Thursday, March 31, 2005

 

NO FREE SPEECH ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY

In its mandatory "diversity training" classes, a school district has instructed students who believe homosexual behavior is wrong to keep their opinions to themselves, prompting a federal lawsuit. The Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund filed a motion for preliminary injunction [PDF file] yesterday to immediately prohibit the Boyd County, Kentucky, Board of Education from restricting the free-speech rights of its students. "We are filing this motion because students are being forbidden from expressing their own viewpoint on this matter," said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Kevin Theriot. "That's unconstitutional, and it must stop." The motion was filed in a Feb. 15 lawsuit brought by Timothy Allen Morrison and other students and their parents against the education board.

The training itself began as a result of the settlement of another lawsuit filed against the board by the Boyd County High School Gay-Straight Alliance, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union. "The school district is attempting to change the beliefs of students without their parents' consent," Theriot said. "The provisions of any settlement arrangement must respect the constitutional rights of students."

All middle and high school students in Boyd County schools are required to attend the special training. School policies and practice do not permit parents to opt their children out of the training, even if it violates their personal beliefs and morality, ADF said.

Source



ANYTHING BUT THE BIBLE

Colorado's highest court has quashed the sentence of a man who was given the death penalty after jurors consulted their Bibles in reaching a verdict. The court said Bible passages, including the verse that commands "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth", could lead jurors to vote for death. The Bible, the court said, constituted an improper outside influence and a reliance on what the court called a "higher authority". "The judicial system works very hard to emphasise the rarefied, solemn and sequestered nature of jury deliberations," the majority panel of the Colorado Supreme Court said in a 3-2 decision. "Jurors must deliberate in that atmosphere without the aid or distraction of extraneous texts."

The ruling involved the conviction of Robert Harlan, who was found guilty in 1995 of raping and murdering a cocktail waitress, Rhonda Maloney, near Denver. After she was kidnapped and raped by Harlan, Ms Maloney managed to escape and flag down a motorist, Jaquie Creazzo. Harlan caught up with the two women, shot Ms Creazzo, leaving her paralysed for life, then beat and killed Ms Maloney.

After Harlan's conviction, the judge - as Colorado law requires - sent the jury to deliberate about the death penalty with an instruction to think beyond the narrow confines of the law. Each juror, the judge said, must make an "individual moral assessment", in deciding whether Harlan should live or die. The jurors voted unanimously for death.

The state Supreme Court's decision changes that sentence to life in jail without parole. The dissenting judges said the jurors consulted their Bibles not to look for facts or alternative legal interpretations but for wisdom. "The biblical passages the jurors discussed constituted either a part of the jurors' moral and religious precepts or their general knowledge, and thus were relevant to their court-sanctioned moral assessment," the minority wrote.

Harlan's lawyers challenged the sentence after discovering five jurors had looked up Bible verses, copied some of them down and then talked about them behind closed doors. Prosecutors said jurors should be allowed to refer to the Bible or other religious texts during deliberations.

Source

posted by jonjayray 03:51

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Wednesday, March 30, 2005

 

EVEN A PICTURE OF SOMETHING MILITARY IS INCORRECT

Shea Riecke, a freshman at McKay High School in Salem, Ore., "tried to take a snapshot of her brother, Cpl. Bill Riecke, a Marine currently stationed in Twenty-nine Palms, Calif., to her social studies class," reports Carol McAlice Currie in a column for the Salem Statesman Journal:

She wanted to display the picture with those of other McKay grads' career choices. Riecke's teacher, Rick Costa, encourages the exhibits. But Riecke's photo created a little controversy. Actually, it kicked up a sandstorm of grief for the family and school-district officials because of the photo's content. It pictures the Marine hefting a big gun while decked in military desert camies (camouflage). It was taken while he was stationed in Iraq; he will be redeployed there this summer. . . . School officials denied the photo on the grounds the guns in the picture violated district policy. Riecke's mother, Connie Riecke, appealed to district officials including Superintendent Kay Baker. Connie Riecke said she has not heard back from the district but was told that it probably could be displayed if she consented to having the weapons removed, via computer, from the photograph. Riecke said her son insists that it run as it is or not at all. She agrees with him.

(From Taranto)



I RATHER LIKE THIS ONE!

A state lawmaker has suggested Hawaii's public schoolteachers be forced to weigh in as part of the fight against obesity in students, KITV in Honolulu reported. State Rep. Rida Cabanilla introduced a resolution in the house requesting that the Board of Education establish an obesity database among public schoolteachers. "You cannot keep a kid to a certain standard that you yourself is not willing to keep," Cabanilla said.

It's been documented that more than 20 percent of Hawaii's children are at risk, or are already overweight, according to the station. There are no statistics on teachers.

The resolution calls for all public schoolteachers to weigh in every six months. The measure calls for the education and health departments to formulate an obesity standard and appropriate measures for teachers who cannot meet the standard. "As a matter of fact, we should start at home, but since the legislature has no way to regulate homes, we can at least start in school," Cabanilla said. "And teachers have a lot of impact to these students."

The teachers union said it agrees that teachers are at the front line when it comes to the education and health of children, but it says the resolution is misguided. "I think at this point and time, the focus really needs to be on putting highly-qualified teachers in the classroom," Hawaii State Teachers Association President Roger Takabayashi said. The union defended its members as low users of the health fund system. "I think it's quite offensive. I don't think it will lead us anywhere. It's not going to benefit the children necessarily," Takabayashi said.

Source

posted by jonjayray 08:40

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Tuesday, March 29, 2005

 

WALKING HORMONAL DISASTER AREAS

Feminism and controversy surged throughout campus on March 10. Black and white flyers depicted a drawing of a woman grasping onto a hammer with "FEMINISM" on the handle. In the middle of the female symbol fists were clenched and space above the woman read: "If I had a hammer...I'd SMASH Patriarchy." A bubble by her face said, "I FOUND IT!"

UNH students found it, too.

