Is there a bear in the woods?

While we appropriately fight against the evil and expansionist Islamo-Facists, we must not forget to keep an eye on the bear. Testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in 2005 by Anders Aslund should provide those who are paying any attention with concern. Further, the violence perpetrated against those who criticize Russian President Vladimir Putin, and his drift away from relations with the West is chronicled in numerous reports from writers of all political and philosophical persuasions. The question is, do our political leaders appropriately recognize this threat and take it seriously? Perhaps it is time to run the old Reagan advertisement to remind them:

Underwriting perversion

I generally don’t engage in promoting boycotts based upon the politics or even social positions of various companies; except, of course, anything associated with the treasonous Jane Fonda.

Having said that, I am now declaring that unless Miller Brewing Company withdraws its support of San Francisco’s Folsom Street Fair (billed as the "world's largest leather event") I will never wet my palate with a Miller product again. This is not much of a sacrifice on a personal level because my beer of choice comes from Colorado. But, I will resist allowing any of the number of organizations I am involved to purchase Miller products for events, and I will decline the offer of any Miller product and explain my reasons to the generous host.

Miller is the major sponsor of the Folsom Street Fair, and I have written and asked that they withdraw their support. The following story explains my consternation.

California Taxpayers Subsidize Gay Mockery of Last Supper

Organizers of San Francisco’s hedonistic Folsom Street Fair -- sponsored by Miller Brewing, Co. -- have portrayed Christ and His disciples as half-naked homosexual sadomasochists in the event’s promotional advertisement. The bread and wine representing Christ’s broken body and lifegiving blood are replaced with sadomasochistic sex toys in this twisted version of Da Vinci’s The Last Supper.





Read the full story at Human Events.

UPDATE:
The media relations department at Miller Brewing Company has indicated that the company does not support the offensive poster (above) and that Miller has asked that their logo be removed from the poster immediately. This did not satisfy this consumer, so I submitted an email asking if Miller will remove its corporate funding of this offensive event. I'll keep OAF readers (all several of you) posted about any response I receive from Miller.

Grading the Governor

Working with Senator Dennis Hollingsworth and Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, FlashReport (FR) has compiled the FR's 2007 Top Twenty Bills the Governor Should Veto. FR will track the bills and issue a letter grade to the Governor based upon his actions. OAF readers (all several of you) should check in at FR daily and monitor the status of the actions of California’s “post-partisan” Governor. Does anyone wish to hazard a guess on what grade will be earned?

Accountability and school choice are benefits for children

The following story from the San Francisco Chronicle highlights not a failure, but a success in public education; a success that has only been achieved by allowing public charter schools to be opened in spite of huge opposition by the monopolistic “education coalition” (non-charter public school advocates).

Why would one call the closing of two charter schools a success? Simply put, because the failing schools were closed, and the students will be required to find new schools. Ask yourself, when was the last time a traditional non-charter public school required to close due to academic failure? It doesn’t happen; instead, the state calls them “high priority schools” and gives them more money.

As a society we would be better off if we allowed more choice in education and then held schools truly accountable for providing an education to children; charter schools are one positive development toward that goal.

2 Oakland charter schools ordered to shut down
Nanette Asimov, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, September 20, 2007

(09-19) 22:09 PDT Oakland -- A pair of space-themed Oakland charter schools with roughly 80 students between them must shut down because of substandard instruction and low enrollment, the state Board of Education voted Tuesday, upholding a school district decision.

The Space Exploration Academy high school and the Junior Space Exploration Academy middle school had been open just five months when the Oakland Unified School District decided in February to shut them down.

School officials appealed the decision to the state Board of Education. Tuesday's board vote means today will be the last day the schools can operate.

The schools - which offered classes from sixth through tenth grade - had enrolled far fewer than the 200 students promised, according to district documents.

Classes were also in disarray, said administrators who made unscheduled visits last fall.
"The sixth-grade math instructor did not probe for understanding, explain erroneous answers, or engage nonrespondents," according to a report by Liane Zimny, then the head of the district's charter schools, who visited the schools in November with Kimberly Statham, then the state administrator for Oakland schools.

