Worcester County Freedom Trail

People wonder why I’m anti-union? Here’s yet another example of the abuses in the union system and the waste of taxpayer dollars.

From the Associated Press on Yahoo News:

Hundreds of New York City public school teachers accused of offenses ranging from insubordination to sexual misconduct are being paid their full salaries to sit around all day playing Scrabble, surfing the Internet or just staring at the wall, if that’s what they want to do.

Because their union contract makes it extremely difficult to fire them, the teachers have been banished by the school system to its “rubber rooms” — off-campus office space where they wait months, even years, for their disciplinary hearings.

The 700 or so teachers can practice yoga, work on their novels, paint portraits of their colleagues — pretty much anything but school work. They have summer vacation just like their classroom colleagues and enjoy weekends and holidays through the school year.

“You just basically sit there for eight hours,” said Orlando Ramos, who spent seven months in a rubber room, officially known as a temporary reassignment center, in 2004-05. “I saw several near-fights. `This is my seat.’ `I’ve been sitting here for six months.’ That sort of thing.”

Ramos was an assistant principal in East Harlem when he was accused of lying at a hearing on whether to suspend a student. Ramos denied the allegation but quit before his case was resolved and took a job in California.

Because the teachers collect their full salaries of $70,000 or more, the city Department of Education estimates the practice costs the taxpayers $65 million a year. The department blames union rules.

Have you seen the new new high schools going up across the state? You’d think they were private colleges with rainy day funds the size of Harvard University!

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but kudos to State Treasurer Tim Cahill for attempting to hold back profligate spending on public school construction. The new Auburn High School cost taxpayers about $31 million to construct 180,000 square feet (and it’s only partially air conditioned). No idea what it cost to then outfit the place. The new Shrewsbury High School up on the hill is also a major testament to grandiosity. These two aren’t the most expensive examples of school construction in the state, but they’re up there.

This in the Boston Globe:

State Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill, trying to head off what he calls “Taj Mahal” high schools, said yesterday that he wants cities and towns to begin using off-the-shelf building designs that could cut school-project costs by 30 percent.

The goal, Cahill said, is to shave tens of millions of dollars from the cost of building new schools, which have reached as high as $197.5 million for the new Newton North High School, a lightning rod of discontent over the escalating price tags for such projects.

“I’m trying to think like a taxpayer,” Cahill, who oversees the state School Building Authority, said in an interview with the Globe, adding later that communities are putting together a “wish list of what we want, not what we need or what we can afford.”

As chairman of the School Building Authority, Cahill has the power to create what he is calling a model school program, which has been sought for the last five years by Inspector General Gregory Sullivan. Sullivan said the Legislature gave Cahill the power when it set up the authority, which has $2.5 billion to spend on school construction.

Cahill said that towns that have suitable sites and refuse to use the cheaper designs might not receive state funding or would be told they can renovate their school but not build a new one.

Good for Cahill! Here are the pictures of the new Auburn High School. Beautiful building. I was told by one construction exec they could have cut a few million off the cost by changing the design slightly, but no one on the School Board was interested.

It’s bad enough that Gov Patrick vetoed a mere $122 million in a $28+ billion budget. Now the colleges in Western Mass are complaining about his cuts. Mind you, they’re all getting more money than they got last year, but apparently the greedy little pigs don’t know when to stop feasting on the taxpayers pocketbook.

I think these administrators need to be sent back to school to relearn the definitions of decrease and increase. Somewhere along the way they got very, very confused. Even if you say “increase,” they think you’re taking something away. Maybe they’re a product of our public school system!

This from the Republican newspaper:

Patrick vetoed $4.1 million in spending from the five-campus university system, reducing its budget to $492.2 million, still up 4.9 percent. The Amherst campus receives about half the money.

Ernest D. May, secretary of the Faculty Senate at Amherst, said he was puzzled by the veto since Patrick is making education a priority. May said the money could be used for hiring faculty or other discretionary needs such as maintenance that has been delayed.

