I am sure that most of the news outlets have been following Hurricane Gustav and pregnant teenagers, but I took part in an amazing event today and I think that more people should know about it.

Barack Obama came to speak at the annual Detroit Labor Day Parade.  Considering Detroit's history, one might think that the Labor Day Parade would be a big deal.  I have attended the parade for the last few years and the crowds are generally pretty small (perhaps 1000 people).  I knew however that Obama's appearance would bring out a bigger crowd.

I took the tunnel bus from Windsor to Detroit at 8:00 in the morning.  An e-mail I received on Friday explained that the gates at Hart Plaza would open at 8:30, so I figured that I would have to wait in a line.  A radio reported from the CBC accompanied me, to get the story from an American living in Canada (Sadly, the story didn't air). We walked to Hart Plaza and found a line that snaked down Jefferson Avenue, reached all the way to Cobo Hall and then back towards Griswold.  In all, the line snaked around for almost a mile.

I met several kindred spirits while waiting for tow hours.  One man, originally from St. Lucia, brought his whole family, including a nine-year old daughter who had watched all of the debates.  I met another couple who had worked for the Obama campaign in Indiana.  I watched a young man register to vote for the first time. All around, I saw people of all shapes, sizes, ages, and hues.  As a native of the Detroit region, I was thrilled to see so many blacks and whites together in a happy atmosphere.  The good vibes in the diverse crowd were a joy.  

Unfortunately, my queue mates and I never made it inside of Hart Plaza and had to try a listen to the big screen set up on the street.  Sound quality was poor and he spoke for only 10 minutes.  I don't think that anyone had planned for a crowd of this magnitude.   It took several hours before one of the local media outlets announced an estimated crowd of over 100,000 people.  Anytime a crowd that size gathers to hear a politician, it should be news.  If that crowd is in Detroit, someone should shout it from the hills.

As we all know, Michigan is one of the states that moved its primary date up, hoping to have a bigger say in who the nominees are.  Both national parties have  punished the state parties - taking away convention delegates.

The Michigan primary is January 15.  I am looking at my absentee ballot application and I need to make a decision, do I register Democratic or Republican?

In the Democratic primary, my choices will be Hillary Clinton, Mike Gravel, and Dennis Kucinich.  If I voted in the Republican primary, my choices, as disgusting as all of the are, would be numerically greater and I could mess around and cast a ballot for a dark horse - like Ron Paul.  Or vote for someone who is lagging behind after New Hampshire and Iowa.

Of course, my third option is to boycott the whole broken primary system completely.  Since moving to Canada, I have been fascinated with how the nomination process happens here.  Conventions are more than week-long pep rallies and commercials.  There is potential for them to be gripping and suspenseful.

Please vote below and then leave me some words of wisdom.

Gone are the days of the school marm, who couldn't get married and remain a teacher.  No, teachers of today are faced with issues that would curl the school marm's toes.  We are, however, backed by two unions:  The National Education Association(NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers(AFT).

The American Federation of Teachers

 (Full disclosure, I am on the executive board of an AFT local, as the PAC Chairperson)

The mission of the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO, is to improve the lives of our members and their families, to give voice to their legitimate professional, economic and social aspirations, to strengthen the institutions in which we work, to improve the quality of the services we provide, to bring together all members to assist and support one another and to promote democracy, human rights and freedom in our union, in our nation and throughout the world.

The AFT was founded in 1916 and is affiliated with the AFL-CIO.  It has 1.6 million members, not all of whom are teachers.

It is the smaller of the two teachers unions in the country, but its history has seen its share of hard won battles and controversy.

Just a few of its main battles have included:
Yellow-dog contracts (a contact in which the teacher promises to not join a union)
Tenure (thanks to AFT efforts, 17 states had enacted some type of tenure law by the end of the Depression)
Academic freedom
Segregation (in 1948, the AFT ceased the existence of segregated locals and by 1957, it expelled all locals that refused to desegregate)

Any conversation about the American Federation of Teachers must include a look at the life of Al Shankar.  Shankar was the longest reigning president of the AFT, from 1974-1997.

Shankar was a born and raised New Yorker of immigrant parents who started his union activity in 1959.  He had watched his mother work long hours in a factory, a fact that ultimately influenced his decision to become a union organizer.

As an organizer, Shankar is best known for his role in the Ocean Hill-Brownsville conflict of 1968, during which Shankar called for a strike over the transfer of 18 teachers; the strike lasted two months.  As I have read through the the history of this conflict, I have to admit that I can't tell you if I agree with his decision.