Zimny reported that the ninth-grade had few books and no textbooks. The task list on the blackboard had a misspelled word - "d-e-f-i-n-a-t-l-y" - and instructed students to do work that was far below grade level, such as writing the word "find" four times in cursive, Zimny wrote.

The science lab was also not operating, and "a large, dirty rag was on the floor of the multipurpose room where students ate lunch," she reported.

In all, both schools failed to fulfill 15 of 33 operating conditions, according to district records.

"We're disappointed," said Camron Gorguinpour, the schools' executive director. "I'm particularly concerned that there was little discussion about the actual merits of our school - especially in light of positive test scores that both of our schools received."

The schools enrolled only two grades last school year: sixth and ninth. State records show that of 29 sixth-graders who took the state's English language-arts test in the spring, 17 percent scored at grade level or above. Of the 15 ninth-graders who took the English test, 47 percent scored at grade level or above.

Gorguinpour, who said he is mystified about why the district tried to close the school before the scores were in, had disputed each of the district's allegations in a February memo. He said the administrators were making snap judgments based on insufficient time observing classes and without giving the school enough time to respond to its requests.

Gorguinpour's Web site says he holds bachelor's degrees in physics and astrophysics from UC Berkeley. The site also describes him as president and co-founder of a Berkeley educational nonprofit group called Space Science Outreach and Research, listed in state records as the schools' sponsoring agency.

The schools' Web site says that NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View is "involved in the development and operation of the Space Exploration Academies," promising professional development programs for its teachers.

Gorguinpour appealed the district's February decision to revoke its charter. On Tuesday, the state Board of Education voted 6-0 to uphold the district's decision.

District officials said they will help the Space Exploration Academies' students find other schools to attend.

Make way for Moonbeam

Sacramento Bee columnist, Dan Walters, paints an accurate picture of Attorney General “Moonbeam” Brown today in a column regarding the bogus lawsuit that would assign blame to auto manufacturers for global warming. Walters writes, “Brown, meanwhile, clearly wants to return to the governorship three years hence and will use global warming as his vehicle. That's why, for instance, he's been suing, or threatening to sue, local governments for their alleged failure to consider global warming in their development planning.”

“Cynical? Of course, but classic Jerry Brown, who has always sought to exploit the currently trendy issue, whatever it might be.”

The Walters column highlights the cynical and exploitative actions of now-Treasurer Bill Lockyer and AG Moonbeam – it is really worth a read: Auto suit unmasked as a stunt.

I am not sure which frightens me more, that Moonbeam wants to be Governor again; or, that the people of California would actually elect him to anything.

Post-partisan Schwarzenegger purges all remnants of conservatism that plagued him during his quest for election

He ran as a “blow up the boxes” fiscal conservative, garnering the support of “win at any cost” Republicans, and then:

Led the year of “post-partisan” legislative liberalism, enacted major government regulations on business and promoted nanny-state social liberalism.

Crushed his fellow Republicans during a statewide reelection campaign to ensure “post-partisan” Democrat hegemony in Sacramento.

Proved that he has absolutely no core principles by breaking the one promise that seemed to be believable – embracing tax increases.

Does the following demonstrate political hypocrisy, lack of any principles, political expediency, or all of the above? You be the judge:

Candidate Schwarzenegger
"I feel the people of California have been punished enough. From the time they get up in the morning and flush the toilet they're taxed. When they go get a coffee they're taxed. When they get in their car they're taxed. When they go to the gas station they're taxed. When they go to lunch they're taxed. This goes on all day long. Tax. Tax. Tax. Tax. Tax." Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, August 20, 2003

Newly-Elected Governor Schwarzenegger
“A tax increase would be the final nail in California's financial coffin. The people of California did not elect me to destroy jobs and businesses by raising taxes.” Governor Schwarzenegger, State of the State, January 6, 2004

Social and Economic Liberal "post-partisan" Arnold Schwarzenegger
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday said he's open to a general tax increase to pay for health care for the uninsured, but will leave it to voters to decide. The governor, who has adamantly opposed proposed tax hikes in the past, told a Capitol news conference, "I never close the door on anything." Sacramento Bee, Governor talks of health care tax 9/18/07.

Hopefully, Republicans in Sacramento read Philip Klein's post-election analysis and will prove to the people of California that genuine Republicans still stand for less government and more freedom.