Approximately 40 people attended the Patriarchy Slam organized by the Feminist Action League (FAL). A handful of others watched timidly outside the MUB entertainment center door, fleeing as soon as a glance from inside penetrated their direction.

The event, featuring poetry readings, skits, monologues and an open microphone, was designed to give women a space to share their experiences of oppression in a comfortable setting, Megan Smith, a member of the FAL, said.

"[The event was designed to] encourage women to confront the perpetrators who are men," Smith said. "Ninety-nine percent of sexual perpetrators are men. They are the root cause of the rape and oppression against women."

The FAL's hatred of the patriarchy, a male-ruled society, was decoratively affirmed with 10 hanging balloons, each displaying a letter of the word "patriarchy." Each was dramatically popped throughout the event, symbolizing the eradication of the patriarchy. "This is a place where women can feel empowered," Smith said. "There aren't many places in the world where women can speak out against those who have oppressed us, beat us and raped us." The name of the event mimics the aggression that men exert, Smith said. "'Slam' is an aggressive word, but slamming is the classic way men respond," she said. "They feel threatened and shape it as hate. It's an aggressive word, but it shouldn't get in the way of our message."

Their provocative and controversial message reflected the notorious and often criticized views of TNH columnist and FAL member Whitney Williams. Both audience members and some members of the FAL wished to remain anonymous for security reasons. This past September's death threat to Williams has forced the group and its supporters to take safety precautions, such as remaining unidentified

More here



RIGHTS VERSUS RIGHTS

People's increasing insistence on "standing up for their rights" seems to be undermining public support for the very idea of rights, a YouGov survey for The Daily Telegraph suggests.

Michael Howard appears to have struck a chord when he maintained that the rights of gipsies should not be allowed to override the legitimate interests of landowners and householders. The poll's findings reveal widespread support for repealing the Human Rights Act and even wider support for tackling illegal traveller encampments.

Without mentioning the Tories, YouGov reminded respondents that the 1998 Human Rights Act "incorporates the European convention on human rights into British domestic law" and that some argue that the workings of the Act are proving damaging. Should it be repealed? Nearly half of those asked, 46 per cent, accept the view that "the Act is turning out to do more harm than good and should be repealed", while only 25 per cent say "the Act is valuable in protecting human rights and should be retained".

The large proportion of "Don't knows" attests to a relative ignorance of the Act but also to many people torn between a belief in rights and a belief that rights should not be abused. A substantial majority, 65 per cent, backs the idea that camping on other people's land without permission should be a criminal offence. Support comes from across the political spectrum.

YouGov elicited the opinions of 1,903 adults across the country online between March 21 and 24.

Source

posted by jonjayray 08:03

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Monday, March 28, 2005

 

U.K.: THE COUNTRYSIDE HAS A WIN

The Gypsy problem -- "Travellers" in PC-speak

There was a time when the only outsiders that Village of the Year candidates had to worry about were the judges, armed with clipboards and a discerning eye, who would pass judgment on the community's endeavours. Trimmed hedges, lovingly tended blooms and spruced-up village halls were all key criteria for the arbiters of achievement.

But in 2005 outsiders of a different kind are influencing the decision-making process. The latest Village of the Year competition - the first in which the Government has been involved - asks communities to outline the welcome they extend to travellers and "single and isolated mothers".

As entry forms drop through letter boxes, parishes around Britain have reacted with anger and indignation after discovering that the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has added its own set of questions. In the opening category entitled Building Community Life, sponsored by Defra, parish councils are questioned on a range of issues including their provision for single mothers, ethnic minorities and overseas workers, and the provision of hearing loops at parish meetings. But councils said they would boycott the competition because the questions bore no relation to the realities of village life.

Many said the questions showed just how out of touch central government was with countryside issues at a time when there is widespread concern over how village life is disrupted by travellers' lawlessness. They branded the competition as "smacking of political correctness", and one chairman said the questions were "agenda-ridden rubbish from the liberal Left in north London".

"This shows that the Government has not the faintest idea how the countryside works," said Peter Singleton, the chairman of Witley parish council in rural west Surrey. Other councils said they could never hope to win the competition if they gave a welcome to travellers because they created mess and flouted planning laws.

The competition has been sponsored by Calor since 1997. Andrew Ford, Calor's corporate affairs manager, said the Government had wanted to run its own competition about rural community life, and after consultation, Calor agreed that Defra could add its questions to the entry form.

After inquiries by The Daily Telegraph, he admitted that the question relating to travellers should not have been included and promised that villages would not be marked down if they stated they would not be made welcome. He said: "We are well aware of the problems some communities face from the unwelcome intrusion of travellers and it was never our intention to alienate villages from taking part."

A letter would be sent out to county organisers instructing them to tell participants to "disregard" the question. Defra, which is offering a prize of 250 pounds to the overall winner, said the question making a specific reference to travellers had been a "clerical error". A spokesman said: "We agree that 'political correctness gone mad' should have no place in judging the success of a rural community in a competition like this. The questions are intended to allow flexibility for applicants to give examples of their own experience in their own circumstances. One or two questions have been framed in a way that does not give that flexibility and we have asked that this be addressed."

John Berry, the chairman of Ashington parish council in Sussex, the 2003 winner, said the competition should be about "what we do for the community, for young people, older people, how we look after the environment, how community helps business, how we use information technology. It should not be about gathering statistics on minority and ethnic groups".

Members of Hambledon parish council in Surrey considered the entry form at its meeting last week and decided not to enter. John Anderson, its chairman, said: "It is a shame, because as a village we have reopened our shop and post office as a community venture, reopened the village school as a nursery, supported the cricket club in providing a new pavilion, all on very limited funding but with a great deal of hard work. We would be happy to be judged on that, but not on what our attitude would be to travellers. Whoever was responsible for these questions had little idea about village life."

Sally Arnold, the chairman of Ashurst and Colbury parish council, New Forest, Hants, said travellers had recently arrived in the village and left mess in their wake. "It is very hard to be nice and welcoming to these people when they are causing such a nuisance to village life." Julia Hebden, chairman of Barton Stacey parish council, Hants, said: "If villagers were to welcome travellers into their community then they would probably not win Village of the Year. "They often have a detrimental impact on village life - and your chances of winning this competition."

