Utahs Republic

Last Saturday on Red Meat Radio, Senator Howard Stephenson interviewed Senator Orrin Hatch. The first 7 minutes are about some things going on in Washington, and then right at the 7 minute mark, Senator Stephenson turns the conversation to the Republican convention and what happened to Bob Bennett. S. Stephenson brings up states rights and the 17th amendment and Senator Hatch and he have an interesting conversation about what really happened to Senator Bennett. I encourage you to give it a listen, at least from the 7 minute mark.

Senator Howard Stephenson interviews Senator Orrin Hatch

Update 10/23/10: for those of you looking for the most relevant information on the elections I recommend you visit www.SaveASD.com for candidates that will act as the public watchdogs we need, instead of acting as apologists for district policies.

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Original post:

Yesterday, the Provo Daily Herald ran an article on the school board races in Alpine School District. They mentioned the 33 page document I put together along with my endorsements for the candidates in the races. Although I have printed this elsewhere on this site I want to reproduce it here for easy finding.

Provo Daily Herald Article: Discontent polarizes Alpine district races

Oak Norton’s Endorsements for School Board Races in Alpine School District (click here for the full 33-page story mentioned in the article as well as a bullet list of issues with ASD)

Primary voting is June 22nd. Early voting is happening through the 18th. Check for locations at https://elections.utah.gov.

*Candidates I endorse, mainly due to their positions on math and civics education

A1-Lehi/Saratoga Springs/Eagle Mountain
*Paula Hill (https://paulahill4u.wordpress.com/)
*Casey Voeks (https://www.caseyvoeks.com/)

A2-Highland/Alpine/Cedar Hills/Small segment of Northeast Lehi
*Wendy Hart (https://wendyhart2010.com)
*Zonda Perry (https://www.zonda.org)

A3-American Fork
Incumbent-*Tim Osborn (https://www.electtimosborn.com/)

A5-Southwest Orem
*Scott Bell (https://www.BELLforSchoolBoard.com)
*Brad Thompson

The Abigail Adams Project invited all the candidates to answer a number of questions for voter guides. You may view all of Utah here for those candidates that responded:

https://www.abigailadamsprojectut.com/voterinformation.htm

By Susie Schnell

What is the difference between John Goodlad and Bill Ayers?

Answer: One was a revolutionary terrorist who served time in jail before he realized the best way to revolutionize America is through public schools. The other socialist already knew this.

What is the difference between John Goodlad and Bill Ayers’ Educational Philosophy?

Answer: There is no difference. Bill Ayers’ is the Keynote Speaker at the 2010 John Goodlad NNER Conference in October 2010. (Link)

For those that may never have heard of Bill Ayers, you can look him up on the web and there are a couple of links below the table. He participated in the bombings of the New York City Police Headquarters in 1970, of the Capitol building in 1971, and the Pentagon in 1972. Then he went into hiding and emerged with an intense desire to bring democratic education to students.

Check out this comparison chart:

