THE NEW REPUBLICAN NEWSLETTER No. 72 - (October 31, 2008) - HAPPY HALLOWEEN! ------------------------------------------------------------ ANOTHER NIGHT WITH THE "BOYS" - EDUCATION FOR THE MASSES As most of you know I am having fun visiting a couple of "pubs" around the capital/campus town of Sacramento talking with college kids. For the most part they are amiable and very interesting to be around. They are basically very knowledgeable on everything from current politics to the international situation as it stands today - or so they say. Most are against the war in Iraq - but hesitate to say they are against the soldiers actually doing the fighting. I feel that every Vietnam Veteran should take pride in this bit of social progress. Every one of the kids said they didn't want the soldiers to come home to what we came home to after Vietnam. None of them are aware that I served in Vietnam. I have found it best not to advertise this fact for it tends to "color" the conversation - especially with people of my own "social era." The kids openly profess to be voting for Obama - but I have had a few students from time to time confide in me that they are really voting for McCain, but don't want to be "labeled" as a racist, so they go along with the Obama crowd. Almost everyone believes that the Republicans are responsible for the current state of affairs both economically and on the international scene as well. So, after a couple of beers, we "got down" last night and a few of the "boys" wanted to challenge the old fart (that's me) to "pounding a few beers down." The one who lost would pick up half the tab for the table. In this case, lost means losing your lunch - who pukes first. After spending 26 months in Vietnam, and 23 years in Japan, I have learned to drink - and hold - more beer than all these guys put together. So after about the fifth mug some were starting to turn a little peaked. When we hit double digits is when the trouble began. One of the bigger guys in the group suddenly bolted for the toilet and barely made it on time. We were all laughing as he stumbled back to the table, wet and weary. He conceded that he had finally had enough. At that point the others didn't admit defeat - but offered to pick up the tab as a gesture of good faith - and "lighten up from here on in." I think I won, but I didn't press the point. But for some reason they seemed to accept me as one of them on a somewhat equal footing. Funny what alcohol does to people's thinking. ------------------------------------------------------------ THE NIGHT WORE ONE Once the "serious drinking" was set aside we naturally drifted to politics and who would win the general election next Tuesday. As we bounced from issue to issue I have to admit, the teacher in me came out and I mounted my soapbox, much to the amusement of the "guys." I asked them if they could tell me anything about one of the most dangerous presidents of all time. "You mean George Bush?" laughed one of them. I replied that I was referring to Richard Nixon. They all groaned. "Yeah, Watergate," said a kid named Mort. "And he started the war in Vietnam, too." The others pitched in their agreement. Now remember, these are college students. I told them that actually Kennedy was the one who really got us involved - after Eisenhower had sent in a small contingent of advisors before him. They had never even heard this part of history before. But they all knew who Daniel Ellsworth was and that he had written the "Pentagon Papers." "Eisenhower?" questioned Alex, a handsome, blond student. "I thought he was the one who lost Korea." I wasn't sure if it was the beer or my ears, so I just squinted my eyes as if to say, "What?" "You stupid shit," laughed Mort. "Eisenhower was the president. MacArthur was the general who Eisenhower fired for disagreeing with him." The others nodded their agreement. At this point I decided to change the topic to something a little easier. Trying to straighten out their historical timeline was beyond my scope that evening. Instead, I asked them if they would like to take a little test. They all agreed, so here is what I did. I have to admit, the way I posed the questions were somewhat devious, and everybody was fairly well "hammered" as these guys like to say. In my day we were just drunk - but I guess that carries too much PC baggage nowadays. Anyway, my first question was (and remember, in the beginning, I was trying to talk about Richard Nixon): 1. What president opened up relations with China? Carter, Kennedy, Johnson, or Clinton. 2. What president gave Okinawa back to Japan? Carter, Kennedy, Johnson or Clinton. 3. What president ended the war in Vietnam? Same presidential choices. 4. What president established Title IX, which made women entitled to the same rights and privileges as men in sports? Again, same presidential choices. The outcome? They got every question wrong. The right answer to all of them is Richard Nixon. Funny, but most every one of the boys gave Carter credit for the Title IX passage. My point is not to make Nixon out as a saint. He was not. Actually, Eisenhower despised him - and with good reason. What I was trying to show was how bent the education efforts in America have become. Please notice that I made all the choices Democrats. Yes, I stacked the deck. But if they knew the right answers - then they would have told me. It was shocking to say the least. They were blown out when I told them that "Tricky Dick" was responsible for all of those events. So, with this information in hand, I laid out a question that had them looking