L Eckert-A Tribute to Texas

APOLLO SCHOOL PLC MEETING SABOTAGED BY PRINCIPAL

From: Wilson, Amber E
Sent: Wednesday, September 12,
2012 12:17 PM
To: Eckert, LaWanda I; 
Subject: PLC
 
Dear ELA Department,
 
It has come to my attention that my expectations for Professional Learning
Communities at Kashmere are not being met in the English Department. Due
to the inefficiency of the ELA PLC meetings, there is no need to continue with
this process. As a result, the PLC time will be eliminated and additional
classes will be added into the master schedule for that time period. 
 
The ELA department will receive directives for instruction and curriculum directly
from Ms. Maloney and myself. You will meet individually with Ms. Maloney
once a week during your planning period and she will provide you with your
meeting schedule.
 
Amber Wilson
Principal
Kashmere Senior High
School--An Apollo 20 School
6900 Wileyvale
Houston, Texas 
77028
713.631.2185
Together We Can, Whatever It Takes, No Excuses

OKAY READERS! THIS IS THE KIND OF UNPROFESSIONAL THOUGHT PROCESSES THAT SCARE TEACHERS INTO FITS. BECAUSE SHE WANTED TO ISOLATE THE DEPARTMENT AND STOP IT FROM BECOMING SUCCESSFUL, SHE DECIDES TO KILL THE "PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY!" SHE DOESN'T PROVIDE ANY OF US WITH A LOGICAL REASON, AND SHE NEVER ATTENDS THE MEETINGS HERSELF. SHE NEVER PROVIDED US WITH ANY CODIFIED EXPECTATIONS, AND SHE IS SIMPLY RELYING ON THE WISDOM, AND EXPERTISE, OF HER 26 YEAR OLD TFA RECRUIT WHO POSSESSES VERY LITTLE SUBJECT AREA KNOWLEDGE, AND NO DEGREE IN EITHER FIELD SHE CHAIRS. WE WERE NEVER ALLOWED TO DISCUSS ENGLISH LESSON PLANNING ANYWAY, OR ANYTHING ELSE USEFUL. WE WERE ALWAYS FORCED TO DO FILL-IN-THE-BLANK FORMS, AND LISTEN TO MALONEY, THE TFA RECRUIT, LECTURE.

RESEARCH HAS PROVEN THAT PLC TIME WORKS...IT IS THE NORM AT ALMOST EVERY SCHOOL. NOT ONLY THAT, OUR DEPARTMENT WAS SINGLED OUT FOR ATTACK. ALL OF THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS HAD PRODUCTIVE, AND ENJOYABLE, PLC TIME WITHOUT ANY FRONT OFFICE BADGERING; THIS IS SO UNPROFESSIONAL; IT DEFIES LOGIC.

DEPARTMENT MEETINGS ARE OFTEN HEATED BECAUSE YOU HAVE CONFLICTING IDEAS AND INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM. TO ALL OF YOU TEACHERS WHO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE NOISE LEVEL AT YOUR DEPARTMENT MEETING, I TELL YOU "BE GRATEFUL!" AT LEAST YOU AREN'T COMPLETELY OPPRESSED.

THE TEACHING STAFF ALWAYS EXHIBITED PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT AT OUR PLC; WE WERE HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE WHEN TFA RECRUIT MALONEY WAS ABSENT FROM THE PROCEEDING. IT WAS OUR PLC TIME...WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPLORE IDEAS, AND DISCUSS OUR PROFESSION, WITHOUT INTERFERENCE FROM ADMINISTRATORS BENT ON SABOTAGING OUR SUCCESS. ALL OF OUR PLC TIME WAS SCRIPTED! THAT'S INSANE!

THE FACT THAT OUR PRINCIPAL WOULD DENY OUR DEPARTMENT, HIRED TO BATTLE THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP, THIS VALUABLE BONDING AND LEARNING TIME IS VERY CONFUSING.

