Posts Made By: Joe Williams

LOL! Did you read the disclaimer at the bottom of the page?

I know this may sound a bit off subject, but they (the Dems) should have picked a better name than Chickenhawk. A chickenhawk is a hawk that preys on chickens, not hawk that is a "chicken" as they are trying to imply rhetorically. The rhetoric may actually get turned around on them (IMHO).

Well, it WAS empty anyway! ;-)

I never proclaimed this story to be factual, nor have I seen evidence that it is not true. I've presented the article as a basis for discussion. Claiming it is not true because the President of the United States hasn't "proclaimed it from the rooftop of the whitehouse" does not equal proof of its falsehood.

If you wish to discredit this author, fine. Do so. I'm open to that, but please present evidence that supports such a claim. To attempt to discredit her because she simply appears to be "right wing" doesn't fly in my book. The fact that she worked on Clinton's campaign leads me to believe that the "right wing" claim is unfounded. The article itself attempts to explain why this story is being discredited. I would hope that your reasons are founded in something a little more substantial that the fact that she does not support your position on the invasion of Iraq.

And before your get pi$$ed at me, I'm not defending this person or this article. I'm simply looking to learn something here.

My experience at USF was very different. At the beginning of each class, each student was provided with the professor’s curriculum vitae. Each professor was required to have a minimum level of professional experience. During each class we were provided with each professor’s home telephone number for any questions we needed answered. At the end of each class, each student was required to complete an evaluation of both the professor and the class. During the entire program, I experienced only one new professor whose performance was somewhat questionable. He was terminated after his first student evaluation.

For those who don’t know, the Jesuits are very fond of their sports programs, especially basketball. USF was no exception. The Don’s are revered by many in San Francisco. One year, when some of the USF Don’s academic performance came into question, it was discovered that the head coach had been “helping” some of the players with exams. USF responded by both terminating the head coach and suspending the basketball program for an entire year. Even so, they continued to honor the basketball scholarships that had been awarded. Their focus on academics was impeccable.

My children have attended public schools all of their lives. My wife, who had attended only Catholic schools throughout her life had served as a teacher’s aide during my kids grade school years. Although we now live in one of the best school districts in No. CA, she is astounded at the inadequacies and wastefulness of the public school system. We would have sent my kids to a private school had once existed in our local area.

I see many of the same issues as I had seen growing up under the public school system. It seems each new class is a new social experiment with little focus on the basics such as sentence structure, basic math skills etc. The main difference today, is that parents are expected to teach their children the basics. Our children are told that, should they need help with their homework, they should get it from their parents, not the teacher. Now, perhaps this is OK. I have no problem teaching my kids, but it is very different from my experience growing up. My parents did not have the education that I now have.

Of course, I value my public school education. It is, after all, an education. I don’t necessarily consider it a poor education, simply inefficient. I wonder whether we are doing the best we can with our public schools. I’m also becoming weary of the answer “more money”. I’m now teaching my children, and I’m continually asked to increase the amount of money my state spends on education. At the same time, I’m asked each semester to donate supplies and purchase books. Where is this tax money going? Can’t we be a little more efficient at it by at least evaluating the performance of our teachers, or would that somehow be unfair?

Mike,
As for the YMMV, I agree and should have made the same note in my post.

I'm curious as to why the history teacher was allowed to remain on? By the way, when I said my English teach read from a book, I didn't mean that he read to the class. He read to himself while we read to ourselves. He was totally disconnected from the process. he might as well have not been there at all.

One note I should have made was that I attended USF as an adult and I was fully footing the bill, which was not small. I'm sure that has a lot to do with the treatment as well. I don't believe there was any favoritism because the tuition costs are pretty much the same across the board.

Also, you are correct about Amsterdam. I've been there.

As a conservative, I second Jim's concern. When I first found this forum, I thought it to be the most liberal I'd seen to date, not that I've seen a lot. Anyway, it seems to have reversed itself recently. Common guys! Give us conservatives something to throw darts at.

In all honesty, I can tell you that even I and many of the other conservatives here appreciate honest, thoughtful dialog.

If it gets any more quiet around here, I may have to sharpen my liberal argument skills to counter Pat, Jim, Glenn etc. That may get ugly and probably not much appreciated by the true liberals on this site.

Joe,
I would be interested in reading any post that proposes an plausible alternate plan for fighting terrorism. If the post is simply anti-Bush, as all of the ones I've seen to date are, then I've read all of those I care to for now.
-Joe

Deserter? You must mean Clinton? Nope! He was a dodger.

Did you enlist, or were you drafted? Can you honestly tell us that had you had the choice you would have chosen to be an 11B (bushbeater) over pilot in the ANG? I'm a vet too, U.S. Army ADA. I would have traded it in a heartbeat for an opportunity like that.

For the record, just so you don't think this is a purely political stance, I don't condone the questioning of Kerry's military record either. Bush & Kerry both come from priveledged backgrounds. I prefer to judge them on their actions, not their backgrounds.