All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[The Cool Thatguy]

I guess it's good at least that middle schoolers are learning about Hammurabi's Code (I don't recall learning about it until I was in high school). While you could certainly phrase homework questions about the code in any number of inoffensive ways, at the same time I think this was a bit of an overreaction. Slavery is a historical issue, and there are more "eras" of slavery besides just pre-Emancipation slavery in the United States. If it's too offensive and sensitive to learn that such eras and their conditions existed, then I guess Education should just throw in the towel.

Slavery is a historical constant yes, but I'm hard pressed to see the need for a lesson like this. Seems like just asking for trouble

[Hellion]

Slavery is a historical constant yes, but I'm hard pressed to see the need for a lesson like this. Seems like just asking for trouble

I mean there are other aspects of Hammurabi's Code that the assignment could have focused on aside from the fact that Hammurabi wrote about how to handle slaves, so I'm with you on that. It just feels like this scenario is as much about the phrasing of that particular homework question as it is about the fact that the issue of slavery was being discussed in a classroom. And I'll admit, maybe middle school is too early to try to deal with the intricacies and brutal realities of slavery (I'm of the opinion it's pretty useless trying to teach kids anything important until they've overcome puberty).

[babyblob]

Slavery is a historical constant yes, but I'm hard pressed to see the need for a lesson like this. Seems like just asking for trouble

I agree. I mean with as charged as the country is right now on racial issues why would someone go out of their way to do something controversial like this. it is just dumb.

[Adam Allen]

I guess it's good at least that middle schoolers are learning about Hammurabi's Code (I don't recall learning about it until I was in high school). While you could certainly phrase homework questions about the code in any number of inoffensive ways, at the same time I think this was a bit of an overreaction. Slavery is a historical issue, and there are more "eras" of slavery besides just pre-Emancipation slavery in the United States. If it's too offensive and sensitive to learn that such eras and their conditions existed, then I guess Education should just throw in the towel.

I think the focus on Hammurabi's Code ignores how the teacher responded to feedback from the parent. I didn't get the impression from the story that anyone was saying you can't teach about Hammurabi's Code or ancient civilizations, only that you need to be mindful of the social and psychological context that you're teaching in.

In other words, just because slavery existed in the world before our own country's history of chattel slavery does not mean we should pretend our history does not exist, when talking about it. The teachers could even be given a pass for having initially not thought of it that way, but when a parent complains, there's your chance to look at it differently. Or, you can stick to your guns, then feel like you've been done wrong, when you end up on the news for it.

[Hellion]

I think the focus on Hammurabi's Code ignores how the teacher responded to feedback from the parent. I didn't get the impression from the story that anyone was saying you can't teach about Hammurabi's Code or ancient civilizations, only that you need to be mindful of the social and psychological context that you're teaching in.

In other words, just because slavery existed in the world before our own country's history of chattel slavery does not mean we should pretend our history does not exist, when talking about it. The teachers could even be given a pass for having initially not thought of it that way, but when a parent complains, there's your chance to look at it differently. Or, you can stick to your guns, then feel like you've been done wrong, when you end up on the news for it.

I agree it's weird that the teachers just flat out ignored the parent complaint(s). Also it seems like they were using a homework sheet/assignment that was made by some company for teachers to use, which...I don't know how common that is, but most of the teachers I've had through the years designed their own curriculum and assignments within the appropriate state/school guidelines.

I can understand how the assumed question "According to the Code of Hammurabi, how were slaves to be punished?" is a sensitive one given today's social climate, I also really don't see it as a hill that anyone needs to die on. So I'm kinda surprised that the instructors involved resigned (presumably they'd have been fired if they hadn't resigned).

[WestPhillyPunisher]

I agree it's weird that the teachers just flat out ignored the parent complaint(s). Also it seems like they were using a homework sheet/assignment that was made by some company for teachers to use, which...I don't know how common that is, but most of the teachers I've had through the years designed their own curriculum and assignments within the appropriate state/school guidelines.

I can understand how the assumed question "According to the Code of Hammurabi, how were slaves to be punished?" is a sensitive one given today's social climate, I also really don't see it as a hill that anyone needs to die on. So I'm kinda surprised that the instructors involved resigned (presumably they'd have been fired if they hadn't resigned).

At the risk of exposing my ignorance, but, I'm 62 and never heard of this Code of Hammurabi until today. For those teachers to have crafted a lesson plan that dealt with how to punish slaves, in today's climate was, in my opinion, stupid on steroids. Plain and simple, there's NO way to justify that sort of madness disguised as education.

