It is early on Sunday Morning. The last several days have been OK. I am starting to fall into a rhythm at school, though five in the morning still seems like cruel and unusual punishment. I am having better success with my fifth period science class, though I still want to find things that I can do “hands-on.” The room I have is not set up for anything like that, sadly. I will have to improvise something.
Sixth period is my problem group. I have resigned myself to having some “fun” activity at the end of the day. I let them play something. It is a reward for merely being difficult for the previous forty minutes. They are SPED kids. The attention span has been tried and pushed to its limits. Also, most have reading difficulties. Again, this is life science. I would like to have something more hands-on, but the room… same song, different key.
Trying to Think About 9/11
I tried to write about 9/11, but found that what I remember most is the assault on Civil Rights that congress passed under the ironically named “The Patriot Act.” I kept thinking of the lives lost in Iraq and Afghanistan owing to wars based on lies. I kept thinking about one of my students over the summer. I had given a writing assignment. I took what I thought would be an innocuous theme: “If I could speak to the President, I’d ask him…” Seemed like a good thing at the time. One girl wrote, “I would ask him why he killed my cousin. I miss him…” What could I say? When I wrote my comments to her, I told her about losing my cousin in Viet Nam. Shallow comfort: two deaths for lies told to the American people by our leaders.
I still stand resolute in my conviction that the war on terror is an unjust war. War is not a metaphor in this sentence, like the “War on Poverty.” This is a shooting war with no clearly defined enemy. Why has there been no outcry against the idea of a war against an idea? That is most frightening to me.
Yes, there are horrible and immoral people that will use terror as a weapon. We have had such a group in this country. The KKK was the terrorist wing of the Democratic Party in the South following the Civil War. The Democrats faced their demons; and have done well in separating themselves from this bloody past. Ironically, the Republican Party was the party of individual rights. It now has become the party of neo-fascism. It is the party of terror on an international scale. Why have we not considered the reason for the birth of terror? We created this monster though years of dependency on the resource they hold: oil. When human dignity is crushed so a foreign power can take a resource, the people that are broken can be rallied as a potent political force. Add religion to the mix and it becomes a crusade.
I am in no way condoning these acts: they are cruel, heartless, and barbarous. I would hope that we could find a way to break free from this cycle of despair. We are a creative and resourceful people. We need to do a new thing.
Back To Other Thoughts
I have been suffering from compassion-overload with the non-stop news about Hurricane Katrina. I have begun to wonder if there are any other events in the world news. It was horrible. I wonder why the administration that had demanded centralization of response to natural disaster could not respond more quickly. A hurricane is not like an earthquake. An earthquake strikes with no warning. The weather service can see a hurricane as it begins formation and sets a trajectory. It was not the wind or rain that did the most damage; it was the storm surge that followed. The levees were overwhelmed. Build a city on the coast below sea-level and floods must be anticipated.
It is all too easy to blame the director of FEMA. Yes, he bears some responsibility. The greater measure of responsibility goes to the Chief Executive that appeared oblivious to the threat. Centralize authority and the buck is going to land on the central authority’s desk. It did one thing for Mr. Bush. Cindy Sheehan was effectively blown off of the news.
Disorganized Thinking This Morning
I generally like to write to a theme. I like to have some coherency in what I am saying. If you are taking time to read, I need to write clearly. Today seems to be the exception to the rule. My mind is all over the map.
I am looking forward to school on Monday. I like the kids. I like it when I can see them learning. I like it when they push themselves a bit. Yeah, there are discipline problems. But they are not overwhelming. I just keep on keeping on. I like the school where I am working and enjoy my colleagues.
That’s all for now… maybe next time I’ll be more clear in my thoughts.
Happy Sunday.
- tDF
