The M-F Empire At It Again

I'm sure if you have stopped to actually read this post, you've probably read the Omaha World-Herald this past weekend and their report on the latest from the Mackiel-Fahey Takeover plan (cleverly disguised as a report on segregated schools). I don't claim to know everything about it, but I do claim to be amused by the whole issue.
I still fail to see how, if you conquer Millard, Ralston, and Elkhorn Public Schools, you would improve diversity in your lower income schools. If you would like to have high-ability students go to school at 60th and Ames or 24th and Lake, you must make that school attractive to someone who lives on 156th and Q. Unless you are going to force those students to be bused there, what other reasons do they have to attend that school? You have not provided the carrot for the horse to start moving. Having magnet schools does help to some degree. But there is nothing going on at Mount View Elementary on north 56th (I believe, don't quote me) that intrigues an Elkhorn parent. No disrespect to the school, but it is the truth.
Another aspect that, as a small town product, I disagree with is not having your child going to school with students they live among. One of the goals of a school is to not only build a community, but to partner with the surrounding community. (Lets leave magnet schools out of this equation. To me, they are a whole different ballgame from your typical elementary school.) It becomes very difficult for a student to relate to the community around the school if they do not live in the same area. Yes, diversity (more than just racial) increases, but you are really having the student living in two, sometimes very different, environments. I never had any true contact with people other than Caucasian until I was in college, where I met the smartest man I've ever known, who was black and from the Bahamas. My parents and the rural school that I went to did educate us that we were not the only race on this earth and, in order to succeed in life, we must to tolerate and coexist with all other races.
It is kind of frustrating that OPS doesn't come out and say the true reason for this takeover plot: They don't want to become landlocked and have all of the money move into the suburbs. It has nothing to do with diversity among students. If Mackiel and his posse were to force students to go to a school outside of where they live, the students could easily change districts. I refuse to buy into this being about promoting "one city". Say what the real reasons for doing this are. Work with the outside districts. You do not have to be the one and only. Be part of the solution, not the problem.

Must Be The Money

I want to first say that I pray for all of the families that have been effected by all of the latest natural disasters. It's not something I hope to ever have to deal with (obviously, which is why I live where we don't have hurricanes and earthquakes). Having said that, I'm frustrated that we American citizens (and more specifically the government) complain about the deficit and how are taxes are going to the people in the south who couldn't get out of New Orleans because the government didn't hold there hand and color code the exits like they have for the last 20 years, yet we continue to give money to countries who can't spend it properly. Why can't we give Pakistan $50 million to build structures that can better withstand earthquakes? We give them this money and aid, yet they don't have the security forces to protect it so it gets to the people that need it. I know. I'm being insensitive. But it baffles me.
Quote of the day: A little 5 year-old girl was pulled from some rubble in Pakistan and the first thing she says is, "I want a drink." I feel your pain, young sister.

New Blog to Pass Along

Our good friends at Plains Feeder pointed out to us a new blog about OPS's "One City, One School" fiasco. We've added it to our "Links" section. Even if you are in favor of the plan, we'd love to have you log in and be bashed.

Cleveland Rocks

Another disappointing year has come to a close for the Cleveland Indians. I can't be too terribly disappointed because expectations were A LOT lower than what was actually achieved. They only finished a few games out of first in the division and wild card. Last year we had our melt down in August, so pushing it all of the way to the last week of the year is a major improvement. They made up 13 games in the standings in only a couple of months, so they deserve a lot of credit for what they achieved. It was too little too late, though.
If you scroll down to one of my original posts, I mentioned that I was a little nervous about the signing of Juan Gonzales...Juan went 0 for 1 in 1 at bat. He got off the DL for one stinking at bat. Thanks. Appreciate the help.
But with a young nucleus nailed down through at least another year, things are still looking bright. There is still hope. And considering how horrible life was to begin the season and how well the White Sox played, I still have the optimism for next year.

It Can't Happen to Me

Think of how many times you've said either out loud or to yourself: "It can't happen to me." I say it all the time. You see somebody who has a fire or gets into a car accident. "Oh, that will never happen to me." Well, it did happen to me and my family.
I've been working on putting more hard-hitting, interesting stuff on the page. I was all set to do a post about my grandfather who is not in very good health and how I made a virtual tour of our new house because I'm scared he'll never see it in person. In that post was going to be how lucky I am to be able to make my grandpa smile and how great it felt. Instead, I got a call from my dad saying that my aunt (his sister) was killed by a drunk driver. You see it all the time on TV, and, if you're like me, it makes you think twice when you are at the bar and have to drive home. You think about the story you saw on TV and how you don't want to end up like that. Now, I don't need the TV, because it's a family story.
My aunt was the "rebel" child of the family. She was a homosexual that moved away and rarely looked back. We didn't think less of her, she was just different than everyone else in the family. We still loved her. She ended up in Florida with her "friend". They visited every now and then, but we still didn't get to see them often enough.
On Wednesday night, a man crossed the center line as they were driving home. He hit my aunt and her friend head on. My aunt is dead, but her friend is still alive.
Do I hate the man? No, I don't (I do not speak for the rest of my family, though). Right now we are in more of a shock because we are so far removed. I am a firm believer in everything happens for a reason. I know that what happened on that Florida highway Wednesday night was destined to happen. It is a life altering event for all of us. My grandmother has now lost her husband to cancer and her daughter to a drunk driver. My dad and uncle have lost a sister. In our family, it is not out of the ordinary for all of us to drink, so we now must think twice because of the destiny that has fallen over us. I am not mad at the man, I just hope and pray that what he is going through leads him to a better life. I would love to see him speaking to children about the dangers of drinking and driving. I want him to look the children in the eye, to make sure it gets to them, that it can happen to them.