tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20524196.post7281444393936185351..comments2024-02-14T11:00:03.180-05:00Comments on Tom McLaughlin: Criticize Obama? You're a RacistTom McLaughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07691546351143209227noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20524196.post-59783630439850491782008-11-04T20:44:00.000-05:002008-11-04T20:44:00.000-05:00Tom, This is a response to your comment about not ...Tom, <BR/><BR/>This is a response to your comment about not influencing your students. <BR/><BR/>I'll have you know that when I attended your class, even before and after my peers stated their opinions, they were crushed down by your overbearing point of view. I mean, lets not forget how at the beginning of every class you made us watch VENT with Michelle Malkin. <BR/><BR/>Most kids older, and younger, than I was at that age, have very fragile self esteems and find it difficult to stand up for themselves in debate. Especially when conformity is encouraged in every day media and society. Your opinions and "challenges" the way I saw them when I was your student were almost suffocating, and you MUST know, being a teacher for so many years, that kids ages 11-14 are VERY easy to persuade to your side, despite having been brought up in a Liberal surrounding. <BR/><BR/>Teachers, I thought, were suppose to show little to NO bias during elections and other political matters. This being in place to encourage students to make their own opinions about things, to increase learning. Can you expect students to argue the WHOLE Democratic side with you? Most of them barely pay attention to that sort of thing, how can you say you give them a fair challenge when they barely know anything but what they hear at home and what you cram down their throats?<BR/><BR/>Not to mention, they'll be hated, as I was, for standing up to a teacher. In their eyes teachers are always suppose to "know everything" and never guide them astray. I'd take a long look at what you're doing to these kids before you launch an army of conservative teens, or maybe that's what you were planning all along?<BR/><BR/>-MaryAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20524196.post-30743230565382646052008-10-20T17:46:00.000-04:002008-10-20T17:46:00.000-04:00I'm not trying to win the minds of my students so ...I'm not trying to win the minds of my students so much as I'm trying to expand them. My job is to stimulate critical thinking. I like teaching this age level because they're capable of learning anything, but relatively unencumbered by preconceptions. Not many have to unlearn things before they learn new things.<BR/><BR/>Many come with the opinions of their parents, who in these parts are mostly liberal, but most of us come up that way. I ask rhetorical questions a lot and encourage debate. I play Devil's Advocate and encourage them to state any opinion as long as it's civil, then to defend that opinion against challenge. I've always believed it's the best way to learn - been so since Socrates.<BR/><BR/>Many of my students are brighter than I am and tend to look at things new ways because their minds are acute and not cluttered up. I learn from them too. It's all very stimulating and I'll miss it when I retire.<BR/><BR/>I disclose my conservative bias early on because they'll learn it anyway since my columns are in the local newspapers every week. I withhold my opinion on any given topic until they've stated theirs and encourage them to challenge me. I'm not often disappointed.Tom McLaughlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07691546351143209227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20524196.post-28142792121790687502008-10-19T10:47:00.000-04:002008-10-19T10:47:00.000-04:00are you winning the minds of your students? how pr...are you winning the minds of your students? how proud the parents must be to have your objective unbiased tutelage. with so many uneducated parents, we all need your superior political intelligence. your school administration and fellow employees are fortunate to have your good judgement and indepth analysis of how intricately politics are connected to social studies. also glad to read your coverage on how race and ethnicity have affected the current presidential race. our nation must not fall prey to political theatre. we must focus on the substance of the candidates policies not on race. we must focus on the grave challenges that face our nation such as poverty, which leads to crime, increased high school drop out rates, and poor health. we have a crumbling infrastructure, increased corporate control and subsidizes, declining working class wages and decreased U.S. manufacturing jobs due to our corporations shifting them overseas to avoid paying taxes. a great book, Free Lunch, by David Johnson addresses how corporate wealth welfare is corputing the U.S. democracy. we as a nation need to work together to protect our democracy and human rights, such as anti slavery, child labor laws, women's right to vote, right to education, right to own property etc...an end to facsicm.