The Evil That Men Do
They began calling for free, compulsory school for every child in the nation. … Massachusetts passed the first compulsory school laws in 1852. New York followed the next year, and by 1918, all American children were required to attend at least elementary school.
By the mid-19th century, the role of the schools in New England had expanded to such an extent that they took over many of the educational tasks traditionally handled by parents.
All the New England colonies required towns to set up schools, and many did so. In 1642 the Massachusetts Bay Colony made “proper” education compulsory; other New England colonies followed this example. Similar statutes were adopted in other colonies in the 1640s and 1650s. In the 18th century, “common schools” were established; students of all ages were under the control of one teacher in one room. Although they were publicly supplied at the local (town) level, they were not free. Students’ families were charged tuition or “rate bills.”
The larger towns in New England opened grammar schools, the forerunner of the modern high school. The most famous was the Boston Latin School, which is still in operation as a public high school. Hopkins School in New Haven, Connecticut, was another. By the 1780s, most had been replaced by private academies.
The phrase, ‘in loco parentis’, Latin for “in the place of a parent” refers to the legal responsibility of a person, organization, or government to take on some of the functions and responsibilities of a parent. Originally derived from English common law…
In America this underlying philosophy was/is particularly and especially true of both public and private schools. The concept was applied across the spectrum of what became the educational establishment.
Teachers, counselors, school principals, superintendents, boards of education, and boards of trustees all were/are expected or required to function and act “in loco parentis”, in the ‘best’ interest of the children whose education was ‘mandated’ by a system and network of state and local laws and administrative rules and regulations.
Government mandates which pertain to the health and well-being of children as they are adhering to the universal mandate which requires attendance in school should be perceived to be as legitimate and as enforceable as the universally accepted societal imperative that makes school attendance fundamentally mandatory.
In short, government mandates re public education and public health are as American as apple pie and the flag.
From trolls under rural bridges to witches in thickly wooded forests and mountain-top castles, a tenet of Western Civilization and culture and tradition is:
The epitome of the embodiment, personification, or incarnation of evil is an individual, entity, agency, or authority that would knowingly and purposely do harm to children or knowingly and purposely fail to protect children from a clear and present danger or existential threat of harm.
Refusal to cooperate, enforce, or comply with mandates that require wearing of masks or receiving vaccines in the name of public health and the protection of children attending school is, at best, disingenuous and hypocritical.
In short, it is patently Un-American and evil….
The government officials who have chosen to violate their oaths and the public trust by pushing back and railing against mandates that have been promulgated to protect and defend school children against a deadly virus would do well to heed this admonition:
“The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.”
William Shakespeare
ArtWStone
09/22/2021 @ 11:37 am
At least half of the nation has given up on the tenets that have been in place for decades and even centuries as you have made clear.
They would accept a nation that was close to illiterate, devoid of community understanding and headed towards self annihiation if they could point to it as being their “right to freedom”.
It’s preposterous at best and destructive at its core.
BTW: What will you do after this site folds? Is there another site you or the few other people left here might use?
Ron Powell
09/22/2021 @ 3:25 pm
“What will you do after this site folds?”
Let’s work at keeping BindleSnitch afloat.
I’m not interested in searching for another site.
As I told Alan, I’m not going anywhere any time soon…
Ron Powell
09/22/2021 @ 7:16 pm
“At least half of the nation has given up on the tenets that have been in place for decades and even centuries. .”
The intellectual and moral wherewithal needed to be able to distinguish and separate good and evil has eroded to the point where not only no distinction is made, but deemed unnecessary…
Acquiring and possessing money and power seem to be all that matters now to far too many of the semi-literate dolts among us.
“They would accept a nation that was close to illiterate…”
The high school diploma, in and of itself, is no longer a valid indicator of what we might characterize as ‘literacy’….
That which passes for education in this country is too often an abysmal reflection of the acceptance of mediocrity and incompetence that has been allowed to pass as meritorious achievement here….
The country is in deep trouble re democratic self governance and far too many citizens are either too ignorant or too stupid to know it.
koshersalaami
09/23/2021 @ 8:37 am
Hillary turned out to be right about deplorables. Not the first time.
As to the site, it is Alan’s intention to shut it down Oct. 1. The only way I could possibly see to keep it open is to take it completely off his hands, costs, technical administration, and all. Past that I suggest we keep each others’ emails if you’re interested in either meeting again elsewhere or starting a much smaller joint email circle where we talk to each other that way. Or come up with some sort of joint site like we did for the book, which I don’t remember how we did.
Ron Powell
09/23/2021 @ 3:48 pm
Do you remember Chauncey DeVega?
He’s now a full- blown commentator for SALON.
He believes she was right the first time:
https://www.salon.com/2021/09/22/hillary-clinton-tried-to-warn-us–and-paid-the-price-lets-at-least-call-what-they-are/
jpHart
10/26/2021 @ 2:38 pm
While I’m not a keyboard dude, many here among US at least subliminally attempt to share that John Lennon piano tranquility what’s IT {…} ?riff? {…} in IMAGINE.
Wow such a roll and that’s forever rock!
From time to time the words just get in the way.
jpHart~ Mitchell Park, MKE Tropical Dome ~ workin’ practicin’ ~ trying to recollect that
Sean Connery jungle scene wherein he searches a panacea sprig. . .just like a paperback novel —>
Koshersalaami
10/27/2021 @ 7:15 pm
The thing about the Imagine piano part is that I keep hearing a note that isn’t there. Maybe I’m Imagining it. The note is at the very end of the repeated sequence. Hold on, let me go listen to figure out what key it’s in so I don’t have to say this in intervals (which I could do now)…
I’m wrong, the note’s there, but played really quietly. I think I can hear it because I’m listening on good headphones. Oddly quietly. The song’s in C Major. Without going into the chording, so just the top note of the melody whenever, for example, a third is being played: GCGCGCBCACACAC (quickly) A Bb B really quiet C
Koshersalaami
10/27/2021 @ 7:18 pm
But when the singing starts that top quiet C is often left off. So I guess I was right. Sort of. Just not in the intro.
I pulled out a tuning program in my phone for a reference pitch because I don’t have perfect pitch. Tried a C. Then I listened on YouTube, where it started with an ad, with music unfortunately. So the ad ends, I listen to my pitch again, and the song starts with an interminable (at least on video) stroll on gravel by John and Yoko. I’m trying to keep the damned pitch in my head. I have to rereference once it starts up.