SHE NEVER EVEN GAVE US A CHANCE.

 

Noise in the High School Hallway

Before dawn Mr. Henry arrives to click on the lights, and the roaches and mice skitter away to their hiding places in the cracks of our old dilapidated school. Minutes later my students are knocking on the glass doors for a chance to look at a computer, read with their teacher, or just escape the morning cold.

 Sometimes shouts and laughter echo around the empty hallways; around, and around, the sound travels as fast as the Large Hadron Collider, but our school is anything but a scientific experiment. My students are alive, impressionable, and listening for drama.

 The Morning Ritual

 The students gather in the commons for visitation time. Some of them are out of dress code, and you can spot them easily by the shouts of other students, “Oooo, Girrrl, Look at YOU!” the students press each other on because the drama is loud and the teenage desire to defy authority is the tie that binds them closest together.

 Finally, after everyone else has arrived, and most of the students have worked out their missing student identification, found some school sanctioned apparel, and started to slowly move on to their classes, the principal performs her grand arrival.

 She lazily drags her briefcase into the school on a business cart, and the clitter clatter of her little wheels signal her late arrival. The door to her office squeaks on the hinge, and she is safe at her desk for most of the coming day. A cloud descends upon the school, and the atmosphere is charged with negativity. Finally, the speaker crackles to life and the principal’s voice reels around the hallways causing my students to inhale sharply.

The message drones on, and we are all newly reminded of the negativity, the no excuses mantra, the implied messages: you are not good enough, you are not as good as me, you are all underachieving thugs grade levels behind, and nothing worthwhile can take place here. Before she has finished her speech, my students are talking, eating on chips, or desperately trying to find a way to squelch out the negative tonal quality, the condescending blah blah, and the ridiculous repetition.

 We all breathe again when the speaker clicks its good bye. We are happy to get down to business.

 Later in the day, she stages an event for the students, targeting a teacher for removal; she meets with administration members during the passing time between classes, and she intentionally allows the students to overhear her hateful messages. The teenage desire for a bit of drama, and the opportunity to defy authority, is satisfied by the chronic drumbeat of negativity relayed by the principal’s narrative. The hallways are suddenly filled with noise, and we have broken hearts, but my principal’s only priority is herself. The conversations poison the well, and my students are cheated.

Amber Wilson/Williams: Credentials Don't Add Up

This is a link to my principal's certificate. Notice she has only been certified as a classroom teacher since 2005. She must have done her work through an alternative certification program, because her certificate was only probationary.

https://secure.sbec.state.tx.us/SBECONLINE/virtcertdisplay.asp?spid=1314588&mode=C

But in his memo to the board, Terry Grier lies about her credentials claiming she has 10 years of experience.

View the memo here:

http://content.bandzoogle.com/users/houstonisdwatch/files/Wheatley.pdf

You can do your own math; it's insulting that Grier thinks the Board is too inept to add a few numbers.

You might also want to google Wilson/Williams previous employers. Her charter school history is glossed over and made to sound prestigious by Grier in his memo, a typical ploy of his. Of course, he realizes that hiring someone this young and inexperienced to lead a school as challenging as Kashmere is completely irresponsible and capricious in nature. He obviously doesn't care about the teachers, or the students. He doesn't care if Wilson/Williams hasn't had enough classroom time in the appropriate environment to understand and appreciate quality instruction, and perform fair evaluations. He just plunked in whatever he could find, and my colleagues and I, along with our underserved students, are paying the price for this outrageous, careless act.

I think it's important for people in Houston to view this website:

http://houstonisdwatch.com/teamgrierhasfirmholdovermedia.cfm

Warning to New Teachers in Houston ISD

Good morning to all!

 Read this email from my union rep. This morning we also received an email that states the principals are being told they are not firing enough teachers.

This is the sick process education reform has created in big city districts. They just churn through teachers, especially new ones, as fast as they can with no regard to the person’s life, skill set, or qualifications. The harm they do to the students by destabilizing their neighborhood schools cannot be measured. They don’t care if you are a blazing success in the classroom; your teaching certificate is basically meaningless to the administration.

