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Oct

23

Another day, another projection: Palin doesn’t believe in labeling

Filed Under Abortion, Barack Obama, Campaigning, Elections, Gender, John McCain, Politics, Sarah Palin, WH2008, Women | 1 Comment

At about 6:04, Brian Williams asks Alaska Gov. and GOP VP candidate Sarah Palin if she thinks she’s a feminist. She told Katie Couric last month that she did. She tells Williams something a little different.

Hmm, so what would be the explanation for labeling others with terms like, “socialist” or “terrorist” or “elitist” or “pro-America” or “anti-America”?

These are the problems a person will run into if they speak only in labels – which are, you know I’m going to say this, conclusory. They pull them out all the time to use in rhetorical speeches repeated over and over and over. But if someone seeks to apply one to them, not so much.

NB: I interpret Palin’s use of “innocent” Americans as a way to make sure that, should abortion be banned and criminalized, people who perform the medical procedure of abortion – as well as the women who have the procedure performed on them – would not be innocent Americans. They would be criminals.

H/t Oliver Willis.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:55 pm October 23rd, 2008 in Abortion, Barack Obama, Campaigning, Elections, Gender, John McCain, Politics, Sarah Palin, WH2008, Women | 1 Comment 

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Oct

23

St. Louis sixth graders hold “Hit A Jew Day”

Filed Under Crime, Education, Religion, Social Issues, Youth | 31 Comments

I received this story from a friend who is in education in a Chicago suburb, but used to live in the St. Louis area. She writes, “…it is a public high school in West St. Louis County, which is a relatively affluent suburb of St. Louis.”

Four or five Parkway West Middle School students will be disciplined after administrators found out this week that they designated a “Hit A Jew Day” at the 850-student school.

Principal Linda Lelonek learned Monday evening that her sixth-graders had started an unofficial “spirit week” last week.

The students started with “Hug A Friend Day,” moved to “High Five Day,” “Hit A Tall Person Day,” and then, finally, this Monday, to “Hit A Jew Day,” representatives of the Parkway School District said.

The students generally were not being violent, Lelonek said, but instead “tapping” their peers.

“It was almost like a tag thing,” Lelonek said. “But then it changed.”

She now knows of three or four students who were slapped; none told school officials about being hit. “They said, ‘We were just playing,’” she said.

After school Monday, Lelonek heard from the mother of one of the school’s roughly 35 Jewish students.

Lelonek called an all-sixth-grade assembly first thing Tuesday morning. She said she asked the students if they had heard of each designated “day.” Nearly all raised their hands. Then she asked, “What’s tomorrow going to be? ‘Hit A Principal Day?’”

“You could have heard a pin drop,” she said. “One started saying, ‘Oh, no, Ms. Lelonek.’”

“I said, ‘Don’t say a word.’”

Lelonek said discipline will range from parent conferences to suspensions.

She said the sixth-graders will be studying the Holocaust later this year. “It’s going to be a little more meaningful this year than it’s ever been before,” she said.

I’m speechless. But here’s a post about the incident by someone who grew up in the area.  She links to an article that reports,

Educators said they do not believe the incident was done with hatred or prejudice.

I just cannot bring myself to even put into words what I think about that belief of the educators.

From KansasCity.com:

…Karen Aroesty, St. Louis regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, said this was more than a case of school bullying.

“You wonder where a bunch of sixth-graders come up with this stuff,” Aroesty said. “The fact is it’s out there. There are probably parents talking, and things they see on the news, and even things they can pick up on the Internet.”

The incident comes at a time of increasing reports of anti-Jewish behavior in the region, Aroesty said. A hate crime is under investigation in another St. Louis suburb, University City, where someone threw eggs at families of Orthodox Jews, she said. She believes the economic crisis may be spurring anti-Jewish sentiments.

“When economic crisis hits, somebody has to be blamed, and historically, Jews get the brunt of this,” Aroesty said.

I have seen several articles about how people are trying to blame Jews for the financial instability we’re all experiencing. Sigh.

Here’s the school’s website.

From the principal’s most recent newsletter:

One of our goals is to promote responsibility, respect, civility and altruism in our Parkway
Schools. These are all character traits supported through our Outdoor Education program and
recognized by our teachers here at West Middle School. I cannot thank you enough for
supporting your children and their education.

From the school’s student handbook, under the section, “Student Responsibilities”:

Students are expected to maintain a positive relationship with
others. This includes:
 Treating everyone, peers and adults, with kindness and
concern.
 Demonstrating a willingness to help others.
 Communicating with appropriate language and
comments.
 Safeguarding the well-being of others.
 Solving disagreements and conflicts in a positive manner.
 Responding in a positive way to adult requests, both in
words and actions.

