From: owner-roc-digest@lists.xmission.com (roc-digest) To: roc-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: roc-digest V2 #287 Reply-To: roc-digest Sender: owner-roc-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-roc-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk roc-digest Sunday, October 3 1999 Volume 02 : Number 287 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 3 Oct 99 08:46:13 PST From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org (Bill Vance) Subject: [richslick] S L I C K Year 4, No. 44 (1/2) (fwd) On Oct 3, RichSlick@aol.com wrote: [-------------------- text of forwarded message follows --------------------] 1999 Rich Martin Permission to repost in full, or in part, is granted. You are encouraged to pass this message on to anyone who might be interested in its contents. Better yet, print a copy for a friend who is not on-line. Any and all comments on the subject matter are always welcome. Do NOT use your reply button. Send them to: Slick-D@egroups.com From the Desk of Rich Martin P O Box 531918 972/263-6631 Grand Prairie, TX 75053 RichSlick@aol.com "The beauty of the second amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it." -- Thomas Jefferson _______________________________________________ Happy 25th Ricky, 1999 I am tired of Republican pundits telling US that we'll effectively elect Algore if we "waste" our vote on a 3rd party, aren't you? They say a 3rd party candidate can't win, and will only drain votes from the GOP candidate. Hey, we aren't stupid. We know that; and they know it. So, now that they've admitted the GOP can't defeat Algore alone, maybe they should consider joining a 3rd party too because the Republican Party has not been able to halt the growth of the central govt despite having a majority in both houses. (Note: they blamed 40 yrs of liberalism on a Dem Congress, but won't admit to 6 yrs of failure for following the same path.) Their claim to fame is: at least they slowed the liberals up. Give us the presidency too, and then... Well I say, that isn't good enough. Given the choice between a slow death and a quick one, I'll take the latter, thank you. The GOP forsook their promises of term limits and devolution. Taxes are going up and abortion isn't going down. They're afraid to confront the immoral prez who's not worth spit, or too inept to do so effectively. Either way, collectively, the Republicans are losers. They ate their own, starting with the man that brought them there. I don't mean to sound overly dramatic, but I think the liklihood is, our nation is already lost. For example, the World Court ordered the state of Hawaii to hold a referendum to decide if they wanted to secede. Yes, I know the mass media didn't report it, accept in Hawaii, but had the vote turned out for Hawaiian independence.... If we succumb to international powers to hold such a vote, how can we think we are the Grandest Tiger in the Jungle? We haven't got any more soveriegnty than the once proud state of Massachusetts, where they NOW beg the feds to govern them AND US. If we are to save this nation, people of goodwill are going to have to bury the hatchets and unite in a Last Stand in defense of our oft-maligned Constitution. 3rd party leaders are going to have to explore common ground, forget their egos and put some of their unrealistic goals (such as drug legalization and outlawing abortion) on the back burner long enough to save the nation. To be successful, honest men in the major parties will have to join the 3rd party movement in droves. (I never said it would be easy.) But you've got to know, the alternative, submit to the central govt, is only a temporary solution, which can only lead US to another bloody revolution. My fear is the latter is inevitable. To this end, we now see the Dems & GOP joining in lock step to smear the perceived next standard bearers of the Reform Party, just as they convinced a lot of their audience that their last candidate, a well respected patriot and self made billionaire, was a flake. It's not Pat, Jesse or Ross they're afraid of, the Republicrats fear losing their monopoly. Jesse is now being portrayed as wrestler turned anti-Christian. Perot was eaten alive by the professional pols who's stock-and-trade their entire adult lives has been debating politics. Albeit it thru the tube, I think I know Pat Buchanan's views better than I know the motives of his critics. To infer he is pro-Hitler, is an obvious Clinton- size lie. (Clinton forces used this same tactic to remove Christine Jeffrey as the House Historian, remember?) The danger Pat poses is, unlike his predecessors, he's an accomplished debater. And debating PJB is what they fear--- because if he won the debate, it could be the catalyst that makes a third party movement competitive. To my Republican friends, wake up and smell the coffee. Re-visit the Contract for America. Devolve education while you still can. Eliminate the Marriage Penalty Tax. Real campaign reform now. Fix or replace the IRS. Shrink govt and thus taxes. And do it before you ask US to vote for you again, or pay the consequences. We don't want an election issue; we demand results. Whiteman fool Indian first time, shame on whiteman. Whiteman