“Every million counts,” May said. “Unfortunately, that’s a big deal.”

Asked about his cuts in education, Patrick said that he moved many line items, including money for education, back to the levels in the budget plan that he filed in January. “Those were increases over last year,” Patrick said.

The presidents of Holyoke Community College and Springfield Technical Community College said they were also surprised by Patrick’s reductions.

The governor subtracted $469,405 from the budget of the Springfield college, knocking it down to about $24.7 million, a 1.3 percent increase.

Patrick vetoed $428,674 from the Holyoke college, reducing its budget to $18.7 million, up 2.4 percent.

“When you cut our core budget, you are impacting our ability to serve students who are desperately in need of higher education,” said William F. Messner, president of the Holyoke college.

What budget cut? These colleges all got MORE than they received last year. Where in heaven’s name is the cut?

In today’s Worcester Telegram, there’s a story about a teen who had a Christian history teacher who shared some of his faith during class. I can see where it would be an appropriate topic for at least part of the story of the founding of our nation. Our forefathers fought for “freedom OF religion,” not “freedom FROM religion.”

Matthew LaClair looked forward to taking his accelerated 11th-grade American history class, hoping to learn how the founding fathers, among other things, framed the U.S. Constitution to guarantee that the government would be free of religious influences.

The 16-year-old got more than he had hoped for — becoming the focus of a lingering separation of church and state controversy that some feel will be discussed for years to come in constitutional law classes.

The teen, who felt uncomfortable with what his teacher was saying, secretly taped eight classes, which revealed Mr. Paszkiewicz discussing his faith and telling his students that heavenly salvation could only be attained through Jesus Christ.

If this is accurate, it seems a bit much for history class. That’s why we have theology classes. But why do some people think it’s a horrible thing for this history teacher to talk about Jesus, when it’s all right for a teacher to espouse atheism in a similarly inappropriate class? This from the comments to the Telegram article:

As a high school English teacher, I was required to teach Greek and Roman mythology and the difference between polytheism and monotheism. I regularly pointed out to my students that there was no difference between Greek mythology and Christianity. Both were based on myth. Both religions were comprised of a bunch of fantastic, unprovable stories. How is walking on water and turning water into wine different from Zeus’ thunderbolts shooting down from Mount Olympus? I’d point out that many of the Christian stories were stolen from the Greek and Roman fables, e.g., Eve and the apple derived from Pandora’s box. When my students asked me if I believed in god, I’d reply that I was a devout atheist. These kids were brainwashed at a very early age to believe in something with no basis in fact. That’s what teaching is all about…to get students to question. That was the ‘agenda.

This English teacher is just as religious about his/her atheism as the history teacher is about his Christianity.

Many of our schools are filled with teachers who regularly rant about their own “religions” inappropriately. My daughter’s 10th grade religion class, of all places, started with the teacher going on a tear about global warming or President Bush. This teacher may have believed he was a Christian, but his top priority was definitely global warming, not faith.

As a high school student and a future college student, I was simply horrified at what’s going on in college campuses across the United States these days after watching an independent film titled Indoctrinate U. This film showed the gruesome truth behind universities’ administration and students. Students and professors at colleges are being slandered and mistreated just for being a conservative or believing that America is truly a great nation.

Administrations deny protests against affirmative action, arrest students for posting flyers promoting conservative speakers, and provide no comprehensible answer when asked questions regarding why they are so biased against conservatives. Of course they allow protests against military recruitment on campuses. Of course they allow mobs of feminists to form. Of course they turn their heads when the liberals do something wrong. They all say they want free speech and equality. What about the white, Christian males? Why don’t they get anything? Why can’t someone hand out a conservative newspaper on campus without being spit on?

I should re-title this post. It should really be called “Unjustifiable Lack of Thinking on Campuses.” Because that is what this is all about. No one thinks anymore. They go through life accepting things at face value. No questioning what they’re told, no demanding for solid evidence.

