Torturing and Droning Are Not Two Cities . . .

One of my favorite jokes as a golfer is to deride myself, sometimes others, by stating that my target object thinks chipping and putting are two cities in China.  I currently try to avoid such pronouncements simply because my audience, the remaining members of the golf foursome I am playing with, apparently possess neither the wit or deep understanding of my mind necessary to consider my efforts to be funny as funny.  For those who don’t have the slightest idea what I’m writing about, let me just say that you have to be there.  Suffice it to say that my present purpose in interjecting humor into this writing is a perhaps lame attempt to soften what I have to say about America, our government, our founding principles and us.  Which is to say that T and D, torturing and droning, are not two cities in Pennsylvania, but two nefarious practices regularly conducted by our government in total violation of any sense of morality or humanity and reflect a total abandonment of the principles upon which this great nation was founded.

What triggers this writing is the recent publication of a non-partisan report characterizing the U.S. methods of detainee interrogation used after 9/11 as torture.  As reported in today’s New York Times,  “[T] he report found that those methods violated international legal obligations with “no firm or persuasive evidence” that they produced valuable information that could not have been obtained by other means. . . . Reaching a stronger national consensus on the issue of torture is crucial because, as the report says, “as long as the debate continues, so too does the possibility that the United states could again engage in torture.” The task force found that using torture — like waterboarding, slamming prisoners into walls, and chaining them in uncomfortable stress position for hours — had “no justification” and “damaged the standing of our nation, reduced our capacity to convey moral censure when necessary and potentially increased the danger to U.S. military personnel taken captive.” And in engineering “enforced disappearances” and secret detentions, the United States violated its international treaty obligations. A detailed 22-page appendix cites dozens of legal cases in which the United States prosecuted similar treatment or denounced it as torture when carried out by other countries.”  The hunger strike of Guantanamo detainees illustrates just how current this situation is.

Although not mentioned in this report, I add droning to the mix.  The current use of drones to surreptitiously seek out and kill people based upon executive fiat (approval of the President) without more is a terrible and terrifying abandonment of the moral and judicious principles underlying our constitution.  We are a nation of laws, and both practices (torturing and droning) have been and are being done without the well-established safeguards against these third world dictator-like acts, Dick Cheney notwithstanding.   Although I respect and admire President Obama, I am horrified by his endorsement of these methods.  The ends do not justify the means.   There are constitutional safeguards built into our system, such as the separation of powers, which are disregarded on a daily basis. 

Torturing and droning are not cities anywhere in the world.  They are, however, current policies of our government.  There is nothing funny about it.

Just saying . . .

Dr. Thomas Pedroni: a Guest Editorial

Detroit Data and Democracy Project Important Editorial Note: This column was submitted for consideration to the Detroit Free Press on Monday, March 25. The column was accepted, and slated to run online beginning Tuesday morning.  However, on Tuesday afternoon I received a call from the paper’s editorial desk that more time was needed to go over the column.  I had already emailed the editorial office links tothe Education Nation Detroit Summit video with the times at which the pronouncements by Roberts (at 25:39) and Clinton (at 43:00) were made.  I had also emailed a link to the MDE site where the relevant MEAP data is stored, and shared my Excel Worksheets on which I had done the calculations underlying the analysis.  The Free Press staffer and I carefully went over on the phone all the numbers and how they were derived.  She thanked me for my time and care.  The column was again cleared for publication, this time for Wednesday at noon. Just before noon I received another communication from the Free Press— that if they ran a piece accusing Roberts of lying, then the paper at least needed to check with him on what he intended to say.  I pointed out that the column did not accuse Roberts of lying, but merely used data to analyze his claim.  Moreover I noted that I had taken painstaking care in the second half of the piece to surmise what Roberts might have meant to say, in case he had simply misspoken.  Later Wednesday afternoon I received a final email, that based on Roberts’ response, there was too much that would need to be changed in the column, and that I was welcome to take it elsewhere.   Please help me circulate this article despite the obstruction by the Free Press.  Share it as widely as you would like.

