The irreligious wrong are all in favor of public school students being required by law to observe a moment of silence every day, but they are protesting the April 25, 2008, Day of Silence.
DAY OF SILENCE, April 25, 2008: This year?s Day of Silence will be held in memory of Lawrence King, who friends say was murdered in a California school February 12 because of his sexual orientation and gender expression. The event brings attention to anti-LGBT bullying, harassment and discrimination in schools. Students observe the day in silence to echo the silence LGBT and ally students face every day.
My high school is listed as a participant, as well as the one down the street from me. AFA reports 4,000 high schools. I am surprised at the extent of the support for GLSENI guess only GOD can tell us why His followers are such hypocrites. You know what that means? We’ll never know!Peter Nuhn
Peter,
Moments of silence in public schools, lead by publicly paid officials are for GOD not dead homosexuals.
Duh! Of course they should be protesting!
end/sarcasm
I think public schools should be silent MOST of the time, in the same vein as libraries. Helps the students concentrate.
My son says he has trouble concentrating sometimes at his school. Because of the open layout, he can hear what is going on in other classrooms while he is doing his work.
A moment of silence? Isn’t that what the plethora of churches, temples and mosques all across this land are for?
Why don’t we encourage perpetual silence for all relgious organizations? That would sure make me happy, and they can continue to commune privately with their God without disturbing the rest of us secularists.
No, a day of silence would be dumb!
I am probably displaying my ignorance, but I do not know what these ‘in-language’ letters mean: LBGT and AFA.
This may just be me, but i’m not sure if the day is the most effective method to raise awareness. I remember red ribbon week when i was still a middle schooler, and no one really cared. I can understand the idea, but it’ll be a joke by the time the students participate.
Noel,
I am unsure about AFA, but I beleive it is the American Family Association.
http://www.afa.net/
As for LBGT, I am pretty sure it stands for Le$bian, Bisexual, Gay, and Transgender. But I have been wrong before and I am sure it won’t be the last time.
Ren,
You are correct in regards to LGBT.
I’m no fan of government schools; viewing them as the nation’s most expensive entitlement program.
(Viva Neal Boortz!)
The problem here is imposing one’s views on others. Is that the portent of tax-funded institutions?
The argument, of course, can be flipped and (no doubt) will be by the AFA.
Call it a stroke of genius by the LGBTetc advocates. If you say nothing, you’re presumed to be saying something by saying nothing.
If you say something you draw attention to those who say something by saying nothing.
Seeker,
You’re right, education should only be available to those with cash.
Alex,
Thank you for the confirmation. LGBT isn’t exactly my area of expertise.
DVan,
If I didn’t know better, I would swear you didn’t want to live in a country like India, with a Caste System. Me neither, but don’t tell anybody I said that. Might ruin my reputation as a closet socia1ist.
Ren,
Don’t get me wrong.
I believe that maintaining a separation between socio-economic classes by limiting access to education through economic means is the only real way to go.
I say keep the poor, poor AND stupid. : )
The AFA is indeed the American Family Association and I have the dubious honor of living just a few miles from their headquarters. In fact, the founder’s mother was my kindergarten teacher.
There’s nothing like competition to provide an equitable distribution of cash and, all the while, fueling prosperity to fund quality education.
I have no objections to providing education to the underprivileged. I do have a concern when a government monopoly squishes untenable ideas into the folds of young gray matter through moments or days of silence.
Seeker
Competition has done nothing to ease tuition costs for private school alternatives. Tuition rates have been climbing at an extremely alarming rate ? across all levels of education. Also, history makes a great example of how eliminating free education holds people in poverty. Competition sounds good in theory, but in some cases, it fails with disastrous results.
It’s likely that free education would have the biggest adverse effect on the middle class, actually driving them into poverty much the way health care costs do now.
I have a problem with certain things like this as well. But eliminating the entire system rather than addressing the individual problems seems irrational.
Yes, it would be lovely to be allowed to pick the students you WANT to teach. Ahem…
1. Those who have a minimum IQ to handle the tasks.
2. Those with stay at home moms to bring cupcakes on Valentine’s Day.
3. Those with NO learning disabilities or on medications or crippled or with physical challenges.
4. Preferably white.
5. Preferably Christian.
6. Preferably churched.
7. Those who come properly socialized.
8. Those with manners and buzz-cuts.
9. Preferably hetero (but who can tell?).
10. No bastardized products of divorce-remarriage-divorce-remarriage-divorce-remarriage-divorce-remarriage-divorce-remarriage…you get the picture. Divorce is such a moral failure.
11. Those who can teach themselves.
Competition is all about picking the best and brightest for your squad. And damn the rest. I LIKE ME!! ME,ME,ME!!!
dvw,
When New Zealand opted for competition in education there were dire warnings of mass exodus to private institutions. It didn’t happen.
Advocates of the revised system praise its results. Opponents (unions) find nothing but fault.
Agreed: Private schools exist and the cost is exorbitant. However, government schools maintain their monopoly and to my libertarian mind that contributes to the high cost by undermining the effects of competition.
