February 12, 2011 8:20 AM

So, there I was, soundly defeated by the sheer undeniable force of superior logic....

I dearly love the state of Texas, but I consider that a harmless perversion on my part, and discuss it only with consenting adults.

  • Molly Ivins

Today’s communique comes to us courtesy of the “Better To Be Thought A Fool Than To Call Someone A Fool On Da Interwebs” Dept., where free and unfettered speech can be…well, really rather entertaining when you get right down to to it.

A few days ago, I wrote a not-so-flattering critique of the Allen Independent School District in Texas, which, despite budget shortfalls that may require teachers to be laid off, is building a $60 million monument to high school football. I’m not coming to this argument without some background, of course. After having escaped Texas after 10+ living on the Gulf Coast outside Houston, I’ve seen this silliness close up. Allen ISD is certainly not the first, nor will it be the last, school district in Texas to demonstrate that it has its priorities backasswards. Silly me; I’d always thought that the primary mission of a public school was to educate the children of that district’s taxpayers. ‘Course, if I’d been fortunate enough to be born and raised in the Great State of Texas, I’d probably have a better grasp on the REAL mission of Texas school districts- winning football games.

This reality was brought home to me by a commenter who was kind enough to point out the error of my ways and how I misunderestimated the edumication process in Texas. Using the unassailable logic and eloquent language normally only available to anonymous commenters, I’ve apparently been put in my place. Who knew that I was such a clueless, mentally deficient lout?

If only I’d been edumicated in Texas….

Actually, I could be offended, but at what? This is like being called a Liberal by Michele Bachmann; it’s really a badge of honor for someone with such limited intellectual and moral capacity that they consider you a threat, knowhutimean??

I just want Texas to be number one in something other than executions, toll roads and property taxes.

  • Kinky Friedman

I do have one teeny, tiny little request, though. While I don’t mind and generally welcome, dissenting opinions, is it too much to ask that you at least have the moral courage to use a real name instead of lobbing your verbal Molotov cocktails anonymously? ‘Cuz I gotta tell you, it’s very difficult to take anyone seriously who believes that anonymous insults and name-calling is anything resembling kosher.

With that in mind, I’m going to reiterate a few rules that I’ve kind of let slide over the past couple of years. While I’m in no way trying to stifle free speech, the comments should be a place for civil discourse. If you’re all about insults and name-calling in the guise of supporting your “argument”…well, I frankly don’t want to want my time and psychic energy dealing with your crap. So, here goes….

  1. Have the balls to use your name when commenting. I welcome your opinion, especially if it doesn’t necessarily mesh with my own, but I simply cannot respect someone who hides behind the veil of anonymity. Grow some balls. Leave your name…or expected to be banned, or at the very least see your comment deleted.

  2. Try to be nice. The fact that you might disagree with me doesn’t necessarily make me an ignorant asshole who doesn’t know shit from shinola (nor does it make you the second coming of Albert Einstein). That may in fact be true…but probably not for the reasons you’re thinking. In almost ten years, I’ve only had to ban 2 or 3 people for being dicks…but I will do so if necessary, and I reserve the right to do so. Hey…my sandbox, my rules, capice??

  3. Try to be unique and have something original to say. I love the exchange of ideas, and I appreciate dissent, but at least have the wherewithal to make a reasonable, well-supported argument. Don’t waste my time or that of my readers. We all have better things to do. Frankly, name-calling and cheap, gratuitous insults bore me; that’s horribly unoriginal and indicates a complete lack of creativity and intellectual agility.

  4. Understand that strong opinions, of which there are occasionally a few in this space, are threatening only if you choose to see them that way. Name-calling and insults generally only make you look like an intolerant fool and a blithering idiot. If you don’t like my argument or if you vehemently disagree with me, that’s fine; let me know…but do it intelligently and with respect. They’re just ideas, after all.

I suppose that in one sense I should be grateful to “Anonymous” for the gift of his unassailable, bulletproof logic and rapier wit. Yes, without his insightfulness and clarity, I would not have seen the error of my ways.

Yeah, right….

It seems that I hit a nerve. Seeing as how my argument was that high school football is held to be a far higher priority in Texas than edumication, “Anonymous” just demonstrated how close to the truth I am. Yes, I understand that the bond measure for the $60 million football cathedral was separate from any school funding issues. Nonetheless, shouldn’t the priority be education? Where is the $60 million bond measure for education, for ensuring that teachers aren’t laid off and that class sizes are at levels where actual education can take place? Riddle me this: why is there adequate money available to build a football cathedral…but not enough to retain teachers?

I’m sorry, y’all…and those of you in Texas may well disagree with me here…but if you deal with budget cuts that impact what happens in the classroom, then there’s simply no question as to what the priority should be. Education needs be the priority- unless you’re OK with the idea of producing a generation of children qualified primarily to be cashiers at WalMart. Football can, should, and must be a distant second when it comes to providing for the education of children. Then again, this is Texas we’re talking about here, where cutting a few teachers may not be a big deal, but cutting football coaches (who in some cases make upwards of $100k/year) would likely prompt a small-scale insurrection. Welcome to Edumication Nation….

Is our children learning?? Sure, if we’re talking about learning how to block and tackle.

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on February 12, 2011 8:20 AM.

Hey...it's a fair question. I don't want to have to overspend. was the previous entry in this blog.

No, Wayne Rooney isn't God...but it's tough to tell them apart is the next entry in this blog.

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