From the Chico Enterprise-Record:
Wildflower students linked to graffiti in Bidwell Park
Recent graffiti in Bidwell Park was at the hands of students from a Chico charter school as part of a lesson on civic engagement and activism.
Seventh- and eighth-graders at Wildflower Open Classroom on Cohasset Road have been involved with an anti-fracking campaign and are among those planning to take part in a rally in Oakland on Saturday. On Monday, students and some staff members vandalized parts of lower park with anti-fracking messages and advertisements for the weekend rally.
School site director Tom Hicks said Thursday that the vandalism was an unfortunate error in judgment related to the middle school students’ studies in civic engagement and activism. Earlier in the year, they selected fracking as a topic and became engaged with the issue.
After research into ways to put their ideas in motion, students decided to use sidewalk chalk and stencils to get their message out, including making their own biodegradable chalk. The activity in the park took place after school Monday with students and staff.
“Unfortunately there was some miscommunication and then error in judgment on our behalf by doing this in the park,” Hicks said. “At this point we are working with the parks department to rectify the situation and making every effort to turn this into a learning experience for everybody involved.”
…
On the students’ Facebook page, they explain they have decided to take a stand against fracking. They are helping Frack-Free Butte County organize a bus to the March for Real Climate Leadership and raise awareness through a community art project and outreach.
The March for Real Climate Leadership is expected to attract thousands of people to Oakland, where participants will call on Gov. Jerry Brown to ban fracking and push for 100 percent renewable energy. A bus of local people is leaving from Butte College at 7 a.m.
The whole story is here: http://www.chicoer.com/general-news/20150205/wildflower-students-linked-to-graffiti-in-bidwell-park
I don’t buy the explanation, because what is missing is an apology. They knew what they were doing, they knew they’d get press; it’s just another dishonest tactic by people that have no scruples, who are brainwashing the minds of children to push their own political agenda. Shame on Wildflower School.
Given the sort of hateful aberrations we’ve seen in the UK on fracking, as reported by Bishop Hill, I suppose this isn’t surprising behavior. It suggests to me though, that the people that do these things are a slice short of having cheese on their cracker.
I wonder though, if Chico had email addresses for each tree in Bidwell Park, such as what was recently revealed for the City Park trees in Melbourne, Australia, what would the tree write back?
Here is what I think the tree might say in an email in the flavor of one recently sent in Melbourne:
To: Wildflower School, Chico
Subject: Vandalism at the hands of your students
“Dear School Administrators,
I’m writing to tell you that I’m shocked that a school that emphasizes Stewardship in it’s guiding principles…
Stewardship means…
Being the example you wish to see. Caring for people, environment (school and Earth), and our community with the joint goal of prosperity and success. As stewards we provide service to others and the environment by using resources productively and with good intentions. We teach and practice eco-awareness and connectivity to our planet.
…would purposely and with no regard for me and the people that enjoy my peaceful beauty would abandon such principles for a cheap political trick to get attention.
People that walk through the park want the beauty and tranquility of nature, not graffitti from people with apparently no regard for the trees that provide that experience.
Shame, shame, shame, on you.
Enjoy your day. Yours sincerely, Tree 1441724.”
UPDATE: Predictably, a few foolhardy apologists cry foul in comments saying that because they used “biodegradable chalk” on the trees “they did nothing wrong”.
If it were a PRO fracking message, done with “biodegradeable chalk”, those same people would have a COW over it.
Further, they used petroleum based solvent with a freon based propellant spray chalk paint elsewhere to paint political messages like this one:
![EP-150209876[1]](https://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/ep-1502098761.jpg?quality=83)
Vandalism of a public park is simply wrong, no matter what was used to do it, and anyone who says otherwise is doubly wrong to try to defend it.
For those who want to defend this inane action and complain about this article, feel free to be as upset as you wish.
see theeuroprobe.org 2015 – 009 Russian connection to Anti Fracking activists
Try this:
http://www.theeuroprobe.org/2015-008-russian-connection-to-anti-fracking-activists/
Pretty amusing that the so-called Russian connection is a Brit Hedge Fund manager.
Makes sense. Hedge short, then agitate against the companies you short to drive down their share prices. Your fund makes a mitt-full of money.
reminds me of this other money making scheme:
The Bloomberg News reported that put options on the airlines surged to the phenomenal high of 285 times their average.
Over three days before terrorists flattened the World Trade Center and damaged the Pentagon, there was more than 25 times the previous daily average trading in a Morgan Stanley “put” option that makes money when shares fall below $45. Trading in similar AMR and UAL put options, which make money when their stocks fall below $30 apiece, surged to as much as 285 times the average trading up to that time. 6
When the market reopened after the attack, United Airlines stock fell 42 percent from $30.82 to $17.50 per share, and American Airlines stock fell 39 percent, from $29.70 to $18.00 per share. 7
An October 19 article in the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the SEC, after a period of silence, had undertaken the unprecedented action of deputizing hundreds of private officials in its investigation:
The proposed system, which would go into effect immediately, effectively deputizes hundreds, if not thousands, of key players in the private sector.
