Civics: Risk to America of maintaining forever-war status quo dangerously high

Military Times:

Would ending the numerous ongoing wars increase the risk to American security as these voices claim? Fear is one of the most effective tools used by the defenders of the status quo to resist any change, claiming that if their chosen policy isn’t followed, a terrible incident is likely to occur in the future.

McMaster resurrected the specter of Munich and Continetti the Second World War, both claiming that to withdraw troops (from Afghanistan and Syria respectively), would increase the risk of a horrific outcome for America.

Such claims are only effective, however, if the reader is unaware of the specific circumstances behind the historical events cited and does not understand how different today’s conditions are.

In this case, the circumstances aren’t merely different, but virtually incomparable. More to the point, the reality is that America absorbs far more risk by not withdrawing from places like Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan.

Forever-war advocates rest on the logic that because it is theoretically possible a negative outcome might result if we end unsuccessful wars, it is safer to continue supporting them; that the lowest cost is to maintain the status quo. When the actual conditions of each deployment are examined, however, it becomes quickly evident the significant costs we are enduring, right now, are inappropriate and unsustainable.

Similarly, continuing the legacy K-12 model, built for an era that no longer exists has plenty of risks, as well.

Jo Boaler’s Reform Math Fallacy Outline

Ling Huang, via a kind reader:

According to Jo Boaler and other math reformists, traditional math is racist, elitist,
and inequitable, particularly for underrepresented minorities and women. Traditional math emphasizes outdated, boring, procedural, rote-learning materials while neglecting conceptual understanding. Traditional math questions are narrow and closed thus incompatible with growth mindsets. Timed tests and the traditional grading methods cause anxiety and traumatize students.

Jo Boaler’s reform-math ideas are summarized below.

1. Ban times table tests
Jo Boaler said in an ideal world she would ban times tables tests; she had never
memorized her times tables. “It has never held me back, even though I work with maths every day.”
2. Encourage finger counting
Teachers should celebrate and encourage finger counting and use among younger
learners and learners of any age. Even university students’ finger perception
predicted their calculation scores.

K-12 Tax, Referendum and Spending Climate: Madison Civics and Governance Exam…

Chris Rickert:

“There’s no room for dialogue. There’s no room for compromise,” he said. “It’s happening across the country. It’s not just Madison.”

Every single day I am proud that I refused an endorsement interview with this trash ass publication. Omg, they really just are unapologetic piece of shit excuse for journalism. And don’t come at me with the not all journalists bullshit, they are complicit at this point. https://t.co/lujdyRQfWE

— Nada Elmikashfi (@nadaelmikashfi) August 24, 2020

The man who perhaps most embodies Madison politics over the last 40 years, former three-time, 22-year mayor Paul Soglin, looks at Madison’s current political atmosphere and sees something new and “very dangerous.”

Soglin said that in the past, Madison’s leaders understood that to fund progressive social priorities, they needed a property tax base and revenues created by commerce. But many of Madison’s current leaders seem more interested in punishing business people, including State Street merchants, while enjoying the “luxury of being ideologically pure,” he said.

Dr. Alex Gee’s Reformation Sunday message (begins at 8:30)

The article fails to mention Madison Schools….

Madison’s well funded K-12 system recently sought to waive an annual civics test.

Madison’s substantial Fall 2020 tax & spending increase referendum notes and links.

2017: West High Reading Interventionist Teacher’s Remarks to the School Board on Madison’s Disastrous Reading Results

Madison’s taxpayer supported K-12 school district, despite spending far more than most, has long tolerated disastrous reading results.

My Question to Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers on Teacher Mulligans and our Disastrous Reading Results

“An emphasis on adult employment”

Wisconsin Public Policy Forum Madison School District Report[PDF]

2020: Booked, but can’t read (Madison): functional literacy, National citizenship and the new face of Dred Scott in the age of mass incarceration

Choose Life: Lab tests show risks of using CRISPR gene editing on embryos

Associated Press:

A lab experiment aimed at fixing defective DNA in human embryos shows what can go wrong with this type of gene editing and why leading scientists say it’s too unsafe to try. In more than half of the cases, the editing caused unintended changes, such as loss of an entire chromosome or big chunks of it.

Columbia University researchers describe their workThursday in the journal Cell. They used CRISPR-Cas9, the same chemical tool that a Chinese scientist used on embryos in 2018 to help make the world’s first gene-edited babies, which landed him in prison and drew international scorn.

The tool lets scientists cut DNA in a precise spot and has profound potential for good — it’s already used to raise better crops and livestock, holds promise for treating diseases, and earned its discoverers a Nobel Prize earlier this month.

Daniel Suarez’s Change Agent is worth reading.

Newsom sends his children back to private school classrooms in California

Mackenzie Mays:

Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday his children have returned to in-person learning under a “phased-in approach” as many schools across the state remain shuttered due to Covid-19 — including nearly all public schools in Sacramento County where the governor lives.

The news: Newsom said at a news conference that his four children, ages 4 to 11, have returned to classrooms in some capacity.

Newsom’s children attend a private school in Sacramento County that has a hybrid schedule that alternates remote and in-person education before it will return full-time next month, according to a source. POLITICO is not naming the school for privacy reasons.

“They’re phasing back into school and we are phasing out of our very challenging distance learning that we’ve been doing, so many parents are doing up and down the state,” Newsom said Friday when asked about his own children’s education.

Sacramento County schools are allowed to open classrooms under Newsom’s reopening system. But the county’s large public school districts — including San Juan Unified, which serves Newsom’s neighborhood — have yet to do so. Some Sacramento County districts plan to reopen elementary schools next month, while San Juan has a January goal date. Sacramento City Unified has yet to propose a reopening date.

Segregated RA Training at UC-Davis

Kara Zupkus:

The tipster, a University of California-Davis student, wishes to remain anonymous out of fear of retribution shared documents showing the school segregating RA training into distinct racial and gender groups. In addition, the documents state that students are not permitted to attend trainings for groups to which they do not belong.

“Student staff should only participate in an affinity group if they hold that identity. These groups are not for those wanting to learn about that identity or to explore curiosity in that identity,” the training website stated.