Source



Arrogant teachers confiscate what they regard as junk food

What's said to be bad for you today will be found to be good for you tomorrow (and vice versa) but these fools just KNOW! How do they know? If people like it it must be bad!

Pre-school teachers are acting as lunchbox police to help prevent childhood obesity. The contents of some Queensland children's lunchboxes are confiscated as pre-schools introduce tough new "no junk food" policies, an investigation by The Sunday Mail found. Early childhood teachers believed the inspections were the only way to stop children eating junk food, regularly packed for them by their parents.

But a leading nutritionist has slammed the idea, saying it would have no effect on children's dietary habits. "That is one of the dumbest things I have ever heard," Griffith University senior lecturer of public health, Shawn Somerset, said. Ormiston College, on Brisbane's bayside, has strict rules on junk food. Banned foods included lollies, fruit juice, chocolate, chips and any highly processed foods. "The children will not eat anything that has been packed for them that is inappropriate," pre-school teacher Debbie Stange said. "When they have morning tea, I'll walk around and check what's in their lunchboxes. "If someone has something that is not appropriate they actually dob each other in."

Ms Stange said "offending parents" were spoken to at mid-term interviews. "We really have to do it (confiscate food) only a few times and they all step in line," she said. The school's head teacher Glenda Seawright said since the regime was introduced, the children's concentration had improved. "This year we are trialing a fruit-only morning tea," she said. "It is an education for the parents because they see packaged food as convenient. We would never humiliate or embarrass the child."

Melissa Mathews, whose son Layton, 5, attends Ormiston College Pre-school, supports the strict approach to junk food. "We were told ahead of time that if it's in there they have it taken away and then at the end of the day they'll have it given back," she said. "They're just trying to promote good eating habits . . . you see too many kids who are overweight."

But Mr Somerset dismissed the no junk food ban as a band-aid solution. "It sounds well meaning at the surface, but it's not instituting any change at home or on weekends," he said. "The first assumption is that the child-care centre actually knows what is an appropriate lunchbox and what isn't and that's not always the case."

An Education Queensland spokesman said state pre-schools encouraged healthy food choices, but food should not be taken from students. "Teachers supervise pre-school children while they eat the food they have brought from home," he said. "Food provided by parents should not be confiscated." The State Government this month commissioned the first of three Safe and Healthy vans to travel around schools to promote the benefit of good nutrition and physical activity.

Source

posted by jonjayray 09:04

|

 

U.K.: THE COUNTRYSIDE HAS A WIN

The Gypsy problem -- "Travellers" in PC-speak

There was a time when the only outsiders that Village of the Year candidates had to worry about were the judges, armed with clipboards and a discerning eye, who would pass judgment on the community's endeavours. Trimmed hedges, lovingly tended blooms and spruced-up village halls were all key criteria for the arbiters of achievement.

But in 2005 outsiders of a different kind are influencing the decision-making process. The latest Village of the Year competition - the first in which the Government has been involved - asks communities to outline the welcome they extend to travellers and "single and isolated mothers".

As entry forms drop through letter boxes, parishes around Britain have reacted with anger and indignation after discovering that the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has added its own set of questions. In the opening category entitled Building Community Life, sponsored by Defra, parish councils are questioned on a range of issues including their provision for single mothers, ethnic minorities and overseas workers, and the provision of hearing loops at parish meetings. But councils said they would boycott the competition because the questions bore no relation to the realities of village life.

Many said the questions showed just how out of touch central government was with countryside issues at a time when there is widespread concern over how village life is disrupted by travellers' lawlessness. They branded the competition as "smacking of political correctness", and one chairman said the questions were "agenda-ridden rubbish from the liberal Left in north London".

"This shows that the Government has not the faintest idea how the countryside works," said Peter Singleton, the chairman of Witley parish council in rural west Surrey. Other councils said they could never hope to win the competition if they gave a welcome to travellers because they created mess and flouted planning laws.

The competition has been sponsored by Calor since 1997. Andrew Ford, Calor's corporate affairs manager, said the Government had wanted to run its own competition about rural community life, and after consultation, Calor agreed that Defra could add its questions to the entry form.

After inquiries by The Daily Telegraph, he admitted that the question relating to travellers should not have been included and promised that villages would not be marked down if they stated they would not be made welcome. He said: "We are well aware of the problems some communities face from the unwelcome intrusion of travellers and it was never our intention to alienate villages from taking part."

A letter would be sent out to county organisers instructing them to tell participants to "disregard" the question. Defra, which is offering a prize of 250 pounds to the overall winner, said the question making a specific reference to travellers had been a "clerical error". A spokesman said: "We agree that 'political correctness gone mad' should have no place in judging the success of a rural community in a competition like this. The questions are intended to allow flexibility for applicants to give examples of their own experience in their own circumstances. One or two questions have been framed in a way that does not give that flexibility and we have asked that this be addressed."

John Berry, the chairman of Ashington parish council in Sussex, the 2003 winner, said the competition should be about "what we do for the community, for young people, older people, how we look after the environment, how community helps business, how we use information technology. It should not be about gathering statistics on minority and ethnic groups".

Members of Hambledon parish council in Surrey considered the entry form at its meeting last week and decided not to enter. John Anderson, its chairman, said: "It is a shame, because as a village we have reopened our shop and post office as a community venture, reopened the village school as a nursery, supported the cricket club in providing a new pavilion, all on very limited funding but with a great deal of hard work. We would be happy to be judged on that, but not on what our attitude would be to travellers. Whoever was responsible for these questions had little idea about village life."

Sally Arnold, the chairman of Ashurst and Colbury parish council, New Forest, Hants, said travellers had recently arrived in the village and left mess in their wake. "It is very hard to be nice and welcoming to these people when they are causing such a nuisance to village life." Julia Hebden, chairman of Barton Stacey parish council, Hants, said: "If villagers were to welcome travellers into their community then they would probably not win Village of the Year. "They often have a detrimental impact on village life - and your chances of winning this competition."