…
In a two-page statement issued to “all securities-related entities” nationwide, the SEC asked companies to designate senior personnel who appreciate “the sensitive nature” of the case and can be relied upon to “exercise appropriate discretion” as “point” people linking government investigators and the industry. 17
Michael Ruppert, a former LAPD officer, explains the consequences of this action:
What happens when you deputize someone in a national security or criminal investigation is that you make it illegal for them to disclose publicly what they know. Smart move. In effect, they become government agents and are controlled by government regulations rather than their own conscience. In fact, they can be thrown in jail without a hearing if they talk publicly. I have seen this implied threat time and again with federal investigations, intelligence agents, and even members of the United States Congress who are bound so tightly by secrecy oaths and agreements that they are not even able to disclose criminal activities inside the government for fear of incarceration. 18
Gosh, I didn’t realize there was fracking activity planned in Butte County. Who knew there was shale deposits there?
You may find this map a surprise then:
http://energyalmanac.ca.gov/petroleum/documents/MAP_OIL_GAS_GEOTHERMAL.PDF
These are just proven reserves and fields. The location of, and reason for the name of Petrolia may also be a surprise:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrolia,_California
First oil well drilled in California – and in Humboldt County at that.
Brian, there are 0 planned tracking of wells in Butte county. There are only 19 active gas wells at present and no producing oil wells (http://www.drillingedge.com/california/butte-county). There are none in the Chico vicinity. In 2014 they produced only 27.7 MCF of natural gas. Butte County is a very minor player in the petroleum industry.
The anti fracking lobby are using this as a trial balloon in California. There is relatively little capitol investment for natural gas in butte county to counter them (few jobs dependent on the industry). There is a liberal base with many radical elements and a sympathetic press in Chico, Ca.. Apparently the state educational system is allied with the movement as well. IF successful, the movement will extend to other counties in California.
The anti fracking trolls will definitely cover WUWT since Anthony Watts lives in Chico, CA. The trolls will not just display ad hominem attacks against pro-fracking interests, but also vulgar tactics that appear to be pro fracking. The latter will be referenced in the future to characterize the ‘pro fracking” element as similar to “Neanderthal racists”. As examples look at the comments of Christopher Piano, Duster? and others.
Biodegradable chalk I hear from the update. Here are biodegradable plastic sheets from Greenpeace on the Nazca Lines
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/79846000/jpg/_79846039_79846038.jpg
February 5, 2015
UPDATED: Nazca Lines: Argentine police arrest Greenpeace activist
http://www.peruthisweek.com/news-nasca-lines-argentine-police-arrest-greenpeace-activist-105206
Lets hope the activist is also biodegradable
Sacrificial lamb. What was originally advertised as months of careful planning suddenly became the actions of a single rogue element.
Even though the arrest is probably a red herring to move the spotlight from the Nisman case, it’s still good.
In our day we used to spray paint the school. no one in their right mind would have spray painted a park. what the hell are they teaching kids these days??
I’m afraid I don’t understand the US school system. Is this the work of the junior or the senior classes?
They seem to be learning how to antagonise and destroy in pursuit of political aims. Presumably the undergraduates do Jihad and terrorism?
In the US, High School is grades 9 through 12. These were 7th and 8th grades, what are called either Middle School or Junior High School. Roughly 13 and 14 years old.
The US public schools have been hijacked by the leftist indoctrination of socialist teachings. The apologists attitude of self esteem building narcissism.
They’ve been hijacked by male members of the Equus africanus asinus species.
Equus africanus asinus
They were saving the natural environment by destroying it.
They were saving the natural environment by painting over it.
Exactly…shades of the “we had to burn the village to save it” nonsense.
“They were saving the natural environment by painting over it.”
Old Gallagher joke.
“They say that cities are ruining the environment. That’s not true. It’s the farmers. They plant the crops that leach nutrients from the soil. Rotate the crops, rotate the nutrients they leach from the soil. Where in the cities they lay down asphalt and parking lots; seal in the nutrients.”
+1000 I have seen George Carlin say the same thing in a stand up ;>) Smart men or we would never laugh at the crazy in the world they seen and we did but never bitched about .
Earlier in the year, they selected fracking as a topic and became engaged with the issue.
In a completely objective and unbiased way, no doubt.
/s
You have to start young, otherwise the indoctrination will have less success. And you have to make sure people don’t ask inconvenient questions like “is this true?” and the most heinous question of all “where is the proof?”
Where is the outrage for teachers encouraging such behavior?
