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	<title>Comments on: Georgia High School Teachers: &#8216;Political Advocates&#8217; for Illegal Aliens</title>
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		<title>By: Ghostwriter</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/mary-grabar/georgia-high-school-teachers-political-advocates-for-illegal-aliens/comment-page-1/#comment-4375296</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Ghostwriter]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 15 Mar 2013 05:08:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=181098#comment-4375296</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If I were a legal immigrant,I&#039;d be steamed that people who are here illegally are treated better than those who are born here or came here legally. 
 ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>If I were a legal immigrant,I&#039;d be steamed that people who are here illegally are treated better than those who are born here or came here legally. </p>
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		<title>By: mlcblog</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/mary-grabar/georgia-high-school-teachers-political-advocates-for-illegal-aliens/comment-page-1/#comment-4373480</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[mlcblog]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2013 16:52:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=181098#comment-4373480</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It is just chilling to note they have been at this basic undermining of our way of life for decades, seemingly without opposition. ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It is just chilling to note they have been at this basic undermining of our way of life for decades, seemingly without opposition. </p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>By: SCREW SOCIALISM</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/mary-grabar/georgia-high-school-teachers-political-advocates-for-illegal-aliens/comment-page-1/#comment-4371918</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[SCREW SOCIALISM]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2013 05:56:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=181098#comment-4371918</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Illegal Aliens work off the books and don&#039;t pay taxes. 
 
It&#039;s a Win for employers - who should be penalized to discourage them. 
 ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Illegal Aliens work off the books and don&#039;t pay taxes. </p>
<p>It&#039;s a Win for employers &#8211; who should be penalized to discourage them. </p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>By: SCREW SOCIALISM</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/mary-grabar/georgia-high-school-teachers-political-advocates-for-illegal-aliens/comment-page-1/#comment-4371915</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[SCREW SOCIALISM]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2013 05:55:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=181098#comment-4371915</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[You misrepresent yourself. 
 
Students who disagree with you are in fear of receiving a poor grade. 
 
I&#039;d like to see you in a real debate - with people who have facts to upset your world view. 
 ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>You misrepresent yourself. </p>
<p>Students who disagree with you are in fear of receiving a poor grade. </p>
<p>I&#039;d like to see you in a real debate &#8211; with people who have facts to upset your world view. </p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>By: sushieq</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/mary-grabar/georgia-high-school-teachers-political-advocates-for-illegal-aliens/comment-page-1/#comment-4371904</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[sushieq]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2013 05:52:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=181098#comment-4371904</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#039;s true; since teachers are culled from the same bunch of dumbed down college grads (and, academically, they&#039;re often the middle-of-the-roaders to boot), they most certainly are not ALL &quot;hard working,&quot; and some are actually lazy and mean.  And some are even perverts.   
 
However, teachers are not responsible for what or how they teach.  The state (and now the feds, with the introduction of Common Core) is.  There is a standard curriculum being rolled out across the country, thanks to textbook publishing company, Pearson, and the good folks at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  This is one of those new-fangled public-private partnerships like the ones prisons now utilize...and how&#039;s that been working out?   
 
To break it down into the simplest terms possible, this is U.N. Agenda 21, the action plan to inventory and control all land, water, minerals, plants, animals, construction, means of production, information, energy, and all human beings in the world.  INVENTORY AND CONTROL.   Common Core is the implementation of a global curriculum in the US, from K-12 and beyond.    Agenda 21 is the problem, everything else is just a symptom.   ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It&#039;s true; since teachers are culled from the same bunch of dumbed down college grads (and, academically, they&#039;re often the middle-of-the-roaders to boot), they most certainly are not ALL &quot;hard working,&quot; and some are actually lazy and mean.  And some are even perverts.   </p>
<p>However, teachers are not responsible for what or how they teach.  The state (and now the feds, with the introduction of Common Core) is.  There is a standard curriculum being rolled out across the country, thanks to textbook publishing company, Pearson, and the good folks at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  This is one of those new-fangled public-private partnerships like the ones prisons now utilize&#8230;and how&#039;s that been working out?   </p>
<p>To break it down into the simplest terms possible, this is U.N. Agenda 21, the action plan to inventory and control all land, water, minerals, plants, animals, construction, means of production, information, energy, and all human beings in the world.  INVENTORY AND CONTROL.   Common Core is the implementation of a global curriculum in the US, from K-12 and beyond.    Agenda 21 is the problem, everything else is just a symptom.   </p>
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		<title>By: SCREW SOCIALISM</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/mary-grabar/georgia-high-school-teachers-political-advocates-for-illegal-aliens/comment-page-1/#comment-4371898</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[SCREW SOCIALISM]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2013 05:49:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=181098#comment-4371898</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A teachers primary job is to ensure that their students master the course work established by the Board of Education; 
 
