Recent events just seem to be connected somehow. They have led to the following quotes:
1 “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.” - Joseph Goebbels
2 - “The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly - it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over” - Joseph Goebbels
3- "Think of the press as a great keyboard on which the government can play.” -Joseph Goebbels
4 - "Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.” = Plato
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What would it take to overcome or defeat the premise of each of the first three quotes?
1 - the lie was not maintained long enough?
- dissent was not repressed ?
- the truth got out?
2 - There were too many points being made?
- There were too many angles from which the points were being made?
3 - the "government" could not control the keyboard?
- the people obtained their own keyboard?
One thing the government institution did control was the televised media.
The calculated rigidity and control in the above quotes is not conducive to a collaborative relationship between a government institution and the public. I keep hearing how bad the public is when it comes to education. I keep hearing how expert the education people are.
Just how expert are they?
I threw in the last quote by Plato for my own benefit. I hate politics but the quote sure makes a lot of sense.
The Alafia meeting is tomorrow night. I understand that it is a public meeting. I wonder how it will be it accurately kept for historical purposes. It would be a shame to have all of that time and resources spent for only a relatively small percentage of the many across the district that are sincerely interested in the process as much as the outcomes.
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6 comments:
Lets go. Where do you want to meet me?
We can take notes. I'll bring the coffee in a thermos.
Meet me at the entrance to the meeting. I'll be the guy with the iphone earplugs dangling from my ears listening to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers singing "I wont Back Down".
...they can line me up at the gates of hell, but I wont back down.
How about it?
Don't get too excited. All the parents that don't see the big picture are looking at the appointment of the new principal as "a gift" from Elia. I could pull my hair out. The people that went to the school board to speak are now silenced once again because they are "grateful" that we didn't get someone who was just like Smith. Some of them are telling others not to speak up. Even though we have been given a good principal, the issues are still there in the system. Some people appear smarter than what they really are no matter where you live.
Those of us who would have taken Mrs. Elia to task for her vindictive little attack at the last School Board meeting find ourselves outmaneuvered one more time. She cleverly rushed the new principal appointment through on the Tuesday before the Wednesday parent meeting and will have the new principal at her elbow on the morrow. Any parents who wish to begin their relationship with the new principal on a positive note are left voiceless yet again. We fought long and hard for a new beginning for our school, and no one wants to greet the new principal with a hostile first meeting. It's tragic that Elia will likely escape unscathed from tomorrow's meeting.
I do wish you (Richard and Thomas) could have been there for the previous Elia lynching. It would have done your jaded little hearts good to see Elia so shredded by fearless parents. It was frighteningly fierce and a thing of beauty all at the same time. After she had bullied and threatened the teachers a few days before, she thought she was going to lay down the law for the parents too. It didn't work out like she'd planned. It was a massacre.
Alas, tomorrow will be docile and calm, even though Elia very much deserves to be lambasted.
Does everyone see that what anon 11:02 said shows what can happen when Elia can't repress dissent and confine herself to a few points?
If I have read everything correctly, the Alafia gang went in to that meeting with an understanding of how they were going to be diffused, and they over came it.
Seperate the issues. You have identified them, don't let them control you.
Seperate whats-her-name from Elia right off the bat. Welcome both of them. This is your home turf that obviously you guys have sweated blood and tears for.
This is where you go from emotions to advocacy. This is casual business. We are encouraged with having Ms. whats-her-name and (not but) we have a few questions we need to have clarified for the benefit of all of us. etc. ect.
I'll say it another way.
Don't succumb to the psychology that she is your boss, or your authority figure as if you were still a student.
You are an adult and you are not fighting with your parent.
This is the business of the education of your child.
Anon 9:52
Dont worry my friend. We are getting the same message. The request we be grateful is coming from the very people we thought were looking out for our interests.
"Shhh be quiet."
The ROSSAC folks are very very smart. Underestimate them at your own peril.
I will speak. I will question. Hopefully, I will have support.
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