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Turley Testimony In Senate Confirmation Hearing Of Loretta Lynch

Loretta_LynchI will have the honor of appearing today as part of the confirmation hearings in the Senate Judiciary Committee for Loretta Lynch, nominee to serve as United States Attorney General. Below is my written testimony for the hearing today.


Here is the full list of witnesses appearing today:

Sharyl Attkisson
Investigative Journalist

David Barlow
Partner
Sidley Austin LLP

David A. Clarke, Jr.
Sheriff
Milwaukee County, Wisconsin

Catherine Engelbrecht
Founder
True The Vote

Janice K. Fedarcyk
Fedarcyk Consulting LLC

Stephen H. Legomsky
John S. Lehmann University Professor
School of Law at Washington University

The Reverend Doctor Clarence Newsome
Cincinnati , OH

Nicholas Quinn Rosenkranz
Professor Of Law, Georgetown University Law Center
Senior Fellow in Constitutional Studies Cato Institute

Jonathan Turley
Professor, J.B. And Maurice C. Shapiro Chair Of Public Interest Law
George Washington University Law School
Washington , DC

The full committee hearing resumes this morning at 10 a.m. in Committee Room 216 in the Hart Senate Office Building.

Here is my testimony: Statement.Lynch Nomination.Turley Testimony.Senate

561 thoughts on “Turley Testimony In Senate Confirmation Hearing Of Loretta Lynch”

  1. Paul said, “I would be concerned about the education any child is receiving in any public school in the United States.”

    Inga said, “There are public schools in districts in which parents are doctors, lawyers, bankers, successful business persons, very educated themselves and very involved and concerned about their children’s education.”

    I taught in a high ranking school district. In the school districts where the parent are highly educated and highly involved, the schools do have an advantage and do provide a decent education (the teachers may have more freedom, as do the students???). That said, I do have grave concerns about the quality of education even these schools may be providing since NCLB and Common Core were implemented.

    Is the freedom to pursue excellence (on the part of both teachers and students) being eroded as districts are pressured to “perform” on standardized tests and to mold themselves to outsiders’ decisions of curriculum (not to mention non-academic issues like zero tolerance policies)? Also, do these standardized tests really say anything about knowledge, love of learning, and ability to consider, evaluate, and apply new information? They can be a useful tool to gauge some elements of learning, but it seems they have become an end unto themselves.

    I have been out of the brick-and-mortar teaching profession for a decade to raise a family, so maybe my concerns are unfounded as someone now on the outside. I hope I am wrong, but on this I am cynical.

  2. Sandi, Wisconsin has a poor education system that has been controlled too long by the union. Governor Walker has proposed a change wherein people w/ real world experience can pass proficiency tests in their field and become certified teachers. A common sense change to get people w/ real world experience in science, math, literature, social studies, etc. involved in teaching kids. Guess who’s crying about this innovation? I got so much resentment from the union rat teachers because I had a lot of real world experience and thought outside the box. Teachers are a petty lot. I call it the world’s biggest Teacher’s Pet Club. So many teachers were teacher’s pets. It should come as no shock I was not.

  3. @ Sandi and Nick

    This grassroots looking into our own family’s past and the past traditions of the people around you is how the Firefox books started. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxfire_%28magazine%29#Books

    It is a fascinating look into the ways, customs, folklore of people whose wealth of information would have otherwise been lost. I highly recommend reading the series.

    I am encouraging my husband to write about his early days in the logging industry. The stories about the people and the ways of living are amazing and the technology that his Father used and Grandfather used is antique now and obsolete. I’m sure that others would be interested as well.

  4. Sandi, When I was a teacher I often had assignments for students to interview their grandparents, if possible. Otherwise, find someone who was in their 70’s or older. I had them interview them about the Depression, Pearl Harbor, WW2, D-Day, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Some of their reports were so interesting I had them invite the subject of the interview to class to answer questions. Men who were part of the Normandy Invasion, Battle of the Bulge, RN’s who served in WW2, a woman who lived in abject poverty during the Depression, and more real history from people who lived it. Kids, parents and grandparents loved it. A Middle School where I taught had a superb principal. She turned this into an annual Grandparent’s Day. So many history teachers are boring, nuts and bolts, crappy teachers w/ yellowed w/ age lesson plans. The younger history teachers can be innovative, but the union drills that out of them over time.