John Goodlad	Bill Ayers
Current Professor, College of Education University of Washington.	Current Professor, College of Education University of Illinois, Chicago
University of Chicago Earned a Ph.D. and was on the faculty	University of Chicago Currently on the faculty
Prolific Author Published over 30 books, 80 book chapters, and more than 200 journal articles about education reform.	Prolific Author Written at least 23 books on education reform
National Education Speaker	National Education Speaker
Humanist Author of Toward a Mankind School: An Adventure in Humanistic Education “The curriculum of the future ‘will be what one might call the humanistic curriculum.’” (John Goodlad, NEA Journal 1966)	Humanist “For humanists and democratic educators, the largest, most generous purpose of education is always human enlightenment and human liberation, and the driving principle is the unity of all humanity. We embrace the conviction that every human being is of incalculable value.” (Ayers commentary of Eugenics and Education, July 2008)
Democracy Author of Education and the Making of a Democratic People with Roger Soder and Bonnie McDaniel Goodlad says we will not have the schools we need, “until community leaders, educators and policymakers agree on the democratic purpose of public schooling and work together toward its advancement.” (Seattle pi opinion, November 28, 2008, Judging the Bush years: Well-educated or much-schooled?) Enculturating the Young into a Social and Political Democracy (Developing Democratic Character in the Young) Agenda for Education in a Democracy (AED) (Teacher training to advance democracy training, National Network for Educational Renewal (NNER)	Democracy Bill Ayers, “The State of Democracy in America: Education Reform and Civic Engagement” In the 1960’s belonged to Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) in Chicago which eventually became the Weather Underground under Ayer’s leadership, a terrorist organization to revolutionize America. “Capitalism promotes racism and militarism – turning people into consumers, not citizens. Participatory democracy, by contrast, requires free people coming together voluntarily as equals who are capable of both self-realization and, at the same time, full participation in a shared political and economic life.”(2006 speech at the World Education Forum, Venezuela with President Hugo Chavez)
Child Belongs to the State Goodlad wrote, “A century has passed since the prescient educational historian Ellwood Cubberley wrote the epigraph with which this writing began: “Each year the child is coming to belong more to the State and less and less to the parent.” “My only disagreement with his observation pertains to the implication of our owning children. We parents do not own our children; we just rent them for a while. Given the extent to which what he was troubled about has expanded, however, his reference to state ownership may well be appropriate.” (2010, Washington Post, Goodlad on school reform: Are we ignoring lessons of last 50 years?	Child Belongs to the State
Follower of John Dewey (Socialist) In Praise of Education (John Dewey Lecture Series) Earned John Dewey Society Outstanding Achievement Award (2009)	Follower of John Dewey (Socialist) Ayers said, “John Dewey was one of the brilliant, brilliant writers about what democratic education would look like and was himself an independent socialist. (October 2006 interview of Bill Ayers in Revolution (the self-styled “Voice of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA”)
Education and Politics “Schooling is a practical, political affair.” (Developing Democratic Character in the Young) “The state we should strive for is better described in Deweyan terms as a social democracy.” (John Goodlad, 2001: Developing Democratic Character in the Young)	Education and Politics “…the separation of the concept of progressive education from the concept of politics and political change. You can’t separate them.” (2006 interview with Bill Ayers, Voice of Revolutionary Communist Party, USA)
Role of Parents “Parents do not own their children. They have no ‘natural right’ to control their education fully.” (Developing Democratic Character in the Young, pp. 164.) “Most youth still hold the same values of their parents…if we do not alter this pattern, if we don’t resocialize, our system will decay.” (Education Innovation, Issue 9.)
Morals Wrote The Moral Dimensions of Teaching with Roger Soder and Kenneth Sirotnik “Educators must resist the quest for certainty. If there were certainty there would be no scientific advancement. So it is with morals and patriotism.” (Education for Everyone, p. 6.)	Morals Wrote Teaching Toward Freedom: Moral Commitment and Ethical Action in the Classroom “Even though we think of ourselves as political, we weren’t politicians. We were people who had a moral vision of what was possible.” (At a 2007 reunion of former members of the Weather Underground and Students for a Democratic Society)
Spoke at NNER 2005 Conference with ASD Superintendent and Administrators	Spoke at NNER 2005 Conference with ASD Superintendent and Administrators
Proponent of Social Justice “It is my expectation that Teacher Education for Democracy and Social Justice will become a rich resource for continuing this multi-layered conversation-from democratic belief to democratic action-that is the hallmark of educational renewal.” (Goodlad’s forward to Teacher Education for Democracy and Social Justice, Nicholas Michelli and David Lee Keiser)	Proponent of Social Justice Wrote Education in and for Democracy: The Case for Social Justice in the Classroom Teaching for Social Justice: A Democracy and Education Reader (1998) “I walked out of jail and into my first teaching position—and from that day until this I’ve thought of myself as a teacher, but I’ve also understood teaching as a project intimately connected with social justice.”(Bill Ayers’ 2006 speech at the World Education Forum in Caracas, Venezuela in front of Pres. Hugo Chavez).
Recognized as a leader of educational reform Goodlad’s best known book, A Place Called School (1984), received the Outstanding Book of the Year Award from the American Educational Research Association and the Distinguished Book of the Year Award. He is a past president of the American Educational Research Association and, in 1993, received that organization’s Award for Distinguished Contributions to Educational Research.	Recognized as a leader of educational reform In 1997 Chicago recognized him as Citizen of the Year because of his key role in advancing educational reform in the city’s public schools. Ayers was elected Vice President for Curriculum Studies by the American Educational Research Association in 2008.
Reason for Public Education “Schooling is a practical, political affair.” (Developing Democratic Character in the Young) “It was clear a year later that health care and schooling were high on President Obama’s action agenda.” The nation’s cultural readiness for a long-overdue great turning—might come to pass. “Clearly, there must be a great turning in schooling. The new will not evolve out of what we have now or try to fix. It is not broken. Indeed, it is very stable and solid, guided by ideologies that will not be disturbed, no matter what the evidence to their contrary. “What we must do now nationwide is begin the 20-or-more-year process of creating a new tomorrow. “Education is the great equalizer. Unfortunately, in policy, family, community, the marketplace, institutions, and more, it turns out not to be.” (2010 Washington Post article by Goodlad) “A standardized curriculum of basic skills such as reading, writing and arithmetic cannot prepare people to participate in a democracy.” ”Enlightened social engineering is required to face situations that demand global action now.” (John Goodlad, Preface to J.M. Becker: Schooling for a Global Age)	Reason for Public Education “We share the belief that education is the motor-force of revolution… overcome the failings of capitalist education as you seek to create something truly new and deeply humane.” (Bill Ayers’ 2006 speech at the World Education Forum in Caracas, Venezuela in front of Pres. Hugo Chavez). “Education either reinforces or challenges the existing social order, and school is always a contested space…” (2006 Speech, Venezuela) “Venezuela is poised to offer the world a new model of education– a humanizing and revolutionary model whose twin missions are enlightenment and liberation.” (2006 Speech, Venezuela) “Education—teaching and schooling—either reinforces or challenges the existing social order. For humanists and democratic educators, the largest, most generous purpose of education is always human enlightenment and human liberation, and the driving principle is the unity of all humanity.” (Bill Ayers.wordpress.com, review of Eugenics and Education by Ann Winfeild)