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20524196.post-19782457607400945862008-10-17T21:54:00.000-04:002008-10-17T21:54:00.000-04:00Don't waste your time with this kind of nonsense. ...Don't waste your time with this kind of nonsense. You're readily doing just what the McCain/Palin campaign is doing... misquoting snippets of news, and sensationalizing what truly is (or should be) a non-issue in this campaign. As the republican death rattle grows louder with the countdown to election day, transparent and ignorant arguments like this only ensure that Obama will rightfully become our next president. Your commentary is not infectious... it's toxic. Shame on you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20524196.post-12498014430757469002008-10-17T12:03:00.000-04:002008-10-17T12:03:00.000-04:00Speaking as a lifelong conservative who has never ...Speaking as a lifelong conservative who has never voted for a Democrat on the national ticket, this time around I am voting for Obama.<BR/><BR/>The reasons are several. Obama is a highly intelligent guy who remains calm regardless of the barbs that are directed at him. McCain may be intelligent but he sure doesn't remain calm. God knows what he would do in the White House when he gets into one of his moods. Obama seems to have an idea of what needs to be done to get us back on the path to economic improvement and also seems to understand that a strong middle class is essential for the stability of the country. McCain doesn't.<BR/><BR/>McCain appears to say what he thinks needs to be said to get elected; anything goes. All pols do this we know, but John seems on the same wavelength as Hillary in this regard. He also gets disgusting at times with his sniggering and sniping at his opponents, like Romney and now Obama. Anyone with the the drive and courage to run for President should be treated with respect but he pours scorn on those who are the biggest threat to his success.<BR/><BR/>He also drives me crazy when continually saying how courageous, passionate and patriotic he is. I have known many WWII veterans who went through hell and none of them speak in this manner. Using his service as ammunition to get elected is uncalled for, we all know of his abominable treatment in Vietnam.<BR/><BR/>An aside.<BR/>There used to be a condition for having the right to vote which may return: to vote you had to own property. It was believed that those people had a real stake in the country and therefore would vote for the good of it and not just out of self-interest.<BR/><BR/>Gordo in N.ConwayAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20524196.post-30030288622733728162008-10-14T21:51:00.000-04:002008-10-14T21:51:00.000-04:00@ Shirley"Some 48 percent of all black children li...@ Shirley<BR/><BR/>"Some 48 percent of all black children live <B>without their fathers</B> in the home, nearly double the rate of any other ethnic group in the United States." (source: Washington Post)<BR/><BR/>Are those the hardworking ("day and night") fathers, you mention in your comment?<BR/><BR/>The poor, looking at the lives of the rich?<BR/><BR/>TCAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20524196.post-24245224435558423982008-10-14T21:42:00.000-04:002008-10-14T21:42:00.000-04:00Anybody who wants to know, why blacks vote for Oba...Anybody who wants to know, why blacks vote for Obama, check THIS out: <BR/><BR/>http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2008/10/obama-palin-ticket.html#readfurther <BR/><BR/>Indeed, Ms. Ali might be right in a different way than she thinks.<BR/><BR/>TCAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20524196.post-1200736131909098432008-10-14T19:15:00.000-04:002008-10-14T19:15:00.000-04:00"Anonymous said... You may not be a f-ing racis..."Anonymous said...<BR/> You may not be a f-ing racist, Tom, but you sure are a f-ing moron."<BR/><BR/>*blink*<BR/><BR/>...umm glad to see our token Liberal making a cameo appearance.