Source



Arrogant teachers confiscate what they regard as junk food

What's said to be bad for you today will be found to be good for you tomorrow (and vice versa) but these fools just KNOW! How do they know? If people like it it must be bad!

Pre-school teachers are acting as lunchbox police to help prevent childhood obesity. The contents of some Queensland children's lunchboxes are confiscated as pre-schools introduce tough new "no junk food" policies, an investigation by The Sunday Mail found. Early childhood teachers believed the inspections were the only way to stop children eating junk food, regularly packed for them by their parents.

But a leading nutritionist has slammed the idea, saying it would have no effect on children's dietary habits. "That is one of the dumbest things I have ever heard," Griffith University senior lecturer of public health, Shawn Somerset, said. Ormiston College, on Brisbane's bayside, has strict rules on junk food. Banned foods included lollies, fruit juice, chocolate, chips and any highly processed foods. "The children will not eat anything that has been packed for them that is inappropriate," pre-school teacher Debbie Stange said. "When they have morning tea, I'll walk around and check what's in their lunchboxes. "If someone has something that is not appropriate they actually dob each other in."

Ms Stange said "offending parents" were spoken to at mid-term interviews. "We really have to do it (confiscate food) only a few times and they all step in line," she said. The school's head teacher Glenda Seawright said since the regime was introduced, the children's concentration had improved. "This year we are trialing a fruit-only morning tea," she said. "It is an education for the parents because they see packaged food as convenient. We would never humiliate or embarrass the child."

Melissa Mathews, whose son Layton, 5, attends Ormiston College Pre-school, supports the strict approach to junk food. "We were told ahead of time that if it's in there they have it taken away and then at the end of the day they'll have it given back," she said. "They're just trying to promote good eating habits . . . you see too many kids who are overweight."

But Mr Somerset dismissed the no junk food ban as a band-aid solution. "It sounds well meaning at the surface, but it's not instituting any change at home or on weekends," he said. "The first assumption is that the child-care centre actually knows what is an appropriate lunchbox and what isn't and that's not always the case."

An Education Queensland spokesman said state pre-schools encouraged healthy food choices, but food should not be taken from students. "Teachers supervise pre-school children while they eat the food they have brought from home," he said. "Food provided by parents should not be confiscated." The State Government this month commissioned the first of three Safe and Healthy vans to travel around schools to promote the benefit of good nutrition and physical activity.

Source

posted by jonjayray 08:53

|

Sunday, March 27, 2005

 

BIGOTRY -- THE POLITICALLY CORRECT WAY

By Doug Hagin

There has always been bigotry, and sadly there always will be bigotry. Call it the ugly side of human nature, or the worst angels of our race, but some of us will always be consumed with hatred and intolerance for those who are different. Bigotry is a mental disorder if you ask me, a form of delusion where one person can not accept that someone else looks, talks, dresses, or prays differently than they do. It is truly pathetic to watch or listen to a bigot spewing their rank stupidity and generally making a public nuisances of themselves.

Perhaps the most disturbing bigotry on display in today's world is coming form a rather odd place. It is very strange indeed to see and hear the bigotry spewed by the political correctors of the world. These people have long cloaked themselves in the garb of social justice and equality, yet it is they who have become the bigots and the haters of today's society. Their hatred comes not so much from gender or race, but from ideological differences. Anyone is very welcome to look different from the politically correct, but watch out if anyone dares think of having a different opinion.

Consider please some recent examples of how obsessed the politically correct are to eradicate anyone who thinks differently than they do. Make no mistake, the goal of this group of bigots is not to debate or disagree honorably. Instead their goal is to stamp out anyone who thinks it OK to have a diverse ideology.

At a mall in South Florida the upcoming Easter holiday is being erased by the politically bigoted. No store can mention the word Easter. Oh there is a bunny there to take pictures with the kids, and an egg hunt, but the word Easter is forbidden. So much for respecting diversity of religion. The only religion the politically correct want to hear is their beloved secular humanism.

In Norway, the Prime Minister is angry at IKEA, a furniture manufacturer, because their instruction manuals show only men assembling furniture. The manuals are sexist and discriminatory according to Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik. Ah but there is a kink in the armor of the politically correct here my friends. Seems IKEA has opted not to show women in their manuals lest they offend Muslims. Quite the quandary these mental midgets have isn't it? Whom shall they dare to offend?

In Arkansas managers of a charity-run senior citizens center have been forced to ban any of these folks from saying grace before meals. It seems some narrow-minded busy-body threatened to sue if the prayers were allowed to continue. Once more only secular humanism is acceptable to these bigots. So much for their claim of loving religious freedom.

In Texas advocates of breast feeding are asking the state legislature to forbid baby formula manufacturers from giving out free samples to new mothers. So I suppose they are now to be the sole voice in how parents should feed their babies? How self-consumed these people are, and they are only too happy to enact laws dictating how others should raise their children.

At Bowdoin College in Maine the politically correct bigots are in high gear. They are outraged that a Black Conservative was invited to speak recently. The speaker Vernon Robinson, is not really a Black guy according to the small minded critics. He is instead an Uncle Tom who has no right to speak on campus.

Now this might seem the most insidious case of mental dysfunction but wait there is another punch line. The critics of Robinson are also accusing the student Republicans who invited Robinson of displaying a lack of openness by asking him to speak. Well sure, they forgot to check with the Bowdoin bigots before asking Robinson to speak. How dare they think for themselves!

At Harvard actress Jada Pinkett Smith recently ran afoul of the politically correct while giving a speech during the Cultural Rhythms show. What was the actress's sin? Why she talked about her marriage to actor Will Smith and apparently did not talk about Gay or lesbian relations. How dare this insensitive actress be heterosexual? And even worse she talked about it in public!