Which socialist/humanist/atheist radical would you choose as an educational consultant? How about neither.

For more information see these articles:

Bill Ayers and the Subversion of Education

Bill Ayers Scary Plans for Public Schools

I was wrong and I freely admit it. In my “Full Story” document I had a section talking about how ASD had removed a damaging web page from their site. However, after someone read my document, they did further searching and were able to find the page still alive and well. Click the link below and become an eyewitness to this quote.

“Arguments for compulsory education have been based on the idea that the school is the only institution that can counter the accident of birth, guarantee quality of opportunity, and provide objective and fair ways to select and train talented individuals.” – Walter Feinberg

https://www.alpine.k12.ut.us/phpApps/genericPage.php?pdid=777

ASD-Democracy-The Moral Dimensions (click for pdf version of the page in case it disappears)

I’m not certain who posted this page but Barry Graff’s name is at the bottom of it and it says if you have questions or comments to contact him. He is also one of the 4 Goodlad appointed “AED” (Agenda for Education in a Democracy) scholars in this region. (link)

Utah County…

The most conservative county in the most conservative state in the country…

It can’t happen here…

All is well…

If it can happen here, it’s probably happening in your school district too.

(Please spread this message)

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

After sending someone the first draft of my story (right-click to save the pdf), she wrote back that it kept her up till 1 am reading it and then she couldn’t go to sleep till 4 because she was so mad. I can only hope it has the same effect on you when you see these events and concerns chained together. I hope it will help you realize that a change in educational leadership is needed in Alpine School District (ASD).

The full story is attached which details the experience of many parents in dealing with ASD over the last several years including the Investigations math fiasco, down to some of the latest disturbing events which you may have read in the press concerning the district’s infatuation with someone Charlotte Iserbyt calls “the nation’s premier change agent.” I hope you will read at least portions of the attached letter, but I will post 2 things below for your convenience. First my endorsements for school board race candidates in ASD, and second the historical list of concerns with the district.

Primary voting is June 22nd. Early voting is happening through the 18th. Check for locations at https://elections.utah.gov.

*Candidates I endorse, mainly due to their positions on math and civics education (This list has been edited after the primary to only show the candidates that made it through the primary. All are in the November election against a candidate that will maintain the status quo.)

A1-Lehi/Saratoga Springs/Eagle Mountain
*Paula Hill (https://paulahill4u.wordpress.com/)

A2-Highland/Alpine/Cedar Hills/Small segment of Northeast Lehi
*Wendy Hart (https://wendyhart2010.com)

A3-American Fork
Incumbent-*Tim Osborn (https://www.electtimosborn.com/)

A5-Southwest Orem
*Scott Bell (https://www.BELLforSchoolBoard.com)

The Abigail Adams Project invited all the candidates to answer a number of questions for voter guides. You may view all of Utah here for those candidates that responded:
https://www.abigailadamsprojectut.com/voterinformation.htm