Your politicizing the classroom is unethical. 
 ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A teachers primary job is to ensure that their students master the course work established by the Board of Education; </p>
<p>Your politicizing the classroom is unethical. </p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>By: SCREW SOCIALISM</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/mary-grabar/georgia-high-school-teachers-political-advocates-for-illegal-aliens/comment-page-1/#comment-4371888</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[SCREW SOCIALISM]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2013 05:46:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=181098#comment-4371888</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&quot;Undocumented&quot;? 
 
A euphemism for Illegal Alien. 
 
Which countries have Open Borders and let anyone enter? 
 
Cuba? Russia? China? 
 
Your word play is transparent. 
 ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&quot;Undocumented&quot;? </p>
<p>A euphemism for Illegal Alien. </p>
<p>Which countries have Open Borders and let anyone enter? </p>
<p>Cuba? Russia? China? </p>
<p>Your word play is transparent. </p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>By: SCREW SOCIALISM</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/mary-grabar/georgia-high-school-teachers-political-advocates-for-illegal-aliens/comment-page-1/#comment-4371871</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[SCREW SOCIALISM]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2013 05:39:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=181098#comment-4371871</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Humanitarian is good. 
 
Open Borders, pushed by the fascist left, are another way of destroying the US. 
 
What &quot;socialist&quot;, &quot;progressive&quot; country has Open Borders? 
 
NONE. 
 ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Humanitarian is good. </p>
<p>Open Borders, pushed by the fascist left, are another way of destroying the US. </p>
<p>What &quot;socialist&quot;, &quot;progressive&quot; country has Open Borders? </p>
<p>NONE. </p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>By: SCREW SOCIALISM</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/mary-grabar/georgia-high-school-teachers-political-advocates-for-illegal-aliens/comment-page-1/#comment-4371864</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[SCREW SOCIALISM]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2013 05:37:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=181098#comment-4371864</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Bill AKBAR! 
 ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Bill AKBAR! </p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>By: SCREW SOCIALISM</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/mary-grabar/georgia-high-school-teachers-political-advocates-for-illegal-aliens/comment-page-1/#comment-4371860</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[SCREW SOCIALISM]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2013 05:35:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=181098#comment-4371860</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Athens Moron, 
 
Hard working teachers?  Some.  Not all.  They should be evaluated for performance and test results of their students.  It&#039;s call ACCOUNTABILITY. 
 
Eliminate Tenure for teachers.  They need to be treated like any other worker.   
 
People are unhappy with Public Schools because the teachers are NOT educating their students. 
 
 ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Athens Moron, </p>
<p>Hard working teachers?  Some.  Not all.  They should be evaluated for performance and test results of their students.  It&#039;s call ACCOUNTABILITY. </p>
<p>Eliminate Tenure for teachers.  They need to be treated like any other worker.   </p>
<p>People are unhappy with Public Schools because the teachers are NOT educating their students. </p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>By: SCREW SOCIALISM</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/mary-grabar/georgia-high-school-teachers-political-advocates-for-illegal-aliens/comment-page-1/#comment-4371841</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[SCREW SOCIALISM]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2013 05:28:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=181098#comment-4371841</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Eliminate Tenure for teachers. 
 
Why are Elementary, Junior and High School teachers a protected class? 
 
They should be subject to performance reviews and market forces like everyone else. ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Eliminate Tenure for teachers. </p>
<p>Why are Elementary, Junior and High School teachers a protected class? </p>
<p>They should be subject to performance reviews and market forces like everyone else. </p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>By: Cathy</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/mary-grabar/georgia-high-school-teachers-political-advocates-for-illegal-aliens/comment-page-1/#comment-4371654</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cathy]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2013 04:18:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=181098#comment-4371654</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[LTC Allen West on Illegal Immigration  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nmn0mFV7xFs&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nmn0mFV7xFs&lt;/a&gt; 
 ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>LTC Allen West on Illegal Immigration  <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nmn0mFV7xFs" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nmn0mFV7xFs</a> </p>
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		<title>By: Cathy</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/mary-grabar/georgia-high-school-teachers-political-advocates-for-illegal-aliens/comment-page-1/#comment-4371647</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cathy]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2013 04:16:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=181098#comment-4371647</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Will the real Marco Rubio please stand up! 
  