Your posts always stray for atheism (get your own blog!)…
Moments of silence aren’t disruptive; DAYS of silence are. The way my highschools handled it was: if you got asked a question by a teacher or administration, you had to respond.
That’s the way it should be.
Besides, having a day of silence for anything is counterintuitive and stupid.
Seeker,
New Zealand didn’t eliminate the public school system. They just turned over more control of the management and governing of local institutions to local communities and schools. The Ministry of Education (i.e., the government) is still responsible for funding and setting curriculum standards, etc. I’m not sure how this is a comparison? Beside, I never made a point that offering education competition would result in an exodus from public schools. It?s obvious that isn?t happening.
First, there is no government monopoly in education. Private schools exist. Second, if that?s the real problem, then why hasn?t the absence of government helped competition bring down the costs associated with the health care industry? Also, many private schools I?m aware of are overflowing with applicants waiting to get in. This abundance of prospective students (tuition payers) hasn?t brought down the price either. Demand is up, and just like the free market dictates, price goes up. You can?t blame the government offering free education for the high cost of private education.
I have many libertarian-leaning beliefs, but market competition solves all cost issues isn?t one of them. I?ve just seen no evidence of it. : )
dvw,
You’re assessment of New Zealand is accurate; I didn’t mean to suggest there was no government control, only that pro-choice competition had been introduced to the benefit of students.
Here’s a review from Heritage Foundation:
http://www.heritage.org/press/dailybriefing/policyweblog.cfm?blogid=77ECD4DD-A0C9-D18A-0FA6BC8EAB6BA7D0
Dr. Arlene Ackerman’s pro-choice advocacy did wonders for academic acheivement in San Francisco. Unfortuantely, teachers unions cared little for her innovations and she was, subsequently, sent packing.
Read more here:
http://www.reason.com/news/show/33295.html
Seeker,
Thanks for the links!
If christians have a moment of silence regularly, it seems only logical that other groups should have a day of silence from time to time, as they see a need to offset the christian delusion.
Moments of silence are stupid.
Are you saying this in regard to the heavy taxation instilled to maintain the schools? Other than that, for the life of me I can’t find any other logic in that statement.
cry4turtles,
I think you touched a core problem.
Entitlement programs are funded by the middle class through excessive taxation. The wealthy can absorb increases in property taxes (for example) to fund gov’t schools and often are the most vocal proponents.
Young families and retirees who benefit little from food stamps, housing hand-outs and other gov’t entitlements are typical of those most adversely affected. (Perhaps they deserve a moment of silence!)
Atheist Jon Ray is, perhaps, one of the most vociferous spokespersons for academic choice.
See here:
http://edwatch.blogspot.com/
Cry4turtles,
No. What “heavy” taxation are you referring to?
If free education is abandoned, middle-class families will be forced to send their children to private institutions. Since private education costs a fortune (far more than an any individual tax burden to pay for public schools), middle-income families will have to weigh the education of their children against being forced into poverty by high tuition costs. A bit like uninsured middle class having to weight their financial future against necessary medical treatments as they do now.
Health care expenses are the number one cause of bankruptcy in this country. You don?t see the logic in that? Maybe I’m missing something.
**OT**
The local news has released some surveillance photos of the suspected killer of the UNC student and they are looking for…wait for it…a young black male. Shocking, isn’t it? Now do you people understand why I feel the way that I do about blacks? Life experiences such as these is why. There was another murder a month or so ago at nearby Duke university of an Indian student by two young black males as well.
I am now carrying a gun in my car and avoiding placing myself around blacks at all costs-without apology. I hope they find the bastard that killed our student body president and fry him. Race relations are already high in this area thanks to the false rape accusations of a black stripper towards white Duke students and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some violent backlash in the coming days here. People are calling for a lynching and the razing of Durham to the ground.
This just in. The suspected killer of the college student at Auburn is…yet another young black male. Shock, surprise.
alexatheist,
You have never shown how any of your speculation is caused by skin color. How do you know it isn’t a social and culture issue?
Alex,
You mention three individuals that have been killed by blacks, recently, and your response is:
So three people are killed by blacks, and the response is to, “raze Durham to the ground?”
Are you sure you are not a former Israeli, instead of a former Brit?
I have an idea. Why don’t we hunt down the perpetrators of said horrendous crimes, and put them away forever so they can never harm anyone again? Oh wait, there’s no room in our prisons because they are full of addicts.
BTW, I feel just as horrible about the tragic loss of such promising young lives, as you do. I’m just not for punishing an entire race, becaue of the misdeeds of a certain segment of that race. What should we do with all the white males with former military backgrounds, because of the actions of Timothy McVeigh? I mean, if you are going to be consistent…
Historically speaking, I do not like the majority of blacks that I meet. It is not that I hate them because they are black, I simply have little in common with them and prefer to associate with people whom I share commonality with. Having said that, my best friend in the Army was a black man, and the best boss I ever had was a black man. So it is not a racial thing, with me, it is a cultural thing.