| Teaching Well Against the Terror September 13 2001
> >Dear Friends, > >Thinking teachers are swimming upstream. In practical ways, many people >report good classroom results using Dr Seuss' "Sneetches," and combining >that with the recent book "Dr Seuss Goes to War," which offers some >historical background to his work. "Sneetches" can set up a thread of >discussion and investigation which can run through an entire school year. >Here is a link to questions people can use in interrogating texts: >http://www.pipeline.com/~rgibson/QUESTCRI.html > >However, the recent terrorist attack (conducted, most likely, by people >trained by US intelligence agencies while engaged in the covert war in >Afghanistan) is having predictable results. Terrorism heaps horrors on >innocents, those who were initially targeted, and then the people the >terrorists claim to represent, but do not---so they substitute bombs. >Unless we are being grossly deceived, as many were immediately following >Vietnam Vet Tim McVeigh's horror, the people of the Middle East, are going >to pay a terrible price for the acts of a few. Since there is a long >history of this result of terror, it is reasonable to point to most >terrorists and say: Cop. > >However, the relentless international war of the rich on the poor is being >set up as a matter of national honor, and many of the people who have been >most victimized by the racism, hierarchy, fear of sexuality, and >irrationalism that is built into a social system reliant on greed and >fear---those same people are lining up to be victimized again by joining >with their local ruling classes, in wars on their poor colleagues across >some border. > >Californians, whose entire state treasury of $11 billion dollars was looted >by a Democratic governor and turned over to oil billionaire pals of the >Republican president, demonstrating the true bipartisan nature of money, >those Californians are now frequently offering their bodies, blood, and >minds, to the service of a national unity that exists as only a convenient >fiction for the rich--who have never been confused about whose side they >are on. > >Throughout the U.S., we witness a turn to jingoism, witless patriotism, >often sponsored by entire school systems. Friday appears to be red, white >and blue day. At the same time, anti-Arab racism is mobilizing; incidents >in Michigan alone are mounting. > >Below is a link to Fredy Perlman's prescient piece, "The Continuing Appeal >of Nationalism" >http://www.pipeline.com/~rgibson/PerlmanNationalism.htm > >Don't join the endless war of the rich on the poor. > >best r |