fool Indian second time, shame on US. Suggested reading: the U.S. Constitution. How 'bout them Rangers. They won #95 and will face the Yankees for the 3rd time in 4 years on Tues at Yankee Stadium. Meanwhile, Arlington's Finest are refusing to perform security duty at the play-offs because they "don't get no respect." They are, tired of being treated like 2nd class citizens and believe they are a crucial part of the event. ($25/hr and free admission, what more could they want?) Where is Andy Frain when you need him? How Slick is Slick? In his Sat radio address to the nation, the prez assured US that his programs would prevent insurers from making patients change doctors during pregnancy or cancer treatment. He didn't say anything about Most Favored Nation status for China, the country we've been running monthly multi-billion dollar deficits with, giving them enough USD to control both ends of the Panama Canal. CLINTON LEGACY Last week's veto of the tax cut went virtually unmentioned in the press. We know there have been 38 scandals involving his administration, but no one seems to be keeping track of how many vetoes he cast. In contrast, when Bush vetoed the Family Leave Act, they harped on his 34th veto until the votes were counted. The Nando Times WACO He didn't say anything about the Waco investigations either. For that I suggest you check the waco-group archives NATIONAL HEALTHCARE Here we go again, Natl Health Care Part II, this time brought to US by Bill Bradley. Bradley's version sounds like a scaled down version of the First Lady's plan to cover 37,000,000 "poor" people. Bradley's incremental plan would cover 11 million of their children, but it contains the same fatal flaw as its predecessor. Where does he propose to come up with the physicians to render this quality healthcare? Until this problem is solved, adding 11 million subscribers to the same top flight insurance policies we favor our political servants with, will be offset by eliminating 11 mil others of US from the health care roles. A better solution would be to remove the fedl cap on the number of free citizens allowed to become docs each year, and it wouldn't cost the tax payers a penny. NATL WELFARE When the GOP Congress passed the 1996 Welfare Reform bill, they stated fedl law would supersede states' laws in the year 2002. Where did they get the authority to boss around the states as inferiors? Certainly not from the Constitution, from which they derive their authority. MICHIGAN WELFARE The state of Mich has become the first state to require drug tests to qualify for Welfare. They say they won't report the results to police (because it would violate their privacy rights), but what about their children. Is the state going to allow them to keep their children if they refuse treatment and their checks cut off? With no money, no police intervention, and assumed to be needing money to support their habit, isn't the next logical step to round up the children from the assumed drug users? Blue-eyed blondes go to the head of the list. NYC WELFARE Privacy Concerns Electronic Newsletter The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) - City officials plan to start searching welfare recipients' medical records for evidence of drug use in an effort to funnel abusers into treatment programs, The New York Times reported today. For such abusers, the treatment program would be a mandatory condition for receiving public assistance. KATHIE'S KORNER I fear the population control fever that's sweeping the country. Space for living and growing our food would not be a problem were there not a move afoot to deprive us of the benefits of civilization. Look how fast the government has bought up "developable" land to "protect" it. For what? No one in their right mind destroys their own property, although examples are rife of destruction of government [------------------------- end of forwarded message ------------------------] - -- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- RKBA! ***** Blessings On Thee, Oh Israel! ***** RKBA! - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- An _EFFECTIVE_ | Insured | All matter is vibration. | Let he who hath no weapon in every | by COLT; | -- Max Plank | weapon sell his hand = Freedom | DIAL | In the beginning was the | garment and buy a on every side! | 1911-A1. | word. -- The Bible | sword.--Jesus Christ - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- - - ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 3 Oct 99 08:47:10 PST From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org (Bill Vance) Subject: [richslick] S L I C K Year 4, No. 44 (2/2) (fwd) On Oct 3, RichSlick@aol.com wrote: [-------------------- text of forwarded message follows --------------------] property by 1. the poor who are pushed into government-owned housing, 2. the rich who are granted mining, grazing, timbering, or other rights on government property, and 3. every one from legitimate park-users to trespassers on government land who have no vested interest in cleaning up after themselves, the legits because at the fees they are now charged, they could have hired a valet so WHY NOT expect the rangers to pick up the trash, and the trespassers who are often the poor in No. 1 above who prefer to live more freely and safely than they could do in the projects. Pray for America! Reply to: fishrap@netdex.com CALIFORNIA California only BEST OF SLICK-D COLUMBUS, Ohio (October 1, 1999 1:50 p.