GO SIMON
Posted on 08/09/2002 8:47:37 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
California Governor's Race: Stealth Agenda Trumps Academic Success in Schools California: Wanted! An Ethical Governor. Apply Within
A stealth agenda undermining academic success operates like a tapeworm in the California K-12 education system. All mainstream newspapers ignore the implications. Systematic and ingenious, there's little that can be done to change its course. Meanwhile, parents lament how to afford private schools for their children, the federal government has finally passed long-demanded school vouchers, and yet, on the bright side, many schools and students succeed. Dependencies include where students live, comparative income and family stability, and ethnic composition in the classroom. The series adopts a different approach this week. Rather than summarize and comment on events impacting the race, it instead addresses the broad subject of education with a discrete and clear focus on the cultural issues of language and the social engineering of gay and homosexual equivalency policies. The objective is to illustrate salient yet largely invisible reasons for the crisis simmering in underachieving schools in low-income districts. California, with 8.7 million students, ranks 47th out of 50 states in academic achievement. This dreadful statistic yields little more than eerie stupefaction from the two irresolute candidates running for governor. The facts are:
Parental Frustration and Activism, Political Arrogance California voters, deeply frustrated with government's unwillingness to address critical issues, resort to the initiative process to express their discontent. One such example was historic Proposition 13, passed in 1978, which reduced property taxes by 57 percent. The initiatives relative to the school crisis are: 1. Prop. 227 (1998), the English-Only Initiative, requiring that all public school instruction be conducted in English, passed by a 61 percent margin. Under the law, kids who don't know English have to learn it in the classroom. In 1998, 21 percent of Hispanic students ranked at the 50th percentile in reading. Following implementation of Prop. 227, those numbers jumped to 35 percent in 2001. A huge improvement! Nobody argues the merit of children knowing more than one language, but to ensure that students educated in American schools are prepared to advance to the next grade, the proven instrument for success is English, rather than native-language, instruction. Simon has avoided the question of enforcing Prop. 227. Davis and Eastin have worked diligently to prevent enforcement of the initiative. 2. Prop. 22 (2000), the Marriage Initiative, passed by an identical 61 percent margin. That's 4,160,706 votes in favor and 2,617,838 opposed. The initiative states that a legal marriage is between a man and a woman. During the March primary, Simon voiced his support for the measure. Davis, evincing contempt for the will of the voters, publicly labeled Prop. 22 "divisive," and came out against it. English-Only Began When Latino Parents Boycotted Bilingual Instruction In an irony of ironies, it was in fact a civil rights tactic that prompted the initial salvo in the English-only movement. On Feb. 13, 1996, dozens of Latino parents pledged to boycott a downtown Los Angeles elementary school to protest bilingual education. So angry were the parents that their children were being denied English instruction that they simply refused to send their kids to the Ninth Street Skid Row school. "We want our children to be taught in English ... that's why we came to the United States," said Jovita Ruiz, a Mexican immigrant. The two-week boycott piqued the interest of software entrepreneur Ron Unz, who decided to renew his fight against bilingual education. "Our initiative ensures that the parents get their wish," Unz said. Two years later, in 1998, after Prop. 227 became law, the usual suspects filed lawsuits against the measure: MALDEF, the National Council of La Raza, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the ACLU. You know, the same groups always on the lookout for the best interests of "the children." Davis and Eastin continue to oppose full implementation of Prop. 227. So what exactly is it they are doing? Maintaining control over a traditional constituency that can rely only on them for their success or failure? Insidiously denying access to a language that is the ticket to success for minority children? Not that the mainstream press would ever ask such a "divisive" question. The Star Chamber in Sacramento and the Gay School Agenda Entertaining thoughts that don't align with state-approved orthodoxy is now dangerous in California schools as the homosexual lobby intermixes sexual orientation with civil rights language to keep all opposition at bay. In his never-ending quest to undermine the institution of the family and advance the gay agenda