Locke High School in the Watts area of Los Angeles is making news not because of poor performance or school violence, but because the school’s teachers have voted to secede from L.A.’s Unified School District. Says the LA Times: Three cheers for its courageous teachers and stalwart principal, who have chosen to break with the…
Op-Ed Blog
America Competes Act (Farce?)
The U.S. Senate recently passed, with no discernible fanfare whatsoever, a bill entitled the America Competes Act. According to EdNews.org: the bill would increase research investment by: • Doubling funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF) from approximately $5.6 billion in Fiscal Year 2006 to $11.2 billion in Fiscal Year 2011. • Setting the Department…
Pro-America Europe?
The winds of change may have shifted again in Europe. France yesterday elected Nicolas Sarcozy, the conservative candidate, as its president. As Marc Schulman notes, this is now the second European country who failed to take the U.S.’s side in regard to Iraq that has moved back to the right, Germany being the first. Hopefully…
Pushing Back on Islam
As I recently wrote in “Assimilating Islam“, I believe it’s important that Americans and our justice system establish clear lines about what we will and will not allow to take place vis-a-vis the Islamic-ification of this country. It’s also quite tricky as our systems have a built-in preference for freedom of association, religion, and speech….
The God Debate
Is there a God who actively works in Earth’s affairs? Those who answer “No” have virtually nothing to discuss with those who assent, whether deist, agnostic, or atheist. What common ground is there when the most fundamental question is answered differently? To me it seems that the atheist position is nonsense. Given that matter and…
Death Penalty Blues
Earlier this week the Supreme Court, hot on the heels of a long-overdue decision in against partial birth abortions, took a step backwards by overturning the death penalty sentences in three Texas murder cases. The rulings in the cases of LaRoyce Smith, Brent Brewer and Jalil Abdul-Kabir said the New Orleans-based U.S. 5th Circuit Court…
Bush to Congress: We Need Immigration Reform
From the Houston Chronicle: President Bush urged lawmakers today to come together on the complex and emotional issue of immigration, calling it “a critical challenge” now before the nation. “We need a system where our laws are respected. We need a system that meets the legitimate needs of our economy. And we need a system…
HPD Loses Guns, Evidence
Earlier this week the Houston Police Department admitted that 21 guns were missing from their property room, two of which surfaced again in the hands of criminals. This is not good news for a department that recently received one heck of a stinger of a black eye when faulty DNA testing procedures tainted hundreds, possibly…
Abortion Debate: We’re All Wrong
Russell Miller has been thinking about the exchange I had with the Kos-ite earlier this week and he’s written about what I think are some very powerful insights. Read the whole post – it’s so good I wish I’d written it myself. Some choice quotes: I’m also finding myself a little concerned with the “pro-choice”…
The Great Divide
With thanks to Eric Gunnerson, I want take a break today to talk about something real and good and worthy, unlike so much in the media and the world at the moment and, in all likelihood, in all moments. The subject is the Great Divide Mountain Bike Race, as documented by one of the riders….