Dancing to the public's tune

Gulf News ^ | 03/10/2006 | Gulf News Editorial

[Dog Gone]

In hindsight, this will be seen as a lost opportunity to demonstrate to the world that arabs can be partners with us. The "all arabs are bad arabs" crowd has won, and there is a lot of high-fiving around here.

We're ultimately going to regret this.

[TheForceOfOne]

The killing of the Port Terminal deal accomplished absolutely nothing regarding national security. This shameful display by both parties was a purely political charade for public display for the purpose of creating an election year platform issue.

Way too many people, ill informed, way to reactionary, jumped on the bandwagon. I would not vote for any politician who killed this deal. When Congress decides to react based on emotions instead of vetting the issue through honest debate on the facts, they have failed, and Congressmen and women should resign if this is the new standard for Congressional approval or denial.

They have succeeded in stabbing the president in the back, but failed to tie his hands on the WOT, which is the only good thing I can extract from this whole ordeal.

[Bahbah]

Yup, what you said.

[Rokke]

"Perhaps you were being sarcastic, in which case, ignore my remarks."

Welll, I live in Colorado, but you're going to have to help me out here. I know exactly where the UAE is, where its ports are and where its airfields are. I've been to them. What are you talking about? Or are you being sarcastic?

[prairiebreeze]

Ok good, You posted my comments, so now I don't have to.

:^)

[maica]

Apparently, having students describe how they believe an area to exist, without using books, a procedure called "mental mapping" is all the rage in geography courses these days. The attention of the media to what this teacher said, brought forth a lot of discussion on the efficacy of this kind of exercise for students. Why not give them the facts and then discuss how the geographical facts affect a person's life.

This was a hot topic last week on conservative talk shows as well as the TODAY show in New York, and evening news broadcasts, both "MSM" and cable. The course is called Human Geography.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4508688,00.html


High school in turmoil over teacher's remarks about Bush
Controversial lecture thrusts Overland into national spotlight
Ahmad Terry © News

Overland High School students protest today, some in support and others against, a teacher who was at the center of a controversy over statements he made comparing President Bush to Adolf Hitler.


RELATED STORIES
Teacher on leave after comments

RELATED LINKS
Watch CBS4's report on the tape
Audio: Overland teacher's speech from 850 KOA
Slide show: The day in photos, March 2
RockyTalk Live: "Teach Don't Preach" or free speech? Post your comments
Poll: Should Overland teacher Jay Bennish have been suspended?
By Kevin Vaughan and Felix Doligosa Jr., Rocky Mountain News
March 2, 2006
AURORA — Controversy over a high school teacher's comparison of President Bush to Adolf Hitler erupted into a day of turmoil Thursday — with a student protest, a threatened lawsuit and dueling talk shows.
At the center of the storm was Overland High School teacher Jay Bennish, whose lecture in a world geography class last month also included harsh words about capitalism, U.S. foreign policy and the invasion of Iraq.

At one point in a 21- minute, 40-second recording of the lecture, Bennish called America "probably the single most violent nation on planet Earth."

Bennish, who has been a teacher at Overland since 2000, has been suspended and is under investigation for violating a school district policy that requires teachers to present varying viewpoints. He has hired a lawyer and may fight back in court as early as today.

---snip---

Excerpts of comments made by Overland High School teacher Jay Bennish in a geography class Feb. 1:

Discussing President Bush's speech the previous night:

"The implication was that the solution to the violence in the Middle East is democratization. And the implication through his language was that democracies don't go to war. Democracies aren't violent. Democracies won't want weapons of mass destruction. This is called blind, naive faith in democracy. Who is probably the single most violent nation on planet Earth? (student answer — "India") The United States of America, and we're a democracy, quote, unquote. Who has the most weapons of mass destruction in the world? (student answer — unintelligible) United States. Who is continuing to develop new weapons of mass destruction as we speak? (student answer — unintelligible) United States."

•

*****

[rambo316]

"Dancing to the public's tune"

Isn't that what democracy is? Governing by polls?

Just what our founders didn't want for America. That is why they created a Representative Republic. There is a difference as you all know. As a Republic, we have to take in the minority view that this deal may have been good for America.

[OldFriend]

One thing for sure, we have shown the rest of the world just how ignorant we are.

And we have this superior attitude about Americans! Hah!

I am embarrassed for us!

[OldFriend]

Keep this in mind and you'll understand perfectly.

This applies to republicans......we have three groups.

Donner Party

Opportunist Party

Realist Party

As for the dems, they don't care what harm comes to America if they can bash the President that's all that matters.

[FBD]

thanks for the info. I think after reading and learning a bit more about the UAE, and hearing that from you, my opinions have changed a bit.

[FBD]

go ahead, yuk it up!

Dubai threat to hit back (UAE Threatens Against Boeing and US Bases Support)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1593184/posts

Personally, I didn't think security was going to be much of a problem, (after getting informed.) My concerns about the UAE also may have been unfounded (for freedoms of speech, religion, human rights, etc)

But the administration handled this deal very poorly. rather then let people become informed and get up to speed about DP WOrld, the UAE, and the port deal, they jumped in with calling people bigots, etc.

The American people, after 9/11, had every right to ask questions about the port deal. Given time the public could have been more informed, and this didn't have to turn out this way. There was no need to rush this deal through.
Pres. Bush could have stepped back, instead of immediately threatening a veto.

This was a PR fiasco, and the blame rests with administration officials.

[Echo Talon]

I hope they do, we deserve it. Politicians playing politics with our national security and cutting off our allies at the knees in an election year to score political points is NO way to treat the people that we depend on to defeat the enemy in the WOT.

[Rokke]

I think your post is spot on. And I think this story could have easily had a different outcome if the Whitehouse had been more proactive (or even proactive at all) about informing the public about the facts.

[Rokke]

Your post still makes absolutely no sense. I have no idea what point your trying to make. I think you are looking for a thread about Denver. This is a thread about Dubai.

[FBD]

The more I learned about DP World, and Dubai, the less concerned I was. True, it is an Islamic country, but it's rapidly becoming westerinized.
My concern was that it was a dictatorship, but it appears to be a very benevelent one: it is fairly open to religiuos freedom, womens rights, etc. (But they still have need for improvement, the right to vote, a free press, etc.)
However, Dubai is very receptive to foreign business.
The country has something like 58,000 multi-millionaires living there.

Given a little time, people would have come around to accepting the port deal.

[maica]

Okay, my point was that not very many Americans have any idea about the geopolitical importance of the UAE and our relationship with it. When I saw that you were from Colorado, I made an assumption that you had heard the buzz about the Human Geography teacher who was suspended recently for quesionable behavior in his classroom. I WAS on this thread to discuss the Dubai deal, and the fact that if more people actually understood REAL geography, they might have a greater appreciation for the huge value of our mutual cooperation.