Remember

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

Stop touching him!

I am very protective of my personal space. I often have students - especially female students, it seems - who have no compunction about standing mere inches from me when they want to talk to me. This sends me on a quick retreat away from them, and I have no problem telling them that they are invading my personal space and need to back away a bit.

With this in mind, I have great sympathy for investigative reporter Dan Noyes, who works for KGO-TV in San Francisco. Mr. Noyes had gone to a local hospital to get information on a scandal involving the alleged misuse of funds by administrators there. When Mr. Noyes tried to interview an administrator, a PR flack for the hospital named Mark Slavin quickly anointed himself as King Asshole of the Universe. You have GOT to watch this video. It made my teeth itch:



Now that you have watched it once, watch it again. Instead of becoming fixated on the touchmeister Slavin, watch the smug, self-satisfied smirk on the face of the administrator as her Man Friday runs interference to her apparent satisfaction.

I have to give credit to Mr. Noyes on his amazing restraint. Now, I hope he takes that video to the nearest police station and files battery and/or assault charges.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

The door is locked, the lights are off

Yesterday was my final day of the school year. Originally, my final day was supposed to be June 5th, but we got one of those coveted California furloughs, so May 27th it was.

Since I teach mostly 8th graders, I was on the team of teachers who worked the 8th grade promotion ceremony. There were so many things about this ceremony that appalled me, I thought they warranted mention.

The first thing that appalled me was the absence of what usually appalls me. After we took roll, the 8th grade teachers took their charge down to the bus area for transport to the site where the ceremony was taking place. The buses were still arriving, so we had approximately 250 excited 8th graders standing around with nothing to do. You can imagine what kind of horrible behavior issues can start popping up in a situation like this, but the crowd was really quite tame. I mentioned to one of my fellow teachers how pleasantly surprised I was at the tranquility of the students, and he explained it with quite a logical observation of his own.

He said, "Think about it; who is missing from this crowd? It's that 5-percent of the behavior problems and misfits who are on the no-go list. Think about who is on that list and what it would be like out here right now if those students were here."

He was so tragically correct. That has always been one of the most significant frustrations I have always experienced about teaching, and that is how a relatively tiny number of students can have such a negative impact on the lives of others and of the atmosphere of a school.

Once we arrived at the high school whose gym we were borrowing for the occasion, I was appalled by the students there. My middle school is run as a relatively tight ship where baseball caps and beanies are not allowed, along with many other distracting clothing items and accessories. No such rules either existed or were enforced at this high school. If the school wasn't rife with actual gang members, it was certainly crawling with a lot of wannabes: baseball caps with the flat bills cocked to one side, "stunna" sunglasses, gang color-inspired outfit ensembles, the works.

Once inside the gym where the ceremony took place, I was appalled by the absolutely boorish and embarrassing behavior by many of the parents present. I understand that it is exciting that your kid is leaving the 8th grade, but do you really think it's appropriate to blast an air horn inside a gymnasium when your kid's name is mentioned? Yes, an air horn - the kind that looks like an aerosol can with a funnel on top of it. I think of the parents as being old enough to know better, but then I have to remind myself that many of these parents are younger than I, even though I am only knocking on the door of 38.

Even with spending much of yesterday being appalled, I will freely admit that this group of 8th graders was one of the best-behaved in recent memory. Due to reasons I will get into later, I can almost guarantee that no such experience awaits me in August. In the meantime, I shall savor my summer!

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

New York legislature has seen too many movies

Members of the legislature of the late, great state of New York apparently want to turn law enforcement in that state into a cinematic comedy.

I'm sure that at some time or another, you have seen one of those movies where someone shoots the gun out of the hand of the other guy? While New York's legislature hasn't gone that far, they aren't that far off.

From the New York Post:

City cops are livid over a legislative proposal that could handcuff the brave officers involved in life-and-death confrontations every day -- requiring them to shoot gun-wielding suspects in the arm or leg rather than shoot to kill, The Post has learned.

I know some politicians are often removed from reality, but this takes that notion to new heights, and it pains me to even have to go into detail on why what the NY Assembly wants to pass is such a ridiculous idea.

When a police officer is confronted with a life-or-death situation that requires him to use his firearm on another human being, by definition, he is using that firearm to kill the perpetrator. Guns are made to kill, not wound. If the perp lives, great; but in the end, the reason for the police officer to shoot at the perpetrator is to end a threat to the officer or to an innocent citizen, and the threat must be stopped as quickly and as safely as possible.

