GranolaBox

Say what you want about my beloved former governor…. at least he didn’t do THIS.

It sounds better in another language doesn’t it?

Filed under: Politics, History on April 10th, 2008 | 2 Comments »

I heard Elliot Spitzer speak for the first time when I was at a teacher’s conference in Albany a couple years ago. I heard him talk about his experience bringing down the monsters in Wall Street. He gave a little lesson in history, and how his hero was Teddy Roosevelt because TR was […]

Filed under: Politics, History on March 10th, 2008 | 2 Comments »

My second period class is in an ultra-large room divided by a removable wall. Usually it’s a curse because it doesn’t block any sound, but this morning it was one of the greatest blessings I’ve ever received.
My friend Jim teaches Genocide Studies on the other side of the wall, and asked […]

Filed under: General Observations, Politics, History on January 14th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

I take back half the bad things I said about John Mellencamp for the jingoistic ditty that ended up on the Chevy commercial, and served as the soundtrack to the jumbotron video of Americans with high tech weapons patrolling the Iraqi landscape to blow up some A/RABs.
Mellencamp’s Jena video is awesome. The […]

Filed under: Politics, History on October 12th, 2007 | 2 Comments »

Yes, loyal readers you read the title correctly. You have to see this 1994 Dick Cheney video to believe it.

Please, PLEASE pass this video along to as many people as we can.
and, if you like, here’s another version with an apt soundtrack

COMMENT!
Could he be any bigger a DICK?

Filed under: Politics, History on August 15th, 2007 | 2 Comments »

President Bush issued an executive order last week that represent a serious threat to our Fifth Amendment protections. The order allows the President to take the property of anyone who the government feels might threaten the stability of Iraq’s government or undermine Iraq reconstruction efforts.
Oh, and if you’re helping anyone do any […]

Filed under: Politics, History on July 22nd, 2007 | Add Comment! »

In writing the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson sought to do two things. First, he wanted to explain to the world why the United States wanted its independence. It essentially explained independence, as well as declared it. Second, he laid the groundwork for the type of government he and his […]

Filed under: Politics, History on July 4th, 2007 | Add Comment! »

Shortly before the Civil War tension was high in Congress reflected the overall mood of the nation. After fighting broke out in Lawrence, Kansas between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces supporters of both sides began having it out in Congress in a war of words. Rhetoric and tempers flared. Charles Sumner, an abolitionist […]

Filed under: Politics, History on March 30th, 2007 | Add Comment! »

With all the controversy surrounding the war in Iraq, the comparisons to Vietnam are numerous, despite the Bush administration’s attempts to deny all connections between the two conflicts. One thing that differentiates Iraq from Vietnam however, is President Bush’s doctrine of the “pre-emptive strike.” The use of the pre-emptive strike goes far back […]

Filed under: Politics, History on March 25th, 2007 | Add Comment! »

When I teach my students about the Monroe Doctrine I tell them this story from my childhood. As with any good fable some of the details are embellished to protect and/or immortalize the innocent.
For those who weren’t paying attention that day in American History class, the Monroe Doctrine was President James Monroe’s […]

Filed under: Teaching, History on March 20th, 2007 | Add Comment! »