Monday, May 24, 2004

Hard To Narrow It To Just Ten Found this via TBogg:  The Top Ten Conservative Idiots of the Week. You'll be shocked to find the principal for Rio Rancho High School on the list.  Shocked. Totally unrelated note:  Been getting lots of hits all the sudden for pictures of Alex Kerry, daughter of John Kerry, and her see-through dress.  I've never hosted that picture on this site.  But for those who are lousy at searching for things online (proof: you ended up here), you can find the picture you're looking for on Yahoo.  Knock yourself out. 9:40:22 PM     |

Burning Books In The School Parking Lot Next? Some people just don't get poetry. Some not only don't get it, but actively despise it. I've had students like that in my classes. Soon as I'd announce we were going to be doing poetry, you'd always hear a few, "Do we have to do that?" or "Why?" or "Poetry sucks!" But that's to be expected. You just can't make everyone happy. Never have I had a principal who was against poetry, though. Nor one who forced their political views on me or my students. Bill Nevins, a teacher in New Mexico, isn't so lucky. He was the sponsor of a poetry club at Rio Rancho High School, home of the Rams, and after one of his students read a poem over the school's television network critical of Bush and the war in Iraq, the club was banned, all poetry reading in the school was forbidden, and the teacher was ultimately fired. Did the poem contain cuss words? Nothing close except "pissed" if you're that picky. The only thing it contained were opinions that went against those of the principal, and by golly, he's going to Ram his opinions into their little heads.  Here's the poem: REVOLUTION X Bush said no child would be left behind And yet kids from inner-city schools Work on Central Avenue Jingling cans that read Please sir, may I have some more? They hand out diplomas like toilet paper And lower school standards Because Underpaid, unrespected teachers Are afraid of losing their jobs Funded by the standardized tests That shows our competency When I'm in detox. This is the Land of the Free ... Where the statute of limitations for rape is only five damn years! And immigrants can't run for President. Where Muslims are hunted because Some suicidal men decided they didn't like Our arrogant bid for modern imperialism. This is the Land of the Free ... You drive by a car whose Bumper screams God bless America! Well, you can scratch out the B And make it Godless Because God left this country a long time ago. The founding fathers made this nation On a dream and now Freedom of Speech Lets Nazis burn crosses, but Calls police to Gay pride parades. We somehow Can afford war with Iraq But we can't afford to pay the teachers Who educate the young who hold the guns Against the "Axis of Evil" Land of the Free ... This is the land If you're politically assertive They call you a traitor and Damn you to ostracism. Say good-bye to Johnny Walker Lindh And his family. Bye Bye. American Pie. So maybe My ideas about this nation Don't resolve around perfection But at least I know Education is more important Than money. Land of the Free . . . If this was utopia We'd have to see each other naked Before we got married But instead, we see each other naked all the time Because the government has my social security number And the name of my dog! And then we make babies, But don't worry, they won't be left behind And they grow up saying God bless America! But they don't know who Bush is Because they never learned the Presidents. And they will ride the ship Amistad To our dreamland shores Bearing the same shackles as us. I'm here to say that Generation X Is pissed and we are taking over, Ripping down the American illusion of perfection We are the future generation I have my qualifications I know it looks like Angel Soft paper, But don't worry It's a diploma Do I look qualified? You can take our toilet paper, But you can't take our Revolution Rambunctious?  Perhaps.  Rambling?  Sure.  Worth Ramrodding your ultra-conservative views down every else's throats?  No. Sure it's not exactly Robert Frost, nor Shakespeare, but you'd think that it wouldn't get the principal off on an anti-poetry Rampage.  That's Rampugnant (ok, now I'm stretching it). The principal, gary Tripp, even told the girl's mother, who was also a teacher to destroy her poetry. How very Nazi of him. Mr. Tripp did hold a flag raising shortly there after and had a patriotic poem that he and the school's "military liason" wrote. Nothing spells hypocrite quite like banning poetry... except poetry that you wrote. Sources: N.M. teacher sues school, claiming he was fired over students' poems Hard Lessons from Poetry Class:  Speech is free unless it's critical 4:50:04 PM     |

© Copyright 2005 Alex L. Mauldin.