July 2008 archive

This is a book review of Kate Menken’s English Learners Left Behind, which details the difficulties faced by “English language learners” under the testing regime faced by NCLB, with special emphasis upon problems the author observed and researched in New York State.

(crossposted at Big Orange)

I was going to post a followup to a recent post I had done referancing some disturbing news, but suspected, out of Afganistan. That post, a few days ago, followed the extremely sad news about the loss of the nine soldiers, fifteen injured, in a battle at a small fire base they held by Afgan insugents. This U.S. Abandons Site of Afghan Attack is a recent report on that and as the title says the American forces abandoned the base. It was than apparently retaken by the Afgan Insurgents as well as the little town near it, and control of the territory well around the town and base.

Another report came out yesterday, in the Asian Times, but was dated for today, I’ve already seen that other sources have been picking it up today, that will follow shortly.

And sometimes I can’t believe my own eyes. WashPost::

CINCINNATI — Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) called for sweeping educational reforms today in a speech before the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, an association which he said “means more to me than any other,” despite his historic opposition to many of its policies.

McCain, who has received an F grade from the NAACP for his votes in each of the past four Congresses, acknowledged that he might not win the votes of the group’s members in his race against Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.). McCain skipped the NAACP’s convention last year — he apologized for that today, saying he “was a bit distracted at the time dealing with what reporters uncharitably described as an implosion in my campaign” — and in 1996 he advised then-GOP Sen. Robert J. Dole of Kansas not to attend it on the grounds that he would face a hostile audience. Today, accompanied by Maryland’s former lieutenant governor Michael Steele, who is African American, McCain said he would seek the organization’s support for his presidential bid.

That’s right.  John McCain apparently believes that the past doesn’t matter.  We all get a clean slate any time we ask for it.  To forgive is divine; to forget is even better.

In that spirit, although I have spent the last eight years saying terrible things about them and doing everything in my power to bring about their defeat and stop their programs, and although I have written negative things about them almost daily for the past three years, I am going to ask George Bush and Dick Cheney to endorse my blog.

Their support would mean more to me than anyone else’s, despite my historic opposition to many of their policies.

Anyone have a problem with that?

You don’t promote or recommend Pony Parties.  They are starboard side Open Threads.

You should read dday on digby, and click all the links.

No matter how many times John Yoo and David Addington try to rewrite the plain reading of the Constitution, what has been done in America’s name violates federal law, international treaties and war crimes statutes.

In a just world, as Jerrold Nadler said yesterday, Bush and Cheney would be impeached.

But this goes well beyond removal from office.

This is about indictment for murder and war crimes, by definition.

In case you were wondering, however, here is the official Village pronouncement about what we should do with the fact that our leaders, in a complete breakdown of the rule of law, have tortured, detained without charges, and murdered:

Dark deeds have been conducted in the name of the United States government in recent years: the gruesome, late-night circus at Abu Ghraib, the beating to death of captives in Afghanistan, and the officially sanctioned waterboarding and brutalization of high-value Qaeda prisoners. Now demands are growing for senior administration officials to be held accountable and punished. Congressional liberals, human-rights groups and other activists are urging a criminal investigation into high-level “war crimes,” including the Bush administration’s approval of interrogation methods considered by many to be torture. It’s a bad idea. In fact, President George W. Bush ought to pardon any official from cabinet secretary on down who might plausibly face prosecution for interrogation methods approved by administration lawyers.

Which is the better take on McCain’s response to the “Viagra vs. Birth Control” question?

This

or this

or should people roll their own?

Thank you for responding to the poll, if you do.