. Merely mentioning slavery and that African-Americans overcame the challenges it presented and the civil rights movement sought to achieve equal opportunity for all Americans, then they are fine to be on an elementary schools shelves.
And the reason the President will not "clarify" the EO is that it would be to play the librarian's game of "malicious implementation." If the books that mention slavery are placed back on the shelves, then the librarian, if not counseled on the error of his/her ways, will remove a children's book on MLK or alternatively get a book on slavery from the KKK showing what a great thing slavery was. "Well, you forced me to place books on slavery/civil rights back on the shelves but you did not say I could not remove books on MLK, so there." Obviously, the librarian was not trying to implement the intent of the Executive Order, but to embarrass the administration.
My interpretation of the situation is likely clouded by what definitely happened here in Florida, so it’s possible that this was an honest mistake by all involved. I’ll not ascribe partisan motivation to the librarian, though. Considering the political environment, it’s likely that he or she was doing everything possible to protect his or her job. Just as you choose to assume the best about Trump, I’ll do the same for the librarian.
I do agree that American history books portraying slavery as an evil to be overcome and the civil rights movement as a necessary endeavor to ensure equal rights for all belong in the elementary school classroom.
I do agree that American history books portraying slavery as an evil to be overcome and the civil rights movement as a necessary endeavor to ensure equal rights for all belong in the elementary school classroom.
Sure, but even that needs to be tempered by an acknowledgment that bthis is, after all, an elementary school library. Elementary school kids should probably be reading books like Charlotte's Web or Where the Wild Things Are or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
And if the parents want their elementary school kid to read a Marxoid analysis of the Civil Rights movement (or something equally weighty), then the parents can still go get their kid a copy and give it to them.
As excellent as those books are, elementary school kids should be reading more than fiction. It is possible to present an accurate and age-appropriate account of the more tragic parts of American history without resorting to any form of left or right wing ideology/propaganda. I’ve worked in elementary schools for going on three decades and I can confirm that the number of Marxist-influenced books I’ve encountered to be zero. While I’m sure there are isolated cases of inappropriate books to be found, it’s not a real problem to anyone other than a politician looking to score cheap points with a radical base.
All well and good.
Still, almost without exception, a child comes with a parent or set of parents, or even foster parents or some kind of legal guardians. These are (usually) adults and if they would like their child to read something controversial, they are completely at liberty to procure such readings and give it to their child. It is certainly not the realm of an elementary school librarian to circumvent the parents desires, so what is readily available for check-out without a parent's knowledge/approval should be such that the majority would approve.
An elementary school library is open to all students without adult supervision, so what books are found there should be benign enough to pass muster with the majority of the parents.
Anyway, this particular librarian is, by definition, a Federal civil servant, and was trying to embarrass the military chain of command (how else would a local news agency even know about the library holdings at Ft. Campbell elementary schools?) and I personally take a dim view of such behavior. If this behavior persists, his/her employment should be terminated.
This is reasonable, as most parents are not dangerously loony Moms for Liberty-types, driven to groom children with their insidious brand of intolerance and religious fanaticism.
Well, in a struggle between a parent who is a Moms for Liberty type and a school teacher or librarian who wants to indoctrinate a minor into some other ideology, I would side with the parents every time, unless the parent was endangering the child's life or health.
School employees who knowingly want to guide minor children in ways contrary to what their parent would want are creepy to say the least.
Teachers and school librarians are public servants, not parents (except to their own children if they have any). They would do well to remember that.
Since teachers and librarians aren't in the business of indoctrinating a minor into any particular ideology, this smacks of strawman. Unless of course, you mean the teaching of tolerance toward those who aren't just like themselves. If a parent is raising their child to be a racist or bigot, then that probably won't be reinforced at school. If they want their child to believe in a mythical Garden of Eden or that the Earth is flat or only 6,000 years old, then they are quite likely to hear facts at school that don't fit that particular brand of foolishness. (Please note that no religion has any business being ridiculed, advocated, or endorsed in K-12. I'm speaking strictly from a scientific curriculum perspective.)
And just in case: The idea that there is some coordinated effort in public schools to force a particular sexual identity onto children is the most outrageous brand of lying and propaganda the extreme religious right has concocted. It's not happening, regardless of what a fool like Trump might spout and his gullible followers believe.
The majority of parents believe teaching children to be caring, responsible, and empathetic humans is an important part of growing up. If parents don't place a premium on those values, they need to take their children to a private school where they and the rest of the intolerant minority can raise their children to be the type of person most of us choose to avoid.
Public school should teach minor children to read, write, do math at the appropriate grade level, the history of the United States, at the appropriate level, the periodic table in chemistry when the students reach that level. Basic physics and biology (including how the plumbing of sexual organs work while carefully avoiding the issue of when it is appropriate to use that plumbing). "Ask your parents" is a perfectly acceptable answer from a school teacher on moral issues. School employees have no monopoly of moral reasoning and, compared to parents, a school employee's relationship with a particular child is fleeting.
Instruction on social issues should be done at the most basic and benign level that would be acceptable to the vast majority of parents. Teaching students to be caring, responsible, and empathic is fine, depending on how it is done (and depending on whether the teaching of reading, writing, and math is being accomplished at the same time). Literature might be the best vehicle for teaching such subjects. The devil however is in the details.
Lol this is the exact type of a smug and pretentious comment that people complain about when Democrats do it.
He could have left off the opening and closing and made his point just fine.
What reality is this when you have the VP of the US making playground level insults on social media?
So, both sides?
I agree that we should expect better manners from our political leaders. But as long as "my team is awesome and your team sucks" tribalism is what passes for fanboy intelligence, this is what we are going to get. Snippets in tweets devoid of context to gin up the outrage machine with the targeted politicians responding in likewise childish name calling. 🤷â€Â♂ï¸Â
No question his response could have been better without the name-calling, but I think we have left behind the notion that we should "rise above" the type of behavior that gets leveled at us. I'm not saying it's a good thing, just pointing out the obvious.
A Mississippi judge ordered a newspaper to remove an editorial. Press advocates are outraged
A Mississippi judge has ordered a newspaper to remove an editorial that criticized city officials. The action has sparked widespread complaints from press freedom advocates.
apnews.com
Vance's post would have been a lot stronger without the first four and the last three words. His advisors need to coach him on that.
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