Answer to the question, whatever happened to the kid who played Scut Farkus from "A Christmas Story?" Why, he became Mike Baker, Diligence President, of course!

"ChickenLady!" I love it! We can never have too many Mark McKinney characters! (Where's Mississippi Gary?)

Thank you for acknowledging that Howard Zinn and I are two different people. Not many here can. I'll make my own reasons to be treated like a pinata, thank you very much!

... I largely agree with these points, dA Copper. But I suspect that this problem might lie in the article, and not Zinn's lesson plan. I have not looked over the lesson plan in great detail, but certain claims by the author of this article (teaching about lynching to 3-yr olds, or some such thing). Well, I can't call that a lie, but I'd be astonished if it were true.

So, if I'm understanding you correctly ...
One of the things that made this country great was a sense of greatness?

I know, I know ... I'm an elitist for actually reading the sentences that you write.

Sorry for the condescension.
(But that's what you're saying, right?)

I can see why you'd laugh yourself silly over that.

Now, where do they keep the italics button around here? I need it for the word "you'd."

Again, that's a low set bar, my friend. We can do better than be glad we're more socially just than Iran.

Thank you for putting a margin of effort into delineating your thoughts.

You seem to be a student of my work, so it seems to me you might have saved yourself some time if you had noticed that I haven't advocated implementing Zinn's program into public schools. I've defended his program from complete bastardization a couple of times, but then even only when begged to (by my standards of begging. I know begging when I read it between the lines). I've read Zinn, and I think he should be read - that is, chosen to be read. But you're spot on about the problem of canonizing him, with his admitted subjectivity. The way I see it, Zinn is to public academia as Kucinich or Paul is to president. They aren't getting the job, but they'll stir the pot like no one else is able, or willing to do, in the process of trying. Why does the pot need stirring? Well, even though I do care about the children, when it comes to this particular venue, my aim is a little different. This place is called "Andrew Breitbarts Presents: Big Hollywood," for Pete's sake. Who am I going to intellectually sway, honestly? This is not a forum for ideas; this is a social forum. And based on your level of articulation and sound reasoning, my advice to you is: run. The pot needs stirring in this case not because of the children but because of the grown-ups, for their insistence that "we set the standard for equal rights for other nations to follow." You know, historical inaccuracies like that. Not so different from not knowing the 3/5 Compromise, in terms of sheer wrongness.

Your comments touched on the personal, so I'll go there, but just for a minute. Surely, you don't think "frothy" meant "committed" or "long-winded" or "obsessed," did you? Because of course I meant it as "wont to bandy about the sort of flagrant, crazy, hyperbolic insults that Morris began and ended with." As far as 'getting the last word' on a message board, I believe the internet expression is "meh."

Cheers, Axslinger.
Ya friggin' Wingnut.

Are you saying brute force isn't "doing something?" Show some respect.

Nice one, Centurion. Liked it, liked it.

Inherit, then hire managers. ... You didn't need me to answer that for you, did you?