Farage lets fly, and the cameras record the smirks of the targets of his words. Their shamelessness and amusement say as much as he does about our situation. They as much as admit that Farage speaks the truth, but what does truth matter when one has accumulated that sort of power? It reminds OS of Nancy Pelosi's dismissiveness toward any who dared object to the Obama spending orgy of 2009, or the health care debacle of 2010. It reminds OS of George Bush's slimy deal with Teddy Kennedy to ram through a huge immigration bill in the dead of night just before Memorial Day 2007, voters be damned, all those people who voted for him, contributed to him, worked for him, endured abuse for him--screw 'em all.
Power trumps truth. Mammon reigns.
Cranmer adds his thoughts to this speech, which may be a watershed moment.
It was encouraging to hear other delegates cheer Farage on, in contrast to the calm smirks of the New Lords Of Europe.
Showing posts with label Cranmer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cranmer. Show all posts
Friday, November 18, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Quote Of The Day: Cranmer-'God Cares For the Poor'
Perhaps the best essay His Grace has ever shared with us, well worth the time spent. Very few have his moral clarity and command of English.
His best paragraph:
His best paragraph:
God cares for the poor, the oppressed, and the underdogs in society. He pours his wrath upon those who corrupt justice or create economic machines designed to provide more wealth for the wealthy and deprive the poor. The story of Naboth’s vineyard in 1 Kings 21 establishes that authorities are not free to pursue any policy they please or to ride roughshod over the rights of the poor. These same concerns are vehemently expressed by the prophets Amos, Hosea, Isaiah and Micah, writing in the 8th century BC. God demands conscience above political conviction, and a government which places narrow economic considerations above liberty and justice is guilty of worshipping Mammon above God.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Greece (and Spain, and Portugal, and the US): The Alternate Hard-Soled Foot-Covering Apparatus Descends Rapidly Toward The Surface Of The Earth
In other words, the other shoe may be in the process of dropping.
OS thinks we may be arriving at one of those interesting points in human events, such as 1914, or 1929, or 1939, or 1945, where very little going forward resembles what once was.
Q. What were The Two Big Ideas to emerge from the smoke and rubble of Western Europe in 1945?
A. A unified Europe, guarded by NATO, and integrated by The Common Market, which became the vast machine created by the Lisbon Treaty.
B. The Welfare State. From cradle to grave, the elimination of want, disease, ignorance, unemployment, even the provision of the high arts, all on the taxpayer dime.
From these two bedrock Big Ideas would emerge a NewEurope, blissfully free of Christendom, sailing ever toward the dawn of GreaterThings. The Best And The Brightest, all the very best minds, carefully chosen and trained to lead the way, devoted their lives to the great cause, The Two Big Ideas.
It didn't work out at all. Idea A failed because there is simply too much history to overcome, and it is foolish to attempt it. The Portugese shopkeeper shares no cultural identity with the Irish truck driver, and both resent like hell being forced into the same cultural straight-jacket.
Idea B failed due to simple math. No one can tax at the levels needed to build and maintain The Welfare State, and have the underlying economy survive. Add to that a plunging birthrate and an unquenchable desire for consumption over production, and everything caves in upon itself. Even a good-ole'-boy like OS knows you can't keep that up too long. It's like downing a fifth of Jack Daniels every day for twenty years, and wondering why you become a drunk with cirrohsis who can't afford to buy his Jack anymore.
Cranmer's post today about the monstrous building going up to house the EU administrative offices is brilliant. Take a look at that ugly piece of ugliness. Why would anyone trust anything to anybody who believes that building is worth the expenditure of even one fake-currency Euro, much less hundreds of millions of them?
The Emperor be buck-nekkid, ya'll. Europe's in for a real tussle, and we're next in line in the US. 'Cuz we not only embraced the TwoBigIdeas, we by-golly championed them, and ponied most of the money to keep NATO running all along.
So, OS has decided not to rant about it much more, or spend any time being angry about it. The mathematics of default are now likely inexorable, with the only question being how ugly things get, and how graciously and skilfully the situation is handled.
He is trying to discern how best to care for his family, friends and community here during these days to come. He has some ideas about what to do in The Meantime.
Moh, latuh'. Hug yoh' loved ones, don't-chew ferget.
HT Mish
OS thinks we may be arriving at one of those interesting points in human events, such as 1914, or 1929, or 1939, or 1945, where very little going forward resembles what once was.
Q. What were The Two Big Ideas to emerge from the smoke and rubble of Western Europe in 1945?
A. A unified Europe, guarded by NATO, and integrated by The Common Market, which became the vast machine created by the Lisbon Treaty.
B. The Welfare State. From cradle to grave, the elimination of want, disease, ignorance, unemployment, even the provision of the high arts, all on the taxpayer dime.
From these two bedrock Big Ideas would emerge a NewEurope, blissfully free of Christendom, sailing ever toward the dawn of GreaterThings. The Best And The Brightest, all the very best minds, carefully chosen and trained to lead the way, devoted their lives to the great cause, The Two Big Ideas.
It didn't work out at all. Idea A failed because there is simply too much history to overcome, and it is foolish to attempt it. The Portugese shopkeeper shares no cultural identity with the Irish truck driver, and both resent like hell being forced into the same cultural straight-jacket.
Idea B failed due to simple math. No one can tax at the levels needed to build and maintain The Welfare State, and have the underlying economy survive. Add to that a plunging birthrate and an unquenchable desire for consumption over production, and everything caves in upon itself. Even a good-ole'-boy like OS knows you can't keep that up too long. It's like downing a fifth of Jack Daniels every day for twenty years, and wondering why you become a drunk with cirrohsis who can't afford to buy his Jack anymore.
Cranmer's post today about the monstrous building going up to house the EU administrative offices is brilliant. Take a look at that ugly piece of ugliness. Why would anyone trust anything to anybody who believes that building is worth the expenditure of even one fake-currency Euro, much less hundreds of millions of them?