From the section, “Philosophy of Education and Discipline”:

Parkway’s Code of Conduct
The following commitments are essential to a successful
school program and purposeful life:
 Parkway students will pursue academic excellence and
show respect for teaching and learning.
 Parkway students will promote responsibility, respect,
civility and altruism.
 Parkway students will demonstrate strong character.
 Parkway students will accept and honor all people
including those who appear different from themselves.
They will speak out and respond in support of people who
are targets of mockery, intimidation, or harassment.
 Parkway students will treat all members

From the “Standard of Conduct” section:

Standard 5. Harassing, Bullying, Threatening, Hazing or
Intimidating Others
A student shall not harass, bully, threaten, haze or intimidate
others for any reason. Threatening others for the purpose of
obtaining money or anything of value (i.e., extortion) is
prohibited.

Standard 17. Other Serious Misconduct
Students who engage in other misconduct not expressly
covered by the foregoing standards but which is disruptive to
school operations and detrimental to good order and discipline
may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including
suspension and/or expulsion.

Here’s a chart about the student demographics, with comparisons to MO schools overall.  Here’s the Parkway School District website.

Here’s the ADL’s response:

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), concerned over reported incidents targeting Jewish students at Parkway West Middle School, will be meeting with school officials on Friday, October 24 to discuss a broad, structured program of anti-bias education and response. A number of Jewish students at the school were hit by fellow classmates last week during what the students called “Hit a Jew Day.”


“It is shocking and distressing to see anti-Semitism acted out by middle school students,” said Karen Aroesty, ADL St. Louis Regional Director. “Our schools and schoolyards are places where respect and understanding should be the norm. We appreciate that administrators are responding swiftly and look forward to working with Parkway West Middle School to turn these incidents into teachable moments that will resonate both in the classroom and at home.”

ADL contacted the school after learning from the family of one of the victims about the different incidents that had occurred. Representatives from the League’s A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE® Institute will participate in the meeting with school officials.


ADL’s A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE ® Institute has provided anti-bias education and diversity training programs that explore the value of diversity, improve intergroup relations and combat racism, anti-Semitism and all forms of prejudice and bigotry.  The Institute has been active in the Missouri/Southern Illinois region for more than 20 years.

Of all the articles I could find, none really mention the parents of the kids involved in this “spirit day.”

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 4:23 pm October 23rd, 2008 in Crime, Education, Religion, Social Issues, Youth | 31 Comments 

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Oct

23

GOP strategist criticizes Obama’s use of plane to visit ill grandmother

Filed Under Barack Obama, Media, Politics, Sarah Palin, WH2008 | 15 Comments

This is just kookie:

Republican strategist Brad Blakeman, responding to a question about how John McCain could square his opposition to wasteful spending with the RNC shelling out over $150,000 on clothes and accessories for Sarah Palin, said that the real outrage is Barack Obama “taking a 767 campaign plane to go visit Grandma.” This is the same grandmother who raised Obama and who is very seriously ill. Blakeman continued, “Forget about the energy that is wasted, what about the hundreds of thousands of dollars to take a private trip when this guy should be humping his bags on a commercial plane or taking a smaller plane. Taking a 767 of campaign money from people who could least afford it is more of an outrage in my opinion.”

Here’s the video – because you really need to hear the intonations.  For the record, the host was inappropriate in his laughing out loud – that also was weird.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 3:01 pm October 23rd, 2008 in Barack Obama, Media, Politics, Sarah Palin, WH2008 | 15 Comments 

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Oct

23

PD’s O’Brien says: what Bill Ayers thinks of Obama should matter to us

Filed Under Barack Obama, Campaigning, Elections, Media, Ohio, Politics, WH2008 | 3 Comments

I couldn’t disagree more.  How anyone could and why anyone would elevate what any one person thinks about Barack Obama to the level that O’Brien has raised Bill Ayers astounds me.

The Plain Dealer’s Kevin O’Brien makes an argument in this op-ed that concludes with the following:

Goodness knows we’ve all heard that none of this matters [the items O'Brien describes about Ayers' past], because when Ayers was a mean, America-hating revolutionary, Obama was just 8 years old. We’re told that Ayers is a nice, America-hating revolutionary now, and that Obama would struggle to pick him out of a lineup.

Fine. Let’s grant Obama his plea of ignorance. Who cares about what Obama knew about Ayers, or when he knew it? What matters far more is that Ayers thinks highly of Obama.

Ayers was Obama’s partner in the Annenberg Challenge, was present at the creation of Obama’s political career and has contributed financially to him since then. He knows Obama a lot better than we do, and he has liked what he has seen. (So has Louis Farrakhan, but that’s a whole ¤’nother column.)

Here’s the “association” that counts: If Bill Ayers thinks Obama represents the kind of change he can believe in, the rest of us ought to take note.

O’Brien is writing in a paper that endorsed Barack Obama. So, how would he construe that association between himself and his employer?

Again – I don’t think Obama’s exposure to or contacts with Bill Ayers matter and I don’t think O’Brien’s employment with the Plain Dealer matter.

However, just as we question John McCain’s decision-making abilities because they seem to be without sufficient long-term consideration and more like constant spur of the moment hopes and wishes, I have to question O’Brien’s decision to use his space in the PD this way.  There are only 12 days left before the election.

