There was a time when things made sense

This has been a tough weekend to write a blog. There are several good, albeit, short topics begging for commentary. Concurrently, however, there exists the realization that this Holy Weekend represents something larger and more important than a politically and socially oriented blog written with as much depth to story as an episode of Three's Company after the departure of Suzanne Summers.

I picked three subjects to write on and struggled to create the proper irreverent tone each warranted. It wasn't long after I raised the white flag of surrender and turned out the light last night that I realized that these stories were related. The relation is as tenuous as Woody Harrelson's hold on reality but it is there if you look closely.

The lunatics has taken over the asylum:
The school board in Plano, Texas has decided to change their grading standards for middle school students. No longer will cheating or turning in an assignment late have an affect on one's grade and homework often won't even be corrected.

According to the Dallas News "... a growing philosophical shift is putting more emphasis on what students are learning overall, rather than mostly focusing on a grade that can be pulled down by smaller assignments, quizzes, bad behavior or poor study skills." I'll tell you what this philosophical shift will help the young skull's full of mush learn. It will teach them that cheating is acceptable and deadlines and standards are flexible targets with very large bulls eyes. Assignments that are handed out (i.e. homework) are meaningless and require no effort as there will be no review.

For the alarmists who have for years accused state run school systems of dumbing down the country's children this is is another arrow for their quiver. To me it is an ego inflating realization that the condescending view I hold of the youth of today and the fact they seem to be getting more stupid with each school year is accurate and hasn't been tainted by my affliction toward children. I've blogged before about how cheating seems to be a part of today's sports world. The obsession video gamers have with finding "cheat codes" rather than winning their games legitimately is even more evidence cheating is no longer frowned upon.

The days of honesty, hard work, determination and personal fortitude are fast becoming nothing more than a part of our nostalgic past. Senator Chuck Shumer agrees with me although he doesn't seem to mind.




There ought to be a law:
The amnesty providing DREAM Act (Ed. Note: yet another reason to vote against Orrin Hatch) has been reintroduced to Congress. The discussion of this waste of paper, like debating whether Ginger or Marianne is the hotter castaway, is sure to continue to light up patrons in bars across the country as the light themselves up on domestic beer and shots of Jagermeister. Since when does a person's legal status in the United States matter?

In July of this year a law takes effect in Utah that allows local officers to enforce federal immigration law. Fortunately for taco stands across the state, police in several cities have announced they will not participate in this cross-agency effort. Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank said "If we start taking action based solely on immigration status, we would be making enforcement decisions based on race and ethnicity". Really? The law makes absolutely no mention of race or ethnicity. I get the feeling Burbank's statement is the racist one. Canadians, Germans, Pakistanis and Samoans can be in this country as illegally as any Mexican or Guatemalan.

Refusing to enforce immigration law is akin to a highway patrolman deciding that only red cars should be clocked for speeding. But hey, we can't run the risk of making anyone feel singled out. What difference does it make if they are here legally or illegally?

Fawlty Towers foreign policy:
During the Obama European Apology Tour 2009, the President of France insisted the First African American President of the United States take a trip with him to Normandy to pay his respects. In a move that filled plenty of time between commercials on talk radio stations across the country, Obama refused to go so as to not cause the Germans feelings to be hurt. Other people's feelings seem to take a pretty high priority in this White House. We can't have the Germans upset that Obama is spending more time on the beach in France than in Bavaria. All banks had to take TARP funds, even not at risk ones, so that banks at risk would not feel bad (True statement). And we can't call terrorist acts "man caused disasters" for reasons I can't even begin to comprehend.

If it weren't for the reason offered for not going to Normandy being so stupid, I wouldn't really care. Obama is scheduled to go to France in June for the specific purpose of a battlefield tour and that is wholly appropriate. While there, he might be able to reconstruct the rock art memorial built by former President and skirt chaser Bill Clinton years ago when he walked the beach. Obama seems to have the same people making his excuses regarding travel and bowing as are buying his gifts.

The whole "don't upset the Germans" argument has prompted me to seek out a clip from the BBC show Fawlty Towers. John Cleese was told, under no circumstances, should he mention "the war" to his German guests. Just like the White House efforts to deny bowing or their emphasis to not hurt a country's feelings, their lame excuses are only drawing more attention to these acts.



I will leave it to you to link these three topics in your own way. Here is my take in a poor wrap up to a rambling post: Instead of relaxing the standards we teach our kids, choosing what laws we enforce and what ones we ignore and worrying that countries like us so much that we make excuses instead of standing up for what is right, we ought to spend some time reflecting on what is important.

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