Rob Schilling will be on “Fox and Friends” to attack a local school teacher for promoting the UN, peace, human rights, and ecology and, as a part of a display about propaganda, displaying an example anti-Palin handbill. How…uh…dare she? #
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
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Police announced this afternoon that their investigation into what was initially believed to be a fatal fire on Rugby Avenue is now a homicide investigation. #
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied George Huguely’s appeal. His second-degree murder conviction will stand, WRIC reports. #
In a carefully worded story, and not citing specific sources, WTVR reports that forensic evidence belonging to Jesse Matthew Jr., the main suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, matches forensic evidence collected during the investigation of Morgan Harrington’s 2009 murder. #
In the wake of Hannah Graham’s disappearance, and the evidence that came from private security footage, city officials are revisiting the question of installing security cameras on the downtown mall. #
Both Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta and former Electoral Board member Stephanie Commander have turned themselves in to the police on
foursix and four felony counts of embezzlement, respectively. #Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health budget doubled and schools like the University of Virginia built massive new research facilities. A decade later, those buildings remain largely underutilized. NPR visits UVA in this story on the effect of federal binge and spurge spending in the sciences. #
In 2012, Council approved a new student housing complex on West Main—now some council members are questioning whether what they were shown matches what was built. #
The Architectural Review Board has approved a bike-themed mural on West Market, below the McGuffey Art Center, although at least one member expressed concerns that it might look like the bicyclists were riding away from Charlottesville’s downtown. #
City Police Chief Tim Longo is meeting with city leaders to work on protocols regarding the use of military surplus police weapons in Charlottesville. #
A 100-year-old Colonnades resident received military honors for her service in the WWII Women’s Army Corps #
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This just in: Guy who hates public schools hates a public school teacher.
When I was in middle school, I’m not sure I even knew what being a republican or democrat even meant. I doubt the kids even give a crap about the decorations.
Also, does this guy even have kids in this class? Or in this school, period? If not, I kind of have to wonder why anyone even cares what he has to say about it.
According to the DP, this same teacher also gave students extra credit for participating in the Tea Party on the Downtown Mall. I’m curious if Schilling will acknowledge that when he speaks on Fox & Friends.
I’m curious why support of the UN is perceived by so many to be a form of anti-Americanism.
The nucleus of UN was was formed by various WWII Allied powers, and the mechanics of its formation were under way before the war had ended. An overarching goal was to reduce conflict, which wastes the valuable resources of all involved–and many uninvolved–parties.
The US is a signatory to its charter, holds veto authority on its Security Council, hosts its headquarters, and provides of order 1/4 its funding. The US has supported the UN through over half a century and has even gone to war waving its flag.
Don’t get me wrong: much of the criticism of the UN’s execution of its mandates and its frequent ineffectiveness and paralysis is, in my opinion, spot-on. At times, I’m no big fan of the UN (in practice, rather than in theory), but to directly associate support of the UN with anti-Americanism is, to me, wholly disingenuous.
Really, that was all that need to be said. The first day “Fox and Friends” reports actual news will be the first day they air on a different network.
No, Mr. Schilling does not have a child in the class, or even in the school. But I do. My child is in this teacher’s class currently, and we couldn’t be happier. She teaches these kids to *think*. She does not indoctrinate them. That’s just foolishness. She’s a wonderful, fair-minded, balanced, dedicated teacher.
I understand that Mr. Schilling claims that this is about policy, but his blog posting is inflammatory and inaccurate in its omissions. Selectively pulling parts of an assignment sheet while leaving out other parts to make it look “worse”, which is exactly what he did, is disingenuous at best. He also neglects to mention that the “Peace by Piece” project is an assignment given by ALL 8th grade teachers, not just this one teacher, and they all use the same assignment sheet. I could go on…
I did find it kind of amusing that Mr. Schilling’s outrage seemed to stem from *his* equating “pro-ecology”, “pro-peace” and “fighting world hunger” with anti-conservative and anti-Republican. I actually know Republicans who care about the environment, world hunger, and want peace.
