Just in Case it Matters to You
Weekly Report 22-50
- PANDEMIC IMPACT UPDATE: (1) Math & Reading scores of 9-year-olds across the country has dropped by the largest margin in over 30 years, according to latest National Assessment of Educational Progress testing results; (2) CDC excess funding from federal funds allocation has now facilitated Los Angeles County to begin covid testing wildlife (deer/ bats/ racoons/opossums), marine mammals (seals/ sea lions), and domestic pets (dogs/ cats/ hamsters/ rabbits); of nearly 200 animals tested so far, zero have tested positive; (3) Los Angeles City Council has unanimously voted on a next-election ballot measure requiring hotels to “accept placement of homeless people in vacant rooms.” [LBN EXAMINER – 9/11/22]
- THE CRISIS IN TODAY’S UNIVERSITIES’ EDUCATION SYSTEM, worsened irreparably by the pandemic, is principally a result of five factors: (1) Liberal discrimination toward creating a “massive professional class with highly specific areas of knowledge, favoring undefined ‘diversity’ and pivoting to the elite”; (2) Establishing lavish campuses on some of the most exclusive & expensive real estate in the world, including sports facilities and other features disconnected from education; (3) The availability of government loans to pay for absurdly high tuition for ‘administrative’ compensation, without measurement of costs versus benefits to students, or likelihood of repayment; (4) Demanding faculty & student “fealty to Values, rather than inviting debate of those values; (5) Lack of common sense acknowledging that technocracy built on ‘experts’ tends to have narrow focus… A potential pending massive default would create problems at least on the order of the Subprime Mortgage crisis.” [GEOPOLITICAL FUTURES – 9/6/22]
- WHILE THE U.S. ARMED FORCES deal with recruitment/ retention/ fitness level failures, and breakdown in their relationship with civilians stemming from two decades of mis-handled ‘wars’ and wokeness, last week five former Joint Chiefs chairmen and eight former Defense Secretaries chose to publish an open letter which delves into politics by invoking discussion of Afghanistan, January 6, and elections. They enumerated concern as to: “(1) Divisiveness of affective polarization, disruption & doubt in the last election; (2) Chain-of-command including their delineated role to play a supporting rather than leading role in law enforcement; (3) Diligence about keeping the military separate from partisan political activity; (4) Their dual obligation during presidential elections to assist the current commander-in-chief while preparing for whomever the voters pick – whether a re-elected incumbent or someone new… Citing ‘extreme strain’ in shaping civil-military relations, this letter is completely hypocritical, essentially raising the alarm for an environment its authors helped create.” [TOWNHALL – 9/7/22]
- THE U.S. WAS FORMED AS A CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC, “structured for democratically voting and electing Representatives who make decisions and laws, but whose individual power is (supposedly) limited by a set of rules that protect certain ‘inalienable’ Rights of its citizens. Today’s arguments about ‘democracy’ (meaning Democrat Party rule) are at absolute odds with the intention of America’s Founders. (1) John Adams was unequivocal: Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes exhausts and murders itself. There never was a Democracy yet, that did not commit suicide. It is in vain to say that Democracy is less vain, less proud, less selfish, less ambitious, or less avaricious than Aristocracy or Monarchy. It is not true in fact and nowhere appears in history; (2) Alexander Hamilton wisely proclaimed: Real liberty is neither found in despotism or the extremes of democracy, but in moderate governments. If we incline too much to democracy, we shall soon shoot into a monarchy; (3) Thomas Jefferson spelled out his distrust: The republican is the only form of government which is not eternally at open or secret war with the rights of mankind. The secret war that occurs under a democracy, is a war for power and control.” [RED STATE – 9/4/22]
- THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK: “It’s not the cynics who ignite revolution, it’s the disillusioned idealists.”
A brilliant 25-minute analysis of why & how America got to where we are today and, for a change, an OPTIMISTIC view of where we’re headed versus Russia, China and European countries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6FQN1oUbyk
Wokeness knows no bounds. A California school district now promotes ten sexual orientations (including skoliosexual & gynesexual) and eight genders (including androgynous, bygender, gender-questioning). // A Virginia district now requires all teachers to take a ‘Supporting Gender Expansive and Transgender Youth’ course, then train and allow children from pre-school up to request different names & pronouns without parental permission. [VANDEMANCO]