The Huge Web of Propaganda and Mind Control
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Thanks to Ronald Reagan and your GOP, the working class was not only robbed
of their opportunities for economic advancement with 'trickledown"
economi...
Seattle School Board Meeting 10/9/2024
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It appears to have been a very disjointed meeting.
We open to President Liza Rankin with a mask on. She sounds like she has a
bad cold. Good of her to t...
When Schools Are Businesses
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Tech writer Cory Doctorow writes a lot these days about enshittification,
for instance in this piece that spins from Prime's continued addition of
advert...
Breaking the Public Schools
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Breaking the Public Schools: Red states are enacting universal education
vouchers, threatening budget calamity and potentially degrading student
achievement.
High Tech Devices: Addiction, Dependency, or Hype?
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“We used to talk more before we had fire.” The New Yorker cartoon about the
possible decrease in Neanderthal communication after the invention of fire
poke...
The Secret to a Happy and Satisfactory Marriage
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"This was a happy and satisfactory marriage," writes Doris Lessing in her
novel *The Summer Before the Dark*, "because both she and Michael had
underst...
Education Support, More Harm than Help
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By Thomas Ultican 10/10/2024 In California, we have the Fiscal Crisis and
Management Assist Team (FCMAT – pronounced fick-mat) which is more often
the bane...
OK Supt. Solicits for… Trump Bibles (??)
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Oklahoma superintendent Ryan Walters supports putting a Trump bible in
every Oklahoma classroom and then some. The October 04, 2024, Advocate
reports that ...
BEWARE ‘THE SCIENCE OF READING’
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“The Science of Reading” is a real thing, so real that it’s required by law
in schools in 40 states and the District of Columbia. They have been
ordered b...
Only 1% of math teachers say they use AI “a lot”
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In the Spring of 2024, RAND found that 82% of surveyed math teachers
have never used AI tools for their mathematics teaching. 1% said they use
it “Often.” ...
Prime Palindromes
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I haven’t done a math puzzle in a while. Maybe a year? But I play with
math. A lot. If I see puzzles, why not share them? What is the largest
4-digit prime...
¿Cuál es el poder de su voto?
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En People's Action, creemos que la gente como tu y yo podemos tomar las
decisiones correctas para nuestras vidas y la de nuestro país. Por eso
estamos pasa...
September’s Parent Engagement Resources
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A Back-to-School Guide for Connecting with Families is from ASCD. What all
parents can learn from the troubled AI in Los Angeles schools
https://t.co/4I5Q7...
Number 18 — A barely-hanging-on Blogoversary
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Blogoversary #18 SEPTEMBER 14, 2006 I started this blog while I was still
teaching, in 2006. I had just begun my 31st year as an educator. Just like
in pre...
Could there be a "Silver Wave" for Harris/Walz?
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Bill McKibben raises this question, and goes beyond the obvious concern
that those of us who are seniors (I am 78) have for Social Security and
Medicare....
Dear AD55 Voters: She Se Puede!
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Click here for image I am so grateful for your support in the March primary
LACDP race …I do not…
The post Dear AD55 Voters: She Se Puede! first appeared...
Student "Growth" Measures Are STILL Biased
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This caught my attention:
New Jersey school districts may soon be evaluated differently, *with a
greater emphasis on student growth* as compared to stud...
Time to Rein in Vouchers
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Universal voucher programs have, in many states led to substantial budget
stress (Baker, 2024;[1] Hager, 2024). Initial cost estimates in Florida
were that...
AIN’T IT AWFUL
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As the terrible feelings of dread and angst spread across the world the
great majority of the American people feel powerless before the onslaught
of those ...
15 Questions for the Candidates
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Those citizens who fantasize about defying tyranny from within fortified
compounds have never understood how liberty is actually threatened in a
modern bur...
Bibliography for History Posts on This Blog
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I remember when school reformers insisted the biggest problem
in education was that teachers didn't come from the best colleges.
Bibliography
VER...
We are making a CPESS documentary!
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In 2020, I was approached by Deborah Meier and Jane Andrais and I decided
we should document the story of Central Park East Secondary School (CPESS).