[worstblogever]

Twitter Link

This would almost definitely mean this information was available to Stephen Mnuchin at his time at Treasury, and he chose to do exactly nothing with it.

[Tami]

At the risk of exposing my ignorance, but, I'm 62 and never heard of this Code of Hammurabi until today. For those teachers to have crafted a lesson plan that dealt with how to punish slaves, in today's climate was, in my opinion, stupid on steroids. Plain and simple, there's NO way to justify that sort of madness disguised as education.

That is the main crux of the problem. Teaching about history, ancient up until the present is not the issue. Teaching about the existence of Slavery, in all contexts and time periods is not so much the issue, but teaching about how to punish slaves IS the issue.

It is a sensitive topic that needs to be handled the right way. The fact is that the teachers didn't stop to think about that, didn't realize that what they were teaching was no longer history but a attitude towards others, one that may have created the impression that Slavery was being justified in the classroom and that punishing others was acceptable.

That is where they crossed the line.

The Laws of Hammurabi are divided up into three parts, Weathy, Freemen (commoners), and Slaves. It is possible to teach about these laws, but it should be done so in the right context.

[worstblogever]

On this date in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, as well as 2020, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day posted profiles of Matt Shea, from the Washington House of Representatives, who has had the luck to continually be re-elected to office by the good fortune of getting to run unopposed, even though the Washington Republican Party had several key members warn against backing him when he first entered office because he was too unstable. And boy, is he.

Matt Shea has been arrested for road rage and possession of a concealed firearm after allowing his concealed carry license to expire. His ex-wife has gone on record to say he once struck a superior officer while in the National Guard and was forced to take anger management classes (that didn’t work, apparently). Shea also went to the home of his opponent in the 2012 elections and took photos of himself standing on her lawn as an intimidation tactic, then posted them on his Facebook and refused to take them down at her request, effectively doxxing her address to his supporters. And Shea’s supporters include the right-wing militia crowd, who he got all fired up at the capitol in Olympia when a Chinese flag was flown alongside an American one to greet a Chinese diplomat lin 2014, calling it a “Communist takeover”. Shea also spoke in defense of Cliven Bundy, has been photographed with the leader of the Oathkeepers, Stuart Rhodes, believes that the Agenda 21 Conspiracy Theory is a real thing, and tells those militia knuckleheads to go ahead and ignore firearms laws.

Heck, who he DOES keep company with is ever more disturbing. While Ammon Bundy and a bunch of armed occupiers took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in January of 2016, Matt Shea went on what he now calls a “fact-finding” mission to the refuge, and against the requests of law enforcement to not visit, embolden, or incite the protesters, snuck onto the compound to buddy up to the domestic terrorists, again. In 2017, he gave a “Patriot of the Year” Award to Anthony Bosworth, another figure from the Malheur Refuge standoff. In 2017, Shea was leading a group of many of the same militia whackos at a pro-gun protest at the Washington State capitol, and in the new session of the Washington State legislature, he has sponsored a bill that would split Eastern Washington off from the western party of the state, and make it the 51st State in the union (because it’s far more conservative than the western half).

Matt Shea is also passionately anti-gay, gaining the notice of the Southern Poverty Law Center for having ties to the Family Research Council and American Family Association, both anti-gay hate groups, and didn’t just try to redefine parenthood so it excluded same-sex parents, he didn’t just vote against same-sex marriage in Washington… Matt Shea even boasted that he would be the first person to refuse business to a gay customer at his florist shop if they came in for an arrangement for a same sex wedding. He also opposes bans on gay conversion therapy, while supporting transphobic bathroom bans, like when he sponsored HB 2935. Shea also refuses to acknowledge any fellow Republican as a member of the GOP if they are not anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage, and anti-Agenda 21.

Rumors were abound that Matt Shea was potentially planning a run for Congress, as well, in 2018, going for Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ seat in Washington’s 5th Congressional District. But instead, Shea has had his hands full with his usual anti-government insanity, clutching his pearls that the majority of the Washington State legislature would move to ban bump stocks on firearms after the Las Vegas Massacre, and dealing with a defamation lawsuit filed against him, because for whatever reason, Matt Shea’s paranoia got the best of him on a right-wing podcast and he accused a sheriff’s deputy of providing the murder weapon in a triple murder.

