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Students Asked To Debate If Trump Is A Fascist
CBS Boston ^ | Jan. 10, 2019 | Tashanea Whitlow

Posted on 01/12/2019 8:52:55 AM PST by rickmichaels

Haverhill High School is under fire after assigning history students a controversial homework project asking if President Trump has characteristics of a fascist.

“I support the President,” said parent Dave Prescott. “I support a lot of the things he does. And for them to talk about fascism, in regards to the president, I just think this isn’t what I’m sending my kids to school for.”

In a letter to parents, Haverhill High School Principal Glenn Burns said, “We missed the mark.”

On Thursday, parents expressed mixed emotions to WBZ about that homework assignment.

“If you want to bring up an issue, don’t bring politics into it,” said Prescott.

Parent Bill Galvin thought the assignment provided his child with critical thinking skills. “Absolutely not. But in the same token, having opinions is part of America,” Galvin said.

Meanwhile, teachers and students at Haverhill High School are looking forward to returning to their normal routine.

A statement from Principal Burns reads in a part: “We will continue to provide our scholars opportunities to debate and engage in controversial topics because this is at the heart of how positive change and innovation happens. We will take better notice of the development and delivery of lessons to make sure that the outcomes of the assignment are not skewed by the prompts of the lesson.”


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To: rickmichaels

Webster defines fascism as a political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition.

Autocracy is defined as a government in which one person possesses unlimited power. If Trump had unlimited power, why didn’t he just throw the democrats that are refusing a safety with the wall that they agreed to under a liberal president, out? They are getting their day in “court” from the American people. And Trump is not stopping it at all. Fascist? They don’t know what it is but it makes good print and sells news.

According to Black’s Law Dictionary, the most used in the US, fascism is accomplished by imposing strict measure to empower government and remove citizens rights. A dictator rules it. No citizen’s rights have been removed. And before you argue that point, you might want to understand what a right is. Only God can award rights, and take them away. No politician can. Politicians can only award privileges. So, please, don’t mix up what the liars at the news and political arenas say are rights. They aren’t.

rwood


21 posted on 01/12/2019 9:35:55 AM PST by Redwood71
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To: Kozy

good logic answer


22 posted on 01/12/2019 9:37:47 AM PST by Vaduz (women and children to be impacIQ of chimpsted the most.)
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To: rickmichaels

First of all, what does history have to do with it?

Second, why not debate if Hillary is a lesbian?

Third I could win the Trump debate with one statement. “Show me one incident where Trump was racist”.


23 posted on 01/12/2019 9:37:59 AM PST by Terry Mross (I)
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To: rickmichaels

“We will continue to provide our scholars opportunities to debate and engage in controversial topics because this is at the heart of how positive change and innovation happens.

It is not your job or duty to bring about change of any type! Your only job is to educate. You are failing at that!


24 posted on 01/12/2019 9:40:50 AM PST by 48th SPS Crusader (I am an American. Not a Republican or a Democrat)
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To: Steve_Seattle

Very well put!


25 posted on 01/12/2019 9:41:01 AM PST by cld51860 (Volo pro veritas)
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To: SaxxonWoods

This is the tactic democrats used to bring about massive changes in our culture in less than 30 years... They demanded we ‘debate’ their issues: from gay marriage to men in little girl’s bathrooms.

The purpose of the ‘debate’ is to make both sides seem equivalent... and ‘matters of opinion’...


26 posted on 01/12/2019 9:42:15 AM PST by GOPJ (Replace furloughed government workers with illegals for ten bucks an hour. Show dems how it feels.)
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To: rickmichaels

If the president really WAS a fascist, these idiot administrators, “teachers,” and so-called students would be rounded up, taken to concentration camps, stripped down and tortured....and worse.

That isn’t happening, nor will it happen to them, so these lunatics on the left need to shut the hell up already.


27 posted on 01/12/2019 9:45:30 AM PST by july4thfreedomfoundation (President Trump is right! The media IS the enemy of the people!)
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To: rickmichaels
Principal Burns seems to acknowledge the lesson was intended to instill the view Trump is indeed a fascist:

We will take better notice of the development and delivery of lessons to make sure that the outcomes of the assignment are not skewed by the prompts of the lesson.

He no doubt received nods of approval from many of his Massachusetts colleagues.

28 posted on 01/12/2019 9:53:50 AM PST by frog in a pot (Result of many state bailouts? Taxpayers elsewhere in America get to finance the Left's growth.)
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To: rickmichaels

If Trump was a fascist, you’d be afraid to have this debate.