The Emperor be buck-nekkid, ya'll. Europe's in for a real tussle, and we're next in line in the US. 'Cuz we not only embraced the TwoBigIdeas, we by-golly championed them, and ponied most of the money to keep NATO running all along.
So, OS has decided not to rant about it much more, or spend any time being angry about it. The mathematics of default are now likely inexorable, with the only question being how ugly things get, and how graciously and skilfully the situation is handled.
He is trying to discern how best to care for his family, friends and community here during these days to come. He has some ideas about what to do in The Meantime.
Moh, latuh'. Hug yoh' loved ones, don't-chew ferget.
HT Mish
Monday, April 4, 2011
To Miss With Love: Katherine Birbalsingh's Book A True 'Must-Read'
Outside of a circle of friends and colleagues in the UK, OS suspects very few people had ever heard of Ms. Birbalsingh before last October.
Boy-oh-boy, did that circumstance ever change overnight. This mid-30's black inner-city London school teacher, with her Oxford degree, her wild wild hairdo, and a devastating command of the English language addressed the Conservative Party Conference for eight minutes one fine day, and set an existential bomb off in the education establishment of the UK. Not surprisingly, when she returned to work, she was promptly canned for having the temerity to speak the obvious truth. The Left hates people who wander off the plantation, and in the tradition of all who hate freedom and truth, take pains to make a public example of anyone who dares attempt an escape.
(By the way, the school that fired her for criticizing the failures of the education system, was itself shut down, for...well...failure to perform....but never mind...we'll just not talk about that bit....)
If you haven't seen The Speech yet, here it is. Eight memorable minutes, and a career changed forever. (Booooom!)
The week following was a bloody awful mess. Archbishop Cranmer, Heaven bless him, jumped to her defense, as did a number of others, but to no avail. She was fired, pure and simple, and her former bosses, compassionate types they are, attempted to blacken her name and make her radioactive and unemployable on the way out the door.
Sweet, huh? (Don't-chew evah wander off the fahm! Look-whut we did to that Birbalsingh person, and remembuh!)
After the shock of it all, she landed on her feet. Penguin Books UK picked up on her story, and she was offered the opportunity to tell her story, via the work she had already invested in her blog. The result was To Miss, With Love.
It was published in the UK, but OS had no problem ordering his copy via Amazon in the US.
He began reading, couldn't put it down, had to put it down 'cuz it made him weep and cuss, had to pick it back up 'cuz he couldn't put it down, had to put it down 'cuz...
Miss Birbalsingh knows how to write! And, in telling her story, she fictionalizes herself and her colleagues and students into composite characters. She's Miss Snuffy, her husband is Liberal, her friends are Banker and Compassionate, colleagues Mr. Hadenough, Headmaster Mr. Goodheart, and students with names like Furious, Beautiful, Dreamer, Excluded, Cavalier. Ya'll get the drift.
The book follows an academic year at her school (Ordinary School), a year with a lot more losses than wins, including breaking up violent bloody brawls, trying to keep kids off the path to prison, and working with a handful that really are (or could be) Oxbridge material. It's madness she's describing, a Kafka-esque world where all common sense and logic has been tossed aside, but the stakes could not be higher for the children she teaches.
If you have kids, or even if you don't, this book must be read. For US readers, there will be some unfamiliar elements, such as the different exam and university admissions system, but nothing insurmountable in that. It's the stories of the lives of the kids and the faculty that will nail you to your seat, until you have to take a break and recover a bit.
Miss Birbalsingh has been teaching for about twelve years now, in these conditions, which she admits are better than those endured by many of her colleagues. The Almighty did her a favor last October, although it didn't feel like it at the time. No one can keep up that life and not completely burn out, physically and mentally. It is good to see that she is out of there, and working to set up her own Free School (our equivalent of a charter school, more or less), with a board of like-minded parents. It was time to leave, and all in all, perhaps better to leave the way she did, although it certainly must have been devastating at the time. To be forcibly separated from the students she loved, without even the chance to say 'farewell' is wrenching. OS has seen it happen before, and it leaves a real scar on a teacher's soul.
So, ya'll. Buy the book, and read. The parallels between the two school systems are chilling. It's all happening here as well. Tell your friends. If you live in the US, thank Heaven every day that most states are friendly to private schools and home schools.
And make sure your state representative knows how you feel.
Here's hoping this book sells by the trainload, and that Miss Birbalsingh will make time to keep writing.
Boy-oh-boy, did that circumstance ever change overnight. This mid-30's black inner-city London school teacher, with her Oxford degree, her wild wild hairdo, and a devastating command of the English language addressed the Conservative Party Conference for eight minutes one fine day, and set an existential bomb off in the education establishment of the UK. Not surprisingly, when she returned to work, she was promptly canned for having the temerity to speak the obvious truth. The Left hates people who wander off the plantation, and in the tradition of all who hate freedom and truth, take pains to make a public example of anyone who dares attempt an escape.
(By the way, the school that fired her for criticizing the failures of the education system, was itself shut down, for...well...failure to perform....but never mind...we'll just not talk about that bit....)
If you haven't seen The Speech yet, here it is. Eight memorable minutes, and a career changed forever. (Booooom!)
The week following was a bloody awful mess. Archbishop Cranmer, Heaven bless him, jumped to her defense, as did a number of others, but to no avail. She was fired, pure and simple, and her former bosses, compassionate types they are, attempted to blacken her name and make her radioactive and unemployable on the way out the door.
Sweet, huh? (Don't-chew evah wander off the fahm! Look-whut we did to that Birbalsingh person, and remembuh!)
After the shock of it all, she landed on her feet. Penguin Books UK picked up on her story, and she was offered the opportunity to tell her story, via the work she had already invested in her blog. The result was To Miss, With Love.