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) When police officer Bernard Anderson saw a red dot appear on his chest as he worked special duty outside a nightclub, he panicked, thinking it was from a gun's laser targeting sight. He took cover and called for help. A police helicopter and patrol cars were dispatched, and soon the culprit was found: a man with a laser pointer. Patrick O'Connor, 42, of London, Ohio, was charged with inducing panic and aggravated menacing for the incident in July. Can you imagine this scenario if someone pointed a laser at a private citizen? Cops are special people needing special protection not afforded to commoners who pay their salaries. REMEMBER THE GOOD OLE DAYS... when coffee cost a dime. when ice cream came in 4 flavors only, vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and neopolitan? (For midwesterners only.) when govt honored the limits set upon them by the Constitution. BEST MAYOR OF THE 20th CENTURY My vote goes for NYC Mayor Rudy Guliani, who didn't try to cover up police misdeeds. When his officers were accused of sodomizing a prisoner with a baseball bat, he demanded honest answers from those cops present in no uncertain terms, it was their duty to step forward. He didn't worry about the city being sued, a police scandal or being re-elected, he simply seeked the red-white-and-blue truth. And as obvious as that may seem, I don't recall any other mayor having done that---ever. Any other mayor, in any city, at any time, would have forsaken the courage of their convictions and directed a cover-up by commission, or omission. And the worst part of it is: we all know it. NASA NASA is reporting that our Mars ($125 mil) orbiter crashed because our crackerjack rocket scientists failed to convert meters to yards, or or visa versa. If I ever smelled a rat in the wood pile, this has got to be it. KOSOVO A US paratrooper gave his life for NWO's newly formed country when his parachute failed to open last week. Wonder what the real casualties are. In Desert Shield/Storm the media was broadcasting every suicide, heart attack and auto accident. To hear them tell it now, you can count the casualties on one hand, and the plane losses on a finger. Wonder if the parachutist was at Waco. WAR News is, jobs of 1,900 workers at Ft Worth Lockheed are safe for another year, building 6 fuselages for the F-22 in the fiscal 2000 with a budget of $2.5 bil. Even more workers will be working on other parts of the planes in Marietta, GA. What's wrong with this picture? How many cooks does it take to make a stealthy craft, or is that a crafty stealth? JUSTICE TEXAS STYLE Dallas Police Executive Chief Asst Rollins served his 2-wks of purgatory as night jail supervisor, and has been re-instated to his position as 3rd in line---with backpay--- by the decree of a fedl judge. One more example of how the laws don't apply to those who write and enforce them. THIS SPACE FOR RENT Reliable Internet Access for only $14.95 a month. Over 550 access numbers in 26 States and growing. Cyber77-ISP, web hosts, unlimited access, high-speed servers If you have your own web site, you know it's not enough to be on the internet with 30,000,000 geeks. Oh, search engines are great---for the other guy, but wouldn't you prefer to be a little more direct? Instead of trying to reach millions of people who can't spell your name, here's your chance to target thousands of politically active people like yourself. Send e-mail for details to RSlick_ad@aol.com Send your blonde jokes to blondiejokes@egroups.com PARTING THOUGHT The above information was brought to you under the Constitutional protection of the 1st Amendment. The 1st Amendment is exclusively guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment. * * * * * Subscribe to this Slick e-zine featuring Kathie's Korner, and receive absolutely free, a copy of Rich's Major Media Mailing List containing over 400 e-mail addresses. To subscribe, send your check for $24.95 to the address at the top of this message. Be sure to include your e-mail address. Anyone wishing to carry Slick at their WWW site should contact me by e-mail. Having the current Slick updated once or twice a week gives visitors a reason to come back soon. THE TRUTH IS... A. Powerful. C. In the eye of the beholder. B. Irrelevant. D. All of the above. [------------------------- end of forwarded message ------------------------] - -- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- RKBA! ***** Blessings On Thee, Oh Israel! ***** RKBA! - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- An _EFFECTIVE_ | Insured | All matter is vibration. | Let he who hath no weapon in every | by COLT; | -- Max Plank | weapon sell his hand = Freedom | DIAL | In the beginning was the | garment and buy a on every side! | 1911-A1. | word. -- The Bible | sword.