csua.org/u/dz5 -> www.townhall.com/opinion/column/larryelder/2005/11/10/175030.html
A World Can't Wait -- an anti-Bush, anti-war group, recently staged nationw ide protests. The organization coordinated rallies in Chicago, Seattle, New York, San Francisco -- and Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Unified School District took things a step further. The d istrict helpfully agreed to provide buses -- that's right, buses -- as w ell as "adult supervision" to the nearly 800 high school students who wa lked out of 10 high schools. District officials said they thought it bes t to provide adults and transportation, since, you know, the kids intend ed to go to the rally, anyway. was safety," said the di strict's chief operating officer, "and I think we fulfilled our mission, frankly." Forgive some of us for thinking that the district's mission was . And, given the less-than-superb academic performance of Los Angeles public school students, the educrats, one would have though t, would have frowned on allowing the kids to skip classes. In the case of LA Unified School District third-graders, according to the 2005 standardized CAT/6 test, 76 percent scored below the national a verage in reading tests, as did 70 percent of seventh-graders. In math, 54 percent of third-graders tested below the national average, with 68 p ercent of seventh-graders also below the national norm. For language, 65 percent of third-graders scored below the national average, with 70 per cent of seventh-graders failing to reach the national average. One LA Unified teacher reportedly gave students class credit for atten ding the rally! Now, since the Los Angeles district seems so concerned a bout student safety, can we expect the district to ferry students to and from, say, a pro-Iraq war/pro-Bush rally? Consider the LA Unified public school music teacher, who routinely cal ls Republicans "stupid." The school where he teaches, by the way, purpor ts to follow a "code of conduct" that condemns discrimination based on r ace, sexual preference or religious beliefs. Yet the teacher, according to one of his students, constantly condemns Republicans as "crazy religi ous Christians." The music teacher excitedly told the class about a "son g" someone e-mailed him. He decided to serenade his class by singing the ditty a cappella: The Battle Hymn of the Republicans Mine eyes have seen the bungling of that stumbling moron Bush; He has blathered all the drivel that the neo-cons can push; He has lost sight of all reason 'cause his head is up his tush; I have heard him butcher syntax like a kindergarten fool; There is warranted suspicion that he never went to school; Should we fault him for the policies -- or is he just their tool? I have seen him cut the taxes of the billionaires' lone heir; Let the smokestacks keep polluting -- do we really need clean air? Now he's got a mighty hankerin' to bomb a prostrate state; Though the whole world knows it's crazy -- and the UN says to wait; When he doesn't have the evidence, "We must prevaricate." Should the reasons be disputed, we'll just make up other grounds; Enraging several billions -- to his brainlessness redounds; One student in the class, a self-described "conservative Christian Repub lican," almost bolted from the room. The student, however, feared the te acher's reputation for vindictiveness that could result in fewer assigne d solos, or, even worse, not getting an invitation for the class's out-o f-town concerts. According to the Center for the Study of Popular Culture, registered Dem ocrats outnumbered Republicans by a 10-to-1 ratio in the faculty of 150 departments at 32 elite colleges and universities. And four of the schools showed no regis tered Republican in the departments examined. Former First Lady Barbara Bush once marveled at how "any Republican" get s elected, given the anti-GOP bias in the media. And she admits she did not think her son would win: "I just thought, it's too difficult, and yo u're not gonna like this, but my gut feeling is that all the media is ag ainst George, Republicans, any Republican." Republicans fight not only m edia bias, but bias in academia. In any case, the LA Unified School District showed great experience an d agility in coordinating buses. And, at least no college or university supplied a bus to the Wo rld Can't Wait rally. Larry Elder is a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist and publishes a monthly newsletter entitled "The Elder Statement."
CALL CONGRESS TODAY: VOTE YES ON DEFICIT REDUCTIO N" Tomorrow Congress votes on the Deficit Reduction Act, which would cut spe nding by $54 billion and be a good first step to reining in federal pork projects. Many Republicans are dragging their feet on this issue, call Congress now to voice your support...
jpg The suggestion box by Mike S Adams (Nov 10, 2005) Dear Mr Garthwaite: I am writing to respectfully request that you put an end to your November Town Hall fund-raiser.
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