The Outrage was from both my girl’s 20 & 19 who went to university in china as they could not stand the crap here in uni in Can [ Ironik I guess but where they are is pure academic for astrophysics and molecular biology ] I am proud of them A’s all around . :>)
P.S Teach your kids to think for themselves and ask that question and we will be fine ;>)
“Selected” in Lefty, Dept of Education-speak = “was chosen by their eco-activist teacher/administrator” and his/her friends from Berkeley.
Hooray for them. It’s amazing that these kids learned enough chemistry, geology, geophysics, fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, and computer technology; plus the associated applications such as well design, mud engineering, mud-pulse drill bit control/feedback, and ceramic proppant design to make informed judgements on this issue before the end of eighth grade….
send them up north to work the oil fields as punishment
Hum Mick I never found working for my family as punishment, them having nothing would be way worst don’t you think ?
Mick don’t joke with that please ;>)
They don’t like hydraulic fracturing? Let them walk to school.
Rather than turning it into a ‘learning experience’ after the fact, could they not have instead indulged in a ‘thinking experience’ beforehand, and realised that what they proposed to do was idiotic and against their own principles?
Indeed, they could have a ‘learning experience’ about fracking and find out that it has reduced energy prices, and CO2 emissions, in the USA.
I suspect that they are in fact having a ‘refusing to look at the facts about fracking’ experience.
Not a very good example for a school to set, is it?
Must have gotten the idea from what Greenpeace pulled in the desert in Peru.
Unless I’m missing something, the article seems to indicate that they students used biodegradable chalk that they made themselves. If that’s the case, whatever your stand on fracking is, the students did nothing wrong. In fact, if that is the case, then I think it’s actually quite clever.
They vandalized our city park. Gee, how clever!
They used chalk on the sidewalks. On the tree, they used spray paint. I can’t think of any biodegradable, water-soluble paint that come in a rattle-can.
The article says they used biodegradable spray-chalk. Nowhere does it say paint.
What they bused is irrelevant. Vandalism is a good means of polarizing an issue and is not likely to gain sympathy.
Spray chalk is certainly not “biodegradable.” The school representative mis spoke or mislead the park rangers and press. The spray is advertised to be “temporary” and can be removed with a pressurized power wash. That will work for the sidewalks, however such treatment would most likely injure the trees that were marked, perhaps permanently.
I think it would be correct for the school officials to provide the labor for clean up under park ranger supervision., The school officials should also be issued a citation and fine for their actions. The students need to be taught that they were miss lead and actually abused by their teachers and school administrators.
Spray chalk is certainly not “biodegradable.”
Also, a major component of chalk is CO2!!!
quicklime + CO2 = chalk
So, the students are spray painting global warming in their efforts to raise energy bills for US consumers and manufacturers, to export their future jobs to China. That is one way to make sure you will be living in your parents basements for the rest of your lives!
In reply to Christopher Paino
I call bullshit on your opinion.
If it were a PRO fracking message, done with “biodegradeable chalk”, those same people would have a COW over it.
Further, they used petroleum based spray paint elsewhere to paint political messages like this one:
http://www.chicoer.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/storyimage/NA/20150205/NEWS/150209876/EP/1/1/EP-150209876.jpg&maxh=400&maxw=667
Vandalism of a public park is simply wrong, and you are doubly wrong to try to defend it.
Feel free to be as upset as you wish.
“If it were a PRO fracking message, done with “biodegradeable chalk”, those same people would have a COW over it.”
Do you really think so? Maybe. I think they might have a problem with the message, but the fact that they put enough thought into an act of civil disobedience (and where would we be with out that?) to create messages that get their point across in a way that appears hypocritical but really isn’t indicates to me that they would not fall for that one.
It would not surprise me to find that the idea to use spray-chalk on natural features was used intentionally to fool some into believing that what they did was hypocritical. Spun you right up, didn’t it?
“Further, they used petroleum based spray paint elsewhere to paint political messages like this one:”
The caption on that foot-photo and the information in the article concerning the medium used must be wrong then.
Posters here talk of hubris, but only as if it exists exclusively in those they disagree with.
There would be calls for the vandals to be strung up publicly by their balls, and they would most certainly find themselves facing criminal charges. But other than that the reaction would be tame.
How does chalk “biodegrade”? As far as I know, chalk is CaCO3. The only degradation I can think of is degradation to CO2.
Oh, the irony.
Biodegradable chalk is just another fuzzword.
😎
I wondered about “biodegradable” chalk myself. If it’s biodegrable wouldn’t need to have some organic compounds for critters to feed upon?
Just how did they make it? Chew a bunch of Tums each day and then…..
Just what are they teaching these kids?
It doesn’t biodegrade It washes off in rainstorms and ends up in creeks and rivers and back to the ocean. Check what th BLM gas to say about using chalk in the US Nation Forests. Not allowed. Period. Any trail you mark must be marked with removable flaggiing or they must have approval for erecting permanent signs on national trails.
