Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has come up with a sure-fire way to improving the performance of students in the low-ranked state: lower the academic standards so more students can pass.
Jindal has signed a law that creates a new and easier public school curriculum despite the fact that educators have objected that it will result in high school graduates with poor understanding of basic mathematics and written English.
Under the new law, eighth-grade students who are 15 years old and fail the mathematics and English sections of the LEAP (Louisiana Educational Assessment Program) test while to move on to the ninth grade. This reverses the prior state law that insists, quite reasonably, that you pass the eighth grade to get into the ninth grade.
This is called the “alternative diploma” program and passed the Louisiana Senate unanimously.
This is a brilliant idea. Consider all of the problems that we could solve by simply creating an “alternative” system — previously known as flunking. We could have zero drunk drivers, completely clean air, and no rickets. World hunger can be a thing of the past if Jindal simply defines a full nutritional diet as 200 calories a day.
It is all a matter of definition. No child will be left behind because no child can fail in Louisiana. Under the Jindal educational system, kids will soon be counting by thumping their feet on the ground. One does not have to know one’s ABCs — A and B will be sufficient (Cs are overblown anyway).
Of course, Jindal may be taking a lesson from Washington where failure is often redefined as success. The Bush administration repeatedly tried (and in some cases succeeded) in lowering environmental standards to show success, here and here and here.
For the full story, click here.
Vince Treacy, I certainly understand all of your arguments and as IS said above, spend your time fighting his policies.
The problem is that he has either created this and/or is simply laughing as we hash it out in cyber land.
Why, knowing the constitution says natural born citizen, put native born citizen regardless if they mean the same thing.
You referenced WND above and the BC issue but they are still pushing it with bill boards and thier WH reporter asked Gibbs last week why not release the original and today they say that the hospital where the President says he was born can not confirm or deny his birth without his permission.
The rumor mill was rampant that he has spent over a million dollars in legal fees and we now no it’s true. As the President, even by executive order, could tell Hawaii to release all information about him. He could of gave a million plus to feed the children of Kenya. Speaking of which he will be in Africa but has no plans to stop in Kenya. Thats a great way to pay homage to the country where his father was born and I don’t buy into his excuse for not doing so.
Vine Tracy I appreciate your side of the argument, I really do, however appreciate mine that all I’m saying is there is to many questions about him and his life that has gone unanswered that he could of quashed long ago regardless of a COLB that was posted on line. I have come to believe that like 9-11, we may never know.
Vince:
I would just save your fine arguments for citizenship and paste them every time some clown like Cindy thinks he is an African or Alien or Malaysian.
This is getting tiring even for a conservative.
Hey republicans he is a citizen so give up, spend your time fighting his policies.
Sorry, bdaman, I see now that you are quoting the Fight the Smears website:
QUOTE
“Smears claiming Barack Obama doesn’t have a birth certificate aren’t actually about that piece of paper — they’re about manipulating people into thinking Barack is not an American citizen.
“The truth is, Barack Obama was born in the state of Hawaii in 1961, a native citizen of the United States of America.”UNQUOTE
Obama is a citizen and a natural born citizen. He is the President of the United States.
bdaman, what are you talking about? You wrote that he is “a native citizen of the United States of America.” Once again, what do you mean by native?
Obama was born in the United States, in Hawaii, in 1961, and was subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. at that time (as he was not the child of diplomats). He therefore became a citizen of the United States by birth, not by naturalization. 14th Amendment. He was therefore “a natural born Citizen … of the United States” and thus eligible to be President. Art II, sec. 1.
The Truth About Barack’s Birth Certificate
Smears claiming Barack Obama doesn’t have a birth certificate aren’t actually about that piece of paper — they’re about manipulating people into thinking Barack is not an American citizen.
The truth is, Barack Obama was born in the state of Hawaii in 1961, a native citizen of the United States of America.
http://www.fightthesmears.com/articles/5/birthcertificate
This is the link to the birth certificate on Fight the Smears:
http://www.fightthesmears.com/articles/5/birthcertificate
Bdaman wrote “The fact is, natural born is not defined anywhere. Why did the framers feel that they needed to seperate those two. They could of left natural out.”
Please read my posts. JT and I have posted the reasons the founders wanted the President to be natural born. They did not want foreign princes or generals sweeping in and getting citizenship from Congress, and taking over the Presidency.