Towards the end of his tenure (and his life), Shankar sought to create a bond between the AFT and the NEA.  He died in 1997 without having bridged the two unions.

The past Sunday, a small group of Michigan Tribbers got together for a little picnic that included pies and tin foil hats.

Kidspeak, moi, keepinon, GKMscot (not pictured), Mrs. keepinon (not pictured - how did that happen!!! it was her birthday), my husband, and of course, the world's cutest baby, Andrew were all in attendance

Sadly, our other BooTribbers, BostonJoe (still here?), wolverine writer, ejmw and Street Kid, were unable to join us, but I think that we all decided that this would not be the last time for a Michigan meet-up.

A small but happy group of Michigan BooTribbers have chosen their meet up date and would love it if any of you could join us.

The date is (trumpets blaring)  Sunday, August 13 at 1:00 P.M.  We will meet at Kensingston Metro Park , about 34-40 minutes northwest of Detroit.

So far, we have me, Kidspeak, keepinon, and emjw (I think).  It sounds like people will be bringing family members.  We'll be in a great park and I'm pretty sure that the food will be delicious.

I have been very envious of all the meet-up diaries that have been written in the last few months.  Envious because I don't think that I'll be able to make any of the meet-ups this year.  That was until the very little gears in my brain started turning and I began to ask my fellow Michiganders if they would be interested in getting together.  So far, the response has been positive, but limited.  I know that I haven't had contact with all the Michigan froggies -so this shout-out is for you.  Actually, this is for anyone who would like to come to our lovely state for a weekend.  I'm pretty sure that Andrew will be at the picnic.

A little over seven months ago, my life (and my husband's) changed drastically.  As many of you know, I have a beautiful son named Andrew, whom we adopted from China.  Several people have asked for a diary about that trip and I finally have the time to do this, so let's go back in time, to see how we got here.

We left on the last Thursday in August and flew to Vancouver, where we spent the night before the big trip.  I treated myself to a little spa action, and tried to sleep as peacefully as I could.  

The trip to Beijing was about 11 hours long.  We were treated to three fairly forgetful movies, including The Wrath of Khan.  Air Canada did offer a cool feature throughout the trip.  Occasionally, a map would be displayed on the screen, showing the passengers where we were at that moment.  I remember  seeing miles of mountains as we flew over both Alaska and Russia.

We arrived on what would be the worst pollution day of our trip.  It looked like we were still in the clouds.  Our guide, "Jenny" was waiting for us and took us back to the hotel, which was really quite nice.  We spent only one day, at the beginning of the trip, in Beijing, as we (and the five other couples with us) were receiving our children in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province.

That flight was truly awful.  We had turbulence the whole time and I think that I squeezed the blood out of my husband's hand.  By this time, my body was beginning to feel the fatigue of the stress and the journey.  

We were to pick up Andrew the next day, and we had no diapers or formula.  I am so glad that we had top-notch guides, "Jenny" (who stayed with our group for the entire two weeks) and "Sophia" (who was only with us in Nanjing).  They had contacted the orphanages to find out what kind of formula the babies had been drinking.  We went to a small grocery store very close to the hotel to pick up the provisions.  Diapers were easy, but the guides did not see our formula (it was there, they just didn't see it).  The guide announced that we would be heading to...Wal-Mart.  I am not kidding.  I looked at my husband and said that there was no way in hell that I had come all the way to China to shop at Wal-Mart.  He went, while I walked in the rain, alone, back to our room.  By this time, Katrina was bearing down on New Orleans, but it hadn't yet hit.

The next day was the big day.  The bus trip to the provincial office was very quiet as all of the couples were thinking about the first time they would hold their little ones.  I never pried, but I am sure that most of the couples (unlike us) had been through many fertility treatments before they had decided on adoption.  This trip was the culmination of many years of heartache for most of these couples.

Of the six families, four of the babies were coming from one orphanage.  Our Andrew and one other little girl were from the orphanage in Changzhou.  When we arrived, four babies were already there, waiting, with orphanage workers, for their parents.  Andrew (and the other little girl) was not yet there.  He was stuck in traffic.  Fifteen minutes passed and I couldn't bear to watch the other families, so I went into another room to try and gather myself.  I wasn't long in that room before I looked out the window to see another car pull up and a little speck of a boy dressed in yellow being carried out.  Finally, we were parents!