It was published in the UK, but OS had no problem ordering his copy via Amazon in the US.
He began reading, couldn't put it down, had to put it down 'cuz it made him weep and cuss, had to pick it back up 'cuz he couldn't put it down, had to put it down 'cuz...
Miss Birbalsingh knows how to write! And, in telling her story, she fictionalizes herself and her colleagues and students into composite characters. She's Miss Snuffy, her husband is Liberal, her friends are Banker and Compassionate, colleagues Mr. Hadenough, Headmaster Mr. Goodheart, and students with names like Furious, Beautiful, Dreamer, Excluded, Cavalier. Ya'll get the drift.
The book follows an academic year at her school (Ordinary School), a year with a lot more losses than wins, including breaking up violent bloody brawls, trying to keep kids off the path to prison, and working with a handful that really are (or could be) Oxbridge material. It's madness she's describing, a Kafka-esque world where all common sense and logic has been tossed aside, but the stakes could not be higher for the children she teaches.
If you have kids, or even if you don't, this book must be read. For US readers, there will be some unfamiliar elements, such as the different exam and university admissions system, but nothing insurmountable in that. It's the stories of the lives of the kids and the faculty that will nail you to your seat, until you have to take a break and recover a bit.
Miss Birbalsingh has been teaching for about twelve years now, in these conditions, which she admits are better than those endured by many of her colleagues. The Almighty did her a favor last October, although it didn't feel like it at the time. No one can keep up that life and not completely burn out, physically and mentally. It is good to see that she is out of there, and working to set up her own Free School (our equivalent of a charter school, more or less), with a board of like-minded parents. It was time to leave, and all in all, perhaps better to leave the way she did, although it certainly must have been devastating at the time. To be forcibly separated from the students she loved, without even the chance to say 'farewell' is wrenching. OS has seen it happen before, and it leaves a real scar on a teacher's soul.
So, ya'll. Buy the book, and read. The parallels between the two school systems are chilling. It's all happening here as well. Tell your friends. If you live in the US, thank Heaven every day that most states are friendly to private schools and home schools.
And make sure your state representative knows how you feel.
Here's hoping this book sells by the trainload, and that Miss Birbalsingh will make time to keep writing.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
The Cold Comfort Of Being Correct: The School That Fired Katherine Birbalsingh Is Forced To Shut Its Doors And 'Recycle'
Cranmer shares the news.
And, further detail from the local paper.
CHILDREN at a struggling academy are to be sent to new schools so it can be demolished and redeveloped.
Around 150 Year 7 and 8 pupils at St Michael and All Angels CofE Academy in Wyndham Road, Camberwell, are to be sent to other schools in Southwark from September, it has emerged.
The school is to stop taking new pupils until 2013 as it goes through a major restructure.
The faith academy has struggled since it opened in 2007 and was judged to be inadequate by Ofsted inspectors in April last year.
The report said it needed to urgently address poor behaviour of pupils.
Which is precisely what Ms. Birbalsingh shared with the Conservative Party Conference last October 5. OS can't urge his readers strongly enough to take eight minutes and view this address, and then pass it along to friends.
For which candor, she was...well...sacked. For saying the unmentionable truth: 'The system is broken, because it keeps poor children poor.'
She just wasn't fired, she was publicly tarred and feathered by the board of the school and its headmaster. They attempted to make her 'radioactive', and poison her future career as a teacher.
Now, we learn, following that good day's work, they have been forced to admit, that, yes, the school is a shambles, and it has to be shut down. Then demolished. Then reopened under new management.
Hmmm....
Now, shouldn't the penalty fall upon the school head and board that drew the knife on the teacher that told the truth and appealed for sanity? Miss B wasn't even particularly singling out the school she taught in to be vilified, but offered it as an example of a much greater systemic failure.
But, being a realist, OS knows that there will be zero disruption experienced in the career of ‘Dr’ Irene Bishop, the 'Executive Head', and no fallout for the Bishop of Southwark (who could have come to Miss B's defense), or anyone else involved in her mistreatment.
Except Miss Birbalsingh. And the students. And their families. And the neighborhood.
That's ok, though. They're just the people who do the work and do the work and do the work, and pay and pay and pay the taxes, and try to survive the school, and try to better their kids lives. What matter they? They'jest the LittlePeople.
OS is soooooo grateful to live in Tennessee. The rest of the world thinks we don't wear shoes here, that we're rednecks and hillbillies chawin' 'baccy and playing banjos on the tailgates of our pick-em-up trucks. And we do have our share of failings, no doubt about it.
We, however, elected successive state legislatures that deliberately leave home-schoolers alone. That allows charter schools, and doesn't legislate private school start-ups out of existence.
We have a by-God choice! We can, and do, vote with our feet, to the eternal anger of the teachers unions and the bureaucrats in the Department of Edumahcation.
Go, Miss B!
By the way, ya'll: Her book, To Miss With Love, publishes in March.
Not at Amazon yet--OS just checked.
But wouldn't it be a joyful thing to see it arrive to opening day with about 25K in pre-orders?
Revenge, sweet sweet revenge, served cold.
At a distance.
And, further detail from the local paper.
CHILDREN at a struggling academy are to be sent to new schools so it can be demolished and redeveloped.
Around 150 Year 7 and 8 pupils at St Michael and All Angels CofE Academy in Wyndham Road, Camberwell, are to be sent to other schools in Southwark from September, it has emerged.
The school is to stop taking new pupils until 2013 as it goes through a major restructure.
The faith academy has struggled since it opened in 2007 and was judged to be inadequate by Ofsted inspectors in April last year.
The report said it needed to urgently address poor behaviour of pupils.
Which is precisely what Ms. Birbalsingh shared with the Conservative Party Conference last October 5. OS can't urge his readers strongly enough to take eight minutes and view this address, and then pass it along to friends.
