Let's talk about...the war at home...
I cannot tell you how disgusted I am by remarks made by people such as this teacher
What freedoms do these people have in mind? What, exactly, are these soldiers defending?
let's see:
No Fly Lists
Which includes thousands of names. And if you are on it, you cannot find out why.
And the list has several tiers. Every time you fly somewhere, your information is entered into a database and you are tracked.
NSA Surveillance of Telephones and Internet Use
The ACLU has a report on how that surveillance works. The Washington Post reported that Bush authorized domestic spying in 2002 and believes that warrents, etc, do not apply.
We have since learned that thousands of conversations have been recorded.
Of course the NSA didn't listen. Oh, and I suppose most people who smoke pot don't inhale. How much was that beachfront property in Montana again?
Turns out Verizon, ATT etc. rolled over like eager puppy dogs and gave up your phone information. Just like Yahoo and several other search engines (but not Google for now) gave up your internet info.
If you are reading this blog and others like it, your reading habits are being tracked by the NSA because certain words in this blog have tripped the watch dogs.
You have been warned....
Don't believe me? Check out the map below for where hits have come from.
No Child Left Behind
If you think this is about making sure every Juan, Peter and Tae-ho learn to read, you are in for a surprise.
This charming piece of legislation links military recruiter access to federal funding for every publically funded high school and city college, etc. This means military recruiters have the right to access every child's home phone, cellphone, address, etc, and to contact that child at school and at home unless parents sign an opt out form (learn more here). Parents have complained about the aggressiveness of recruiters, some of whom appear every day at some high schools. In California, two recruiters were accused of rape.
********* A digression on military recruiting of students **************
It would be instructive to look at the target population of recruiters in a given city because it would provide a look at what the military considers vulnerable populations. The Washington Post found that recruiters target depressed areas and minorities with limited educational opportunities.
Here's an interesting thought: using San Diego, California as an example:
California is near the bottom of school systems in the US and San Diego, with a few exceptions, is near the bottom of that.
Do recruiters haunt La Jolla High, in a wealthy section of San Diego? No, of course not. Are they seen on campuses with less-affluent immigrants and other non-Whites? You bet.
And if California continues to linger near the bottom and San Diego is happy to hover in its position, then there will be a nearly guaranteed supply of young people with limited prospects, limited critical analytical skills and economic means. And that provides a supply of soldiers for the endless War on Terrorism.
That coupled with the up-coming immigration legislation will push the sons (and some daughters)of immigrants (often immigrants themselves) into the arms of recruiters who also dangle citizenship incentives, again, setting up a recruiting practice that targets the under-privileged and vulnerable.
So, the next time someone feels like criticizing illegals, consider the following: the first 10 of California casualties were greencard soldiers, many with illegal parents.
For more on the casualty lists, read here.
**************************************************************************************
Presidential Accountability
Bush, the decider, has decided that the Congress doesn't need to be informed of various activities he and the FBI cook up. This is unconstitutional and is clearly in contravention of the concept of the three branches of government concept- you know, one of the things you should have learned in school, were you there that day AND paying attention: the idea that the Legislative (umm, that would be Congress), the Executive ("W") and the Judicial (the Supreme Court) are EQUAL and provide Checks and Balances.
While this is not an exhaustive list by any means, there should be enough here to give pause.
And here's a thought: if these soldiers are really "defending freedom," maybe they need to be defending us (we the people- hey, that's you and me!) from those busy dismantling our freedoms and Constitutional rights.
But hey, they're in Iraq, killing people.
Literacy and reading comprehension teacher Tonya Trepinski spearheaded the project, called "Operation Iraqi Heroes," early in 2005. Trepinski's brother, Sgt. Tim Hutchings, is a member of the battalion, and she is a former U.S. Marine.
"I wanted the kids to know they're fighting for freedom so we can have freedom,"she said. "(The project) teaches them to care about something other than themselves."
What freedoms do these people have in mind? What, exactly, are these soldiers defending?
let's see:
No Fly Lists
Which includes thousands of names. And if you are on it, you cannot find out why.
And the list has several tiers. Every time you fly somewhere, your information is entered into a database and you are tracked.
NSA Surveillance of Telephones and Internet Use
The ACLU has a report on how that surveillance works. The Washington Post reported that Bush authorized domestic spying in 2002 and believes that warrents, etc, do not apply.
We have since learned that thousands of conversations have been recorded.
Of course the NSA didn't listen. Oh, and I suppose most people who smoke pot don't inhale. How much was that beachfront property in Montana again?
Turns out Verizon, ATT etc. rolled over like eager puppy dogs and gave up your phone information. Just like Yahoo and several other search engines (but not Google for now) gave up your internet info.
If you are reading this blog and others like it, your reading habits are being tracked by the NSA because certain words in this blog have tripped the watch dogs.
You have been warned....
Don't believe me? Check out the map below for where hits have come from.
No Child Left Behind
If you think this is about making sure every Juan, Peter and Tae-ho learn to read, you are in for a surprise.
This charming piece of legislation links military recruiter access to federal funding for every publically funded high school and city college, etc. This means military recruiters have the right to access every child's home phone, cellphone, address, etc, and to contact that child at school and at home unless parents sign an opt out form (learn more here). Parents have complained about the aggressiveness of recruiters, some of whom appear every day at some high schools. In California, two recruiters were accused of rape.
********* A digression on military recruiting of students **************
It would be instructive to look at the target population of recruiters in a given city because it would provide a look at what the military considers vulnerable populations. The Washington Post found that recruiters target depressed areas and minorities with limited educational opportunities.
Here's an interesting thought: using San Diego, California as an example:
California is near the bottom of school systems in the US and San Diego, with a few exceptions, is near the bottom of that.
Do recruiters haunt La Jolla High, in a wealthy section of San Diego? No, of course not. Are they seen on campuses with less-affluent immigrants and other non-Whites? You bet.
And if California continues to linger near the bottom and San Diego is happy to hover in its position, then there will be a nearly guaranteed supply of young people with limited prospects, limited critical analytical skills and economic means. And that provides a supply of soldiers for the endless War on Terrorism.
That coupled with the up-coming immigration legislation will push the sons (and some daughters)of immigrants (often immigrants themselves) into the arms of recruiters who also dangle citizenship incentives, again, setting up a recruiting practice that targets the under-privileged and vulnerable.
So, the next time someone feels like criticizing illegals, consider the following: the first 10 of California casualties were greencard soldiers, many with illegal parents.
For more on the casualty lists, read here.
**************************************************************************************
Presidential Accountability
Bush, the decider, has decided that the Congress doesn't need to be informed of various activities he and the FBI cook up. This is unconstitutional and is clearly in contravention of the concept of the three branches of government concept- you know, one of the things you should have learned in school, were you there that day AND paying attention: the idea that the Legislative (umm, that would be Congress), the Executive ("W") and the Judicial (the Supreme Court) are EQUAL and provide Checks and Balances.
While this is not an exhaustive list by any means, there should be enough here to give pause.
And here's a thought: if these soldiers are really "defending freedom," maybe they need to be defending us (we the people- hey, that's you and me!) from those busy dismantling our freedoms and Constitutional rights.
But hey, they're in Iraq, killing people.
