[Vision2020] Say What? (local/recent)

Fri Jun 4 12:50:58 PDT 2010

I have checked and despite his claim, we can find nothing to indicate Mr. 
Velarde ever graduated from or even attended Moscow High School.

1.   We are fortunate to have had teachers on foreign exchange because our 
students benefit from what they bring back home.  I feel confident in my 
claim no teachers from this district went as foreign exchange teachers 
because they, "had to get out of the country."  One would not be selected as 
a foreign exchange teacher if that were the stated reason.  Foreign exchange 
teachers sign pretty significant commitments that require them to take our 
culture to the place they go, and bring home information to our students 
when they return.  It simply isn't a run-away type of commitment.  So I feel 
pretty confident he's not telling the truth there either.

2.  Graduation speakers are chosen by the graduating seniors as teachers who 
were significant to their lives as high school students.  Those of us who 
were and are chosen consider it a signal honor to be selected.  By the time 
we make those speeches students know our politics very well, and have had 
many opportunities to butt heads with us regarding our ideology and their 
response to it.  I would never have made my ideology the hallmark of my 
speech though, but in his rant Mr. Velarde isn't specific.  What was the 
political ideology directed to him as a pseudo-graduate:  perhaps as 
citizens we have an obligation to care for each other; or we as citizens 
have a responsibility to obey the law, protect the defenseless, feed the 
hungry; or maybe even the point that Sweden takes better care of their needy 
than we do.  All of those could be ideologically perceived.  Which would be 
inappropriate for a graduation speaker?     And really, to whom, 
specifically, does he refer?  I can't imagine why in the world he would be 
reluctant to name names.  He has absolutely nothing to lose except his claim 
to validity.

3.  Yes, MHS does have a Gay-Straight Alliance Club.  It saves lives, 
promotes justice, teaches tolerance, and helps students concentrate on 
academics instead of other concerns.  School clubs use few tax dollars--the 
cost of lights and heat in what ever classroom they meet after school; but 
students are free to form clubs that meet their needs,  both religious and 
other.  The US Supreme Court says public schools generally must allow all if 
they allow any.

4.  I do not know what to make of the final comment as I have no idea who 
constitutes the, "idiotic, pseudo-liberal NAZI contingent."

I do not assume that just because the message is on Mr. Young's Facebook, he 
supports the content.  I will ask him if he wishes to respond on V 2020 
inasmuch as it has now appeared here.

Sue Hovey

--------------------------------------------------
From: "deb" <debismith at moscow.com>
Sent: Thursday, June 03, 2010 8:16 PM
To: "Tom Hansen" <thansen at moscow.com>; "Moscow Vision 2020" 
<vision2020 at moscow.com>
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Say What? (local/recent)

> Oh, my. In his attack on MHS Mr. Velarde doesn't say which schools he
> attended. Sadly, those schools failed to educate him in writing, grammar,
> spelling, critical thinking, and tolerance.  While I am not the grammar
> police (having some failings myself in that area), this set me off! Having
> four MHS graduates in my family, none of whom suffer from the 
> aforementioned
> difficulties, I would be surprised if he attended MHS. Of course, with 
> this
> sort of "You cain't teach me nuthin'  'cause I aint lissinen" attitude, he
> could have a legitimate grudge against a school system that insists one
> learn things. After all the papers, math homework, exams, and sports we
> helped (well, nagged) our children to complete, I know full well about 
> that
> insistence on learning.
>
> I do see Mr. Velarde's behavior fairly often in those who have a "hobby
> horse" or a soap box they feel they must occupy. They are so needing to 
> rant
> that, missing the opportunity to actually make a point, they instead 
> become
> parodies of themselves.
>
> Tom, you showed great fortitude in not commenting on Mr. Velarde's 
> foolish,
> simple minded, ill defined, poorly written piece. You are a better person
> than I, as I just had to comment. Not only do I support MHS, I support
> proper spelling and grammar. "My wife and I's" indeed? And this would 
> scare
> liberals exactly how? And referencing Nazis is just the iceing on the mud
> pie.....EEEWWWW! The good news is, with supporters like this, the right
> wing-nuts are doomed....there cannot possibly that many complete dolts in
> the US who buy into this sort of ridiculous "stupidity by choice".
> Debi R-S
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Tom Hansen" <thansen at moscow.com>
> To: "Moscow Vision 2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
> Sent: Thursday, June 03, 2010 5:42 AM
> Subject: [Vision2020] Say What? (local/recent)
>
>
>> "Why would people want their income tax, which supports education, to 
>> fund
>> certain past and present teachers at Moscow High School? I personally had
>> a current teacher who stated to me when we were undergraduates that they
>> were going on forien exchange. Why? Because they were fed up with the
>> United States and had to get out of the country for a while. One former
>> teacher used their distinguished speaker position at the high school's
>> graduation as a pulpit to cast their political ideologies. They also
>> bragged that MHS was the only school in the state to have a Gay-Straight
>> Alliance club. Glad to know that my wife and I's tax dollars are going
>> toward this skewed form of teaching!
>>
>> On a positive note you seem to have begun to scare the idiotic, pseudo-
>> liberal, NAZI contingent up here!"
>>
>> - David Anthony Velarde
>>
>> http://www.facebook.com/pages/ILikeIke/112506065442567?ref=ts
>>
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> I would add some colorful, humor-based comment here, but I feel that Mr.
>> Velarde's comments pretty much speak for themselves.
>>
>> Seeya round town, Moscow.
>>
>> Tom Hansen
>> Moscow, Idaho
>>
>> "The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to 
>> change
>> and the Realist adjusts his sails."
>>
>> - Unknown
>>
>>
>> =======================================================
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>> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>>               http://www.fsr.net
>>          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
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>
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