Happy Fourth of July

Below are some videos to share on America's 236th Birthday. 

First, here is a lesson plan that an 8th grade Social Studies teacher from Missouri recorded a few years back.  In it, he says he found a break-up letter on the floor, and decides he is going to read it to the class.  This turns out not to be an actual break-up letter, but a letter he made up to lead the class into a lesson on the Declaration of Independence.  It is a brilliant hook, and one I decided to use whenever I taught the American Revolution to my Social Studies class.

Next, is Danny Glover's recitation of the Frederick Douglas speech, "What to a Slave is the Fourth of July?"  It is far from a patriotic look at America, and it's independence.  But as an American who believes in looking at the truth, it is important we study the dark sides of American history (as well as the more positive sides).  The full text of the speech can be found here with an introduction by The Nation's Dave Zirin.  Also, check out this link to the Zinn Education Project about rethinkig the Fourth of July.


Finally, we have a couple of patriotic anthems.  This first one is definitely NSFW.  Happy Birthday America!  You aren't perfect, but you are my home, and I love you!

Justice Scalia Truly Doesn't Give A Fuck, Does He?

Photo from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Today, the Supreme Court gave a split ruling on President Obama's challenge against Arizona's controversial immigration law, S.B. 1070.  The court struck down multiple provisions, but did leave the statute that said law enforcement officials could demand to see paperwork if they suspected an individual of being an illegal immigrant.  This, of course, has lead to concerns there would be mass amounts of racial profiling.

The good news for civil libertarians like myself, is that the Court did strike down provisions that said illegal immigrants weren't allowed to seek employment, as well as a provision that allows police to make a "warrantless arrest of anyone they had probably cause to believe they made a deportable offense."

I hoped this ruling would have gone further, and activists need to push for Arizona to change the law completely.  However, in addition to sharing the news about the ruling, I also want to share a quote from the ever-modest, Justice Antonin Scalia.  Here is some of what he had to say while defending he Arizona law in his own ruling:

Notwithstanding “[t]he myth of an era of unrestricted immigration” in the first 100 years of the Republic, the States enacted numerous laws restricting the immigration of certain classes of aliens, including convicted crimi­nals, indigents, persons with contagious diseases, and (in Southern States) freed blacks. Neuman, The Lost Century of American Immigration (1776–1875), 93 Colum. L. Rev. 1833, 1835, 1841–1880 (1993). State laws not only pro­ vided for the removal of unwanted immigrants but also imposed penalties on unlawfully present aliens and those who aided their immigration.

I know Justice Scalia tends to take a more traditional view of the law, but he seems to be crossing a moral line here, especially because he is apparently citing some of these laws as precedent.

UPDATE:

The day after I wrote this post (everything above), E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post wrote an editorial saying that Scalia should resign from the Supreme Court.  On the face of it, I suppose one could say that this is just some left-wing pundit spewing out liberal rhetoric and talking points.  Well, that isn't totally inaccurate, but Dionne makes some excellent points.  As he points out, Scalia wants to be a politician or pundit as much as anyone:

Unaccountable power can lead to arrogance. That’s why justices typically feel bound by rules and conventions that Scalia seems to take joy in ignoring. Recall a 2004 incident. Three weeks after the Supreme Court announced it would hear a case over whether the White House needed to turn over documents from an energy task force that Dick Cheney had headed, Scalia went off on Air Force Two for a duck-hunting trip with the vice president.

Scalia scoffed at the idea that he should recuse himself. “My recusal is required if . . . my ‘impartiality might reasonably be questioned,’ ” he wrote in a 21-page memo. Well, yes. But there was no cause for worry, Scalia explained, since he never hunted with Cheney “in the same blind or had other opportunity for private conversation.”
Don’t you feel better? And can you just imagine what the right wing would have said if Vice President Biden had a case before the court and went duck hunting with Justice Elena Kagan?

Then there was the speech Scalia gave at Switzerland’s University of Fribourg a few weeks before the court was to hear a case involving the rights of Guantanamo detainees.
“I am astounded at the world reaction to Guantanamo,” he declared in response to a question. “We are in a war. We are capturing these people on the battlefield. We never gave a trial in civil courts to people captured in a war. War is war and it has never been the case that when you capture a combatant, you have to give them a jury trial in your civil courts. It’s a crazy idea to me.”

