Indoctrinate U alive and well in high schools too!

A high school student was allegedly lectured and scolded in front of his peers for reading Fox News.

In my experience, I found this to be the case more so in university of blatent disapprovals (e.g. Fraser Institute not acceptable academic source, but Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives is okay!)

However, when I was in high school, I found that I didn't know about the biases of different news sources/organizations. Thus, when I was provided documents from Maude Barlowe and the Council for Canadians (fairly neutral sounding organization) from my teacher in class, I was not asked to be critical of what he was presented...just on whatever/whoever else was out there that was putting forth their "agenda".

Therefore, just appearing to be presented neutral information is still a form of indoctrination by teachers, especially when a student's critical thinking skills may not be as developed in high school as they would be in university.

A young man who identified himself only as Mitchell, an 18-year-old senior at Traverse City West Senior High School, called in to Rush Limbaugh's radio show Thursday and said he was yelled at in front of his classmates for reading the "wrong" news.

The teacher of his video production class saw what he was looking at and "proceeded to give me a 10-minute lecture on why I can't read FOX News ... and that I can only listen to BBC and other news venues," the student said.

James Feil, superintendent of Traverse City Area Public Schools, told FOXNews.com that any attempts to pressure students politically would go against his schools' policies.

"It would be inappropriate. I would clearly tell you that is not something that we would do anything to indoctrinate students here," he said. "That would clearly be a violation of our policies and guidelines, written or non-written."

Modern-day Lysistrata

For those who don't know the ancient greek comedy play, Lysistrata, the female characters witheld sex from their husbands in an effort to end the Peloponnessian war. In Kenya, it's for 7 days:

NAIROBI, Kenya (CNN) -- The fight for political reform in Kenya has moved into an unlikely venue -- the nation's bedrooms. Activists in the East African nation are urging women to withhold sex for a week to protest the growing divide in Kenya's coalition government.

Source: CNN

I AM-a-not-so-smug-CANADIAN-anymore

"Hey. I'm not a subprime mortgagee.

"Or one of Bernie Madoff's victims.

"And I don't live in a foreclosed house.

"I have a Prime Minister who says that, while American consumers bought into the idea that it was okay to live beyond their means, 'thankfully, Canadians, among few nations in the Western world, did not embrace this idea so recklessly.'

"I pronounce it RRSP. Not 401(k). (And I even managed to put a little money in this season.)

"I can proudly recount the latest profit statements from all five of Canada's biggest - and still solvent - banks. I believe in medicare, not screw the sick.

"A tuque is still a hat.

"A chesterfield is still a couch And it is still pronounced 'zed' not 'zee.'

"Canada is the second-largest land mass! The proud nation of Employment Insurance! And the best part of the North American economy, or what's left of it.

"My name is Joe! And I am a recession-hardy CANADIAN!"

*

I will enter your country illegally...and if you try to stop me, I'll sue you!

This is yet another reason to support the building of a fence.

An Arizona man who has waged a 10-year campaign to stop a flood of illegal immigrants from crossing his property is being sued by 16 Mexican nationals who accuse him of conspiring to violate their civil rights when he stopped them at gunpoint on his ranch on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Roger Barnett, 64, began rounding up illegal immigrants in 1998 and turning them over to the U.S. Border Patrol, he said, after they destroyed his property, killed his calves and broke into his home.

His Cross Rail Ranch near Douglas, Ariz., is known by federal and county law enforcement authorities as "the avenue of choice" for immigrants seeking to enter the United States illegally.

Trial continues Monday in the federal lawsuit, which seeks $32 million in actual and punitive damages for civil rights violations, the infliction of emotional distress and other crimes.
...
In March, U.S. District Judge John Roll rejected a motion by Mr. Barnett to have the charges dropped, ruling there was sufficient evidence to allow the matter to be presented to a jury. Mr. Barnett's attorney, David Hardy, had argued that illegal immigrants did not have the same rights as U.S. citizens.
...
Mr. Barnett said some of the ranch´s established immigrant trails were littered with trash 10 inches deep, including human waste, used toilet paper, soiled diapers, cigarette packs, clothes, backpacks, empty 1-gallon water bottles, chewing-gum wrappers and aluminum foil - which supposedly is used to pack the drugs the immigrant smugglers give their "clients" to keep them running.

Enjoy the Snow-maggedon Canada!

My parents are snowbirds. I was supposed to fly out Sunday AM with a layover at Pearson. With the coming of snowmaggedon, I changed my flight ($$$$) to go directly to Florida and it was well worth it. Outside my window 5 stories up, I am now looking at this instead of snow and ice (this post was to rub it in a little further Jarrett. Are you going to rub those flower blossoms in my face in February again?)

"In our country, any CBC reporter can dream of becoming head of state"

A very well written summary and explanation of the past few months of what's been going on Canada.

My dear American neighbours,

I see the political crisis in Canada has finally made it into the Washington Post's Foreign Briefs column.

So, anticipating a flood of interest from all of you at the dog run in the morning, let me try to give you some idea of what's happening up there.

A few weeks ago, we had an election in Canada, a couple of weeks before yours, actually. A political party known as the Conservatives won.

Well, sort of. They didn't win in the sense that most of you understand winning. I'll get to that in a second.

They also aren't what most of you would consider conservative.

They support what you call socialized medicine, they believe in protecting a Canadian-controlled banking system, they believe in government as a vehicle for transferring wealth between regions, and they've actually muzzled party members who tried to make abortion a campaign issue.

Please do read the rest

Need an escape from the madness? Will puppies be our Shirley Temple?

With all the political hot air that's going around. And being as going on vacation is not an economically viable option right now, here is a quick escape from the madness ensuing in our country right now. Puppy Cam! Ok collective "awwwww" now!