--Jesus Christ - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- - - ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 3 Oct 99 08:44:58 PST From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org (Bill Vance) Subject: Heads Up #154 (2/2) (fwd) On Oct 02, Doug Fiedor wrote: [-------------------- text of forwarded message follows --------------------] unless someone developed a new style modem that allows the quick transfer of matter through wires. But that's not the only silliness in the 1999 "Human Development Report," http://www.undp.org/hdro/99.htm commissioned by the United Nations Development Program. According to the report, we are to participate in "a race to lay claim to knowledge." But others in the world are having a problem keeping up with some of us. So, in order to close "the global gap between haves and have-nots, between knows and know-nots," we are to hold back a little and give the "know-nots" the money to equip themselves with good computers so they can catch up to us. "Globalization has swung open the door to opportunities," the report states. It claims that the world is now made up of "shrinking space, shrinking time and disappearing borders," so we must all share in the wealth -- or something like that. The Report calls for an agenda to reform global governance so as to ensure greater equity, new regional approaches to "collective action" and national policies to capture opportunities in the global marketplace and translate them more equitably into human advance. Whatever that silly babble means. The bottom line is, they want governments to tax the Internet to help underdeveloped countries get access to the network. According to this proposal, the Internet is "the fastest-growing tool of communication ever," with the number of users expected to grow from 150 million today to more than 700 million in 2001. But, they whine, many of those who most need access cannot obtain it. An invisible barrier has emerged that, "true to its name, is like a world wide web, embracing the connected and silently, almost imperceptibly, excluding the rest." They also complain that English is used in almost 80 per cent of web sites but fewer than one in ten people worldwide speaks the language. Then they really show their ignorance of the Internet by proposing a system of Internet governance -- financed by the tax, of course. "Governance of the Internet should be widened to bring in the needs and concerns of developing countries. [And] To ensure that the global communications revolution is truly global, funding is required." We are the funding. "Global inequalities in income and living standards have reached grotesque proportions." Therefore, the Report suggests a "bit tax" on data sent through the Internet. A tax of one US cent on every 100 lengthy e-mails would generate well over $70 billion a year, they say. "Reinventing global governance is not an option -- it is an imperative for the 21st century," the UN report demands. And we in the United States are the ones they see as best able to pay. "The Internet has the potential to offset inequalities in the global community, but if we don't take action it will only reinforce them," said Kate Raworth, one of the report's co-authors. Socialism personified, in other words. They want to redistribute the wealth, starting with our wealth. But, we are happy to report, at least one important leader in Congress has a correct opinion on that report. House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX) states unequivocally: "Rich countries have more access to the Internet than poor countries? Of course! But just 10 years ago, even the richest countries had little Internet access. The Internet has reached more people faster than any other technological advance -- telephones, automobiles, televisions. Taxing the Internet is not the way to expand its global reach. "When we announced our e-Contract with High Tech America, we said that we would continue to fight against unnecessary and burdensome taxes on the Internet. U.S taxpayer dollars should not be used to support UN reports pushing this kind of redistribution policy. I urge the Administration to reject this report and the policy suggestions it makes." So do a few million American citizens, Mr. Armey. So do a few million American citizens. Anyway, if there is to be a "race to lay claim to knowledge," there will, by definition of the word "race," be some winners and some losers. For the moment, Americans are the winners, and we plan to keep that position. We do the work, we reap the benefits. That's the way things work. QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATES Now that the primary campaign season is about to ramp up and many of us will have an opportunity to actually speak with presidential and Congressional candidates, perhaps some "gotcha" type questions are appropriate. In fact, we would suggest that written replies are also requested. Below are 10 suggestions for questions. 1. We are tired of politicians and bureaucrats continually "spinning" everything told the people because we equate "spin" with lie. What will you do to force politicians and government employees to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but to truth to the American people? 