Kelly in Kansas

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Clark: Fire Clinton for Failing to Stop 9/11 Attacks
(2003-12-23) -- Bill Clinton should be fired as ex-president because he failed to stop the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, according to Democrat presidential candidate Wesley Clark.

Mr. Clark's remarks came just after news reports that he had praised Mr. Clinton, rather than George Bush, for applying pressure to Libya that resulted in that nation agreeing to abandon its weapons of mass destruction.

"After I gave my former commander-in-chief credit for squeezing Libya," said Mr. Clark, "I realized that I would also have to blame him for not stopping the 9/11 attacks. After all, there was a three-year hiatus between the Clinton White House and the Libyan decision, but only nine months between Bill's departure and the day the planes hit."

The former NATO Commander added that his views on the matter were subject to change without notice.

Pejmanesque: "THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do then by the ones you did. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
--Mark Twain"

ScrappleFace: Yes, Virginia, There is a 'United' States of America: "December 24, 2003
Yes, Virginia, There is a 'United' States of America
LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
Dear Editor --
I am a 19-year-old year old college student. Some of my professors and fellow students say there is no 'United' States of America, because our nation is so divided along ideological lines. As I read the paper, and watch the TV news, I almost believe it. My Dad says, 'If you read it at ScrappleFace.com, it's so.' Please tell me the truth, is there a United States of America?
Virginia O'Hanlon VII
Yes, Virginia, there is a United States of America. It exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no United States! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias.
But the United States of America isn't about politics, or ideological debate, or the constant buzz of news -- which is, afterall, simply entertaining drama. All drama demands conflict, protagonists, antagonists and change. That's what the news is. People who look to it for a faithful reproduction of events, look amiss. Like a good play, you must allow the news to entertain and challenge you. You must suspend disbelief to be swept into a world where big pronouncements mask little minds, altruistic gestures disguise selfish motives, and one shocking event follows another in rapid succession, because that's the way the producers want it. In the end, the characters in the news must be in conflict for the drama to occur. Therefore, peace and goodwill have little place on the pages of the paper or in the ceaseless drone of broadcast news. Cooperation, human kindness and small acts by ordinary people"

Well, I made it past this Christmas before I got sick. I was getting too stressed and should have slowed down a lot sooner. But I had a great time out with Marcia Tuesday night and was fine until dinner time on Christmas. I was out of it Friday but was able to do a few things on the computer today and feel a bit better today. Hopefully will feel well enough to get out to the farm tomorrow.

Which of Henry VIII's wives are you?

this quiz was made by the groovtastic ghouls at Spookbot

of how lucky I am

From the Wall Street Journal:

1. America is the greatest force for good on the planet. America, with the support of Britain and some other countries, and against the rest of "world opinion," liberated Iraq from evil. If it were up to the U.N. or the EU, or the editorial boards of most major American newspapers, Saddam would still be happily making palaces for himself and torture dungeons for his people.

2. The positive effect on humanity of good vanquishing evil cannot be overstated. When evil people get away with what they have done, it has a dispiriting effect.

3. No Muslim or Arab country lifted a finger to help the Iraqi people.

4. Not everyone is happy about Saddam's capture. . . . Saddam's capture is a victory for American force and for George W. Bush, and the Left hates both more than it hates Saddam.

5. The Left seeks power, but is incapable of leading because leadership and wanting to be loved are mutually exclusive. . . . Much of the Left's criticism of Mr. Bush revolves around this issue: "Look at how popular we were right after 9/11 and how unpopular we are now."

. . .

10. The reason the president is shaping history is that he has as strong a set of beliefs -- in America's moral mission and in Judeo-Christian religious values -- as those he is fighting. Those who hold bad beliefs can only be defeated by those have equally strong good beliefs.

Here's the rest of the article.

Yesterday evening, I decided I was hungry for our local food favorite: fried chicken. I picked up a friend and we started our journey. A journey, you say? Well, with all the road construction (also dubbed "the super-two to nowhere" - except the state line), we were on back and windy country roads. Most of this part of the world is on a grid system in the backwoods so it's very easy to backtrack. However, we were in the midst of all the old small coal-mining communities. I will have to go drive those roads during the day but we enjoyed the twists and turns among the occasional snowbanks that were still left. And, finally, we saw the sign for the competititon pointing us back a ways. The competition.....well, there are two chicken places literally side by side. Usually I have the German potato salad, the spaghetti, and the applesauce but last night decided to have slaw, spaghetti, and mashed potatoes and gravy instead - great comfort food. Now I definitely have to get to the Y today!

WSJ.com - Hussein Is Captured In a Cellar Near Tikrit: "Hussein Is Captured
In a Cellar Near Tikrit
Associated Press

BAGHDAD, Iraq – The U.S. on Sunday officially confirmed the capture of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein on Saturday near Tikrit and said it is now holding him in an undisclosed location.
The first words of L. Paul Bremer, chief U.S. administrator for Iraq, to reporters at the much-awaited televised press conference were simply, 'We got him.'
Adding that Mr. Hussein was seized alive, Mr. Bremer declared, 'This is a great day in Iraq's history. ... Iraq's future and your future has never been more full of hope.'"