in schools, here are several examples of an avalanche of similar legislation signed into law by Gov. Davis: Assembly Bill 1785: Hate Crimes. Requires all schoolchildren to be taught acceptance of homosexual behavior beginning in the elementary grades. Senate Bill 225: Hate Crimes and Schools. Requires junior and senior high schools to adopt "non-discrimination" policies including "sexual orientation" (that's gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexuals and transgender students) or be prevented from participating in sporting events. Assembly Bill 537: The California Student Safety and Violence Protection Act. Adds actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity to state nondiscrimination policy. In the spirit of "fostering appreciation" for diversity, superintendent Eastin took it upon herself to form an unauthorized 36-member advisory task force to translate AB 537 into state Education Codes. Here are several of the recommendations:
Why Little Can Be Done to Change the Course The 40-member state Senate consists of 26 Democrats and 14 Republicans. The 80-member state Assembly has 50 Democrats and 30 Republicans. There is literally no chance that conservative, family-oriented or "straight" legislation will be either respected, advocated or passed. Unless of course Simon wins the election – then perhaps some Republican candidates can win seats that have become, to date, Marxian fiefdoms. Davis Opposes Vouchers but 'Lays Claim to School Success' On Monday of this week, the Los Angeles Times published "Davis Lays Claim to School Success," describing the governor's speech to civil rights leaders at the National Urban League's annual conference in Los Angeles. Davis said in his speech that his education programs have helped provide opportunities for "every deserving child." Any idea as to which students are more deserving than others? Better yet, should any student deserve an opportunity not available to another? Later, league president Hugh Price delivered the keynote speech, launching a whopper: "Inner-city schools are trapped by lofty academic standards." Perhaps Mr. Price would prefer that struggling students be "set free" by low academic standards. Price then went on to criticize the Supreme Court's decision to allow public money to be spent on school vouchers. Davis clapped in support. How anyone could be against school choice, especially for parents with children in failing inner-city schools, is unconscionable. Padlock on Information Permits Totalitarian Left to March On State legislators and Gray Davis, people Californians employ, have witnessed the majority vote overwhelmingly in favor of traditional marriage. They have witnessed a remarkable vote in favor of English in schools (an astounding 63 percent of Latino voters in Los Angeles). And what have they said? "Screw you!" The Legislature has killed measures to protect children from intrusive surveys and from access to pornography on school computers. The Boy Scouts are not permitted on campus. Non-binding resolutions honoring Father's Day have been shot down as too "controversial." The list goes on and on. They have the minds of your impressionable kids in their hands five days a week, and this is what you get for your money. And what do the Republican Party and Bill Simon have to offer? Nothing. So afraid of being called racist, bigoted or homophobic, they knuckle under, refusing to articulate, to demand, to stand up and offer an alternative to the destructive policies of an out-of-control Legislature. It's no wonder voters and parents are demoralized. Totalitarians are dictators by definition. The totalitarians in our state Legislature are actually marginal people, possessing extensive power, who care very little for the America you once knew. In truth, they wish nothing more than to denigrate your tradition and values, daring you to confront them. Some Closing Questions Do you, the parent, have a moral right, based upon your beliefs, to decide when, where and how sexual orientation will be described to your children? Do you, the low-income parent with children in harm's way, have a right to get your child into a real school where your kid can learn English and have a better life? You sure do, even though Davis and the National Urban League say otherwise. Should "safe schools" be measured by the effectiveness of preventing guns, drugs or teen pregnancy from ruining young lives? Or should school safety be determined by reducing mental trauma caused to the still unknown numbers of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and transsexual students? Are we in fact being led by agenda-driven demagogues who exploit your children to increase their power? Is the truth any part of Gov. Davis' conceptual apparatus? Who knows. Ask the governor, and bring a check.
See next article in series: Defying the Lies as Bombs Fly
You may e-mail Patrick Mallon at patrick@newsmax.com.
