gpatt0n

The point I would like to make is that other than the semantics of terror, I pegged, surmised, logically concluded that in the case of the murder of the American Ambassador, there were nefarious individuals behind the scenes who were doing this intentionally in an effort to destroy the relations between the United States and moderate individuals in these Muslim states.

Why?

Because you'd have to be a dolt as dumb as Mitt and his assembled neocons not to know this was an intentional act designed to complicate relations between the US and moderate segments of Libyan society that were getting chummy because of 'good, effective diplomacy.'

My point then and my point now is that out job is to not exacerbate the situation by blowing it out of proportion but rather nails the sonsofbitches who did the deed and not let their disruptive behaviors diminish the progress toward good relations we were effectively establishing.

Of course everything that the right has done since then has been about as effective at maintaining the positive momentum in Libya as setting a bull in a china shop in order to protect the precious inventory of priceless pottery.

pubby

JohnnyJ · June 7, 2009

Great photos Johnny! I never thought you was that young !

pubby

gpatt0n · January 5, 2009

LOL, Happy New Year, Pubby. I am still lurking around. What's the preferred method to post video these these days?

James:

the easiest way to post video is to upload the video to youtube and then use the youtube tag to embed it in a topic.

If what you have would be suitable for the news program (and would benefit from better quality as well as news value), just PM me and I'll make arrangements to include it in the weekly news program.

the youtube tag looks like this:

[youtube]filenamenumberfromyoutube[/youtube]

the file name is the part of the youtube URL after v= btw,

pubby

thatboyaintright · March 10, 2008

I know what you mean. I just got an invite to go to a meeting in early June in Minneapolis ... and I'm thinking ... how travel used to be really fun. Then I read your topic.

At least I wouldn't be going through Newark.

pubby

Quasimodem · August 27, 2007

I think this is a cool idea Bill.

Would it be possible to sponsor you?

pubby

angeloftheair · August 17, 2007

Iris:

I see you figured out how to do a blog.

I was reading a bit on how the insurance folks got a small group of non-physicians in a relatively obscure group of specialists and produced flawed research that those with a financial interest in denying claims of mold lobbied to have adopted as a policy.

In essence, junk science is at the root of this debacle and frankly I judge it is criminal.

pubby

old goat · May 24, 2007

OldGoat:

this is a daunting problem and I more than understand your frustration with the schools and their lack of understanding of these kids. We do need to organize and share information regarding these kids and the approach that the schools is taking. As I understand it they are seeking to remove parapro aides and mass mainstream the kids.

This to me is a strategy predicated on the idea that next year, the Georgia General Assembly will pass SB 10 which caps the funding for which the schools would be liable to that they expended when the parent pulls the child from school. By eliminating assigned aides, closing the special needs classes and mainstreaming the kids, the schools will literally be cutting back the funding they provide these kids by several thousands of dollars per child.

It is my concern that they are doing this inorder to duck their responsibility to provide an appropriate education for these kids as required under the individuals with disabilities education act (IDEA).

This is particularly pernicious in regard to younger children with autism as these kids have a chance ... about a 50-50 chance, of retraining their brains with application of a program of intense one-on-one training based on adaptive behavioral analysis. But these programs, even when practiced in a public school setting, can run several tens of thousands of dollars.

The other aspect of this is that schools across the nation have more and more often been required, under IDEA, to provide this kind of intense program as this 'educational' approach time and time again, has been proven to work leaving roughly half the children so treated, literally indistinguishable form normal functioning children about the half the time. Even more important is that those whose disability is greater, show great progress and while they may remain disabled, are able to function at a much higher level than if they are not able to obtain the treatment.

This approach ... the approach capable of providing broad-based improvements ... is an expensive educational intervention which raises the question of whether the schools, by choosing instead to restrict and deny services and instead over-emphasize the least restrictive environment over all other demands placed upon them by the law, are really seeking to lower dramatically the costs they would incur in providing a free and appropriate education to these kids.

Couple the denial of services with the total inappropriateness of the all-inclusion model and the cost expended per student may drop from a potential $50,000 or more to the 'basic' cost per child expense of a normal functioning child (as these kids will get virtually the same services) of something more like $6,000.

So, by denying the actual level of services needed, ($50,000) are they setting the kids up to fail because of no aides and no special small classes? Obviously, avoiding doing what is appropriate (and has been ordered by the courts in many states) the idea is they will so frustrate the parents that they seemly have no choice but to ask for a private voucher at a cost of $6200 per student because they are continously being called to the school to get their 'disruptive' child.

Yep, they cut costs and cut risk of losing a court case by not doing the job. In the context of SB10, the law creating the vouchers, this is a good idea if you really don't want the kids in your school.

In regard to DJ54's assertion that diet modification has resulted in a miraculous improvement in a friends child, as a parent with autism; I do note that such miraculous conversions do happen. The problem is that sensitivity to foods, while it may impact the behavior of some children with autism, is very rarely capable of providing the miraculous improvement reported in this case.

But Old Goat, don't be so quick to let them have their way thinking that you'd rather have the $6,200 (or the $9 grand).

While a private educator may do better than the public schools with the $6,000 they would pay, it won't touch the $50,000/yr that ought to be have to pay to give these kids a free and appropriate education that meets their needs and avoids, when they turn 18 or 21, being on disability for 70 years. (From a societal standpoint, if you could eliminate those long terms costs on literally millions of kids -- not to mention quality of life issues -- it makes good sense to require a process or treatment when it can work well (150,000 program) than to have them collect social security at $20,000/yr for 75 years ($1.5 million)

As the guy who used to sell oil changes on TV used to say ... pay now or pay later.

pubby

gpatt0n · March 19, 2007

Folks,

I understand the various reasons to vote no. It is easy to be swayed by them but this is really one of those cases where your self-interest ought to supercede your irritation and frustrations over the government.

It is false thinking to believe that this 'issue' ... this vote ... is the one on which any kind of victory over unfettered growth depends.

Indeed, failing to come through on this vote is very much a case of cutting one's nose off to spite your face. This need is real and it is critical it pass.

The votes that will make a difference are the ones that will place representatives on the commission and in the general assembly. Those elections are a way off and that is just the nature of our system.

The important thing is that we need to recognize that. I'm afraid folks are confusing which is which and I'm afraid that if this bond fails, it will be an error that every homeowner/property owner in the county will regret. Yes, I think those who think they are saving $600 over the next three years will actually lose $10,000 in the value of their properties in that three year period.

pubby

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