From academicgame: A scream is better than a thesis.

Spacefem.com Color Quiz: the wonderful color of yellow

you are yellow #FFFF00

Your dominant hues are red and green, so you're definately not afraid to get in and stir things up. You have no time for most people's concerns, you'd rather analyze with your head than be held back by some random "gut feeling". Your saturation level is very high - you are all about getting things done. The world may think you work too hard but you have a lot to show for it, and it keeps you going. You shouldn't be afraid to lead people, because if you're doing it, it'll be done right. Your outlook on life is very bright. You are sunny and optimistic about life and others find it very encouraging, but remember to tone it down if you sense irritation.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

academicgame

another new blog --- with a perspective much appreciated right now . . .

Tightly Wound: December 2003 Archives: "Getting misty-eyed about Marx and Lenin won't save education, kids. Try pulling your head out of your ass and teaching facts, not ideology. That would be a glorious revolution, indeed."

Tightly Wound: December 2003 Archives: "This amuses me because the more academics and universities get up in arms to defend their economic and classroom practices the more they expose the prejudices which contribute quite a bit to the problems they're having--and the biggest problem appears to be their unfounded belief in their own unquestionable position as the great unwashed's intellectual superiors.
Let me clarify--I am more than willing to accede that someone with a PhD in a particular subject has more knowledge of that subject than I, but that doesn't translate into any sort of overall superiority of intellect, particularly since in the humanities a PhD is obtained after focusing research to such a narrow degree that a professor effectively corralls him or herself into a tiny academic space and becomes the master of that domain, trading ideas and papers with the other hundred or so people in the same domain. In short, a PhD can be seen as a one-way ticket to stagnation, and it's the rare professor I've come across who successfully combats the research rut. "

----

Ditto

Widgetopia

Liz Lawley points out another great site!

The Seattle Times: Education: College-prep expectations don't mesh with realities: "Top 10 myths about preparing for and attending college


The Bridge Project at Stanford University compiled a list of the top 10 myths students believe about college for its recent report, 'Betraying the College Dream.' The national report included feedback from students, parents and educators in six states.
• I can't afford college. Students and parents regularly overestimate the cost of college.
• I have to be a stellar athlete or student to get financial aid. Most students receive some form of financial aid.
• Meeting high-school-graduation requirements will prepare me for college. Adequate preparation for college usually requires a more demanding curriculum than is reflected in minimum high-school-graduation requirements, sometimes even if that curriculum is termed 'college prep.'
• Getting into college is the hardest part. For most students, the hardest part is completing college.
• Community colleges don't have academic standards. Students usually must take placement tests at community colleges to qualify for college-level work.
• It's better to take easier classes in high school and get better grades. One of the best predictors of college success is taking rigorous high-school classes. Getting good grades in lower-level classes will not prepare students for college-level work.
• My senior year in high school doesn't matter. The classes students take in their senior year will often determine the classes they are able to take in college and how well-prepared they are for those classes.
• I don't have to worry about my grades, or what classes I take, until my sophomore year. Many colleges look at sophomore grades, and, in order to enroll in college-level courses, students need to prepare well for college. This means taking a well-thought-out series of courses starting no later than ninth or 10th grade.

• I can't start thinking about financial aid until I know where I'm going to college. Students need to file a federal-aid form before most colleges send out acceptance letters. This applies to students who attend community colleges, too, even though they can apply and enroll in the fall of the year they wish to attend.

• I can take whatever classes I want when I get to college. Most colleges and universities require students to take placement exams in core subject areas. Those tests will determine the classes students can take.

For more info on the Bridge Project, go to www.stanford.edu/group/bridgeproject . For more info on the Standards for Success Project, go to www.s4s.org For more info on the Education Trust, go to www.edtrust.org
"

great article!

FrontPage magazine.com: "Shrillary Strikes Again
By Larry Elder
Townhall.com | December 11, 2003


'There you go again,' said Ronald Reagan, during his 1980 debate against Jimmy Carter. His simple, gentle jab at his opponent for misstating the Reagan record brought down the house.
Well, there goes Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., again. She accuses President George W. Bush of trying to 'undo the New Deal.' What?!
Undoing the New Deal? Does she not see the steam blasting from the ears of principled conservatives flatly astonished by President George W. Bush's and his Republican colleagues' willingness to spend, spend and spend? During Bush's term in office, excluding defense and homeland security, non-war government expenditures increased at a rate faster than under former President Bill Clinton. By this time in his term, Reagan vetoed over 20 bills, President George W. Bush, none.
Reagan campaigned to shut down the Department of Education. President Bush shook hands with a smiling Ted Kennedy, D-MA, as they united to pass the so-called 'No Child Left Behind Act,' increasing the federal government's role in education and, by the way, dropping the dreaded-by-liberals voucher provision."

