Szwaja asks students if U.S. planned 9-11 attacks (Seattle City Council candidate)

The Seattle Times ^ | September 11, 2007 | David Postman

[Stoat]

Szwaja asks students if U.S. planned 9-11 attacks

Posted by David Postman at 06:57 PM

Seattle City Council candidate Joe Szwaja is teaching a high school class that asks if the United States helped plan the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon. Szwaja teaches history at Seattle's Nova High School, an alternative public school. The senior class he's offering is called: "September 11/Iraq War: What happened, why did it happen, and where do we go from here?"

According to the course description, the class will ask provocative questions:

"Did the attacks take place in the manner reported by the major US news media? Were Osama Bin Laden and his followers indeed responsible for these brutal murders? Did the US government do all they reasonably could to avert the attacks, or did the US bungle its sincere attempts to stop this incidence of terrorism? On the other hand, was the US government itself part of planning the attacks or at least involved in them in some way, perhaps in making sure nothing was done to avert them?"

The course was brought to reporters' attention by Cathy Allen, a political consultant working for Szwaja's opponent, incumbent Jean Godden. That looks to me as an endorsement of sorts that Godden takes Szwaja's candidacy seriously.

Szwaja told Times City Hall reporter Bob Young today that he does not believe the U.S. government was involved in planning the attacks or making sure they weren't stopped. Szwaja said:

"I want to teach students to think about important questions and I go out of my way to provide different perspectives."

[Stoat]

Thanks to OrbusMax for the link

Orbusmax ™ Northwest News - 'Around The World In 80K'

[Stoat]

From the article:

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Is it irresponsible, though, to suggest to students that the U.S. was part of the attacks?

"The main thing I try to do is teach classes that engage students from a variety of perspectives. I pride myself on that. A big part of the class is fact-checking. My goal is not to tell students what happened. My goal is to teach them to think carefully, systematically and pursue answers for themselves."

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Did you see a direct answer to the question in there?

[GeronL]

is Swaja an idiot? is Swaja a useful idiot for goat-lovers and does he eat stomach ulcers or kittens??

we have to ask these types of questions in school.

[Stoat]

is Swaja an idiot? is Swaja a useful idiot for goat-lovers and does he eat stomach ulcers or kittens??

Pretty much, yes. 

Joe Szwaja for Seattle City Council

About Joe Szwaja

Who is Joe? High School Teacher, Seattle Public Schools Community Leader Former Three-Term Councilmember

Joe Szwaja has a strong record of leadership, independence, and meaningful results.  As a city councilmember in Madison, Wisconsin for six years before he moved to Seattle, Joe earned a reputation as a practical visionary who could, "Pull a needle out of a haystack" and pay for programs he proposed by addressing inefficiencies in city agencies.  He earned respect from advocates for renters' rights and business leaders alike, and the people of Madison re-elected him twice.

A high school teacher for 14 years in the Seattle Public Schools, Joe has inspired many students to get involved in political and humanitarian programs.  He has also traveled with many of these students abroad to learn Spanish and volunteer for social justice-related work projects.  He received an Outstanding American Teacher's Award in 2006 as a result of student nominations.

Part of Joe's broad record of achievement in Seattle includes a UN Association of Seattle Human Rights Award in 1999, the founding of the Seattle International Human Rights Coalition in 2002, and his successful promotion of renewable energy and conservation at Seattle's Nova High School.

Born in Oberlin, Ohio in 1956, Joe studied History and Spanish Literature at Kenyon College where he received his Bachelor of Arts degrees in 1978.  He subsequently received a Masters degree in Latin American History and a Teaching Certificate from the University of Wisconsin.  Joe speaks fluent Spanish and has lived in Colombia and Mexico.

Notable legislative accomplishments:
 

• Passage of a family-fairness law to provide health insurance, as well as sick and bereavement leave for city workers' families.  Pioneer legislation in 1988, many gay and lesbian families received benefits for the first time as a result of Joe's legislation.
• Instrumental in the passage of legislation to protect wetlands, support mass transit and require developers to cover more of the costs of their development projects
• Chaired the Affirmative Action Commission and Vice-Chaired the Equal Opportunity Commission in Madison.

Notable community groups Joe has recently assisted:
 

• Common Ground Seattle
• Seattle International Human Rights Coalition
• Initiative 937 for renewable energy standards in Washington State
• Jobs with Justice
• Community Alliance for Global Justice
• Seattle Rainforest Action Network

[Stoat]

Would you like to speak with this person?

Joe Szwaja for Seattle City Council

Ask Joe

Joe Szwaja actually listens and will act decisively as your new Councilmember. He will be open, accessible, practical and effective.

Would you and your neighbors like to meet Joe personally? Would you like to partner with us as we reform City Hall?

We invite you to share your concerns with us:

campaign@joeforcouncil.com

You can also reach the campaign via phone:

206.420.1830

Or by United States Post:

Joe Szwaja for Seattle City Council
P.O. Box 30149, Seattle, WA 98113-0149

[GeronL]

so he’s also a dork

[GeronL]

this should boost private and home schools nationally.

[july4thfreedomfoundation]

Seattle is the moonbat capital of the West Coast.

What a bunch of scumbag flakes.

[Stoat]

so he’s also a dork

LMAO

this should boost private and home schools nationally.

But the cost is way too high.  For the Seattle City Council, it's always a matter of choosing between the hard-Left Marxist and an utterly unhinged, barking moonbat hard-left Marxist.

It would be so very nice to have a candidate, just once, who at least is able to achieve a passing glance in the direction of sanity.

But noooooooo.......

"sigh"

[GeronL]

you need to escape as soon as possible to the hills of Idaho or Montana or Ceres (its an asteroid some 350+ million miles past Earth’s orbit from the sun)

[Alas Babylon!]

I think they left out the part where he lives with his partner Ramon.

[Stoat]

Seattle is the moonbat capital of the West Coast.

What a bunch of scumbag flakes.

I've lived here for over 40 years, and it's only gotten steadily worse.

"trying to think happy thoughts"

Seattle is the moonbat capital of the West Coast.

What a bunch of scumbag flakes.

[Stoat]

you need to escape as soon as possible to the hills of Idaho or Montana or Ceres (its an asteroid some 350+ million miles past Earth’s orbit from the sun)

I would if I could, believe me.

[GeronL]

You could slip over the border and become an immigrant in Canada. nah

[Stoat]

I think they left out the part where he lives with his partner Ramon.

Well, if something walks like a duck and talks like a duck.......

[coincheck]

Its a shame that our election was stolen by the socialists in seattle, THE leftist-liberal-socialist-only using one(half dead) brain cell capital of the northwest.

[Beckwith]

Fruit!

[citabria]

Nuts and flakes!

[ReignOfError]

I note that the criticism is leveled at the description of the course, not its content. If the course raises conspiracy theory as a question — and then teaches students to examine such theories critically — that not only isn’t an outrage, it’s a needed public service.

If we insulate students from dumb ideas instead of tackling them head-on, we turn the students loose on the Internet without the skills to look at them critically. I’d bet my bottom dollar that at least some of these students have already read, and some of them believe, some of the Truther nonsense.

[Road Warrior ‘04]

There’s got to be a way to lop off Kalifornia, Oregon and Washington and send them directly to the Soviet Union, errr, Russia!