For which candor, she was...well...sacked. For saying the unmentionable truth: 'The system is broken, because it keeps poor children poor.'
She just wasn't fired, she was publicly tarred and feathered by the board of the school and its headmaster. They attempted to make her 'radioactive', and poison her future career as a teacher.
Now, we learn, following that good day's work, they have been forced to admit, that, yes, the school is a shambles, and it has to be shut down. Then demolished. Then reopened under new management.
Hmmm....
Now, shouldn't the penalty fall upon the school head and board that drew the knife on the teacher that told the truth and appealed for sanity? Miss B wasn't even particularly singling out the school she taught in to be vilified, but offered it as an example of a much greater systemic failure.
But, being a realist, OS knows that there will be zero disruption experienced in the career of ‘Dr’ Irene Bishop, the 'Executive Head', and no fallout for the Bishop of Southwark (who could have come to Miss B's defense), or anyone else involved in her mistreatment.
Except Miss Birbalsingh. And the students. And their families. And the neighborhood.
That's ok, though. They're just the people who do the work and do the work and do the work, and pay and pay and pay the taxes, and try to survive the school, and try to better their kids lives. What matter they? They'jest the LittlePeople.
OS is soooooo grateful to live in Tennessee. The rest of the world thinks we don't wear shoes here, that we're rednecks and hillbillies chawin' 'baccy and playing banjos on the tailgates of our pick-em-up trucks. And we do have our share of failings, no doubt about it.
We, however, elected successive state legislatures that deliberately leave home-schoolers alone. That allows charter schools, and doesn't legislate private school start-ups out of existence.
We have a by-God choice! We can, and do, vote with our feet, to the eternal anger of the teachers unions and the bureaucrats in the Department of Edumahcation.
Go, Miss B!
By the way, ya'll: Her book, To Miss With Love, publishes in March.
Not at Amazon yet--OS just checked.
But wouldn't it be a joyful thing to see it arrive to opening day with about 25K in pre-orders?
Revenge, sweet sweet revenge, served cold.
At a distance.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Katherine Birbalsingh Sent Packing
To quote that great Southern philosopher, Gomer Pyle: Well, surprahze, surprahze!!
Cranmer is on the warpath. His reader are drawing knives on one another.
It's the blogosphere, ya'll. Ever'body calm down a tech.
OldSouth admires Miss Birbalsingh no end. What a brave lady, to graduate Oxford, lovely and attractive, with the world at her feet, and to choose to teach kids in forgotten neighborhoods of the UK. She could have taken up a very comfortable post at a private boarding school anywhere in the Commonwealth--Bermuda's nice, British Columbia's lovely, or any number of comfortable spots in England. She made a brave decision, and stuck to it, for well over a decade!
She made another in choosing to speak to the Conservative Party Congress. OS is not surprised to find that this forced resignation transpired. People who tell the truth to people allergic to truth find themselves in the crosshairs of the allergic peoples' anger. Don't ask how OS knows this, just trust he does.
We haven't heard the last of her, and the real debate, on both sides of the pond, is just about to get underway.
The painful part for this lovely lady is to be wrenched involuntarily from children to whom she has inevitably become attached. It's one thing to leave at year's end, with a plan in place, and to be able to say 'goodbye and Godspeed'. This is something else entirely, and it can truly, truly hurt. OS hopes the parents get in touch, and slather some love on her in the next few days. That helps ease the sorrow.
That being said, time to go forward.
OS lives in a county where 50% of the ninth graders never make it to the graduation line at the end of the twelfth grade, and of those who do, only about 10% ever graduate from university with a bachelor's degree, and about 10% of them pursue grad school. The schools here, well, suck. But we're assured they are wonderful, because at least it's not Chicago, where over 200 school-aged kids were shot last year, according to a recent article in Time Magazine. OS is happy his kids have graduated, and are long gone from this place, much as he loves living here. He doesn't want to see his grandchildren attending these schools.
It's time to really, really have that public discussion about how badly we educate our children, and what must be done to set things right. The guv'mint, at all levels, is out of money, so the typical union rant of 'Send us enough money, you ingrates, and we'll do a better job' is no longer an option.
They've been in the business of doing less with more for years, ya'll. That approach has proven to be a failure.
We now have to decide how to do a credible job with less, much less, and do it all much more credibly. Korea, India and Singapore are about to eat our collective lunch.
Miss Birbalsingh, OS thanks you from the bottom of his grumpy heart. You have done the world a great service, and he predicts you have great days ahead of you. Someday, before too long, he'd like to fly you over to our part of the world and let you talk to us. He knows a few folks who might be very interested in listening.
If you read this, young lady, and would like to get in touch, Cranmer has my contact information.
God bless you, comfort you, and strengthen you as you undertake 'all such good works He has prepared for you to walk in.'
This ain't the end, young lady. It's jest the beginning!
As Gomer would exclaim: ShaZAYuhm!!!
Cranmer is on the warpath. His reader are drawing knives on one another.
It's the blogosphere, ya'll. Ever'body calm down a tech.
OldSouth admires Miss Birbalsingh no end. What a brave lady, to graduate Oxford, lovely and attractive, with the world at her feet, and to choose to teach kids in forgotten neighborhoods of the UK. She could have taken up a very comfortable post at a private boarding school anywhere in the Commonwealth--Bermuda's nice, British Columbia's lovely, or any number of comfortable spots in England. She made a brave decision, and stuck to it, for well over a decade!
She made another in choosing to speak to the Conservative Party Congress. OS is not surprised to find that this forced resignation transpired. People who tell the truth to people allergic to truth find themselves in the crosshairs of the allergic peoples' anger. Don't ask how OS knows this, just trust he does.
We haven't heard the last of her, and the real debate, on both sides of the pond, is just about to get underway.
