Families, the importance of two-parents

There was a good article by William Rasberry in today's NYP about the lack of two-parent households in the black community.

"Fatherless boys (as a general rule) become ineligible as husbands -- though no less likely to become fathers.... The absence of fathers means, as well that girls lack ... a pattern against which to measure the boys who pursue them."

And, as in an earlier post (Discipline before Learning), once again we see the importance of discipline. People cannot accomplish goals without discipline and discipline needs to be learned by constant repetition, in much the same way as learning the times table. In fact learning the times table is as important as a source of discipline as it is a mathematical and educational building block.

Discipline before learning

A doctor who lost his family on a plane crash/terrorism 20 years ago created a school in his daughter's name. Discipline must exist, he says, before there can be learning. Why is this not understood here? The answer everyone says is smaller and smaller classes, but if there is no self-discipline it doesn't matter how small the classes are.

"Unless we impart the discipline, I don't think we can bring out the best out of any kid, not any human being, as a matter of fact," Sankurathri says. "So discipline comes first and then comes education to me."

See A Ray Of Light

From CBC's The National on NWI (7/25/2005

Immigration and Borders

I'm tired of watching TV documentaries that portray people who are against unfettered immigration as racist. You can be pro-immigration and not in favor of "unregulated" immigration. Before 9/11 my feeling was that immigration is a good thing; that we should promote it as much as possible.

I still think immigration is a good thing. I still think we should promote it as much as possible but now I think we need to KNOW who is entering our borders. We cannot have unregulated borders. I think this is a risky scheme in the post 9/11 world.

I also love the fact that I can throw the words "unregulated" and "risky scheme" back into the faces of those who so over use them.

Death to the Hog

Matt Taibbi (NY PRess July 20-26, 2005) spews venom at Karl Rove but never, in the whole article, does he give his reasons for why Karl Rove is to be so hated. What are Rove's transgressions? What has he done to engender such hatred? Why is he a "vile, scum-sucking pig of a human being"?

I have to say that I thoroughly dislike this form of journalism, in which the author presents his opinion but doesn't ground them in facts. Which actions did Rove take that are worthy of hatred? Or are we now on the road to civil war -- where your political adversaries morph into the devil incarnate?

People disagree over taxes, abortion, gay rights, the war in Iraq. I'm pro-choice and pro-gay marriage. My views and my positions ought to be respected by those who disagree with me. Just as I ought to respect others who disagree with me on taxes or drug laws or what-have-you.

So Matt -- what specifically has Karl Rove done, aside from being excellent at his job in promoting a conservative agenda, that deserves such venom.

By the way, it is doubtful that he did anything remotely criminal in the Plane affair.