Biodegradable ribbons/flagging are approved in some areas.
I suspect there were teachers and students in this class that haven’t been outside the city much.
USFS and BLM expect “zero” impact camping and “carry in, carry out. ”
Now,nothing has ZERO impact. They want to minimize damages.
I have use lots of chalk over the years any it takes some time to dissipate. BLM approves the use of flour as trail markers as it should be biodegradable. In the desert, these flour markings can last months or even years. Not researched in Wiki or anywhere else. Simple observation.
Nothing is ever as it seems.
Mr. Paino, assume for a moment someone sexually violates your woman, or you, but you cleaned up well. It’s biodegradable! Are you still missing something?
Really? Do you think that is a good analogy? Do you believe that spraying some chalk on a dead tree and some rocks is equivalent to sexual assault on a human being? Really?
Christopher Palno, you justify violating helpless objects in nature as being less of a crime than attacking a human being which can use the states police and judicial system to fight back? Really? Next you’ll say that killing one of seven billion human beings is more of a crime than killing the last spotted owl, eternally extinguishing an entire species. I think you’re a heartless capitalist right-winger only posing as a treehugging activist.
How would you like it if some trees spray painted your dead parents remains? I expect you would be up in arms. But of course trees can’t complain, so it is OK.
Well, this got silly quickly. Thanks for your assistance in that regard, Highflight.
It isn’t the case. Take the photo of the tree and blow it up and look at the letters. There is clear evidence of overspray. This was done with spray paint.
I challenge anyone to create your own biodegradable spray paint and create a delivery mechanism, that can produce anywhere near the consistent quality of spray shown in the picture.
What you are looking at is the result of a commercial product. There is no way some school kids produced a biodegradable spray paint with that sort of high quality of coverage and consistency.
Wrong, Christopher Paino – vandalism sets an example for other values-challenged persons who don’t know the chalk was biodegradable.
(I also challenge the notion that “biodegradable” does no harm – that’s their theory, it may not be reality depending on how mild the stuff really is and how sensitive the substrate its (noting it is a wet log). I wouldn’t trust home-made chalk from those jerks or their irresponsible teachers.)
They made the chaulk themselves, made in USA, that’s what really pisses off Reflubitcans.
The park was not vandalized with biodegradable anything. It was spray painted using fossil fuel by-products, whether oil or acrylic based paint. Yes using oil does make Reflubitcans happy as well as anyone else in the world who uses energy or any products with plastic in them. Thank the oil Gods for the little piece of plastic you are typing on. Or did you carve the keys out of wood?
They made the chalk themselves because an uninspired teacher needed a crafts project for the kids. You must know they were not turning the globalization of labor markets around. Maybe you don’t know, in that case you can get basket weaving kits at your local hobby supply store. Make sure it doesn’t say made in china.
This story is a non-starter. “Wrong-headed middle schoolers vandalize dead wood.” Stop the Presses!
Posting it makes you look petty. It diminishes the site’s relevance. FAIL!
Cataloging the hypocritical actions of so-called “environmentalists” is anything but “FAIL!”
In fact, it’s YOUR snide post that’s the one that’s filled to the brim with “FAIL!”
You folks are as thin-skinned as the alarmists I usually argue with.
I’m a skeptic. I believe the dangers of AGW are over-stated. I have a high opinion Anthony Watts. This site is invaluable for exposing alarmist propaganda.
But this story is chump change. Let the alarmists dominate the knee jerk hysterics department.
T Montag,
I believe this park is in Mr. Watt’s own town. This is not simply a topic for discussion. These brats uglied-up his local park. I’d be miffed too.
Posting it is relevant if government-funded anti-science propaganda is relevant.
Wrong headed middle schoolers led by left-minded, perfectly aware teachers looking to capitalize on brain washing these students into their own ideology. This is a public school that uses tax payer money. If my faith can’t be in there than neither can theirs, simple as that.
I disagree. It demonstrates that they are teaching it is ok to defile public spaces and national treasures because YOU think it is a good idea.
Perhaps if they all went to court for a day, they might start thinking about the consequences of their actions. They need to be accountable to the community at large. If I sprayed chalk on YOUR house, would that be ok?
You are missing the point by about 150 light years.
Wrong-headed middle schoolers vandalized a park and who knew, parks contain dead wood among many other kinds of natural habitat. If they came to your residence and spray painted the dead wood or vinyl siding of your home, you might see it differently.
Beyond that if you are protesting to protect the environment, vandalizing the environment will only achieve getting you in the running for the Darwin awards.
Don’t pretend you care about WUWT, it makes you look silly.
The only reason you commented was to drag it down.
Everybody can see that, don’t insult our (limited) intelligence.
