VTech Shootings from an English Teacher's Perspective

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Wednesday April 18, 2007 · 10:34 AM PDT

2007/04/18 · 10:34

As details emerge about the Virginia Tech shooter, I can't help but feel an eerie familiarity about the killer, Cho Sung Hui.

News accounts paint Hui as a loner who stalked girls, wrote disturbing poems and plays, who teachers, roomates, and police describe as "creepy"--so many red flags, so many attempts to deal with him, all failed. Why?

It's not like this was just a normal guy who snapped one day. For years, everyone around the guy knew something was wrong with him and did everything they could to bring attention to what they felt was a highly disturbed person.

The system failed the students and faculty at VTech, and the system that allowed this to happen will continue to fail us unless we wake up to the realities of living in a hyper-violent society.

More below.

Humboldt Jodi

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Tuesday April 10, 2007 · 6:24 PM PDT

2007/04/10 · 18:24

This is a story, not a news story, but a personal one. It's about my friend Nick. Nick and I have been friends for ten years; we went to college together, attended each other's wedding, go camping together every summer; our wives are friends...In short, we're best buds. In fact, Nick officiated my unofficial, lesbian committment ceremony.

I think Nick has turned Republican, and I think it's all about money. Follow me for more...

Humboldt Jodi

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Wednesday April 04, 2007 · 10:36 AM PDT

2007/04/04 · 10:36

While the campaigns and MSM gush over the Q1 fundraising totals <OMG, Obama gives Hillary a run for her money!>, I can't help but be appalled by the amount of money being thrown at these candidates. No, I'm not so naive as to think that a candidate is viable without fundraising ability, but CNN's Bill Schneider just reported that we are hurtling toward a billion dollar campaign. Think about that for a second.

One billion dollars for a presidential election.

Just think of what one billion dollars could do for education, for example. It's kind of vulgar when you think about the elitism involved. Maybe it's just my bleeding heart liberal sensibilities, but it's starting to look like whoever becomes president will have bought the presidency.

Bought, not earned.

Just one more sick legacy left by BushCo. His presidency was bought and paid for, and you don't need guesswork to see who bought him, just look at his policies and you can see who really owns the presidency.

Humboldt Jodi

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Tuesday March 13, 2007 · 8:28 PM PDT

2007/03/13 · 20:28

I've ruffled quite a few feathers around here lately because I won't bow at the alter of John Edwards' version 2.0. He's hitting some pretty notes lately, isn't he? Being the first to ditch the Fox debate, calling for Gonzalez' resignation. Why, he could almost be Howard Dean by the way some are treating him!

I am having a hard time buying it, though. I don't trust him or his "change of heart" on the Iraq war.

More below the fold:

Poll

230 votes Show Results

Edwards 2.0

230 votes Vote Now!

Edwards 2.0

Genuine and Trustworthy

93 votes

Politically Calculated

99 votes

Time will tell

23 votes

We will never know

15 votes

Conditions at Walter Reed Not New

Humboldt Jodi

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Monday March 05, 2007 · 9:22 AM PST

2007/03/05 · 09:22

I have never told anyone here this, but I am a veteran, and as such, I can tell you from experience that the deplorable conditions being reported about Walter Reed are not unusual when it comes to how military members are housed and cared for.

In fact, when there were a number of base closures state side in the early nineties, those abandoned buildings could not even be approved for homeless shelters because the safety and health conditions did not meet basic civilian standards, and yet they had housed military members for decades. Apparantly the standards for homeless folks are higher than for those who put their lives on the line every day.

I also know there are good men and women on the job who absolutely do not condone this neglect. For a personal story, look down:

Humboldt Jodi

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Sunday February 25, 2007 · 12:02 PM PST

2007/02/25 · 12:02

I don't have much time, so I'll make this short and sweet. My partner's brother is missing. He has not been heard of since Tuesday evening when he was travelling home from Idaho to California from visiting freinds. Apparantly there was a snow storm, and there is some confusion as to whether he would try to drive through it or wait until Wednesday when the storm was supposed to lift.

Details below.

Humboldt Jodi

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Monday February 05, 2007 · 11:35 AM PST

2007/02/05 · 11:35

Four years ago, I was chomping at the bit to jump into the '04 presidential primaries. I remember watching those early candidate's forums and getting my first glimpse of Edwards, Kerry, Dean, and others. It's no secret that it was Governor Howard Dean who fired me up and that his campaign kept me energized, hopeful, and extremely busy for the rest of that year.