Marco Rubio, 2009: 
“I am strongly against amnesty. The most important thing we need to do is enforce our existing laws. We have existing immigration laws that are not being adequately enforced. Nothing will make it harder to enforce the existing laws, if you reward people who broke them. It demoralizes people who are going through the legal process, its a very clear signal of why go through the legal process, if you can accomplish the same thing if you go through the illegal process. And number two, if demoralizes the people enforcing the laws. I am not, and I will never support any effort to grant blanket legalization/amnesty to folks who have entered, stayed in this country illegally.” 
  &lt;a href=&quot;http://shark-tank.net/2013/01/28/marco-rubio-the-immigration-reform-savior-or-fraud/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://shark-tank.net/2013/01/28/marco-rubio-the-...&lt;/a&gt;  
 
Marco Rubio, 2013: 
Sen. Marco Rubio’s immigration plan earned a measure of praise from the White House. And why not? It looks a lot like a White House plan from 2011. 
  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/16/3185077/rubio-obama-immigration-plan-senators.html#storylink=cpy&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/16/3185077/rub...&lt;/a&gt; ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Will the real Marco Rubio please stand up!</p>
<p>Marco Rubio, 2009:</p>
<p>“I am strongly against amnesty. The most important thing we need to do is enforce our existing laws. We have existing immigration laws that are not being adequately enforced. Nothing will make it harder to enforce the existing laws, if you reward people who broke them. It demoralizes people who are going through the legal process, its a very clear signal of why go through the legal process, if you can accomplish the same thing if you go through the illegal process. And number two, if demoralizes the people enforcing the laws. I am not, and I will never support any effort to grant blanket legalization/amnesty to folks who have entered, stayed in this country illegally.”</p>
<p>  <a href="http://shark-tank.net/2013/01/28/marco-rubio-the-immigration-reform-savior-or-fraud/" rel="nofollow"></a><a href="http://shark-tank.net/2013/01/28/marco-rubio-the-" rel="nofollow">http://shark-tank.net/2013/01/28/marco-rubio-the-</a>&#8230;  </p>
<p>Marco Rubio, 2013:</p>
<p>Sen. Marco Rubio’s immigration plan earned a measure of praise from the White House. And why not? It looks a lot like a White House plan from 2011.</p>
<p>  <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/16/3185077/rubio-obama-immigration-plan-senators.html#storylink=cpy" rel="nofollow"></a><a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/16/3185077/rub" rel="nofollow">http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/16/3185077/rub</a>&#8230; </p>
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		<title>By: jmz</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/mary-grabar/georgia-high-school-teachers-political-advocates-for-illegal-aliens/comment-page-1/#comment-4371431</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[jmz]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2013 03:04:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=181098#comment-4371431</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[for kids brought here by their parents, YES i feel for them. but the problem still remains. they are the beneficiaries of an illegal act!  we keep letting sob stories detract from our better judgement. I actually would be in favor of helping these kids get citizenship. but we MUST modify the constitution to make sure children of illegals born here are not citizens, punish companies who hire illegals as well as remove illegals from the welfare rolls. but this is MY country, my father was a LEGAL immigrant. thenly reason for this much illigal immigration is a take over/invasion ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>for kids brought here by their parents, YES i feel for them. but the problem still remains. they are the beneficiaries of an illegal act!  we keep letting sob stories detract from our better judgement. I actually would be in favor of helping these kids get citizenship. but we MUST modify the constitution to make sure children of illegals born here are not citizens, punish companies who hire illegals as well as remove illegals from the welfare rolls. but this is MY country, my father was a LEGAL immigrant. thenly reason for this much illigal immigration is a take over/invasion </p>
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		<title>By: Ian Altman</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/mary-grabar/georgia-high-school-teachers-political-advocates-for-illegal-aliens/comment-page-1/#comment-4370997</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Ian Altman]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2013 00:18:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=181098#comment-4370997</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[You are correct that neither Matt nor I discussed the law.  That is because we are not lawyers.  Our co-panelist, Azadeh Shahshahani, who is a lawyer, began our session with a detailed history of the legislation.  Perhaps you missed that part. 
 
