Critical Race Theory

 Maybe we should know what CRT is before everyone on FB starts spouting off their opinions.

It is a moment in time when millions of (especially white) Americans have finally come to realize that 'systemic racism' exists and the first step towards getting rid of it is to recognize the privileges one group has over another and the bias built into systems to keep that group in power over another in economic, educational, business opportunities, and equal justice under the law. It does NOT mean your accomplishments are any less for all your hard work, it means that others did not get the same chance as you and if there are impediments and unfair practices built into institutions to hold others back, then those protocols, procedures, rules, laws, and behaviors need to change. The President has decided that it would be unpatriotic and unfair to help the country recognize the past inequities and immoral oppression of another race for the benefit of essentially white, christian, property-owning men (the only people who could vote during the creation and founding of our nation) and that it has continued in many forms for the last 400 years to become institutionalized (systemic, get it?). Therefore, he has ordered any trainings for federal employees that use CRT to be stopped. Do we need any clearer case for the existence of white privilege than he? We need to look at our scars and still open wounds and begin to heal and make it right, not lie, deny, and ignore the infection. Article from Purdue University for a good overview of the theory https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/literary_theory_and_schools_of_criticism/critical_race_theory.html

Another article with an overview and access to opposing viewpoints:

https://www.thoughtco.com/critical-race-theory-4685094

What it might look like in a classroom.

     Numbers don't lie and I am sick and tired of politicians and media mouthpieces saying that "the American people have spoken" as if some vast majority of the voting public agreed that the Donald should lead us into the Promised Land. A mere 26% of the voters in America supported him. (see the math below) That is no mandate. That is no cry for radical change. That is barely a quarter of the nation that wants something different.
     Remember those numbers as we move forward. There are more of us that do not want to watch the last 8 years dismantled. There are millions of us Boomers who are willing to get back in the trenches to fight any rollback of Medicare and Social Security. There is room to reach out to those who feel disconnected from the success most of the bluest states have enjoyed.
     Most importantly, there is an astounding 41.6% of the populace that did NOT vote. Were they put off by what so many thought were two bad choices or are they so disenchanted that they feel it doesn't matter who is in power? Did they not receive an adequate education of what it means to be a citizen? Do we need a more vigorous curriculum to teach future generations what it means to be part of a civic society and democracy works best when it is participated in? Have we all forgotten that it is a government OF the people, BY the people, FOR the people?
     Of that 26%, a tiny, but very vocal, minority, are blatant white nationalist racists and should not be given any airtime as it lends legitimacy to their backward viewpoints. Yes, they are free to voice their hatred but they should not be given a place at the political table as if they hold a legitimate viewpoint. We kept Stein and Johnson out of the debates and essentially off the airwaves because they never reached the 5% they needed, why would we give airtime to a minuscule, virulent minority? I don't see speakers from the Communist Party or Anarchists of America on any of the talk shows so why do I see these cavemen with their misguided ideas about race laughing about the Heil Hitler sign and being given an opportunity to rationalize their thinking on national TV? They should be shouted down and drowned out with indignation every time they rear their ugly racist heads because America has no place for that kind of ignorant bigotry.
     Numbers as of 11/27/2016: Here's the Math:
231,556,622 eligible voters / 58.4% voted: 134,765,650 / 41.6% did not: 97,000,000
Stein and Johnson got a combined 5,249,432 (4.1%) which leaves 129,516, 218
last count has Hillary at 64,637,563 (50%) and Trump with 62,409,389 (48%) leaving 2,449,266 outstanding which are mostly from solid blue states which would imply that Hillarys numbers will still go up.
SO, take away the 4.1% from Stein and Johnson from the original 58.4% that voted and you get 54.3%. Hillary: 50% of 54.3 = 27.15% / Trump: 48% of 54.3 = 26%
Trump was elected by 26% of the eligible voting public. Barely a quarter.

You can believe what you want, but you can't tell me what to believe.

http://deadstate.org/mike-pence-believes-the-earth-is-6000-years-old-and-he-wants-to-teach-that-to-your-kids/

this is an article about Mike Pence. I think it is important to do our due diligence and understand what the people who are taking power believe in as those beliefs will influence their policies. I started with this article and then did more research and have found that he is, in fact, a true believer in 'intelligent design' which is a semantic term created during the Bush administration to replace 'creationism'. It made it sound more scientific and therefore they could try and make us teach it in public schools. It never got off the ground but Pence is a true believer. He is a VERY conservative Christian and from many interviews and speeches I have heard and read, he takes the bible literally. He also does not believe in evolution. If he wants people to learn of these theories in their church, so be it, but keep it out of public schools. We teach Science in school, not religion.

"A scientific theory is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment. Such fact-supported theories are not "guesses" but reliable accounts of the real world."

I have no problem with someone believing what they want as that is one of the basic rights guaranteed in our Constitution. 

 "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;..."

There is a clear precedent for the separation of church and state and we need to keep a vigilant eye on any legislation that brings the church, specifically Mike Pence's ultra-conservative, orthodox Christian kind, into public schools.

I have decided that Facebook is not the place to have political discussions so I have revived an old blog I started 6 years ago. This is where I will rant and rave and express my political views without having to worry about trolls.

