Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Dr. Strangelove]

Trump fires another upper-level NSC official for daring to criticize him. This one was actually one of his own appointees.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/white-house-nsc-aide-craig-deare-dismissed-235175

[Dr. Strangelove]

Next time you hear Fox scream how Dems are keeping Trump from having a full govt, out of 549 positions, Trump hasn't even nominated anyone for 515 spots.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/trump-administration-appointee-tracker/database/

[hack]

Geezer are you really saying that you don't know where I think the finger should be pointed? As it happens I use that finger/point verbiage quite often around here to state what I think the Ds should do. Search the thread. Is not hard.

[Da Geezer]

No, hack. I have no idea what you mean, which is why I asked.

[Jeff Buchanan]

My brother-in-law is progressive/lefty, to the left of "middle-middle." Maybe way left but, anyway, he lived with us for a while then moved to Colorado. I liked talking politics with him. Reasonable but bad mouthed any sort of economics that allied with typical righty conservatism and loathed Wall-Street. Over the top there but that was the only place he was a bit unreasonable.

He has a subscription to Mother Jones that still gets delivered here monthly. It's ended up in the trash since he left ..... until now. Clearly a progressive mag and once associated with Michael Moore who is no longer with them but gives you an idea of the political bent of this magazine.

So, in the March/April issue, there is an article on Betsy Devos titled, "Heavens to Betsy." Revealing. The article spent a good deal of time with the notion that to understand Devos, you have to understand the long history of Holland MI and Dutch Calvinism. Don't you have some connection to Holland, Geezer? Explains a lot if you do .... and that is not a criticism of your politics or outlook.

I guess you'd say I have a passing interest in Public Education and am not particularly supportive of Vouchers. What is troublesome about this particular article is the lengths that the Devos family and associated principles have gone to push for the dismantling of the public school system in MI and replacing it with Charter Schools and not just Charter Schools as most of us know them.

That they have no faith in Public Schooling in general and particularly in MI is an understatement and does not describe the suspicious nature and underlying Christian Fundamentalism of the effort Devos, et. al., have put into changing public opinion and legislation involving Charter Schools. The Christian Fundamentalism behind a lot of this Devos et. al. activity is not out there either. It's a hidden agenda that bears some resemblance to other societies and cultures where schooling becomes the first target of those wishing to instill in the next generation a specific set of values that may or may not be good.

Devos' foundation giving since 1999, which amounts to 4.91 Billion dollars by this account, is associated with this position, "Our desire is to confront the culture in ways that will continue to advance God's Kingdom." That is not at all how it is presented to the voters though. Devos articulates a position for Vouchers and/or charter schools by conflating the two and emphasizing the importance of choice.

Consistent with the Devos activities in MI, "freedom of choice in Education" has flourished in that state ..... meaning the number of private schools with little accountability to the state are rising in number while both urban and inner-city schools, whose funding is based on numbers of students, decline precipitously both in numbers and in the quality of education they are providing ...... designed, one could say, self destruction.

I know those of you who post here that are from MI, know about her and the family's/close associates role in defining public and private education in Michigan. This is the first time I've picked up Mother Jones and read it. The report on Devos was factual. It simply let the reader decide what to think about Trump's pick for the now confirmed Betsy Devos as SecED. I have a hard time understanding how her nomination was approved.

I think I might pay attention to Education in the US going forward. As well, I'd not be surprised if the D's who joined the R's in approving her did so to provide an easy target to continue the slide into personality politics and the polarization of political views that is undermining responsible discourse on this country's direction.

[CGVT]

It is a crime that she was approved.

[AlabamAlum]

All of Trump's Cabinet members should come to grips that Trump will not let them develop power bases of their own...or be little more than figureheads

Ben Carson "speechless" after Trump fires his good friend and top aide for having written an anti-Trump Op-Ed before the election

http://thehill.com/homenews/administ...ti-trump-op-ed

Get Pence on board and get the cabinet to inact Article 4, of the 25thA. Heh.

CHAOS!

[hack]

I think the folks at Mother Jones are real pros. It's far left of center, but that doesn't mean the pieces aren't often very well presented.

[hack]

No, hack. I have no idea what you mean, which is why I asked.

I'm confused. Are you hinting at something? I don't really think I am reticent or reluctant to share my opinions, but are you saying I should post more and open up about what I really think about things? I don't want to be unclear. If people want to know what I think, I want them to be able to know.

[Da Geezer]

Hack, sometimes a rose is just a rose. I didn't understand your post because I didn't know what you are pointing to. That's it. No ulterior motive.

Jeff:

The article spent a good deal of time with the notion that to understand Devos, you have to understand the long history of Holland MI and Dutch Calvinism. Don't you have some connection to Holland, Geezer? Explains a lot if you do .... and that is not a criticism of your politics or outlook

Yup. I went to college at Hope College in Holland. And I suppose DeVos is a product of the Dutch culture in West Michigan. Doc H and I discussed it here at one time. I'm happy to talk about Calvinism in general or the Protestant Work Ethic in particular if anyone is interested. I think it would give insight into Betsy DeVos, and I presume Mother Jones has absolutely no interest in getting their facts straight. As I have said, I doubt Betsy will touch vouchers in any way, because vouchers, unlike charter schools, impact parochial and private schools. In doing so, vouchers become about income inequality, not an issue the Rs want on the table.

The Dutch value education enormously, which is why the more conservative line of Calvinism in the US (Christian Reformed Church) has many Christian Schools, to which most of that denomination send their children. The other branch, The Reformed Church, is the oldest Protestant denomination in the US and is less conservative, and sends their children to public schools.

Like it or not, the DeVos family now sends most of their kids to a particular Christian School east of GR. They provide "aids" in each classroom (this would be for Betsy's grandkids) who are armed because the family receives threats frequently. I'm certain Betsy Prince went to Christian schools and Calvin College.

It is said that if two Dutchmen are marooned on an island, the first thing they would do is to build a Reformed Church for one, and a Christian Reformed Church for the other.

[Da Geezer]

The Christian Fundamentalism behind a lot of this Devos et. al. activity is not out there either. It's a hidden agenda that bears some resemblance to other societies and cultures where schooling becomes the first target of those wishing to instill in the next generation a specific set of values that may or may not be good

Betsy's not a fundamentalist at all, and that word is often improperly used. Fundamentalism is a belief in the literal truth of the Bible, the "hey, if the Bible said Jonah ate the whale, I'd believe it..." school. That is not what is taught in Christian Schools.

But, I was at UM when the SDS was taking shape (the Port Huron Declaration(s), Tom Hayden, and all that) and I assure you we targeted the education system as a way of changing society. That attack is now bearing fruit, dammit.

The hostility toward common core is because it allegedly teaches progressivism to the exclusion of any other belief system. As an example, I have a 501(c)(4) from which I hand out books each year to fifth-grade students. The books tell the truth about environmentalism, and how the apocalypse is not upon us quite yet. I was getting tired of 3rd graders telling me they wanted to save the world when they grow up. The program is called "Facts Not Fear" and is targeted toward government schools. Most are happy to present differing views of environmentalism.

I happen to think it is the duty of a national government to indoctrinate children of its country in the myths and traditions of the country. That used to be called citizenship.

[Whitley]

Why would you get tired of little ones saying they wanted to make a positive impact on the world (ie saving it)?

[CGVT]

The books tell your truth about environmentalism

You are as dangerous as DeVoss

[Da Geezer]

Thank you

[CGVT]

Environmental regulations are unnecessary.

And in other news the earth is flat.