Yesterday, Andy Borowitz was “reporting straight news” again. I won’t say it made me smile, because it didn’t, but maybe it will someone. (And I can’t respond to his question. Free subscribers cannot comment at Substack unless the owner opens the comments to us, and the only one I’ve found so far that foes consistently is Wonkette. But, if I could answer, I’d say Kash Patel. Those eyes – he really looks the part.) Also yesterday, apparently DHS has posted Kilmar Abrego Garcia‘s home address in Maryland, forcing his wife and kids to go into hiding.
It took me a couple of days to get this posted. If anyone knows someone, or knows someone who knows someone else who is an illegally fired Federal Civil Servant, There is a nonprofit called “Work For America” which has set up a program to help them find new jobs. Since this program is new, it’s difficult to check its bona fides. I would start by checking out the list of partners on their home page, none of which I recognize – but then I haven’t been looking for work since I retired either. I grant it sounds too good to be real, and I certainly wouldn’t send them any money without knowing more, but if it is legit it could be a needed lifeline for some very deserving people.
https://19thnews.org/2025/04/supreme-court-children-books-lgbtq-censorship/
This article from the 19th is a few days old – but the issue is not going away any time soon.0
This article at Joyce Vance’s Civil Discourse contains a video which was originally on the other guy’s site – which is why it sounds like Joyce is the guest – because she is. It’s not quite 40 minutes. I found it very listenable. There is stuff in it about their respective religious traditions, and it occurred to me I don’t think I have done this rant here before because I never thought it was needed, and it may not be needed here. So I’ll make it as brief as I can. At many liberal sites, especially those which encourage commenting, I see people all the time pontificating that “religion is the problem.” But, just as alcohol is not the problem in alcoholism, it is not religion which is the problem. It is the abuse and/or misuse of religion which is the problem. (For some specialists in allergy and intolerance, alcoholism has been described as an “addictive allergy,” but I won’t push that metaphor now.) If you can tolerate them discussing what is good in their respective religious traditions, there’s a lot of good advice in the discussion. If not, there’s a short article to read.
And this, also from Joyce Vance, is bad news which we cannot afford to ignore. I’m not saying thet the Civil Rights Division eliminated the stacking of the deck against the most vulnerable, because that would have been impossible. But over the years it has done a great deal to alleviate that deck-stacking, and without it we will be in big trouble.
Yesterday, Pope Francis died. Besides grieving for the loss of that good man, I can’t help feeling I’ve seen this movie before, and what happens next is not good. John XXIII was succeeded by Paul VI which was not great, John Paul I died so quickly I still wonder whether his death was facilitated, and then we got John Paul II and Benedict. We badly needed Pope Francis, and we still do, but he is gone. I won’t say meeting with JD Vance killed him, but I’m sure it didn’t help. Robert Reich, on the other hand, wrote an impressive eulogy. (I am still running behind and today did not help with that BTW.)
The F* News caught my eye with this headline. But it is a valid story worth reading. It appears that republicans now hate “others” so much that they even hate their tourist dollars. They’d rather starve or become homeless than accept furrin money now.
This from The 19th is positive as far as it goes – let’s hope it goes and keeps going. I’m familiar with DoD schools, having volunteered with one as part of a folk music trio with a male officer and a male civilian teacher in the latter’s fourth grade classroom. Don’t ask me to sing today – old age does not improve one’s singing voice unless one practices regularly, which I didn’t. But it’s still a fond memory.
The price for this pay-per-view is $20.26, and I expect it to be well spent. I don’t know every name featured – but every name I do know is well worth a listen. The date is this Saturday. I hope that’s enough advance notice for everyone who wants to watch it.
Yesterday, I got confirmation to visit Virgil tomorrow. This is the second visit in a row I’ve had to follow up on my request, but it pays off not to get upset, and I think they are rotating assignments or something because the name in the “signature” was new to me. So I think I’ll just start adding “Thanks in advance for your confirmation” or the like to my emails. It’s easy to do, it’s not insulting, and it could save a whole lot of grief on both ends. I also heard from a friend in California, one town up from where I grew up (but we had to join the Marines and be stationed in North Carolina to meet) letting me know that the rains had been heavy, but that she is fine. That area is separated from the ocean by what they call “the foothills,” although they aren’t at the foot of any mountains, they are just there. They are tall enough that a couple of inches, or even a couple of feet in sea level rise is not going to affect the area, but of course rain is another story. I’ll have to start paying more attention to the weather, beyond my own weather and the big headline storms.
Cartoon – (So many of TomCat’s cartoons were clairvoyant. This one is from January 2015.)