The painful part for this lovely lady is to be wrenched involuntarily from children to whom she has inevitably become attached. It's one thing to leave at year's end, with a plan in place, and to be able to say 'goodbye and Godspeed'. This is something else entirely, and it can truly, truly hurt. OS hopes the parents get in touch, and slather some love on her in the next few days. That helps ease the sorrow.
That being said, time to go forward.
OS lives in a county where 50% of the ninth graders never make it to the graduation line at the end of the twelfth grade, and of those who do, only about 10% ever graduate from university with a bachelor's degree, and about 10% of them pursue grad school. The schools here, well, suck. But we're assured they are wonderful, because at least it's not Chicago, where over 200 school-aged kids were shot last year, according to a recent article in Time Magazine. OS is happy his kids have graduated, and are long gone from this place, much as he loves living here. He doesn't want to see his grandchildren attending these schools.
It's time to really, really have that public discussion about how badly we educate our children, and what must be done to set things right. The guv'mint, at all levels, is out of money, so the typical union rant of 'Send us enough money, you ingrates, and we'll do a better job' is no longer an option.
They've been in the business of doing less with more for years, ya'll. That approach has proven to be a failure.
We now have to decide how to do a credible job with less, much less, and do it all much more credibly. Korea, India and Singapore are about to eat our collective lunch.
Miss Birbalsingh, OS thanks you from the bottom of his grumpy heart. You have done the world a great service, and he predicts you have great days ahead of you. Someday, before too long, he'd like to fly you over to our part of the world and let you talk to us. He knows a few folks who might be very interested in listening.
If you read this, young lady, and would like to get in touch, Cranmer has my contact information.
God bless you, comfort you, and strengthen you as you undertake 'all such good works He has prepared for you to walk in.'
This ain't the end, young lady. It's jest the beginning!
As Gomer would exclaim: ShaZAYuhm!!!
Monday, October 11, 2010
Archbishop Cranmer On The Warpath
His Grace took a summer hiatus, and has obviously come back refreshed and ready to wield the verbal sword.
His target is the leadership (specifically Irene Bishop) of St. Michael and All Angel's Academy in Camberwell(UK), and he mounts his steed in defense of faculty member Katherine Birbalsingh, who had the temerity to address the Conservative Party last week and tell the truth.
Her address is here, in case you haven't enjoyed it yet.
OS will have some thoughts later about her address, which merits a close review. The issue at hand is freedom of speech, and academic freedom.
You know, things Academia has always stood tall for, until the past forty years or so.
Got git 'em, yer Grace!
Whoo-whee, OS is sooooo glad he's not in Cranmer's sights, the object of his wrathful attentions.
His target is the leadership (specifically Irene Bishop) of St. Michael and All Angel's Academy in Camberwell(UK), and he mounts his steed in defense of faculty member Katherine Birbalsingh, who had the temerity to address the Conservative Party last week and tell the truth.
Her address is here, in case you haven't enjoyed it yet.
OS will have some thoughts later about her address, which merits a close review. The issue at hand is freedom of speech, and academic freedom.
You know, things Academia has always stood tall for, until the past forty years or so.
Got git 'em, yer Grace!
Whoo-whee, OS is sooooo glad he's not in Cranmer's sights, the object of his wrathful attentions.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Katherine Birbalsingh Throws Down The Gauntlet, And The Parents Rally Behind Her
It takes some chutzpah for a teacher to stand in front of the world and deliver this kind of speech. Eight minutes of inspirational truth-telling, for which her school administrators attempted to run her out of her job on a rail. They were gathering the feathers, and heating the tar to apply to her insolent uppity backside, when the parents of her students rallied 'round.
Katherine is The Left's nightmare, on both sides of the pond.
She is, well, a she. And, she's strikingly pretty to boot.
She is Oxford-educated, articulate, accomplished, experienced.
She is a person of color.
She has a sense of humor, and knows how to use it.
She abandoned the Marxism of her university days as her experience as a teacher, and her conscience, demonstrated the abject failure of ThePeopleInChargeOfSuchThings and their leftist agenda. She saw children's lives damaged by this ideology, and she decided to speak up.
Within the first thirty seconds, she gets to the point: '...the system is broken, because it keeps poor children poor'. It only gets better from there!
A big-ole heapin' helpin' of Green Shoots Award to this brave woman.
And kudos to Cranmer, for raising unshirted hell about her mistreatment.
Katherine is The Left's nightmare, on both sides of the pond.
She is, well, a she. And, she's strikingly pretty to boot.
She is Oxford-educated, articulate, accomplished, experienced.
She is a person of color.
She has a sense of humor, and knows how to use it.
She abandoned the Marxism of her university days as her experience as a teacher, and her conscience, demonstrated the abject failure of ThePeopleInChargeOfSuchThings and their leftist agenda. She saw children's lives damaged by this ideology, and she decided to speak up.
Within the first thirty seconds, she gets to the point: '...the system is broken, because it keeps poor children poor'. It only gets better from there!
A big-ole heapin' helpin' of Green Shoots Award to this brave woman.
And kudos to Cranmer, for raising unshirted hell about her mistreatment.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Good NewsFor Monday
Archbishop Cranmer, one of the most thoughtful scribblers of this age, has returned to his life as a writer.
It was a long absence, and his return is a welcome event.
It was a long absence, and his return is a welcome event.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Paging Mr. Cranmer
The wonderfully droll Anglican blogger Cranmer has gone missing on us for four weeks. His latest post was pretty disturbing.
OldSouth privately promised himself to wait a month before mentioning it. The month has passed, and it's time to inquire.
OS has some suspicions about why this may have occurred, which can never be shared. Mr. Cranmer has his best wishes and highest regard.
Mr. Cranmer also knows how to contact OS, and is encouraged to do so.
OldSouth privately promised himself to wait a month before mentioning it. The month has passed, and it's time to inquire.
OS has some suspicions about why this may have occurred, which can never be shared. Mr. Cranmer has his best wishes and highest regard.