Even Shea’s road to re-election in the state legislature grew difficult, however, when Rolling Stone magazine got their hands on a four page manifesto that Matt Shea had posted online called “The Biblical Basis for War”, which describes the Christian God as a “warrior,” details the composition and strategies of a “Holy Army” and condemns abortion and same-sex marriage. The document is organized in 14 sections with multiple tiers of bullet points and a smattering of biblical citations. Under the heading, “Rules of War,” it makes a chilling prescription for enemies who flout “biblical law.” It states, “If they do not yield – kill all males.” Because that doesn’t sound like a Christian ISIS.

After facing a hell of a lot of scrutiny for his screed, Matt Shea had the calm reaction you’d expect, claiming that a “counter state of Marxists and Maoists” was conspiring against him. The FBI decided to do an investigation of their own because that’s what you’re supposed to do when someone circulates documents calling for Holy War.

And, in spite of writing a treatise on beginning a holy war fought with child soldiers were not enough to stop Matt Shea’s election to a sixth term in office, as he won in 2018 with 57% of the vote, leaving his opponent, Ted Cummings, to shrug on election night and sum it up and say, “I just lost to a fascist.” Meanwhile, all the Washington GOP did in response to this maniac is to finally get around to stripping him from his committee leadership positions in the state legislature, and Shea, meanwhile, keeps calling Washington state to be split in two geographically and politically, so that he could be a part of a new eastern part of Washington state called “The Liberty State” with its own right-wing politicians running the show.

Not surprisingly, in August of 2019, the FBI released the findings of their investigation to to the media, and in summary, they acknowledge that a sitting state legislator should be classified as a domestic terrorist who helped plan no fewer than three armed conflicts of political violence against the United States government.

Video recordings have emerged of Shea telling a crowd to arm themselves against the government, and that “blood is required of every generation”:

“Arm yourselves. Arm your families. Arm the church. Godlessness is violence. We’ve got to prepare ourselves mentally. And part of that, too, is we’ve got to realize that every generation – blood is required of every generation. In some way, shape or form, blood is required of every generation.

Your household, you should have 5,000 rounds of .223 ammunition. You should have 5,000 rounds of .22 ammunition. You should have 1,000 rounds of handgun ammunition. That is how you arm your family.

Being a coward is not being a Christian.”

None of Shea’s fellow Republicans signed a petition to remove him from office in spite of him, y’know, being a domestic terrorist. He refused to resign, and finished out his term until the end of 2020… he is now a cultlike figure in Washington politics, occasionally surfacing to call for something bugf*** kooky like for Eastern Washington to secede from the rest of the state and become the 51st state, Liberty.

We hope he vanishes from view altogether, but he seems like a domestic terror arrest waiting to happen.

[GOLGO 13]

On this date in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, as well as 2020, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day posted profiles of Matt Shea, from the Washington House of Representatives, who has had the luck to continually be re-elected to office by the good fortune of getting to run unopposed, even though the Washington Republican Party had several key members warn against backing him when he first entered office because he was too unstable. And boy, is he.



Matt Shea is also passionately anti-gay, ...

Is he a self-loathing closeted gay Republican as well?

[BeastieRunner]

Is he a self-loathing closeted gay Republican as well?

That is how they go most of the time, isn't it?

[Besouro]

We could always just not give them weapons.

This is a horribly terrible idea.

[Besouro]

Lets have a police force in America with no guns and see how that works. In a country where ten year old kids have NRA cards.

EXACTLY....in addition to all the easy flowing guns in the streets with tons of armed gang culture and armed violent gunfire gang wars in the U.S

[worstblogever]

Is he a self-loathing closeted gay Republican as well?

[skyvolt2000]

At the risk of exposing my ignorance, but, I'm 62 and never heard of this Code of Hammurabi until today. For those teachers to have crafted a lesson plan that dealt with how to punish slaves, in today's climate was, in my opinion, stupid on steroids. Plain and simple, there's NO way to justify that sort of madness disguised as education.

That is NOT taught in school.
That is something the teacher had to research on their own.

ALSO a teacher has to do a lesson plan and TURN IT IN to whoever their evaluator is. Who tends to be the Dean if Instruction, Assistant Principal or even the Principal of the school.

And at some schools we have teachers who post those lesson plans online for the students and parents to know what is planned for the week. Some teachers will list the entire semester if they can.

In plain English-SOMEBODY in charge saw that before it was shown to the kids.

I don't know how common that is, but most of the teachers I've had through the years designed their own curriculum and assignments within the appropriate state/school guidelines.

That is really the rule for ALL teachers. Now most of the assignments are from those guidelines. Others are from the teachers.