It was a fine speech for a campaign gathering, the appropriate venue for a man so eager to brand the things he disagrees with as crazy or mind-boggling. Scalia should free himself to pursue his true vocation. We can then use his resignation as an occasion for a searching debate over just how political this Supreme Court has become.

This is why we need to amend the Constitution and implement term limits on Supreme Court Justices.  I'm just saying . . .

Happy Birthday, Helen Keller

 

Photo from Wikipedia

This amazing woman was born today 132 years ago.  She is most famous as being the deaf and blind girl that learned how to communicate when she was taught by Annie Sullivan (also an amazing woman, and one of my inspirations as a special education teacher).  This was story was famously depicted in the play and movie, The Miracle Worker.  Keller went on to college, and would eventually become the first deaf and blind person to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Picture of Keller (left) and Annie Sullivan (right) from Spartacus Educational

As amazing as her story is, it is only part of the story.  Historically, she is simply by most known as a deaf and blind woman who could talk and become educated.  What most people don't know is that throughout her adult life, she spent her time traveling the globe as an activist.  Among other things, she campaigned in for Women's Suffrage, Labor Rights, and was member of the anti-war movement in the lead up to World War I.  She was even a member of the Socialist Party of America.  That's right: Helen Keller was a Socialist.

Photo from Huffington Post

As Education Professor Ruth Shagoury points out in a recent piece on Huffington Post, most people don't know the real history of Helen Keller (but should):

If I were creating Hero trading cards for Helen Keller, I would include her passionate work for women's voting rights, and against war and corporate domination. And I'd include her courageous quotes where she asks tough and impolite questions: "Why in this land of great wealth is there great poverty?" she wrote in 1912. "Why [do] children toil in the mills while thousands of men cannot get work, why [do] women who do nothing have thousands of dollars to spend?"

Sounds to me like the mother of today's Occupy Movement.

From publishers like Scholastic Teaching Resources -- which uses her life events to "give children practice reading a timetable" by asking insipid questions such: "How can you use the first two dates to figure out Helen's age at the time she got sick?" -- to St. Aidan's Home School pages, which encourages teachers to show "the Disney version of the The Miracle Worker," the information on-line portrays the same individualistic and socially empty Helen Keller myth.

It takes a little more digging, but I encourage parents and educators to turn to resources like the small press book Helen Keller from Ocean Press's series Rebel Lives, which includes excerpts from her writings on disability and class, socialism, women, and war, or the fine young adult biography Helen Keller: Rebellious Spirit by Laurie Lawlor. It's time to share with children Helen Keller's remarkable adult life. As a defiant rebel, she could be a true hero for 21st century activists.

Indeed, schools should teach about Ms. Keller (her whole biography).  She is an excellent role model for all students: girls, boys, disabled and non-disabled.  Helen Keller is a truly remarkable figure, both for overcoming her adversity, as well as her dedication to social justice.

Happy Juneteenth

I saw someone on Facebook recently remark "how do all you white people not know what Juneteenth is?" Great question. So, what is Juneteenth? Well, here is a good summary from Juneteenth.com:

Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States.  Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19^th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.

Later attempts to explain this two and a half year delay in the receipt of this important news have yielded several versions that have been handed down through the years. Often told is the story of a messenger who was murdered on his way to Texas with the news of freedom. Another, is that the news was deliberately withheld by the enslavers to maintain the labor force on the plantations. And still another, is that federal troops actually waited for the slave owners to reap the benefits of one last cotton harvest before going to Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation. All of which, or neither of these version could be true. Certainly, for some, President Lincoln's authority over the rebellious states was in question   For whatever the reasons, conditions in Texas remained status quo well beyond what was statutory.

General Order Number 3

One of General Granger’s first orders of business was to read to the people of Texas, General Order Number 3 which began most significantly with:

"The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer."

The reactions to this profound news ranged from pure shock to immediate jubilation. While many lingered to learn of this new employer to employee relationship, many left before these offers were completely off the lips of their former 'masters' - attesting to the varying conditions on the plantations and the realization of freedom. Even with nowhere to go, many felt that leaving the plantation would be their first grasp of freedom. North was a logical destination and for many it represented true freedom, while the desire to reach family members in neighboring states drove the some into Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Settling into these new areas as free men and women brought on new realities and the challenges of establishing a heretofore non-existent status for black people in America. Recounting the memories of that great day in June of 1865 and its festivities would serve as motivation as well as a release from the growing pressures encountered in their new territory. The celebration of June 19^th was coined "Juneteenth" and grew with more participation from descendants. The Juneteenth celebration was a time for reassuring each other, for praying and for gathering remaining family members. Juneteenth continued to be highly revered in Texas decades later, with many former slaves and descendants making an annual pilgrimage back to Galveston on this date.

