New Historical Revelations!

I am always amused by the answers I read on tests, especially mid-terms and finals. Today I have read some real gems that will hopefully make U.S. History just as clear as a brand new pane of glass and not confuse you too much!

1. The Declaration of Independence was written in the mid-1600s and declared us independent from Spain! It was also written and signed in Washington D.C.
2. Robert E. Lee was the president of the Confederacy.
3. Or, Robert E. Lee was the Union General responsible for destroying the Confederacy!
4. The Cherokee Indians were forced west from their homelands in Georgia because of the Indian Immigration Act to live in Arizona.
5. The Battle of Saratoga was a surprise attack by General Washington's men after crossing the Potomac River.
6. Abraham Lincoln began the Civil War.
7. Missouri wanted to join the Union as a free state and Maine as a slave state.
8. The Confederacy survived until the mid-1870s.
9. The Declaration of Independence was written in the 1840s.

Unfortunately, Transformers did not come down to take part in the Civil War, but maybe next time! Merry Christmas!

Coach

Birthday Box for Vryant

Allrighty then first period. It is time to get this thing going. The link for the birthday box sign up for Vryant is at the bottom of this post. We need to get this thing finished as soon as possible. I know you will come through with flying colors, so take care of business. That's right, it's business time!

www.mysignup.com/vryant2011

Find something you can bring and BRING IT!

Coach Nokes Out!

Silly Government! Money is for Smart People!

Here is a little link for the masses to help describe the significance of the proposed $100 million dollar budget cuts by President Obama. I think you will enjoy it. If you understand it that is...

http://www.wimp.com/budgetcuts/

Enjoy!

Has Equality Been Reached to the Point of Inequality?

Without trivializing the importance of continually seeking equality of opportunity in our country, I cannot help but think the time has come to begin to evaluate some of the older laws designed to secure equality.

Affirmative action is a program which continues to baffle me as minorities are given advantages that caucasions are not. Lower admission standards and more opportunity for financial aid at the college level, and specific laws/provisions for guaranteeing more opportunity in the work place for minorities. At one point in time, I know these standards may have been needed, but now, with multiple reports and court cases of reverse discrimination, it is time to pull them back.

Another issue in the fight for equality came in the case of voting rights. There are multiple laws and protections in place to guarantee all U.S. citizens, who are of age, the right to vote. These laws contain protections for all people and processes to prosecute those who might try to take away another's right to vote. But are these laws selective in their interpretation of who they protect? I attached a nice article that you won't find in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal or on the Yahoo! frontpage about possible reverse discrimination in voting rights. I want to hear your thoughts after reading the article. Leave me a nice little comment so we can discuss later.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/09/24/voting-rights-official-calls-black-panther-dismissal-travesty-justice/

Enjoy and good luck!

Coach Nokes

Said it better...

When I first got to college, one of the best pieces of advice I received was in writing and speaking, someone has probably already done it better. In that mindset, I draw upon several historical quotes to see what you think about them and how the quotes relate to today's society, economy and government.

"When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic."
Benjamin Franklin

"The beauty of the Second Amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it."
Thomas Jefferson

"To take from one because it is thought that his own industry and that of his father’s has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association—the guarantee to every one of a free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it."
Thomas Jefferson

"I think myself that we have more machinery of government than is necessary, too many parasites living on the labor of the industrious."
Thomas Jefferson

"A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends upon the character of the user."
Theodore Roosevelt

"There is not in all America a more dangerous trait than the deification of mere smartness unaccompanied by any sense of moral responsibility."
Theodore Roosevelt

"Any people that would give up liberty for a little temporary safety deserves neither liberty nor safety."
Benjamin Franklin

"Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
John Adams

"The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government."
Patrick Henry



Well, there they all are. Please enjoy and pick one to respond to. Happy writing!

Are the troops really gone?

With all of the hullabaloo surrounding the removal of the last "combat" troops I am left wondering how many people actually know that we still have troops in Iraq. Listening to the media and the government perspective that I see and hear in mainstream, I am innundated with the message about the troops coming home. Which, don't get me wrong, is great to hear. But, is that actually what was promised by this administration?

As President Obama campaigned in 2008, one of his biggest promises would be the end of the Iraq War. How can you celebrate the end to a war when the United States still has around 50,000 troops in Iraq with new "peace-keeping" forces arriving throughout the month? How can someone also call counterterrorism actions as non-combat?

At the same time the U.S. is drawing down troops in Iraq, we continue to send more troops into Afghanistan. I feel like the current administration is playing a shell game with us. Distract the populus with a bit of good news in one place to blind us to what is happening elsewhere. Not only that but there are still problems in Iraq. The Iraqis are worried about increasing attacks from al-Qaeda as the U.S. withdraws. The government is also not quite the picture of stability at the moment. Is the U.S. government kicking out an elementary school aged democracy into the world to fend for itself? It will not last in my opinion.

Enough ranting for today. Here are a couple of links to check out and read for more info. Could be current event worthy!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10839342

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/19/AR2010081905642.html
(Good Article)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/22/us-soldier-killed-attack-iraq

Let me know what you think in the comments section!

Summer Reflections

Now that I am back to the daily grind of school, I am coming to the sad realization that my summer never really existed. At least didn't exist in the way I had always hoped and dreamed. One of the greatest perks that I believed the teaching and coaching profession contained was that I would have two glorious months to do whatever I wanted. That dream was killed quickly.

As I stood in my kitchen, looking at the calendar back in June, instead of a blank slate with a giant message of "Do whatever you want!" scrawled across the months of June and July, the calendar was already filled. I no longer spend time enjoying the outdoors, sleeping in, staying up late, watching movies, playing my PS3, and hanging out on the lake. In exchange I picked up work trips, AP teacher training, working sport camps, coaching 7-on-7, and more football, football, football. (Not that I complain about the football part, I rather enjoy it!)

In my three years of teaching, and thus three years of summers, I have yet to enjoy the "fun" of summer rumored to be a part of the summer "vacation" on the school calendar. The last two summers were spent finishing my masters degree. This summer was a conglomeration of travel, work, and general craziness. Next summer I am sure will be full of more work and spending time with my first child, which I am looking forward to meeting in December!

So, I write all of this to tell anyone reading this, that summer vacation for a teacher/coach is never all that you might think. Don't get me wrong, it is still awesome to have, but not in the way you have it as a student. My message, enjoy it while you can!