Comments on: Introducing … http://www.theislandofalameda.com/2009/08/introducing/ Alameda news. Now. Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:27:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Skippy the Athiest http://www.theislandofalameda.com/2009/08/introducing/comment-page-1/#comment-2041 Skippy the Athiest Sun, 06 Sep 2009 23:50:45 +0000 http://www.theislandofalameda.com/?p=4129#comment-2041 There are few people of "faith" that in my opinion deserve much of my respect. Those that do, are those who do not have "faith" that their understanding and that their view of the world, is the only possibly correct one. Faith as defined in the bible, which is what most of those "faithful" quote as their source of inspiration, is as follows: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1 -KJ I call that simply being tricked/duped into believing something for which there is no "real" evidence. There is absolutely no evidence that associating with, talking about, working with, discussing the human rights of, befriending, allowing your children to be watched by, caring for, sharing a meal with, shaking hands with, rubbing elbows with, striving to reduce the oppression of, or any other normal day to day contact with, that I can possibly think of, that will make someone into, or pre-dispose someone to become, any of the minorities in question which absolutely deserve protection from discrimination under the law. Doing any of those things with say for instance a left handed person will not make me left handed.(my wife is left handed ... I know this ;-)) Doing any of those things with a Republican conservative will not make me a Republican. Doing any of those things with one of my christian neighbors will not make me into a christian. Doing any of those things with one of my Hindu friends from work will not turn me into a Hindu. Doing any of these things with Doing all of these things will however help us all to realize that these, like all people, are all human beings like us, that have the same needs desires and as the founders of the country wrote, the same inalienable rights as the rest of us. Continuing to be so ignorant and xenophobic is merely slowing the natural progression or EVOLUTION(yes, sorry another dig at the religious left) if you will, of the human species. Keep your religious "faith" out of our public schools and out of our government, it has absolutely no place there. If you do not want your children exposed to "those people", keep them in religious schools. If that is too expensive for you, ask your religious organizations to make it affordable for you to keep your children in ignorance, ask them to make it more affordable for you to continue to teach intolerance, fear of those who are different from themselves, and possibly hate. There are few people of “faith” that in my opinion deserve much of my respect. Those that do, are those who do not have “faith” that their understanding and that their view of the world, is the only possibly correct one. Faith as defined in the bible, which is what most of those “faithful” quote as their source of inspiration, is as follows:

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 -KJ

I call that simply being tricked/duped into believing something for which there is no “real” evidence.

There is absolutely no evidence that
associating with,
talking about,
working with,
discussing the human rights of,
befriending,
allowing your children to be watched by,
caring for,
sharing a meal with,
shaking hands with,
rubbing elbows with,
striving to reduce the oppression of,
or any other normal day to day contact with, that I can possibly think of, that will make someone into, or pre-dispose someone to become, any of the minorities in question which absolutely deserve protection from discrimination under the law.

Doing any of those things with say for instance a left handed person will not make me left handed.(my wife is left handed … I know this ;-) )

Doing any of those things with a Republican conservative will not make me a Republican.

Doing any of those things with one of my christian neighbors will not make me into a christian.

Doing any of those things with one of my Hindu friends from work will not turn me into a Hindu.

Doing any of these things with

Doing all of these things will however help us all to realize that these, like all people, are all human beings like us, that have the same needs desires and as the founders of the country wrote, the same inalienable rights as the rest of us.

Continuing to be so ignorant and xenophobic is merely slowing the natural progression or EVOLUTION(yes, sorry another dig at the religious left) if you will, of the human species.

Keep your religious “faith” out of our public schools and out of our government, it has absolutely no place there. If you do not want your children exposed to “those people”, keep them in religious schools. If that is too expensive for you, ask your religious organizations to make it affordable for you to keep your children in ignorance, ask them to make it more affordable for you to continue to teach intolerance, fear of those who are different from themselves, and possibly hate.

]]> By: Parent http://www.theislandofalameda.com/2009/08/introducing/comment-page-1/#comment-2003 Parent Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:57:47 +0000 http://www.theislandofalameda.com/?p=4129#comment-2003 The vote was clearly a mistake, there is always middle ground, and when you need a parcel tax, you can't alienate the votes you need. We need a BOE which is willing to direct the Superintendant to do what is right for Alameda Students, not necessarily a feel-good, PC vote. The Board should have had the wisdom to require the Lesson9 committee to be inclusive, not exclusive. Their failure with such a big issue for the community requires them to step down or be voted out. This is the type of decision which will prevent the needed parcel tax. I can not expect good judgment for those who display such poor judgment. I will not support a Board loaded with such poor judgment. Get them off. If you listen carefully to what Vital was trying to avoid saying, looks like they need to not use that curriculum, and they know that is what the courts will instruct them. –Remember AUSD just staffed a ‘legal dept’ this summer? They know they have to replace the lesson 9. They are not listening to the people, just to the lawyers. It is a shame we need lawyers to make AUSD listen, but the BOE is not doing their job. The trust is obviously broken. The vote was clearly a mistake, there is always middle ground, and when you need a parcel tax, you can’t alienate the votes you need.

We need a BOE which is willing to direct the Superintendant to do what is right for Alameda Students, not necessarily a feel-good, PC vote. The Board should have had the wisdom to require the Lesson9 committee to be inclusive, not exclusive.

Their failure with such a big issue for the community requires them to step down or be voted out. This is the type of decision which will prevent the needed parcel tax. I can not expect good judgment for those who display such poor judgment. I will not support a Board loaded with such poor judgment. Get them off.