Historical List of Concerns with the District

Investigations Math

• Alpine School District (ASD) intentionally removed the times tables, long division, and division by fractions from schools when they implemented Investigations math.
• ASD’s school board failed to fix the problem when presented with clear and mounting evidence of increased failure rates.
• ASD’s school board failed to remove Connected math when presented with facts about its failure, its removal from the state approved program list, and lack of any studies to support it.
• ASD actually confiscated textbooks at 4 known schools to ensure teachers had to switch to Investigations math. John Burton, candidate for school board in American Fork, was over those schools at the time. His direct role in that (if any) is unknown.
• ASD intimidated and threatened some teachers’ contracts at two elementary schools if those teachers didn’t implement Investigations math.
• Multiple parents were individually told “you’re the only one that’s ever complained about the math” by a district math official in an attempt to isolate them. A similar thing happened when parents complained about another program a few years earlier.
• ASD school board read a statement in 2003 to the Utah legislature on why they wouldn’t approve any more charter schools in ASD because the board wouldn’t be able to vouch for quality of education in those schools.
• Orem investigated breaking away from ASD so ASD promised a choice for schools between “standards-based” (Investigations style) math or traditional math.
• ASD only offers 2 “standards-based” programs (slightly better than Investigations). Then ASD provided teachers with Investigations math books the week before school, encouraged their use, and touts they now use “balanced” math. Public is lulled back to sleep while some ASD teachers use Investigations 100%.

The United States Constitution

• ASD is the ONLY school district in the state to refuse to help distribute “In God We Trust” posters to teachers…because the word “Republic” was on the posters.
• ASD is indoctrinating teachers (which filters to students) that we are not a Republic. Teachers in turn tell students we are not a Republic.
• ASD promotes social and political democracy (Definition of social democracy: transformation from capitalism to socialism).
• ASD linked their website to a radical anarchist who calls our Founding Fathers “predatory elitists” and is grateful we are moving away from being a republic toward pure democracy.
• ASD blames *parents* for “misrepresenting” their position.
• ASD refuses to tell how, and then lied about how the link got put up (told a parent the link just appeared out of nowhere).
• ASD’s school board refuses to respond to parent’s questions—instead, defends the district. (Who do they work for?)
• ASD administrators are given national awards for their commitment to promoting John Goodlad’s agenda.
• ASD continues to pull web pages from their site due to controversial content
• ASD just adopted a new termination policy limiting freedom of speech of district employees. You may be terminated if you bring “reproach” on the district.
• ASD has paid for BYU employees at CITES with our tax dollars.

In spite of these negatives I am eternally grateful to ASD because if it wasn’t for their ability to be the poster child for reform in Utah:

• We wouldn’t have a State Charter School Board
• We wouldn’t have got the state math standards raised
• We wouldn’t have got the help of legislators and the state school board to review the social studies standards and get the word Republic put back in the standards (in process)
• Parents wouldn’t be waking up to the dangers of socialism right in our own back yard

Sincerely,

Oak Norton

The Full Story (right-click to save the pdf)

I got this email last night from a friend and watched the 16 minute video.  My friend was right about it being a momentous piece. The video is about helping veterans and others and Salt Lake City gets a prominent mention for the LDS church’s Welfare Square that helps so many people. In the latter half, a disfigured veteran is interviewed and after that I think the interviewer does a great job summarizing his experience. Please watch it at lunch or with your family tonight.

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Dear Friends,

You may want to gather your family and loved ones around and watch this 16 minutes together. It could very well change the life of everyone in your sphere of influence.

https://www.pjtv.com/?cmd=mpg&mpid=56&load=3492

D.

PS  Don’t miss the final one minute.

The Deseret News published my response “‘Social Democracy’ a Dangerous Idea” to BYU English Professor Brian Jackson’s op-ed piece of a week and a half ago. Please check it out here:

https://www.deseretnews.com/mobile/article/700040067/Social-democracy-a-dangerous-idea.html

Here is the text of my response.

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In response to Brian Jackson’s op-ed piece (“Political sentiment is far from reason,” June 2), I would like to respond as one of the chief “McCarthyites” he chastises for taking issue with the Alpine School District’s mission statement, “Enculturating the Young into a Social and Political Democracy.”

This is ironic. Jackson, an English professor at BYU, is defending a man (John Goodlad) who redefined the term social democracy and is apparently completely OK with that. Then Jackson ridicules parents who mentioned a definition for “social democracy” from Wikipedia. Perhaps Jackson would like these similar definitions better from Merriam-Webster’s: “(1) a political movement advocating a gradual and peaceful transition from capitalism to socialism by democratic means. (2) a democratic welfare state that incorporates both capitalist and socialist practices.”

What Goodlad openly espouses is that we should vote on not just candidates for office, but as a society we need to vote on knowledge and morals. In his atheistic view there is no God, so we as a people need to determine what truth is and what morals we should subscribe to based on their relative current value to society. This is called moral relativism.

