Dec. 29, 2002 - 11:51 PST

THE WONDERING JEW

Readin' The Paper Again

Sez here this morning that Oregon schools plan to shorten academic year. National education watchdogs say that no other states have that option. Laws in most states require students to be in school for a standard 180 days. But a loophole in Oregon's laws lets its districts deviate from the requirements for a maximum of two school years.

So in Oregon, rather than cutting teacher's pay or laying off teachers or other personnel, they are chopping off days of attendance.

It is being played tightly though, the plan is to maybe eliminate Friday attendance through the semester to avoid cutting school for a length of consecutive days, avoiding mandatory payment of unemployment benefits after five consecutive days of unemployment. The unions don't like it, but I suppose that faced with teacher layoffs instead the unions will bite the bullet and go with the flow. At least there are some people thinking about the current financial situation and trying to work with what they have.

Another article deals with conspiracy theories. The main conclusion I think is that given any unfavorable thing happening one very easy solution is for folks to dream up a conspiracy, often blaming some innocent group of persons. Some of the current conspiracy theories are ridiculous to the extreme. I think those reasons for such things are a wish of people to come to a quick resolution in their own minds of how these things happen. Easy to blame things on a conspiracy by faceless, nameless 'THEM' than really listening to calmer heads.

Unfortunately there are and have been many true conspiracies in our world, at home and abroad so that a wild theory has apparent validity immediately.

Saw another article the other day that a bishop in the venue under attack made some statement that sexual congress with a person not of that parish is not as serious as if that person were one of the parish. So, tell me now where does that leave us ? A sex offence is not a sex offense if done to a person living in the next block or next town or next state ? One of a different profession ? Isn't a priest under a vow of celibacy always ? No crossed fingers or king's ex-es or subterfuge ever ?

Rather than running the risk of humans being after all truly fallible why not allow the clergy to marry rather than trust that priests will keep their pants zipped ? Dunno, I am just a poor civilian here betwixt warring sectarians.

Heather keeps warning me, that I should not be Readin' The Paper Again . . . . . . . . . . .

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