O’Brien has been with the Plain Dealer since 1984, and has been its deputy editorial director and chief editorial writer since 1993.  That’s 15 years and three presidential election cycles. Does he really not have the material for two additional persuasive columns on behalf of John McCain and the Republican Party that could be more persuasive on voters than this one today?  I just cannot believe that this is the best or the second best he has to assist conservatives and give them, dare I say it, hope.

That is a very sad conclusion, for so many reasons.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 1:54 pm October 23rd, 2008 in Barack Obama, Campaigning, Elections, Media, Ohio, Politics, WH2008 | 3 Comments 

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Oct

23

Projections R Us, courtesy of John McCain

Filed Under Barack Obama, Campaigning, Elections, John McCain, Politics, WH2008 | Comments Off

With 12 days to go, it sounds as though John McCain’s latest stump speech must include, if nothing else, the phrase that Barack Obama will say, “anything to get elected”: the AP reports on it being used today in Florida and ABC reports on it being used yesterday in Cincinnati.

The problem with McCain’s attack line is, as ThinkProgress has been pointing out for over a month in this detailed post, McCain Flip Flops, this is, again, another case of “I know you are but what am I.” As Ben Armbruster wrote just yesterday:

During an interview this afternoon with Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), a reporter from local Washington, D.C. area CBS affiliate told McCain that some “commentators” and even some “personal friends” have asked, “Where is the John McCain from 2000?” The reporter then asked, “Did that guy go away? Has something changed?” But McCain took issue with the premise of the reporter’s question, claiming that nothing has changed since 2000:

MCCAIN: You’ll have to tell me what’s changed. I love it when they say, “Oh McCain has changed.” And I say, “What have I changed on?” They can’t name a single issue or they’ll name an issue and its false. I’m the same guy. I’m proud of our campaign.

From ThinkProgress (all links go back there), here are McCain’s 44 flip-flops: Read more

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 12:45 pm October 23rd, 2008 in Barack Obama, Campaigning, Elections, John McCain, Politics, WH2008 | Comments Off 

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Oct

23

What a leader looks like

Filed Under Education, leadership, Women | 2 Comments

Yeah, okay, I’m pretty excited that I actually know someone who has reached this pinnacle.  I think that’s pretty cool even though it’s not me or my achievement.  I wrote about it when it was first announced in January.  But that was before Barack Obama became the Democratic Party’s nominee for president and John McCain selected Sarah Palin as his VP and the idea of what a leader looks like, especially one who is female, got the scrutiny it has in the several months.

Now, today, Debora Spar, who was one of my closest friends in college, will be inaugurated as the president of Barnard College.  That just totally blows me away. Not because of what the role is or who it is. But that that’s the phase the women with whom I’ve been educated and worked and grown up with have gotten to.

Of course, there are so many faces and profiles of women whom we consider to be leaders (see here for an example from just this week), and our definition of who is a leader is not, at least for me, static. Every walk of life, every role we occupy, every industry, discipline, characteristic – has someone or someone with certain qualities – that we identify as a leader or characteristics of a leader.

What does a leader look like? Here’s one version, revealed in this article about Spar by Kate Taylor of The Daily Beast. An excerpt:

Debora Spar represents a brilliant choice. She is the first Barnard president to have come of age after the feminist revolution, giving her the easy confidence—not stridency—of someone who grew up feeling that all doors were open to her. She is, as one member of the search committee noted, exactly the kind of woman that most Barnard students will aspire to be. “I mean, forget about all the credentials and all the books she’s written,” a hedge-fund manager, Jolyne Caruso, said. “She’s a mother of three children; one of them is adopted. She’s got the work/life balance down pat. She’s in good physical shape, she runs, she’s pretty, she’s brilliant. These girls are really going to relate to her.”

She intends to be more than just a role model on campus; she hopes to be a symbol of the smart women Barnard churns out. In an interview with Quindlen in the summer issue of Barnard Magazine, Spar waxed admiringly about deposed Harvard president Larry Summers, who she said was—before his gaffe about women and science—doing “remarkable things to reestablish the role of the college president as a public intellectual.” It’s fair to guess that Spar will take on something of a Summers-like role, but perhaps with a bit more tact.

She is above all interested in women as leaders, or rather, in why (after all this time!) there aren’t more women in visible, high-powered roles. She has spent her career researching why women don’t reach the top levels of business, politics, law, etc., in proportionate numbers to men. As a political scientist, she wrote a no-holds-barred book about the fertility industry and why it is flawed as a “market” and detrimental to women. If she approaches the issues facing Barnard’s image with the same hardheaded, scientific approach, she stands to be a true force.

What does a leader look like to you?  Wouldn’t it be great, maybe after the elections, to start a blog or series that focuses solely on profiling leaders, especially those in the NE Ohio community?

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:04 am October 23rd, 2008 in Education, leadership, Women | 2 Comments 

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