Dopey WNJ Letter of the Week

Julie Cavalca of Newark agrees with Barack Obama's wife:

Cindy McCain has spoken out strongly against Michelle Obama's occasional lack of pride in the United States.

In my opinion, Mrs. Obama was putting it mildly. Most of my friends and relatives not only feel a lack of pride in America, they are ashamed of America.

First of all, Michelle Obama did not say she was "occasionally" lacking in pride for her country. She said "for the first time in her adult life," which is most of her life (she's 44), and she said it twice. Since Mrs. Obama's undergraduate thesis was on race relations and black self-concept, I find it incredulous that Mrs. Obama doesn't feel that the United States has progressed substantially in those realms since the early 1980s. Not to mention myriad other aspects of our country.

America is far from perfect, but unfortunately people like Ms. Cavalca fail to realize that without the United States, the world would be a far more dangerous, and incredibly less generous place. If America is something to be ashamed of, maybe Ms. Cavalca can ponder just why in the hell so many people want to come here. That always pops that proverbial radical chic bubble pretty quickly.

Runner-up:

Zai Stevens' letter from the same day (today) is, well, chuckle-inducing since one of the complaints is against supposedly incompetent teachers. Looks like Zai might have had one him/herself:

How about a testing for the teachers? Since the kids have to be tested constantly (DSTP, MAP, midterms, finals) to assess their grasp of subject material, shouldn't we make sure the teachers are capable of imparting that knowledge to them.

I want to my tax dollars going to textbooks, technology improvements, supplies for art and science labs, educational field trips and presentations, and other things that directly impact the child's education.

Ouch.

Posted by Hube at February 25, 2008 06:54 PM | TrackBack