Say goodbye to science and history under No Child Left Behind

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Sunday March 26, 2006 · 2:55 AM PST

2006/03/26 · 02:55

I will admit it; I am an anxious parent and have been one ever since my son's traumatic birth, subsequent hospitalizations, yadda yadda. But he's made it to the ripe old age of six and he's a smart little cookie. He is wonderfully inquisitive about the world and how it works; he's surprisingly empathetic for a six-year-old; and he's very bright. But then, all of us know just how above-average our children are . . .

What does our modern public education system have to offer a child like this--a child who can already read and do math above grade level, but it capable of doing a lot more? I was chilled to read the following in the New York Times; Read More

Wal-Mart breaks law; customers experience fraud

TomDuncombe

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Tuesday February 28, 2006 · 6:09 AM PST

2006/02/28 · 06:09

Wal-Mart and Sam's Club illegally collected and saved the PIN codes of their customers who paid at the register with debit cards, and then went on to lose control of those codes, resulting in thousands of their customers in various states experiencing ATM fraud.

Many different banks have sent their customers new debit cards as a result over the past few weeks; but it was too late for some of them (myself included). For more details, read Heath Haussamen's story in today's Las Cruces Sun News, which you can find at

http://www.lcsun-news.com/...
Read More

ACTION ALERT: South Dakota Boycott is working!

TomDuncombe

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Saturday February 25, 2006 · 5:01 AM PST

2006/02/25 · 05:01

When the proposed abortion ban in South Dakota was announced earlier in the week, individuals were being encouraged to call the Department of Tourism, other South Dakota state offices, the headquarters of some of the businesses located in South Dakora (like Citibank, Gateway computer, and Iams). The point is to announce that you will be boycotting visiting South Dakota, or boycotting purchasing from South Dakota businesses, until that state shows that it has a commitment to equal civil rights for women!

An article in today's Rapid City Journal shows that this approach is working, but that the numbers are very small: Read More

Would You Learn to Perform Abortions?

TomDuncombe

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Wednesday February 22, 2006 · 6:30 AM PST

2006/02/22 · 06:30

South Dakota's restrictive abortion law may provide the Supreme Court with the opportunity to consider the issue of abortion. We all know that the goal of the Republican party, as led from its right wing, is to limit women's reproductive freedom. And of course, if Roe is overturned, the United States will return to a patchwork of state regulations regarding abortion. In more liberal states, women will probably retain some right to an abortion. In other states, even those without current restrictive rules, the political will may exist to pass new laws restricting those rights. Read More

Stop military recruitment and enlistment now

TomDuncombe

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Thursday February 02, 2006 · 10:53 AM PST

2006/02/02 · 10:53

If 9/11 changed everything--and seemingly it has changed the way in which Executive Power is wielded in this country--then it has also changed the way in which the U.S. military can be used. Read More

Please stop wanking and start working

TomDuncombe

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Tuesday January 31, 2006 · 6:01 AM PST

2006/01/31 · 06:01

I'm not sure whether the collective temper-tantrum over Alito is over or not, but I did want to explain what MY next move is going to be, as a person who believes in the future of this country. I was asked by a nice poster, who is the mom of a toddler, "How do I create change?" And here are some things that each and every one of us should try. I promise that they will be much more personally satisfying that sending a brazillion email faxes or even calling the Capitol switchboard. Read More

Some strategies for direct action

TomDuncombe

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Saturday January 28, 2006 · 5:29 PM PST

2006/01/28 · 17:29

I've been saying ad nauseum that blogging alone isn't going to move the particular mountain that we need to move. Faxing and filibustering aren't either. History shows us that when a political party is as marginalized as the Democrats are now, it takes more than a major screwup on the part of the party in power to cause a power shift--it requires a major realignment of what the parties believe in and actually do. Read More

The danger of Newt Gingrich for President in 2008

TomDuncombe

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Thursday January 26, 2006 · 8:08 AM PST

2006/01/26 · 08:08

I just came back from my morning walk-with-Xm-Radio. There was nothing good on Air America or C-Span so I turned on the BBC world service. Lo and behold, "The Interview" by Carrie Gracie turned out to be of none other than Newt Gingrich, who plans to run for President in 2008.

Newt is just as much of a loon as he always was, and I disagreed with him on almost every point; but I think that we as Democrats need to be aware that he is a very convincing and eloquent speaker. This is what we need to be afraid of: because if half the country is willing to elect a man who can't utter a complete sentence, then a man who sounds like he knows what he is talking about will have major potential to cross over. Read More

Why No Diaries About Workers?

TomDuncombe

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Tuesday January 24, 2006 · 6:17 AM PST

2006/01/24 · 06:17

I read in today's New York Times that Senate hearings were held with the head of the mine safety agency, David Dyer, yesterday, and that Dyer walked out, leaving Arlen Specter somewhat incensed. I also read that Ford plans to lay off thousands of workers and to close seven factories.

I understand that issues like abortion and Iraq are attention-grabbing and I like to contribute by $.02 myself, but I wonder if we as Democrats are not missing a major opportunity here. Read More

The Power of Christianity to Make People Think

TomDuncombe

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Sunday January 22, 2006 · 7:20 AM PST

2006/01/22 · 07:20

In the nineteenth century, Christianity was a powerful oppositional force, adding strength to many social movements. In the twentieth century, its impact has been largely negative. Read More

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