If you are a TFA recruit, you don’t even need to teach in your subject area, much less study for a certificate. You will get treated like royalty even though you only receive five weeks of training and never studied in the subject area you are selected to teach.

Last year a TFA recruit told me he was a political science major from Georgetown, and he had been assigned to teach “Applied Science.” He asked me in the hall, “What is applied science anyway?”

 In my case,

Chief of High Schools (Orlando Riddick): brand new to the job

School Support Officer SSO or SIO (Xochitl Davila) (otherwise known as regional superintendent): brand new to the job—Michelle Rhee wannabe---previously served at Lee HS as principal

Principal: 28 years old with no experience, and she comes from the lowest performing charter school in the state of Texas (Amber Wilson/Williams) Hope Academy--I believe it is a White Hat Management entity

Dept head: 26 year old TFA recruit with no subject area degree (communications) and no experience (Britney Maloney) Handpicked by Davila

 In the student’s mind, a standard classroom teacher is a disposable throwaway. They see no reason to follow the rules, do their homework, or take the exams seriously. They know the teacher will probably get fired, possibly in the middle of the year. They have no respect for their teacher, and no reason to believe their teacher has any ability to discipline or instruct.

This is the message inner city students have been receiving for over a decade. This is the message reformers convey to the students, the parents, and the taxpayer.

At new teacher orientation you are led to believe something much different; at the job fair, and in the media, you are told that working for HISD is wonderful, with a fair evaluation system, great pay, and fabulous bonuses.

Working at HISD is the biggest mistake I have ever made.

I was warned about education reform. I was told not to do this, and I didn’t listen.

 Honestly, I didn’t even know what “education reform” meant…I thought it was a bunch of talented people swapping ideas about how to best educate the children of poverty. I thought it would be fun, challenging, and engaging. In my ridiculous mind, I could see a group of teachers sharing ideas, lesson plans, and stories. I really believed I was going to learn something positive about public school. I didn’t know it was a scam engineered to deprofessionalize the teaching business, and hand the jobs off to cash strapped ivy leaguers that couldn’t find positions in their fields of study.

Now I know that people like Michelle Rhee made millions off the backs of the teachers she fired. I know that most of these people have cheated, including some in my own Apollo program. The Atlanta Journal Constitution even did a nationwide study, and can prove mathematically that these districts have failed to educate these students in spite of their “so-called” reforms. This wrong-to-right erasure math is indisputable…

As for me, I don’t need a study; I can tell everyone about the chaos, the achievement gap, the poverty, the filth, the lies, and the smokescreen.

 It is funny that Arne Duncan (Obama's Secretary of Education #erasetothetop) came out here and toured Lee HS with my SIO, and he listened to a few talented students, and the police cracked down on the school before his arrival, and they managed to sign up all of the students to some kind of college (mostly 2 year institutions) and convince Arnie that it is a “turnaround success.” But you only have to look at him closely to see he is a Walmart kind of guy. And now we have the privatization of the public trust…we have the Walton Foundation, The Broad Foundation, The Gates Foundation, and countless other vultures, and venture capitalists, including Pearson (the great testing empire), all throwing money to this “teacher witch hunt” fully engaged in the age-old philosophy of “you gotta spend a buck to make a buck.” So, they are making the bucks off of me and my students, and I am helpless to stop them.

I asked my leaders for help, but I was ignored.

 Subject: Conf. for the Record- 48 Hour Notice

 I have been getting phone calls from people who are entering meetings with administration that turn out to be Conferences for the Record.  Please disseminate this message to our membership:

 Upon entering a meeting, always ask, "Is this a conference for the record?"  ALWAYS! Never assume they are calling anyone in to have coffee.  A conference for the record will go into the employee file.  It will, usually, entail some kind of adverse, punitive action against the employee. Therefore, always, always, preserve your right to representation and request that I be present during these CFR's.  A CFR should always have a 48 hour notification attached to it. Respectfully, decline to participate in the meeting if the administration confirms it is a CFR.  Advise them that I (employee) will be more than happy to participate in the CFR as soon as I secure representation. 