Search this site

Dr. Thomas C. Pedroni, Director 387 Education Building Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202 (313) 577-1730 pedroni@wayne.edu Home Public Testimony Policy Briefs Columns Press Quotes Education News Legislative Meetings

“The hardest hit have been our youngest test takers—those who have spent most of their school years under emergency management—our third, fourth, and fifth graders.  Although Detroit students scored among the worst in the nation in 2009...our children have only fallen further behind these past four years." ROY ROBERTS REVELS IN ACCOLADES WHILE DETROIT’S CHILDREN FALL FURTHER BEHIND By Dr. Thomas C. Pedroni March 28, 2013 Detroit Public Schools Emergency Manager Roy Roberts had some fabulous news (see video below) to share on NBC’s Education Nation Detroit Summitthis past Friday morning.  DPS had surpassed the Michigan state average in 14 of 18 categories measured by the state’s student proficiency test, the MEAP. Applause and accolades followed Roberts’ pronouncement.  Chelsea Clinton divulged that she would entrust her own children to the Emergency Manager’s schools.   Roberts explains DPS progress on the MEAP Notably, the jubilant mood at the summit was not dampened by any of the usual naysaying.  There were none of the niggling challenges to Roberts’ assertions. The day’s take-home message was clear—Roberts and his staff were finally turning the corner with Detroit’s long-suffering schools.  Education Nation, take note.Given all the recent bad news in Detroit, Roberts might be forgiven if his facts were a bit off the mark. It turns out, according to the Michigan Department of Education, that DPS did not outshine the state in 14 of 18 MEAP categories. The actual number was somewhat lower—zero.  DPS trailed the Michigan average in proficiency in all 18 categories.  And not just by a bit—by more than 10 percentage points in the two science categories, and by 20 or more in the other 16.  But it was a happy moment at the summit.  No one—not one panelist, not one moderator, not one preselected member of the audience—raised an eyebrow over Roberts’ innovative facts. Click to Enlarge: Michigan Proficiency Average vs DPS (with and without EAA) Proficiency Average, 2012 MEAP Perhaps Roberts had merely stumbled over his own words.  Maybe he really meant to say that DPS schools were gaining ground on the Michigan averages—that yes, DPS was still behind, but was steadfastly narrowing the achievement gap in 14 of the 18 categories.   Unfortunately, that’s not the story the MEAP numbers tell either. Click to Enlarge: Proficiency Gap between DPS/EAA and the State, 2009 vs 2012, using new MEAP cut scoresInstead they show that the Detroit Public Schools have fallen even further behind the state average since gaining an Emergency Manager in 2009.  The picture the numbers paint is particularly bleak when the 15 schools handed to the EAA just before the fall MEAP administration are factored in.  They show that Detroit’s third through eighth graders continue to lose ground in reading and math proficiency in most categories. The hardest hit have been our youngest test takers—those who have spent most of their school years under emergency management—our third, fourth, and fifth graders.  Although Detroit students scored among the worst in the nation in 2009, Detroit’s third graders have since fallen 5.3 percentage points farther behind the state average in reading proficiency.  In math, they have fallen another 5.1 percentage points below the state average.  Our fourth graders are now 2.9 percentage points farther behind the state average in reading proficiency, and 6.2 in math.  Fifth grade students have closed the achievement gap by 1 percentage point in reading (and are now only 27.5 percentage points behind their state peers), but have fallen 6.8 percentage points further behind in math.  In sixth through eighth grade reading, the proficiency gaps increased by 0.6 points, 1.8 points, and 0.5 points respectively, while progress was made in math—by 0.2, 2.8, and 0.5 points respectively. We hear again and again that Detroit’s children must be prepared to compete in the 21st century global economy.  If the proficiency gap between Detroit’s children and the Michigan average is any indication, our children have only fallen further behind these past four years.  Just don’t tell Chelsea Clinton—enrollment is also down sharply, and the Emergency Manager could desperately use a few more bodies.

Sign in|Report Abuse|Print Page|Remove Access|Powered By Google Sites

Perversity and Sadness

Inexplicably irrational.  This description is as close as I can come to understanding  events of two distinctly separate social contacts in the past two weekends.  This description fits so well within ongoing discourse on both national and local political levels that I find myself reacting with sadness, hence the title of this writing.  Permit me to explain.

