Do Local Judges Want School Shootings?

They won't tell me exactly what happened, and regardless of that I would do the same again if it happens again. Was watching Montel on TV Thursday May 31st, talking about the Columbine shooting. Had a couple of people who were receiving flack for having reported that this or that person had threatened to harm others. I believe the conclusion was that responsible citizens would alert authorities if they suspected that "john doe" has plans to injure others.

So when I was asked by a school assistant teacher to record something to play at her funeral "just in case something happens", my conscience bothered me. In school a friend always wanted to be a cop to rob drug dealers, or overdose on heroin. He OD'd, but it became a regular thing to listen to him talk of his plans. Years later another buddy threatened to kill his girl if she didn't stop doing this or that. You got tired of listening to him complain about her. Watched the news one day and his picture is there, with the story about how he shotgunned her to death.

So now another associate asks me to record this message for her funeral, and to insure that everyone hears it. Not her husband, daughter, son or other relatives, but me. I put it onto my website and later am hauled into court for a restraining order against me for it. Listening to Montel and the others who had problems for having done what may have seemed right to them, makes me feel that the particular judge is out of step with the rest of America.

My opinion is, we have the right to defend ourselves. We need to know if someone is planning something, or just talking. Putting the speech onto my website, cleared my conscience about bringing the info to the press "if something major happened". How would the press treat me if something happened and I had a taped message to be delivered after it happened? So for the judge to have issued a restraining order against me, I think he needs to reconsider. Besides, if someone at her job heard it and laid her off after hearing it, maybe they also took her serious.

In more and more legislative districts, when you vote Republican, this is what you're getting.

I sure miss the Barry Goldwater days.

Regardless of what Chad Vegas does, Diane Hardisty and the editorial board will have it in for Chad (they don't like his stance on the Hillside Ordinance and The Bluest Eye so he is blacklisted).  What else is new.  As it pertains to the Kern High School District, the issue isn't trustees running the school district.  The Californian Editorial Board is notorius for saying fix the schools, yet when the trustee is Vegas or Mettler proposing the reform, they oppose it like sheep coming from the mouth of Moorehouse and Hardisty.  The issue is open government and making sure that our kids and their parents are served with the best high ranking administrators possible.  How can Chad or any trustee know who is best for the job unless they are able to observe the interviews for themselves?  Knowing ones philosophy and intervention strategies is important.  How can one say that prospective principals, asst. superintendents, and superintendents will answer different with board members present?  What do they have to hide?  When I interviewed for my first admininstrative job in Delano, Frank Herrera Sr. and Chio Gonzales were on the panel.  Guess what?  I answered the same way whether they were there or not.  The argument of double talk with trustees present is non-sense.

Jim Fillbrandt's replacement was hired the same night his resignation was accepted.  Only Don Carter got to interview the people involved and hear their answers.  The board had to take Carter at his word.  Not allowing trustees to be better informed on these candidates is not fair.  Everyone knew that either Mr. Jones from Ridgeview or Mr. Shaffer from North were going to be promoted, yet their high schools perform worse than the ones in Delano.  The best from around the state are not allowed to apply.  The adminstrative hiring system is a bunch of cronyism.  Even Dr. Wildman who is apart of the administrative credential program at Cal-State Bakersfield calls the Kern High School District administrative hiring process "inbreeding."  I'm sure Bob Hampton wouldn't want Pete Carroll to just recruit players from only LA Unified.  Why should our students not have access to the best available around the country period?

For the last ten years Carter has been either the Ast. Superintendent for Instruction or the Superintendent.  The district is not in good shape academically and bold actions are needed.  Dr. Carter, you're a nice man, but you are partly responsible for this problem and you need to fix it.  You are making some strides to deal with it but not enough.

For example, why has it taken so long for the high school district to hold the feeder K-8 districts more accountable for the product they send them?  Ken Mettler and Chad Vegas fought for that and I'm glad the other trustees concured.  Now some K-8 feeder districts are feeling the heat and they should be regardless of their secret actions at superintendent's advisory meetings not to comply with a 5-0 vote from the Kern High board.

The voters hold all trustees accountable.  You can't hold a trustee accountable in a fair manner if they are not apart of the process for the hiring of the top administrators other than "Don's word."  If the API rankings were 5 or higher at all district schools then there wouldn't be a need for such a reform.

"Regardless of what Chad Vegas does, Diane Hardisty and the editorial board will have it in for Chad (they don't like his stance on the Hillside Ordinance and The Bluest Eye so he is blacklisted)."

Good.  Glad someone in the media is doing her job.

Everything, absolutely everything he does or attempts is solely to advance a religious-political goal.  Everything.

When 100 of his last 100 moves were clearly meant to advance a political agenda, it becomes reasonable to presume that the 101st move will likewise be politically motivated.