This ...
Volunteer in 2024
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Be the change, volunteer and make the difference! Let’s face it, the world
is in turmoil, and divisive politics in our country is threatening our
democracy...
The Sky is Falling, or is it?
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Well, this is the first anniversary of the introduction of Generative AI in
the form of ChatGPT to the world of education. Before it was a week old,
over o...
Vote NO on the UFT Contract. Here is Why:
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The best reason to vote no on this contract is this: UFT Unity* lied* to us
in 2018. They misrepresented that contract. It was predicated on deals we
wer...
Metaphors in ‘I Have a Dream’ Speech
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In this article, we will explore the powerful use of metaphors in Martin
Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” ...
Read more
Testimony to the CPS Truancy Task Force
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I prepared testimony for one of two public hearings held by the Chicago
Public Schools Truancy Task Force, a body mandated by state legislation.
The meetin...
Skin Deep
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She spends so much time on her outward appearance. There is never a hair
out of place. Her makeup is perfect and her clothes are stylish and match
to ...
There Is A Teacher Shortage.Not.
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THERE IS A TEACHER SHORTAGE. And just to be sure you understand, it’s not
that teachers don’t want to teach. It’s not that there aren’t enough
teachers cer...
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*Defeating the Purpose of Education*
*Updated: May 2024*
*Most people would agree that the primary purpose of education is to
prepare children for a good a...
THERE IS A TEACHER SHORTAGE. NOT!
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There is a teacher shortage.And just to be sure you understand, it's not
that teachers don't want to teach.It's not that there aren't enough
teachers certi...
Abortion: Only For Those Who Need It!
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NOTE: This post contains my opinions on Catholicism based on my experiences
as a child in the 1960's and 70's. Take what you like and leave the rest. I
m...
Book Banning Turns to Dick and Jane
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Breaking News: Dateline February 4, 2022 - Parents in Dimwitty, Alabama
have asked the Dimwitty Board of Education to ban the children's primer *Fun
with...
On the Edge of Silence
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“There is but one truly serious philosophical problem and that is suicide.
Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the
fundamen...
Have You Heard Has a New Website
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TweetHave You Heard has a new website. Visit us at
www.haveyouheardpodcast.com to find our latest episodes and our entire
archive. And be sure to check out...
Follow me at Substack
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I've moved. Follow me at Substack
I'm now posting regularly at Substack. You can subscribe for free to my new
Edu/Pol blog at michaelklonsky.substack.com
...
Aspiring Teachers Get New Help Paying For College
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[image: colorful classroom pattern]
*; Credit: shuoshu/Getty Images*
Cory Turner | NPR
New rules kick in today that will help aspiring teachers pay for c...
Tips Akses Situs Judi Qq Tanpa Perlu Takut Nawala
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Kegiatan berjudi slot melalui situs judi qq online, sekarang sudah
dilakukan oleh banyak penjudi Indonesia. Tentu, Kamu yang sedang membaca
artikel ini a...
GA run-offs need your help!
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Extremely important. Volunteer if you can. Thank you if you are already
doing so. Out of state opportunities here: Ralph …
Continue reading →
The Threat of Integration
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I have lived in the same house in the Miracle Mile section of Los Angeles
for over 30 years, where up until now I have had little or no interaction
with th...
We fight for a democracy worthy of us all!
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The nation stands at a crossroads, said NEA President Lily Eskelsen García
in her final keynote address to the 2020 NEA Representative Assembly and
it’s up...
A Fundamental Redesign of Our Schools
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I climbed the hill leading up to one of my favorite coffee shops in Seattle
this morning to enjoy a coffee while taking in a phenomenal view of the
city o...
The Passing Of Chaz 1951-2020 Age 69
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I am the son of Chaz and like to inform you that he passed away this
afternoon from the COVID virus. My father passed in peace beside his loved
ones. We ar...
Thoughts on schooling in the era of COVID-19
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Well, a whole lot has changed since I returned to blogging a month and half
ago. In case you didn't notice, and I'm sure everyone reading this did,
there's...
NAEP scores and "the science of reading"
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*Sent to US News. They just informed me that they no longer publish
letters to the editor. *
*Re: “National reading emergency” November 12*
*[https://www...
