The Next School Name

A Capital Times Editorial:

The new elementary school on Madison's far west side will not be named for Hmong Gen. Vang Pao, who has been arrested by federal authorities on charges of masterminding a plot to use money collected from Hmong refugees in the United States to massacre Laotians in a violent coup.

Whether the Madison School Board recognizes that fact immediately or in a few weeks -- after what board President Arlene Silveira describes as an investigation into the "nature of the charges" against Vang -- there is no way that Madison, or any other city, is going to build a "Vang Pao Elementary School."

That's the first reality of the moment.

It is not a judgment regarding the guilt or innocence of Vang. The charges against the general, who for many years during the Vietnam War era did the dirty work of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, are serious. But just as there must always be an assumption of innocence, there should also be a measure of skepticism when it comes to federal claims regarding conspiracies.

Much more on the Vang Pao Elementary School here.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at June 7, 2007 12:01 AM
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