Mr. Cranmer also knows how to contact OS, and is encouraged to do so.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
A Few Nice Words About Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear Host And Curmudgeon
Not surprisingly, Cranmer didn't endorse his views, but that wasn't the point of the exercise.
Clarkson is grumpy, opinionated, often irritating, and OS has a sort of continuing 'beef' with him about his disdain of things American. When he visited with his Top Gear crew a few years back, driving from Miami to New Orleans, he really made a total ass of himself, and the producers pulled stunts that put the trio into harm's way more than once. It was not a shining moment, we'll say, and leave it at that.
But, he is honest, candid in his opinions, memorable, a wonderful entertainer as host of Top Gear, and Monday nights are made so enjoyable by watching him, Richard the Honorary American, and Captain Slow on their travels across the globe. The 'Celebrities Behind The Wheel of A Sensible Car' feature never fails to amuse, and every appearance of The Stig is the greatest fun.
In short, Clarkson has something so many people have lost: a lively sense of humor.(Or, is that spelled 'humour'?)
And, the man can bleeping express himself clearly in English, a skill the humorless girly-men of Fleet Street and Oxbridge long ago lost. Those people use words to obscure. Clarkson, whether you approve of him or not, at least attempts to illuminate and make the reader chuckle at the same time.
Go get 'em, Mr. Clarkson! Burn some more fuel for us all, the polar bears will be just fine. And, come pay a visit with an open mind. We're not all that bad!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Thomas Cranmer, Martyred Today in 1556
So why, one should ask, would anyone note this date? One more religious figure from long ago, killed in a long-forgotten dispute.
These things happen. Move on.
OS hopes you pause a moment, and give a few minutes to the old Archbishop. He still has something to teach us, a huge gift to give us, if we will let him.
Cranmer's life really mattered.
It isn't how or when Thomas Cranmer died, or even the particulars of the political intrigues that finally led him to the stake.
It's what he did with the time he was given, and what he left behind for all of us. The PowersThatBe of his day indeed did kill him, but they were unable to kill his words. He, more than any other individual, was responsible for the Book of Common Prayer. His words helped shape a common theology that held England and the English-speaking world together when all else was flying apart, both in his time, and the centuries that followed. His words, indeed, shaped much of the English language as we know it, much as Martin Luther's translation of the Bible into German helped form and unify that language.
Whether you know it or not, Cranmer's words resonate inside your head:
DEERELY beloved frendes, we are gathered together here in the syght of God, and in the face of his congregacion, to joyne together this man and this woman in holy matrimonie, which is an honorable estate instituted of God in paradise, in the time of mannes innocencie, signifying unto us the misticall union that is betwixte Christe and his Churche:
Lyghten our darkenes we beseche thee, O lord, & by thy great mercy defende us from all perilles and daungers of thys nyght, for the love of thy onely sonne, our saviour Jesu Christ. Amen.
Of course, we now read them and hear them in less of a 16th-century usage and spelling. But they are his words nonetheless. Cranmer knew that words have great power, for good or ill, and wished them only to to convey truth. His only regret, as he died, was that at points earlier in his life, he had failed in the right use of words, and prayed for forgiveness.
His murderers, although then in power, are now reviled. Cranmer's words are woven into the fabric of the world's most successful and ubiquitous language.
In these days, when darkness seems to descend, it is good to remember this.
'Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee, oh Lord...'
Here's a short video assembled in honor of Cranmer's words:
And, a big HT to today's Cranmer, the great English wordsmith and blogger.
These things happen. Move on.
OS hopes you pause a moment, and give a few minutes to the old Archbishop. He still has something to teach us, a huge gift to give us, if we will let him.
Cranmer's life really mattered.
It isn't how or when Thomas Cranmer died, or even the particulars of the political intrigues that finally led him to the stake.
It's what he did with the time he was given, and what he left behind for all of us. The PowersThatBe of his day indeed did kill him, but they were unable to kill his words. He, more than any other individual, was responsible for the Book of Common Prayer. His words helped shape a common theology that held England and the English-speaking world together when all else was flying apart, both in his time, and the centuries that followed. His words, indeed, shaped much of the English language as we know it, much as Martin Luther's translation of the Bible into German helped form and unify that language.
Whether you know it or not, Cranmer's words resonate inside your head:
DEERELY beloved frendes, we are gathered together here in the syght of God, and in the face of his congregacion, to joyne together this man and this woman in holy matrimonie, which is an honorable estate instituted of God in paradise, in the time of mannes innocencie, signifying unto us the misticall union that is betwixte Christe and his Churche:
Lyghten our darkenes we beseche thee, O lord, & by thy great mercy defende us from all perilles and daungers of thys nyght, for the love of thy onely sonne, our saviour Jesu Christ. Amen.
Of course, we now read them and hear them in less of a 16th-century usage and spelling. But they are his words nonetheless. Cranmer knew that words have great power, for good or ill, and wished them only to to convey truth. His only regret, as he died, was that at points earlier in his life, he had failed in the right use of words, and prayed for forgiveness.
His murderers, although then in power, are now reviled. Cranmer's words are woven into the fabric of the world's most successful and ubiquitous language.
In these days, when darkness seems to descend, it is good to remember this.
'Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee, oh Lord...'
Here's a short video assembled in honor of Cranmer's words:
And, a big HT to today's Cranmer, the great English wordsmith and blogger.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Margaret Thatcher On Church And State
Twenty-two years ago, Margaret Thatcher delivered perhaps the best address on church and state of her generation.
Cranmer was kind enough to remind us of it last month.
Some things never go out of style. So, this weekend, perhaps give this a few minutes of your time.
A nugget from near the end...
But there is little hope for democracy if the hearts of men and women in democratic societies cannot be touched by a call to something greater than themselves. Political structures, state institutions, collective ideals—these are not enough.
We Parliamentarians can legislate for the rule of law. You, the Church, can teach the life of faith.
