Does media manipulate readers? Remember the story from Seattle about the driver who ran over two protesters during a Black Lives Matter demonstration that closed I-5 in both directions?
Answer these questions before reading the rest of the story.
Was the driver white or black?
Were the BLM protesters black or white?
Now read this article, "Selective Media Reporting Further Fuels Our Racial Divide",
by John R. Lott, Jr.
Were your answers correct?
Prof. Lott is a respected researcher, well-known for his book More Guns, Less Crime. Within the article, he has this to say about the media:
"Race and politics increasingly divide Americans, and selective media reporting is largely to blame. The media, not President Donald Trump, is fanning the flames of violence."
How can you combat this divide? Get the facts before chiseling your opinion in stone.
Monday, July 13, 2020
"School Closures Threaten Kids More Than COVID-19, Pediatricians Say"
The headline above a recent newsletter article brings an additional and important point-of-view for parents' consideration. Click here for the article.
At the July 9, 2020 Richland 2 school board meeting a presentation with graphs was made that showed the concerns of various groups in Richland 2 (students, parents, staff) about the re-opening of schools. You can view that presentation on the YouTube recording of the school board meeting.
Too often I hear "Why don't 'they' do more?" Well, they are we. Are you involved in the planning for your child's education with consideration of the current conditions? Did you respond to Richland 2's survey?
Are you griping about what Trump is (or is not) doing? I mean, President Trump. I am so tired of people saying "Trump". (I know, I know. I am surrounded by too many Democrats.)
The U.S. Department of Education is not making knee-jerk decisions. Nor is the South Carolina Department of Education. Nor is Richland 2.
Sunday, July 12, 2020
What is Black Culture?
There is a must-see PragerU video of The Candace Owens Show with KingFace, which was published on July 12, 2020.
What is driving racial divide? How is black culture impacting black America?
Watch this episode of The Candace Owens Show with her guest, KingFace.
Are they right? Not right?
Culture is mentioned often by the Richland 2 School Board and the superintendent. The District spends a bunch of money on a program created by USC Prof. Gloria Boutte, titled "Culturally Relevant Pedagogy".
Want to know more about Boutte's program? Find the March 26, 2019 video-recording of the Richland 2 School Board meeting and fast-forward to 2:15:10.
Maybe every student in Richland 2 needs to watch this program with Candace and KingFace. It could be worth far more than the money the District is spending on "Culturally Relevant Pedagogy".
Please comment below on this Candace Owens Show. Be sure to watch the video first.
Saturday, July 11, 2020
Black Lives Matter - not what you think
When you hear an educator, a teacher, a school board trustee, an administrator mention Black Lives Matter (BLM), what do you think of?
Write down .... now before reading further, what you think of, or maybe even what you think you know about, BLM.
1.
2.
3.
Did you write it down?
Now read this article from The Heritage Foundation.
Did you write down, substantially, what you read in this article?
Comment below, please. The same? Different? How different?
Is Black Lives Matter a domestic terrorist organization that belongs on the Hate Watch list of Southern Poverty Law Center?
Write down .... now before reading further, what you think of, or maybe even what you think you know about, BLM.
1.
2.
3.
Did you write it down?
Now read this article from The Heritage Foundation.
Did you write down, substantially, what you read in this article?
Comment below, please. The same? Different? How different?
Is Black Lives Matter a domestic terrorist organization that belongs on the Hate Watch list of Southern Poverty Law Center?
Thursday, July 9, 2020
BEDH Reinstated - sort of
At today's special-called board meeting, the board voted 7-0 to reinstate Board Policy BEDH - Public Participation at Meetings. Sort of...
Some kind of backroom deal must have been made, because Mrs. Libby Roof, the District's Chief Communications Officer, was ready with an explanation about how public participation would be conducted.
The public will NOT be able to speak during the board meeting.
What the public will be able to do is submit comments to the District during a few days before the meeting and up until about mid-afternoon of the day of the meeting. Then the submitted comments will be read to the board during the meeting.
The next board meeting is July 21. On about July 17 a notice form will be posted on the District's website, and a member of the public will submit his comment electronically on that form.
Let's say that a parent wants to really unload on the board about something it has or has not done. So he or she submits a strongly-worded comment (polite, no profanity; but strongly worded). Then a staffer will be expected to read that comment. Will it be read with the same emotion and forceful tone as that with which it was written?
