Comments by sammohon
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Posted on July 24 at 12:20 a.m.
I'll try to argue this point by point and do so succinctly, but I stress, as I did before, I was not being judgemental, I was simply expressing my opinion...in fact, my brother and his wife home school...it's probably right for them, but in my opinion not for their kids...however, in the final analysis, they are their children's parents and I'm not.
I'll take two issues at once...sounds like a separation issue to me...there are 24 hours in a day, eight minimum needed for children to sleep, seven to eight are needed to go to school...leaving seven to eight for home work...extra-curricular activities and all the rest...give an hour or two for extracurriculars...that leaves four or five hours...not two...additionally, there are weekends.
You say most home schooled students actually take part in socializing activities, I have no doubt that's true, but nothing can compare to day by day learning how to get along with other real and different people...I also would like to learn what kind of sporting events are available...competition is the essence of sport...who competes with who?...is it really character building and realistic competition?
You say that home schooling is like religion...you're right..most of the adherants seem to do so for religious reasons and rationlize the rest...regardless of pragmatic concerns for, or the detrimental effects on their children.
From what I've seen the reasons are religious and more realistically, the wife didn't want to work and wanted to be a perpetual mama needinig a "raison d'etre" and the husband was OK with that since it made her dependent. I don't really care about the inner workings of the marital relationships, but please don't tell me the kids are profiting from isolation.
I really need to see the sources you cite for your statistics to believe what you say regarding collegiate acceptance...scholarship acceptance...etc.
Posted on July 23 at 10:54 p.m.
Did anyone notice the misspelling of "OXYGEN" in the headline?
Posted on July 23 at 9:59 p.m.
EnK...you should be a grant writer...LOL.
Posted on July 23 at 9:50 p.m.
EnK was being his usual sarcastic self, but to compare Bush with the implied Nixon is just wrong. Bush may have been mistaken, he may have been wrong, but there is no proof that he intentionally lied to anyone, for any reason, or at any time...he seems to be acting from personally held conviction, wrong or right, it's far better than a Johnson, Nixon or Obama.
Posted on July 23 at 9:27 p.m.
The thing I'm wondering is why the pipe was accessible. I'm an architect, I've done detention centers, jails and prisons...you don't allow the building to help the inmate to escape, either literally or physically...it seems there are two cardinal sins involved here...the suicide and the person(s) who allowed it to happen.
As a designer you have to think like a convict with a lot of time on his hands to figure out a way to defeat your security measures...then you try (you can only try) to stay ahead of them. From what has been written before here in the ND, someone didn't build this building to meet the task. Make no mistake, it is a jail!...it may have been conceived as a kinder and gentler jail, but the fact remains...it is what it is.
I can ascertain from what I knew previously and what the ND has published this building was not built to the standards necessary for it's purpose. The question then becomes why? Who determined how it was designed? Was it a budget problem? Was it inexperience with these building types? Was it a judge...an architect...an administrator...was it a BOS...and others?
There will be a lawsuit about this building eventually and we'll find out.
Posted on July 22 at 11:54 p.m.
Fascism: a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition-Merriam Webster Dictionary.
Nothing socialist about fasicism or nazism, except in the case of the Nazi's it was a part of their name, but not their philosophy or actions...in actuality, communism and fascism are amazing similar...it's like what is the most distant point on the perimeter of a circle from it's starting point?...the answer, the starting point itself.
One of the key differences between the democratic anarchy of some of the EU countries is that they have a parliamentarian government as opposed to our two party system, clearly a philosophical triumph on their part, but also a pragmatic nightmare. The EU doesn't impress me much...it's basically as efficient a union as the old Articles of Confederation.
Posted on July 22 at 11:27 p.m.
freedom...I thank you for your comment on my articulateness (is that a word...LOL), but I try to be just as articulate for things I like too.
My comments about home schooling aren't meant to judge...I just personally feel that the social isolation, narrowed viewpoints, lack of material resources, lack of team sports and physical education with others, organized extra-curricular activities ranging from cheerleaders, bands and pep squads to Key Clubs and debate teams and French clubs.
I just don't see how a home schooled student can function successfully at a higher level of education without the socialization and exposure to information and contrarian opinion necessary to do so.
