Posted on 09/22/2004 5:02:22 AM PDT by alloysteel
The public school establishment hates homeschoolers. They've smeared the movement as a conspiracy of conservative Christian zealots. They've scoffed at homeschooled kids as social pariahs. They've painted homeschooling parents as uneducated and negligent.
And now, under the guise of preparing students for a violent terrorist attack, educators in one public school district are casting homeschoolers in the role of bomb-detonating militants.
The story about a mock terrorism drill involving a local school district in the Muskegon Chronicle starts out innocently enough:
"Local school district transportation directors instigated the exercise because they wanted to test their abilities to respond to emergencies, said Tom Spoelman, transportation consultant for the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District. They eventually hooked up with Muskegon County Emergency Services, and planning for the event has been under way for about a year, Spoelman said.
"The exercise will test not only school transportation directors, but also the Muskegon County Emergency Operations Plan, which involves many agencies throughout the county.
"About 60 middle and high school students from Reeths-Puffer and Whitehall public schools will be part of the exercise, according to Kristin Tank, public information coordinator for the MAISD. Local law enforcement agencies, fire departments, human service agencies, transportation services and medical services will participate.
"Students from Muskegon Community College and Reeths-Puffer will assist in applying makeup to add to the reality of the gruesome scene. Between 200 and 300 people will observe the exercise, including school bus drivers, school administrators, emergency personnel and evaluators from agencies across the state who will provide feedback."
What's jaw-droppingly unbelievable is the next paragraph describing the attackers in the simulation:
"The exercise will simulate an attack by a fictitious radical group called Wackos Against Schools and Education who believe everyone should be homeschooled. Under the scenario, a bomb is placed on the bus and is detonated while the bus is traveling on Durham, causing the bus to land on its side and fill with smoke."
This is not a joke. A taxpayer-funded drill is using public school students to enforce anti-homeschooling bigotry under the guise of preparing for terrorism. Terrorism by whom? By Islamic jihadists who hijack planes and incinerate kids headed to Disneyworld. Islamic terrorists who take hundreds of children hostage in Beslan, force them to drink their own urine and shoot babies in the back. Islamic terrorists who groom toddlers as suicide bombers.
Our enemies are Islamic extremist murderers. Except if you happen to attend the Muskegon County, Mich., schools, where the menacing faces of terrorism belong to parents who make untold sacrifices to give their children the best education they know how by schooling them in the loving environment of their own homes.
I recall the Islamist-sympathizing admonition included in the National Education Association's touchy-feely, post-Sept. 11 curriculum: "Do not suggest that any group is responsible" for the terrorist attacks, one tip for parents and teachers urged. Unless, it should be amended, you can work an anti-homeschooling hate angle into the lesson.
When President Bush's education secretary, Rod Paige, likened the NEA in jest to a "terrorist organization," teachers' union officials and the media became completely unhinged. How dare he make such an odious comparison, they gasped. How dare he make light of the real terrorists, they fumed.
"I can tell you what my first response was: Scary. That's really frightening," said Diana Garchow, a special-education teacher at Highland Elementary School in Bakersfield, Calif., to the Associated Press after Paige's remarks. "It's scary that you can't voice an opinion in this country without being called a terrorist. . . . I don't care if it was a joke or what it was, that was a totally inappropriate comment."
Paige was forced to apologize to teachers. What about the Muskegon County, Mich., school system? Will its public education militants apologize to homeschoolers for taking an intolerant swipe at their beliefs? Or will this politicized "Wackos Against Schools and Education" terror drill be coming to a classroom near you?
I leave it to others to post the obligatory pictures of the comely Ms. Malkin.
Repost x2
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1223188/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1223271/posts
Ring a bell?
ping
bttt
If public schools were failing everywhere, then the parental outcry would be deafening. In fact, SOME public schools do a fairly decent job of providing a minimal education - the students, after completing the curriculum, may be able to read, do simple computations without the aid of a calculator, and write a grammarically correct sentence with a minimum of spelling errors. They may not be able to locate Ethopia or even Wisconsin on a map, but they will know that SUVs cause dolphins to die.
The rest of the public education industry is, frankly, an employment program, only peripherally connected with instilling useful information in young skulls full of mush.