Because Mrs. Roof was ready with her explanation, when a board member asked how public participation would be handled, that caused me to think that the board already knew about the that policy. And yet no one spoke up on behalf of the public to ask how a member of the public could address the board orally.
I guess we'll find out how well it works and if the board really "gets" what the member of the public was saying to them.
Some kind of backroom deal must have been made, because Mrs. Libby Roof, the District's Chief Communications Officer, was ready with an explanation about how public participation would be conducted.
The public will NOT be able to speak during the board meeting.
What the public will be able to do is submit comments to the District during a few days before the meeting and up until about mid-afternoon of the day of the meeting. Then the submitted comments will be read to the board during the meeting.
The next board meeting is July 21. On about July 17 a notice form will be posted on the District's website, and a member of the public will submit his comment electronically on that form.
Let's say that a parent wants to really unload on the board about something it has or has not done. So he or she submits a strongly-worded comment (polite, no profanity; but strongly worded). Then a staffer will be expected to read that comment. Will it be read with the same emotion and forceful tone as that with which it was written?
Because Mrs. Roof was ready with her explanation, when a board member asked how public participation would be handled, that caused me to think that the board already knew about the that policy. And yet no one spoke up on behalf of the public to ask how a member of the public could address the board orally.
I guess we'll find out how well it works and if the board really "gets" what the member of the public was saying to them.
Slippery agenda for 7/9/2020
On the agenda for today's school board meeting, there is a line that appears when you click on the link for Item 6.1.
Item 6.1 will be the discussion and vote on whether to reinstate Board Policy BEDH - Public Participation at Meetings.
This is the slippery line:
"Per the recommendation of the S.C. School Board Association in light of the global health emergency, the board voted May 12, 2020, to suspend policy BEDH, Public Participation at Meetings for all meetings indefinitely."
It's partially true. The Board did vote to suspend BEDH, but there was no "indefinitely" about it.
Although Amelia McKie said emphatically on May 12th that the suspension was temporary, it was not. She just was not telling the truth.
The motion that night was to suspend Board Policy BEDH. Period.
Not "temporarily."
Not "indefinitely".
Not "until the COVID-19 pandemic is over."
Not "until the the state of emergency is over."
The Board suspended it. Period.
Today the Board may correct that error. We'll see.
Item 6.1 will be the discussion and vote on whether to reinstate Board Policy BEDH - Public Participation at Meetings.
This is the slippery line:
"Per the recommendation of the S.C. School Board Association in light of the global health emergency, the board voted May 12, 2020, to suspend policy BEDH, Public Participation at Meetings for all meetings indefinitely."
It's partially true. The Board did vote to suspend BEDH, but there was no "indefinitely" about it.
Although Amelia McKie said emphatically on May 12th that the suspension was temporary, it was not. She just was not telling the truth.
The motion that night was to suspend Board Policy BEDH. Period.
Not "temporarily."
Not "indefinitely".
Not "until the COVID-19 pandemic is over."
Not "until the the state of emergency is over."
The Board suspended it. Period.
Today the Board may correct that error. We'll see.
Restore Public Participation (BEDH) Tonight
The following email has been sent to the Richland 2 School Board.
I surely hope that the Board will vote to reinstate Board Policy BEDH this evening. Tonight is the night to demonstrate your respect for the public in Richland 2 School District.
When Board Policy BEDH is restored, will you please make a motion to add Public Participation to the next and future agendas? Otherwise, the Policy will be reinstated but there will be no agenda item for the public to speak.
Please also seriously consider scheduling in-person Board meetings, with appropriate social-distancing seating. It is important for the public to see you and for you to see the public.
If the Board continues to meet by Zoom, it is a very easy step to allow members of the public to address the Board via Zoom. Those wishing to speak can indicate their interest by 2:00PM on the day of the meeting. They should attend the Zoom meeting.
When Public Participation is opened, the Chair should state how Public Participation will be conducted. He should briefly review the guidelines, then introduce the first speaker and say, "Followed by (name) and (name). The Zoom moderator unmutes the first speaker. At the conclusion of the first speaker's remarks, the Chair thanks that speaker and introduces the next speaker, "followed by (name) and (name)".In fact, this method would work well for in-person Public Participation at Meetings. The delay between speakers would be eliminated.
At the June 20, 2020 virtual meeting of the Alexandria, Va. City Council, there were 38 speakers registered to speak. Watch how Mayor Wilson efficiently runs the public participation portion of the meeting:
Gus Philpott
847/971-7083
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