JT posted the letter from John Jay on this site, and I reposted it. Go back and read it again. Jay wanted a check on “the admission of Foreigners into the administration of our national Government.” The Offices of the National Government are the President and Vice-President. That was their intent. I do not know how I can make it any clearer.
The Senators and Representatives (and Governator Arnold) have far more limited impact, power and influence than the national officers. The admission of naturalized citizens had a far smaller effect in Congress.
“Why does Obama post native born on Fight the Smears. He supposedly is a constitutional lawyer, he should know the difference.” What are you talking about? That site posted his birth certificate to show that he was born in the US, and was a natural born citizen qualified for the Presidency. They had to post it after the birthers had circulated their lies that he was born in Kenya or somewhere else. Where did you get “native born”? Are you pasting up stuff from the birther internet underworld?
You sure have a lot of questions. How about posting your views with some support for a change.
“What makes the difference for being a Senator/Congressman vs Pres. and Vice Pres.?” What do you mean?
To be a Senator or Congressman one need only to be a citizen, to be a Pres. or Vice Pres. You need to be natural born.
The fact is, natural born is not defined anywhere. Why did the framers feel that they needed to seperate those two. They could of left natural out. Why does Obama post native born on Fight the Smears. He supposedly is a constitutional lawyer, he should know the difference.
Dr Conspiracy has a long discussion of de Vattel’s views at his site:
http://www.obamaconspiracy.org/2009/06/reply-to-cort-wrotnowski/#more-3774
An awful lot of misinformation has been posted on this site by birthers. It is a good time to clear some scrub. Bvm used to worry that Hawaiian Homelands did not accept the COLB. That theory is officially dead:
QUOTE Holdouts, pointed to an obsolete web page on the Department of Hawaii Homelands web site that said the “long form” was preferable for them. However, reflecting the fact that long forms are no longer available, the DHHL web site has been updated and now says:
“The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands accepts both Certificates of Live Birth (original birth certificate) and Certifications of Live Birth because they are official government records documenting an individual’s birth. The Certificate of Live Birth generally has more information which is useful for genealogical purposes as compared to the Certification of Live Birth which is a computer-generated printout that provides specific details of a person’s birth. Although original birth certificates (Certificates of Live Birth) are preferred for their greater detail, the State Department of Health (DOH) no longer issues Certificates of Live Birth. When a request is made for a copy of a birth certificate, the DOH issues a Certification of Live Birth.”
Source: Dr. Conspiracy at the Obama Conspiracy site:
http://www.obamaconspiracy.org/2009/07/hawaii-homelands-declares-short-form-good-enough/comment-page-7/#comment-13052
I recommend Dr. Conspiracy highly to all the vistitors to this site who want to drill down into birther weeds.
“What makes the difference for being a Senator/Congressman vs Pres. and Vice Pres.?” What do you mean?
bdaman: “However the other clause in the constitution is “been fourteen Years a resident within the United States”.
What is your point. Obama has been 14 years resident of the US, at least from 1995 to the present. This is not an issue.
Vince Treacy wrote:
Obama does not present this problem. He was born in the United States. He has been a citizen since infancy. He does not fit into the class of foreign leaders, like German Princes or relative of Napoleon, who could have become U.S. President after being naturalized by Congress, that represented the danger that Jay suggested to Washington.
However the other clause in the constitution is “been fourteen Years a resident within the United States”.
Is this consecutive? or can I have a child born Jus Soli, take him back and forth to a country of my choice, educate him/her as I see fit with the hopes of one day being president of the U.S.
What makes the difference for being a Senator/Congressman vs Pres. and Vice Pres.?
To many questions surrounding the issue, back and forth that only the Supreme Court should decide.
You also wrote that Lt Quarles Harris Jr was, cooperating, presumably for leniency.
Well, what was his barganning chip? again more questions.
Helen Thomas and Chip Reed of the press corp said it best this past week.
Bdaman posted the statement by Kerchner, plaintiff in Mario Apuzzo’s soon- to- be-dismissed federal lawsuit based on the theories of Leo Donofrio that were dismissed by the Supreme Court last year.
There is a lot of dispute whether the founders intended to adopt Vattel. As far as the legislative intent goes, we know the founders were worried about grown up princes and generals, not infants.
We the People of the United States ratified the Constitution of the United States. Its text is available for all to read. We did not ratify Vattel. Most of us never heard of him. So his words have no bearing on the issue.