In 1966, Goodlad wrote in the NEA Journal, “The curriculum of the future ‘will be what one might call the humanistic curriculum.’ ” The Humanist Manifesto was written based on the Communist Manifesto, and John Dewey was one of the original signatories. The Manifesto actually declares itself a “religion” that espouses atheism and moral relativism. I wonder if Jackson would be OK if educators were given LDS, Jewish, or Muslim teachings in their professional development training? No? Then why humanism? It’s simply another religion.

In 2001, Goodlad wrote in “Developing Democratic Character in the Young” that “parents do not own their children. They have no ‘natural right’ to control their education fully.”

From “Education for Everyone: Agenda for Education in a Democracy,” Goodlad says, “In the quest for learning, educators must resist the quest for certainty. If there were certainty there would be no scientific advancement. So it is with morals and patriotism.” This is utterly ridiculous. If we have no certainty then how do we measure and confirm “scientific advancement?” If we have no certainty then we have no basis for measurement.

We have a serious case of affinity fraud in Utah where the public so trusts the people in educational positions of power, they don’t take the time and effort to dig into what’s being taught. If you do, and openly declare it, you are castigated by people who support the power and authority of people who have given us gems such as “investigations math,” where for three straight years children were not taught the times tables or long division in Alpine School District (another “gift” from Goodlad the constructivist).

I encourage you to dig a little deeper into Goodlad and awake to the fact that his organizations, the National Network for Educational Renewal in particular, are an affront to all people who believe in moral absolutes and natural rights that come from God. If you search the Web, you’ll find plenty of troubling things like how his NNER is trying to push the homosexual movement into BYU. His organizations are nothing more than “enculturation” centers for educators, lapping up a dangerous and destructive agenda that when fully realized will overthrow constitutional government and public morality. Do I think it is the intent of the people in Alpine School District and the BYU McKay School of Education to do this? No, I’ve never espoused a conspiracy there. I just think they’re willingly ignorant because Goodlad is such a prominent national education figure. He’s dangerous but well-respected.

Someone sent me this great clip of John Wayne. Makes me want to watch some of his movies. What a great American.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaPA8fGeRUc[/youtube]

I caught a few minutes of Neal Boortz’s show the other day and heard him reading from an article he’d found online and thought it was excellent so I looked it up.

The article was about what constitutes a “right” and was based on the author’s reading of another author’s article on the new healthcare “right” that liberals are talking about.

Here’s a link to the first article:
Brent Batten: New rights do make a wrong
Brent Batten: New rights do make a wrong

Here’s a link to the one Neal read parts from on air:
Guest commentary: New ‘rights’ are wrong by Don Richmond

Here’s a clip from Don’s article:

Brent Batten was absolutely correct in his column of March 25 when he stated there is no right to “the fruits of another group’s labor.”

The Declaration of Independence holds that rights are “self-evident.” However, it is the failure to grasp the true nature of rights which has brought this country to its current condition. It remained for the 20th-century philosopher Ayn Rand to explicitly identify rights as “moral principle(s) defining and sanctioning a man’s freedom of action in a social context.” Rights pertain only to “freedom from physical compulsion, coercion or interference by other men. … Rights impose no obligations on (others) except of a negative kind: to abstain from violating (your) rights.”

The source of all rights is the right to life, and its sole implementation is the right to property, the right to use the products of your efforts to sustain your life. The rights to liberty and the pursuit of happiness are the rights to enjoy your life and use your property. Rights are an objectively necessary requirement of human life, principles which apply equally to all persons and at all times. In sum, rights are freedoms for rational beings to take the actions necessary to fulfill and enjoy their lives. Any alleged “right” which violates these rights is not a right, but an excuse for a crime.

The Salt Lake Tribune reprinted an article from the NY Times entitled “Why state legislatures should not pick U.S. senators.” The author points out how a wealthy robber barron named William Clark, essentially purchased a senate seat by paying off his state legislature. Actions such as these led to the creation and passage of the 17th amendment which put the election of senators into the hands of the people.

The author correctly points out that this is corrupt politics at its worst. However, he is incorrect in his assessment of the 17th amendment.

When the Founding Fathers created our government, the “checks and balances” we often talk about came because of the conflict designed into the system. Each branch of government has the ability to strike at another branch. The congress with its House and Senate has to pass legislation through both. The Senators used to be appointed by the states to further enhance the conflict so that when House members who were elected by popular vote made promises to the people, they could be held in check by those who were looking out for the State interests and wouldn’t have the same body they were looking out for. Senators were to protect the interest of the states while Representatives were for the interest of the people.

It would have been far better that instead of passing the 17th amendment, we had made it a felony to contribute to a state legislator if you were running for federal office. If we had done something like that rather than put the 17th amendment in place, we wouldn’t have the outcry for states’ rights these days because the states would still have an advocate in the Congress.