<BR/><BR/>tomax7<BR/>(dang, forgot my other login name)Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12632947951782985916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20524196.post-1030858282698202992008-10-14T17:40:00.000-04:002008-10-14T17:40:00.000-04:00You think our average American, who works hard dur...You think our average American, who works hard during the day and night, has a family to support, bills to worry about but yet doesn't have the money to go to college to further themselves shouldn't vote? You once asked what a community organizer did, well they go to the average Americans door, they call them on the phone just to speak with them and let them know that despite their hardships and busy lives their voice still counts even if their opinions are in broken english. At least the community organizer doesn't turn them away because they don't have a high school diploma or a degree to back up their opinions even if its blind enthusiasm as to why they are voting for Senator Barack Obama maybe that's all the time they have in their day to know about him. By the way his father wasn't mixed, he is a true African who was trying to get educated to bring change for his people. Barack doesn't play into being Black either, when he was growing up he was confused who he was because he was half black and half white. I understand this confusion, we call it living in two worlds, don't twist my words either, I know this is one world, it's just the same as being poor looking at how the rich live.--ShirleyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20524196.post-62567561315963956862008-10-14T10:22:00.000-04:002008-10-14T10:22:00.000-04:00PBS ran its documentary on Nixon last night (10/13...PBS ran its documentary on Nixon last night (10/13)... Though not directly related to the treatment of Obama and race in this article, I could certainly understand if McCain, at a press conference after this election, told the media they'd no longer have "[him]" to kick around anymore."<BR/><BR/>The negagive coverage McCain has received is actually quantifiable (if someone had the inclination to tally the hours of "news" that is presented), and it goes without saying that, when all else fails when trying to get Obama elected, the media's going to play the race card FOR him.<BR/><BR/>Just for fun, go out and rent "Network" and see how relevant the 1975 portrayal of the media is today... CNN/MSNBC/NYT/etc. will sell whatever radical ideas are out there, as long as there's a profit in it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20524196.post-40300662502759484132008-10-14T06:19:00.000-04:002008-10-14T06:19:00.000-04:00The Obama campaign's actions so far in Illinois tr...The Obama campaign's actions so far in Illinois trying to stifle radio talk shows airing critical material, in Missouri threatening critics with legal action, and the efforts listed above through surrogates, are indications of what we can expect should he be elected.<BR/><BR/>Dissent is going to be difficult. I agree with Anonymous from Europe who warns us of what the multiculturalists have done there. Look out for the resurrection of the "Fairness" Doctrine to stifle talk radio. Get ready for attacks on the First Amendment. We'll see if the ACLU is ready to defend conservatives like me.Tom McLaughlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07691546351143209227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20524196.post-13833480762655187842008-10-13T20:11:00.000-04:002008-10-13T20:11:00.000-04:00"Full-fledged race and class war", huh?Why is it, ..."Full-fledged race and class war", huh?<BR/>Why is it, that liberals ALWAYS threaten people with different opinions. Aren't they supposed to be the intelligent ones, the sophisticated and peaceful ones?<BR/><BR/>I am so disgusted by and tired of these people, that I sometimes think, I wish Ms. Ali were right.<BR/><BR/>I have seen this kind of rethoric in Europe, before I left, seven years ago. In the meantime the EU has abolished all free speech and made it a crime to criticize islam or multiculturalism. Under penalty of substantial fines, company seizures and prison sentences.<BR/><BR/>If that's the way we want to go, we're on the right path!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20524196.post-68418312514722608202008-10-13T18:42:00.000-04:002008-10-13T18:42:00.000-04:00Is it racist to be annoyed at Obamas cohorts at AC...Is it racist to be annoyed at Obamas cohorts at ACORN, LaRaza, stealing an election? Is it racist to have 12% of the electorate to feel that by virtue of not being white, their votes should supercede the majority? Is it racist to object to paying reparations when you have never done a thing to any of these people? Apparently so.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20524196.post-42663379785331384092008-10-13T17:05:00.000-04:002008-10-13T17:05:00.000-04:00Right on, Tom. I used to think it was great that e...Right on, Tom. I used to think it was great that each citizen of this country had a vote in elections. I'm not sure I think that is a good idea any longer. I think too many people out there are too stupid to vote intelligently.They have no idea what they are voting for and only know what the liberal media tells them. <BR/><BR/>Harvey in North BaldwinAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com