[Vision2020] I am chilled, you?
JSullivan
jsullivan@moscow.com
Thu, 20 May 2004 17:45:54 -0700
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Are you registered to vote? Do you have an opinion about what is =
going on in our country and where we are headed as a nation as a whole?=20
My grandfather told me over twenty years ago that within my =
lifetime I would see a revolution in the United States. I pooh-pawed =
that wise man at the time. The more I read, the more I see, the sharper =
the division becomes between our dear nation, about so many pertinent =
issues, the clearer his long deceased voice resonates in my ear. With =
each day that passes, part of me wants to say "Stop the earth! Let me =
off!!! I'll be back in a hundred years!!!"=20
I can't jump off and neither can you. VOTE!!! It is the only way =
your voice can or will be heard.
Janesta Carcich Sullivan
(link for story at bottom of page)
Hard lessons from poetry class: Speech is free unless it's =
critical=20
By BILL HILL=20
Last update: 15 May 2004=20
=20
Bill Nevins, a New Mexico high school teacher and personal friend, =
was fired last year and classes in poetry and the poetry club at Rio =
Rancho High School were permanently terminated. It had nothing to do =
with obscenity, but it had everything to do with extremist politics.=20
The "Slam Team" was a group of teenage poets who asked Nevins to =
serve as faculty adviser to their club. The teens, mostly shy =
youngsters, were taught to read their poetry aloud and before audiences. =
Rio Rancho High School gave the Slam Team access to the school's =
closed-circuit television once a week and the poets thrived.=20
In March 2003, a teenage girl named Courtney presented one of her =
poems before an audience at Barnes & Noble bookstore in Albuquerque, =
then read the poem live on the school's closed-circuit television =
channel.=20
A school military liaison and the high school principal accused =
the girl of being "un-American" because she criticized the war in Iraq =
and the Bush administration's failure to give substance to its "No child =
left behind" education policy.=20
The girl's mother, also a teacher, was ordered by the principal to =
destroy the child's poetry. The mother refused and may lose her job.=20
Bill Nevins was suspended for not censoring the poetry of his =
students. Remember, there is no obscenity to be found in any of the =
poetry. He was later fired by the principal.=20
After firing Nevins and terminating the teaching and reading of =
poetry in the school, the principal and the military liaison read a poem =
of their own as they raised the flag outside the school. When the =
principal had the flag at full staff, he applauded the action he'd taken =
in concert with the military liaison.=20
Then to all students and faculty who did not share his political =
opinions, the principal shouted: "Shut your faces." What a wonderful =
lesson he gave those 3,000 students at the largest public high school in =
New Mexico. In his mind, only certain opinions are to be allowed.=20
But more was to come. Posters done by art students were ordered =
torn down, even though none was termed obscene. Some were satirical, =
implicating a national policy that had led us into war. Art teachers who =
refused to rip down the posters on display in their classrooms were not =
given contracts to return to the school in this current school year.=20
The message is plain. Critical thinking, questioning of public =
policies and freedom of speech are not to be allowed to anyone who does =
not share the thinking of the school principal.=20
The teachers union has been joined in a legal action against the =
school by the National Writers Union, headquartered in New York City. =
NWU's at-large representative Samantha Clark lives and works in =
Albuquerque.=20
The American Civil Liberties Union has become the legal arm of the =
lawsuit pending in federal court.=20
Meanwhile, Nevins applied for a teaching post in another school =
and was offered the job but he can't go to work until Rio Rancho's =
principal sends the new school Nevins' credentials. The principal has =
refused to do so, and that adds yet another issue to the lawsuit, which =
is awaiting a trial date.=20
While students are denied poetry readings, poetry clubs and =
classes in poetry, Nevins works elsewhere and writes his own poetry.=20
Writers and editors who have spent years translating essays, =
films, poems, scientific articles and books by Iranian, North Korean and =
Sudanese authors have been warned not to do so by the U.S. Treasury =
Department under penalty of fine and imprisonment. Publishers and film =
producers are not allowed to edit works authored by writers in those =
nations. The Bush administration contends doing so has the effect of =
trading with the enemy, despite a 1988 law that exempts published =
materials from sanction under trade rules.=20
Robert Bovenschulte, president of the American Chemical Society, =
is challenging the rule interpretation by violating it to edit into =
English several scientific papers from Iran.=20
Are book burnings next?=20
Hill is a retired News-Journal reporter.=20
=
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Opinion/Editorials/03=
OpOPN62051504.htm
=20
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<TABLE cellSpacing=3D0 cellPadding=3D0 width=3D480 border=3D0=20
xmlns=3D"http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<TBODY>
<TR vAlign=3Dtop>
<TD class=3Dbase>
<DIV><SPAN class=3Dheadline><FONT face=3D"Arial, Helvetica" =
size=3D2>Are you=20
registered to vote? Do you have an opinion about what is going on =
in our=20
country and where we are headed as a nation as a whole?=20
</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3Dheadline><FONT =
size=3D2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3Dheadline><FONT size=3D2>My grandfather told me =
over twenty=20
years ago that within my lifetime I would see a revolution in the =
United=20
States. I pooh-pawed that wise man at the time. The more I read, =
the more=20
I see, the sharper the division becomes between our dear =
nation,=20
about so many pertinent issues, the clearer his long =
deceased voice=20
resonates in my ear. With each day that passes, part of me wants =
to say=20