Beyond the Commercials

Election day is near and the ads are constant on TV, radio, and the Internet. All the nasty, misleading misinformation is flowing from both sides like an unstoppable volcano. Come next Tuesday it will all thankfully stop and we can get on with our lives. Until then, IGNORE every commercial you see or hear. They mean nothing. They have nothing new to tell you.



I, on the other hand, have lots of opinions and you are welcome to read on and see what I have to say about the candidates and propositions. I will tell you up front that I am coming to this election from an educational viewpoint. All my choices are based on whether it will help fully fund and support public education, give teachers a voice at the 'reform' table, and ultimately, help me keep my job.



Meg Whitman will not help public education. She will make deep cuts to the public employee sector and put in place huge corporate tax breaks and that takes money away from education. I have searched high and low to find out what she wants to 'fix' in public education but there are no specifics anywhere and the overall mantra seems to be that we need to find ways to fire teachers easily (sounds like a corporate CEO to me) and any bad school will be changed to a charter and somehow that will miraculously turn them around.



Jerry Brown has a record of supporting education. He will honor Proposition 98 (that we overwhelmingly passed and that Arnold is suspending) that guarantee's minimum funding. He will work together with District offices, administrators, teachers and parents to develop a fair form of evaluation and is a true believer in allowing local districts to make local decisions.
Our state is in bad shape. The Democrats will still control Sacramento after Tuesday. Meg will have no better chance at getting anything done than Arnie did. She will be blocked at every turn and she will be powerless to use her business skills because she will be unable to fire workers or management that doesn't agree with her vision. Our state is not a company. It is a wild and crazy mix of diverse hopes and dreams. Jerry knows the ins and outs of Sacramento. He is beyond political sides and has become a pragmatist that will do what needs to be done to get our state moving forward again. Jerry Brown for Governor.



I don't have much to say about the Senate race. Fiorina shipped thousand of jobs overseas, made herself rich, and left HP in worse shape than when she took over. Boxer is a champion for education and the working people of California. Barbara Boxer for Senate.



Prop 19 - Pot. Make large amounts of tax money on the legalization and distribution of pot? The feds will never allow the raising, packaging and selling of pot so the reason to say yes is to make a statement and start a movement in the United States to legalize a drug that is arguably no better or worse for society than alcohol is. From a purely financial view, I say: Yes on 19.



Prop 20 -redistricting, part 1. This proposition was created and paid for by the son of a Wall Street billionaire, a man named Charles Munger, Jr. When a proposition is paid for by one person, I am immediately suspicious. It would direct the citizen commission to draw congressional boundaries as well as state legislative districts. This gives the commission much more power and would cost us millions more than we agreed to in Prop 11 that created the commission. More disconcerting though is the implied racist language in the proposition that calls for districts to be 'segregated by income'; 'similar living standards'; similar work opportunities'. This is the same language that created the notorious Jim Crow laws in the south and continued the separation of peoples by race and class. For this reason alone I adamantly say: NO on 20.



Prop 21 - $ for parks. Charge you a tax on new vehicles bought to help pay for the deep cuts to the state park system. I need nature to replenish my patience well. I say: Yes on 21



Prop 22 - $ is locked to specific spending. This sounds good but our budget has been played with so much that most everyone gets their funding from the general fund nowadays. Until there is a separate, untouchable source of income for education, we are dependent on access to the general fund. I say: NO on 22



Prop 23 - suspends AB32 This is one of the biggest cons pretending to be a proposition or the people. Two huge oil companies do not want to pay to clean up their refineries and so they have put Prop 23 on the ballot and tried to make it sound like they care about working people. This is a handout to big oil and would stop dead in its tracks the one business model that can help move Ca. forward - green energy jobs. I say: NO on 23



Prop 24 - stop corporate tax breaks. This is a big one for education. If these tax breaks are allowed to happen, education could lose another billion dollars in possible funding. We have lost close to $25 billion in the last three years and cannot afford any more loses. An article in the LA Times today showed that companies in Ca. are not taxed at a higher rate (4.3%)than most other states. In fact, we tax lower than Texas (4.8%), who Meg and others always mention as having a better environment for business. If we pass Prop 24 then these breaks will not go into effect. This one I shout: YES on 24



Prop 25 - on-time budget This is a no brainer. Pass the budget on time or you don't get paid for every day you are late. Retain a 2/3 requirement for any bill that involves taxes. This proposition combined with Prop 24 and Brown as governor might actually keep the hounds at bay next year, keep class sizes where they are (still too big) and keep anymore teachers from being laid off. I say: YES on 25



Prop 26 - vote on fees This is the second biggest con on the ballot. This is funded by Chevron, Exxon, Shell, Bp and other energy companies because fees are raised to help clean up the pollution these companies create. Don't be fooled by the commercials. This is another handout for big oil. I say: NO on 26



Prop 27 - redistricting part 2 - this would repeal Prop 11 and take away the Citizens Commission that will draw the state legislative districts and give the power back to Sacramento where it has always been. Toss-up. From a a financial viewpoint, it would save millions in the cost for this new commission and as we know, once a commission has been created, it hungers for more money. I say: YES on 27



These are my viewpoints. Take them as you will or don't take them at all. All I ask is one important thing: VOTE !