equivocations

This is one of those situations that has really hampered US credibility. On one hand Israel faces very real threats and in the other has often acted against the International Community's wishes, in a manner it feels will protect it. Israel being rife with contradiction is an understatement. They have my sympathies, but those sympathies don't blind me to the fact that their treatment of the Palestinians is unacceptable. My sympathies also don't prevent me from seeing that our double standard on Israel jeopardizes our standing both morally and politically.

Asking other countries to honor their commitment to the NPT while not asking Israel to be a signatory is but a slight distinction in a very serious matter. Indeed you really have to wonder is this one of the reasons the question, of Iran's President Ahmadinejad's sanity, gets the full court press. Clearly he doesn't need any help in that department as he can be counted on for zingers and ramblings quite readily. However occasionally he does say that if there is to be a non-nuclear (weapons) middle-east then that has to include Israel, which is in the Middle East. Therein lies the fodder for the claim that Western nations want to pick and choose the haves and have-nots in the nuclear weapons realm. The fact is Israel routinely "runs" to the world about its suspicions of the nuclear programs of other surrounding countries while not answering any questions about its own. Short of us, the world appears to be tiring of this.

Israel as any other country is deserving of protection and safety, but it can't be at the expense of sanity and accordance with International law. It may seem counter intuitive but especially with the US revealing concrete numbers on our nuclear weapons, I see more pressure on Israel as an ally to be open and transparent, than I see on Iran. At the same time, they would gain more in the way of the ability to pressure Iran and they strengthen our hand both the world's view of our commitment to Non-Proliferation and our desire for transparency.

There are more links at the bottom should you need one.

The United States of America has routinely and stubbornly refused to recognize the contributions of minorities throughout this county's existence and before. African American History is one great example of this. African American History isn't just our history, it is the history of this country and everyone in it. Meanwhile just calling it African American History allows some to feel better about their parents. This supposedly "exceptional" America lacks the fortitude to look itself in the mirror and be honest. That's fine. Honesty requires character and strength. As much as I love my country, it lacks both in great abundance, but I digress.

Children's school books are not the place to insert ideology liberal or conservative because ideology often does not hold up to reality. The concept of "American Exceptionalism". What pray tell are we exceptional at. Perhaps its being exceptional liars while banking, a Wall Street innovation and the latest craze. Maybe as China's number one borrower, we are exceptional, which brings us to my next point. One of the school board's proposals is that Texas school children be taught that American Capitalism is superior! Right, while Communist China is loaning us money left and right, it some how makes sense to ignore the failings of American capitalism, because it is better than everything else if we say it is. Of course they were on a roll and saw no point stopping. They, went on to specify that American Capitalism works best when there is little government intervention. Wow really. So California insurers telling their clients they're raising premiums by 39% is some sort of benevolence or better yet, the government must be making them do it. Foreclosures and Wall Street cooking the books and somehow, if we just let these guys run things, well we'd all be better off. Even after Enron and WorldCom, apparently corporations love us and the government is evil.

What they are proposing to put in these books is nothing more than opinion. If we print it however its real. Honestly I find this unsettling if not full on eerie. Supposedly only the Russians and Chinese would seek to program little children's minds by telling them opinion with the conviction of certainty in the form school books. Ooopps that's were I learned all this stuff about the Russians and Chinese.

With all that's wrong with this country all we have time to worry about is what school aged children think of capitalism.

I suspect the school board is wasting its time as American Capitalism is in the process of schooling the whole world. Maybe its just me and the kids won't suspect that capitalism is the reason daddy isn't working or why the family is loosing their house. Ah, I see the genius of this. The school board already apologized for Capitalism by saying it works best with less government. So this is all the government's fault. With all this superiority and exceptionalism going around and a wholly American enterprise, odd that China's families fortunes are improving while American families are lookin at homliness, joblessness and despair.

After 400 years of not caring how we get what we want; only that we get it we have become a country in denial. One of the things that Tivo brings front and center in our sports are the exceptionally bad calls that lead to dubius wins and we all just line up and forget. Votes and ballots, same thing. American Capitalism is the best, this country is the best. These kinds of people are the best. Those others not so much.

Will this kind of narrow, petty and small minded dribble infect American dialogue forever. The inclination to blame this on Texas is easy for some or to say oh its the South. This kind of thinking is taking place even in Washington and all over the country.

The current president's biggest critics are the one's who created the mess. However they don't mind helping out, but only if they can be in the driver's seat. America is exceptional at being small and small minded. We have moments of greatness and are capable of a great deal, but in so many instances it gets mired with this kind of blind cheerleading for failed ideals and glorious moments past that weren't all that grand. So now we've come to the point that reality TV isn't distraction enough and instead, the children's school books of tomorrow will be great works of fiction.

Additional Links: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gPQ3ktQNqImWyQ23yXKoCFXWrN1...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/13/education/13texas.html

We're not putting our money where our mouth is. One of the most historically consistent truths is that every great nation has/had a great educational system. Politicians and Pundits alike speak of the value of education and the desire to return the United States to its former greatness and at every turn a budget gets cut, it seems education is in there somewhere. With every denial it would appear education is in there somewhere.

It's really odd because no one seems to mind today's youth footing the bill for the Iraq War or Afghanistan. We fought these wars nearly eight years not knowing how they contributed to the deficit until the Obama administration made the numbers available. When the conversation turns to health care all of a sudden we don't want the youth to be saddled with debt. Well, we send the youth to war and make them fight, then they come back here and pay the debt down as they pay taxes. At the same time they are funding so many of those that are currently retired again through work contributions and yet don't deserve affordable heath care. I can't make sense of any of this, but I do have one question.

Aren't the youth of this country entitled to a good education? Better yet, isn't the country entitled to educated and capable leaders, who its worked tirelessly to prepare to lead? As the cost of higher education continues to skyrocket and we fight about what to do about elementary education which is clearly under siege by any number of human afflictions; namely in-fighting, bureaucracy, greed, corporations, ineptitude and so many more.

At the same time, the children from which tomorrow's leaders will come suffer because we don't see the education of our future leaders worth the sacrifice. If we don't have an educated population, what's the point of fighting over air tanker contracts for the Air Force, when very few might be qualified to fly the planes.

Hitler may have been off his rockers but the educational infrastructure of Germany had to have been unmatched. Had not been for defecting scientist and the post war acquisition of German technology and know how, the US and Russia would still be in the stone ages. How will America compete on a global stage when the children of so many other nations are better educated? We know that education leads to innovation so why can't politicians local and nationally not see that each budget cut they make limits further the promise of this once great but now petty nation. I keep hearing that people want the politicians to run the countries affairs like a real family and cut back like a real family and buy only what we can afford like a responsible family. Well some families sacrifice everything else to see their children and the lot of their family enhanced by a good education today.

We're almost at a place where without money, there will be no education. Sure we will always have elites and the well heeled getting good educations. I guess they'll just send abroad for teachers for their students. As for my beloved California. This is heartbreaking. There was a time where we led in eduction spending and education and I like to believe the result of this is Silicon Valley and other CA innovations. I wish the politicians and teachers really believed that too.