Your final statement, that students who don&#8217;t like the way we do things, or who disagree with us, have no recourse, is simply false, as you could have learned if you had asked us about it while we were all in the room together.  We make accommodations for all kinds of students, for all kinds of reasons, all the time.   
 
Indeed, you could have cleared up all kinds of misperceptions and misunderstandings, offered contravening interpretations of literature, and offered contrary arguments on the issue of undocumented immigrant students.  We asked for questions and comments.  As it was an academic conference, we were prepared for more discussion and argument, and did not desire just to preach to the choir.  Instead, you sat there quietly judging and assuming the worst of us, either misapprehending our message or malevolently inventing ways to twist it to make us look like irresponsible hacks or idiots.  And now you have chosen to try to humiliate us.  It has not worked.   
 
Please, next time, do the responsible thing and open a real dialogue if you disagree, or at least state what you find objectionable while we are present.  Believe it or not, we&#8217;d love to hear it. 
 
Kindest regards, 
 
Ian Altman 
 ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>You are correct that neither Matt nor I discussed the law.  That is because we are not lawyers.  Our co-panelist, Azadeh Shahshahani, who is a lawyer, began our session with a detailed history of the legislation.  Perhaps you missed that part. </p>
<p>Your final statement, that students who don&rsquo;t like the way we do things, or who disagree with us, have no recourse, is simply false, as you could have learned if you had asked us about it while we were all in the room together.  We make accommodations for all kinds of students, for all kinds of reasons, all the time.   </p>
<p>Indeed, you could have cleared up all kinds of misperceptions and misunderstandings, offered contravening interpretations of literature, and offered contrary arguments on the issue of undocumented immigrant students.  We asked for questions and comments.  As it was an academic conference, we were prepared for more discussion and argument, and did not desire just to preach to the choir.  Instead, you sat there quietly judging and assuming the worst of us, either misapprehending our message or malevolently inventing ways to twist it to make us look like irresponsible hacks or idiots.  And now you have chosen to try to humiliate us.  It has not worked.   </p>
<p>Please, next time, do the responsible thing and open a real dialogue if you disagree, or at least state what you find objectionable while we are present.  Believe it or not, we&rsquo;d love to hear it. </p>
<p>Kindest regards, </p>
<p>Ian Altman </p>
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		<title>By: Ian Altman</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/mary-grabar/georgia-high-school-teachers-political-advocates-for-illegal-aliens/comment-page-1/#comment-4370993</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Ian Altman]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2013 00:17:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=181098#comment-4370993</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[You further misrepresent my words in claiming that I teach The Crucible as a lesson in empathy.  I said that I teach Of Mice and Men as an exploration of the need for empathy in our society, as I believe that the tragedy of the ending of that book is in the inevitability of George&#8217;s loss of humanity to the naturalist world he inhabits, in the horrifying apotheosis of his final act of love for Lennie.  What I said of The Crucible is that it has to do with integrity, as its protagonist refuses to live without that quality, and that I continue to explore the idea of integrity with several nonfiction readings on various political issues tangentially related to The Crucible. 
 
I &#8220;twist&#8221; none of these works, or the others you mention, into arguments against immigration laws.  I use them to open students&#8217; minds to the &#8220;old verities,&#8221; and having done so, pose questions for them to think and argue about, such as what exactly we find objectionable in offensive language, whether it makes sense to say there is a duty to be free, and what exactly should be the requirements for citizenship in our democracy.  I believe issues such as these are far more important for them to deal with than the common, stale topics they are too often given in school, such as whether we should have school uniforms or allow gay marriage: topics which only ask them to create reasons to support what they already know or believe they know, to engage in &#8220;critical thinking&#8221; with a prophylactic, risking nothing of themselves. 
 
I do not use postmodern literary theory to justify any activism.  That is another misrepresentation on your part.  I use a postmodern analysis of our language and usage to open questions for students such as what we imply when we use legal (or legalistic) arguments to justify normative ethical claims, or more simply to ask whether it makes sense to say a person &#8220;is illegal.&#8221;  Furthermore, I do this to highlight the importance of what I believe to be Enlightenment principles of justice and fair play.  Despite the contrary claims of many postmodern theorists, I do not believe they are totally incompatible with those Enlightenment principles.  (See in this connection the work of philosopher Stanley Rosen, who is quite critical of postmodernism, especially Hermeneutics as Politics and The Ancients and the Moderns: Rethinking Modernity.)   
 