Error in judgement? Seems like criminal intent.
I’m sure the students received a LOT of untrue and bogus information from their mentors about fracking in order to take the extreme measures they did. But his is what passes for “education” these days (at least in California).
And I love the visitors here who condone vandalism – well done! Excellent role model for our children. Next thing you know, you’ll be telling them about the health benefits of smoking marajiuana…
“Da. Fracking iss wery bad, nyet? Wandalism iss okay for to be protesting Ewil Fracking! Nyet Fracking!”
Frank, the impetus of all that you have written here, is the clash between wisdom and education. Education is confined to the current paradigm. Wisdom is not.
“defaced”, sure! “vandalized”, not really.
Excellent! Just tell the kids that it’s just defaced…that will make it all right! What a role model!
“Spray chalk marks on the asphalt in lower Bidwell Park by Wildflower Open Classroom students are considered vandalism by the city’s parks department. Dozens of these images were reported and removed Tuesday morning.”
They used biodegradable spray-chalked to post messages having to do with saving the environment right on the environment they are trying to protect.
Nothing was damaged and all marks came off cleaner than a Frixion pen. Using nature to protect nature with an ironic twist. Absolutely brilliant!
Yes, Chris, but other peoples’ tax dollars were wasted by these little, self-centered, unthinking Leftists to clean up the park. I don’t care how YOU feel about Fracking, or any of a number of subjects, but you don’t get to vandalize public spaces to force YOUR message on others.
Buy a billboard ad, instead. Spend YOUR money, not “Ours.”
I could be held up as an example to the kids of how Not to be!
Accurately describing things without hyperbole is a very inappropriate behaviour!
No hyperbole mebbe. These kids are being led by people who think it’s OK to deface public property. That is a fact. I am assuming you think this is OK. Perhaps they could do the same to your property and you’d think that was OK.
I glad to see that our progressive visitors believe that defacing things, even with benign substances, is OK and great role model for our kids. Well done! Bravo!
Frank,
You are so exercised about this that you are overlooking the fact that I was the one who characterized it as defacement.
You and others are bent on equating that to vandalism.
Perhaps that’s because you haven’t been the victim of vandals and don’t know that it’s very unpleasant; there’s broken glass and charred wood and new paint jobs etc., not just a couple of noses out of joint.
I am not at all opposed to fracking, in fact, I’m grateful for it. I am opposed to school teachers indoctrinating children, especially with notions that I don’t agree with.
I’m also opposed to every instance of murder being dubbed ‘genocide’.
I don’t mind kids drawing on the side-walks and city park paths and I often see opinions that are not mine emblazoned on surfaces in town and country. My meds must be more potent than yours!
mebbe. OK fair enough. My point is that the kids should have been supervised by the “adults” and if they had been this ugly incident wouldn’t have happened. And yes I consider it vandalism…
Point, James Harlock. (Bold was mine)
Awaiting counterpoint… and waiting… and waiting… and waiting..
.
.
..
I’m with you, Mr. Harlock. I’m all for free speech. Just say whatever you want on your dime, not mine.
Whichever word best fits, a public park is public property.
Why didn’t the teachers and kids “deface” the trees in their own yards or the walls of their own homes?
Perhaps you should entreat the school site director to amend his statement about vandalism.
There needs to be a March for Real Climate Education, but it won’t come from 99% of schools nowadays.
“School site director Tom Hicks said Thursday that the vandalism was an unfortunate error in judgment related to the middle school students’ studies in civic engagement and activism.”
Is there such a thing as an activist that doesn’t make an error in judgment??
By the way…was the alternative view to “no fracking” ever discussed with the students, or were they only taught one side of the issue?
I doubt they taught much about fracking. Someone should ask them “How does fracking work?”
Well, fracking sounds almost like fricking, and my folks said that was baaad!
“Is there such a thing as an activist that doesn’t make an error in judgment??”
There are lots of ’em! I read their posts here every day!
activist – Dictionary Definition : Vocabulary.com
That appears to fit vandalism ‘to achieve some kind of social change’ by drawing slogans all over a public park – not so sure it fits disseminating science, news and views on a Blog that people have to access, even if many here are concerned about bad science being used by activists to achieve ‘some kind of social change’.
it’s another religious movement.
Email from Tree 1441724 to Tree 143776, (from an NSA Intercept)
So Laurel, you won’t believe what happened to me. I got a little tipsy snortin’ some really good CO2 and overdid it. It’s kinda hazy but I think a whole bunch of them “evolved” primates put a bunch of tattoo’s all along my trunk. Geeze, I thought that kind of thing only happened in Vegas.
+10!
I’m trundling off to bed with a big grin!
Unfortunate error in judgment related to the middle school students’ studies in civic engagement and activism? Yes, I’d say there have been boat loads of errors in judgment exercised starting with the parents decisions to enroll their kids in this charter “school.”