2019 NAEP Scores: Achievement Gap or …?
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Here you go: A ‘Disturbing’ Assessment: Sagging Reading Scores,
Particularly for Eighth-Graders, Headline 2019’s Disappointing NAEP Results
NAEP 2019: Re...
Cara Menang Bermain Judi Bola Online
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Bermain judi bola online tentu saja memiliki kesenangannya tersendiri baik
itu mendapatkan keuntungan maupun ketika menantikan hasil skor pada sebuah
perta...
A Storm is Coming! (…again)
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A new Commissioner will have as much impact on our state ed system as a new
meteorologist will have on …
Continue reading →
Déjà vu: 2019 ELA Assessment: Dear Board of Regents
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Dear Board of Regents,
I have copied below an email I sent to you almost a year ago, after the
2018 ELA assessment's computer-based testing failures and mo...
The World According to Michelle Rhee
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The men behind the curtain fashioning the brave new world of corporate run
education in America! Michelle Rhee is the founder of StudentsFirst, The
New T...
Blockchain: Life on the Ledger
-
Originally posted on Wrench in the Gears:
I created this video as a follow up to the one I prepared last year on
Social Impact Bonds. It is time to examine...
New Local Businesses in Sacramento
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Starting a new local business in Sacramento is a monumental task, but can
be accomplished with footwork, perseverance and knowledge. One must learn
the loc...
3rd Grade Reading: Who is Failing?
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Education Trust Midwest has just released its study on third grade reading
and, predictably, the results aren’t great. This study uniquely compares
Michiga...
Opting out of the Dinosaur (end of year test)
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Today I sent in a second letter to refuse PARCC/CMAS for my son, Luke. The
first email I sent at the beginning of the year was not sufficient as they
requi...
Resurrection
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I realized it's Lent, but this blog, bless Jesus Christ, can't wait.
Ok, so with that said, I plan to discuss Class Action suits in existence,
as well as w...
IDEA Is Still The Law Of The Land
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Unless you've been living under a rock, you know the US Department of
Education (USDOE) rescinded 72 Dear Colleague and other letters of
explanation to ...
Education Is a Civic Question
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In their final post to end Bridging Differences' decade-long run, Deborah
Meier and Harry Boyte urge readers to put the energy, talents, wisdom, and
hard w...
Site News: New Home for Education News & Commentary
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Quick! Get over there! The daily education news roundup and education
commentaries that you're probably looking for are now being published over
at The Gra...
An Open Letter to NC Lawmakers
-
An Open Letter to NC State Lawmakers and NC State Superintendent Mark
Johnson: I am a NC native, voter, and public school teacher. I am
addressing you all ...
The Secret to Fixing Schools (My Next Bestseller)
-
The Secret to Fixing Schools (My next bestseller) Prologue I just finished
watching a fascinating documentary on Netflix entitled, “The Secret”. The
film p...
Farewell, Sleep
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Today is the official last day of my spring break. I've done a scientific
survey: My natural bedtime is 2 AM, and my natural wake up time is 9:41
AM. Tom...
Capturing the Spark
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It’s been a long time since InterACT was an active education blog, though I
remain quite proud of what we did here. Those of us who wrote blog posts
here h...
Random Musings and Observations. . . .
-
I’ve been gone a while from the blogging scene. Some of my more regular
readers no doubt noticed but did not hassle me about it. Thank you for
that. Sinc...
WTU Peterson Slate: Not a 1 Woman Dictatorship
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Candi Peterson & GeLynn Thompson
Candidates for WTU Prez & GVP 2016By Candi Peterson, WTU Gen. Vice President
*Statements or expressions of opinions herein...
MY NEW BLOG
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My new blog will consist of fictitious headlines, meant to be a blend of
humor and satire. I apologize ahead of time if any other satirical site has
simila...
Thank you
-
Dear Readers,
Thank you for visiting *The Perimeter Primate*. This blog is being retired
for the time being. Although I no longer post here, I do still s...
I am Retiring
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I have some news: I am retiring from the PBS NewsHour and Learning Matters.