If you listen carefully to what Vital was trying to avoid saying, looks like they need to not use that curriculum, and they know that is what the courts will instruct them. –Remember AUSD just staffed a ‘legal dept’ this summer? They know they have to replace the lesson 9. They are not listening to the people, just to the lawyers. It is a shame we need lawyers to make AUSD listen, but the BOE is not doing their job.

The trust is obviously broken.

]]> By: Sean G. http://www.theislandofalameda.com/2009/08/introducing/comment-page-1/#comment-1998 Sean G. Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:50:07 +0000 http://www.theislandofalameda.com/?p=4129#comment-1998 Well Tim, it seems you may not know the what the Board's vote was in May. The Board, while adding to the Caring Schools curriculum, also asked the Superintendent to add to the existing information and monitor the implementation. So now the District says to the board we have a good curriculum but not great so lets do better and find it, means the board is caving to the recall? Really! Sounds to me like the Superintendent is doing what the Board asked in May – imagine that follow up by the schools! I also agree that the Board did what the majority of Alamedans, including parents, wanted. We should celebrate our schools, not tear them down! Well Tim, it seems you may not know the what the Board’s vote was in May. The Board, while adding to the Caring Schools curriculum, also asked the Superintendent to add to the existing information and monitor the implementation. So now the District says to the board we have a good curriculum but not great so lets do better and find it, means the board is caving to the recall? Really!
Sounds to me like the Superintendent is doing what the Board asked in May – imagine that follow up by the schools!

I also agree that the Board did what the majority of Alamedans, including parents, wanted. We should celebrate our schools, not tear them down!

]]> By: Susan Davis http://www.theislandofalameda.com/2009/08/introducing/comment-page-1/#comment-1997 Susan Davis Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:45:47 +0000 http://www.theislandofalameda.com/?p=4129#comment-1997 Tim, Correction: The board members did not ignore "the will of the people." The board members made a decision that displeased *some* of the people in Alameda. That often happens in a democracy. Many of us who send our children to schools in the district have seen the Board make decisions we don't agree with. Thank goodness we don't all call for recalls every time it happens. It would create total chaos and set a terrible example for our children. Tim,

Correction: The board members did not ignore “the will of the people.” The board members made a decision that displeased *some* of the people in Alameda. That often happens in a democracy.

Many of us who send our children to schools in the district have seen the Board make decisions we don’t agree with. Thank goodness we don’t all call for recalls every time it happens. It would create total chaos and set a terrible example for our children.

]]> By: Tim R http://www.theislandofalameda.com/2009/08/introducing/comment-page-1/#comment-1996 Tim R Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:36:33 +0000 http://www.theislandofalameda.com/?p=4129#comment-1996 They are not ignoring the fact that the board caved into a threat of recall. They are simply saying that it does not matter. The board members refused to do as the people asked... plain and simple. They showed themselves to be more interested in the whims of a special interest group than in the will of the people of Alameda. What they have done since out of fear for their jobs is just not relevant to the recall. There needs to be consequences for those who ignore the will of the people. Evans and the others have said this quite clearly, but the press never seems to find column space for these quotes. I wonder who else is cozy with special interests? They are not ignoring the fact that the board caved into a threat of recall. They are simply saying that it does not matter. The board members refused to do as the people asked… plain and simple. They showed themselves to be more interested in the whims of a special interest group than in the will of the people of Alameda. What they have done since out of fear for their jobs is just not relevant to the recall. There needs to be consequences for those who ignore the will of the people. Evans and the others have said this quite clearly, but the press never seems to find column space for these quotes. I wonder who else is cozy with special interests?

]]> By: Sean G. http://www.theislandofalameda.com/2009/08/introducing/comment-page-1/#comment-1995 Sean G. Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:49:23 +0000 http://www.theislandofalameda.com/?p=4129#comment-1995 S.E.R.V.E. knows the District is working to find an explict new curriculum. Two of their quoted leaders, Woods and Evans, were at the Board meeting and Evans even spoke. They choose to ignore facts. Curious that they continue to ignore the fact that the existing curriculum is suppose to be protecting "the other four" protected classes. I also wonder which class they are leaving out? S.E.R.V.E. knows the District is working to find an explict new curriculum. Two of their quoted leaders, Woods and Evans, were at the Board meeting and Evans even spoke.
They choose to ignore facts.
Curious that they continue to ignore the fact that the existing curriculum is suppose to be protecting “the other four” protected classes. I also wonder which class they are leaving out?

]]> By: dave http://www.theislandofalameda.com/2009/08/introducing/comment-page-1/#comment-1994 dave Mon, 31 Aug 2009 17:51:38 +0000 http://www.theislandofalameda.com/?p=4129#comment-1994 They aren't as interested in seeing other groups included; they won't rest until LGBT is excluded. They aren’t as interested in seeing other groups included; they won’t rest until LGBT is excluded.

]]> By: Susan Davis http://www.theislandofalameda.com/2009/08/introducing/comment-page-1/#comment-1993 Susan Davis Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:30:28 +0000 http://www.theislandofalameda.com/?p=4129#comment-1993 Is it possible that SERVE has not yet heard that the district is going to expand the anti-bullying curriculum to include other protected classes? Evans' comment "if you protect one class, you’re bullying the other four," seems to completely ignore this fact. I remain puzzled as to why SERVE is hurtling toward a recall effort when the district is actually doing exactly what this group has requested. Is it possible that SERVE has not yet heard that the district is going to expand the anti-bullying curriculum to include other protected classes? Evans’ comment “if you protect one class, you’re bullying the other four,” seems to completely ignore this fact.

I remain puzzled as to why SERVE is hurtling toward a recall effort when the district is actually doing exactly what this group has requested.

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