Short Takes –
Wonkette – Oh Sh*t, Ohio Student Noticed Top Secret Anti-Racist Message Of ‘The Sneetches’
Quote – This is where we are: You can’t read The Sneetches because a kid might notice discrimination is wrong. And that’s exactly what red state governors and legislators have been accomplishing. She added that the school district is “really not about suppressing any viewpoints or dialogues,” which it did, actually. In addition, so everyone will have something to groan about, she also insisted “We do not ban any books,” which is true, because all she did was ban a teacher from reading one. Congratulations, rightwing hoax-panic over “critical race theory.” Click through for story. Children, like adults, differ, and not all of them have brains that fit the “tabula rasa” theory. Some are quite intelligent. So, while I of course would not call any kind of censorship healthy, no matter how hard they try, some facts are going to get through.
Robert Reich – What to do about America’s “labor shortage?” Easy. Pay people more.
Quote – The reason people aren’t working is that work doesn’t pay them enough, given declining wages and the increasing costs of childcare, eldercare, and transportation. Both the Fed’s solution (slow the economy so employers can find the workers they need without raising wages) and the Republican corporate solution (slash safety nets so people are so desperate they have to take any job available) are cruel. They would impose huge burdens on many of the most vulnerable people in our society. If we want more people to take jobs and we wish to live in a decent society, the answer is to pay people more. Click through for details. I don’t get it. Is it because Reich’s background is technically in the field of labor, not economics, that “serious economists” don’t take him seriously? He is right on this, he is virtually always right, and he has cold, hard facts to back him up.
Food For Thought (Our system can handle gifs, but not, for some reason, this one. But uyou can see it in moton here.)
Glenn Kirschner – Cheney reveals witness tampering by Team Trump. Arrest warrants should issue PROMPTLY. Here’s why.
Meidas Touch – Top Former Prosecutor SAYS Trump is GOING DOWN in epic recap
The Lincoln Project – Weapons
MSNBC – How Trump’s Coup Plot Followed A ‘Pre-Existing Script In American History’ (And this is why we need to teach history – particularly reconstruction, which is extremely under-taught.)
As you can see, the RWNJ snowflakes have already come down on this. But we can get around that.
Ketanji Brown Jackson sworn in to Supreme Court by Chief Justice John Roberts (and Associate Justice Stephen Breyer)
Beau – Let’s talk about how SCOTUS helped the Democratic Party….
Experts in autocracies have pointed out that it is, unfortunately, easy to slip into normalizing the tyrant, hence it is important to hang on to outrage. These incidents which seem to call for the efforts of the Greek Furies (Erinyes) to come and deal with them will, I hope, help with that. As a reminder, though no one really knows how many there were supposed to be, the three names we have are Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. These roughly translate as “unceasing,” “grudging,” and “vengeful destruction.”
There has been, and has been building, a lot of concern about the future of our nation. Even if democracy survives this round of the fight, how will it fare in the next round, or the one after that, if our nation’s schools are churning out the poorly educated? And how will those students become well educated, even if they want to and have the ability to do so, if they cannot get their hands (and eyes) onto the books which contain the material they need?
This artice is addressed to those of us who have the energy, ability, and inclination to invest in the future by serving on a school board – or even on a library board. If that isn’t you, don’t immediately eliminate the possibility that it might be someone you know.
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More than masks and critical race theory – 3 tasks you should be prepared to do before you run for school board
When people run for school board these days, they often are motivated to campaign on a controverisial topic. That’s according to Ballotpedia, a nonprofit that tracks political elections in the U.S.
Three issues came up the most. The most oft-cited issue was race in education, more specifically, the teaching of critical race theory. The second most frequently cited issue was school policies on the pandemic – that is, requirements to wear masks or get vaccinations, or school reopening. The third most-cited was sex and gender in schools, such as gender-specific facilities.
As of January 2022, Ballotpedia discovered 287 school districts in 25 states where candidates took a position on race in education; 199 school districts in 23 states where candidates took a position on responses to the coronavirus pandemic; and 144 school districts in 18 states where candidates took a position on sex and gender in schools.
A worrisome trend
As a former school board member – and as a researcher who studies educational leadership and policy – I find it worrisome when polarizing issues generate so much attention from candidates. The reason I worry is that I know from firsthand experience that being an effective school board member is never just about taking a stance on a few hot-button topics. Rather, it’s about much broader issues, such as meeting the educational needs of all students in the school district.
Too often, support for candidates hinges on the positions they take on the most controversial issues. For instance, in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis, speaking on behalf of his state’s Republican Party, pledged to withhold support from “any Republican candidate for school board who supports critical race theory in all 67 counties or supports mandatory masking of schoolchildren.”
As impassioned as people may be about issues like mask requirements, keeping schools open or confronting issues of race in the curriculum, running a school district is about much more than any one of those single issues. With that in mind, here are three actions that future school board candidates should be prepared to take.