  5. Sandi, that’s good advice, but what makes you think I don’t ALREADY do that? You make an assumption about me, my children and how we teach our own kids. Are you a teacher? Do you have children or grandchildren? I’m trying to understand why you feel you must give me or the parents of my grandkids advice on how to educate my them. What makes you more suited to know about their education than I or my grown daughter and son in law? My daughter and son in law are VERY involved with their children’s education. Also I have stated already that I have spoken at length with my own children and grandchildren regarding history and how various historical events affected my family. Sandi, you just cannot go online and tell people how to educate their children, especially if you are not an educator yourself and not sound a bit condescending. Thanks for the advice, but it was unecessary.

  6. Inga, Prarie Rose was absolutely right! I wrote a more complete explanation, but it suddenly disappeared. I’ve asked for help to get it back.

    Basically I mean talk to them about the events you experienced (WWII, JFK, cells and computers). Tell them the history you experienced. Read their school books, you’ll find things that are distorted. What your life was like and your parents’ lives.

    I might start a history book club. The grands, their parents, their aunt and uncle, and us. I may pay them to read and discuss. How much should I pay?Per page? Develop a test?

    Amount of $$ to savings for a trip to DC. We could all go together and see what we’ve learned. I think that kind of thing would be better than leaving money in a trust.

    I started writing essays about me. They know the things I love. The essay tells them a little more about its background and why I feel as I do.

  8. Oops, making hot wings, my grandson’s favorite for Super Bowl/ birthday party tommorow. Hot sauce slippery.

  9. Paul,
    “I am sure he has some reason behind it, but I have always wondered about the value in it.”

    Perhaps he lets it be to give people the chance to choose integrity? Kind of like parents leaving children ‘alone’ so that they can choose to do the right thing without being forced. Speculation entirely. 🙂

    1. Sandi,

      I checked the filters and did not unfortunately find the comment you saw disappear. 🙁

  12. Paul, I find it fascinating too. I often wondered about people who claim they are teachers, yet seem to know so little about the education system. Some people pretend to be normal and over time it’s obvious they are not.

  13. YouTube has many TED Talks, but Paul, don’t check them out, you might inadvertently learn something new. 😉

    1. Inga – you actually learn little from TEDTalks. Rather you get a lot of pie in the sky. Watch about 10 in a row and you will see what I mean. If you actually want to learn something go to Khan or a MOOC but not TEDTalks.

  17. Ah Prarie Rose, I may not always agree with your political leanings, but I do often, actually most times find myself in admiring your grace and fair mindedness.

  18. Paul, you do not know what you are talking about. There are public schools in districts in which parents are doctors, lawyers, bankers, successful business persons, very educated themselves and very involved and concerned about their children’s education. You make a sweeping judgement on public schools in general and reveal your ignorance on the subject. My grandchildren’s public school rating is right up there with the most elite private schools. Wisconsin has a website that shows the test scores of all schools in Wisconsin. My grandchildren’s public school is consistently up in the 99th percentile. As an educator yourself, you should know better, or perhaps you never taught at one of these excellent schools. I care about my grandchildren’s education as I was about my children’s. All four of my children are succesful adults, that have had an excellent education.

    1. Inga – you need to learn what those percentile scores really mean. They don’t mean what you think they mean.

  19. Inga,
    “Pararie Rose, I hoped she was, but in my past dealings with her and then with her second comment to me it was clear that she wasn’t. I often agree with you on your perspective, but this time I cant, sorry.”

    I can see your point. I try to read everyone’s posts in a positive light since tone of voice is so easy to “mishear” in writing and I’d like to think most people aren’t intending to sound cranky or impolite. When I do mess up and misread someone and comment too pointedly, I feel terrible. So, I err too often on the side of optimism and miss nuances anyhow. My attempt at peace-making is in pieces. 🙂

  20. po, How many times do I need to point out I am TOUGH on JT as well. Global warming I hammer him. The constant “police are evil” posts, I do as well. And, there are other issues I express my disdain. I do have enormous respect for JT for his integrity and courage on this issue. Being a true Italian, I am free w/ my emotions, expressing love and hate w/ equal passion. And po, no offense was taken.

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