September 28, 2007

Interim report went out today. And, as promised, no lecture on how to improve grades. Overall, I was pleased with the results, although some students definitely have room for improvement. In Civics & Economics we began watching "The Ghosts of Mississippi." It is one of my favorite movies to show in the class because it demonstrates so many of the things the course is about. From civil liberties to the judicial process, as well how to be an active responsible citizen. It is jam packed with lessons for Civics. I highly recommend it to any teacher of Civics. I am planning on using it as a spring board for political involvement on the everyday, citizen level. And it will be the subject for the writing project they will begin next week. It is pretty exciting. I will also follow up later in the quarter with a webquest about the Bill of Rights and Civil Liberties. My goal is that the students will form their own opinion about these rights and be able to defend their position about them. It is an exciting topic for me, even if the students disagree with my opinion, which I do my best to with hold, but it is difficult to do even if I do not specifically say, "in my opinion...", because the students will be able to pick up on my tone or my language despite how objective I try to be. But, as long as they can form their own opinion and support it with historical facts, I will be thrilled!

Michelle left for Boston this afternoon. She is accompanying her dad to a wedding so that he doesn't have to go on his own. I miss her already, but she has to do what she has to do, her dad needs her, and I understand that. Evan and I have a relatively busy weekend anyway. Saturday Evan has a soccer game at noon, and Sunday he has a birthday party at 4pm. I am sure we will be able to fill the remainder of the time with fun things. I have also taken the day off Monday because Evan has begun track-out. So Michelle will be at work, and I will stay home with him. Maybe we will make plans with Katie and Chris both of whom are also tracked-out.

Today's Headlines:

Democrats: Unprepared Blackwater Team Provoked Fallujah Bbattle (Newsobserver.com)
Blackwater Eyes Domestic Contracts in U.S. (NPR.org)
Blackwater makes my top headline again today. I have BIG problems with the idea of a private security company providing security in proclaimed domestic disaster areas. I have read a little too much Roman history to feel comfortable with mercenaries as providing peace. Especially when the company is run by an individual with very slanted, one-sided point of view (it would be hard to find anyone, really, who could be totally objective). Isn't it bad enough that they have created problems in Iraq that our military has had to clean up and our government has to take responsibility for? What would happen if this praetorian guard was given the authority to walk the streets in a domestic disaster area? The way I see it, is this is only one step away from becoming death squads or secret police that are accountable only to the chief executive and with little oversight since their actions would be clandestine. In other words, all that would be missing is some insignia, much like the SS in Nazi Germany, China's Red Guard, Stalin's NKVD (Narodny Komissariat Vnutrennikh Del), and so on. I do not like it one bit, nor do I like to potential for the Orwellian control they will try to have over citizens. I feel that this would be another step, combined with FRT (facial recognition technology), warrantless wiretapping, and "sneak and peek" searches of of computers with out a warrant, down a very slippery slope that would eventually lead to self-censorship in speech and press, as well as assembly, out of fear from what will become an American death squad. We, as citizens of the United States must be vigilant to protect our freedoms and rights. If we cannot then the terrorists have one a major victory over the United States, perhaps without ever attacking us again. And perhaps one day, speech, such as this blog today, will result in my disappearance and "re-education."

The Price of Freedom is eternal vigilance.

-MC