There is more on the Juneteenth website about the history and festivities of Juneteenth.  There is also a great post on Juneteenth by former Social Studies teacher and currently one of the best education bloggers out there, Ken Bernstein (aka teacherken).

Finally, here is a video from Houston PBS station KUHT-TV about Juneteenth day.  It is actually an official state holiday in the state of Texas.

Videos for Martin Luther King Day

In the past year, the prevalence and importance of protest has gained traction like no other time in at least 20 years, and perhaps longer.  On this Martin Luther King day, let us remember the importance of King, not only as a Civil Rights leader, but as a protestor against injustice of all types.  As important as the message of racial equality, he also stood up against economic inequality and unjust wars. 

A Video for Sunday

 Photo from The Urban Daily

Recently, I have been listening to the late Manning Marable's biography of Malcolm X on audiobook, Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention.  So far, it is a fascinating book, and I am learning a lot about Malcolm that I never knew (and some things I am sure he didn't want people to know).  As I listen to it, I keep thinking back to Spike Lee's classic film, Malcolm X based partially upon Malcolm's famous autobiography. 

 Photo from Rotten Tomatoes

It is a film that is about as good as any biopic I have ever seen.  It is also a film that, as a white person, helps me understand the significance of what Malcolm truly meant to African-Americans, despite the racially-charged language he used in his time as a member of the Nation of Islam.  I feel a good clip for a Sunday is the scene where Malcolm (played masterfully by Denzel Washington) is still in prison (after recently converting to Islam), and he challenges the prison chaplain on the race of Jesus.

Unfortunately, I cannot embed the clip to my blog.  But you can view it here.

American History on Christmas Eve

Picture of John Horse from Beyond Tourism: Florida's Yesteryear

In the sad history of America's treatment of both Native Americans and Africans, here is an amazing tale of Christmas Eve, 1837:

Each Christmas Eve marks the anniversary of a battle for liberty in 1837 on the banks of Lake Okeechobee, Florida, that helped shape the United States of America. An estimated 380 to 480 freedom-fighting African and Indian members of the Seminole nation threw back more than a thousand U.S. Army and other troops led by Colonel Zachary Taylor, a future President of the United States. The Seminoles so badly mauled Taylor’s invasion force that he ordered his soldiers to fall back, bury their dead, tend to their wounded . . . and ponder the largest single US defeat in decades of Indian warfare. The battle of Lake Okeechobee is not a story you will find in school or college textbooks or Hollywood movies, so it has slipped from the public consciousness. But in a country that cherishes its gallant freedom-fighting heritage, Black and Red Seminoles of Florida in 1837 sent everyone a message that deserves to be remembered and honored.

Despite what really happened, Colonel Taylor would claim victory, receive a promotion in the military, and eventually become elected President of the United States based on his reputation as an "Indian Fighter".  But the fight put forth by this mixed raced group of Seminoles is an amazing symbol of struggle against both the institution of slavery, as well as the American slaughter of Native Americans and the takeover of their land.  Read more about it at William Lorenz Katz's website here.

A Video for Sunday: Socialism/Occupy Wall Street Edition

 

Picture from Crain's New York Business

This week, I am providing a double dose of videos.

I recently had the immense pleasure of listening to Upton Sinclair's The Jungle on audio book.  It's a novel about a Lithuanian family that moves to Chicago trying to find the American dream at the beginning of the 20th century.  What they actually find is personal and economic hardships not to be wished upon anyone.  Numerous events of a devastating nature crush the family into the lowest depths of despondency and poverty.  By the end of the novel, the main character, Jurgis Rudkus, realizes that evils of American capitalism and finds grace in supporting the socialist movement.  The novel was Sinclair's attempt for the American people to look at the evils of American economic system, and realize that socialism is the direction the country needed to head in.  Here is a video, originally posted on TeacherTube, that talks about the book a little more in depth, and what the real legacy of the book actually came to be after it was published. 