Homeschooler PING-BUMP.
Wow, this makes me proud to live in Michigan.
These idiots can't just say "terrorists planted a bomb on a bus" Nooooo, they have to make up some silly scenario making us home educators look like subversives.
Gee, I almost feel like Randy Weaver.
We are getting to be too strong. Fear of the failure of the public school system makes these people lash out at us instead of fixing their own problems.
Perhaps the MSM needs some more attacks from the Pajamamujadin?
Indeed. The MSM happy talk article on this travesty omits to mention who's idea this was.
Time to terminate another career.
Homeschool ping.
Superintendent: mbozym@remc4.k12.mi.us
Assistant superindenent: smeston@remc4.k12.mi.us
Hell, here is the entire directory:
Bozym, Michael (231) 767-7202 mbozym@remc4.k12.mi.us Superintendent
Shaffer, Diane (231) 767-7201 dshaffer@remc4.k12.mi.us Administrative Assistant
Meston, Susan (231) 767-7204 smeston@remc4.k12.mi.us Deputy Superintendent
Barr, Rochelle (231) 767-7203 rbarr@remc4.k12.mi.us Administrative Assistant
Tank, Kristin (231) 767-7263 ktank@remc4.k12.mi.us Public Information Coordinator
Same idea as the other posts but this one is a commentary by Michelle!
I hope this gets feet. I posted it to all my Homeschool Groups.
Oh those wacky homeschoolers!
Muskegon County Emergency Services
Muskegon, Michigan
Phone: (231) 724-6341
Fax: (231) 724-6678
Daniel Stout, Director of Emergency Services stoutda@co.muskegon.mi.us
Roy Wheeler, Assistant Director of Emergency Services wheelerro@co.muskegon.mi.us
>>We have 5 grandchildren all home schooled by right wing conservative, overly religiously, uneducated parents that only have a number of collage degrees. We are really concerned for the loves of our life. The oldest can only get full scholarships and will be graduating from the university on the Dean's list, with honors. The high school senior has been taking undergraduate courses since her sophamore year making perfect scores. These children are artist, musicaians, sports activist, have never been in any trouble of any kind. Oh well you can not have everything.
LOLOLOL!!
God Bless your family!
I love seeing homeschooled kids win the spelling bee every year and make the top percentage of standardized tests. :)
Keep up the good work creating our future leaders and innovators all you homeschool teachers out there!
This apology came through one of my homeschool groups....
> > Statement from the MAISD Superintendent
> > Michael H. Bozym, Ph.D.
> >
> > September 21, 2004
> >
> > Contact:
> > Kristin Tank
> > Public Information Coordinator
> > MAISD, (231) 767-7263
> >
> > The Muskegon Area Intermediate School District (MAISD) shared
> > the disappointment of others when we learned the September
> > 21, 2004, emergency preparedness drill referenced home
> > schoolers as the fictitious group responsible for a mock
> > disaster. We apologize. The MAISD and local districts were
> > not aware of the scenario, and it was not shared with
> > students or parents who took part in the exercise.
> >
> > According to Dan Stout, Chief Deputy, Emergency Services of
> > Muskegon County, this scenario was constructed in his office.
> > A sample scenario was required in order to receive the
> > necessary funding to stage the event. The Muskegon Area
> > Intermediate School District and our local schools did not
> > construct the scenario, but participated with other county
> > agencies, hospitals, and emergency responders in conducting
> > the drill.
> >
> > This exercise was meant to sharpen the skills and response
> > time of our emergency services personnel, but was
> > unfortunately clouded by the choice of this fictional group.
> > We believe this exercise had everything to do with testing
> > emergency response time and the protection of our children.
> > It had nothing to do with the home school population.
> >
> > As educators, we believe that the first and most important
> > teacher is the parent, whether in home schools, public
> > schools, or non-public schools. We all work together to
> > ensure a safe and secure environment for our children to live
> > and grow.
> >
> > We sincerely regret offending home school educators. We
> > believe that all parents are educators and do important work
> > at home with their children.
> >
> > # # #
> >
> > Please forward all additional questions and comments to the
> > Public Information Coordinator at the Muskegon Area
> > Intermediate School District at ktank@r... or
> > (231) 767-7263.
> >
> >
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