I have been told, repeatedly, today that the principal said the SIO is on the way to fire you if you don't resign.  DO NOT RESIGN!  IF YOU RESIGN, WE CANNOT RESCIND THE RESIGNATION!!!  It is better to err on the side of caution.  Call if you're in doubt.  This is your career, your future.

 Corina Ortiz,
Representative- Houston Federation of Teachers
3100 Weslayan, Ste. 255
Houston, Texas 77027

 

The Fight Today

    This morning I am all of the faults my Grandmother detested: contemptuous, fatigued, imposed upon, and impatient. I never asked to come here, and my tenure has turned into a trap of sorts, a place I can walk away from; however, if I do, then I will self-destruct and all of my arrows will have missed the mark. A vision of my Grandmother passes before me dressed in her starched apron, her hands kneading the dough, a soft breeze rattling her screen door.

    We will all forget, as soon as humanly possible, the spoilt and petulant, slightly plump little valley girl feigning credentials, yet possessing none, but still allowed to trounce on the souls of hard working, dedicated professionals she perceives beneath her. But, in the academic world, she is simply nothing but a communications degree that failed to make a west coast splash, a loser of plump proportions, a twit beyond description.

     And in the hallways a woman creeps like a lizard peeking into the rooms, searching for fault, and when finding nothing, she constructs a drama from thin air, and she weaves these falsehoods to support the plump and gelatinous, the petulant and feigning. We watch these actions in horror, from behind our glasses, and our dependents look on helplessly, some of them resisting injustice, and others tricked by the duplicity, all of them cheated by the sheer force of the inept and incompetent leadership of our establishment; the falsehoods created to destroy me are openly discussed in the hallways, and this undermines my authority; I am defeated.

      I check under my eyes, and they are darker than ever with lines forming on my cheeks below, and after another bout with the illogical and duplicitous, I wipe a frustrated tear off my cheek, and I grit my teeth for another round because we have never had more to lose, and I do not want to disappoint my Grandmother.

      After all of my years on the docks, the roadways, and the cities and towns of  North America, and after all of the rough characters that have passed in and out of my life from the communities around the world, and after all of my experience, the scholars, the sages, the poets, the chiefs, the professors, the professionals, the workers, the soldiers, and the quitters, after all of these lessons, I was still not prepared for the disgraceful spectacle I now witness—a spectacle of negativity that completely derailed the future of an entire urban neighborhood.

     I question why our supreme leader sits on his hallowed throne and allows this scandal to continue, and I am answered by a poet with underworld connections,

“It is his golden rod, and those who parlay to kiss its tip are whisked away by a magical lizard.”

   My poet winks at me, and I nod in confusion unraveling the riddle, and pondering its meaning. I rock back on my heels, and my sudden laughter fills my vacant room as I comprehend the absurdity of our dilemma: the carnal weakness of man.

 In the world hereafter, I know my Grandmother is smiling.

Sequester of the Inept

Today we are happy for the gentle weather and our Katy home, a place where we can escape the unpleasant. And while I often look back on the earlier days of my life in discomfort, I am pleased with myself at 50. The decisions we make in our 20's contain only limited wisdom, and are generally reactionary, and if you haven't grown by 50, then you likely have surrounded yourself with people lacking character and independent thought.

Our school offices and government are filled to the brim with those sycophants, basking in their unethical points of view, and fundamentally perpetuating their mediocrity. Today, no matter the beautiful weather and the pleasantries of home, we are all at risk of losing our livelihoods to the wispy intelligence of the arrogant.