Students at Middle Tennessee State have decided that the word "lady" is sexist and derogatory to the universities women's athletic teams. "When we use the word 'lady,' today at least, we recognize it as sort of a sexist remark," said Ryan Husak, a member of Solidarity. "It is used to sort of suggest secondary status." Really? I just thought it was good manners. How nice of these know-it-alls to educate our heathen minds.

In Brooksville, Florida a City-Councilman has deemed the city logo offensive and racist because there are, hold your breath now, two Confederate soldiers carrying a Confederate flag on it. Once more history is to be erased and Southerners are to be ashamed of their ancestors and Southern heritage is to sacrificed on the altar of political correctness.

So understand this if you talk differently, think differently, dare to worship any religion but secular humanism, vote Republican, own a gun, are Southern, a White male, a Conservative Black or woman, call women ladies, mention that you are attracted to the opposite sex, drive an SUV, eat meat, smoke, do not worship the United Nations, or support America defending herself, you are now targeted.

There is no place here for you. You are not to be tolerated or included and your sensitivities matter not. Don't like it? Tough you should have thought more carefully before deciding to think for yourself.



ACADEMIC MERIT INCORRECT IN ACADEME

Another revolution is stirring at the influential University of California system. A faculty committee there concluded this week that National Merit Scholarships - the academic plums that high school strivers dream of winning - should be abandoned. Based on recent history, the suggestion may stir up a storm.

Four years ago, the University of California president declared he would dump the SAT college admissions tests unless changes were made. The College Board, which administers those tests, scrambled. As a result, last weekend thousands of students took a new, longer SAT that included a writing sample.

Now the merit scholarships, based on different tests taken by 11th-graders, are under fire out west. The California professors complained that too few minorities and poor students win the awards, which range from $500 to $10,000 and are financed by corporations and colleges.

This raises interesting questions. Are the tests a fair way to measure merit? And, more broadly, how much aid for college students should be based on financial need and how much strictly on academic merit?

National Merit Scholarships are only a small part of that issue. In recent years, the trend has been toward merit. In 1999, 44% of the grants colleges and universities gave students were based on measures of merit such as high test scores and class rankings. By 2003, that had risen to 54%, led by second-tier colleges looking to move up in college rankings.

Source

posted by jonjayray 09:57

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Saturday, March 26, 2005

 

THE RECENT TRANSFORMATION OF AMERICA

Many things that were strengths are now incorrect

America in year 2000 has emerged as the sole superpower of the world.... But beneath America's complacent veneer are raw realities: out-of-control non-white immigration, rising racial friction, rampant black and Latino gang crime, violent and dumbed-down schools, unwed welfare mothers, widespread social dysfunctions and an ever-mushrooming national debt. Much of this is studiously kept unreported in the major media. For example, a rare attack by a deranged "white supremacist" is dramatized for many hours on TV (reinforcing white "racist" shame); but unreported are Justice Department statistics proving black-on-white violence 50 times more frequent than white-on-black. Unwed mothers, living in promiscuity and on Government welfare, are portrayed as "disadvantaged" rather than a moral scandal. Our bankrupting national debt of $5 trillion pays for social disorders such as gun violence in schools and illegitimacy that didn't even exist a few decades ago. Skillfully indoctrinated by ceaseless media slant, the public is deluged with and absorbs massive misinformation.

All major American cities were white in the 1950s. Today most are mainly non-white. Eastern and central cities such as Baltimore, Detroit and Washington are predominantly black, run by black mayors and officials. The Washington, D.C. area, mainly black, includes also 600,000 Hispanics and Asians along with 300,000 Islamic Muslims - and has the look-and-feel of a foreign capital. A white, in line at a bank or store, hears mainly foreign languages spoken among clerks and customers; he, not they, feels like the foreigner. Entire regions of the southwest, especially California, are mainly Hispanic. So also is Spanish-speaking Miami. Many cities are forced into bilingual, Babel-like and often error-prone communications.

Despite Government mandating of racial integration and school bussing of exhausted children to enforce it, white flight from non-white areas keeps on accelerating. Most whites yearn to live with their own kind and culture in white neighborhoods and schools. They dare not say so openly for fear of being branded "racist," thus jeopardizing careers in a punishing regulatory web where even renting only to tenants of one's choice violates anti-discrimination "fair housing" laws. So do all questions about the racial makeup of a neighborhood when house-hunting (mere mention of such is taboo, so many whites just do "drive by" surveying secretively, and often, before buying). Thus whites quietly abandon the cities and the uncomfortable maze of third- world languages, customs, rap music, alien cultures and the anxiety of kaleidoscopic multiculturalism. Increasingly even the suburbs of many cities are now non-white (such as Prince Georges county adjacent to Washington D.C.). As whites are driven away into ever more remote suburbs, racial friction in cities like Los Angeles is now mainly non-white, a four-way conflict, often of bloody violence, among blacks, Hispanics, Asians and non-white immigrants (especially new illegals).

The Euro-white tradition of values, customs and culture that built America (the "dead white men") is routinely denounced and "deconstructed" in public schools and universities. This is textbook cultural Marxism: first revolution, to smash traditional ideology; then replace it with egalitarian (socialist) statism. History is revised to shame the "white oppressor." Designedly ignored is the historical reality that all races have sinned equally as oppressors in distant history but whites were the first to abolish slavery. Ironically, while any hint of "hate speech" against minorities is prosecuted vigorously, the book-length Hating Whitey documents widespread anti-white speech by professors in class openly smearing whites as "the scourge of mankind." All "racism" is evil — unless it's anti-white....

Over the past thirty years, immigration (mainly non-white) sky-rocketed into unprecedented numbers and rates. Since 1990, levels of immigration are quadruple pre-1970 rates. Compared to traditional rates of 200,000 per year (mainly Euro-white and rapidly assimilated into American culture), today's immigration into the U.S. averages over 1 million every year, 35 million since 1970. Mainly non-white and contemptuous of assimilation, many new immigrants expand their own alien cultures, languages and religions throughout America while exploiting its full range of welfare housing, Medicaid, food stamps and other benefits. Their attitude is clearly not to adopt American culture or language but instead that America assimilate to theirs.