First instance:  Last weekend, Mary Ellen and I were in a social setting where she was meeting some of my music colleagues for the first time. It is also the first time for me, other than rehearsals and concerts, that I have been with this group.  One of the group was chatting with Mary Ellen about backgrounds including number of children, interests and activities such as people do upon initially meeting.  Mary Ellen mentioned that she volunteers her time at Resurrection House in Sarasota, a resource center for the homeless established by a group of five churches.   The person listening to Mary Ellen’s description went off on a diatribe against the homeless in a terribly demeaning way that suggested that such people are weak, undeserving and opportunistic, and thus undeserving of help.  “They could get a job if they wanted to.”  I bit my lip as I refrained from asking this person if she thought that this is what Romney meant when he spoke of the 47% of the people in our country who are ‘takers.’

Second instance:  I played golf yesterday with three other members of this fancy private golf club I belong to which is safely ensconced within a gated community here in Lakewood Ranch, Florida.  When we waited on a tee box for the group ahead of us to clear, I casually asked one of the players, who was from Ann Arbor, Michigan, if he was excited about the basketball game today between Michigan and Indiana which will decide the Big Ten season championship.  Both teams are rated among the best in the country.  My inquiry resulted in getting more information than I bargained for.  My seemingly innocent question brought on a rant against blacks from all three of these guys.  Statements such as “If the south had won the civil war there would be a lot of very tall garbage men,” and “People in the north hate niggers as much as those in the south,” damn near brought tears to my eyes.  I might say, incidentally, that the speaker of the first statement has a personalized golf cart where his ‘lifetime member of NRA” decal is proudly displayed.  Perhaps needless to say, the golf course was hardly the time or place to discuss this issue, so I lamely responded, “Not all whites, in the north or south, hate black people.”  At least it was successful in ending the conversation.

I am writing this because all of the people in both of these experiences are ‘good’ people in that they are successful, talented, and smart.  However, when it came to the discussion of homeless or blacks, venom was dripping from their mouths.  In light of the recent proclamation of Justice Scalia during oral arguments that voting rights for blacks are an entitlement (causing Justice Breyer to remind Scalia that the civil war is over) these experiences make me truly sad; sad for me, sad for my country, sad for those who bear the brunt of this hatred.

Just saying . . .

Judicial Activism

The phrase ‘judicial activism’ is tossed about by Faux News and conservative politicians as a blight on judges who, according to these sources, blatantly ignore the constitution and decide cases based on their own sense of right and wrong.  Their reasoning goes something like this; Nowhere in the U.S. constitution do the founding fathers mention that ‘privacy’ is a guaranteed right.  Therefore, the Supreme Court decision (Roe v. Wade) that upheld the right of a woman to decide (with her physician) whether or not an abortion for her was appropriate constitutes ‘judicial activism.’  In this context, judicial activism is the tendency to interpret the Constitution or law in a way that goes beyond the founding fathers’ intent, in order to influence public policy.  The decision in  Griswold v.Connecticut, almost a decade earlier than Roe, acknowledged the implicit constitutional right of privacy and allowed a woman, rather than the state, to determine whether her use of oral contraceptives was appropriate for her.  Griswold and the Supreme Court decision in Brown v Board of Education (1954) which eliminated racial segregation in public education are often cited by conservatives as impermissible judicial activism.   Thus, the phrase is used by conservatives to label judges and judicial candidates as unfit for office because the founding fathers evinced no intent consistent with these decisions.  Of course, oral contraceptives were not in existence in the late 18^th century and blacks were considered only three fifths of a person.

It is within this context that the hypocrisy of the present Supreme Court comes to light. It is currently considering a case (Selby v. Holder)  brought by the State of Alabama challenging Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act with regards to constraints placed on that state in making changes in elections which could effectively prevent blacks from exercising their constitutional right to vote.  Congress has renewed the voting Rights Act four times since its original enactment in the 1960s.  In 2006 the renewal was nearly unanimous in both houses.  During oral argument, that darling of the Tea Party, the arrogant self-proclaimed genius on the Court, Justice Scalia described Section 5 as a “perpetuation of racial entitlement.” Oh really? How can a constitutional right to vote be considered an entitlement in any way other than by perverse judicial activism disregarding totally the enactments of the 14th and 15th amendments to the U.S. constitution as well as nearly 150 years of Supreme Court precedent? As Justice Breyer asked during oral argument “What do you think the Civil War was about?” Furthermore, how can a Supreme Court justice totally disregard the will of the people as exercised by those charged with the responsibility of expressing that will (Congress)?  I predict that the current Supreme Court, following Scalia, will do precisely all of these things.  Judicial activism indeed!