"We the people" join together over our coffees and our teas, and we discuss the mediocrity of the meritocracy. We languish about our homes with this axe over our heads, and we wait for "them" to act in some intelligent manner, to hand down some apology, and to create an artful plan that will stop the train wreck that surely lies ahead. We shake our heads and we contemplate the spectacular, and we question the inevitable, and the theme of our daily labors carries the notion, and often we verbalize in wonderment at our mistakes, and we ask each other, "how did they get there?"

Then we go to the polls, or to our local school boards, and we give "them" another chance, while they are denying us of any upward mobility. They purposely cheat our most fallible of citizens out of education, health, and wellbeing, padding their despicable pockets with bond money, and pork deals as we look on with disgust.

Be careful calling these insecure failures and phonies out, or they will do their best to destroy you. Going up and getting access to the power is all they care about. It never has been about the children, or the elderly, it has always been about the buck. Maybe, all in all, it is simply the "sequester of the fools."

Posted with Blogsy

My Thoughts on School Reform

An old belief is now reborn: if you don't have a degree in that subject, then you shouldn't teach that subject. Schools and districts are once again recognizing the importance of subject area knowledge. Of course, this would eliminate a lot of Teach for America candidates with business degrees, and it would stop someone with a communications degree from teaching high school English. But in my opinion, and from what I have witnessed lately, it's a rule worth enforcing.

In Texas, if you can pass the subject area test, then you are allowed to certify for that subject. The tests are not very difficult; I passed all four of mine on the first attempt. So, if I tried to certify to teach math, even though I have no subject area knowledge in that subject, and I miraculously passed the test, then I could become certified. No one analyzes my transcript for subject area background, and  I could immediately start calling myself a math teacher. This is a very faulty system because I should have been required to complete a number of core classes before standing up before students of my own. I should have a very high grade average in the subject I am teaching. 

In urban schools we are inundated with teachers without subject area knowledge. Many of these teachers have never belonged to a formal education program at the university level. Some of them have only had five weeks of serious training via Teach for America. Many others complete their alternative certification through a variety of sources, and almost none of these teachers belong to a professional organization in their teaching field. Those belonging in Kappa Delta Pi, or similar honor society, are likely less than one-percent.

In the very lucrative, for profit, arena of school reform, I suggest a fabulous way to save money: require teachers to know their subject, and carry this proof in their college transcript.

Commuting in Houston: A Tale of Bitter Revenge

The hours I spent on California freeways, hot smoggy days steaming up and down 95 on the Eastern Seaboard, traversing the slippery, winding mountains gracing the chilly skies of British Columbia, and plowing the snow in South Dakota was not preparation enough for my Houston, Texas, morning commute.

Hateful and rude is simply an understatement, signal lights mean nothing, and the white alpha males flex their muscles in big pickups. After a few short weeks, I am sick of it all. Today I fired up my two seater, hit the streets at 5:30 am, and turned the Bose speakers up all the way loud: alternative rock, hip hop, and a couple of classic hits. Yesterday morning I was run off the road in my granny Toyota, after a mile of desperately blinking my left signal..."let me over please!" No one gave me an inch; I am sick of the rudeness.

Where are the cops? Not on my route. What has happened to driver education? What about simple human decency?

Almost everyday someone is killed in a car wreck in Houston. We have so many hit and runs most of them never make the news. Maybe Annise Parker, our honorable mayor, should begin a campaign of roadway kindness. Maybe she should provide a public service message explaining how our freeways are a bloodbath, and how our citizens are becoming heartless and cruel behind the wheel.

In the meantime, drive carefully and be courteous on the road.

 

How I Explained the Movie Theater Massacre to My Own Child

As we learn the identities of the dead in the horrific movie theater massacre, and begin to realize the epic nature of this event, and the long term consequences of how our lives are changed, children begin asking questions. Mine wants to know "Why" someone would pull such a horrific stunt.

