Steven Greenhut, who is a senior editor for a California paper, the Orange County Register (And I don't know if that is like the LA Times or the Peachtree City Citizen) was reprinted in the Atlanta Journal and Constitution yesterday. I don't think it is responsible journalism to put such drivel in the paper. Someone might be influenced by it. You can look it up under ajc.com on the opinion pages, but I'll not link to it because it is too much like dog vomit. They gave this guy a half page to say that pubic schools are socialism (he makes numerous references to Soviet communism and likens it to public schools), teachers unions falsely think more money would help schools, and draws the conclusion that abolishing all public schools would be generate "unheard-of prosperity. Call it the freedom dividend." He goes on to say that how can anyone who believes in freedom not be for the abolishment of all public schools.

It is irresponsible of the AJC, in fact it is the malpractice of journalism to give voice to raving lunatics like this. I don't care if someone made him sr. editor of an Orange County rag. He is doing his job as part of the 28% club that makes up the hard core right wing. Someone please spray these guys with a hose and wake them up.

I've said it before that the difference between how we provide for employees at work and how school children are provided for is evidence that we don't care about public education. We don't need an increase in funds. We need to double the funds. The buildings are poorly designed, poorly heated and cooled, ugly, inflexible, did I say ugly, uncomfortable, unsanitary, noisy, etc. They are made so you can hose them down at the end of the day like a dog pen. This is not how coorporate America works and flourishes.

Public schools do pretty well under such conditions. I love the use of statistics in education. Alarm! Alarm! Half of the students are scoring below average. Half of the states are below average! Students are dropping out. (Yes they are. This is not new. And you can't blame them. If you aren't interested in academics for a career, we offer very little). Vocational Education is a joke in most places. A big part of the increase in funds should go to build real vocational programs that attract bright students and prepare them for business. Many current vocational programs are places to warehouse slower students until we can give them a diploma. We are simply babysitting them and keeping them out of the job market to help keep down unemployment.

And can we get over the merit pay crap altogether? Merit pay is simply a way for administrators to reward their friends (people who play along, don't call the administrators on some of the bull they try to pull, relatives, girlfriends, etc.,) and punish independent thinkers and the righteous. When I say jump, you jump, or stay on the lowest pay grade. It is the independent teachers that push the school to excellence. Unless they kiss up, they'll not merit an increase in pay. Furthermore to really give merit pay, you'd have to create a whole new level of bureaucracy, detached from the individual schools and with administrators who have had intensive training on how to evaluate how teachers in different areas effectively teach. It will never happen. I've had education classes--lots of them. They are the stupidest courses you can imagine. Music theory requires real thinking. Music education requires prissing around pretending to think. If merit pay is installed, it will fail. It will drive out good teachers and encourage sycophants (yes men, toadies, fawners, flatters).

Someone should sue the AJC.

More from General Taguba:

"I know that my peers in the Army will be mad at me for speaking out, but the fact is that we violated the laws of land warfare in Abu Ghraib," Taguba said, according to the article. "We violated the tenets of the Geneva Convention. We violated our own principles and we violated the core of our military values. The stress of combat is not an excuse, and I believe, even today, that those civilian and military leaders responsible should be held accountable."

Retired Major General Antonio Taguba was quoted today in the New York Times, saying he was forced to retire because he investigated the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse. Rumsfeld said he was overzealous. Have you ever seen an administration that dismissed so many generals? I haven't. The preznit says that he listens to the generals, but if the generals don't say what he wants them to say, he fires them and listens to different generals. Taguba also said that he was legally prevented from investigating higher up officials who were likely responsible. He also said that administration officials were lying to protect themselves.

Elizabeth Koch (Cook) has accepted the position as principal oboist for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. She is 21 and dropping out of the Curtis Institute to take the job. What a prodigy.

Mr. Wizard (Don Herbert) passed away at 89. He had a cool science show in the 50's and 60's. A lot of us got interested in science watching his experiments.

Congrats to Sarah for getting to train as a shuttle pilot. Wow.

Carter is in Canada, Morgan and Karen in Italy, and Grant in Spain. We went to Branson and it was cool. Andy Williams can still sing. As can Glen Campbell.

If you haven't been to Branson, Missouri, it is something all its own. Shows, restaurants, hotels, shopping, shows, traffic. We saw the Hamner Barber show last night. Ventriloquism, magic, and song and dance. The magic was mystifying, the ventriloquist, Barber, amazing and hilarious.

We got to visit with a former student night before last in Memphis and she gave us a delightful tour of the area. Memphis was beautiful and had many attractions. We were proud of her. She showed us the St. Jude Hospital where she interns and Rhodes College where she has a 3.9 gpa. We are hoping she'll be back in our area next year and going to Emory Med School. She took us to a local hang out, Patrick's, for dinner and the food was terrific. The Mississippi River was beautiful. The Ozark mountains were not too impressive. Branson makes you laugh out loud just to walk around. We are probably going to see Shoji Tabuchi (Kent's suggestion) this afternoon and Andy Williams and Glenn Campbell tonight. Dancers and Acrobats tomorrow.