I'm not saying that home schooling is necessarily inferior to public schooling and I can certainly understand those who choose to withhold their children from going to a subpar public school system, but there are other alternatives that give superb educations and deliver the social conditioning and stimulus children need.
Additionally, it seems to me that parenting is a license to warp our children in anyway we see fit...we were all, in some way, influenced by our parents for good or ill. I think that nowadays parents fall mostly into two categories...uncaring or overprotective, sometimes both at the same time...seems there are fewer and fewer in the middle ground that have the energy and determination and care it takes to let their children grow, protecting them without smothering them.
It also seems to me to be a disservice to our children to try to protect them so much that we don't give them the chance to put the values we try to teach them to the test. They will ultimately have to decide for themselves, but more often than not, will rebel if too sheltered...it's a fine line that requires lots of love and determination...it's far easier just to keep them in a safe cocoon. I prefer to let them fly, a little at a time, and come back to roost until they are really ready to take on the world. The only other alternatives are to abandon them to the world unprepared or not allow them out in it at all...not good options.
Posted on July 22 at 10:38 p.m.
EnK...ALL of the green countries aren't socialist or communist unless you have an extraordinarily low threshold for the definition of those governmental forms...they are of various governmental types from monarchies to islamic "republics"...granted the large landmasses of Russia, China and Brazil make things look overwhelming...maybe you just looked at the colors.
So Meridian decided to join the left coast in radical environmental enthusiasm...it hardly is the norm for Mississippi or for the US.
If you look at the counties in Mississippi that AREN'T a part of ICLEI they are poor, mostly delta counties with hardly any population, except for livestock, and very low tax bases...thus they obviously decided not to opt to pay the dues...otherwise, almost every county in the country is a member...it's a practical networking thing.
Same goes for the NACO membership...it's a networking business and prestige thing...not some socialist conspiracy...hell, most of these good ole boys were half asleep and only vaguely heard something about voting for the environment so they raised their hand. If someone tried to inflict communism or socialism on them they'd be the first to sling their rifles.
I equate the lethargy to all the people who unknowingly literally buy into the AARP scam...AARP was created by an insurance guy to help him sell insurance...guess what?...it worked, and they're still doing it. Most people don't realize how liberal and socialist that organization is, and that their money is paying for it...they are a REAL threat.
My point is that we don't have and don't need another "Red Scare", which it seems to be your aim to incite...freedom's comments about hiding ala Red Dawn is telling...it plays right into the hands of the rightist radical survivalists, neo-fascists and fundamental religious isolationists own agendas.
Posted on July 22 at 9:55 p.m.
EnK...aka, Martyy Ellerbee...LOL, sorry couldn't resist...I get so many misspellings and mispronunciations of my name, I'm sure you can think of at least one right off, I've long since given up trying to correct.
Couple of things for the sake of conversation:
The Federal Reserve isn't a private bank, it is a quasi-public entity authorized by Congress and it's top three tiers are public entities, only the fourth or distribution tier is made up of private banks, but they are under heavy federal oversight.
The Board of Adjustment still exists as an appointed entity under the executive branch of the city government of Natchez...it was consolidated with the planning and zoning functions to form the Planning and Zoning Department. It has always been an EXECUTIVE function designed to resolve case disputes within the enforcement arm of city government BEFORE they can escalate to the TRUE judicial branch review.
You should give at least a footnote to Tip O'Neil for the "all politics are local" quote.
A full true democracy is often the equivalent of anarchy. The founding fathers knew this, which is why they established a REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE form of government.
Jefferson, your hero and mine too, wasn't pure as driven snow. In spite of all his protests regarding centralized federal power he felt quite at ease in using that federal power to consummate the Louisiana Purchase with Napoleon, against others who protested it was an abuse of executive authority and was according to Jefferson himself.
I'm not in favor of big bureaucracies, but the ONE good thing I can think of about them is that they do provide some continuity in an otherwise turbulent ever changing political sea created by our style of democracy.
The only tyranny I can think of happened in our only US banana republic in the 1920's, 30's and then again in the late 40's and 50's under the Long brothers...are those episodes the ones to which you refer?
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Posted on July 24 at 10:41 p.m.
Richard...thanks, I was going to say the same.
On City OKs Blain