Cranmer was kind enough to remind us of it last month.
Some things never go out of style. So, this weekend, perhaps give this a few minutes of your time.
A nugget from near the end...
But there is little hope for democracy if the hearts of men and women in democratic societies cannot be touched by a call to something greater than themselves. Political structures, state institutions, collective ideals—these are not enough.
We Parliamentarians can legislate for the rule of law. You, the Church, can teach the life of faith.
Friday, January 22, 2010
If Something Is True, How Can It Be Illegal? The Trial of Geert Wilders
Geert Wilders name and controversial case are much better known in Europe than the US. A simple search of his name will yield much of his biography.
Here is the short version: He is a Dutch member of parliament, a libertarian, who has vociferously spoken out against radical Islam. For his pains, he is now on trial, looking at a 15-month prison term.
The charge?
'Icitement to hate and discrimination'.
Sort of sends a chill down the spine doesn't it? Rather like Stalin's Russia of the 1930's, or Hitler's Germany of the 1940's, or Mao's China of the 1960's, or... or... or...
The American Left looks ever back toward Europe for its inspiration. If Wilders is successfully silenced, it will give enormous encouragement to Hopey-Changey and his Justice Department, as they attempt to mute any and all who may dare oppose them. An 'incitement to hate and discrimination' indictment will do just fine, thank you.
I sense his words will matter much to us going forward, and it may be wise to print them out, and store them away for your children, against that day when it may be dangerous to otherwise transmit or speak them.
Mr. President, members of the court, I would like to only use a few minutes of my right to speak.
And I would like to begin by saying that of all our attainments, freedom is the most precious and most vulnerable. It is what people have dedicated their lives to and what people have given their lives for. Our freedom in this country is the fruit of centuries. It is the result of a history that has no equal and has brought us to where we are today.
I believe with all my heart and soul that the freedom is threatened in the Netherlands. That heritage, which generations could only dream of, is precisely this freedom which is no longer a given fact, no longer a matter self-evidence.
I dedicate my life to defending our freedom. I know what the risks are and I every day again, pay the price for that. I do not complain about it; it is my own decision. I see it as my duty and therefore I am standing here today.
I know that the words I use are sometimes tough, but they are never reckless. It is not my intention to spare the ideology of conquest and destruction, but neither do I intend to offend people.
I have nothing against Muslims. I have a problem with the Islam and the Islamization of our country because Islam is at right angles to freedom.
Future generations will wonder how we, in 2010, at this location, in this room, served our most precious asset. Whether the freedom is for both sides in this debate and thus also for Islam-critics. Or whether in the Netherlands only one side of the debate may be heard. Whether freedom of speech in the Netherlands applies to everyone, or only to some.
The answer to that is immediately also the answer to the question whether freedom still has a home in this country.
Freedom has but never been owned by a small group, but has always been the heritage of us all. We have all been blessed by it.
Lady Justice wears a blindfold, but she can hear perfectly well, she can listen perfectly well. And I hope she, Lady Justice, will hear the following phrases sound, loud and clear:
"It is not only the right, but also the duty of free people to speak out against any ideology that threatens freedom."
Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, was right:
"The price for freedom is eternal vigilance."
I hope with all I have in me that freedom of expression in this trial will prevail. Not only that I will be acquitted, but that the freedom of speech will continue to exist.
Finally, Mr. Chairman, members of the court. In this trial it of course is about the freedom of expression. But in this trial it is certainly also about finding the truth. The statements I have made, the comparisons I have drawn — are they true? As mentioned in the summons? Because if something is true, how can it be illegal?
Therefore I ask you strongly not only to grant my request for the hearing of witnesses and experts in the field of freedom of speech. But I also ask you explicitly to honor my requests for the hearing of witnesses and experts on the field of Islam, all in full publicity. I hereby am not only referring to the gentleman Jansen and Admiraal but also on the expert witnesses from Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries. Preferably, all.
I must have the ability to defend myself. I must prove you that I have spoken the truth, please do not obstruct me from that. Because without these witnesses, I cannot defend myself well and in my view it will be out of the question that this is a fair trial.
Thank you.
And thanks to Cranmer for making them available to us all. He's one of the best out there these days.
If you feel so inspired, copy/paste and pass these words to your friends.
Here is the short version: He is a Dutch member of parliament, a libertarian, who has vociferously spoken out against radical Islam. For his pains, he is now on trial, looking at a 15-month prison term.
The charge?
'Icitement to hate and discrimination'.
Sort of sends a chill down the spine doesn't it? Rather like Stalin's Russia of the 1930's, or Hitler's Germany of the 1940's, or Mao's China of the 1960's, or... or... or...
The American Left looks ever back toward Europe for its inspiration. If Wilders is successfully silenced, it will give enormous encouragement to Hopey-Changey and his Justice Department, as they attempt to mute any and all who may dare oppose them. An 'incitement to hate and discrimination' indictment will do just fine, thank you.
I sense his words will matter much to us going forward, and it may be wise to print them out, and store them away for your children, against that day when it may be dangerous to otherwise transmit or speak them.
Mr. President, members of the court, I would like to only use a few minutes of my right to speak.
And I would like to begin by saying that of all our attainments, freedom is the most precious and most vulnerable. It is what people have dedicated their lives to and what people have given their lives for. Our freedom in this country is the fruit of centuries. It is the result of a history that has no equal and has brought us to where we are today.
I believe with all my heart and soul that the freedom is threatened in the Netherlands. That heritage, which generations could only dream of, is precisely this freedom which is no longer a given fact, no longer a matter self-evidence.
I dedicate my life to defending our freedom. I know what the risks are and I every day again, pay the price for that. I do not complain about it; it is my own decision. I see it as my duty and therefore I am standing here today.
I know that the words I use are sometimes tough, but they are never reckless. It is not my intention to spare the ideology of conquest and destruction, but neither do I intend to offend people.
