Elbow Room

So I was teaching a demo lesson today and the topic was the beginning of U.S. Expansion under Jefferson. To get the students into the lesson I showed them the "Elbow Room" Song from School House Rocks.
This particular song from the uber-patriotic America Rock volume is actually quite disturbing. It essentially explains that the reason why the U.S needed to expand was so everybody(white folks that is) could have some space to shake their elbows up and down like a chicken. A nice simplification of history and yet that is not the songs fatal and disturbing flaw. Elbow Room.... Elbow Room. What does that remind me of???? Oh I don't know... Germany 1930's Adolph Hitler "We need Breathing Room" The German idea of Lebensraum or Living Space(available only to Aryans) seems a little to similar to America Rock's Elbow Room(only for "white Americans"). You would think that in the 1970's Americans would notice this comparison and not indoctrinate the youth of America in regards to Elbow Room.

Spring Training

So we are getting really close to Spring Training Games.
There is as of this moment only 6 Days 16 Hours 10 Minutes and 40 seconds until the first game.

Great Joke!!!!!

Today in History Part ?

It was 26 years ago today Coach Brooks taught the team to play..... Well and the rest is History as the United States defeated the Evil Empire in what became known as the Miracle on Ice. Go US.

New updates

Hey take a look I have my photo up.

Today in History

Today in my opinion was a rather momentous day in World History. Some events will be judged good by some people some will be judged bad by some. And Some events will hopefully be judged good or bad by both. I will simply list 5 events and it is up to you the reader to decide if this day was a bad day or a good day. Events will be in Chronological order
1 1848 Marx Published Communist Manifesto.
2 1885 Washington Monument is dedicated
3 1948 NASCAR is formed (I don't think more needs to be said)
4 1965 malcolm X is assassinated
5 1972 Nixon goes to China.

So there you have it readers a fine sample of February 21st. So in your opinion was this day a particularly crappy day or was it a good day. Give it a score with 1 being on the crappy side and 10 being on the good side.

Baseball update.

Well Spring Training is off and running and while looking at ESPN.com yesterday I was thrilled/horrified to see that Buster Olney had ranked the Yankees -Red Sox 1-2 in the pre season rankings. As a Yankee fan I love the fact that the Yankees are seen as the top team before play begins but I also am afraid of the curse thing. You know that little thing where the top ranked team usually does not win it all. Lets just cross our fingers

Today in History

After a few days Hiatus I am back. With another installment of this Day in History. I hope this does not become a habit but it seems that usually this spot is a negative one.
On February 19 1942 President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. This executive order set in motion the process which would allow the United States Army to send Japanese Americans to detention centers along the West Coast of the United States. This was a horrible horrible decision by Roosevelt. And it is one of the few black marks on his Presidency. One has to wonder why the United States government did not see fit to include German Americans in their list of groups who be a threat to the United States. One would have to be blind not to accuse American racism as being a key factor in the internment of the Japanese. Let us only hope that in our current war against terrorism the Bush administration or any future administration never decides to imprison law abiding citizens whose only crime is that they are Muslim/Arabic.

Japanese internment

Japanese internment camp

The Start of Spring :-)

Well Spring Officially started today. No I am not talking about the Vernal Equinox. I am talking about Pitchers and Catchers. You see next to politics one of my favorite things to talk about is Baseball specifically Yankee Baseball. After the disaster of last year which we here at the "History Report" will not mention any further there are many questions that need to be asked about this year. So with out further ado.

Pitching
1 Will Kevin Brown have another mental break down and break his hand? Does it really matter he will probably suck anyway.
2 Will Randy Johnson stay healthy?
3 Will Pavano and Wright be the young guns we thought they would be.
Hitting.
1 Will Giambi rebound from his steroid scandal and injuries. Lets hope he can.
2 Will Shefield, Matsui and Jeter forget the final games of the ALCS and have an awesome year.
3 Will A-Rod continue to be the great player that he is.
Intangibles
1 Will George be the old George or a kindlier happier version?
2 Will Joe Torre quit in disgust?
3 Will the recent scandal derail what looks to be a great season
Lets just hope that once again this will be a season to remember

Getting Kicked WhileYou are Down Day

Ihope everyone has a pleasant and stress free day. One that is free of any viewing of PDA or anything associated with this Hallmark Holiday.

Yesterday In History

So yesterday was the 6th anniversary of a rather important day in United States History. President Clinton was acquitted of all charges of impeachment by the United States Senate. For me this was one of the darker moments in this country's history. Although my friend(who is a democrat BTW) Kate would disagree Clinton's lies before a Grand Jury were not an impeachable offense. Republicans had been after Clinton for years and they decided that what he had lied about was wrong not that he had actually lied. Was the fact that lied wrong. Yes he should not have done that but if Clinton had say lied to Congress about military spending or selling Arms to the Contras(Like our illustrious 40th President) No Clinton picked the wrong topic to lie about. He lied about sex. Never mind that half of the GOP leadership were having their own affairs. This once again proved Republican hypocrisies. They will talk about morals and what not but they will act the complete opposite. Why is this such an important event because once again proved that the GOP is willing to subvert/manipulate the Constitution(our most sacred text) for moral purposes. Just take a look at the attempts to ban Gay Marriage. Only once before has the Constitution been amended for moral purposes and it was complete failure.