This isn’t about policy. This is really about Mr. Schilling shilling himself. Well, he got his national exposure, so he should be happy!
All Schilling has ever wanted was to hear the sound of his own voice.
And correct me if I’m wrong here, but isn’t he still a resident of Charlottesville, not Albemarle? I guess Faux News couldn’t find a suitably obnoxious blowhard who actually lives in the jurisdiction…
I find it kind of damning that Schilling’s approach to addressing this local “problem” is to go on national TV. oh, and write about on his blog.
and of course he picked a woman to pillory in the media. Just as of course Palin was pilloried. Could we just stop with the misogny already? Just my opinion.
Alison, while I don’t agree with Schilling; I don’t think it’s misogny either. You would have to prove that a male teacher was doing the same thing and had goten a pass. As to Palin, I would point you to how Biden is viewed on Comedy Central and elsewhere to show you there is no sexual bias there either.
I think the teacher in question is quite liberal and that doesn’t bother me one bit. My government teacher was quite liberal but he taught me how to think about government and help make me love politics. He never changed my views but made me examine them.
agreed, I don’t see how there’s evidence of misogyny here. the majority of elementary and secondary level teachers are women; odds are, if you’re going to pillory a school teacher, it’s probably a woman.
I’m going to play devils advocate for a moment.
Okay if that’s true then why don’t we go ahead and allow beer and tobacco ads on tv during kids shows (or – in larger cities- on billboards near schools)?
Sure it’s an extreme example, but the principle is the same. Whether or not the kids have any opinion or even care, It’s there in the background (like an advertisment)and on some level over time it will register.
Sounds to me like a parent(s)is/are angry enough with this teacher to attempt revenge via unhinged person with local talk show. Probably Ms. Shepard finds it difficult to defend herself in this situation as she may be under legal/professional constraints so she will need the support of people like HenleyMom.
Why on earth does Rob Schilling have a platform in the local media??? Wouldn’t Fox like to hire him to take on bigger fish? Please?
From what I understand based on the DP story, these weren’t “decorations”: there was a political cartoon on the wall, presumably for the students to analyze (critical analysis of political messages including cartoons being part of the curriculum). There may have been others, some of them perhaps critical of Democrats or liberal principles (I wouldn’t trust RS to tell us if those kinds of cartoons or messages were included; his blog post includes photos from the classroom, but the photos are selective — there’s no photo of the entire classroom so you can’t see what he might have left out).
I really recommend that folks go read his entire blog post — it’s jaw-dropping. Among other things, he asks “Where are the references to God, the Creator of the earth to balance the “Mother Earth” and other Gaia-inspired, environmental messages?”
“Where are the references to God, the Creator of the earth to balance the “Mother Earth” and other Gaia-inspired, environmental messages?”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia_(mythology)
“Gaia (pronounced /ˈɡeɪ.ə/ or /ˈɡaɪ.ə/; “land” or “earth”, from the Ancient Greek Γαῖα; also Gæa or Gea (Koine and Modern Greek Γῆ)[1] is the primal Greek goddess personifying the Earth.
Gaia is a primordial and chthonic deity in the Ancient Greek pantheon and considered a Mother Goddess or Great Goddess.
Her equivalent in the Roman pantheon was Terra.”
Just saying.
As laid out in C-VILLE Weekly, Ms. Shepard is a little off her rocker. She thinks that Sarah Palin did not give bith to Trig. You know who thinks that? Crazy people. The flip side of the people who think Obama wasn’t born in the US.
Where in C’ville Weekly?
@AH: Whoops… The Hook. http://www.readthehook.com/blog/?p=6083
I got my local paps mixed.