This book, as well as the the ever-growing Occupy Wall Street protests, provides a good opportunity to re-look at socialism.  For the longest time, the word "socialism" has had a dirty connotation to it in the United States, and even more so from the American right ever since Obama took office.  When people hear the term, they equate it with communism.  Images of the Soviet Union, Maoist China, and Che Guevera come to many American's minds.  But the reality is that most developed countries around the world, including the United States, have socialism in their economic system to a certain point.  Except unlike other countries in the world, socialism is generally not the evil, dirty word that it is in the United States.  And truth be told, many of us who do call ourselves socialists wouldn't advocate government takeover of all industries and private property (like some claim).  Most socialists (including myself) would probably prefer a type of mixed economic system: a capitalist/socialist hybrid where great emphasis is placed on economic equality, worker's right, and protections in case something bad happens to one of it's citizens (e.g. health care, unemployment benefits, etc.)  Here is a clip from a while ago by MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell on the the use of the word "socialist" to describe himself.



It should be noted that not all those who support the Occupy Wall Street movement are socialists.  What those of us who do support these demonstrations agree upon is that damage that the banks and corporations have done to our economy, and that something needs to be done about the way they do business.  It is a grave injustice that in this economy, corporations are receiving record profits, CEOs and other corporate executives are receiving bonuses, and more corporate cash than ever is being filtered into our political system (among so many other things).  All the while, no new jobs are being added to our economy, and millions of American's are suffering economic hardship, and are worried that they will never be financially secure again.  I won't say we have it as rough as Jurgis and his family did in the early 20th Century, but it is still quite bad, and we deserve better.

Photo from rrstar.com

There are those (myself included) who support the movement, but have expressed criticism to protesters on a couple of different points.  First, the protest needs to broaden it's marchers so that it will be more than just "hippie-types".  While it is perhaps unfair to classify all of those involved with such a stereotype (and we should be grateful to those "hippie-types" for getting the protest off the ground), this is a movement that has grown into something big.  If we really are the "99ers", and we really want to make a significant change in our system, our movement must go mainstream, and try to bring in more than those from the activist left.  We need to bring in average citizens who may normally not be involved with political issues  These can be liberals, socialists, fed up capitalists, moderates, maybe even some conservatives.  We need to grow and unify.

A second criticism is that, while those who are protesting are clearly angry at the actions of Wall Street, they must also be able to come up with some specific, concrete ideas for policy change.  Hopefully, this movement is young, and when it comes to the potential to create change, the sky is the limit.  However, Eric Stetson at Daily Kos has some good ideas for short term changes:

1. A bailout for homeowners who are facing foreclosure and unemployed people with student loan debt -- of equal or greater value as the bank bailouts. Give these people a fresh start by forgiving their debts and keeping them in their homes, and thus improving the economy for all.
2. The "Buffett Tax" (i.e. taxing capital gains at the same rate as income earned from a job, so that working people won't pay higher taxes than the idle rich). It's only fair! And this will help to fund #1.
3. A short-term trading transaction tax for people and financial institutions who use Wall Street as a casino. Such a tax could raise huge amounts of money to fund #1, and would likely reduce the volatility in the markets by making computerized "high frequency auto-trading" by large investment companies less profitable. Such a tax would also make it harder for already-wealthy institutions to "vacuum up" more and more money from the productive sectors of the economy into the black hole of their own coffers.

A Video for Sunday: The Other 9/11

As we remember the lives lost on the September 11 terrorist attacks, we should also remember another tragic even that happened on this day.  On Septmber 11, 1973, in what some call "the other 9/11", General Augusto Pinochet led a military coup d'etat and overthrew the democratically-elected, socialist president of Chile, Salvador Allende.  In the following decades, between 1,000 and 3,000 Chilleans, would be killed under Pinochet's reign.  Another toughly 29,000 people would be tortured, two-thirds of which happening during or immediately after the coup.  Pinochet led one of the 20th century's most brutal dictatorships, and he was partially funded by Henry Kissinger and the Nixon Administration.

This video comes from a man who lived in Chile during the coup, but later defected to England.  His words are haunting:



For more info on the Pinochet's coup, check out this article from Daily Kos.

On This Day 10 Years Ago (Part 1 of 9/11 essays)

Image from Sacred Monkeys

I was a college student in the middle of Missouri.  I had just come back from eating breakfast at the dining hall, and I had some time to kill before I needed to go to class, so I turned the TV on.  The first thing that came on the TV were live images of both World Trade Center Towers on fire.  Kate Couric was on TV explaining that not just one, but two planes flew into the towers in New York City. My roommate, who was also at the dining hall, walked in a few minutes later and asked "what the hell is going on in New York?  All of the cafeteria staff are gathered around the TV."  I told him what I knew so far.  News reports started coming out that a plane had hit the Pentagon.  At this point, it was more than clear that the United States was under attack.