This year, not so much. I'll try to explain why below:

Poll

370 votes Show Results

Who exites you?

370 votes Vote Now!

Who exites you?

Barack Obama

64 votes

Hillary Clinton

16 votes

Bill Richardson

18 votes

John Edwards

58 votes

Dennis Kucinich

12 votes

Joe Biden

0 votes

Wes Clark

139 votes

Chris Dodd

0 votes

Mike Gravel

7 votes

Tom Vilsack

5 votes

None

24 votes

Other (please specify in the comments)

26 votes

I Teach

Humboldt Jodi

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Wednesday November 15, 2006 · 5:30 PM PST

2006/11/15 · 17:30

I teach. That's what I do; I've taught kids, senior citizens, college students, veterans, and other academics in my field. It's all I know how to do, and I do it well.

I've always wanted to teach, for as long as I can remember. My heroes are teachers. I want to be a hero to someone too.

Follow me on a short journey, please. Read More

Bush's Bipartisan Offer to Nancy Pelosi

Humboldt Jodi

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Wednesday November 08, 2006 · 7:52 PM PST

2006/11/08 · 19:52

In a magnanimous gesture of bipartisanship, President Bush generously made the following offer to our next speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi:

"I shared with her the names of some Republican interior decorators who can help her pick out the new drapes in her new offices."

Those of you who thought the president would be bitter, shrill, or otherwise unwelcoming to the new incoming leadership, you should be ashamed of yourselves! Clearly President Bush is lighting the darkened pathway of bipartisanship, starting with our nation's number one priority: Speaker Pelosi's office décor. As Speaker, it is always prudent to ensconce oneself within comfortable, yet stately, chambers before proceeding to more tedious matters of governing.

Friday Night Fun

Humboldt Jodi

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Friday October 27, 2006 · 5:27 PM PDT

2006/10/27 · 17:27

Greetings, Kossaks! It's been a killer week, and I don't mean that in a good way. Budget cuts at HSU are sending me and many others to the unemployment line come spring, and our once cozy, intimate little college is in the midst of an epic struggle between the corporatists and the populists (to use political jargon). This diary is not about that, though, because frankly I've sort of had it and am totally fried for tonight.

Let's have some fun instead, shall we? Read More

The Tipping Point, Oprah edition

Humboldt Jodi

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Friday October 13, 2006 · 10:10 AM PDT

2006/10/13 · 10:10

I've been a fan of Oprah Winfrey's since she arrived on the talk show scene in the mid 1980's, and my admiration of her has only grown in those years. I don't always agree with Oprah, but her influence and reach in this country is indisputable, particularly among women.

I always felt Oprah should have joined us in our fight against the war, and I admit being disappointed that she did not. I felt she could have made a huge difference among "voter Jane." Instead, Oprah turned her attention to Africa, recently opening a leadership school for African girls--nothing to sneeze at to be sure.

Last night, however, Oprah Winfrey finally joined the discussion (with the help of Frank Rich) about the war and how we got in to Iraq. If you had seen it, you would know that this is indeed a tipping point.

Join me below for details. Read More

Hillary, Katie, This Rant is For You

Humboldt Jodi

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Thursday September 07, 2006 · 7:25 PM PDT

2006/09/07 · 19:25

As a hard-core feminist, and a feminist that champions other feminists and feminist causes. (Quick aside, how many "feminists" can you fit into a sentence?). I adore strong women--Oprah, Christiane Amanpour, Angela Davis, the Williams sisters--you name me a strong principled woman, and I'm bound to love her, which is why the media-anointed trail-blazing, glass-ceiling breaking, "pioneers" Hillary Clinton and Katie Couric are absolutely no friend to the feminist movement, nor are they worthy of the pedastals they've been placed on.

I'll heat up just below the fold. Read More

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VTech Shootings from an English Teacher's Perspective

Does money make you Republican?

Buying the Presidency

Can Edwards Be Trusted?

Conditions at Walter Reed Not New

urgent: missing person!

'08 candidates: who excites you?

I Teach

Bush's Bipartisan Offer to Nancy Pelosi

Friday Night Fun

The Tipping Point, Oprah edition

Hillary, Katie, This Rant is For You