Well doubting someone’s parentage is never really nice, but not exactly a diagnosable illness………
Oh my God! A public school teacher who fills our impressionable children’s heads with crazy notions about peace, stewardship of our environment, feeding the hungry, freedom, service to others, racial harmony and non-violence. Why, it’s like having Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, and Jesus of Nazareth in the classroom! Somebody stop her!
The Fox and Friends clip is totally amazing.
I can say with great confidence that Ms. Shephard has had most of those bumper stickers up in her classroom since my siblings and I stalked the hallways of Henley over the course of the late 80’s and early 90’s. Graduating from Western some years later it was is to say that there were a number of very confident and intelligent conservative leaning thinkers who had survived the indoctrination. On the other hand there were also a number of very confident and intelligent liberal leaning thinkers . . . both sets I describe have a lot of things in common (thanks in no small part to wonderful teachers at Henley and Western) but not necessarily their political dissuasions. And regardless of Ms. Shephard’s best efforts, I don’t remember anyone who had a particularly negative view of peace.
Hard to imagine why anyone finds education scary.
You people are really “fair and balanced” in your opinions of Mr. Schilling for pointing out some of the political propaganda that is being used in our public school systems today.
Alison, not sure what your point was about Gaia (or Schilling’s for thst matter).
If his point was that this is all a plot by NeoPagans to indoctrinate children through enviromentalism, then as a NeoPagan, I have to say… he’s totally right! After all, in some ways American Neopaganism started in Charlottesville.
At our last meeting, I distinctly remember seeing most of the teachers, and a good portion of the school board there chanting hymns to Gaia. We meet regularly with representatives in the UN to define our agenda, and then use our thousands of operatives throughout Charlottesville to carry out our agenda. We thought no one would notice, but apparently Schilling’s on to us, and now we’ll just have to indoctrinate your children some other way.
In fact, plans are already underway to bus kids out in the middle of the school day for Weekday Pagan Religious Education.
“Gaia is a primordial and chthonic deity in the Ancient Greek pantheon and considered a Mother Goddess or Great Goddess.
Her equivalent in the Roman pantheon was Terra.”
Mother usually equals female, as does Goddess. My sole and obscure point, although I never think of misogny as obscure personally. I didn’t find the rest of your comment very funny but maybe someone will. You were not attacked, why are you attacking? Sarcastic comments directed towards strangers strike me as hostile but maybe that’s just me. I’m all for freedom of religion and in fact, you have no way of knowing what if any religion I might belong to or follow. Maybe I should have just said “I blame the partriarchy” and cliched my way through life……….
Um, Alison, I think the builk of DirtWorshipper was not directed at you at all. My first clue was when he wrote “If his point was that this is all a plot by NeoPagans…,” with the “his” traditionally indicating male, meaning Schilling, not you.
I did find it funny.
As I said, I wasn’t sure what point you were trying to make. My point was regarding Schilling’s complaint that teaching environmentalism = goddess worship.
Maybe it was a bit heavy on the sarcasm, but I just think it’s incredibly odd/paranoid that some people really seem to believe their is a vast pagan conspiracy of some sort controlling the schools government, etc. It’s a claim I hear in the media all the time from Christian Conservatives. If they knew they truth, then they’d know how crazy that claim really is…
I do tend to think that on some level there is the theological equivalent of sexism in his claims. It’s kind of like saying “You should teach my male nature-hating war god too”.
Wow, Shilling is a loon. Who knew. :-)
I have a child in an Albemarle County high school. I am a moderate Democrat and my child’s political thinking is distinctly liberal. So yesterday I asked him if any of his teachers had ever presented Republican points of view during class- and he immediately named one of his teachers and said he thought it was good that he had experienced hearing those points of view because “it is useful to know other perspectives”. I think my child may turn out to be an adult who is not threatened by opinions different from his own.
Now, if my child was in the class of the middle school teacher in question, and he read the letter she wrote about Palin not having been pregnant, I would want to point out the misinformation/far left inaccurate blog info to him- otherwise I think we could carry on.