As I was getting ready for class, the South Tower collapsed.  At this point, I figured my professor would cancel class so everyone could go back to their dorms and watch what was going on.  I decided to go to the classroom and at least find out what my next assignment would be, thinking that is all that would happen.  But when he came into the classroom, made a comment about how crazy the events are, and proceeded with his lesson.

I couldn't believe he wanted to continue class.  I remember thinking that our nation was in the middle of being under attacked, planes were being hijacked all around the country and flown into landmarks, and this guy wanted to do was continue his statistical probability lecture.  Needless to say, my mind was not on statistical probability.  On September 10, 2001, if you had told me such attacks would take place, I would have called you crazy.  I though these things could only happened in movies. I started asking myself various questions. "How many more hijacked planes would be crashed?" "Are we going to be hit with a chemical or nuclear weapon?" 

I got back to my dorm room, where my roommate informed me the North Tower had collapsed, and that a fourth plane had crashed in Pennsylvania.  For the next several hours, I watched as the news and images continued to be broadcast from New York and Washington, D.C.  Like everyone else in American, and around the world that day, I was shocked by the unfolding events.  My roommate and others in our dorm were wondering who did it, and what would happen now.  The government and terrorism experts were pretty sure Osama Bin Laden were behind these attacks, but no one knew for sure yet.  If it wasn't this Bin Laden guy, then who would have done such a thing?  Was it spies from another country?  Was it right-wing extremists like the Timothy McVeigh in Oklahoma City?  Were we going to invade another country?  Would there be a draft?  Who the hell were we going to have to kill because of this?

Everyone on campus (like the rest of America) was scared.  We didn't know if there would be more attacks after this or not.  Lots of students went to the college chapel for an impromptu memorial service.  I was still a Christian then, but even some nonbelievers attended so they could be with others in this time of tragedy.   The president of the college, a former military man, gave a speech on overcoming fear.  It became a cliche later, but emphasized the need to stay strong and not to hastily look for retribution, or the terrorists would win.  I remember finding that very comforting, and tried to take his words to heart in the days and weeks to come.  I wish more people in our country could have done the same.

My roommate and I were glued to the news on TV for the next couple of days.  We barely left the dorm except to go to class and eat.  I did not let fear overcome me as it did so many others, but I do remember feeling an immense amount of grief.  I would especially choke up whenever I saw the images of people walking around New York with pictures of their missing loved ones, asking to be contact if someone saw them.  I knew, and I think most other people knew that they would probably never see their loved ones again.  And no one knew what the number of casualties would end up being?  No one would know for another year, that it would be a little bit over 3,000 lives lost.  But at the time, people were speculating as high as tens of thousands of dead.



Part 2 , which will emphasize the aftermath of 9/11, will come either tonight or tomorrow. In the meantime, here is a video I found on Andrew Sullivan's The Daily Dish.  It is a video that features John Vigiano Sr. who lost both of his sons in the 9/11 attacks.  One was a firefighter, one was a police officer.

This Labor Day, Thank Unions

 

Picture comes from the blog Boiled Over

Today is Labor Day, a day where workers across the country get a well-deserved day off for all of the hard work they have done.  Of course, this doesn't count the millions of Americans work at a fast-food restaurants, major chain businesses, retail stores and other non-emergency sectors of industry that are open today.  This is a pretty unfortunate fact when considers the type of backbreaking work they often do, along with the low wages and lack of benefits they receive. They deserve the day off as much as anyone.  But I digress . . .

What most people don't realize (or forgot if they ever did) is that the history of Labor Day is rooted in the struggles of the American labor movement of the late 19th Century.  Labor Day, at it's core is a celebration of Unions.

"But why should we be grateful to unions," one might ask.  In fact, this is the type of question I get all of the time when I talk about my support of unions to friends and family.  They either see unions as unnecessary, a nuisance for workers and workplaces, or some combination of the two. Let me be the first to admit that there are (and have always been) unions that are either poorly run, fight for the wrong issues, or are just plain corrupt. That doesn't mean that the overwhelming majority of unions are that way.

