Theodore's World

Below is a comment on my post about Michelle Dewkett on my Rhinebeck blog.
http://www.boudica.us/rhinebeck-blog.html

Every comment was strongly supportive of her position excepting 1. Steve sent me a more detailed e-mail and I have talked both to him and Michelle's mother (Michelle is a 15 year old sophomore). I took interest in this because I also am in Rhinebeck, a small Mid-Hudson valley town.

Steve Zell Says:

December 29, 2009 at 11:58 am e

I watched Michelle Dewkett’s interview on Fox and Friends this morning with great interest. Kudos to her for being willing to stand up to the Al Gore/Inconvenient Lie propaganda at her school on national television!

However, if Michelle Dewkett wants to truly advance the debate on this subject, she needs to have stronger, scientifically sound arguments than simply agreeing with Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Laura Ingraham. While I personally respect thes commentators, their views are often interpreted by the general public as political and partisan, not scientific.

I am a Chemical and Environmental Engineer in Connecticut, and have joined a group of 14 engineers and scientists in Connecticut (including several meteorologists) who have researched the scientific reasons why carbon dioxide has only a tiny effect on climate compared to much larger natural influences such as sunspots, cosmic rays, volcanism, and ocean currents, and our group has written editorials published in newspapers. We would welcome the opportunity to share our knowledge of this issue with Michelle, so that she can address this issue more scientifically in future interviews.

Please feel free to contact me by E-mail at the above address, if you would like our group to assist Michelle in her noble efforts to fight the Global Warming scare.

WT - your comment so simply defines the fault of the environmentalist movement. They want to try to control Nature. They also want to control us.

Bob A - that is an interesting video. I wonder how many other public schools are showing just one side of the climate change debate.

TomR: I bet there are a whole lot of them, and how many other issues are they only teaching one side of? I would hope that the more this gets around it will inspire other young students to speak up publicly, or at least to their parents. Michelle attended a school board meeting and demanded that the school district follow it's own policy of providing a balanced presentation on controversial issues instead of indoctrinating students on a chosen side of an issue.

Al goron, has been pushing Solar panels, wind mills the whole 9 yards. Yet any company who has ventured money into this Boondoggle has lost money or can't get to first base. Because of all the Government Regulations succeeding is next to impossible. There's: Investment Capital; Unions to deal with; EPA, Site surveys, land management and other items; Osha, they have volumes of regualtions to comply with and it all cost the company money to pay for "their Services".If there is any new construction involved the EPA has to give approval that can take up to a year, because of all their studies. Then during construction EPA shows up about once a month to see if you are doing it right. Then there is OSHA, on one sie, the General Contractor decided to go with "preferred Grounding"(instead of GFCI's) all 3 wire extension cords. The Electrical Contractor was responsible for all the cords on site. One day a Plumber showed up with a two wire cord, OSHA showed up too, the Electrical Contractor was fined $7000.00 dollars for the violation. He appealed it but to no avail, the fine was reduced in half and he had to pay.

These Bozo's in congress wonder why things cost so much ? Because of their stupid, repetitive, petty regulations.

Now they have 'World Building Codes' which all GC's have to comply with.

Now that's the United States, in China: They need People, they have plenty of workers; Government capital; and know how.

Who do you think can manufacture the cheapest Solar Panel. We are our own worst enemy.

Hi Mark, like you I am a regular here. We have to reach out and be supportive of young people like Michelle. We comment amongst ourselves but must reach further. These young people

http://www.boudica.us/rhinebeck-blog.html

are our sparks of hope for the future. Any rational comments on the Rhinebeck site would be appreciated as it will at one point be given to the school board. Help me get this out and relay anything from other free thinking students.

RHINEBECK — A Rhinebeck High School sophomore is urging the school district to require alternative views be presented by teachers on controversial topics like climate change.

Dewkett said afterward that there is support for presenting other viewpoints in courses but that calling for change has been difficult.

“My friend and I want to start a club for young conservatives in Rhinebeck,” she said. “Right now, though, when someone wants to talk about these things, there are a lot of students that really don’t want to hear them.”

Here is the newspaper article.

December 29, 2009 at 6:42 pm e

This from the Kingston Daily Freeman.
Way to go Michelle.

Student seeks balance in teaching of controversial topics

"Published: Friday, December 25, 2009

By WILLIAM J. KEMBLE
Correspondent

RHINEBECK — A Rhinebeck High School sophomore is urging the school district to require alternative views be presented by teachers on controversial topics like climate change.

Michelle Dewkett said the global warming documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” was being shown in science and English classes without equal weight being given to other positions on the topic.

“As of now, the teaching of controversial topics is out of control,” Dewkett told members of the Board of Education on Tuesday. She also said the district is not following its own policy of providing students with a wide range of materials.

Dewkett cited a class on global warming as an example, saying the effects of human activity on the environment are not being balanced with information about the natural course of changes on Earth.

“It says (global warming) will kill us all without offering any alternative views throughout high school,” she said. “This goes against board policy which states ‘Teachers shall approach controversial topics in an impartial and unprejudiced manner.’”

Dewkett also questioned the showing of “An Inconvenient Truth” as part of an English course, saying district policy states that “material will not be introduced for their own sake and must be part of normal instruction.”

School district officials did not immediately respond to Dewkett’s comments but previously have encouraged students and parents to offer their views during annual planning sessions of the Board of Education’s Curriculum Committee.

Dewkett said afterward that there is support for presenting other viewpoints in courses but that calling for change has been difficult.

“My friend and I want to start a club for young conservatives in Rhinebeck,” she said. “Right now, though, when someone wants to talk about these things, there are a lot of students that really don’t want to hear them.”

We tend to forget about Gore's father figure, Maurice Strong. Two more stakes, this needs to get done most ricky-tick.

Bob A., thank you so much for all of that and the link too.

Tom, thank you so much.

Mark, thank you so much for sharing about that. So many people do not realize how it effects
everything like building codes etc.

Jack, oh yessss I forgot myself about Maurice Strong and in the past I used to do a lot of posting about him at a forum I was in. Gosh that was years ago. but that is an important name in connection with Gore and his Dad. Thanks so much Jack.