Where Did All The Dumbasses Come From?

There are three ways you can look at The United States' role in 9/11:

1. Made it Happen.

2. Allowed it to Happen.

3. Or the attacks of 9/11 took place because of the government's incompetence.

I don't easily see those scenarios existing under a Gore Administration. Do you?

But here's the kicker. Let's say Al Gore would have tried to take the country to crazy-town ...

A nation with enough critically thinking citizens would not have allowed the president, Bush or Gore, to get away with the obvious lies, distortions, and distractions, that streamed from the White House since that awful September day. A nation with enough critically thinking citizens could not be lied into a war. It seems to me we need more Kay Petrinis, unhindered by bureaucracy and lousy paychecks, to teach our kids how to think for themselves.

I don't have any idea how to "fix" the schools in the United States. But I'll bet the teachers do. Up here in Beautiful British Columbia, the teachers are on strike. Summer school sessions have been cancelled. What do teachers want?

More one-on-one support for students who need it most and guaranteed levels of specialist teachers.

Smaller classes, so all students can get the individual attention they deserve.

Time to prepare lessons that engage diverse learning styles.

A reasonable wage increase that respects teachers' skills and responsibilities.

This isn't a list of demands from a bunch of wild-eyed radicals. This is a simple, sane, to-do list that must be done to keep Canada's school system in the world's top ten. The U.S. isn't even in the top twenty.

The BC teachers are defending public education. They are proposing a fair deal for teachers and better support for kids. I'll keep you posted about how it all shakes out as Fall approaches. You can read more at the BC Teacher's Federation website.

I've been writing pretty much the same thing over and over for months, probably years. The institutions we used to depend on are crumbling, eroded, or gone. The dumbasses are ascendant. Too many Americans Copy and Paste talking points directly into their brains without even using a SpellCheck much less an IdeaCheck.

We don't have many options left. I think it's about time we turn to the people we entrust our children to five days a week, nine months out of the year, and ask them what they need ... and then make sure they get it.