Patrick Mallon
This is the fourth article in a weekly series on the California governor's race. See previous articles:
Friday, Aug. 2, 2002
Paralyzed From Facing Reality
Simon Survives Attacks, Davis Cons for Cash
In conjunction with AB 537, in March teachers at the Hayward Unified School "came out" in front of schoolchildren. What this meant was teachers talked openly about homosexuality and discussed their homosexuality with elementary school students, WITHOUT obtaining parental approval. They said their action was required by law, which, by definition, it was.
Why? If there is that many "voters and parents" who are upset at the system the Democrats have established, this could be easily remedied in November!
Vote them out if you're that outraged!
Patrick Mallon
Friday, Aug. 9, 2002
This is the fifth article in a weekly series on the California governor's race. See previous articles:
California: Wanted! An Ethical Governor. Apply Within
Paralyzed From Facing Reality
Simon Survives Attacks, Davis Cons for Cash
Stealth Agenda Trumps Academic Success in Schools
Precisely the day after a SurveyUSA poll showed Bill Simon leading Gray Davis 47 percent to 45 percent, the B-52s were in the air. No, the raid on Iraq hadn't commenced, just the third and largest media assault on Simon's credibility in two weeks, this one dropping an apparently more damaging payload than the suspect KPMG disclosure or the tax return fiasco: the word FRAUD.
A lawsuit filed in December 2000, brought against Simon's business partnership by convicted drug lord Paul Hindelang, charged that after buying the plaintiff's company, Pacific Coin, the defendants acted recklessly, resulting in the company's failure. Seemingly out of the blue, the firm was found liable for fraud and socked with a whopping $97 million in damages by a Los Angeles Superior Court jury.
Criminal defense lawyer Harlan Braun, doing double duty, now provides legal counsel to Hindelang and accused murderer Robert Blake. Whether the charges against Simon produced the truth or not is irrelevant, it's what Braun was able to convince the jury of that matters.
And what's the crime? It's hard to say, but it appears Simon's firm had borrowed money on Pacific Coin, making the company expand too quickly and leading to its demise. This allowed the firm to significantly reduce its federal tax bill by writing off the loss. While this is a still-legal accounting tactic, an exploitative enemy can create a devastating impression if a judge and jury are so inclined.
Sensational, blockbuster and distorted, universal vilification issued forth from the leftist print media the next morning. Not a single newspaper in the state thought to classify the suspicious timing of the decision a dirty trick. The feeding frenzy conversely called for Simon to step down in favor of a "real candidate," while others described the decision as fatal to the campaign.
Can Powderpuff Campaign Team Recover?
Like a fraternity house hit by the news of an empty keg during rush week, Simon's advisers agitated the Bush team with their inability to identify incoming on their radar screen. Outwitted and vulnerable, and on their fourth campaign manager in four months, they appear to be in way over their heads, unable to manifest, let alone comprehend, the cutthroat mentality required to win.
Do the pledges now know who they are dealing with? In Machiavelli's "The Prince," the pursuit of arbitrary power concludes that some "virtues" will lead to a prince's destruction, whereas some "vices" allow him to survive. The virtues which we commonly praise in people might lead to their downfall.
It is Simon's image of integrity, balance and business sense that Davis campaign mercenary Garry South has targeted with charges of fraud. South is like the ferryman on the River Styx, but give him credit – he could care less if he comes across as a cretin, he just wants to win, an essential ingredient entirely absent at the frat house.
The ultimate questions are: Can Simon and his team conduct themselves with the same decadent, win-at-all-cost tactics as Davis and South? How bad do they want it? How willing are they to low-ball and engage in conscienceless conduct to achieve their goals?
Conversely, if it turns out that Simon really is a screw-up, then we'll know what a wise investment Davis made when he devoted $10 million to savage Riordan in the primary.
Media May as Well Be on Davis Press Team
The print media forever congratulates itself on being progressive, ultra-tolerant, value-free, culturally neutral, and devotees of multiculturalism who in essence believe in nothing but themselves and their intellectual superiority.