Just saying . . .

What's It's All About: Thinking

When the Newtown massacre occurred I waited a couple of days until the horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach subsided over the loss of these innocent children.  Then I wrote a blog that suggested that meaningful restraints of the use of guns in our society were warranted.  I sent this blog to friend and foe alike on the premise that even those who apparently claim the second amendment as the holy grail of their existence might also recognize the concept behind the principled first amendment of our society; that free and open discussion of ideas and issues is an integral part of who and what we are.  I received many positive comments and thoughtful replies from the writing and dissemination of this particular blog, but there were several that surprised me given that I only send my work to those who have given me some kind of indication in the past that they are receptive to exchanging thoughts about various issues.  To be specific, I received three requests to perform a specific bodily act, the nicest of which was ‘go screw’ myself.

These responses scared me, but allowed me to clarify my own thinking as to the real damage to our country and it’s Bill of Rights that this maniacal and slavish devotion to guns is causing.  Let me mention the simple handshake.  In the middle ages, the handshake was adopted as a custom to set aside one’s weapon and engage in meaningful discourse without the threat of a weapon overpowering the experience.  The hand was symbolically extended to demonstrate a show of good faith to another that meaningful conversation could occur without the threat of violent reaction.  In short, the extended hand set aside ’screw you’ thinking  and allowed for rational discussions.  Coming back the present, the NRA-types don’t get this concept.  They want to be able to walk into bars, churches, schools and other events which generically are evidence of civilized behavior and, rather than a handshake, convey an impression that the use of violent force is their substitute expression of an ability to think.  Their standing behind the 2^nd amendment is indeed the adult equivalent of a young child’s standing behind a woman’s skirts.  What they are saying is “I am incapable of an intelligent dialogue, we need more guns not less” approach to human interaction. 

Just saying . . .

The Dope About Dopes

I was reading through a few articles of interest this morning when it occurred to me that I hadn’t heard, read or written the word “dope” in the past couple of years.  Most recently, the word was used as a slang expression to depict marijuana, as in “Are you smoking dope?”  Dope is also used in the context of describing the reality behind a given situation as in “Let me give you the real dope on what is going on.”  There is a third way the word can be used.  It can describe someone who is not doing something particularly bright, or restated, doing something stupid.  The word ‘dope’ in the latter context came to my mind this morning when I read about the following:  Last year the Texas G.O.P. condemned efforts to teach “critical thinking skills,” because, it said, such efforts “have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority.”  What a bunch of dopes. Republicans in the Virginia State Legislature have specifically prohibited the use of the words “sea-level rise” even though cities in that state are considered to be among the most vulnerable to flooding as a result of global warming.  Another bunch of dopes.  House Republicans tried to suppress a Congressional Research Service report casting doubt on claims about the growth effects of tax cuts for the wealthy.  This is really ‘dopey.’  In the 1990s conservative politicians, acting on behalf of the National Rifle Association, ceased just about all research into the issue of the relationship between guns and violence.  Are these dopes that stupid, or is there an agenda in attempting to keep Americans from the real truth of the matter?

So there you are, I have given you the dope about dopes.  Just saying . . .

Austerity Measures

Prof. Krugman, the Nobel prize winning journalist/economist wrote this morning about world-wide examples of the  failure of austerity measures in various countries as a means of dealing with recessions and massive levels of unemployment.  In response to Krugman's article, one commenter described various considerations that must be dealt with in the United States, including massive infrastructure investments.  In reply to that comment, I wrote as follows:

• Tom Bleakley
• Bradenton, Florida

Another major factor to be considered are the various individual states who are imposing austerity programs on such important components of our society as public education. Michigan is a prime example in which emergency managers are appointed by the Republican governor to run 50% of the under-financed block of black school districts in the state. The various 'solutions' among these districts is to increase classroom size to 61 students, fire experienced teachers and hire first year teachers at half the cost, not to mention give-aways to wealthy friends by privatizing partial or whole school districts. To paraphrase your final comment, Mr. McMahon, we also cannot leave to our children a country of individuals whose life opportunities are compromised by inadequate educations. Our kids , all of our kids, deserve quality educations.

Just saying . . .