All I remember are tears and a flurry of paperwork.  He was so small and had just gotten over the chicken pox.  Andrew looked around at everything else in the room and at us a little bit.  Now the fun would begin.  More about the rest of the trip later.

It has been quite a week for education here in Michigan.  Last week, I attended the AFT (American Federation of Teachers) Lobby Day in Lansing (our state capital).  The idea is that all attendees get the chance to speak with a legislator about education issues.

This year, the AFT set up Lobby Day in the town-hall meeting style, with about eight "town hall" meetings happening simultaneously.  Each meeting had both state senators and state representative assigned to it for a question and answer session.

Sadly, the state House of Representatives was in caucus all day, so we were unable to speak with any of them.  That left us with state senators.  We were to have three senators; we met only one senator.  The other two senators (one Democrat and one Republican) sent staffers.  The staffer sent by the Republican had been on the job for two whole days and education was not her area of expertise and she took no notes.  The Democratic staffer took no notes, but he could at least discuss the issues with a room full of teachers.

The AFT-Michigan asked us to focus on four main issues: the K-16 funding initiative, the School Employees Health Benefit Act, Defined Contribution System and Graded Premiums for Health Benefits (link unavailable), and finally the Michigan Merit Curriculum (which passed in the House while we were in Lansing).  Like any room of teachers, we focused in immediately on the legislation that would have the heaviest impact on our day-to-day lives: the Michigan Merit Curriculum.

As far a state standards, the state of Michigan sets forth standards and benchmarks that are designed to help teachers know what skills students should master at different grade levels (though I have to admit, these standards are not grade specific for high school English).  The only graduation requirement that the state ever mandated was that every Michigan high school student had to take a half-year course in civics.  Of course, no high school in the state requires so little, but the politicians felt that in an election year, this woeful requirement had to be supplemented.

The new high school requirements will look like this

AT LEAST 4 CREDITS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS THAT ARE

ALIGNED WITH SUBJECT AREA CONTENT EXPECTATIONS DEVELOPED BY THE

DEPARTMENT UNDER SUBSECTION (2) AND APPROVED BY THE STATE BOARD

UNDER SUBSECTION (3).

     (ii) AT LEAST 4 CREDITS IN MATHEMATICS THAT ARE ALIGNED WITH

SUBJECT AREA CONTENT EXPECTATIONS DEVELOPED BY THE DEPARTMENT UNDER

SUBSECTION (2) AND APPROVED BY THE STATE BOARD UNDER SUBSECTION

(3), INCLUDING COMPLETION OF AT LEAST 1 ALGEBRA I CREDIT, 1 ALGEBRA

II CREDIT, 1 GEOMETRY CREDIT, AND AN ADDITIONAL MATHEMATICS CREDIT.

IF A PUPIL SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETES A CREDIT IN ALGEBRA I OR ALGEBRA

II BEFORE ENTERING HIGH SCHOOL, THE PUPIL SHALL BE GIVEN HIGH

SCHOOL CREDIT FOR THAT CREDIT. AT LEAST 1 OF THESE CREDITS SHALL BE

COMPLETED DURING THE PUPIL'S LAST YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL.

     (iii) AT LEAST 3 CREDITS IN SCIENCE THAT ARE ALIGNED WITH

SUBJECT AREA CONTENT EXPECTATIONS DEVELOPED BY THE DEPARTMENT UNDER

SUBSECTION (2) AND APPROVED BY THE STATE BOARD UNDER SUBSECTION

(3), INCLUDING COMPLETION OF AT LEAST 1 BIOLOGY CREDIT, 1 CHEMISTRY

OR PHYSICS CREDIT, AND AN ADDITIONAL SCIENCE CREDIT. AT LEAST 1 OF

THE ADDITIONAL CREDITS APPROVED BY THE DEPARTMENT SHALL BE A CREDIT

IN EARTH SCIENCE. IF A PUPIL SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETES 1 OR MORE OF

THESE SCIENCE CREDITS BEFORE ENTERING HIGH SCHOOL, THE PUPIL SHALL

BE GIVEN HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT FOR EACH OF THEM.

     (iv) AT LEAST 0.5 CREDIT IN CIVICS, 0.5 CREDIT IN ECONOMICS, 1

CREDIT IN UNITED STATES HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY, AND 1 CREDIT IN

WORLD HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY. THESE CREDITS SHALL BE ALIGNED WITH

SUBJECT AREA CONTENT EXPECTATIONS DEVELOPED BY THE DEPARTMENT UNDER

SUBSECTION (2) AND APPROVED BY THE STATE BOARD UNDER SUBSECTION

(3).