I wrap up this post with a quote from the film:

“What most faculty want is for students to validate their pathetic life experiences. If we were secure, we would have different jobs. But, we’re faculty, so we want people to agree with us, to nod, to write stuff down, as if it were important.”

-Michael Munger
Professor, Duke

The majority of the faculty on campuses these days are poisoning the minds of their students. And the sad part? These students have absolutely no idea how twisted their philosophies are.

Link to Indoctrinate U‘’s website here.

Wow, I didn’t think there were any American universities left that would publicly acknowledge a conservative. But here you go. This from Townhall.com:

This graduation season Washington University stands out as a sign of hope and rebellion against the traditional political correctness that dominates the selection process.  Washington University decided to award Phyllis Schlafly an honorary doctorate of humane letters earlier this May.

Schlafly, who earned her undergraduate and law degrees from Washington University, has been a leader of the conservative movement in America for over 50 years.  She is most well-known (and despised by feminist academics) for leading the effort to defeat the Equal Rights Amendment.  She has authored or edited 18 books, has run for Congress and heads her own national organization.  She is also the proud mother of six children.

During the week leading up to commencement, students led protests outside the Chancellor’s residence.  As if this wasn’t enough, at the commencement ceremony this past weekend, students, faculty and parents transformed this celebratory occasion into a political event.  They wore white armbands and stood with their backs towards Schlafly as she received her award.  Three faculty members even walked off the stage and turned their backs.  Schlafly was unaffected by the protest.  According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, when interviewed about the protest, Schlafly said about her opposition, “I’m not sure they’re mature enough to graduate.”

This kind of behavior on a college campus is not particularly surprising, but the fact that the Chancellor stood up against the opposition is a sign of hope.  Granted, he defended the decision in an email to the student body by first distancing himself from Schlafly, “Personally, I do not endorse her views or opinions, and in many instances, I strongly disagree with them.”  He justified the decision in terms of diversity, “I want to affirm my personal and the University’s institutional commitment to strengthening diversity and inclusiveness…”  The fact that he did not bend to the pressure is a step in the right direction.

Even more striking about this controversy is that Trustee Emeritus Margaret Bush Wilson volunteered to read the citation to award the degree.  Wilson was the first woman of color to serve as the national chair of the NAACP, the second woman of color admitted to practice law in Missouri and is a prominent civil rights attorney.  She volunteered to read because of her strong belief in the importance of free speech.

Can our colleges and universities become more pitiful? Now the University of Toledo has fired the Associate VP of Human Resources for expressing her Christian belief that the gay lifestyle is an individual choice not genetics.

I gotta tell you, this feels a lot like the sentiment that led to the deaths of the early Christian martyrs.

This from the Toledo Blade:

The University of Toledo confirmed yesterday that an administrator who wrote a column critical of gay rights for a local publication has been fired.Crystal Dixon, associate vice president for human resources, was terminated on Thursday following about a week on paid administrative leave and a predisciplinary meeting May 5th.

Ms. Dixon wrote a guest column last month for the Toledo Free Press titled “Gay rights and wrongs: another perspective,” expressing her opinion that being gay is a choice that has consequences, according to her religious beliefs.

The column was in response to one written by editor-in-chief Michael Miller a couple weeks earlier, “Gay rights and wrongs,” which said Ohio lags in gay rights.

A letter to Ms. Dixon [from UT President Dr. Lloyd Jacobs] informing her of her termination, stated “The public position you have taken in the Toledo Free Press is in direct contradiction to university policies and procedures as well as the core values of the strategic plan which is mission critical.”

So UT’s strategic plan strikes at the core of our nation’s founding principles — freedom of religion and freedom of expression. Nice…not.

Ryan Sorba has been giving speeches around the country on his research into the “gay gene” and his upcoming book, The Born Gay Hoax. We first published information about his speech at Framingham State College last month. All went well. The audience members listened and, if they didn’t want to listen, I assume they left.