I wonder how many “warmists” have had their children immunized against measles. In the light of AGW-adhering psychologists and sociologists purporting to show how “paranoid” sceptics are, I took a straw poll of how many of my friends who adhere to AGW were against immunization. Out of 15 “alarmed” folks I know, every one of them is also dubious of the benefits of immunization, even though some are as old as I am and can recall school being emptied by local measles outbreaks in the ’50s.
In Singapore it would be punishable by flogging.
How much are they flogging them for ???
( Sorry, I’ll close the door on the way out )
Singapore doesn’t flog. They “cane” the soles of your feet with a bamboo staff.
We lived in Malaysia for 10 years, where caning is also used. From what we heard it is effective in preventing repeat offenses as compared to imprisonment. From the reports we heard, caning the feet delivers something like a massive electrical shock along the whole body that the victim never wants repeated.
So the appeal to the legal system is obvious. Cane someone for an offense you don’t want repeated and release them right away. They can get on with their lives with very little disruption or expense to the community and the chance of a repeat is lower than if you were to incarcerate.
If anything, Singapore is practical. Where else in the world in a city of 5+ million people can women walk safely at night unescorted?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judicial_corporal_punishment
The Singaporean official punishment of caning became much discussed around the world in 1994[3] when an American teenager, Michael P. Fay, was sentenced to six strokes of the cane for vandalism.[4] Since then, the number of caning sentences handed down each year in Singapore has doubled.[5]
This was the same mentality that kids display when they shoot up road signs, Bash rural mail boxes and paint up the one lane bridges. My experience as a parent/sponsor on school outings tells me some adults were too busy chatting and not paying enough attention. Too bad that the Greenpeace Lima vandalism could not have been prevented by adult supervision over children.
In rereading the posts I see that the displacement of rocks to hold down plastic at the Nazca Lines was only a defacement. i trust the activists came back and put it all back after they made their media contribution… (NOT). This was a good example for the kids to follow, wasn’t it?
Sure, maybe this group used an alleged harmless product.
Does anyone think that a generation of, shall we say, less-than-fully-literate clods will read the full story? Or will the pic makes its rounds, sans asterisk?
“Open Classroom”. Awww geeeez. Not this crap again.
The “open classroom” idea was tried in the late 60s and early 70s. It failed miserably on countless levels. Why do US education “experimentalists” keep trying the same stuff expecting a different result. How many attempts at ‘new math” have we had since “STM” and “SMSG” of the late 60s? And exactly how much have all these new attempts at education improved outcomes? Yet now….we’re trying Common Core — at the federal level.
No wonder we have so many people with utterly no idea of what science really is. LIkely, the academics chasing climate grants – just to avoid the real world – are buddies with the academics chasing education-related grants — also to avoid actual life in the real world.
Open Classroom = no responsibility for the “teachers”. It’s a cushy job. As a “teacher” they get to hang out with others of similar bent and feel like an important leader. The open classroom will always be around because there are always selfish “teachers” and lazy students that haven’t yet realized how selfish and lazy they really are; it’s a great fit.
Why are seventh and eighth graders being radicalized in this manner? They do not yet know enough about the basic issues involved to do much critical thinking, and this means the staff are simply preparing too much of the activity for them. Please, staff, concentrate on basics, and the better world you seek may follow of its own accord.
In 1946, Dr. Benjamin Spock first published his infamous book “Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care,” which was unlike any that came before it. Instead of stressing the importance of teaching self-denial and respect for authority, Spock discouraged directive training and emphasized accommodating children’s feelings and catering to their preferences. No longer did children learn they could endure Brussels sprouts and suffer through daily chores. Using Spock’s approach, parents began to feed self-indulgence instead of instilling self-control – homes were becoming child-centered. As parents elevated children’s “freedom of expression” and natural cravings, children became more outspoken, defiant and demanding of gratification. In fact, they came to view gratification as a right. http://www.wnd.com/2009/01/87179/
Where did our society err in our failed attempts to build true self-esteem in our children? These same experts told parents that they could build their children’s self-esteem by telling them how smart and talented and beautiful and incredible they were (“You’re the best, Johnny!”). In other words, parents were led to believe that they could convince their children how wonderful they were. Unfortunately, life has a way of providing a reality check and children learned the hard way that they weren’t as fabulous as their parents told them they were. Parents were also told to praise and reinforce and reward their children no matter what they did. The result: lower self-esteem and children who were self-centered and spoiled. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-power-prime/201006/popular-culture-americas-self-esteem-problem
Schools receive additional money from state and federal government for every child labeled and drugged with ritalin. This clearly demonstrates a possible “financial incentive” for schools to label and drug children. It also backs up the alarming rise/increase in the labeling and drugging that has taken place in the last decade within our schools.