at each other and wondering what the hell I was talking about. For the last 100 years the Democrats have been virtually in total political control of the South. But yet that is still the poorest region in the country. And for the last 40 years - excluding 2 years when the GOP won, and then proceeded to completely blow it - the Democrats have been in control of Congress, but we still have a huge amount of poverty in this country. I was on a roll and didn't intend to stop there. I then asked them what made them so sure that a Chicago style Democrat was going to be any different? They were somewhat silent. Please don't get me wrong. A good teacher shows his students HOW to think, not WHAT to think. And I believe this has been one of the biggest errors of education we face today. We have allowed government paid teachers to TELL our children WHAT to think, instead of giving them the necessary tools to teach them HOW to think. Please note that logical debate and public speaking have both been banned as compulsory subjects. You can only take them now, as electives. Our First Amendment is particularly involved in this development - but that is another story. I further asked the guys if any of their teachers were Vietnam Veterans. I have posited this same question to readers of the New Republican - but have not received one answer as of this writing. The students didn't know. Then I asked how many teachers - college professors - were veterans of any period of service. Again, they didn't know. I then asked them to check with their teachers if they were veterans - and I was shocked at the response. They were collectively hesitant to even ASK their teachers, for fear of grade reprisal. They admitted that if they didn't agree with what their teachers were saying they would pay for it on their GPA and that would hurt their chances after they graduate. I was stunned - but apparently it is the truth. So here is what I am getting at. If any readers have seen this kind of action, or heard it from their own kids, I would like to know about it. I simply can't believe that this is happening in this day and age. I actually had it happen to me when I was in college and, when two teachers in particular found out that I was a Vietnam Veteran, made it very difficult for me to pass their classes. But passed, I did, much to their pissed off chagrin. Please remember this was 1969 and Vietnam Veterans were the scum of the academic world. But to have this type of "academic reprisal" through the power of the grade is appalling to say the least - especially in this enlightened Politically Correct environment we find ourselves immersed in. ------------------------------------------------------------ SO, WHAT ELSE IS NEW? It is a very fortunate gift to be a teacher and be able to go with the flow of your students. These kids were actually warming up to me and what I was telling them. Apparently, it was the first time they had heard this kind of stuff. Then again, maybe it was the beer, but I don't think so. We many times short-change college kids - when, in fact, all we need to do is present them with the truth - and they will make the right decisions themselves. They ARE NOT dumb. So on I pressed and went for a softball question. And here, I have to admit, I had just found this information out a few days prior - so it is not as though I knew this all along. Again, thanks to a New Republican reader, Peter in Bellingham, for sending the information. I asked the group the following simple question: Of all the Senators, who were the top six richest - Republicans or Democrats? Well, you know the answer to that one. Of course, the Republicans. Wrong again. The six top Senators with the highest estimated net worth last year (2007) 1. John Kerry - D Mass.$336.2 million 2. Herb Kohl - D Wis.$241.6 million 3. Edward M. Kennedy - D Mass$103.6 million 4. Jay Rockefeller - D W.Va.$ 93.7 million 5. Frank R. Lautenberg - D N.J.$ $ 89.5 million 6. Dianne Feinstein - D Calif.$ 84.2 million Source: Center for Responsive Politics ------------------------------------------------------------ I DON'T GET WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? This breakdown in education has been taking place for about three decades now. When I first got interested in Education as a profession I thought I could make some sort of change. But, armed with a Master's Degree in Education - and an overall GPA of 3.6, being on the Dean's List at my junior college before transferring to San Jose State University, and a recipient of a Mott Foundation Scholastic Fellowship Award while at San Jose - I found that when I applied for teaching jobs, I was not wanted. Once they found out I was a Vietnam Veteran all interviews turned solidly sour. After many unsuccessful attempts here in America I accepted a full-time teaching job in Japan, with two people who helped change my life for the better in every way possible. Mr. and Mrs. Kiyoshi Aki, were gracious enough to hire me at their private school located in Nagoya, Japan, and we have been friends ever since. With their constant help and consideration I was able to be interviewed and accepted as an instructor at colleges and universities around the city of Nagoya. I owe them a lifetime of gratitude. BUT WHY DID I HAVE TO GO ALL THE WAY TO JAPAN TO TEACH? Because, the total educational institution was under attack by the very liberal community that is in charge today. Dick Gregory, a black comedian of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, and who ran afoul of the budding liberal establishment, once