As we rode along together yesterday on our way to our favorite theater, we listened to CNN via satellite. Like most teens, my kid loves mythic urban heroes. He is a Spiderman fan, he loves all of the Marvel characters, he idolizes the comic humility of the Batman character, and he follows the antics of Cat Woman. He knew, for example, that Bane was an older evil character. He looked it up on my iphone, and said, on no uncertain terms, "See Mom, I told you he was created in the 80's!" He was proud of the movie, and he said, "I told you it was stupid to connect Batman to politics." Of course he is right, as usual. It is stupid, and it's doubtful this has anything to do with the terrible movie shootings. Even if the suspect claims his intentions were political, or motivated by some statement on our culture, it isn't true.

He is simply mean. One recent evening my neighbor phoned and wanted to tell me about the prowler that had tried to enter her apartment early in the morning while she was home. She was, understandably, quite distraught over this event. Her questions were along the same vein as my son's...why...why would someone try to come into her apartment knowing she was home in her bed? I told her the only explanation possible, the prowler is mean.

We all want to explain the impossible. We all want a logical answer to why mean people attack us. Simply put, some people are just filled with hate, and there is no magic word, and no way to change them. They will always lack the grace to deal with problems.

I know lots of mean people. Are any of them capable of killing me? Maybe, but they usually limit their activities to gossip, meddling, and other cheap mind tricks. Why do they do that stuff? It isn't about me, it's just that they are mean.

If it's true our brain is nothing more than an organic super computer, and I believe that's basically what it is, then we should all be careful about how we program our most valuable piece of hardware. I have made it a point to teach this philosophy about the brain to my own child. I tell him to deny access to certain kinds of trash: slasher movies, violent video games, petty people, and crappy literature. He is responsible for his choices. However, a couple of years ago one of his more ignorant relatives smuggled a non kosher video game to my child via first class mail. He played with it a bit, and later turned it over to me. He said, "Mom, I want you to know I got this in the mail. I don't like it, and I don't want it."

Like most educated parents with skills and miles behind me, I don't have any interest in raising a gun toting, war mongering, mean individual with, or without, a college degree.

We have to teach our children kindness, and tolerance. In the meantime, I want my child to watch what goes on around him, to keep security first, and be able to fight for his life at any moment; the world is full of these "mean" people.

Studying Bullies at the Texas Behavior Support Conference, and Beyond

Many of my breakout sessions this week focused on bullying. And while we have used this term for many years, I find it an insufficient description of what we are trying to control. Because, as we all know, bullying is multi-generational, and it is passed from parents to children. People, who have successfully "ganged up" on targets, are able to commandeer certain desired outcomes. You rarely find a bully acting alone, and they are usually proud of their ability to manipulate and mentally, or physically, harm someone.

In order to control this negative aspect of any social construct, then you must first investigate the source and determine the event. What I mean is that not all negative behaviors are true bullying. One excellent example was a case where the students in a certain clique used a hand signal to stop their cohort from slapping them on the chest. A teacher observing this behavior misconstrued the event, not understanding it was simply a childish game.

But sometimes problems persist, especially among cliques of people. And while I have spent this week focusing on this destructive adolescent behavior, I have been able to contemplate its effects on myself as an adult. All of us are ashamed of certain events from our years of growing up, and I have more than my share of immature regrets. Somehow, I have found forgiveness within myself, and have made every effort in my adult life to treat people with kindness, patience, and respect, always going the extra mile in order to balance out the pain I might have caused in the long ago past. But this doesn't mean I have forgotten the consequences; this doesn't mean I am going to cast away my rights to liberty and the pursuit of happiness; and, last, but not least, this doesn't mean I won't get some really smart help when I need it the most.