Parents receiving welfare money from the government can get additional funds for every child that they have labeled and drugged. In this way, many lower socio-economic parents (many times single mothers) are reeled into the drugging by these financial incentives waved in front of them in hard times, making lifestyle changes possible.
Labeling your child with ADHD, you are actually labeling them with a mental illness listed in the DSM-IV, the unscientific billing bible for psychiatry.
A child taking a psycho-tropic, psycho-stimulant drugs like Ritalin after the age of 12 is ineligible for military service.
The subjective checklists that are being used as criteria for diagnosis are very similar to the checklists used to determine Gifted and Talented Children.
….and this only scratches the surface of why we see destructive behavior being glorified in the name of “green” agenda promotion in public schools.
Dr. Spock.
Do a search sometime and find out what became of this experts own kids.
See him marching ’round the block:
It’s doctor Spock, the Baby Doc.
Right behind him, take a look:
the kids he messed up with his book.
Seems to me (a retired lawyer) that the school should first teach civic responsibility (obey the laws, respect others’ property) before setting out to commit “civic engagement and activism.”
Jim Brock
I wholeheartedly agree and support your opinion. However, there is a possible cultural difficulty.
There are times when standing against existing laws is seen as being a civic duty: women’s suffrage is one of many historical examples. Everyone needs to learn there can be a conflict between “civic responsibility” to uphold the status quo and civic duty to oppose a fault in the existing system.
American culture is mostly right-wing and, therefore, tends to promote individual rights over communal responsibilities. Hence, the conflict may lean towards actions to oppose what an individual thinks to be a fault in the existing system. There are times this can be a cultural strength and at other times a cultural weakness.
In my opinion, the vandalism of the trees was an offence against “civic responsibility”. And I agree with you that the school should have been teaching civic responsibility instead of a need for “activism” which the children lack experience to understand. However, I am not an American and I am a socialist, so I can understand why some Americans would not agree.
Richard
So, calling yourself a “socialist” relieves you of any burden other than opining ?
“American culture is mostly right-wing … ”
I am missing something here. Maybe we have a differing definition of culture, maybe we have a differing definition of right wing.
AND, the jump in logic to the “therefore …” does not make any sense to me either. To me, right wing (or conservative) means rights and responsibilities are intertwined. Left wing leans more towards a disassociation between rights and responsibilities. I guess at this point we would then get into the differences between personal responsibilities and “communal” responsibilities and the direct/indirect impacts that ones actions may cause….
But, overall (here in my American culture), it sure seems that there is a direct inverse correlation between an individual that is inclined to argue for promotion of “communal” responsibilities and that same individuals’ lack of personal responsibility.
As a side note: The socialist utopia does not exist on a large scale. There is always someone else that wants to take your stuff (the ones with no personal responsibility/integrity), and the socialist setting makes it much easier for them to do so.
Richard, this leads back to the eternal question of: “where does dissent become misdemeanor?”
u.k.(us) and DonM:
I refer you to the post by Dawtgtomis who writes of my comment
Yes, indeed it does. And that was what I was saying. Furthermore, the answer to that “eternal question” differs between cultures.
uk(us), I did not “opine” and I did not claim I was relieved of any “burden” whatever opaque meaning you apply to “burden”. I stated where my comment was coming from as an addendum to the comment because it was about culture and I am not part of American culture.
DobM, your views about socialism are not relevant. I added my addendum to declare that I was commenting from outside American culture and NOT as an attempt to troll the thread onto what you or anyone else thinks of socialism.
Richard
richardscourtney
“There are times when standing against existing laws is seen as being a civic duty: ”
So, Richard what “existing law” were they “standing against”?
BTW, There are only 19 producing NG wells in Butte county, none are fracked, none of the existing non-functioning wells are even planned or permitted to be fracked.
S please explain the relevance of the school officials actions.
Bert Walker
It would help if you, uk(us) and DonM were to comment on what I wrote and not what you think I could have written.
I said I wholeheartedly agree with Jim Brock who wrote
and I said to him
However, I pointed out a possible cultural difficulty.
Your post ignores everything I wrote and suggests I can “explain the relevance of the school officials actions”. That is so wrong that I am flabbergasted.
Richard
Sheesh Richard, just come out and say something, anything, then we can stop dancing around the “cultural difficulty” thing.
It is getting really tiresome, and it seems like you are using it as a shield.
Which reminds me of the fact that I have completely lost my train of thought, and I’ll just……..
u.k.(us)
I did “say something”. Please read it and you may grasp the “train of thought” about the “cultural thing” you seem to not understand: I would be pleased to discuss it but that requires some comment on it because I made my point.
Richard
I did coment on what you said, but I will try to be a little more clear:
Your comment, “Amercian culture is right wing” … Completely wrong … wrong beyond the need for further discussion.