The police officer doesn't have time to take aim at a narrow, often flailing, target like an arm or a leg. He only has a split second to take aim at the center of a perpetrator's mass and keep pulling the trigger until that perpetrator is no longer a danger. Shooting at an arm or a leg provides no guarantee that the officer will actually hit his target, leaving the bullet to keep traveling down range until it runs into something else; an innocent bystander perhaps?

In another example of the NY Assembly apparently watching too many movies, what makes them think that a bullet wound to the arm or leg is less deadly? One of the most massive arteries in your body runs down each of your thighs - the femoral artery. Similarly, running down both your arms is the brachial artery.

When a bullet is fired at another human being, you have no idea what kind of damage is going to happen to the bullet's recipient. Limiting the police officer to shooting at a perpetrator's limbs is not only more dangerous to the officer or other people at the scene, it is no guarantee that it will be less deadly.

The intention of the Assembly is undoubtedly to save the life of the perpetrator, but the result of this bill would be to further endanger the lives of police officers and innocent citizens who might receive in the head, a bullet that was meant for a bad guy's arm.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

Pretty neat database... if you are from Sacramento

The Sacramento Bee has posted a database on their website that gives the high, low, and average temperature, along with the precipitation for that day, for any day between now and 1911. Just enter any day, month, and year, and you will find out what the weather was like on that day.

For instance, it was 98 degrees on the day I was born in 1972. Of course, I wasn't in Sacramento, but oh well.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

And who, pray tell, will pay for all this?

From USA Today:

Paychecks from private business shrank to their smallest share of personal income in U.S. history during the first quarter of this year, a USA TODAY analysis of government data finds.
At the same time, government-provided benefits — from Social Security, unemployment insurance, food stamps and other programs — rose to a record high during the first three months of 2010.

Those records reflect a long-term trend accelerated by the recession and the federal stimulus program to counteract the downturn. The result is a major shift in the source of personal income from private wages to government programs.

This is one of the biggest reasons for the rise of the Tea Parties: the steady increase of massive government spending at the expense of the productive people of this country. It can't last. It won't last.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

Going down, Sir?

Things just seem to be looking worse and worse for our Dear Leader. The latest Rasmussen numbers show Obama's strong disapproval rating at 43% and his strong approval rating at 25%. His overall disapproval rating is 55%, with his overall approval rating at 44%. Seems that any positive bump he received from the health care hoopla has smoothed out:


What say you about this, Droopy Dog?



"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

Obama's SEIU rent-a-thugs terrorize bank lawyer and his family

The purple-shirted members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) thought it would be a great idea to send busloads of 500 some odd purple-shirted members to the home of Greg Baer, a lawyer who works for Bank of America. The mob went right up to the doorstep of Baer's home, but he wasn't there. Baer's 14 year-old son was home alone however, and hid in the bathroom.

The SEIU was so proud of their tactics that the union invited precisely one member of the press: a reporter from the loony left-wing Huffington Post. They might have achieved their terror tactics with minimal news coverage but for one overlooked fact: Greg Baer's next-door-neighbor is CNN reporter Nina Easton. Ms. Easton was kind enough to write about her observations in this article.

Meanwhile, here is a news segment and debate about the SEIU's heinous actions:

Seeing as how President Obama and the SEIU are joined at the hip - recently retired president Andy Stern was a frequent White House visitor - do you think we are going to hear anything substantial from Obama regarding these thuggish tactics? Yeah, right.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

California Democrats introduce innovative way to solve the state's budget woes

Nah, I'm just kidding. They want to raise taxes. For the Dems, there is never any other solution but to raise taxes.

Democratic lawmakers in California unveiled a plan on Monday for nearly $5 billion of tax and fee increases to help fill the state government's $19.1 billion budget gap.

The plan by state Senate Democrats would raise $4.9 billion by raising California's vehicle registration fee, suspending corporate tax breaks scheduled to begin next year and boosting the state's tax on alcoholic beverages.
Democrats control both chambers of the state's legislature and have said they would seek new revenue to help plug the shortfall....

Lord forbid they should entertain the notion of cutting even a smidgen of the out-of-control spending that has plagued the not-so-Golden State for decades.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

California city councils may want to first read California immigration laws

In an orgy of self-congratulatory back-patting, the city councils of California's major metropolises either already have implemented, or are considering, a boycott of the state of Arizona in response to Arizona's passage of SB 1070, which enforces the federal immigration laws that the federal government refuses to enforce in that state.