1. Set district policy
A primary function of the school board is to develop, review and approve district policy. These policies can include implementing state mandates – such as establishing high school graduation requirements – or formulating a plan to evaluate teachers.
One of the most difficult tasks that school board members must do is decide how to spend the school district’s limited revenue.
The vast majority of a district’s budget – about 80% to 85% – goes to personnel costs, such as salaries and benefits for school staff. Paying for these employee expenditures is becoming more challenging because of the rising cost of health insurance.
To stay within budget, school board members may have to cut positions or programs. It’s usually a matter of assessing tradeoffs: Do we cut our gifted and talented program to keep our school safety officer? Do we cut teaching positions to make the budget, and if so, which ones?
Each decision comes with consequences. For instance, cutting a gifted and talented program would make some families upset. Continued funding of a night school program might require a series of budget reductions in other areas, such as field trips or late buses.
A tough budget choice I remember facing as a school board member was deciding whether to renovate an outdated and undersized school theater. The board members all agreed the theater was in desperate need of an upgrade but decided to put off the theater upgrade to deal with other needs. The high school would soon need a new roof and boiler that ultimately took priority.
3. Select a superintendent
Selecting a district leader is critically important. So is deciding whether to keep or get rid of one. A good superintendent can make or break a district. The superintendent is the face of the school community and the district’s instructional leader.
Superintendents work with the school board to set the vision and goals for the district and then make sure they are achieved. They also hire and manage principals and other district leaders. Superintendents are expected to provide for the safety of children and staff and be good stewards of district finances.
Finding a good superintendent involves looking for leaders who have a proven track record in the areas of importance. Do they have a history of improving student achievement? Have they created a positive school climate and culture? Are they effective communicators?
If a school board chooses an ineffective superintendent, it usually sets a district back and the board ends up having to spend time and money to replace them.
A key distinction of American democracy is that candidates can develop platforms as they see fit, and it’s up to voters to decide if a particular candidate will represent their concerns. But when it comes to running a school system, it’s important to keep in mind that it involves much more than taking a stance on a few controversial issues. It’s also about making sound financial decisions and implementing policies that ensure all students get the education they deserve.
================================================================ Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone, I’m not sharing this article to be discouraging. I truly believe that any progressive, even if they need to learn in the trenches, would do a far superior job of setting policy, balancing budgets, and hiring superintendants that RWNJs, even though the latter might be more experienced. Even if only because the goals of progressives, and the directions in which they want to go, are healthier and wiser than anything RWNJs can even imagine. But all three areas are definitely something to think about. And the time to start thinking about them is, yes, before starting a campaign. Not only the district, but the campaign itself, will profit from that thought.
Yesterday stayed oool enough that I got within spitting distnce of finishing that winter sweater. One or maybe two cool days and it will be done. And I have a large cotton project and several small, lightweight projects ready for more heat.
Cartoon –
Short Takes
The Guardian – Republicans will defend their Caesar but new revelations show Trump’s true threat
Quote – Those who claim that the events of 6 January were something other than a failed coup attempt would do well to come up with a better line. Or a different alternate reality. Ashli Babbitt is no martyr. Trump will not be restored to the presidency, no matter what the MyPillow guy says. Trump’s machinations and protestations convey the desperation that comes with hovering over the abyss. He knows what he has said and done. Click through for well-written opinion. Yes, it’s an opinion piece, but there are also many facts here, and I certainly hope his opinions about future events are correct.
Reuters – Kosovo honours late son of U.S. President Biden
Quote – Kosovo declared independence in 2008 with Western backing, but Serbia still refuses to recognise it and considers it part of its territory. “What the United States and the American people have done for our country, for our freedom, for our right to exist, goes beyond any partnership currently witnessed in the world. Mr. President, Kosovo is your home too,” said Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani while presenting the award. Click through for more, including background
The New Yorker – The Big Money Behind the Big Lie
Quote – Chad Campbell, a Democrat who was the minority leader in the Arizona House of Representatives until 2014, when he left to become a consultant in Phoenix, has been shocked by the state’s anti-democratic turn. For several years, he sat next to Karen Fann when she was a member of the House, and in his view she’s gone from being a traditional Republican lawmaker to being a member of “Trump’s cult of personality.” He said, “I don’t know if she believes it or not, or which would be worse.” Arizona, he added, is in the midst of a “nonviolent overthrow in some ways—it’s subtle, and not in people’s face because it’s not happening with weapons. But it’s still a complete overthrow of democracy. They’re trying to disenfranchise everyone who is not older white guys.” Click through for full story. Not, I suppose, that anyone can claim to have the complete full story, but thos is about as full as it gets. And, yes, it’s long.