29 posted on 01/12/2019 9:54:42 AM PST by tbw2
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To: cld51860

Apart from the fact that Trump isn’t a collectivist, he also lacks the other two main traits associated with fascism: anti-Semitism and territorial acquisition through military conquest. The anti-Semitic charge against him is a blatant lie supported by no facts, and - even though he wants a strong military - he is opposed to the endless wars that we’ve been involved in, and is trying to get us out of them, often over the objections of the military and members of both parties.


30 posted on 01/12/2019 9:59:50 AM PST by Steve_Seattle
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To: rickmichaels
answered in two questions:

1)does Fascism want more or less government?

2)does Trump want more or less government?

31 posted on 01/12/2019 10:03:34 AM PST by Chode ( WeÂ’re America, Bitch!)
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To: rickmichaels

The question itself somewhat begs the answer. To link Trump to fascism presumes that there is a legitimate discussion to be had. If the homework project is to be graded, there is an implied bias to answer the question in the affirmative. You could just as well ask, “Why does Trump have the characteristics of a Fascist?”.

If the assignment causes the students to carefully look at the definition of “fascism” and apply the definition to the actions of Trump, I think it could be valuable. But an answer of, “No, Trump does not.” should be eligible for a passing grade based on the arguments made.

In high school, we had a Jr. US History Class. One of the modules was to read about the pros and cons of some aspect of American History. On Friday, the teacher would then flip a coin for pro or con and we had to write an essay based on the flip. On the subject of “Should the US have dropped the Atomic Bomb on Japan?”, the flip came up “No.”

While the rest of the class regurgitated the points from the book, I wrote that the arguments to support “No” were not justified based on the outcome of dropping the bomb. I wrote in favor of dropping the bomb, bringing into the argument that my father was one of the ones that would probably have died in the invasion of Japan. I wrote that I owed my life to the dropping of the bomb. I got an “A”.


32 posted on 01/12/2019 10:06:29 AM PST by super7man (Madam Defarge, knitting, knitting, always knitting)
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To: Redwood71

You get an “A+”.


33 posted on 01/12/2019 10:08:10 AM PST by super7man (Madam Defarge, knitting, knitting, always knitting)
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To: rickmichaels
"having opinions is part of America,” Galvin said.

Really? No other nation or culture has ever had opinions? SMH

34 posted on 01/12/2019 10:08:29 AM PST by Teacher317 (We have now sunk to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men)
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To: rickmichaels
When I was teaching, I would not have shied away from this kind of debate, and I'd defend this teacher doing it as well... if only he would have improved the thesis statement just a little: "A significant percentage of people, and even some news outlets, in America refer to President Trump as a Fascist. Does the President share the characteristics of a Fascist?"

The students then must clearly define the term, research the specifics of the President's actions, and then apply the term to those actions. That is encouraging critical thinking skills. I would also be sure to place a good selection of pro- and anti- Trump students on each side of the debate, so that half are forced to look for a moment from the other side.

(But I'd also videotape the whole thing, for the inevitable kerfuffle that this teacher now faces.)

Sadly, there is little room for actual educating in America's high schools and universities these days.

35 posted on 01/12/2019 10:16:16 AM PST by Teacher317 (We have now sunk to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men)
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To: rickmichaels

They should be allowed to do it. It might teach some future voters not to believe propaganda.


36 posted on 01/12/2019 10:55:52 AM PST by bgill (CDC site, "We don't know how people are infected with Ebola.")
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bump


37 posted on 01/12/2019 11:04:31 AM PST by foreverfree
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To: rickmichaels
George Washington was a Fascist. Lots of statutes of him with fasces. Teddy Roosevelt. Huey Long. The US House of Representatives had a couple of large fasces to inspire the Congressmen.

Even parts of the British army was fascist in World War II. Here's a picture to prove it.


38 posted on 01/12/2019 11:24:47 AM PST by PAR35
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To: rickmichaels

Let them discover that their teachers are lying to them...

When my son was in elementary school, a teacher wanted to show an inconvenient truth, I asked the principal if he would show the rebuttal to it, and he said that would be a good idea.


39 posted on 01/12/2019 11:25:33 AM PST by teeman8r (Armageddon won't be pretty, but it's not like it's the end of the world.)
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To: SaxxonWoods

Get real 90% of teachers have no idea what a fascist is students have less than no chance.


40 posted on 01/12/2019 12:01:02 PM PST by genghis
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