You are correct to say that we help students with college admissions and scholarship application essays.  Students bring us rough drafts, we read them and comment on them, they bring us second and third drafts, and we help them proofread.  In most contexts, that is called writing instruction.   
 
I do believe that much anti-immigrant rhetoric comes from classism and racism, and about that we can quibble, but I see no reason to apologize for acknowledging it when a student comes to me after school in tears (for an &#8220;emotionally charged&#8221; advocacy session) because she just read somewhere that a Kansas state legislator joked that undocumented immigrants should be shot from helicopters like feral hogs. 
 
And about that citizen student who disagrees with me.  First, I raise questions as I&#8217;ve described.  I do not advertise my positions in my classroom.  Second, I do not force any student to look at an undocumented student.  What I said, exactly, is, &#8220;When I have a student staunch in his belief that undocumented immigrants should be treated like criminals, that student, if he has learned anything at all in my class, will not be able to look at the student next to him, who might well be undocumented, as a member of some abstract category of person against whom he has a political grudge.  He will first and foremost view that student as a human being not fundamentally different from himself.  That does not mean I expect him to change his political views.&#8221;   
 
I cannot and would not ever tell students which of their peers are undocumented.  To do so would be to violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).  I often do not even know which students are undocumented.  They have to tell me.  I cannot ask because that would also violate FERPA.  Your implications that I put students &#8220;on the spot&#8221; regarding this issue and that I have publicly stated students&#8217; private information are utterly irresponsible. 
 
 ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>You further misrepresent my words in claiming that I teach The Crucible as a lesson in empathy.  I said that I teach Of Mice and Men as an exploration of the need for empathy in our society, as I believe that the tragedy of the ending of that book is in the inevitability of George&rsquo;s loss of humanity to the naturalist world he inhabits, in the horrifying apotheosis of his final act of love for Lennie.  What I said of The Crucible is that it has to do with integrity, as its protagonist refuses to live without that quality, and that I continue to explore the idea of integrity with several nonfiction readings on various political issues tangentially related to The Crucible. </p>
<p>I &ldquo;twist&rdquo; none of these works, or the others you mention, into arguments against immigration laws.  I use them to open students&rsquo; minds to the &ldquo;old verities,&rdquo; and having done so, pose questions for them to think and argue about, such as what exactly we find objectionable in offensive language, whether it makes sense to say there is a duty to be free, and what exactly should be the requirements for citizenship in our democracy.  I believe issues such as these are far more important for them to deal with than the common, stale topics they are too often given in school, such as whether we should have school uniforms or allow gay marriage: topics which only ask them to create reasons to support what they already know or believe they know, to engage in &ldquo;critical thinking&rdquo; with a prophylactic, risking nothing of themselves. </p>
<p>I do not use postmodern literary theory to justify any activism.  That is another misrepresentation on your part.  I use a postmodern analysis of our language and usage to open questions for students such as what we imply when we use legal (or legalistic) arguments to justify normative ethical claims, or more simply to ask whether it makes sense to say a person &ldquo;is illegal.&rdquo;  Furthermore, I do this to highlight the importance of what I believe to be Enlightenment principles of justice and fair play.  Despite the contrary claims of many postmodern theorists, I do not believe they are totally incompatible with those Enlightenment principles.  (See in this connection the work of philosopher Stanley Rosen, who is quite critical of postmodernism, especially Hermeneutics as Politics and The Ancients and the Moderns: Rethinking Modernity.)   </p>
<p>You are correct to say that we help students with college admissions and scholarship application essays.  Students bring us rough drafts, we read them and comment on them, they bring us second and third drafts, and we help them proofread.  In most contexts, that is called writing instruction.   </p>
<p>I do believe that much anti-immigrant rhetoric comes from classism and racism, and about that we can quibble, but I see no reason to apologize for acknowledging it when a student comes to me after school in tears (for an &ldquo;emotionally charged&rdquo; advocacy session) because she just read somewhere that a Kansas state legislator joked that undocumented immigrants should be shot from helicopters like feral hogs. </p>
<p>And about that citizen student who disagrees with me.  First, I raise questions as I&rsquo;ve described.  I do not advertise my positions in my classroom.  Second, I do not force any student to look at an undocumented student.  What I said, exactly, is, &ldquo;When I have a student staunch in his belief that undocumented immigrants should be treated like criminals, that student, if he has learned anything at all in my class, will not be able to look at the student next to him, who might well be undocumented, as a member of some abstract category of person against whom he has a political grudge.  He will first and foremost view that student as a human being not fundamentally different from himself.  That does not mean I expect him to change his political views.&rdquo;   </p>
<p>I cannot and would not ever tell students which of their peers are undocumented.  To do so would be to violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).  I often do not even know which students are undocumented.  They have to tell me.  I cannot ask because that would also violate FERPA.  Your implications that I put students &ldquo;on the spot&rdquo; regarding this issue and that I have publicly stated students&rsquo; private information are utterly irresponsible. </p>
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		<title>By: Ian Altman</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/mary-grabar/georgia-high-school-teachers-political-advocates-for-illegal-aliens/comment-page-1/#comment-4370991</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Ian Altman]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2013 00:17:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=181098#comment-4370991</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A &#8220;Greenfest&#8221; would seem to be concerned with environmental issues, and hence not connected with immigration issues.  Since I have an email address on my school&#8217;s website, I wonder why you did not contact me to ask about the obvious discrepancy.   
 
