Monday Musings: Where There’s Smoke, There’s Common Core

Those of us fighting Common Core and all that it entails know the battle’s been a long one; that we still have miles to go before a real victory can be claimed. In my post for today, I’d like to take you along in my thoughts to several places concerning Common Core and we, the citizens.

First up, intentions of fighting:

I can’t speak for your intentions, but I can assume that they are honorable. After all, you are reading this, so you must be concerned with the plight of the federal takeover in education. However, since I’ve come under fire lately as to MY intentions, here they are:

1) I fight, not so much for my children alone, but for all students. Why? I know Common Core is more than K-12. I know it also involves other acronyms and is in more places than most people believe. I fight also because our U.S. Constitution, federal law and the states as sovereign are being ignored, trampled on, and besmirched. As a citizen, I’m deeply offended.

2) I have been researching this since 2009, I’m not a new kid on the scene, nor do I write or publish information without checking into it from several resources that I know I can rely on. If you find you don’t like something, please remember, I am a MESSENGER, not the creator of this battle. Every article has been written, not so I do your thinking for you but rather, so you can derive your own conclusions based on all the evidence proved for you. This is why all those links, screen shots, embedded files are there.

3) I do my utmost to be fair, to listen to your comments.  However, labeling me as ‘uninformed’, ‘crowd monger’, ‘pot stirrer’, ‘fear monger’ are not helpful to either of us. Our quarrel is with Common Core, it shouldn’t be with each other. Yes, I’m fallible, and when I make a mistake, I will do my best to clarify, correct, and move on.

Next, the Research:

Choosing to write articles on a daily basis takes a tremendous amount of time, creativity, and gumption. Please remember, I am an activist, an advocate of freedom..AND a volunteer. That said, you need to know I take my position as seriously as if I were being paid. Why? Because getting the truth, no matter HOW unpopular is more important to me than anything else. Since I’ve been following the ‘fed led ed trail’ since 2009, I’ve amassed more hard copies, filled 2 computer hard drives and am working on my third. There is no assistant for me, at this time. My point? My research is varied, it’s massive, it’s vital. Some days, you’ll find it to your liking and other days, you don’t. Regardless, consistent information is what I seek to provide. I have gained your trust because of my consistency. That is not only a serious honor, it is a tremendous guiding mindset.

Feedback reminders:

Let’s remember, we’re all adults. We use social media as a tool. Our names, our reputations, and our conversations are appearing in public for ALL to see. When in the battle against Common Core, tempers will sometimes flare. Feedback, I do ask for. I also have asked for kindness, respect, and let’s keep it about the issue NOT the person or people. If we must disagree, let’s discuss the root, not the outcome. As we all know, the disadvantage of social media is we cannot hear each other’s voice, so tones can be misinterpreted easily. To be on a team fighting this together is an honor, I’d like to keep it that way.

Smoke/Fire and other Fallacies:

As a blog writer I do NOT, nor will in the future, take part in the following fallacies—especially in the battle against the CCSS Machine.

“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire”, ie: a ‘hasty conclusion’ or ‘jumping to one’. What you read hasn’t been written in haste, nor after reading a few things and jumping. Again, tons of time, consideration, and feeling go into each and every article you see, read, and share.

“Scare”, “Taboo”, “Transfer”, or “Straw Man”, ie: controlling or manipulation of what I discover and share. It is what it is. No more, no less. I have reserved one day a week for my opinions, the other 6 are divided into CCSS categories. Why? Because I have found there is so much connecting CCSS to so many other things, you need to spread it out.

I’m not into ‘snowjobs’(using irrelevant information to ‘prove’ something relevant), ‘lying with ignorance’, ‘lying with statistics’ (both are related to the ‘snowjob’).

If you’ve noticed, I don’t usually name call. I don’t believe in half truths, we get enough of that from the pro-CCSS side.

Fallacies used by the Pro-CCSS side:

Bandwagon – CCSS is right because so many people say it is! It’s state led because look at all the resources that say it is!

Big lie – “Rigor”, ‘deeper, clearer’, ‘richer content’, ‘more flexibility in how I can teach’ (apply other lies here).

Circular reasoning – aka: ‘begging the question’; ie: repeating the same thing multiple times, but using different words each time to back up your claim. It’s false arguing.

Blind loyalty – a respected leader or group supports something, because they do, it’s trustworthy.

Closing thoughts:

While I am a dedicated warrior against CCSS, I, like you, are human. I make mistakes. I admit it. We all make mistakes, especially when we are passionate. However, our opponents do not need to see a division in our efforts. Where there’s a division, there’s a weakness. We, on the same side of the battle, don’t need division either, it causes bitterness.

Information I share is to fortify your stance, not weaken it. None of us have time for that. 

Please remember, no matter what group supports the CCSS Machine, what person who we are surprised by in their support of the Common Core..the Standards are ILLEGAL. For me, that’s the bottom line. I don’t care how rich, famous, generous, or whatever a group or supporter is. .if they stand by the Standards in any way, they are basing that support on a lie. That hurts our citizens. It’s a principle too many are willing to overlook.

 I will not apologize for shedding light where it needs to be. 

Remember, there are many who seek to destroy America, they are accomplishing it every day that CCSS continues to be allowed to exist, be taught, and adhered to. I want to help change that WITH you by my side.

Consider these words by leaders who were once thought to be worth following:

“Education is a weapon, whose effect depends on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed.” Josef Stalin
“The education of all children, from the moment that they can get along without a mother’s care, shall be in state institutions at state expense.” Karl Marx

“Give me four years to teach children and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted.” Vladimir Lenin

These reasons and hundreds more like them are WHY I do WHAT I do to help the anti-CC movement. I am humbled you choose to walk this daily battle with me. Your advancement in battle is my reason for blogging. Thank you for your support. I trust we can continue down the anti-CC road together.