 House Bill No. 5606 (H-7) as amended March 2, 2006
     (v) AT LEAST 1 CREDIT IN SUBJECT MATTER THAT INCLUDES BOTH

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION ALIGNED WITH GUIDELINES DEVELOPED BY

THE DEPARTMENT UNDER SUBSECTION (2) AND APPROVED BY THE STATE BOARD

UNDER SUBSECTION (3).

     (vi) AT LEAST 1 CREDIT IN VISUAL[, PERFORMING, AND APPLIED] ARTS
 ALIGNED

WITH GUIDELINES DEVELOPED BY THE DEPARTMENT UNDER SUBSECTION (2)

AND APPROVED BY THE STATE BOARD UNDER SUBSECTION (3).

     (B) HAS SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED AT LEAST 1 COURSE OR LEARNING

EXPERIENCE THAT IS PRESENTED ONLINE, AS DEFINED BY THE DEPARTMENT.

IF A SCHOOL DISTRICT OR PUBLIC SCHOOL ACADEMY IS UNABLE TO PROVIDE

THE BASIC LEVEL OF TECHNOLOGY AND INTERNET ACCESS REQUIRED BY THE

STATE BOARD TO COMPLETE THE ONLINE COURSE OR LEARNING EXPERIENCE,

THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OR PUBLIC SCHOOL ACADEMY IS ENCOURAGED TO APPLY

FOR AN EDUCATIONAL MANDATE ROLLBACK CONTRACT AS DESCRIBED IN

SUBSECTION [(9)].

This all looks very nice, but where will the funding be found?  Schools like mine already offer very few electives; I can just see us cutting some of those to hire more math teachers. I wonder about the Internet access required for on-line learning.  Notice how that eliminates the need for classroom teachers and probably benefits?  The last line of this section of the law is the best; schools or academies (charter schools) may apply for an "educational mandate rollback contract" if it is unable to meet that requirement.  This is a waiver.  The more I learn about what actually happens in charter schools, the more I realize that this waiver is aimed at them.  We hear that the charter schools in our community don't offer music, arts, libraries, science, and social studies.  I would bet big money that their computer equipment is poor.  

On a personal note, I have no idea what I would have done if I had been forced to take all of that math.  I am not sure that I would have made it to college.  I look at the kids in my school and see so many struggle with math and I know that this will lead to kids not graduating on time and perhaps to increased drop out rates.

I wonder why our legislators have decided to go with stick, rather than carrot.  I wonder why our legislators have decided that all kids must be little clones of each others and take the exact same courses.  I wonder why they actually think that all children learn at the same rate.  Then I remember that the one senator who actually came and spoke to us told use that many politicians think that teachers are whiny babies who don't work during the summer.  They want us to fail so they can place education in private, for-profit hands that will turn out good little worker bees who won't ask questions.

Sometimes, it just gets harder and harder to stay in this business.

Okay, so my two cents here in Canada may be worth a little less than the US two cents, but I offer it up anyway.

I have calmed down a little bit since yesterday.  I have read just about every diary on here about the state of the Democratic Party.  Vent has helped, a lot. So has an article that I read from the January 18 edition of The Nation .  The article is An Alternative State of the Union.  The article highlights the ideas of 20 members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus - people like Dennis Kuchinich, John Conyers, Sheila Jackson Lee, and Bernie Sanders.  All of these representatives, except Sanders, are Democrats.

These ideas address many of the concerns that we here talk about on a daily basis.  For example, Jesse Jackson, Jr. proposes an amendment (HJR 28) that actually guarantees Americans withs a right to vote.  It would also give Congress the authority to create a uniform voting system.  As he says in the article

We have fifty states, 3141 counties, and 7,800 different local election jurisdictions.  All separate and unequal.

I don't know about you, but these ideas resonate with my principles; they fill me with hope that yes, there are Democrats that "get it."

Only 64 percent of registered voters bothered to cast a ballot in November of 2004, and that is an increase,  Clearly, neither party is making an impression on a huge number of citizens.  Many of these people must be looking for something that they are not finding in either of the corporate run parties.