Review of the First two parts of Slavery and the Making of America

On PBS on Wednesday night there was a two hour special called Slavery and the Making of America. It covered the time from when the first slaves came to North America to the early Ante Bellum period. It was very well done. For the learned history buff or one who went to U of C(like myself) and took a course on Race and the Constitution(which actually focused most of hte class on how southern states dealt with slavery and crimes towards or by slaves. Needless to say I got a lot out of the documentary.

This Week in History.

I have been inspired by a fellow teacher to have a new posting type. To explain why any particular week has some fame to it. This week has a particularly good note to it but also a negative note to it.
First the Negative(Unless your name is Anne Coulter or any of her brood) back in 1950 Senator "Adolph" sorry Joseph McCarthy told Congress that he had the names of 57 number of Communists in the State Department. Of course this number kept on changing. This would cause most sane and intelligent people to realize that McCarthy was full of it. Most sane and intelligent people today realize this but back in 1950 this was not the case. McCarthy was able to create a witch hunt. Now Coulter (G-D Bless her soul) believes that this witch hunt was not only justified but that the Democrats who helped end his hunt for Communists were traitors to the United States. It is really a shame that such a horribly disturbed mind is trapped in a pretty good looking body.
On the Positive Note. On February 11th 1990. In the country of South Africa Nelson Mandela was released from prison. I don't think we need to explain why this was a good thing. This event changed the history of South Africa. Within a few years Mandela became President in the first free elections in South Africa. I can still remember footage of the voting lines snaking down the hill. I was such a amazing moment.

John Stewart and PBS

I have to say I just love Jon Stewart. First off he is a Dem.... Secondly he is an incredibly funny Dem with a really funny funny book. for those of yo who don't have it Buy America. If only all Textbooks were like that. Third I just watched (on-line) the Crossfire episode in which he Bitchslaped Tucker Carlson and help get the show cancelled. He just went and shut them up.

On a more important note I am watching Slavery and the Making of America on PBS tonight. There will be a review of it later...

Batman the Animated Series

So I was having a converstation with another teacher the other day. It turns out he is into cartoons. He watchs many of the new cartoons. He likes Teen Titans and JLU. So he has some good taste in Cartoons. But he had never really watched the original Batman the Animated Series. So I loaned himmy DVD. He watched " Nothing to Fear". He did not seem care for it. He seems to like the newer series that focus more on action and have less reliance on charcater development and drama. Ohwell he has no taste.

The Post SOU depression.

In case you haven't realized I am and New Dealophile. And it really depresses me how readily President Bush and Americans are ready to get rid of program that even if now flawed represented a great aspect of America. Individuals helping other Americans. President Bush wants to replace it with a system in which Americans are only helping themselves. What does he plan to do next make taxes so that Americans can choose what they pay for.

Andrew

I can't decide if Bush using the Parents to honor our war dead is touching or exploitive.
Wow he finally mentioned FDR. Not where he should have metioned.
Fall of imperial Communism. What the hell is that. Man I was sure he was going to mention Reagan there.

Well the SOU is over now. Thank god.

The State of the Union IV

Social Security
Personal Retirement Accounts.
What if you have no idea what you are doing.
Marriage
Where did this come from.
Good of Children how does that have to do with marriage.
Man he is good he is not even mentioning homosexuality.
Culture of Life.
No Stem Cell research.
Urban youth section.
Is he actually going to fund this action.
What I thought Midnight Basketball was not worth the money. Now they seem to be funding it again.

9:37
This seems to be moving along rather fast.
Funding Defense lawyers.
As opposed to Texas where they have none. I thought anyone convicted must be Guilty Shrub.... Does the lawyer really matter. Afterall everyone you executed was guilty.

Taxes
Reforming the Tax Code....
Fair to all
Immigration.
Wait is Bush pushing for illegal Aliens.
Closes the Border to Drug Dealers and Terrorists. How is that going to happen.
Social Security
You better fucking mention FDR
At least you call it a great Moral Success you bastard...
Here comes the privatization part.
Founders of Social Security. You mean FDR you dumb ass.
Fewer workers are paying ever higher benefits to more retirees.
Oh good Rummy is in the Room.

SOU Part III

Restrain the spending of the Federal Government. How are we going to do that while we spend more on the military.
Good the Dems are sitting on that budget bull shit.
What government programs do you plan to get rid of.
Wisely( ie on GOP ideas and not at all Dem ideas?)
Small business as definded by what? So they can pollute and do other things?
Man Bush hasn't done his dumb I'm the President grin. Wait he just grinned on the Health Care issue.
How is he going to pay for all of this?
Energy Reform
Encourages Conservation... Yeah thats a crock of shit.

SOU Part II.

No shit sherlok of course you are placed into office by the voters.
Of course he will mention Iraq.
Ah short sentences once again.
I thought American forces were over extended.
What no mention of Draft Dodging.....
Well if the Bush Daughters are ever elected I think the state of future unions will be weak.
You mean make enemies abroud.
Aren't those jobs added all minium wage?

First minutes of the SOU

So the Cabinet just came in. Lets see who is missing. Lets hope it is not Rummy but I didn't see him. Here comes Shrub. He is about to start the speech. We are going to have a running mispeak count. Lets hope the Democrats are not pussies again.

State of the Union

Well the time has come. It is February and the President is getting ready to give his State of the Union. I of course will be watching. I don't know why I guess I feel obligated as an American Citizen. Will update during the speech

Greensboro Four

Just saw a film on PBS about the February 1 1960 sit in at the Woolworths counter. It was an interesting film. It really shows the power that not only young people have but also how even the most unlikely of individuals can spur a revolution. If it is on again I suggest you watch it.