"Stop the earth! Let me off!!! I'll be back in a hundred years!!!" =
</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3Dheadline><FONT =
size=3D2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3Dheadline><FONT size=3D2>I can't jump off and =
neither can=20
you. VOTE!!! It is the only way your voice can or will be=20
heard.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3Dheadline><FONT =
size=3D2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3Dheadline><FONT =
size=3D2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3Dheadline><FONT size=3D2>Janesta Carcich=20
Sullivan</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3Dheadline><FONT size=3D2>(link for story at =
bottom of=20
page)</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3Dheadline><FONT face=3D"Arial, Helvetica"=20
size=3D4><STRONG></STRONG></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3Dheadline><FONT face=3D"Arial, Helvetica"=20
size=3D4><STRONG>Hard lessons from poetry class: Speech is free =
unless it's=20
critical</STRONG> </FONT></SPAN><BR><BR><BR><FONT face=3D"Arial, =
Helvetica"=20
size=3D2>By BILL HILL</FONT> <BR><BR><SPAN class=3Deditdate><FONT=20
face=3D"Arial, Helvetica" size=3D1><I>Last update: 15 May 2004</I> =
</FONT></SPAN><BR><BR></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=3D0 cellPadding=3D0 width=3D"100%" border=3D0=20
xmlns=3D"http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<TBODY>
<TR vAlign=3Dtop>
<TD width=3D"100%">
<DIV style=3D"TEXT-ALIGN: left">
<P><SPAN><FONT face=3D"Arial, Helvetica" size=3D2><FONT =
face=3DArial size=3D2>Bill=20
Nevins, a New Mexico high school teacher and personal friend, was =
fired=20
last year and classes in poetry and the poetry club at Rio Rancho =
High=20
School were permanently terminated. It had nothing to do with =
obscenity,=20
but it had everything to do with extremist politics.=20
<P>The "Slam Team" was a group of teenage poets who asked Nevins =
to serve=20
as faculty adviser to their club. The teens, mostly shy =
youngsters, were=20
taught to read their poetry aloud and before audiences. Rio Rancho =
High=20
School gave the Slam Team access to the school's closed-circuit =
television=20
once a week and the poets thrived.=20
<P>In March 2003, a teenage girl named Courtney presented one of =
her poems=20
before an audience at Barnes & Noble bookstore in Albuquerque, =
then=20
read the poem live on the school's closed-circuit television =
channel.=20
<P>A school military liaison and the high school principal accused =
the=20
girl of being "un-American" because she criticized the war in Iraq =
and the=20
Bush administration's failure to give substance to its "No child =
left=20
behind" education policy.=20
<P>The girl's mother, also a teacher, was ordered by the principal =
to=20
destroy the child's poetry. The mother refused and may lose her =
job.=20
<P>Bill Nevins was suspended for not censoring the poetry of his =
students.=20
Remember, there is no obscenity to be found in any of the poetry. =
He was=20
later fired by the principal.=20
<P>After firing Nevins and terminating the teaching and reading of =
poetry=20
in the school, the principal and the military liaison read a poem =
of their=20
own as they raised the flag outside the school. When the principal =
had the=20
flag at full staff, he applauded the action he'd taken in concert =
with the=20
military liaison.=20
<P>Then to all students and faculty who did not share his =
political=20
opinions, the principal shouted: "Shut your faces." What a =
wonderful=20
lesson he gave those 3,000 students at the largest public high =
school in=20
New Mexico. In his mind, only certain opinions are to be allowed.=20
<P>But more was to come. Posters done by art students were ordered =
torn=20
down, even though none was termed obscene. Some were satirical,=20
implicating a national policy that had led us into war. Art =
teachers who=20
refused to rip down the posters on display in their classrooms =
were not=20
given contracts to return to the school in this current school =
year.=20
<P>The message is plain. Critical thinking, questioning of public =
policies=20
and freedom of speech are not to be allowed to anyone who does not =
share=20
the thinking of the school principal.=20
<P>The teachers union has been joined in a legal action against =
the school=20
by the National Writers Union, headquartered in New York City. =
NWU's=20
at-large representative Samantha Clark lives and works in =
Albuquerque.=20
<P>
<P>
<P>
<P>
<P>
<P>
<P>
<P>The American Civil Liberties Union has become the legal arm of =
the=20
lawsuit pending in federal court.=20
<P>Meanwhile, Nevins applied for a teaching post in another school =
and was=20
offered the job but he can't go to work until Rio Rancho's =
principal sends=20
the new school Nevins' credentials. The principal has refused to =
do so,=20
and that adds yet another issue to the lawsuit, which is awaiting =
a trial=20
date.=20
<P>While students are denied poetry readings, poetry clubs and =
classes in=20
poetry, Nevins works elsewhere and writes his own poetry.=20
<P>Writers and editors who have spent years translating essays, =
films,=20
poems, scientific articles and books by Iranian, North Korean and =
Sudanese=20
authors have been warned not to do so by the U.S. Treasury =
Department=20
under penalty of fine and imprisonment. Publishers and film =
producers are=20
not allowed to edit works authored by writers in those nations. =
The Bush=20
administration contends doing so has the effect of trading with =
the enemy,=20
despite a 1988 law that exempts published materials from sanction =
under=20
trade rules.=20
<P>Robert Bovenschulte, president of the American Chemical =
Society, is=20
challenging the rule interpretation by violating it to edit into =
English=20
several scientific papers from Iran.=20
<P>Are book burnings next?=20
<P><EM>Hill is a retired News-Journal reporter. </EM>
<P><A=20
=
href=3D"http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Opinion/Edito=
rials/03OpOPN62051504.htm">http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalO=
nline/Opinion/Editorials/03OpOPN62051504.htm</A></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>=
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