In my eyes, it is the corporate wing of the Democratic Party that is destroying the party and any chance of creating any real opposition to the criminals in the WH right now.  It is the corporate wing that must be the focus of our laser like vision.  It must be excised from the Democratic Party if there is any hope to salvage it.

When the extreme right-wingers of America decide it wanted to take over, for the most part, it did not go create a viable third party - it took over the Republican Party.  Slowly but surely, like the parasites they are, they devoured their host body and transformed it into the Republican Party of Darth Cheney, Tom Delay, James Dobson, and Karl Rove.  These men are power hungry monsters without souls.  

The Democratic Party, in its current state, is ripe for the picking, and thus a transformation.  It will not be easy, but the power behind the Internet could ease this process.  I humbly submit this three step process

Step 1 - Actively support the plans of the Progressive Democrats as outlined in
the article in The Nation .  I know that MoveOn.org does a lot of this, but we bloggers have the tenacity to push these issues with our writing.  I suggest that progressive blogs work together to eventually submit an on-line petition demanding(? too strong?) that the Democrats actively pursue these plans.

Step 2 - Create a Progressive Blog PAC. Sadly, in our political system, money talks.  I don't want to pull an Abramoff, but there needs to be a way to direct money to those candidates (both national and local) who are willing to adhere to our platform, be they Democrats, Greens, or even the odd-ball Republican.  The MSM is wholly unwilling to cover progressives candidates, so we must be willing to support them financially.

Step 3 - Finally, let's start running.  No, I don't mean for the Canadian border (though you are free to visit).  We bloggers are sophisticated, passionate, and well-read.  For my brothers and sisters living in the U.S. of A., what is stopping you from running?  School Board?  City Council?  Zoning Commission?  Once people see that Progressives are not only human, but are competent and patriotic.  But, they need to see us in action.  I know that if my family's immigration status wasn't so complicated (it's funny as hell to cross into Detroit and the immigration officer asks for our citizenships - US, Canadian, and Chinese.  Eyes usually just roll.) I would move back and run for something.  Activism is necessary and crucial, but meaningless if we are unable to elect people willing to listen o the activists.

I submit this to my Froggy brothers and sisters for their honest take on my two cents. I figure it's easier to take over an existing party than to try to recreate that structure from scratch.
 

I should be grading papers or even straightening the house.  I can't focus.  Fights have been breaking out in my school and no one has a plan to address the issue.  The NSA is spying on citizens and no one is marching on the White House.  So I write, hoping to push these events out of my head.

I just sent the following to my senators - Levin and Stabenow.  

Domestic spying?  For our own good?  I simply cannot believe what is happening to my country.  How did we get here?

I am sure that the cabal that currently controls the White House will tell us that 9/11 changed everything and that we should trust them.  But, in my experience, trust is an honor that is earned.

How has this president earned the trust of the American people?  Osama?  Still not captured.  Weapons of Mass Destruction?  Never existed.  Energy Taskforce papers?  Not on your life.  Outing of a CIA agent?  We'll fire anyone involved?  Karl Rove still has a job.  We don't torture?  Abu Ghraib.  I could go on and on, but this is becoming depressing.

Just this week, we have learned that the NSA is spying on American citizens.  Naturally, this administration is claiming that only those with connections to terrorism are being targeted.  What in their track record proves that anyone should believe a word they are saying?

It is time to end this madness.  The only way to do this is to start impeachment hearings now.  Bush has already admitted to "high crimes" and, in my opinion, to treason.  He has violated the Constitution, without thought or regret.

If one president can be impeached for perjuring himself about an extra-marital affair, surely G.W. Bush can be impeached for treating the Constitution like a doormat.

He said in his debates with Senator Kerry that being president is "hard."  By all means, let's relieve him from all that hard work and perhaps set him up to do some hard time.

I can't help but wonder what would happen if thousands, if not millions of similar letters began to arrive in Washington.  Would it make a difference?  I hope so, just as I hope the Alito action works.

I just had to unload. You voluntarily read this; my husband is a captive audience.  I just hate unloading on him all the time.

Do you remember when you were a kid, and members of the opposite sex had "cooties?"  Some boys might have even gone so far as to post a sign like this

on the door of their hang out.

Sadly, some boys never grow up and never want to let the girls (of African-Americans, or Hispanics, etc.) in their club.  This brings us to today's installment of keep Alito off the Supreme Court.

