[Vision2020] Why Not Just Say It?

Tue Mar 20 13:26:20 PDT 2007

Ed Iverson hardly speaks for most conservatives.  Further, I believe 
Courtney is still -- he was before -- a member of the DN's advisory board.  
It seems that the relationship between the DN and the Kirk is quite cozy.

You're a conservative whose views are pretty much mainstream, and so is our 
favorite Area Man, Dan Carscallen.  There are lots of conservatives who 
offer more substantial grist for the mill than Ed Iverson, and the DN's 
giving Courtney a platform to shill against the levy, and do so in a manner 
lacking in truthfulness and integrity, is shameful.  By the way, have you 
heard if there's going to be an opposing viewpoint?

keely

From: lfalen <lfalen at turbonet.com>
Reply-To: lfalen <lfalen at turbonet.com>
To: "keely emerinemix" <kjajmix1 at msn.com>,   vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Why Not Just Say It?
Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2007 13:22:13 -0700

Keely

I wont comment on the bulk of your post, but those statements that relate to 
the DN I think are misplaced. They only have two regular columnists on the 
right. Add up how many they have with left wing views. You seem to be 
unhappy if they carry anyone on the right. A newspaper should try to be 
somewhat balanced on the Editorial Page. I think that is what they are 
attempting to do.

Roger
-----Original message-----
From: "keely emerinemix" kjajmix1 at msn.com
Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2007 12:47:19 -0700
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: [Vision2020] Why Not Just Say It?