2. Many departments and agencies of the federal government are performing functions not authorized to the federal government by the Constitution. What can we depend on you to do to insure the federal government properly performs those duties tasked to it by the Constitution and stops interfering in those areas in which the Constitution gives the federal government no authority? 3. Our Constitution instructs that gold and silver coin, or at least money backed by gold and silver reserves, be used as currency in all States. Yet, we have fiat script instead. Whatever happened to the currency the Constitution instructs be available to the people and what do you plan to do to make this type of money available to the American people again? 4. Our borders are not properly protected. Consequently, many thousands of illegal aliens sneak into our country daily. This is causing serious problems in many States, yet little or nothing is done. What will you do to rid our country of the millions of illegal aliens currently squatting here and to protect our borders in the future? 5. The personal Liberty and privacy of American citizens is under constant jeopardy. Americans are searched at airports and federal buildings. Personal data is collected by many federal agencies. Acting as though they are operating under an unconstitutional general search warrant, bureaucrats freely enter and search private property and act as though they have a right to riffle through our personal and business papers and demand other personal information. What will you do to protect our Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights to privacy and to move about and function in society as we please without having our actions impeded or questioned by bureaucrats? 6. The unconstitutional actions and obnoxious attitude of the Internal Revenue Service have been documented and published for many years; yet nothing is done. Do you believe that some federal bureaucrats should be able to violate a citizen's Constitutional rights with impunity, or will you set strong penalties for those who would violate our Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights under the guise of bureaucratic expediency? 7. Russia, China and North Korea all have nuclear weapons pointed at us and either have or are working on delivery systems that can send many such weapons to any American city. Our national security is, therefore, in jeopardy. What, exactly, will you demand be done to protect our country against this type of attack from a foreign governments? 8. Justice in this country is unequal. Those in government, and their friends, launder funds with impunity -- for political campaigns or other reasons -- and regularly violate many federal laws. Multinational industries do the same. Yet, they are never imprisoned. Even when CIA contract workers imported tons of cocaine into the United States with the protection of the Justice Department, no one was arrested. What will you do to insure that all laws apply to all people in the country equally? 9. Forfeiture -- one of the primary reasons the American people originally went to war with England -- has again become popular with unscrupulous officials. Yet, forfeiture is never applied to government officials who violate the law, the rich who violate the law or to multinational businesses that violate the law. The practice of forfeiture is usually only used on those most unable to afford the court action necessary to get their property back. It is, therefore, little more than thievery by badge. What will you do to forevermore ban this atrocious practice in the United States? 10. Federal officials tell the American people that there is a budget surplus. Yet, the Social Security fund is empty because the money was pilfered by Congress over the years. Many federal agencies have debt levels not reported in the budget. And the national debt level is still increasing. We see, therefore, that the identified budget surplus seems to be as phony as the fiat money held out to the American people as Constitutional currency. What, exactly, will you do to trim back the federal government, conserve on taxpayer's funds, pay off the national debt and put us on a stable monetary system? ~ End ~ [------------------------- end of forwarded message ------------------------] - -- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- RKBA! ***** Blessings On Thee, Oh Israel! ***** RKBA! - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- An _EFFECTIVE_ | Insured | All matter is vibration. | Let he who hath no weapon in every | by COLT; | -- Max Plank | weapon sell his hand = Freedom | DIAL | In the beginning was the | garment and buy a on every side! | 1911-A1. | word. -- The Bible | sword.