Living alone in a small backwoods kind of place has given me a chance to analyze the bully issue from the generational standpoint. You find these adult perpetrators in places of authority: on the board, or in the city hall. Sometimes you discover these people at the local paper, or maybe in a radio station. They will call you names (liar, cheat, demon) and they will use every effort to "get rid of you." You will be made the villain, while all along you simply want to stick up for yourself and be allowed your privacy, and a chance to improve your life. And this is the same dilemma facing the target at school; the student feels alone, and awkward, like the whole place is against her/him. Usually help is unattainable because no one seems to witness the activity, but only perceive the negative results. Children who are bullied undergo severe personality changes. They become depressed, fearful, and angry; sometimes they act out in retaliation because no one has defended them from the ongoing abuse. People, as we all know, will commit suicide. I will never forget the tearful father I met via video who demonstrated how his only son had committed suicide by hanging himself in a closet.

Once this happens, then the bullies have really won. They have obtained their goal: getting "rid of" the target person.

It is my belief, that until the adults stop demonstrating and condoning this behavior publicly, then it will never stop. Most adults don't even realize what they are doing, but I can point out people my age, and even older, who engage in this activity as a group every single day. Bullies focus on the benign, and pick mercilessly away at a person's character, belongings, hairstyle, or way of life. They perform as a unit, and the goal is to "get rid of" the offensive target. Anyone, adult or child, that is different, or perceived in some odd way, is a potential object of scorn for the bully.

Honestly though, the bully has cheated him/herself. They have denied themselves an opportunity to learn from a unique, and sometimes fragile, human being. They forego a chance to experience peaceful contentment, the reward of tolerance, and acceptance. Instead of communicating from a positive perspective, they have chosen to vilify an innocent soul. And if they are adults, then they are passing this vexatious legacy onto their children. It is my hope that we are all moving on to a more mature society. I will let you know what I learn at the next behavior support conference. This one was fascinating.

Why "Take Back Our Country" is a Destructive Political Slogan

No political slogan in recent memory is as vaporous, meaningless, and divisive as Take Back Our Country. Shouted repeatedly by the Tea Partiers like a battle cry to the Alamo of  future Armageddon, regarded as a last chance to save America, and grossly understated, yet overstated, its negative message is what Orwell warned us about in his essay On Politics and the English Language. 

Recently, I asked my 12-year old child what he thought of the slogan's internal meaning. He said, "It sounds like they want to get the country back from the president." I honestly believe it is in retaliation for earlier commentary by democratic free thinkers who argue power is unfairly in the favor of elite business, and they dared to proclaim anti-Bush sentiments. Whatever the logic behind this vapid and useless statement, it has caused irreparable harm to our feelings of community, and helped create a negative political atmosphere beyond anything previously experienced. This slogan insinuates that some of us are in possession of something we do not own, the country. Like Palin's little crosshair map, it is incendiary in nature, destructive, and completely negative and erroneous.

In Texas, we are subjected to a Republican battle for a Senate seat. I don't care for either candidate...to me one is just as bland as the other. David Dewhurst, successful businessman, spokesman, rancher, lieutinent governor, is running against lawyer Ted Cruz. Dewhurst must have a huge war chest; we have to look at his message nearly everytime we are in front of a television. He is definitely going to balance the budget, take our country back, and hurl us in reverse to the much better 1950's as soon as he gets full power. The words, "Take Our Country Back" slip from his lips as easily as a wad of snot, and sound equally as obscene.

You can tell he will do what he says he will. Dewhurst always keeps his word, even though he isn't brave like his father--according to his own television testimonial. But, I promise, if someone pressured him to explain his slogan, his response would echo across the top of an empty barrel. He lacks, as well as the TeaParty, no possible logical response. The country is not taken.

Since it is an election year, I encourage everyone to get back into George Orwell. Think about the world, the words used, and the connection between what is realistic, and what is voluminous wisps of vaporous bull crappie. We are Americans, and we have unlimited media resources. We can educate ourselves to recognize the ridiculous. Our country already belongs to us...it hasn't slipped into the grip of something horrible. We have a president that cares, and we have a congress that is only concerned with preserving itself. Remember...1984 by George Orwell. Read his Politics and the English Language before you study this important novel again. It will all make sense... then you will be disgusted too.

April 4th is World Stray Animals Day!