As for the necessity of unions, it may not seem like unions are relevant given the decline of unions over the last 30 years (which, by the way, can be directly related to the decline of the American middle class).  But just as most individuals don't realize unions are behind the creation of Labor Day, most people don't realize that it was that gave workers so many rights and priveledges that benefit all American's today.  Here is an excerpt from the Big Corporation blog:

Let's get one thing straight...

Employers and Corporations did not feel generous and decide to give you two days off every week to have a social/personal life. (We now call them weekends). Corporations did not just feel like being nice one day and give their employees paid vacations. CEOs didn't get together in a board room and say "Let's give our employees more rights at work" or "Maybe there should be laws to limit our power over an employee".

Virtually ALL the benefits you have at work, whether you work in the public or private sector, all of the benefits and rights you enjoy everyday are there because unions fought hard and long for them against big business who did everything they could to prevent giving you your rights. Many union leaders and members even lost their lives for things we take for granted today.

Still curious how a Union has benefited you?  Take a look at this list (also from the Big Corporation blog), which lists what Unions have fought for, and won, through their activism:

1. Weekends
2. All Breaks at Work, including your Lunch Breaks
3. Paid Vacation
4. FMLA
5. Sick Leave
6. Social Security
7. Minimum Wage
8. Civil Rights Act/Title VII (Prohibits Employer Discrimination)
9. 8-Hour Work Day
10. Overtime Pay
11. Child Labor Laws
12. Occupational Safety & Health Act (OSHA)
13. 40 Hour Work Week
14. Worker's Compensation (Worker's Comp)
15. Unemployment Insurance
16. Pensions
17. Workplace Safety Standards and Regulations
18. Employer Health Care Insurance
19. Collective Bargaining Rights for Employees
20. Wrongful Termination Laws
21. Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967
22. Whistleblower Protection Laws
23. Employee Polygraph Protect Act (Prohibits Employer from using a lie detector test on an employee)
24. Veteran's Employment and Training Services (VETS)
25. Compensation increases and Evaluations (Raises)
26. Sexual Harassment Laws
27. Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) 
28. Holiday Pay
29. Employer Dental, Life, and Vision Insurance
30. Privacy Rights
31. Pregnancy and Parental Leave
32. Military Leave
33. The Right to Strike
34. Public Education for Children
35. Equal Pay Acts of 1963 & 2011 (Requires employers pay men and women equally for the same amount of work)
36. Laws Ending Sweatshops in the United States

This Labor Day, we as Americans need to be thankful for all of the good that Unions have done.  Unions may have their flaws, but we all need to recognize just how important they are for American workers. And after Labor Day, we need to stand up and fight for the relevancy and existence of Unions (just as they have been doing in Wisconsin).  In addition, we should support efforts for workers all of the country to create their own unions.  It's a tough battle, especially in these times when so many people don't even have a job to begin with; but it's a necessary battle.  Please do not take for granted the rights that American workers have, or they will slowly be lost.  Unless we fight for what is right, American workers will suffer the consequences.

Highlight of the Day: 3/8/2011

 

Photo from Answers.com

Today, I went on a field trip with some of my students to the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library in Independence, MO.  It was a very pleasant trip, and there were no major problems as there easily could have been.  I enjoyed walking through the library and explaining different events that happened during the Truman Presidency to my students.  However, I am not sure they understood everything that was discussed, and I am skeptical of how much they will remember whenever we get a chance to talk about the trip in class (it is at least partially a function of their disability).  My US Social Studies classes just finished discussing the Civil War, so we haven't discussed World War II yet (although I think I will get to this very shortly).  I did tell the students from my classes that were on the trip to expect questions in class, so they should try to absorb as much information as possible.  We will see how that goes in a couple of days.

As far as what I think of President Truman, I am generally a fan.  I won't say I necessarily agree with all of his actions (e.g. dropping of atomic bombs, forcing end to railroad strike, etc.)  But overall, I believe our country was better off because of his Presidency.  And as unpopular as he was when he left office, it is interesting to see how history now views his presidency in a more positive light.  I am sure that part of the reason I am such a fan is my bias as a native Missourian.  He isn't my favorite President, but he is definitely in my Top 5.  