I would have been happy to have a civil conversation about that and the other issues which concern you.  You and I have had such discussions before, albeit briefly, when I took a course you taught at UGA.  (You were very complimentary of a paper I wrote on T.S. Eliot&#8217;s &#8220;Tradition and the Individual Talent.&#8221;)  We also had a few interactions when we took Philosophy 400 (Plato) together in the mid-90&#8217;s.  I do not expect you to remember all of that, but it is worth mentioning because since you are concerned with education, curricula, and American culture, and since I know you from those other contexts to be intellectually sophisticated, it is strange to me that you would not seek clarification on a seemingly confusing point. 
 
You are correct that I am proud of the student who has a full academic scholarship to Syracuse.  In the context of your article, however, your choice of the word &#8220;bragged&#8221; makes the mention of it an implied criticism without argument.  I therefore ask, why should I not be happy for this student, and proud that I taught her and wrote one of the recommendation letters which helped her earn a scholarship worth more than $200,000 over four years?  Because she is undocumented?  I would be equally proud of any of my students for earning that. 
 
You are wholly incorrect to write that &#8220;speechwriting forms much of the assignments&#8221; in our classes.  That claim is invented.  Neither of us said it.  We have helped a few students, and not only undocumented students, write speeches for various occasions, including the Athens Human Rights Festival and a few press conferences and a forum at UGA, but never as an assignment for our classes.   
 
Your characterization of what I think valuable to teach my students is grossly oversimplified and in some cases completely false.  What I said at the ATE conference is that if all my students learn is the Common Core Standards, if they leave my class without any deeper understanding of themselves and their culture, then I might as well have been building robots in a factory.  That is very much in line with the real use to which I put Faulkner&#8217;s Nobel Prize acceptance speech, as opposed to the use you wrongly attribute to me.  Faulkner writes that his duty as a writer is to remind us that we have souls &#8220;capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance.&#8221;  We do not study great fiction merely to learn skills, as envisioned by the writers of the Common Core Standards.  We study it to learn of the &#8220;old verities&#8221; of which Faulkner speaks, which exist far above any cultural or political squabble.  Given your own learning, I do not understand why you would find that objectionable. 
 
 ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A &ldquo;Greenfest&rdquo; would seem to be concerned with environmental issues, and hence not connected with immigration issues.  Since I have an email address on my school&rsquo;s website, I wonder why you did not contact me to ask about the obvious discrepancy.   </p>
<p>I would have been happy to have a civil conversation about that and the other issues which concern you.  You and I have had such discussions before, albeit briefly, when I took a course you taught at UGA.  (You were very complimentary of a paper I wrote on T.S. Eliot&rsquo;s &ldquo;Tradition and the Individual Talent.&rdquo;)  We also had a few interactions when we took Philosophy 400 (Plato) together in the mid-90&rsquo;s.  I do not expect you to remember all of that, but it is worth mentioning because since you are concerned with education, curricula, and American culture, and since I know you from those other contexts to be intellectually sophisticated, it is strange to me that you would not seek clarification on a seemingly confusing point. </p>
<p>You are correct that I am proud of the student who has a full academic scholarship to Syracuse.  In the context of your article, however, your choice of the word &ldquo;bragged&rdquo; makes the mention of it an implied criticism without argument.  I therefore ask, why should I not be happy for this student, and proud that I taught her and wrote one of the recommendation letters which helped her earn a scholarship worth more than $200,000 over four years?  Because she is undocumented?  I would be equally proud of any of my students for earning that. </p>
<p>You are wholly incorrect to write that &ldquo;speechwriting forms much of the assignments&rdquo; in our classes.  That claim is invented.  Neither of us said it.  We have helped a few students, and not only undocumented students, write speeches for various occasions, including the Athens Human Rights Festival and a few press conferences and a forum at UGA, but never as an assignment for our classes.   </p>
<p>Your characterization of what I think valuable to teach my students is grossly oversimplified and in some cases completely false.  What I said at the ATE conference is that if all my students learn is the Common Core Standards, if they leave my class without any deeper understanding of themselves and their culture, then I might as well have been building robots in a factory.  That is very much in line with the real use to which I put Faulkner&rsquo;s Nobel Prize acceptance speech, as opposed to the use you wrongly attribute to me.  Faulkner writes that his duty as a writer is to remind us that we have souls &ldquo;capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance.&rdquo;  We do not study great fiction merely to learn skills, as envisioned by the writers of the Common Core Standards.  We study it to learn of the &ldquo;old verities&rdquo; of which Faulkner speaks, which exist far above any cultural or political squabble.  Given your own learning, I do not understand why you would find that objectionable. </p>
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		<title>By: Ian Altman</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/mary-grabar/georgia-high-school-teachers-political-advocates-for-illegal-aliens/comment-page-1/#comment-4370988</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Ian Altman]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2013 00:16:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=181098#comment-4370988</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Dr. Grabar, 
 
I normally do not engage in the commentary after online articles, as the arguments, if we can call them that, are usually undignified and pointless.  In this case, however, since you have chosen to impugn my name and that of my friend and colleague Matt Hicks with seemingly willful misrepresentations of our work, I think it appropriate to respond. 
 
You write, &#8220;Altman talked about his plans to fly to Tucson with students for a &#8216;Greenfest&#8217; for &#8216;Dreamers.&#8217;&#8221;  That is almost pure fiction.  I did speak of flying to Tucson, but not with any student and not for a &#8220;Greenfest&#8221; for &#8220;Dreamers.&#8221;  I flew there with Matt Hicks two days after the presentation you saw to give a presentation at the University of Arizona&#8217;s College of Education Graduate Student Colloquy and to accept the Kenneth S. Goodman &#8220;In Defense of Good Teaching&#8221; Award, which Matt and I jointly won this year for our work with undocumented students.  The award is &#8220;established to honor educators who have stood up to laws, policies, and practices that are threatening to students and teachers.&#8221;   
 
You seem to have confused that with another event that JoBeth Allen mentioned, the DREAMfest, which one of my American students is organizing in support of her peers who are undocumented and who wish to attend the top five universities in Georgia from which Board of Regents policy 4.1.6 currently bans them.  DREAMfest is almost entirely the work of this student and a chosen group of student organizers.  It is supported by the Bezos Family Foundation, with which the student won a fellowship last year that funded our trip to Colorado last summer to attend the Aspen Ideas Festival. 
 
 ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Dear Dr. Grabar, </p>
<p>I normally do not engage in the commentary after online articles, as the arguments, if we can call them that, are usually undignified and pointless.  In this case, however, since you have chosen to impugn my name and that of my friend and colleague Matt Hicks with seemingly willful misrepresentations of our work, I think it appropriate to respond. </p>
<p>You write, &ldquo;Altman talked about his plans to fly to Tucson with students for a &lsquo;Greenfest&rsquo; for &lsquo;Dreamers.&rsquo;&rdquo;  That is almost pure fiction.  I did speak of flying to Tucson, but not with any student and not for a &ldquo;Greenfest&rdquo; for &ldquo;Dreamers.&rdquo;  I flew there with Matt Hicks two days after the presentation you saw to give a presentation at the University of Arizona&rsquo;s College of Education Graduate Student Colloquy and to accept the Kenneth S. Goodman &ldquo;In Defense of Good Teaching&rdquo; Award, which Matt and I jointly won this year for our work with undocumented students.  The award is &ldquo;established to honor educators who have stood up to laws, policies, and practices that are threatening to students and teachers.&rdquo;   </p>
<p>You seem to have confused that with another event that JoBeth Allen mentioned, the DREAMfest, which one of my American students is organizing in support of her peers who are undocumented and who wish to attend the top five universities in Georgia from which Board of Regents policy 4.1.6 currently bans them.  DREAMfest is almost entirely the work of this student and a chosen group of student organizers.  It is supported by the Bezos Family Foundation, with which the student won a fellowship last year that funded our trip to Colorado last summer to attend the Aspen Ideas Festival. </p>
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		<title>By: Cathy</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/mary-grabar/georgia-high-school-teachers-political-advocates-for-illegal-aliens/comment-page-1/#comment-4370917</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cathy]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 13 Mar 2013 23:49:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=181098#comment-4370917</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Republicans are on Bill Ayers band wagon providing rights to illegal alliens!!!  Does this not tell them something.  If over 11 million Hispanics who entered the country illegally are provided benefits along with a pathway to citizenship ... then logic dictates that a precident has been established.  The next wave of illegal immigrants may be over 11 million illegal Muslims.   
 
Who Are the Gang Of 8 in Senate Immigration Debate? 
Jan. 30, 2013 
 
Sen. John McCain, R- Ariz. 
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. 
Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz 
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. 
Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J. 
Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo. 
Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill. 
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla 
.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/meet-gang-senators-immigration-reform-include-marco-rubio/story?id=18348317#1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/meet-gang-sen...&lt;/a&gt; 
 
Rand Paul: GOP must &#8216;evolve&#8217; on immigration 
1/31/13 6:20 AM EST 
  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.politico.com/story/2013/01/paul-gop-evolve-on-immigration-86980.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.politico.com/story/2013/01/paul-gop-ev...&lt;/a&gt; 
 ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p> Republicans are on Bill Ayers band wagon providing rights to illegal alliens!!!  Does this not tell them something.  If over 11 million Hispanics who entered the country illegally are provided benefits along with a pathway to citizenship &#8230; then logic dictates that a precident has been established.  The next wave of illegal immigrants may be over 11 million illegal Muslims.   </p>
<p>Who Are the Gang Of 8 in Senate Immigration Debate?<br />
Jan. 30, 2013 </p>
<p>Sen. John McCain, R- Ariz.<br />
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.<br />
Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz<br />
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.<br />
Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J.<br />
Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo.<br />
Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill.<br />
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla<br />
.  <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/meet-gang-senators-immigration-reform-include-marco-rubio/story?id=18348317#1" rel="nofollow"></a><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/meet-gang-sen" rel="nofollow">http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/meet-gang-sen</a>&#8230; </p>
<p>Rand Paul: GOP must &lsquo;evolve&rsquo; on immigration<br />
1/31/13 6:20 AM EST<br />
  <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2013/01/paul-gop-evolve-on-immigration-86980.html" rel="nofollow"></a><a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2013/01/paul-gop-ev" rel="nofollow">http://www.politico.com/story/2013/01/paul-gop-ev</a>&#8230; </p>
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		<title>By: Truth Seeker</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/mary-grabar/georgia-high-school-teachers-political-advocates-for-illegal-aliens/comment-page-1/#comment-4370868</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Truth Seeker]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 13 Mar 2013 23:25:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=181098#comment-4370868</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This collectivist corrosion of traditional USA values has been planned and financed by the evil bankster cabal that owns us.  Research the work of Norman Dodd and Charlotte Iserbyt - including their videos online.  The plans - documented by Dodd in the congressional records in 1953 - have been underway for a full century.  The financial elite want to manage mankind like a livestock operation run by a profit seeking MBA.  An American public with an educated and armed middle class has been their biggest hurdle, but they are patient, resourceful, and dedicated evil SOBs. ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This collectivist corrosion of traditional USA values has been planned and financed by the evil bankster cabal that owns us.  Research the work of Norman Dodd and Charlotte Iserbyt &#8211; including their videos online.  The plans &#8211; documented by Dodd in the congressional records in 1953 &#8211; have been underway for a full century.  The financial elite want to manage mankind like a livestock operation run by a profit seeking MBA.  An American public with an educated and armed middle class has been their biggest hurdle, but they are patient, resourceful, and dedicated evil SOBs. </p>
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