[Vision2020] Say What? (local/recent)

[Warren Hayman]

Sue,

Thank you. Well said. Etc.

Warren Hayman

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sue Hovey" <suehovey at moscow.com>
To: "deb" <debismith at moscow.com>; "Tom Hansen" <thansen at moscow.com>; "Moscow 
Vision 2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Friday, June 04, 2010 12:50 PM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Say What? (local/recent)


>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
>>>
>>>
>>> =======================================================
>>> List services made available by First Step Internet,
>>> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>>>               http://www.fsr.net
>>>          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
>>> =======================================================
>>
>>
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>>
>> Internal Virus Database is out of date.
>> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
>> Version: 8.5.437 / Virus Database: 270.14.133/2612 - Release Date:
>> 01/10/10
>> 19:35:00
>>
>> =======================================================
>> List services made available by First Step Internet,
>> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>>               http://www.fsr.net
>>          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
>> =======================================================
>
> =======================================================
> List services made available by First Step Internet,
> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>               http://www.fsr.net
>          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
> =======================================================