Highlight of the Day: 3/2/2011

As busy as I am, I don't get to do longer posts as much as I would like to.  So, I am think I am going to try something new that would help me publish material on my blog a little more frequently.  The "Highlight of the Day" is going to be something that happened at my job that simply shares what is going on in my job.  It can be good, bad, interesting, or just plain bizarre.  It really doesn't matter.  I will tell you that most days, it will be short, and to the point.  I won't promise that I will post it everyday, but when I am up for it after work, I will make an effort to put something.  Here is my first highlight of the day:

Today, I got to play a 30-second sample of Bob Marley's Classic Song "Buffalo Soldiers" for my US Social Studies course.  We are finishing a unit on the Civil War, and I gave them a worksheet on the African-American Army infantries with the same nickname.  I thought the song would be a nice addition to the worksheet.  Most of the students liked it, but a few were indifferent.  Only a couple had ever heard of Bob Marley (I was disappointed at that).

Read a little American History, then listen to some Bob.

Onion: "Future U.S. History Students: 'It's Pretty Embarrassing How Long You Guys Took To Legalize Gay Marriage'"

Here is an article from The Onion I read a week or two ago, and it took me a while to post it.  It is funny as always, and more importantly, it does speaks some truth.  There will be a day where U.S. History students will wonder why the hell it took so long to legalize gay marriage, just like students today question why the hell it took so long to end slavery or give equal rights to African-Americans.  As someone who teaches an American social studies class, I can tell you that students do question these things.  My favorite passage:

Mr. Bernard, 58, told the class that he himself could remember how in the 2030s gay marriage was still a somewhat touchy subject in certain parts of the country.

"It's true," said Mr. Bernard, gesturing to a holographic projection of late-20th/early-21st-century antigay preacher Fred Phelps on the classroom's V-screen. "Most people had come around by the time I was your age, of course, but you would still read and hear things about how certain people in New Washington were trying to overturn the court's ruling. Hard to imagine anyone being that adamant about gays not marrying, but those were different times."

"In fact, I remember President Romney even gave this speech once calling gay marriage 'an issue that continues to divide many in our nation, including myself,'" Mr. Bernard continued. "Of course, that was before his openly gay son, Craig, served four terms as president a couple decades later."

 The last paragraph of the article really depresses me, mainly because I afraid it might be true:

After concluding the week's examination of the history of gay marriage rights, classroom sources in the year 2083 said they would be moving on to the topic of how their grandparents' generation was too late to do anything about global warming.

Could Iran Be The Next Egypt?

The last time I wrote about Egypt, Mubarak said he wouldn't run for office in September, but he wasn't stepping down either.  I wrote that it wouldn't be a matter of if, but when Mubarak stepped down from power.  Now, of course, Mubarak is gone, and the question everyone is asking is "what is next for Egypt"?  For the time being, we should allow Egypt to have their moment.  The people of Egypt have earned this after 30 years of corrupt and dictatorial rule.

 

Photo from The Atlantic Council 

Just so people remember that blood was shed in this revolution, here is a website to remember those that died during the protests of the past few weeks.

Another question people are asking is, "Who Is Next?"  Based on the events in both Egypt and Tunisia, some believe that pro-democracy movements will continue to spread across Muslim and Middle Eastern countries.  One country that has naturally been mentioned as a possibility of a new revolution taking place is Iran.  While I don't want to make any presumptions, it would not be so crazy at this stage to suggest a pro-democracy revolution could take place there.  If you are not familiar with the Green Uprising after the 2009 elections in Iran, familiarize yourself NOW.  For starters, here is the Wikipedia web page to look at explaining the events.

 

Photo from Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish

 

And according to news sources, it appears that anti-government protests are already being planned for Monday in Tehran.  Again, I don't want to be presumptuous, but revolution in Iran is not out of the question.

 

I understand that from a strategic, foreign policy standpoint, there is not much President Obama can do (nor should he do).  However, there really is nothing more American than what is going on across the world today.  While these are different times, and these revolutions are taking places in different parts of the world for their own unique causes, I can't help but think of the American revolution whenever I see Tahrir Square or the Green Uprising.  The following words from our Declaration of Independence seem so applicable to what is going on today:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.

On a side note, to those in the Tea Party who compare themselves to the Minutemen and think the Obama Administration is oppressing you and infringing upon your rights, I have this to say: Go talk to someone who has lived under the Mubarak regime or who lives in Iran, and compare and contrast what life is like for them and for you.  See who really has it rough.

Finally, check out this video in support of the Green Uprising in Iran.  While I am not a big fan of this particular Muse song, I do enjoy the video and the passion it evokes.

Bill Maher to Tea Partiers: The Founding Fathers Would Not Like You

Here is last week's New Rules from the great Bill Maher.

Jan. 14, 2011 Clip - New Rule: Founding Fathers