In the early 70's, Alito belonged to an organization called Concerned Alumni of Princeton(CAP).  This article from the Princeton student paper does a good job getting some insight from alumni about CAP

http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/archives/2005/11/18/news/13876.shtml

Well you say, that was a long time ago.  Even that 1985 job application was 20 years ago.  People can change, right?  Sure, but let's make sure that our Senators do a good job of finding out if Alito's attitudes have actually changed.  

It was the Right's concerns that Harriet Meirs past beliefs and actions meant that she wasn't conservative enough for them.  Perhaps, applying the same standards will reveal that Alito is too conservative.

I propose that you encourage your Senator to do the following:

Dear Senator,

The hearings for Judge Samuel Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court should shed light on the judge's rather long legal history.  He has written much and presided over many cases.

I urge you, however, to ask Judge Alito about an organization that he voluntarily joined, the Concerned Alumni of Princeton.  This was an organization that dedicated itself to excluded women and minorities from attending Princeton.  It is the actions of organizations like these that have driven the need for programs like affirmative action.

Judge Alito has even stated that he is "proud" that he has worked on cases that argued against affirmative action.  Is that still the case?

It seems that an excellent predictor of a person's future action is to look at past actions.  This does not, of course, mean that people can't change.  It does mean, that your job is to determine if Samuel Alito has changed his views or are his ideas so set in stone, that no matter the case, his mind is made up beforehand.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
a concerned tax paying citizen  

Please contact your Senators, newspapers, and everyone on Monday.  Alito will probably play the amnesia card, as suggested by this Washington Post article: http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/campaignforthecourt/2005/11/alitos_recollec.html

Let's jar his memory.

Do you remember where you were 25 years ago today?  December 8, 1980, NYC, in front of the Dakota apartment building, John Lennon was shot and killed.

I remember that I was in our family room, sitting in my dad's recliner.  He had already gone to bed.  I can't remember which channel I was watching, but I remember crying and crying - I was only 13.

I have 2 John Lennon posters in my classroom with words "All you need is love" next to them. During my brothers senior year, we painted the words to "Imagine" on his car - we stayed up late to finish.

On this day, I proudly proclaim that I am a dreamer.  Won't all you dreamers out there join me and share your dreams, memories, and show the world that I am not the only one.

[From the diaries by susanhu with a minor formatting change. What an important diary, and an important piece of original journalism by Teacher Toni.]

The school where I teach is a Title I school.  Basically, this means that our whole student body is considered at-risk.  Apparently, due to some provision under Title I (at least according to administration), if we deny access to the military, we can lose funding.

Just as I was starting my 1st hour class, a staff sergeant recruiter shows up in my class to discuss the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test.  He starts off by stating that he is not here to recruit them, only to talk about the test.  That took all of three minutes.  He then said that he was willing to take questions for the rest of the hour, as if my class material is irrelevant.

This is a shitty position for me.  I did not know they were coming and I generally believe in allowing students to have as much information as possible.  Thus, I decided that I would allow the class to just operate without intervention from me.  If they talked while he talked, I would not stop them. If they asked difficult or rude questions, I would not react.

My first hour class was amazing.  They asked some hard questions.  Why did we invade Iraq?   Where is Osama?  Where are the WMDs?  Are we about to invade Syria or Iran?  What are we doing about N. Korea?  I was so proud of them.  The recruiter had to do some tap dancing, and he even spread some lies - like the yellowcake from Niger.  I pointed out that that document was a forgery.  I think that he was not happy.

Luckily for him, the next two hours were very superficial.  They wanted to know about guns and music.

After lunch, one of my Honors classes arrived and now two recruiters.  All hell broke loose.  In general, the 4th hour class was fairly passive, but a few kids had pointed questions.  One student asked the recruiter if he thought the war was a good idea.  He said that he had mixed feelings.  This sounded like a little back pedaling from 1st hour.  He backed off on the WMD angle, but stuck to the Saddam was a bad guy.  Then, all hell broke loose.  Someone asked a question about torture.  The recruiter stated that it depends on what is the situation.  It seems that he was trying to give a little opening for the acceptance of torture.  I could no longer hold my tongue and I asked about the Geneva Convention.  I stood up and said that our quibbling of the definition of torture was destroying our moral standing in the world and threatened guys like him, when in the field.  I also stated that more often than not, information gained from torture was notoriously inaccurate.

This led to greater policy discussion about the Isreal-Palestine conflict, McCain's anti-torture bill, how Frist did not allow it to the floor, and Dick Cheney's attempt to allow the CIA to torture.  Things got a little heated. .. continued below: