Dr. Daniel Iracki’s War On Progress

12:02 am EST February 23rd, 2006 | Politics | 10 Comments

Dr. Daniel Iracki is the central conservative figure (he gave $500 to the RNC in 2000) in a Pennsylvania school district’s decision to destroy Upper St. Clair’s International Baccalaureate program. Today he claimed that the IB program was no better than the AP program (that is not true), but he previously gave a different reason for his opposition to the advanced education program.

But at last week’s lightly attended committee meeting, Iracki was telling a different story.

“The impetus for this in-depth look at the IB program occurred with the election of a new school board in November 2005, when my candidacy and the three other members of our slate were opposed by IB students principally because of my statement at the candidates forum that our country was founded on Judeo-Christian values and we have to be careful about what kind of values our children are being taught,” Iracki said.

Iracki admitted what students have been alleging — that the program came under fire because of the election.

So when the conservative propaganda he used when campaigning for the school board was challenged, Iracki decided to exact his revenge by killing the IB program – but didn’t expect there to be any coverage of the issue, and changed his story — going so far as to mimic Soviet tactics to prevent the community from seeing the overwhelming disappointment of the parents and kids involved.

Team 4 has learned that school officials ordered that the cable television broadcast of this week’s board meeting to stop when the parents started criticizing the board.

The cable access channel usually airs the full meeting.

Iracki and the other conservatives on the board also claimed that the IB program was too expensive for the district, but here’s what he said about how well the schools were funded when he was running for office:

” I feel the current funding of the school district is sufficient to maintain the excellent education our children recieve.This is borne out in the many surveys & in the many achievements & awards our students and schools attain.”

So here’s the bottom line: Dr. Daniel Iracki and the other conservatives on the school board in Upper St. Clair simply eliminated the IB program because the kids didn’t believe his nonsense about IB being against Judeo-Christian values. When they eliminated the IB program, they have made up numerous stories to justify their decision because their original claim does not stand up to scrutiny.

This is a microcosm of how conservatism has attacked the means of progress in America. The IB program is all about academic achievement and progress, teaching our students the skills they need to win against global competition (there are funds for IB and AP in the most recent education package). Iracki and the cons are against it because it moves us forward.

>> “queenbahookie” is a PA student who just had her IB program destroyed. As she says “I can’t believe it.. It’s cut, gone, finished, destroyed. It hasn’t sunk in yet.”
>> WIngnuts in the Backyard
>> Wingnuttery on the March!
>> Helene Schleine, another pissed of PA IB student: “I just thought I would reiterate my intense revulsion and hatred for 5/9ths of the Upper St. Clair school board”
>> “Accalia Rue” is an IB alumnus from Upper St. Clair: “The ib program costs around $80,000 dollars, and our school board has a budget of 50 million. Not to mention the fact that all of our teachers are provided with their own personal laptops, and the high school’s football team recently just replaced their astroturf, and gets carted around on coach buses.”
>> Pa: Behind the Curve or Cutting Edge?
>> Anti-Education Spirit Prevails in St. Clair
>> Another St. Clair student speaks
>> Video: Iracki’s lies caught on tape

How Goes The Liberating?

11:02 pm EST February 22nd, 2006 | Democrats | 57 Comments

Not damn good at all

Bombers blasted the gilded dome of one of Shiite Islam’s holiest shrines into naked steel and gaping blue sky Wednesday in a provocative assault that roused tens of thousands of Iraqi Shiites into angry protests and deadly clashes.

The highest spiritual leaders of Iraq’s Shiite majority simultaneously rallied and restrained the outrage of their followers after the attack on the Askariya shrine in Samarra, about 65 miles north of Baghdad. Though no casualties were reported, the bombing was the most destructive attack on a major shrine since the U.S. invasion, and Iraqi leaders said it was meant to draw Shiites and Sunnis into war. “This is as 9/11 in the United States,” said Adel Abdul Mahdi, a Shiite and one of Iraq’s two vice presidents.

Is it any wonder that both Bill O’Reilly and Rush Limbaugh are both moving towards the Murtha plan for redeployment from Iraq?

Sell Out

10:02 pm EST February 22nd, 2006 | Politics | 25 Comments

Let’s get this straight. The White House made a secret agreement with a foreign power with ties to terrorism, in exchange for okaying a financial deal and waiving other routine safety restrictions on the Dubai company.

What the hell? This is the White House — this is George Bush — selling out our security with a wink and a nod.

Cons Endorse The “Make Kids Dumb Program”

7:02 pm EST February 22nd, 2006 | Politics | 19 Comments

Pennsylvania is now ground zero in the fight for progress.

>> Conservatives Want Your Children To Be Stupid
>> Community Comments

I am outraged at the decision of the Upper Saint Clair school board to do away with the International Baccalaureate program by claiming it is Anti-American and is too expensive to offer. As a former student of the IB program at Schenley High School, I can tell you the curriculum does not promote anti-American viewpoints. On the contrary, I developed a greater appreciation of my American heritage by having the FREEDOM to compare and contrast my fundamental beliefs with those held by other countries and cultures. The IB coursework I took was rigorous and challenged me to open my mind to other cultures but never once persuaded me to forsake my American values and beliefs.

Who are these stupid people and why are they running our planet?

Via pharyngula:

>> UPDATES here

Honest For A Change

2:02 pm EST February 22nd, 2006 | Uncategorized | 17 Comments

The best I can glean from this post is that Ian favors giving government money to white supremacists…

Topic: Conservative

The S.S. Steele Hits An Iceberg

2:02 pm EST February 22nd, 2006 | Uncategorized | Comments Off

Looks like comparing stem cell research to Nazism is a loser, once again.

U.S. Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin leads Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele by 14 percentage points in a hypothetical race to grab one of the state’s U.S. Senate seats, according to a poll released on Wednesday.

Topic: 2006 Election

Katrina Redux

12:02 pm EST February 22nd, 2006 | News | 31 Comments

I perfectly serious: why do we bother to have a president when he won’t do his job?

President Bush was unaware of the pending sale of shipping operations at six major U.S. seaports to a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates until the deal already had been approved by his administration, the White House said Wednesday.

Defending the deal anew, the administration also said that it should have briefed Congress sooner about the transaction, which has triggered a major political backlash among both Republicans and Democrats.

Topic: George W. Bush

China Bans Human-Toon Hybrids

10:02 am EST February 22nd, 2006 | Uncategorized | 4 Comments

I guess they may just be following Bush’s lead

In one of the more bizarre orders from China’s State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, TV shows and films featuring human thesps with animated companions will be banned.

“These human live-action, so-called animation pieces will not receive distribution or distribution licenses,” read the order, issued Feb. 15. However, films and shows that have already received permits will continue to air.

Topic: Humor

Maryland & Bush’s Port Sellout

10:02 pm EST February 21st, 2006 | Politics | 33 Comments

So finally Michael Steele had to respond to Bush selling out our security in the ports, but goes no further than saying we need more time to review it. Ben Cardin, on the other hand, offers some steps for Gov. Ehrlich and congress to take.

“First, Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich should consider cancellation of this contract and reassess privatization of these operations at the Port of Baltimore. Management of the longshoremen’s loading and unloading of ships could be handled by the Port of Baltimore directly, as it has been in the past.

“Second, Congress should review and consider reversing federal approvals for the sale of the P&O Steam Navigation Company to Dubai Ports World, the U.A.E. company.

“Finally, Congress must conduct oversight hearings regarding the Administration’s Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States. This committee secretly reviewed and then approved this foreign sale. In light of the ongoing threat of terrorism, we need to better understand the workings of this federal review process.

Drawing The Line

6:02 pm EST February 21st, 2006 | News | 13 Comments

Martin O’Malley on Bush’s sellout of our ports

Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley says, “We want to turn over the Port of Baltimore, the home of the Star Spangled Banner, to the United Arab Emirates? Not so long as I’m mayor and not so long as I have breath in my body.”

Amen.

Topic: George W. Bush