The legislative bodies of the California cities of Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and my very own Sacramento have all come forward with either condemnations and/or calls to boycott the state of Arizona over Arizona's law that addresses the issue of illegal immigration. Apparently, these city councils didn't think to check what California state law has to say on the same subject.

With a very large tip of my hat to fellow blogger Darren, of RightOnTheLeftCoast, I direct you to California Penal Code Section 834b. Read it and weep:

834b. (a) Every law enforcement agency in California shall fully
cooperate with the United States Immigration and Naturalization
Service regarding any person who is arrested if he or she is
suspected of being present in the United States in violation of
federal immigration laws.
(b) With respect to any such person who is arrested, and suspected
of being present in the United States in violation of federal
immigration laws, every law enforcement agency shall do the
following:
(1) Attempt to verify the legal status of such person as a citizen
of the United States, an alien lawfully admitted as a permanent
resident, an alien lawfully admitted for a temporary period of time
or as an alien who is present in the United States in violation of
immigration laws. The verification process may include, but shall not
be limited to, questioning the person regarding his or her date and
place of birth, and entry into the United States, and demanding
documentation to indicate his or her legal status.
(2) Notify the person of his or her apparent status as an alien
who is present in the United States in violation of federal
immigration laws and inform him or her that, apart from any criminal
justice proceedings, he or she must either obtain legal status or
leave the United States.
(3) Notify the Attorney General of California and the United
States Immigration and Naturalization Service of the apparent illegal
status and provide any additional information that may be requested
by any other public entity.
(c) Any legislative, administrative, or other action by a city,
county, or other legally authorized local governmental entity with
jurisdictional boundaries, or by a law enforcement agency, to prevent
or limit the cooperation required by subdivision (a) is expressly
prohibited.

I think it would be a great idea to send a copy of this law to the city councils of Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and Sacramento, along with a letter urging them to boycott not only the state of California, but also themselves, since they are a part of this state. And no, claiming sanctuary city status is not an out, for according to Penal Code section 834b(3)(c) above, no sanctuary cities are allowed to exist within California.

Start writing folks. I promise I will.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

Now, that's what I call efficiency in government!

In New Jersey, which has been seeing a mass exodus of the state's high income earners due to draconian taxes, the overspending New Jersey legislature decided to try to solve the state's budget woes by stupidly raising taxes on - what else? - the state's rich residents. These statists are such one-trick ponies: Tax and spend, tax and spend, tax and spend. Tax the rich, tax the rich, tax the rich.

New Jersey's Republican governor Chris Christie was going to have none of that. Watch this video, in which Governor Christie vetoes the legislation a mere two minutes after receiving it. What is really great is the brief and curt exchange at the end between the Democrat President of the New Jersey State Senate and Governor Christie.

Chris Christie is continuing to impress the hell out of me.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

Pray for me

I am going to be a bus chaperone for our 8th graders later today when we travel from Sacramento to Six Flags in Vallejo for the 8th grade trip. I am going to be stuck on a school bus for a total of about 3 to 4 hours with a bunch of rowdy 8th graders.

All I ask is that you put in a good word for me with the Big Guy. Is that too much to ask?

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

The War in Afghanistan gets personal

My older brother is a Master Sergeant in the U.S. Air Force. He is a lifer who has been in the USAF since 1991. During those years, he has been sent to many foreign locales such as Great Britain, Egypt, the Azores, Bahrain, Iraq, and for the last few months, Afghanistan.

I never really worried about his safety in all the different places he has been stationed - even his stint in Iraq - but I must admit that I hesitated a bit when he told me he was being sent to Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.

My fears turned out to be well founded. This morning, I woke up to read this email from my brother:

Had a bit of a rough night/morning over here. If you want to see the article, it’s on the internet Fox.com then go to world then Afghanistan…

I found the link on the Fox News website, and the opening paragraphs will sum it up for you:

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Insurgents launched a brazen pre-dawn assault Wednesday against the giant U.S.-run Bagram Air Field, killing an American contractor and wounding nine troops in the second Taliban strike at NATO forces in and around the capital in as many days.