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other
conte...
Flaws at the Heart of Current Education Reforms
-
Originally posted on Creative by Nature:
“Teaching is an art form rooted in the wise and careful use of educational
research and assessment tools. When gove...
The MAP Test
-
Teachers will be voting this afternoon on the contract that has been
tentatively agreed upon. I am asking all teachers to not allow an
evaluation system th...
In her book, Phillippo offers details from the experiences of 36 Chicago Public Schools (CPS) eighth graders who attended one of two middle schools and who were vying for acceptance in a CPS high school of their choice.
Phillippo’s term, “competitive school choice,” is apt for two reasons: 1) the most prestigious and most preferred schools tended to be selective admissions (SA) schools, and 2) in general, CPS does not have enough places at schools that its eighth-grade students would actually choose to attend.
Let the games begin. (Indeed, one student likened CPS’ high school choice to “The Hunger Games.”)
This has not been a great week in the US, but here we are again. Read some pieces about education if you can; otherwise, just go curl up with loved ones.
I Love You But You're Going To Hell adds some historical perspective to the issue. As is often the case with education reform ideas, we have been here before.
MIT Tech Review looks at one more scary thing the Chinese are up to. If you want to be further alarmed by the company profiled here, I've written about them before-- here and here.
This has not been a great week in the US, but here we are again. Read some pieces about education if you can; otherwise, just go curl up with loved ones. Testing Craze Is Fading in U.S. Schools. Good. Here’s What’s Next . At Bloomberg, Andrea Gabor takes a look at testing and what may come after. Why Do White Reformers Keep Making This Obvious Mistake ? I Love You But You're Going To Hell adds som
A new study of segregation in charter schools has been released. Authored by Julian Vasquez Heilig, T. Jameson Brewer, and Yohuru Williams, " Choice without inclusion?: Comparing the intensity of racial segregation in charters and public schools at the local, state and national levels " concludes that "national, state, and local data indicate that the charter industry has a segregation problem in
This is part of the value of having a clown car full of candidates for a Presidential primary: the contest becomes a primary of ideas, and certain notions gain traction by spreading across the field of candidates. Not that gaining traction means those ideas will ultimately prevail (a widespread notion among the 2016 GOP field was that Donald Trump was unfit to be President ), but it's still an in
This post is week 8 of 8 in the 8 Weeks of Summer Blog Challenge for educators . I've been doing the eight week challenge because why not? This is the final prompt, and like any good exercise, it calls for some reflection. Here's prompt #8: What will you keep from the #8WeekofSummer Blog Challenge moving forward? I've been trying to answer these from the perspective of my previous non-retired tea
Back in March, the Network for Public Education, a public education advocacy group, released a study showing that the Department of Education has spent over a billion dollars on charter school waste and fraud . Education Next, a publication that advocates for charter schools, offered a reply to that report. The rebuttal to the rebuttal just appeared in the Washington Post , but there is one porti
In 2016, Hillary Clinton staked out what was supposed to be the safe territory on the charter school issue-- to be against for-profit charters, but in favor of non-profits. That qualified as enough of a break with the corporate Democrat orthodoxy that DFER felt the need to reassure wealthy donors that the Clinton's could be counted on to betray unions. But a position that depends on distinguishing
All righty. We are slowly getting back into the swing of things (two year olds do not seem to respond to jet lag well). So my reach might not be quite as far as usual, but I've still got some things for you to look at this week. This supreme court case made school district lines a tool for desegregation. A critical piece of history about how school district lines were set up to be a tool for-- or
In the wake of the murders at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, the great state of Florida decided to make a giant leap forward in establishing a surveillance state , proposing a data base that would collect giant massive tanker cars full of
An audiotape and police report has surfaced about an incident that occurred at Van Asselt Elementary School earlier this year. Here's the story as the Seattle Times reported it.
Basically, a teacher was threatened with bodily harm by a 5th grade student who is less than 5 feet tall - only threatened but it appears he leaned into her using foul language - after she denied his request to leave the classroom. There was no weapon involved. It ended up with her calling the police after he was sent to the office.