Not so at the People’s Republic of Smith College where freedom of speech only exists if you agree with the radical left. This from MassResistance. Don’t miss the video!

Dozens of lesbian activists at Smith College climbed in through windows and stormed the podium in a riot scene shortly after Ryan Sorba began a speech on his upcoming book, The Born Gay Hoax. The melee forced an end to the speech before a packed hall in the library on the Northampton campus. Uniformed police officers and a plainclothes security guard were in the room but mostly just stood and watched. Rather than take action against the rioters, the officers and a university official walked to the podium and ordered Sorba to leave the room “for his own safety.”

Sorba had been invited to speak by the Smith Republican Club and the speech had been widely publicized. He has given the speech at colleges around the country, most recently at Framingham State College. The Smith Republicans had asked the police to be present in case any disruption took place during the event.

The disruption appeared to be planned in advance. The intent was clearly to stop the speech from taking place and to terrorize and intimidate the participants. Shortly after Sorba began speaking, members of the audience started chanting slogans and beating on pots and pans. Then about 15 minutes into the speech, people began to climb into the room through the windows, and a group stormed the podium and stood in front of it screaming and jumping up and down. Then dozens of people began running throughout the room began and screaming “We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it” and later “Hell no, we won’t go.” It quickly became impossible for the speech to continue.

There were at least two uniformed police officers, a security guard, and one university official in the room. They made no serious effort to stop the rioters. They mostly just stood and watched. Members of the Smith Republican Club tried to stop people from taking over the podium area, but they were easily overwhelmed by the rioters. After a few minutes police and university officials ordered Ryan Sorba to leave “for his own safety.” After that, the rioters used the microphone to exhort the crowd

The Westborough Teachers Union has a bit of a problem. Apparently, there are a few renegades and they sure are making waves.

It started with a break-down in negotiations last year. The Teachers Union rejected the three year contract offered by the School Committee in October 2007. Now we have — surprise, surprise — a push for a Proposition 2 1/2 override.

But the School Committee is fighting back. This 1/2 page notice appeared in the latest issue of the Westborough News:

Clearly, the town can no longer afford the offer that the teachers declined in October, and the School Committee will not even contemplate the most recent proposals made by the new WTA negotiating team, which are even more costly than last fall’s tentative agreement.  The Westborough School Committee deeply appreciates the excellent work of Westborough’s teachers.  It has demonstrated this support by creating favorable work conditions, including low class sizes that are among the best in central Massachusetts.  It has also demonstrated this support by its most recent fair and competitive contract proposal.  Over the years, the residents and taxpayers of Westborough have provided generous and consistent support for the Westborough schools and our teachers.  However, the Westborough School Committee does not support a Proposition 2 1/2 override as it recognizes the need to keep Westborough’s schools affordable to all residents.

In response, the Worcester Telegram reports:

Members of the teachers union are accusing Superintendent Anne L. Towle of bullying teachers and deceiving the public.

A statement released to the press yesterday says the superintendent and the School Committee are trying to portray teachers as “greedy people who have stalled negotiations.”

In yesterday’s statement, teachers say they rejected the contract offer in October because “there is an overwhelming distrust in Dr. Towle … due to her distortion of the facts with regard to contract negotiations, and her blatant lack of respect for the teachers in her charge.”

Those words came as a surprise to the superintendent.

“I have never heard that,” she said. “We have regular meetings with the labor board, and no one has ever brought any concerns to my attention about my leadership, or distress (felt) by the teachers … This, to me, looks like they’re grasping at straws.”

School Committee Chairman Rod B. Jané said he also was surprised by the content and tone of the statement.

“It’s unfortunate how they’ve ratcheted up the emotion around this,” he said.

He criticized the union for making personal attacks on the superintendent, who received an “exceeds expectations” rating from the School Committee last fall.