Small groups of suicide bombers — some wearing uniforms that appeared to match those of U.S. or NATO forces — tried to storm the base's defenses, while others fired rockets, grenades and guns over the walls into the base, said Maj. Virginia McCabe, a spokeswoman for U.S. forces at Bagram.

No insurgents made it inside the base, but blasts and gunbattles raged for eight hours as U.S. soldiers hunted the attackers down in the surrounding fields north of Kabul, she said....

My brother was thankfully not one of the casualties, but having his air base attacked by suicide bombers in an eight-hour firefight is worrisome enough. This is not the first time that something like this has happened at Bagram. That is the same location where suicide bombers killed over a dozen people while then-Vice President Cheney was visiting there.

I am looking forward to later this summer when my brother can return home to his wife and two children.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

To all you Milton Friedman fans out there

I came across this website which provides all the episodes of Friedman's seminal economics series Free to Choose.

Happy viewing!

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

"If you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan"

Remember those words, uttered over and over again by rote, from our Dear Leader? As just one example, here is a full quote on this subject from President Obama in a speech he gave on June 15, 2009 when the debate over the Health Control Law was beginning to heat up:

“[N]o matter how we reform health care, we will keep this promise: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. Period. If you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan. Period. No one will take it away. No matter what. My view is that health care reform should be guided by a simple principle: fix what’s broken and build on what works.”

The whole time that Obama was slinging this hash, pundits and policy makers on the conservative side of the aisle were yelling at the top of their lungs that Obama could only make this claim if one did not take into account the change in behavior that the new law would effect among doctors and health care providers once implemented. Statist busybodies have never been good at either comprehending or caring about the impact that their harebrained legislative schemes can have on the behavior of the people out there who are directly or even indirectly affected by such legislation.

The classic example of this is the belief that raising taxes will continue to bring in more and more revenue rather than reduce revenue by pushing people to find ways to hide or reduce the income that they have to declare.

Now, it appears the conservative punditry has been proven correct in their denunciations of Obama's insistence that his (and the Dem-controlled Congress') beloved Health Control law will not affect the access that people have to their preferred doctor or health insurance plan.

Dr. Scott Gottlieb lays all this out in a column for the Wall Street Journal. Give it a read.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

My age is showing again

Leave it to my middle school students to remind me of how times have changed.

This week, I am showing my 7th graders the wonderful 1995 film Apollo 13 with Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, Kevin Bacon, and Bill Paxton. I always end the year with this film as my 7th graders have just finished learning about the Age of Exploration, and it is fun to compare the mystery and danger of space travel to the experiences of the European explorers as they set sail across the vast, unknown oceans.

During the scene where everyone at Mission Control in Houston is giving the Go-No Go for launch, there are quite a few people sitting at their work stations smoking cigarettes.

One of my astonished students asked me, "Mr. Chandler, can they smoke in there like that?"

Do remember, we live in California, and it is no longer 1970.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

30 Years ago today. Wow!

I was 7 years old, going on 8, when Mount St. Helens erupted, but I clearly remember watching the coverage on the news. Has it really been 30 years?

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

It's good to be the President's auntie

Days before the 2008 presidential election, word got out that Barack Obama's Kenyan Auntie Zeituni Onyango was living illegally in the United States; south Boston to be exact.

Auntie Zeituni had been fighting a deportation order since 2004, and now she has been granted asylum in the United States by a U.S. immigration court. I'm sure the influence of the President of the United States had nothing to do with the judge's decision to let the illegal alien auntie to stay in this country. One of Auntie Zeituni's neighbors had this to say about it:

“It’s obvious her nephew helped,” said neighbor Marion Swain. “She’s a very nice person - very well spoken. That’s life.”

Meanwhile, President Obama continues to denigrate Arizona for trying to curb the illegal aliens that are overwhelming that state.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

Go get 'em Governor!

The more I read, hear, and see about New Jersey's Republican governor, Chris Christie, the more I'm impressed. Here is an example of what I speak. The embed code wasn't working, so click here for the link to a video of Christie answering a reporter's asinine question. I wish more politicians spoke like this.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

Best. Political. Ad. Ever.

Out of Pennsylvania comes a political ad in support of Republican Tim Burns, who is fighting to gain the seat previously occupied by the late corruptocrat Representative John Murtha.

I think this ad was brilliant. It features Obama having his own stupid utterances used against him, and best of all, it shows a wild-eyed Nancy Pelosi that doesn't seem too far off from the bizarre being that she really is.



"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson