Regrets: "Should Have Said Mussolini"

Bennish-the teacher that made headlines for stating that some people see similarities between Bush and Hitler, leading to his removal- was reinstated, and society is better for it. How ridiculous the free-speech bashers look when even Bush can't be on their side on this! Even Bush was unwilling to go to the extreme of these fascists. See the right can't get past their blanket assertions that teachers are 'liberal communists' long enough to see reason. But again I ask this question: considering the basic ideals of communism, isn't communism more about controlling and suppressing free speech 'for the state'?Why is it that we are constantly told by wingnuts that free speech is the work of commies? The thing about those that want the government to control everything that comes out of our mouths is that that they often describe themselves as CONSTITUTION lovers. Minimal interventionists. "Keep your nose out of my business' types. Love covering up pedophilia and calling science a theory, but hate the ACLU that says 'permit us to think for ourselves'. Too Democratic, not Saddamish enough for you? Ah, another day in the distorted uninformed territory of the thumpers. NO WONDER THEY HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST PUBLIC EDUCATION- LOOK WHATS ITS DONE TO THEM! They can't tell Trotsky from Ventura.(continued)
Yet in their zeal to talk about their hatred of regulation or infringement on state's rights, they love the idea of Big Brother schools and kindergarten theology. This is why the 'left-right'idea is so distorted.

People call themselves 'right' because they think the government is overbearing. But also on the right are people that seem to think civil rights should be dispensed with for the good of the 'state' or nation, which is a very socialist/communist idea. Then people on the left talk about individualism, the right to autonomy, liberty, freedom of identity, etc. and they seem to have more in common with the far right than a commie, if the right made any sense. And they WOULD make MORE sense and possibly even appeal to more of us if they could only let go of the thumper inconsistencies that make them look so foolish. It comes down to this: people on the right seem to want a hands off approach to business, and a hands on approach to humans. They obviously feel that corporations are more deserving of 'rights' than citizens. The Bennish case was telling in that it really revealed the nature of where people stand. TALKING ABOUT DEMOCRACY AND SAYING WE SHOULD NOT TOUCH DISSENT IS INCONGRUOUS.

Ask yourself: how can students be taught to think critically about politics or society when their teachers cannot teach them the basic idea that people have different views? How can anyone talk about 'spreading Democracy" when they oppose the very ideals of Democracy which require an informed citizenry capable of discerning facts?

How can we have an example where Lefties are saying 'teach many views' righties are saying 'teach facts but OUR facts which of course are subject to opinion and most Americans don't agree with our facts but teach them anyway or you are an ACTIVST teacher or worse, A FUCKING COMMUNIST!!!!" Centrists are calling for balance... This case really shakes things up for people and where they stand and really seems to be sorting out the people that truly DO want a Deocracy versus those that want to become the 'fascist theocracy' we claimed to have just liberated.

The thing is, much as we oppose Bush here at Lose The Noose, there are rare moments when he surprises (me) at least. This case was one of them. I give Bush credit for his view on this issue, and suspect that if some of these politicians could just look reasonably at things the divisiveness would be reduced. This was a moment of reason, albeit a very very small fleeting moment.

The link at the end was included because I have already received two emails about the allmighty libertarian responses which, like Bush, supports our view on the left that teaching requires some degree of critical thinking. The example mentioned is cited often to reveal the idiocy of the right: a police chief breaks INTO a building to see if a teacher has posted anti-war propaganda on a bulletin board. Now think of the leaps of logic that these people use: I can thumb my nose at law, process, just cause, warrants, oversight, the constitution, etc. just because I suspect a man might be inappropriately displaying a flyer that pertains to possible differing views on the war? Now I am not saying a teacher should recruit students, thats not the point. But think about the way they justify all of their OWN wrong behaviors just because of what they see as one RIGHT behavior which is to stop an activist teacher.

This is what they do, though. They will talk about the tenets of Democracy and fascist leaders that do not permit dissent in their societies and impose religion- then they seek to do the SAME THING HERE. They claim to value Democracy so much that thousands should die for it, but yet they want the youth of America to be raised without any sense of plurality, diversity, or skills to participate in government as intended by our political process.

And lastly, this love for business? Respect for capitalism and love of markets that they preach about so much? What kind of industry would you have if everyone sat there being spoon fed their ideas, their thoughts? If the next generation of business leaders were unable to consider different views, options? We would collapse. We might not be efficient, but we are INVENTIVE. This is partly because of our ability to permit different perspectives. Isn't the flow of ideas part of what makes America so different, historically so successful? Because we are not willing to sit on an assembly line and take orders, but rather, develop ideas that solve problems? if you value industry, why would you want our education system to become a Pink Floyd video????


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