Vattel is not the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled that children born on United States soil are citizens by virtue of their birth even if their parents were Chinese.
All of the issues about citizen parents have been debated on this site. Put Donofrio into the Search window to review the postings.
So the paid ad in the Washington Times is just another birther screed.
Advertisement today in the Washington Times
http://www.scribd.com/doc/17107553/Kerchner-et-al-v-Obama-Congress-et-al-Advertorial-in-20090706-Issue-Wash-Times
Sorry, everyone, I posted the Mark Sanford joke. You got me. I used a pen name because the joke was so lame I did not want to be associated.
Cindy said “but I was talking not about the whole birth certificate issue, but about the requirement that both parents be citizens for someone to be considered more than a citizen, and more than a native citizen, but a *natural born* citzen.”
Cindy, there is no language anywhere in the Constitution that says that both parents must be citizens for someone to be a natural born citizen. If you find that language, please let us all know about it.
I could never make this up. This is on the web: “Don’t know about 9/11 conspiracy, but do know from DC source that an Administration team is working on perfecting a forgery of the long-form birth certificate. They plan on presenting it in a month or so. The source is FBI agent who has drinking buddy from University of Illinois now in the Administration. Its second hand, but the source is supposed to be solid.”
What a solid source. Anonymous poster. DC source. FBI agent. Drinking buddy from UI. Now in the Administration. Second hand but solid. What could be more believable? This is mother’s milk to the birthers.
It goes on and on: “They have already prepared the forgery with special paper and ink. The document was printed on a fully functional 1960 Heidelberger printing press located at a print museum in Toronto. Access was arranged by a trustee of the museum who is connected to a large Canadian banking/investment firm with major US interests.
“The blanks in the forged form were filled in with an old Underwood Manual typewriter bought at an estate sale in Skokie, IL. The raised seal was the easiest piece to fake, since you can by a special order corporate seal from just about any online office supply store.
“The only reason they haven’t rolled out the foregery yet is that it is “seasoning” under mild UV light and a back and forth rotation between between a humidifier and a sauna. Get ready….one to two months tops
“I also said they’d have to get a 1960s Printing Press, and indeed, by this information, looks like they found one.
The banking connection is disturbing too, gives more credibility to this also. The details here are solid.”
Has the poster ever considered what would happen when Republican officials in Hawaii take a look in their files, find that their originals differ from the forgery, and do their public duty to expose it?
If this ever happened, and it did not, any sane official getting wind of it would have said “Does the term ‘plumbers’ ring a bell with you?’”
This is relevant to Obama’s BIRTH CERTIFICATE exactly how? This happened in April 2008. Harris and the co-conspirator, apparently accessed a passport, not a birth certificate. He was cooperating, presumably for leniency. This is pretty far afield, even for the birthers.
QUOTE Washington Times
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Key witness in passport fraud case fatally shot
A key witness in a federal probe into passport information stolen from the State Department was fatally shot in front of a District church, the Metropolitan Police Department said yesterday.
Lt. Quarles Harris Jr., 24, who had been cooperating with a federal investigators, was found late Thursday night slumped dead inside a car, in front of the Judah House Praise Baptist Church in Northeast, said Cmdr. Michael Anzallo, head of the department’s Criminal Investigations Division.
Cmdr. Anzallo said a police officer was patrolling the neighborhood when gunshots were heard, then Lt. Harris was found dead inside the vehicle, which investigators would describe only as a blue car.
Emergency medics pronounced him dead at the scene.
City police said they do not know whether his death was a direct result of his cooperation with federal investigators.
“We don’t have any information right now that connects his murder to that case,” Cmdr. Anzallo said.
Police say a “shot spotter” device helped an officer locate Lt. Harris.
A State Department spokeswoman yesterday declined to comment, saying the investigation into
the passport fraud is ongoing.
The Washington Times reported April 5 that contractors for the State Department had improperly accessed passport information for presidential candidates Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain, which resulted in a series of firings that reached into the agency’s top ranks.
One agency employee, who was not identified in documents filed in U.S. District Court, was implicated in a credit-card fraud scheme after Lt. Harris told federal authorities he obtained “passport information from a co-conspirator who works for the U.S. Department of State.”
UNQUOTE
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/apr/19/key-witness-in-passport-fraud-case-fatally-shot/print/