Before anything else I want to make clear - the teacher should not have called the police. I'll say that again - she should not have called the police. That the student was African-American (as is established in the police report) makes it much worse because of the disproportionality that we know exists for black children. The teacher was a white woman.
I note that this story has gone national, with the story appearing in Education Week. I also see that the Seattle Times - which has no stated policy on when they allow comments and when they don't - has no comment section for this story.
I also want to make clear that we are going to have a civil conversation. Since this situation is so deeply upsetting, I am going to turn on comment moderation to keep things civil.
There are calls for this teacher to be fired. That might seem an easy call but she is part of a union.
As many families deal with college financing this summer, the Better Business Bureau has reported an increase in fraudulent texts, emails and voicemails about loans.
The Federal Trade Commission says consumers who suspect that they're the target of a student loan scam should file a complaint at ftc.gov and contact their lenders directly. But to keep consumers from ever falling victim in the first place, CBS News business analyst Jill Schlesinger joined "CBS This Morning" Tuesday to share tips on how to spot a scam.
"These calls, or texts, or emails, they are promising to eradicate your student loans," Schlesinger said. "If you are sitting there with $30,000 worth of loans, that is going to catch your attention." She added that the scammers are especially active this time of year, targeting students who have just graduated or parents who are preparing to send their kids to college in the fall.
A lot of the calls reference "changes" between the Obama administration's rules and a new set of rules, Schlesinger said, and try to get you to pay money to get them to release the loans. If a consumer does call back, the scammers ask for credit card information and upfront payments.
"Paying any upfront fee – or even a monthly fee – is illegal," Schlesinger said. "That is your biggest red flag. You don't have to pay any more to change the terms of your student loans, you can do that directly with the government."
The scammers often also try to get you to divulge your federal student aid ID number, Schlesinger said. If they have the number, they can go into the federal system and change things – and they can also use it to further swindle you during future calls.
If you do fall victim to one of these scams, "take a deep breath," Schlesinger said. "There are a lot of places you're going to have to do some work: the FTC complaint line, so ftc.gov, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Department of Education... you [also] must go into the system and change that ID number that you have been assigned, because you don't want anyone messing with your file."
That doesn't mean that every loan service is a scam. "There are certainly private student lenders who are willing to look at your total loan portfolio, and perhaps refinance them… but they would never call like that, and they'll also never charge you an upfront fee," Schlesinger said.
If you are looking to consolidate or change the terms of your loan, Schlesinger said, you can go to the federal aid website. But she warned that changing the terms could mean paying for a longer time, and paying more interest – so it's worth being "very careful."
For a list of legitimate companies the Department of Education works with click here.
"He says that [Nick] Melvoin as a member of the board was privy to the LAUSD legal strategy in its perennial struggle with the charter lobby. He says that Melvoin shared this strategy with the charter lobby."
This is very serious.
I don’t have time to look into this closely, but if this Nick Melvoin—an attorney—was sharing confidential information with the opposing party in litigation, then he has likely violated a number of The State Bar of California’s Rules of Professional Conduct. At issue are several parts of Rule 8.4 Misconduct (e.g. 8.4(a), 8.4(c), 8.4(e)), Rule 1.11, and others—particularly those governing conflicts of interest and the duties of honesty and candor.
I made the mistake of reading the El Paso shooter’s manifesto.
At one point he concedes that an immigrant is someone willing to do a job no US citizen is willing to do, but then he immediately engages in a screed about the contempt he holds for the children of immigrants.
And upon reading those words all of the nightmarish images trapped behind my eyelids spilled forth.
Families bombarded with chants of “build that wall!” And “send them back!”
I made the mistake of reading the El Paso shooter’s manifesto.
Families torn apart by detention and deportation.
Children without toys or books, in soiled clothes, stunted developmentally, scarred psychologically, tortured physically and CONTINUE READING: Our Children Are Not Safe - LA Progressive
THE BEST RESOURCES FOR TEACHING & LEARNING ABOUT GUN CONTROL
The shootings in Gilroy, El Paso and Dayton this week have, once again, brought the issue of gun violence (and white supremacy terrorism – see resources on racism here.) to public attention again.