 >
 > My head has finally stopped spinning from the dizzying array of "facts" 
and
 > the astonishingly glib conclusions drawn from Dale Courtney's guest 
column
 > in yesterday's Daily News.  I write not so much to expose the error of 
his
 > thinking, but the error of his character.
 >
 > First, though, I'll say that he has every right to submit a guest 
editorial,
 > and every right to blast the School District I served for three years and
 > appreciate always.  The Daily News, which once was a reputable newspaper,
 > has the right, I suppose, to print his words, although perhaps it would 
go
 > down better if they acknowledged up front that Courtney is an elder at
 > Christ Church, and the DN benefits directly from Christ Church's New St.
 > Andrew's College's leasing of five parking spaces owned by the newspaper 
--
 > you'll recall, I'm sure, NSA's continuing wrangling with the City over
 > parking, but you would be forgiven if you couldn't recall the DN's
 > aggressive coverage of the issue.  There wasn't any.
 >
 > It'd be nice if the DN disclosed that it benefits financially from an
 > organization its city desk is supposed to cover, and it would be nice if 
the
 > DN acknowledged a terrible fondness for all things Christ Church -- 
double
 > weddings, cookbooks, regular columnists and such.  Still, the Daily News
 > operates under whatever standards it chooses; Dale Courtney, a church 
elder,
 > really ought to operate under only one:  the integrity befitting a 
professed
 > Christian.
 >
 > The fact is, Dale Courtney's theology, and the theology of Christ Church,
 > and the theology of Pastor Doug Wilson, precludes him from ever 
supporting
 > ANY request for additional funding for public schools, because their 
beliefs
 > forbid it.  It's not a matter of Christian doctrine but of the
 > Libertarian-influenced Reconstructionist movement that has so influenced 
the
 > elders.  The Kirk believes, and teaches, that public schools, like any 
other
 > "government" institution, are a burden -- a punishment, if you will --
 > imposed by God because of the unwillingness of the Church to seize 
control
 > and take dominion over schools, courts, banks and other institutions.  
They
 > chafe under the yoke of taxes, and especially under that part that funds
 > public education.  Support of "government schools" is seen as collusion 
with
 > the enemy, and those children outside of the covenant (because they 
surely
 > must be not among God's chosen) who attend public schools are simply
 > collateral damage.   Further, says the Kirk, education is, at its heart, 
an
 > entirely religious matter, and any education of children undertaken by 
the
 > State is a challenge, however impotent, to the very Lordship of God.
 >
 > Strong words, and words Dale Courtney and his pals won't deny -- at least
 > vocally.  But they make clearheaded people, Christians and non-Christians
 > alike, uncomfortable because their radicalness is exceeded only by their
 > unfoundedness in Scripture.  They may speak the language among 
themselves,
 > but when it comes to "outsiders" -- in this case, those readers of the 
Daily
 > News -- they deny by an act of omission the real argument they have 
against
 > the upcoming levy.  The fact is, Dale Courtney's beliefs require him to 
hate
 > public schools, to hope for their demise, and to oppose any additional
 > funding for which he will have to pay.  An honest man may believe these
 > things, but a coward hides his true beliefs behind recycled statistics,
 > false premises, and simplistic formulas.
 >
 > Why not just say it, Dale?  Why not just say, "Hey -- it ain't the
 > economics, it ain't the demographics, it ain't that I think Blue Knights 
are
 > better than Bears.  It's actually that I hate public schools because 
they're
 > an offense to a Holy God, and I would never choose to fund them nor 
support
 > any additional funding for them."
 >
 > No, Dale has instead chosen to repeat the late Jack Wenders' tiresome and
 > disproven screeds against what he saw as a school district gone wild -- 
he
 > even used some of the same stats Wenders, who died this summer, used to
 > throw out.  But the facts are very clear:
 >
 > -- A 13% drop in enrollment is not a death spiral.  In fact, because of 
its
 > high-quality special ed and gifted/talented programs, MSD attracts many
 > students from other districts.  And Logos has lost some kids to MSD, 
while
 > MSD has lost some to Logos or the two charter schools that started up 
within
 > the last decade.  And not even the number of families moving to Moscow to
 > become part of Christ Church can reverse the overall flat-line of Latah
 > County Growth.
 >
 > -- Unlike Logos, MSD is required by state and federal statute to educate 
all
 > children, regardless of the severity of their disabilities.  Perhaps Dale
 > could give us information on Logos' programs for special needs and 
disabled
 > children.  I believe there's a matchbook nearby that could contain it 
all.
 >
 > -- Because MSD prefers to make staffing changes through attrition and not
 > head-chopping, very few positions have been eliminated.  However, because 
of
 > special education requirements from the Federal Government, deaf 
children,
 > for example, each are entitled to a qualified sign-language interpreter, 
and
 > provisions for the nurture and success of each student often requires
 > additional personnel.  Not a worry for Logos -- they've chosen not to
 > accommodate those who would be a burden on their support base.
 >
 > -- You hear a lot that administrative salaries at MSD are bloated.  
Candis
 > Donicht of MSD has been a superintendent in Idaho for 18 years, and yet 
the
 > first-year superintendent in Pullman already makes about $10,000 more a 
year
 > than she does.  Teachers are paid better in Pullman, even though nearly
 > two-thirds of MSD's teachers have master's degrees and are endorsed 
beyond
 > generalized curricula.  Logos teachers are . . . well, very hardworking,
 > clearly bright, and undoubtedly quite kind.  You'll have to ask Dale how
 > their experience is quantified or their performances accounted for.
 >
 > -- Pullman benefits greatly from a reasonably generous state legislature, 
as
 > well as from the largesse of Schweitzer Labs.  Moscow School District
 > consistently scores at or near the top of every possible measure of 
student
 > success, in an environment made less secure not only by a stingy 
legislature
 > but a church group dedicated to its demise.  A man of integrity, on a
 > mission from God, would state that he is part of that group and an 
adherent
 > to its beliefs.  Dale, on the other hand, doesn't.
 >
 > If the levy fails, MSD's fund balance for next year means that "only"
 > $400,000 in programs and staff would be cut; the year after that, the 
amount
 > more than triples.   That money funds smaller classrooms, technology
 > upgrades, staffing, programs and all sorts of things necessary -- and
 > beneficial -- for modern schools, even in facilities that are less than
 > adequate.  Moscow residents are already paying for an indefinite levy, a
 > fact Dale seems especially angered by.  But Moscow's citizens have
 > historically stepped up to the plate when it comes to funding public
 > schools, and I believe they are too smart to buy into Dale's message  -- 
and
 > too full of integrity to let him pretend his concern is motivated by 
simple,
 > if not simply wrong, economics.
 >
 > keely
 >
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