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DIVERSITY = LOGICAL ANAESTHESIA

If you want to see how the diversity movement is eroding the critical thinking skills of college students, just pick up a copy of your local college newspaper. Recently, I picked up a copy of the UNCW Seahawk. I’m still recovering. In the Seahawk “To the Editor” section, I read a letter entitled “Get over it – diversity is good for you.” The testy (not to mention condescending) author of the letter was responding to another letter writer who opposed lower admission standards as a means of increasing black enrollment. The response said, in part, “You assume we would have to lower UNCW's standards of academic excellence to allow a higher entry of minority students - insinuating that there aren't a large amount of minority students that meet the standard set at UNCW.”

Re-read that statement and think about it for a moment. A student defending our diversity program, which already uses lower admissions standards for minorities, is saying; 1) we don’t have to lower academic standards to allow more minority students, and 2) there are already large numbers of minority students that meet university standards. This kind of logic often appears when white liberals try to help minorities. They know that every time the “help” takes the form of lowering standards, they are contributing to negative stereotypes of the group they claim to assist. That makes them feel bad, so they remind us that their ideas are not really necessary. They are just “good for us all.”

The author of this particular letter, a social work student (that’s a shocker!), says it this way: “Your mom used to make you eat your vegetables. No, you didn't like it, and it wasn't comfortable. She did it because she knows vegetables are good for you. So, UNCW is forcing you to expose yourself to new cultures. No, it's not comfortable at first, but in the long run: It's good for you!”

In case you don’t understand diversity-speak, here’s the English translation: “I believe in equality of people and equality of cultures and I know the best way to promote it because I am smarter than you. In fact, I am your mommy. If you don’t agree with me (and eat your diversity vegetables) you will be sent to your room without any supper. Now shut up and go to your room! And celebrate diversity, damn you!”

Whenever I read such letters, I wonder how they make it into the campus paper. But then I read articles by the Seahawk staff and I remember that severe intellectual hernia and fanatical intolerance (in the name of tolerance) are actually prerequisites for publication in our student paper. According to the last Seahawk staff editorial, intolerance (the greatest of all evils) has “reared its ugly head once again.” The alleged intolerants are a UNC-Chapel Hill Christian fraternity that just won a federal injunction against their university for de-recognizing them. Their crime was keeping non-Christians from being voting members and officers in their Christian club.

Even though the university engages in racial discrimination in both admissions and hiring, the Seahawk claims that there are “no exceptions in discrimination.” That is to say, campus groups can never, under any circumstances, discriminate on the basis of anything. Not even beliefs. So, according to the Seahawk staff, students who believe that rape and pedophilia are good must be allowed to join, vote, and hold office in a Christian fraternity. Remember: There are “no exceptions in discrimination!” Translation: In our effort to promote tolerance, we will not tolerate any exceptions to our rules. And our rules indicate that, when it comes to beliefs, there can be no fixed rules.

The Seahawk also says that “Acceptance is supposed to represent the central ideal of Christianity.” In other words, the greatest of all commandments (forget what Jesus said) is the commandment to adhere to moral relativism. Of course, some Christians don’t accept that idea. But their lack of acceptance is simply unacceptable. Unless you share the belief that all beliefs are acceptable, you cannot be a recognized student club. Moral relativism is acceptable. Moral absolutism is not. This is an absolute rule.

The Seahawk also scoffs at the idea that the Christian Fraternity “claims its right to the first amendment protects the organization’s stance on gay marriage and abstinence, among other sensitive issues.” The Seahawk, which urges tolerance of beliefs, just can’t tolerate these particular stances. I guess it all depends on what the definition of “stance” is. If a stance is a stance and not a belief, maybe it doesn’t have to be accepted. I don’t know where I stand on this one. My head is still spinning.

The Seahawk also insists that “Ethnocentrism has no place in a democratic nation, especially one as diverse and complex as the United States.” In other words, ethnocentrism is so bad, we cannot even consider it. That’s because everyone agrees that ethnocentrism is bad. It is an absolute. It is a truism. But do these students actually accept all of this nonsense about the equality of all cultures, beliefs, and ideas? Would the students refrain from imposing their own anti-genocidal cultural values on Nazi Germany? Maybe saving Jews from mass genocide doesn’t feel as good as being tolerant and accepting of Nazi cultural traditions.

The Seahawk concludes its editorial with two interesting assertions. First, they say that “Extremists are able to push their beliefs at an increasing number of venues previously closed to religious fanaticism.” They provide no example because their only purpose is to classify the Christian fraternity members as religious fanatics. Second, they say that “There is a time and place for personal beliefs ­- just not in legislation and university policy.” These students almost seem sincere in their belief that diversity proponents are keeping their personal beliefs out of university policy. And they seem to believe that they really don’t believe in anything. I don’t know which of these two beliefs is more pathetic. Maybe they’re equal.

Source

posted by jonjayray 05:51

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Friday, March 25, 2005

 

MEDIA CORRECTNESS IN AUSTRALIA

Prof. David Flint speaks:

Every so often someone lets the cat out of the bag. One recent example was the president of an English teachers' association - and former chairman of a government curriculum committee - who editorialised that the nation's English teachers had failed. This was not because of any prevalence of bad grammar or inadequate knowledge of Shakespeare. This was because their former students had just re-elected the Howard Government.

Last September, the Sydney Morning Herald journalist and former ABC Media Watch presenter David Marr insisted that the "natural culture of journalism is kind of vaguely soft-Left inquiry sceptical of authority". More ominously, he decreed that journalism should be a left-wing closed shop. "If they don't come out of that world, they really can't be reporters." Anyone else, he said, can just find another job.

But the golden rule of journalism is not to see the world through some ideological prism. Rather it is that while comment is free, facts are sacred. A clear distinction must always be made between opinion and the news, the publication of the results of the objective search for the truth on matters of current relevance. With the exception of the taxpayer-funded public broadcasters - where opinion must be balanced - the media remain free to express their views, however robust and partisan.

