President Obama to United Nations: ‘We Do Not Ban Blasphemy’

Let me tell you a story.

I stand by this statement. In fact, in many ways I stand behind freedom of speech more than some other rights afforded us as Americans.

When I was in college (this is the story part, my friends, in case you got lost in a sentence or two), my roommate’s girlfriend, was a gifted cartoonist. She made one of the most offensive cartoons I’d ever seen. If you knew me and my job, I should have been outraged. Furious.

But the school newspaper, with its young, hip (and very hot) editor, ran with it. It made massive controversy. Even I disagreed with the cartoon’s content. 

The phone calls started to my room and hers. Nasty phone calls. Mean ones. I understood their anger. I agreed with them on many levels. But one phone caller (remember this was the late 80s, when we didn’t have caller ID), apparently someone who knew my major, asked, “how can you not say anything, Roo?”

“Freedom of speech and the press, dude."

No one was breaking any laws. As much as I disagreed with the message, she had every right to write it; they had every right to publish.

Just like this whole “Super PAC” bit. As much as I hate corporations, they have the right to express themselves and, yes, that means, they can give money. I don’t agree with them having any power, but in the eyes of the law AND this American, they can still do it.

I just have to remember not to listen.

Turning to even more current events, I agree with the President on this count. This is a stupid, vapid, arrogant video that says little and means nothing, other than to provoke. It’s a like a really bad Jon Waters movie-only those movies have a point (which is saying VOLUMES).  Porn has more going on, as it were.

But it has a right to exist. Even if we don’t agree with it.

However, that does not mean other groups can go and kill people because it exists.

There, had my coffee this morning and felt like pointing that out.

Peace,

Roo

President Obama to United Nations: ‘We Do Not Ban Blasphemy’

Voter Fraud Caught On Tape - YouTube

Ahhh, Colorado Springs.

Actually, the humor in this? The Right Wing is doing this. Are they afraid of something? And they are saying they are working for the county office. Are we truly shocked? Still, I’m just waiting for when I get out and vote. Wanna make a bet, this Out’Mo is going to be stopped?

I hope not.

Why isn’t this making a tour of the interwebs?

Peace,

Roo

Daily Kos: Mitt Romney wants airplane windows to roll down in case of fire so people can breathe more easily

 

Dear Fate,

Let this story be true. Please? Just because it would fit. Of course, it probably isn’t. I’m not that stupid.

Secondly, please note the first sentence. “Ann R-Money’s plane.”   This bothers me. Here’s how HelmetHead R-Money could get my vote. Pay off the US debt. Just use one of his debit cards. Puft. All gone. Sell, I don’t know, a few of those planes and car-elevator.

Daily Kos: Mitt Romney wants airplane windows to roll down in case of fire so people can breathe more easily

Peace,

Roo

Fifty years ago, today-Eep Opp Ork Ah-ah

 

 

I suppose I could chalk this up to the famous cliche, “When I Was a Kid..”

But in all honesty, we still have prime time sitcoms.  But this little clip is one for the ages. The Jetsons was about family in the future-future. Like all popular art, it reflects a simpler time, a life not complicated yet with immediate media and forced self-reflection.  Sure, it talked about the future (still, I’m sad to say, no flying cars), but had a value-system that still had a nuclear family unit with 2.3 kids.

And, no, I wasn’t even born when it premiered in 1962, on this very date. But when it went into syndication, I was glued to it, even on Saturday mornings.

And we still have a nuclear family, but it has become social critic, like Family Guy or the Simpsons. Or, in the vein of these Jetsons, we have now have Futurama (which to me, surpasses many a television program for social commentary!) 

So? Let’s not look to the old in disgust, but see the pure joy in old fashioned comedy. In this very famous clip, Judy, the teenage future-daughter sent in a poem for a lyrics-contest to be made into a song by a Justin Beiber kinda guy. Only her younger brother, Elroy, instead deleted the poem and substituted his own lyrics in an attempt to sabotage the context. The weird words won and the joke was on her little brother.

No violence. No insults. Old fashioned comedy. With a weird Tomorrowland-vibe. Float back for this bit of Roo-nostalgia.

Peace,

Roo

Daily Kos: Romney to teacher "I didn't ask you a question"

 

As if this man needed another nail in the coffin that was his campaign.

I can see him saying this to a teacher. You don’t become a businessman without being strong willed.

Education’s funding has been cut every year, yet, private schools don’t get that. Private schools do better. Hmm? Weird how that works. And now? Getting cash, via vouchers, to go to the private schools, so they get MORE money?

Are we really shocked?

Here’s how I’d change education, if I may.

*)  Use standardized testing that has already been normed to determine where kids are. Not the state testing that is written on the fly, changes yearly, and isn’t normed to the grade level being assessed. They are private companies, in the pockets of politicians, earning extra cash. Instead, look to exams like the IOWA basic and SATs.

---from there? Use it as a diagnostic tool to inform teacher decisions.  Do not use it to cut funding, but, instead, to merely get a bead on kids.

*)  Increase the salaries of teachers. Let’s go ahead and attract the best and the brightest. Private schools do it. They pay their teachers well. And look what happens? People aren’t going into education any more. Let’s get reasons to bring young people and, even, older ones, back into the fold.

*) Merit pay systems don’t work. Most people don’t go into teaching for cash. Think about it. Yes, this contradicts the last statement, but hold on. Knowing you have a middle class income for a while, you can focus on the non-monetary aspects of the job.

*)  Look to the cultures that value education and see what happens. Europe has been enacting these kinds of things and yet, no one, no one seems to think that’s a good idea. It’s laughable. “We’re falling behind other countries in reading!” But we never sit down and ask what they are doing! If we did, we’d see a vastly different system that doesn’t seek to destroy teachers and make a buck off the plight of children.  Watch the face of a Japanese person when an American tells them they are a teacher. There are deep bows and much respect.  Here? “I didn’t ask you a question.”  Rudeness is the respect given to an individual that is giving over her life to helping children achieve their potential.

I wonder how he’d treat other Americans? Or is this an example of what’s going to happen to the other 47%?

*)  Enact the arts. Not all kids are book learners. Sports are going strong, so keep them. But where’s the Home Ec? Ah. They aren’t tested, and schools get funding for passing grades. That’s silly. Every kid is an individual. Let’s move to having more classes and more places to learn different topics.

*)  Better food. Wanna know why kids are fat? Homes, not schools. But imagine if schools were offering plates of food that they need AND want?

*)  Build schools. Teachers shouldn’t have to worry about the leak in the ceiling.

*)   Yes, raise taxes to do this. It’d be something in the shortrun. This summer, the city of Colorado Springs sadly burned as the people there, a bastion of GOP wannabes, cut funding for fire departments. Looks like it didn’t help. Wonder how they feel about that now?

*)   Cut the angry rhetoric, and yes, I’m looking at you R-Money. Wanna know why there’s shootings at schools? Open hatred. What if they fostered a willingness to collaborate?

*)  Okay, I hate to bang on unions, but, truly, administration does need a bit more control over their personnel. Something does need to change over that. But how?

 

Ranting, done. I feel better now.

Peace,

Rooy

Daily Kos: Romney to teacher "I didn't ask you a question"

What’s under your mask?

I just thought this was cool.  Not mine, all rights reserved, etc.  Plus, just seeing if I can post again.

Peace,

Rooy