Faith Hill KNOWLEGE
Greetings and salutations from the sand, sun and surf of Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and the great island of Nantucket! Great to be with on this rainy, foggy morning here in Osterville, and with a torrent of rain coming up the eastern seaboard, New York City is expecting to endure quite a downpour, at 7:28 a.m., EST, any moment now. NBC News is putting a spotlight on education all this week, with the hosts of “Morning Joe”, on MSNBC every week day starting “way to early” at 5:30 a.m., expecting to get a little wet in the next few minutes… perhaps it will cleanse the misinformation regarding the public education system in this country and how it is falling apart even as I write these words. Out of 30 developed nations, U.S. students rank 10th in reading skills, 17th in science skills and 24th in math skills. This translates into not only an overall societal problem in years to come, but, for our republican friends out there in the audience, it also means a big problem for our national security. Like boats were to the Dutch, and great military power to the British, the 21st century “defense” budget will be, for those who are listening, in the education of the next generation, for the real power lies in KNOWLEDGE, not in bullets and bombs. This is not a bleeding heart liberal speaking to you over the series of tubes called the “intranets”, this is the voice of reason speaking to you about the paramount importance WE ALL must place upon the nurturing and education of ALL of our children, regardless of station, race, or creed. Why is it that we cannot connect the dots and realize that our mostly Christian nation, that champions the words of Jesus himself, who I’m pretty sure did not endorse the new and improved version of the 1994 “Contract with America”, called the “Lemon” (credit Keith Olberman of MSNBC) Pledge to America, which, as has been proved via the “video tape” on a recent installment of “The Daily Show”, with John Stewart, where John played a tape of our buddy John, “billy bob’s gone orange”, Boehner (R-OH), perhaps the next Speaker of the House (GOD HELP US) who mirrored his words from 1994 to the letter in 2010, putting to rest any lingering doubt that, if the republicans gain control of the House of Representatives in the fall mid-term elections, the now “republican tea party” or RTP, will turn the clocks backward 30 plus years, destroying our chances as a nation to keep pace with our global competitors such as China, India, Brazil and Germany…again, why can’t these people realize, the people who champion the man who said over 2010 years ago, “what you do to the least of my brethren you do unto me,” why can’t they realize that this IS their opportunity to WALK THE TALK and stand up for the least of us for a change, as opposed to the multi-national, multi-trillion dollar corporations. I must have missed that part in the Bible where it says, “blessed are those who fight for the rights of corporations everywhere, for, as the Citizens United Case in America proved, corporations are people too.” Yeah, I must have missed that, though I’m pretty sure I did not. Education will take the biggest hit, as we continue to embrace the “art of war” via the bullet and the bomb and thus, we will be seen, from the world’s perspective, as a bully nation that is only interested in the continued rape and pillage of the world’s ever dwindling resources via the powerful greedy intentions of multi-national corporations. The sad truth is this, the fact that most of our inner city children, more than half, don’t graduate from high school, as well as the fact that because of a lack of education, these children will not have access to the TRUTH, and thus, follow the lead of puppets such as Boehner, McConnell, Palin and the like, thus, keeping this country ignorant, poorer (except those at the very top) and more vulnerable to outside forces that will keep them from achieving a first class shot at the “American dream,” and thus, rob them of the future every child in this great country of ours deserves. I hope, for our children’s sake, as well as the overall well being of this country, that education will not be a bi-partisan, political football, and that the “powers that be” realize a strong educational system is the new national defense and should be funded as such. Have a wonderful week folks. PRESERVE THE WILDERNESS! Peace~M