While the media demand that all institutions be accountable, it is a supreme irony that under their very own standards, much of Australia's elite media, and particularly its public broadcasters, are constantly found to be wanting.

The solution is not, as Media Watch argues, in imposing increasingly draconian regulation on the ABC's own competitors. When it was suggested the program operate under precisely the same disclosure rule it insists applies to commercial radio, Marr predictably dismissed this as nonsense.

But Media Watch would go further - it wants the gagging of some commercial radio presenters as well as big de facto fines on the stations. It once even called for a government-appointed media tribunal over the press - something hardly consistent with democracy. As noted American media watcher Stephen Brill famously told one of Marr's predecessors, Media Watch is not the solution: it's part of the problem. It ignores fundamental ethical requirements the most humble newspaper regularly observes - for example, that if you make a serious allegation subsequently found to be without foundation, you report this prominently.

When I was recently a guest on the ABC's Lateline program, I pointed out the obvious need for balance on the ABC. Marr theatrically declared this "nonsensical". It was, he argued, unbelievable that "this man, in this day and age should have such a kindergarten view of balance".

But in its very own code, the ABC requires that every reasonable effort be made to ensure programs are "balanced and impartial". It says that editorial staff are to present a wide range of perspectives, "not unduly favouring one over the others". Really?

We regularly hear the views of both government and opposition on ABC television news, which is perfectly proper. But then the opposing view will often be repeated not only by the Democrats, but also by one of two Green senators. And the news itself is too often selected through a "soft leftie" filter. Worse, in each week, ABC TV engages no conservative presenter and only one conservative commentator - and that for less than 10 minutes, on a Sunday morning and during church hours.

Not in anybody's wildest imagination could this be called "balance".... When Marr dismissed the code requirement for balance as "nonsensical", I pointed to the one and only program on ABC TV that is clearly balanced, Insiders on Sunday mornings. Even then, the conservative voice is always in a minority. But at least this ensures that any opinion, Left or Right, can be balanced. And not just "as soon as possible", as the code prescribes, but instantly.

Rather than continuing to be yet another left-wing taxpayer-funded opinion program, Media Watch should consist of a balanced panel exchanging no doubt robust opinions about the media. (Marr is strenuously opposed to this.) The chairman should have the skills of a Barrie Cassidy - and his courage, too.

Recall Cassidy's brave remarks on commercial TV about the ABC's almost deranged attempt to impose an extraordinary dose of political correctness after 9-11: "At the ABC, a memo went out about a week ago to all radio commentators that they were not to say anything derogatory about the Taliban … So here I am on Channel 10, I can say that the Taliban execute women for adultery. They've been known to throw acid in the face of young girls who don't wear veils and so on. I can get it off my chest on Channel 10 but I can't say it on the ABC."

More here

posted by jonjayray 04:42

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MULTICULTURALISM HAS DESTROYED BRITAIN'S SENSE OF COMMUNITY

Even the British government now recognizes it .... but they have nothing to replace it with

Given that the underlying philosophy of today's political establishment is the equality of man idea, concomitant of which is the notion of cultural equivalence, local authorities see it as their duty to give expression to the minority cultures in our midst. And as diversity has replaced homogeneity, local governments ensure that public space is no longer allowed to reflect exclusively the indigenous culture. From an organisation that once concentrated all its energies on local matters, the local authority has become an arbiter of conflicting world views.

Whether it's in the form of the political indoctrination of schoolchildren, the favour of ethnic minorities and asylum seekers over the indigenous population, or the simplest notice in a public library; the local authority always puts an internationalist slant on its actions. The international communist flavour of their corporate logos says it all; "Working towards equality for all."

Our towns and cities have become dominated by a forest of street signs giving pointless directions and officious instructions whose subliminal message is a reminder of town hall control, and all that that means. Our town centres are cluttered with cheap and nasty pastiche street furniture, a pathetic attempt to recreate the individuality and vernacular of times past, but of course within the context of our wonderful multicultural utopia. Traditional British festivals and their public celebration have been sanitised into meaninglessness so as to ensure their compatibility with the myriad cultures that now inhabit the country. Christmas has been corrupted into a festival of spending, Easter has been elbowed out of the way for the Third World-focused "Red Nose Day", and Whitsuntide has been left in the gutter.

In a vain effort to compensate for this marginalisation of British cultural festivals, the establishment organises its own multicultural events. Their aim is to bring together Britain's disparate cultures under the umbrella of multiculturalism and within the parameters of political correctness. They don't work. Real cultural celebrations are an expression of the community, whereas those that are imposed from above are essentially meaningless - hence the paucity of support and attendance for local authority-inspired politically correct events; they are dull and lacking in spontaneity.

Is there any wonder our urban life is so soulless? It's been eliminated in the cause of multiculturalism.

Not being satisfied with alienating the British people from our own towns, cities, and public parks, the establishment is busy trying to infect the countryside with its multicultural makeover. It's too British you see. The simple pleasure of a country walk is seen as too much of a White pursuit and as such it is perceived as a threat to multiculturalism. And of course this is all the fault of the indigenous people who in some way are responsible for Muslims and inner city Blacks not setting out on the Pennine Way.

"Empowering the community."

Vandalism is an expression of the alienation from public space. For instance, fifty years or so ago the public park was used both for private and public leisure activities. It was an expression of civic pride, a community facility which people visited both to enjoy the countryside in the town and to enjoy with like minded people a sense of belonging, of being part of a community.

Nowadays the park is no longer ours. It's theirs and they use it like everything else that they've taken from us, it is used to reinforce their anti-British egalitarian agenda. In most towns and cities the public park is a place to avoid. It's where people are attacked, it's where the bandstands and pavilions have been burned down, where the benches are smashed and obscene graffiti adorns the derelict cafeteria walls.