Just a reminder for everyone: World Stray Animals Day is tomorrow. That's a good time to go online with Cesar Milan, the ASPCA, or the Humane Society's website and make a donation, or buy a gift for yourself, or that special friend.

The ASPCA has a wonderful array of special orange colored leashes, pet supplies, shirts, stickers, and bandannas; not only that, they have jewelry, cool dog collars, and places to sign up so you can donate monthly.

You can spread your disdane for puppy mills by wearing a special tee shirt. If you know about a puppy mill, and would like to report it, then here is the number: 1 877 MILL TIP

Whenever my friends ask me why I care so much about animals, I always ask them to imagine what it would be like to have only one life, and it be that of a stray animal. Nothing could be more frightening, horrific, and miserable as being forced to live in a puppy mill as a breeding animal, or alone on the streets dodging cars, and eating handouts.

If we all do a little part, then we can help eradicate these terrible puppy mills, and help countless lost animals find forever homes.

Stephen Wayne Sudduth Child Pornography PreTrial Conference Reset AGAIN!!! Could he WALK?

Today was a lovely Texas sunshiney day, and I could hear my anxious readers calling out for justice. So, since I had to go down that way anyhow, I headed on over to the United States Federal Court. It is located at 515 Rusk Avenue, in downtown Houston. If you pass through security, and take an elevator ride up to the fifth floor, you will find the Court Clerk's lovely offices.

Alongside one wall is a computer bank where any citizen can obtain files on any case with open public records. The women working in this location are extremely professional and kind. They will happily hand over the documents as you hit the print button. The walk was short, but the exercise certainly didn't hurt me. I don't think walking around Houston on a beautiful day is anything short of a privilege.

This is why I can't understand why anyone from the ultra soft, and sensual, Sealy News can't find their way over here to get this important public news. Everyone who has knowledge of this case is simply mystified by its length, and overseas complexities. Guilty or not, this defendant has truly created a mess worth study, and the facts around this case are frightening at best.

I have the Order to my left of my laptop while I sit in my favorite coffee bar in Katy, Texas. When I get home tonight, I may scan this thing and post it for your viewing benefit. At any rate, it reads like this:

 The Court has considered the Fourth Joint Motion for Continuence wherein counsel for Defendant, Stephen Wayne Sudduth, has represented that more time is needed to resolve the state charges pending against him, and that failure to grant a continuance would result in a miscarriage of justice.

Did you read that carefully? Did you see that we are now talking about "resolving the STATE charges?" I am not an attorney, and I am not sure if this means what it says, but do you think we have to wait for the State of Texas to DO something? Does this mean this mess is hung up in Austin County? Please, don't tell me that!

It goes on to read: Based on the representations made in the Fourth Joint Motion for Continuance, the Court finds the ends of justice served by granting a continuance outweigh the best interest of the public, as well as the Defendant, to a speedy trial.....blah, blah, blah....failure to grant a continuance would result in the miscarriage of justice, and that a continuance is necessary to allow reasonable time for the resolution of other charges against the Defendant.

Of course, there is no mention of his small victims, and their miscarriage of justice.

This document was filed on February 7, 2012, and he has another pretrial conference set for April 23, 2012, at 2:00 p.m.

For the first time, I am starting to sweat the outcome of this just a bit. I am beginning to wonder if they are going to let this guy walk without even a trial. Could this happen? Please, tell me this terrible thing will never happen! He was caught with the stuff...the miserable horrific evidence. Surely Judge Atlas has the stomach for this...she could never have risen to the top without being the toughest of the tough. She sees criminals all of the time...federal prisoners accused of murder, kidnapping, and even this kind of trash. If she can't deal with the terrible evidence that will surely be presented at this trial, then maybe she should recuse herself rather than let the lawyers kick the ball down the field.

After all, we were told the Federal prosecutors were taking first shots at this guy, and then the State of Texas would follow up. Was all of that a mistake...could we not have come to this conclusion sooner? What in the world is going on here (how many years now)?