Yesterday’s three-page press release is signed “The Westboro Teachers Association.” The union includes roughly 400 teachers.

Ms. Towle said she spoke to union president Bonnie Ross on the phone yesterday afternoon, and that Ms. Ross was not aware of the statement.

“That’s a little weird to me,” the superintendent said.

Union member Marsha Pelletier, who e-mailed the statement to the press, said about six members of the union’s 16-member crisis team wrote the statement, and the statement was approved by the nine-member negotiating team. That negotiating team includes the union president, she said.

“We are fully united in our stance,” she said.

Ms. Ross said the statement did not go to the executive board for a vote. She declined to comment further.

Sounds like Ms Ross and her posse are either striking out on their own or taking over the Westborough Teachers Union. Either way, I’d be pretty mad if I was Union President Bonnie Ross or any one of the other 390 members of the union who did not approve of this nastiness.

Kudos to the Westborough School Committee for standing up  to the Prop 2 1/2 nonsense. The economy is weak, people. You have to CUT budgets during times like this, NOT INCREASE them.

I was a biology major in college. I used to be quite proud of that fact. I worked hard and spent innumerable hours in the lab working on some fascinating biopsychology experiments. But now I hang my head in shame. I am appalled at what I’ve just learned about the misinformation that was fed to me throughout my college bio classes.

Let’s start with the Scopes-Monkey trial, a famous case from 1925 where a teacher was sued for trying to teach evolution to his biology class. This case has been carried in every bio book I’ve looked at since I first had bio in high school in the mid 1970’s. And the famous “Inherit the Wind” movie (and all its remakes) were based on this case, a case that was used to pit Darwin’s theory of evolution against the “radical Christians” of the deep south.

Well, guess what? The case was a total sham. It was a marketing ploy to try to bring some extra attention to evolution and to the backwater town of Dayton, Tennessee. As documented in Edward Larson’s 1997 book, Summer for the Gods, the idea for the trial on evolution was hatched by the ACLU in New York and seized upon by civic leaders in Dayton. Scopes, the defendent, was in on the prank, agreeing to be prosecuted even though he had never taught evolution and was not even a bio teacher. He did not spend one minute in jail, was never at risk of being sent to jail, and was friends with the prosecutors who he hung out with during the trial. When the trial was over, the school offered to renew his teacher’s contract…even though he was convicted and fined $100 (which his defense attorney offered to pay).

To this day, Inherit the Wind is still shown in high school and junior high school science classes across the country. Why, you ask? To pump up Darwinism and to push God out of the classroom. You see, the problem is, if Darwin’s THEORY of evolution is just a THEORY, then the atheists around the country (including the fanatical materialists in academia) have nowhere to turn to explain our existence but to start talking about intelligent design, or a combination of evolution and intelligent design (which is what I’ve always believed).

But the Scopes-Monkey trial isn’t the only wool that was pulled over our eyes in school. Here are a few more:

- The hidden facts about the Cambrian explosion in which virtually all the animal phyla suddenly appeared, with no Darwinian ancestors.

- The peppered moth experiment — another hoax where disreputable scientists pinned dead moths to a tree trunk and said they had evolved a darker color to match their new, polluted habit. Turns out the tree trunk never was their habitat and they never came out during the day, anyway, so their color was irrelevant.

- Haeckel’s famous drawings of embryos which showed how similiar all creatues are and, therefore, how we all evolved from a common ancestor. Another fake. Haeckel doctored his wood cuttings to make sure they all looked alike.

There’s lots more.

The lies surrounding the above, supposedly scientific research are all well documented. Some were widely known as lies long ago. Yet to this day, the misinformation still appears in science classrooms around the country.

What the heck is going on in this country? When did we lose control over our educational system? Who are these idiots who are teaching now? How can we allow this to happen?

Heck, it’s no wonder our student scores are dropping every year and that other countries are beating our students butts.

When does this insanity stop? When we’ve all devolved into idiots with IQ’s of 50?