Throughout history the ritual destruction of the monuments of power has been a symbol of opposition. And inarticulate though those acts of vandalism may be, what else is the smashing of bus shelters and phone booths but an expression of opposition to what is. This isn't an attempt to excuse such behaviour; it merely puts it in context.

Vandalism is generally aimed at that which falls (however inaccurately) within the description `public property', and on the surface it appears to be nihilistic destruction for destruction's sake. But it is more than that. The problem is that public property and public space are no longer extensions of the White British self. They have become another tentacle of the alien multiculturalism which is why they're under attack.

Somewhat belatedly the establishment has woken up to the connection between community and public space and is now trying desperately to do something about it. They were so convinced of their own egalitarian dogma that they expected everyone else to jump aboard their multicultural bandwagon. But instead of getting involved people have left it up to them; public space is now seen as a town hall thing. If there's a problem in the public sphere, let them deal with it. And of course they can't.

So now we see the beginnings of an establishment-inspired reinvention of the community. Having all but destroyed it in the cause of multiculturalism, politicians are now going on about the "empowerment of communities." They want to give back what they've taken and allow communities to say what goes. They don't like what they've unleashed and their hope is that by "empowering communities" they can reintroduce order and commitment to public space.

But there's a problem. At the moment when anyone mentions the word `community' one immediately thinks of ethnic minority communities. For they're the only communities that are recognised as existing in Britain; White communities on the other hand are an anathema to the establishment and indeed it has spent the past fifty odd years trying to destroy them. So clearly any community that the establishment wishes to `empower' must be a community that conforms to liberal-left ideology; preferably a multicultural/multiracial community, or failing that a minority community will do. But they can't possibly "empower" a White community because their whole philosophy is founded on the idea that such thing doesn't exists.

Establishment efforts to inculcate this other idea of community betray an ignorance of human development and they are doomed to failure. Rod Liddle writing in the Sunday Times a couple of weeks ago made the same mistake. In order to encourage a feeling of national identity, he said, we should, "inculcate a core of Britishness in our schools."

What came first, the Britishness or the inculcation?

Community and national identity develop from bottom up; the development is organic not prescriptive! Our naturally occurring communities have been undermined and out of necessity the powers that be are hurriedly drawing up replacements according to their own plans. It puts one in mind of the committee that in designing a horse came up with a camel.

Beautiful irony

Certainly community will not, can not, develop according to the liberal's plan. And it is inevitable that the centrifugal forces of politics will cause coalescence along cultural and racial lines, whatever anyone does to prevent it.

My guess is that prior to the imposition of multiculturalism most British people were hardly aware of their Britishness, particularly those who'd not travelled abroad. Culture is a term of opposition. And without other cultures against which to compare one's own, most people will be largely unaware of their own culture - they see it as just the way things are done.

And it wasn't until foreign cultures began to form in our own land and appear in our public space that we began to ask questions about our own culture and identity. We'd no need to do this before except in an academic sense. Now we've got angst-ridden liberals like Liddle et al wringing their hands and talking about Britishness and attempting to define it in terms of tolerance, forgiveness, and understanding. Well they would, wouldn't they?

But isn't it amazing how chickens always come home to roost, and usually in such an ironic fashion!

Multiculturalism is an attempt to minimise the importance of culture, and the theft of public space was a necessary part of this effort. But instead of marginalising culture, as was intended, multiculturalism is actually focusing attention on it. The effect is diametrically opposed to that which was intended. And whereas Britishness was never an issue before the multicultural idea took shape, now it's becoming the issue.

This is why the liberals are so anxious to be the ones to define what Britishness means. They've got to come up with something that both satisfies the growing disquiet with the state of the nation and complies with their multiculturalisation of it - which is the cause of the disquiet in the first place. It's a tall order, especially since one is the antithesis of the other.

More here

posted by jonjayray 04:37

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Thursday, March 24, 2005

 

MORE DOUBLE STANDARDS

The Law Society of South Africa has objected to a Young Designers Emporium campaign in which a woman is seen being "spanked and bruised". The campaign, Brand Spanking New Fashion, is being run at YDE's stores and on their website. The society's gender and equality committee said the advert is in bad taste and cannot be tolerated in a country where the legislature and other concerned stakeholders are making efforts to root out all forms of women and child abuse, said spokesperson Nonto Umlaw. Society chairperson Thoba Poyo said: "Advertising is a very powerful medium and the messages emanating from advertisers are meant to change perceptions".

YDE creative director Sam Coleman said this was not an advert but a campaign on their shop windows and on their website and is directed at customers. "It wasn't the intention that the campaign be taken seriously, we don't take our advertising too seriously," he said. He said there are no bruises in the pictures, just a slight redness. He said that instead of referring to "new season clothing", they used "Brand Spanking New Fashion" in which they show males and females being spanked. "We show a man and woman being spanked. It is quite surprising that no one said anything about the man being spanked," he said. Coleman emphasised that they were not depicting a violent act. The campaign started a few weeks ago and "isolated complaints" were received. It was even discussed on a Cape Town-based radio station. "If we receive an absolute barrage of complaints we will stop the campaign," he said. "Our largest target group is women. Why would we want to offend our customers?" asked Coleman.

Source. Photos of the advertisements concerned here



ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PC

Q: What is P.C.? PC stands for Politically Correct. We of the Politically Correct philosophy believe in increasing the tolerance for a DIVERSITY of cultures, race, gender, ideology and alternate lifestyles. Political Correctness is the only socially- and morally-acceptable outlook. Anyone who disagrees with this philosophy is bigoted, biased, sexist, and closed-minded.

Q: Why should I be PC? Being PC is fun. PCism is not just an attitude, it is a way of life! PC offers the satisfaction of knowing that you are right, and that you are undoing the social evils of centuries of oppression.

Q: I am a white male--can I still be PC? Sure. You just have to feel very guilty.

Q: Why? If you are a white male, your ancestors were responsible for practically every injustice in the world--slavery, war, genocide and plaid sport coats. That means that YOU are partially responsible for these atrocities. Now it is time to balance the scales of justi