I have nothing against Muslims. I have a problem with the Islam and the Islamization of our country because Islam is at right angles to freedom.
Future generations will wonder how we, in 2010, at this location, in this room, served our most precious asset. Whether the freedom is for both sides in this debate and thus also for Islam-critics. Or whether in the Netherlands only one side of the debate may be heard. Whether freedom of speech in the Netherlands applies to everyone, or only to some.
The answer to that is immediately also the answer to the question whether freedom still has a home in this country.
Freedom has but never been owned by a small group, but has always been the heritage of us all. We have all been blessed by it.
Lady Justice wears a blindfold, but she can hear perfectly well, she can listen perfectly well. And I hope she, Lady Justice, will hear the following phrases sound, loud and clear:
"It is not only the right, but also the duty of free people to speak out against any ideology that threatens freedom."
Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, was right:
"The price for freedom is eternal vigilance."
I hope with all I have in me that freedom of expression in this trial will prevail. Not only that I will be acquitted, but that the freedom of speech will continue to exist.
Finally, Mr. Chairman, members of the court. In this trial it of course is about the freedom of expression. But in this trial it is certainly also about finding the truth. The statements I have made, the comparisons I have drawn — are they true? As mentioned in the summons? Because if something is true, how can it be illegal?
Therefore I ask you strongly not only to grant my request for the hearing of witnesses and experts in the field of freedom of speech. But I also ask you explicitly to honor my requests for the hearing of witnesses and experts on the field of Islam, all in full publicity. I hereby am not only referring to the gentleman Jansen and Admiraal but also on the expert witnesses from Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries. Preferably, all.
I must have the ability to defend myself. I must prove you that I have spoken the truth, please do not obstruct me from that. Because without these witnesses, I cannot defend myself well and in my view it will be out of the question that this is a fair trial.
Thank you.
And thanks to Cranmer for making them available to us all. He's one of the best out there these days.
If you feel so inspired, copy/paste and pass these words to your friends.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Somebody, Find Cranmer
Cranmer is a popular UK blogger, commenting on both theology and politics, always employing an erudite wit.
Two days ago, his post was distressed, out of character, and deeply disturbing.
He hasn't surfaced since.
The outpouring of responses has been moving to read, but the question remains: Where is he, and is he safe?
Someone in the UK undoubtedly knows who this man is. It's time for his friends to check in on him, because there is a really clear undertone in his last post that he may attempt to hurt himself.
In the meantime, let our prayers go up for him. There is a 'fellowship of the saints', and it's time for them to circle the wagons around him.
Two days ago, his post was distressed, out of character, and deeply disturbing.
He hasn't surfaced since.
The outpouring of responses has been moving to read, but the question remains: Where is he, and is he safe?
Someone in the UK undoubtedly knows who this man is. It's time for his friends to check in on him, because there is a really clear undertone in his last post that he may attempt to hurt himself.
In the meantime, let our prayers go up for him. There is a 'fellowship of the saints', and it's time for them to circle the wagons around him.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Green Shoots Awards, First Nominees
It's so easy to whine--OldSouth has certainly done his share!
It's more productive to look this decayed culture in the eye and say, 'One way or another, by God, I intend to push back!'
So, OldSouth has decided to announce his annual Green Shoots awards, honoring those who push back by being themselves.
Today's two candidates:
Cranmer is always worth reading, and the article linked here is an especially insightful about the value of education, and how it might best be made available to more.
Imprimis is a semi-monthly publication mailed to more than 1,700,000 readers by free subscription.
It publishes from Hillsdale College, a small liberal arts college in southern Michigan that in itself wins OldSouth's 'GreenShoots' award.
Its graduating class of 2008 (258 students) reports a 96% placement rate in either employment or grad school.
That's 2008.
In Michigan.
And the next obvious question is:
Why hasn't a task force of educationists undertaken a pilgrimage to Hillsdale in hopes of learning how to emulate that sort of success? Fly to Cleveland, rent a car, and follow the faculty around for a month. How hard can it be?
As you read Imprimis, the reason becomes clear:
Hillsdale will not subscribe to any portion of liberal-think, and they don't care who objects.
OldSouth looks forward to every edition that arrives in his mailbox, the old-fashioned way, so he can read it, handle it, re-read it, and keep it on his coffee table.
You can subscribe by calling 800-437-2268.
*****
The floor is open for nominations. OldSouth will name a winner at year's end, and think of some creative way to honor the top three contenders.
Push back.
It's more productive to look this decayed culture in the eye and say, 'One way or another, by God, I intend to push back!'
So, OldSouth has decided to announce his annual Green Shoots awards, honoring those who push back by being themselves.
Today's two candidates:
Cranmer is always worth reading, and the article linked here is an especially insightful about the value of education, and how it might best be made available to more.
Imprimis is a semi-monthly publication mailed to more than 1,700,000 readers by free subscription.
It publishes from Hillsdale College, a small liberal arts college in southern Michigan that in itself wins OldSouth's 'GreenShoots' award.
Its graduating class of 2008 (258 students) reports a 96% placement rate in either employment or grad school.
That's 2008.
In Michigan.
And the next obvious question is:
Why hasn't a task force of educationists undertaken a pilgrimage to Hillsdale in hopes of learning how to emulate that sort of success? Fly to Cleveland, rent a car, and follow the faculty around for a month. How hard can it be?
As you read Imprimis, the reason becomes clear:
Hillsdale will not subscribe to any portion of liberal-think, and they don't care who objects.
OldSouth looks forward to every edition that arrives in his mailbox, the old-fashioned way, so he can read it, handle it, re-read it, and keep it on his coffee table.
You can subscribe by calling 800-437-2268.
*****
The floor is open for nominations. OldSouth will name a winner at year's end, and think of some creative way to honor the top three contenders.
Push back.
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