--Jesus Christ - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- - - ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 3 Oct 99 20:31:41 PST From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org (Bill Vance) Subject: [slickplus] Constitutional rights are a joke to Congressman (fwd) On Oct 3, RichSlick@aol.com wrote: [-------------------- text of forwarded message follows --------------------] Subj: Re: congressman laughs at constitutional rights - believes all "dangerous" people have no rights to children or guns Date: 10/3/1999 9:18:29 AM Central Daylight Time From: raythomas101@hotmail.com (Ray Thomas) Is anybody surprised? I've been harping on the "subjective laws" theme where they make "slippery, rubber laws" that are subject to "interpretation" for a long time. Making laws that allow the enforcer (or anybody else) to "define" to whom it applies or HOW it applies is asking for tyranny. Child abuse laws are such laws, which is why the "child protectors" get away with so much. Every law under which they operate is subjective. The fact that they are starting to use the child protector methods in other areas shows that the child protection racket is just a "trial run" for further tyranny. This post says that it is not about guns, and that is right. To which I add: it's not about child abuse or even child abuse by the "child protectors." It is about taking control of our children so parents cannot object to the schools teaching their children that collectivism is the way to go. It is about the power seekers creating "brown-shirts" in our schools. Kids who hate their parents and turn them in so they will go to jail. Stalin and Hitler encouraged children to "turn their parents in," too. Politicians and bureaucrats have been ignoring or distorting the Constitution since "day one" when they made their own Admiralty Laws to allow our own government to steal from our shipping instead of the British doing it. The RICO Laws, allowing similar "confiscations" on land, are just an extention of that. If anybody thinks we still have a constitutional republic should think again. You'll change your mind the first time they stop you on the street, take your money, and let you go without ever filing any charges. Or worse yet, use one of their "rubber laws" to put you away just so they can take some of your property and use it for their own purposes. Or kill you in the process of raiding your home in the "wee hours" on the basis of the word of a "snitch." In Denver last week, they did just that. Broke into a home, shot and killed the owner when he tried to defend his home, and searched for the entire day hoping to find drugs to back up their murder. They did not find any. I'm surprised. In such cases, they usually plant some. RAY THOMA$ P. O. Box 16247, Denver, CO 80216-0247 To visit any of my web sites or subscribe to any of my newsletters or discussion lists, go to my personal web site at: http://www.angelfire.com/co2/RayThomas and click on the appropriate link. Lots of new articles in "Information Central." They are: The "Forced Altruism Scam" web site The "Forced Altruism" List The "Child Protector Watch" site or newsletter The "Stay Alive Longer" web site The "Beyond Common Sense" online newsletter The "Simple Web Sites" Design site. "Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?" Doug Quirmbach, Moderator The Awakening Lions List To join the Waco discussion group, Click here ----> waco-group-subscribe@egroups.co m To join the Slick discussion group, Click here ----> slick-d-subscribe@egroups.com and read what others are saying about these issues. FREE To join the SlickPlus internet group, Click here ----> SlickPlus-Subscribe@egroups.com and receive free e-mails from others about the same topics. FREE To sign off, send e-mail to SlickPlus-unsubscribe@egroups.com what could be easier? * * * * * - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ To subscribe to the Slick e-zine, send e-mail to RichSlick@aol.com for details. [------------------------- end of forwarded message ------------------------] - -- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- RKBA! ***** Blessings On Thee, Oh Israel! ***** RKBA! - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- An _EFFECTIVE_ | Insured | All matter is vibration. | Let he who hath no weapon in every | by COLT; | -- Max Plank | weapon sell his hand = Freedom | DIAL | In the beginning was the | garment and buy a on every side! | 1911-A1. | word. -- The Bible | sword.--Jesus Christ - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- - - ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 3 Oct 99 20:32:40 PST From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org (Bill Vance) Subject: [slickplus] CLINTON educational president: Rant (fwd) On Oct 3, RichSlick@aol.com wrote: [-------------------- text of forwarded message follows --------------------] Jewish World Review Sept. 7, 1999 /29 Elul, 5759=20 http://www.jewishworldreview.com - -- THE OTHER DAY, I saw a wire-service photo of a group of public-school teachers demonstrating, a thing they do far better=20 than educating. One held a self-pitying sign that read, "I'm a=20 teacher, not a political target."=20 In the eyes of an overpaid, underperforming profession, any move toward accountability is an attack on teachers.=20 What will educrats say about Martin Gross' new book,=20 "The Conspiracy of Ignorance: The Failure of American Public Schools"? Gross had best invest in asbestos=20 underwear.=20 After writing exposes of our tax system and culture,=20 Gross' penchant for skewering sacred cows has led him to pen a critique of the nation's most appalling scandal.=20 The author notes that a few years ago U.S. 8th graders=20 competed with students from five other countries in math.