Useless Idiots
Week Seven: Just got off the phone with my customs broker who tells me he's almost done with the classification list for customs. He's supposed to call later and let me know when I should come in and sign the papers. (much later) OK. It's after 6 and he never called. Tomorrow I'll do the same thing I did today and call with a diplomatic voice to inquire as to the status of my household goods. They will politely tell me something and I'll say, "OK, fine." One day I'll see my things. I think.
From the moment my goods were taken hostage in the US and I paid the bill for shipping I've been, as they say, 'not' in a position of power. The fear has been that if I go ballistic on someone they will be less likely to deliver in anything like a timely fashion. It's not like I can withhold something from them, and if I start some kind of legal action my stuff is likely to wind up in limbo as evidence somewhere in this wacky country.
I've consciously avoided dwelling on revenge fantasies, but only after that brief flash of anger and disgust I get for absolute morons with slightly better sense of themselves. For example let's take the following news item lifted from Drudge just moments ago:
"Ebonics suggested for district"
According to the article the San Bernardino school district in California is picking up where Oakland left off some years ago by incorporating Ebonics into the standard school curriculum. I'm not making this up. I remember that the most responsible thing that (I think) the LA Times did back around that time was to publish a straight two-page spread translating Ebonics to English terms. It was a hoot, as my friend Ginger would say, and the publicity likely contributed to the idea's almost immediate demise as it was shown the light of day.
The thing that worries me is that San Bernardino isn't the kind of high-profile city that Oakland is, and this thing may actually happen, unless the almost local Bill Cosby decides to teach them a lesson. Speaking of comedy, the most unintentionally comedic line from the article:
"This isn't a feel-good policy. This is the real thing,' Jacocks said.
According to the article supporters of the policy rebut critics that insist "we should provide students support based on their needs and not on their race" by citing the fact that native Spanish speakers have esl courses. True on its face, but this of course reverses the concept of mainstreaming Spanish-speaking students by teaching them English.
I'm all for esl classes for blacks, or any other group that has problems speaking the language. The problem is that the 'group' in question has resisted efforts to mainstream them and efforts to introduce Ebonics is a tragic failure on the part of educators and the community.