remarked, "Never underestimate the wrath of a liberal scorned." Think Bill Cosby - and you start to get the picture. And therein lies the problem. Our education system has been dumbed down so much that our kids no longer can't think - they are not even allowed TO think. They are so intimidated by their "teachers" that they just go along with the "professor" in charge, get their grade and move on. It is a shame - but our education system has been dumbed down for such a long period that I am not sure it can be rescued in time. However, I have not given up hope. Why not? Because I truly believe, as I have predicted in previous New Republican Newsletters that come election day, there will be a resurgence the likes of which this country has not seen since, yes, Richard Nixon. Remember, he is the one who coined the term "Silent Majority" in the first place. And this silent majority will go to the polls in quiet droves and elect John McCain and Sarah Palin to the White House. ------------------------------------------------------------ WANNA BET? As of this writing I have about $1100 out in "good faith" bets - ranging from $15 to $100 with friends, readers of the New Republican and even a couple of neighbors, so I am literally putting my money where my mouth is. It will be curious to see how many pay off if McCain actually does pull off the impossible. ------------------------------------------------------------ SOME PREDICTIONS I will reiterate a couple of predictions because a few writers have written and said they don't remember some of the past calls that I have made, so here goes with a number of old ones and some new ones to ponder: 1. If Obama wins or loses there will be riots in cities in America. (old) 2. If Obama wins it will be because of his message to the people, his integrity, his ability to speak to the masses, his coordinated campaign and his ability to use the Internet and raise astronomical amounts of private funding. (old) 3. If Obama loses - it will be because America is racist. (old) 4. Either GM or Ford will go bankrupt. (old) 5. If Obama is elected there will be no money out to the "poor" because Obama will say even he did not realize the extent of the economic decline and therefore we will have to postpone the tax giveaways. (new) 6. If number 5 is correct, then Obama will raise taxes on everyone - rich and poor alike. (new) 7. If Obama is elected it will make the scandal-tainted Clinton regime look like the "good old days." You do not play Chicago politics without paying a huge price. (new) Think John F. Kennedy. 8. As Joe Biden predicted, there will be an international challenge to Obama's strength and integrity. I fully agree. However, the challenge will probably not come to Israel or the Middle East - but in an area that people least expect it - either China with relation to TAIWAN or NORTH KOREA with relation to South Korea. Then we have UKRAINE to consider with Russia casting greedy eyes on its oil pipeline. (new) 9. And this prediction will probably shock many readers, as it well should. If elected, Barrack Obama would turrn his back on total support for Israel. If anyone even holds a smidgen of doubt on this observation - you had better go back and read the writings of Obama's "friends" and "associates." Israel will find no friends in an Obama White House. 10. But none of this will come to pass - because John McCain will surprise the whole nation - and the world - with an upset victory that will make Tom Dewey green with political envy as he rolls over in his grave. This prediction, by the way, was made back in July, when just about everybody else had given up on McCain. ------------------------------------------------------------ CHECK THESE TWO SITES FOR SOME VERY SHOCKING INFORMATION ARTICLE - via the Internet http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20081015/sc_livescience/americansflunksimple3questionpoliticalsurvey VIDEO - Thanks again to my Brother David for this one. http://www.bucksright.com/howard-stern-quizzes-obama-supporters-in-harlem-1804 By the way, Howard Stern, as nutty and as liberal as he appears to be, is actually held in disdain for telling the truth by the liberal establishment. As the PC crowd likes to say, "Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it." ------------------------------------------------------------ HAPPY HALLOWEEN Here is wishing everyone a Happy Halloween. Please remember to accompany your kids on their walks tonight. This is the time that all those child predators - who have been quietly inserted back into our neighborhoods - are out on the prowl. They just had another child rapist "placed" in a house in a Roseville neighborhood within the last week. The people are up in arms because the guy was convicted of murdering one of his victims. But at the time the murderer was a minor and only got two years. He went on to rape again and is now out, having served his entire time requirement. I am not making this up. Welcome to the liberal world of fun and games. Please keep a close watch on your children and grandchildren. Best wishes and HAPPY HALLOWEENING! Larry Klepinger Still, a New Republican PS Don't forget to vote. Or, as they say in Chicago, "Vote early - and vote often." See you after the election upset! Your ideas and comments are more than welcome. Many thanks again for taking the time and effort to read the New Republican Newsletter. ------------------------------------------------------------ If you wish to no longer receive this e-newsletter, please e-mail me directly at: lawrenceklepinger@gmail.com