Helveticus
Army veteran - Retired Special Ed Teacher
Joined Feb 2023
#politics All the news channels are talking about and analyzing the indictment of the King of Hate!
But more troublesome are the comments by those who swore to uphold the Constitution!
I can understand Mike Pence's observation that it is a political witch hunt. After all, he lacks the backbone to say anything else!
The crying Lindsey Graham, the same who predicted that Trump would destroy the Republican Party, is now showing his famous flip-flop side!
But where are the rational Republicans?
#politics Not since the Civil War (nothing civil about it) has this nation been more divided!
We can blame only one man for this renewed hostility, as he called his (obfuscated) followers to use violence against the state.
We all know his name, the new King of Hate, the immature and childish Donald Trump!
What happened to political civility? What happened to rational arguments based on evidence? What happened to tolerance, compassion, and the respect of the law?
#culture
The most important word in English is only 3-letter long: WHY
It is the reason for scientific and technological progress!
It is also the most offensive word, especially with children!
Some behaviors cannot be explained rationally as they occur as an emotional response!
So next time you ask your kid WHY did you hit your sister, think!
And next time your kid asks WHY, try to offer a rational explanation they can understand with a soothing tone of voice!
Intelligence without Knowledge is like a car without engine!
It doesn't allow progress!
This idea came to me when listening to Republican members of Congress for whom facts (knowledge) are not important!
They cannot interfere with an investigation into a former President who has become a bully by threatening D.A.s!
They ignore the clear and indisputable crimes committed by the MAGA leader simply to please their political base!
Be careful with what you wish!
#transgender athletes
There is a heated discussion of whether to allow males who became females to compete with women in sports!
The reason is clear, they have an unfair advantage caused by their high testosterone levels!
It seems illogical that a sport should adapt to the needs of a few transgender athletes, instead of simply stating that the sex at birth will determine participation in competitions!
And yet, the discussion rages on, thus creating unnecessary hardships for regular athletes!
#politics After watching a few minutes of Donald Trump's deposition last August in which he plead the fifth in every question regarding his alleged shady financial books, it became clear to me that he considers himself "untouchable" by mere mortals like the New York DA!
His arrogance and dismissive attitude while being questioned clearly shows his view of the world as a all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-wise earthly god seeking adoration from his subjects! 👹
Reelection of delusion???
@heyitsmikeyu There is a day for us?? Surely it is a miracle!!
@catlynne333 Yeah, totally innocent, poor boy, victim of malicious lies and rumors!
The same "poor boy" who told us to swallow kitchen desinfectants to "kill" covid!
The same poor boy who said he did not have any more secret documents while moving boxes of them to another part of Mar-Al-Lago!
#politics When voting, it is better not to follow the herd mentality!
Vote for the person, regardless of political party! That way we can avoid having another Trump in the White House!
#education Part III
Compared to other first world nations, the US fares poorly at the public education level!
We lag behind countries like Finland, Sweden, Germany, and especially Korea, China, and Japan!
Classroom size is one factor, albeit an important one. One cannot teach effectively with 25-30 students in the classroom as the teacher does not have time to get to know each pupil's skills and struggles!
The 50 minute mandated class time is another limiting factor for the instructor!
#education Part II
All schools have to meet certain goals annually and the person who is responsible is the principal who risks his/her job if these objectives are not reached!
And so they use certain tricks to save their position. I have been a witness to shenanigans by principals at the end of the school year to "force' teachers to pass bad students in order to meet graduation quota. They give struggling students easy tests that will raise their average sufficiently to pass!
Hurrah!
#education Part I
I noticed a sign in the Los Angeles manifestation of teachers and workers, who are on strike, and that sign said what I consider the most important factor in good education (after salaries)!
The sign said: Maximum 15 students per classroom!
As a retired teacher I am fully aware of the imperative need to reduce the number of students in each class if we want more quality (and less quantity)!
Public schools usually cannot do it due to lack of space, so they use other means!
#living
The eternal question every generation asks: Would I want to restart my life now if given the choice or was my generation far better in all respects?
I, for one, born in the middle of last century, would say no restart, mainly because I see modern youth enslaved by gadgets!
I am also befuddled by the constant disputes regarding genders, as we were very happy with two (including homosexuals as a variation of the same gender).
Food for thought! 🤔
#France I don't understand the Frenchmen! They paralyze the whole country and cause significant damage to public areas simply because they refuse to work 2 more years: Retirement at 64 instead of 62!
The government explained that they are more than 10 billion euros in the red in pension funds and need the extension to keep paying the retirement of millions of French workers!
But the French people don't understand reason and refuse to accept this small sacrifice!
No trip to Paris this year!
#politics Look like the special government support for additonal food stamps will cease soon and many fear that the affected families will go hungry, due in part to the rise in prices for groceries!
This is the richest and most powerful country in the world which spends more than 800 billion dollars for military hardware but allows American citizens to go hungry!!
Welfare is not charity; it is necessary to support the less fortunate and the less skilled!
Food for thought!!
#religion
If there is an omniscient god, he/she knows the past and, more importantly, the future.
This premise, if accepted, nullifies our free will, since our future has already been established.
This statement also deprives us of any motivation to fight or seek a better tomorrow!
I for one refuse to bow to this simplistic explanation and that makes me, like many others, a firm believer in my ability to change my status through effort and will power!
Food for thought😘
#science
“The actual chemical pathways life took billions of years ago will likely never be known to us. But Allchemy shows that maybe it wasn't as difficult as we might think.”
Scientists continue their search to create synthetic life in a laboratory!
I understand that true believers will scoff at this blasphemous idea!
But we must, as intelligent humans, do our best to discover the secrets of living organisms and how the first cell appeared!
Food for thought!
#culture When I was faced with an insult that included the word "woke", I immediately checked its meaning.
"aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice)" Merriam-Webster
So the insult was actually a compliment as I am, and always was Woke.
Why some nincompoop calls me woke as an accusation of being aware of social issues is a mystery that can only be attributed to ignorance!
Food for thought!
"
#justice Remember all these companies which agreed to pay a (sometimes) enormous fine but, at the same time, didn't admit culpability.
The charges are then dismissed, obviously, and the accused firm continues its nefarious activities, often related to pollution of rivers and lakes!
Why did they pay if they were not guilty? Because their business gives them enormous benefits and paying a fine is easily affordable while a trial would be quite onerous!
Justice??
Food for thought!!
#politics Chapter Three:
Will the former President be indicted and handcuffed for this action with Stormy Daniels?
Unlikely! But this may be the beginning of a cascade of indictments against him before being brought to trial!