FrontPage magazine.com: "Iraqis for the 'Occupation'
By Dr. Walid Phares
FrontPageMagazine.com | December 11, 2003


Yesterday's demonstrations in Baghdad and other Iraqi cities were a benchmark: Iraq's resistance to terrorism has begun. Ironically, the first TV station to report such a revolutionary development was none other than al-Jazeera, the jihad channel across the Arab world. But the exclusive airing of such footages was not so innocent. The Qatar-based media understood much faster than Western networks the real dimensions of these marches. Therefore it decided to report it first, and, through condescending coverage, demean it in the eyes of Iraqi and Arab viewers, a traditional-yet-efficient subversive tactic. But whatever were the desperate attempts to pre-empt the unfolding realities, the latter rolled on.

Almost 20,000 men and women - twice the number reported by al-Jazeera - marched across central Baghdad, while others repeated the move in different cities of Mesopotamia yesterday. The demonstrators, from all walks of life and from all religions and ethnicities of Iraq, shouted one slogan in Arabic: 'La' la' lil irhab. Na'am, na'am lil dimucratiya.' That is: 'No, no to terrorism. Yes, yes to Democracy!' "

At last, the truth comes out............ :} It means it's too strong for the media to continue to ignore. By the way, is Alec Baldwin still in the country?

CLIOPATRIA: A Group Blog

Something new from History News Network - includes some of my favorite bloggers - will be interesting to see how the group blog (historians as a group of students??? :} ) works . . .

Rich Tucker: A misnomer?: "Well, two years after the first Bush tax cuts allowed Americans to keep more of their money, the economy is booming. More than 1 million new jobs were added last year. Wages and earnings increased 2.4 percent. Gross Domestic Product soared by an astonishing 8.2 percent in the third quarter. The tax cuts are working. No wonder conservatives want to make them, and thus their benefits, permanent."

Brent Bozell: Hollywood and reasonable liberal: "Let's recall a few ridiculous snippets of the Hollywood left's geopolitical genius:
1. In an HBO interview with Bob Costas, filmmaker Michael Moore insisted that Osama bin Laden is currently being hidden by the U.S. government: 'He's back living with his sponsors (in Saudi Arabia) ... I think our government knows where he is, and I don't think we're going to be capturing him or killing him anytime soon.'
2. In an MSNBC interview before the war, actress Janeane Garofalo was asked who was more of a threat to world peace, President Bush or Saddam Hussein. She found no moral difference between them: 'They are both very threatening to world peace, and to deny that is to be incredibly naive.' In August, as she guest-hosted on CNN, filling in for Begala (and how appropriate was that!), she asserted that 'Team Bush is more radically corrupt than Richard Nixon ever tried to be ... It is, in fact, a conspiracy of the 43rd Reich.'"

Oliver North: Mainstream media madness: "During World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam, there were frequent heated debates over the wisdom of certain strategies, resource allocations, troop levels, the national debt and even postwar reconstruction. But none of it was aimed at the motives of Presidents Wilson, Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy or Johnson in prosecuting the wars that occurred during their tenure. Even the volatile clash that led to President Nixon's resignation wasn't focused on his handling of the Vietnam War -- but on his re-election activities. That's not the case today.
After two trips to Iraq this year and listening carefully to those who go to work wearing camouflage, flak jackets and ballistic protective helmets, it's clear that the media's unabated animus and hyperventilated political hostility aimed at President Bush is now adversely affecting the outcome of the war on terror. It hasn't diminished our troops' morale or their affection for their commander in chief -- but it has encouraged our enemies. " (emphasis added)

I just caught the tail-end of an interview with Peggy Noonan on the Today Show. She pointed out how CBS both saved face and saved money by shifting the inaccurate Reagan miniseries from CBS over to Showtime. She talked about Reagan's very active support of unions because of his Screen Actors Guild experience as its president and that the show's portrayal of his being vehemently anti-union just wasn't accurate. Wish I had seen more of it. What I liked best was her closing comment about how the people didn't like what a major network that reaches almost all of American households was doing and let them know about it and they had to do something in response. Democracy at its best. The liberal bent is so over-skewed that it's nice to see some fallout .......... finally.

It's a busy end of the semester. I'm not sure where both October and November went but I have even more balls in the air. The best thing is working on the grant ... despite its detractors.

We're getting ready to select new department chair candidates to interview. An interesting time for our department.

Pre-service teaching students do their last taped presentation today and then they have a cooperative learning exercise next week - although they have already developed so much comraderie that they don't need it.

One student on the professional semester already has a job at the semester. He's really gotten after it and it shows.

I go back to the National Archives later this week and will go over and meet with Kansas superintendents to get our professional development workshops going. We'll start with Brown v. Board of Education.

Am trying to find out how to do video conferencing on the web again.........I think it must now be through instant messaging.

I'm still salivating over the hope of getting a Tablet PC.

Need to do some of the paperwork to finish up classes for the semester. Our new BSEd degree FINALLY passed the Faculty Senate - in spite of another obstructionist who didn't want to acknowledge that her field of elementary education has different requirements than secondary education programs like ours.