Letters to the Editor
Allene Swienckowski
Published Letters: 191 Editor's Choice: 10
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Neal Gable vs. Mel Gibson
[Read the article: Mel on the cross]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]How has it become commonly accepted that anything unflattering said or implied against Jews and/or Israel is the same thing as "hate speech?" I could haver sworn that "hate" as a word conveyed an intense, extreme, visceral response against something or someone?
Mr. Gabler seems to have missed that our current administration and Mr. Bush share a few things with the Jewish alliance in this country: unquestioned obedience, absolutely no criticism of any type for any reason, and free speech be damned!
Unfortunately I will be labeled an anti-Semite because I am against the avalanche of negativity that has been launched against Gibson by the likes of Barbara Walters, the media in general and all the way to Mr. Neal Gabler. It would be so refreshing for all of us thin skinned people to understand that every person is valuable. To gnash and tear at someone who has not avocated violence or mayhem upon you or the group you most clearly associate yourself with, then how does a simplistic statement turn into "hate speech?" To be sure our culture can't boast a clean conscience on the issue of equality and inclusion, but people can't be condemned for making inocuous statements that no one, under any circumstances, would take seriously.
If the media hand't jumped on this situation with such ferocity against Gibson because of his supposed anti-Semite statement, then maybe the media buzz of the last six days would have allowed some rewal news to filter into our lives?
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Breath of Fresh Air
[Read the article: Sore losers]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Thanks for the fresh-air assessment of the recent Connecticut election. We sincerely appreciate the work that you are doing and hope that you continue!
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Bush's Literature Background
[Read the article: It's a wonder he has time to lead the country]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]So our beloved president attended one of the most prestigious universities in America and he's just gettring around to reading Camus and Shakespeare? It appears that Bush somehow circumvented the tools academia uses to teach future leaders how to think! To simply ponder what a mess Bush's "No Child Left Behind" theory has done to public education and he is now turning his sight towards colleges and universities. If this man's ability to think and reason simulatanelously wasn't so tragic this whole administration could have been sold to TV as a new, hilarious sitcom called "George and Friends!"
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The Subject of Homework
[Read the article: Building a hate for learning]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The information in this book is as flawed as homework assignments that were designed primarily to involve children in busy work. Colleges and universities across this nation are filled with freshmen and sophmore students who are incapable of doing college level work. Of course, it can't be said that the reasons that these students don't excel in college is because they didn't receive enough homework assignments in elementary thru high school, but the fact, is American academic acumen has slipped tremendously over the last twenty five years. What we teach and how we teach it is at the forefront of why our students lag academically when compared with other first world countries.
To state that children are missing "play dates" with friends because of homework is a specious argument against homework. Please! Schools have always provided students with social situations and opportunities. Too much of every American child's life is filled with some type of entertainment today and that clearly includes watching the evening news (when assigned by teachers) that is more involved with the sensation of the rather than valuable information.
There is a lot wrong with the American educational system and the type and rigor of homeowrk assignments needs to be properly assessed by professionals and not merely rely on research projects that have been conducted to disprove statements linking global economies to homework performance or the lack thereof.
One of the key things that has happened in American education over the past twenty-fives years has been the dumbing down of standardized classes that require students and teachers to think. Elementary students are allowed to use calculators in class to figure out simple math problems and few high school students are required to read more than three novels a years. Term papers are a thing of the past in modern educational institutions and if Ms. Kalish is concerned about children getting proper physical stimulation, why doesn't she advocate to have schools reinstitute daily physical education requirements?
Teachers spend their time filling out endless paperwork to satisfy local and federal administrators. And I almost forgot...teachers now have to ensure that their students can pass standardized tests, therefore they spend their time teaching studnts how to pass tests rather than to think.
Intellectually and academically, Americans have lost ground and Ms. Kalish appears to be another Pollyanna intent on removing core responsibility development in the one stable environment where children are forced to acquire skills. As an educator for over a quater of a century, I hate to inform Ms. Kalish that all students will not eagerly engage in independent academic work. Motivated students will complete homework assignments and carry the load of group projects because they have a love of learning. Unmotivated students will do exactly as they always have: work when prodded and party when the teachers back is turned.
If only the cure for the problem was so simple!
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Katherine Harris - A Beauty
[Read the article: Quote of the Day]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I wonder if la Harris was a physically appealing woman if her ex-campaign manager would be so sure that her flirting was unflattering or an embarrassment to the rest of us women? Having grown up in a male dominated corpirate culture, I have never heard a man speak negatively about a woman flirting unless he had been turned down sexually by her or the woman was decidely booty call material. I wonder which one has elicited his response?