Your comment, “… tends to promote individual rights over communal responsibilities.” Completely wrong … we try so hard to help those that refuse to help themselves that we are creating a culture (its not even a subculture anymore) of does not understand personal responsibility. They have food, clothing, housing, medical care, cable tv, and cell phones, personal cars and are defined as being in poverty. They, and their children, will never learn to take care of themselves. We take from those who have, and do, to give to those who don’t, won’t, and can’t. We overdo it in the “communal” responsibility category.
Your initial premise is completely wrong, your follow up qualification of the “therefore” is ludicrus, so your conclusive “Hence” isn’t even worth reading.
The fact that your views are biased (limited? skewed? uninformed?) because you are not an American doesn’t give you an out with respect to the above. Your understanding of the Amercian culture is wrong.
I do understand that your socialist leanings may alter (liimit) your perspective in a manner that would lead to disagrements, but I’ll make the same sort of leap in (il)logic that your did; It is likely your lack of perspective that has led you into your socialist beliefs rather than your socialist beliefs giving you a differing perspective.
Richard,
I guess I finally got you.
We’ll just have to disagree for the sake of disagreement.
What ever that means.
DonM
You say
OK. I will accept claim that as an honest statement and try to address your clarification.
You immediately follow that claim with
In addition to being untrue, that ignores my comment as to what I meant by “right-wing” (i.e. “tends to promote individual rights over communal responsibilities”) and is pantomime childish. What next; after “Oh no it isn’t” do you next shout “Behind you”?
Then you do attempt to discuss my statement “tends to promote individual rights over communal responsibilities”. This denies your claim that it is “beyond the need for further discussion” and ends with an assertion which proves that – at least in your case – my statement is true because you say
You go on to say
But you did read it and understood none of it.
I again point you to the post of Dawtgtomis who did understand it and wrote
Richard
Initially you said “American culture is mostly right-wing and, therefore, tends to promote individual rights over…”
In your February 8, 12:38 a.m. comment you said that what you meant by “right-wing” is that it “tends to promote individual rights over communal responsibilities”.
(specifically, “In addition to being untrue, that ignores my comment as to what I meant by “right-wing” (i.e. “tends to promote individual rights over communal responsibilities”) )”
Which is it? Which stance are you taking?
“American culture is mostly right-wing and, therefore, tends to promote individual rights over communal responsibilities…”
OR
American culture “tends to promote individual rights over communal responsibilities” and therefore meets your definition of right wing.
I am lost. Another rationalization will just further confuse me.
DonM
I have been clear and consistent.
Richard
Which is it? Which stance are you taking?
“American culture is mostly right-wing and, therefore, tends to promote individual rights over communal responsibilities…” [February 6 @ur momisugly 10:22]
OR
American culture “tends to promote individual rights over communal responsibilities” and therefore meets your definition of right wing. [February 8 @ur momisugly 12:38]
Did anyone see this:
100% renewal? Do they realize what they are seeking? Potentially blackouts and no lights after dark!! I’m glad my children are grown and out of school, but I fear for my grandchildren.
Yep…the ultra socialist greener Arnold Schwarzenegger is “all in.” Some people confuse constitutional freedom of speech with dictates up the masses. Off subject, but another reason children are being taught to be activists, rather than learning what activism is, regardless of view.
I also noted that. Also looked into the schools ‘Guiding Principles’ (The founding group identified eight core values: collaboration, community, stewardship, joy and adventure in learning, integrity, personal responsibility, being respectful, and positive and honest communication. ). Don’t see leadership in there do you?
Maybe they should teach ‘Consequence’ to the youths. Have them explore how their ideas will work in real life to power the lights, cell phones, TV and IPads with this idea from CSU. – http://www.chicoer.com/general-news/20100905/students-design-windmill-designed-for-the-third-world
Everybody wants freedom of choice for themselves. They don’t want the responsibility for the consequences of their choice.
DD, you have a great idea! let the students experience life without carbon based energy and products. About a week exposure would do I think.
This would be too dangerous to try in the winter, some students could become quite ill, or even die.
But the summertime, in Chico only reaches 90’s through low 100’s, a perfect time to try living 100% renewable, petroleum free.
They could wear 100% natural fibers, no synthetics or elastics except natural rubber. they could use the water pump (linked in your comment), sans petroleum based components, to pump their water, to drink, wash and cool themselves. Of course they would be provided raw vegetables and grains, rice is plentiful in the area. They could use a camp fire for a light source, or even could an oil lamp, utilizing vegetable oil they pressed form the plant fauna present around them. They could have 3-4 solar panels, but wait, perhaps not, their construction is petroleum based batteries would present too dangerous an exposure for mere teenagers. And they wouldn’t have those pesky cell phones or tablets to charge anyway.
Well I think they would have a jolly time.
It’s a charter school. Say no more.
Couldn’t they have just emailed the trees?