The Feb. 1 editorial “Same words, same tune” brought up President George W. Bush’s inability to give meaningful speeches. As Bush opened his speech Tuesday night, he mentioned the death of the great civil rights activist, Coretta Scott King.
The disturbing irony, I find, is that with this courageous woman’s death, so dies the rights for which she fought. Not just the rights for blacks, but for all Americans. Not exclusive to people of Middle Eastern descent, but for the entire human race. Bush’s opening to a bombardment of empty-hearted lies and unfulfilled promises was the remembrance of a great leader lost and the introduction to the trouncing of our civil liberties.
Bush’s post-speech visit to Maplewood on Thursday was an opportunity to comment on the future of our nation, the students and their education, which were addressed, according to White House spokesman Allen Abney.
There is a 3000-level art history class at the University that is unable to test the 105 students appropriately in its ill-suited classroom because there was only one teaching assistant assigned to grade the class’ numerous essays. The midterm, originally an essay, was switched to a multiple-choice test, ultimately because of under-funding.
According to the professor, this was not an acceptable way to test the subject material. The testing might, however, be acceptable at Yale, where the art history courses are “typically 10 to 20 students per instructor,” according to a Yale admissions counselor.
Instead of funding much-needed teaching assistants, the money went “to rebuild and transform our Armed Forces” by “rais(ing) spending for our military by more than a third,” according to Bush’s 2006 budget overview.
Bush views this option as more appealing than public education. In this vain attempt to please the wealthy through a war of false security, the kids of America suffer.
Bush continues to condemn Democrats for not supporting his war. Yet Bush throws around mentions of Sept. 11, 2001, like a ratty baseball. As unraveling red threads are ripped out by over-use, his administration also is quickly falling apart because of scandals, budget deficits and his inability to support Americans. It’s time we reclaim this nation as a democracy.
Meaghan Tessman is a University student. Please send comments to [email protected].