Most of the stories about Simon are entirely skewed in favor of Davis, not because the media think Davis is such a great guy, but because of the programs, agendas, groups and policies Davis defends. Conservatives be damned, and those with religious values a target of ridicule.
Debra Saunders, the putative conservative for the psychotically liberal San Francisco Chronicle says, "Bill Simon should just give up." This message resonates throughout the majority of the state's newspapers. Only the Orange County Register seems to offer any hope, with "Bill Simon now is going to need to develop the spin skills of Bill Clinton to become governor."
Sadly, our silent non-action becomes an endorsement of all we say we oppose. A cynical, neutered, unthinking public delivers to the left the soft mental oblongata required to form specious conclusions. The only truth is that there are no universal truths; the only absolute is that all things are relative.
Making Sense in a Sea of Journalistic Dishonesty
The decision against Simon's firm granted Davis blanket amnesty from adverse publicity for his tawdry and ineffective three-year legacy.
SurveyUSA pollster Joe Shipman offered this to the quivering multitude of Simon supporters who have bought into the swelling avalanche of negative campaign news: "Simon has secured his natural base more than Davis. In areas of the state where Simon is strong, he is very strong. Davis support is broader, but Simon's is deeper."
Ideological War and the Battlefronts
"A Prince ought to have no other aim or thought, nor select anything else for his study, than war and its rules and discipline." (Machiavelli, "The Prince") The air campaign has started, now for the ground troops. This election is far more a cultural war than a mandate on a man.
It's not necessary to win any arguments now, you just have to get people to say, "so what!" The print media does exactly that for Davis. Simon achieves the same on talk radio.
The dynamic is a field of dreams for a contentious ideological engagement. Broken bones, black eyes, public outings. Informed and respected Internet sites with growing persuasive capacity and readership, in conjunction with the dramatic movement of thinking people to informed radio, offer the obvious: Substantial numbers of people are coming to their senses and rejecting the baggy-eyed Bolsheviks in the media.
Democrats the Useful Idiots Lenin Wrote About
Expunged from the journalistic equation is the consideration of principles and abstractions. Where are they? Name one. Davis can control reality in the California press by calling himself a "centrist." Not a liberal, but a progressive. The labeling goes unchallenged as these features establish the profile of the ideal voter for "all the news that fits." One who is outside the definition is the enemy.
Reports that some GOP supporters are now contributing to Davis after the "nuclear bomb" emanate from the intimidating fact that nobody wants to be on Garry South's sh*t list should Davis win.
Nikita Khrushchev employed the same tactics.
As a modern leftist, Khrushchev capitalized on the use of words issued forth by liberal, socialist intellectuals. Pledging a non-religious moral justification for the use of brute force, he operated as a gangster, eliminating opposition in the furtherance of cultural and political control: both of the mind and of the incentive to produce wealth. One almost expects Davis soon to issue "Das Kapital II."
The embittered peasants, frustrated with news devoid of conclusions, filled with he-said/she-said, simply shut it down and impotently proxy their voice to their "leaders." This was supposed to be America. Where are you being led and by whom? Happy with any of it?
Yes, businessman Simon has made mistakes, and will have to be more persuasive and aggressive to win. But it is in fact Gray Davis who is the CEO of California, a cash-strapped, borderline insolvent enterprise that has quit paying select vendors and employees.
Despite the $50 million Davis has to trash Simon with attack ads, I'll stay with the underdog. It's a long campaign, there will be casualties and the first is the truth.
And how refreshing and hopeful it is to discover that a half truth, masquerading as the whole truth, is a complete falsehood.
California is not a left-wing state but a left-wing state of mind, established by a media dominated by the radical left and leftist politicians who benefit from this reality.
Open-minded enough to be challenged by a second thought? Just as open-minded is the medical patient whose life is saved by a second opinion.
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