=20 As a group, the American kids ranked highest in=20 self-esteem (measured by their answer to the question=20 "I am good at math") and lowest in actual scores.=20 Conversely, students from South Korea were low on=20 self-esteem but scored highest on the test.=20 That, says Gross, is a perfect analogy for America's educational=20 establishment that's "self-confident, even arrogant, about their=20 modern theories and methods of teaching" which have failed by=20 every conceivable measure.=20 Other evidence cited by the author: In the Third International=20 Mathematics and Science Study, American 12th graders scored 19th among students from 21 countries, outperforming=20 only those from Cyprus and South Africa.=20 In another survey, two out of three 17-year-olds didn't know the=20 meaning of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. Even fewer=20 could correctly identify the War of 1812, Marshall Plan and Great Society.=20 Gross the elite that selects and trains teachers and shapes curricula.=20 They have watered down instruction to the point where a diploma is a=20 certification of absolutely nothing. They have given us a teaching cadre=20 recruited from the lowest third of college graduates.=20 They have inflated costs while producing the most undereducated=20 students in the industrialized world. They have substituted psycho-babble=20 and ideological cant for learning.=20 Gross notes that in the past 20 years, education expenditures have increased twice as fast as the cost of living. In New York and New Jersey, teacher salaries average over $50,000 annually for 180 days of work.=20 We've shoveled out funds for language labs, personal computers and=20 Internet connections. We've experimented with new math, open=20 classrooms and merit pay. We've set up magnet schools and charter=20 schools. We've designated star teachers and master teachers.=20 The result? Our public schools do so abysmally at teaching math and science that 45 percent of the 13,000 Ph.D.'s awarded by U.S. colleges and universities in the hard sciences each year go to foreign students. Those wh= o stay here keep our high-tech economy afloat.=20 The worst students go into teaching --Gross cites the April 1998 Massachuset= ts licensing exam for prospective teachers, where 59 percent flunked. (Answers included such spelling atrocities as "horibal," "universel" and "compermise.") Not only that, but the training education students receive ensures that they will be well-qualified to run the nation's ignorance=20 factories. In place of knowledge in classroom subjects, ed schools concentrate on pedagogic techniques -- increasingly, psychoanalytical skills. Graduates, wh= o can't teach, serve as unlicensed social workers and psychologists "Dr. Sigmu= nd Freud has invaded the schoolhouse," Gross writes. "Not knowledge, but superior human relations, a sense of self-confidence ... and a stronger, warmer rapport among teacher, parent and child have become the new criteria.= "=20 The result is students who need a calculator to do simple addition but feel=20 really good about themselves.=20 Gross has a series of sound recommendations, including stiffer licensing exams, a complete overhaul of the school curriculum (replacing whole-language reading instruction with phonics) and vouchers.=20 The most creative proposal: closing and padlocking schools of education.=20 Gross would substitute one year of postgraduate training, open to those with a four-year degree and a minimum 3.0 grade-point average.=20 "The Conspiracy of Ignorance" is required back-to-school reading. If it's read widely enough, someday, we may just elect an education president who understands that the house is on fire and the blaze won't be extinguished wi= th more federal expenditures. =20 JWR contributing columnist Don Feder can be reached by clicking here.=20 Don Feder Archives=20 =A91999, Creators Syndicate * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * =20 =20 To join the Waco discussion group,=20 Click here ----> waco-group-subscribe@egroup= s.co m To join the Slick discussion group,=20 Click here ----> slick-d-subscribe@egroups.co= m and read what others are saying about these issues. FREE To join the SlickPlus internet group,=20 Click here ----> SlickPlus-Subscribe@egroups.com and receive free e-mails from others about the same topics. FREE=20 To sign off, send e-mail to SlickPlus-unsubscribe@egroups.com what could be easier? * * * * *=20 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ To subscribe to the Slick e-zine, send e-mail to RichSlick@aol.com for deta= ils. [------------------------- end of forwarded message ------------------------] - -- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- RKBA! ***** Blessings On Thee, Oh Israel! ***** RKBA! - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- An _EFFECTIVE_ | Insured | All matter is vibration. | Let he who hath no weapon in every | by COLT; | -- Max Plank | weapon sell his hand = Freedom | DIAL | In the beginning was the | garment and buy a on every side! | 1911-A1. | word. -- The Bible | sword.--Jesus Christ - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- - - ------------------------------ End of roc-digest V2 #287 *************************