Comments on: How Old is David Broder Again?

By: Dot Connector

Dot Connector — Sat, 01 Jul 2006 14:55:34 +0000

From Broder: “we now find ourselves sponsoring governments with notably shaky holds on popular support.”

And, as I recall, this was one of OBL’s original complaints about the West, and hard to argue with.

By: punkinsmom

punkinsmom — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 15:30:13 +0000

I remember one thing from high school history class. I don’t remember what we discussed or how far in the textbook we read or even the textbook itself, but one day in the middle of a lecture about something or other the teacher said, “Eventually, it was never replaced.” So my HS history learning is summarized and distilled to that one quote. But you’ve got to admit, it’s a funny line.

By: merlallen

merlallen — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 07:22:04 +0000

My civics teacher was at Kent State, he also got arrested for spitting on a sidewalk in Mississippi.
A great teacher. This was the DOD school system in Germany.
Of course, he had problems with my southern accent and would pick on me a bit. I told him he’s lucky he only got arrested for spitting on the sidewalk because we used to treat uppity Negroes a lot worse.
He thought that was funny.
I live in Washington state, now.

By: Marq

Marq — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 03:45:54 +0000

High school History class was the most worthless subject I ever took, and I’m including square dancing in gym in that assessment. It was all, “Such-and-such event took place at this-or-that date,” with the occasional historical figure thrown in for good measure. It was 100% rote memorization, which I am utterly terrible at. Never was anything put in context, nor related to other events and people. The dots were not connected. It was fantastically boring and dull–you just wanted to die during class. There weren’t even windows to stare out of for respite. Thank gawd some of the other students were physically attractive–a horny highschool student is never at a loss for things to daydream about! Ironically enough, my school district was considered one of the best in the state. Oh, yeah–Geography was nearly as bad, though seemingly I picked up on a lot more of it than 90% of other Americans. Ugh.

By: kate

kate — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 01:18:56 +0000

Oh yes, history class. lemme see, there’s the junior high one with the football coach. A black friend of mine said he was the only black guy in the class and when coach/teach showed a slide show (went with the text book) about the civil war, the coach/teach and the kids laughed and joked about the slave pics and joked ‘there’s your granddaddy! Hahaha!”

Then there’s high school with a man who looked like a turtle and who would read from the book (you know, the ones with the big letters in easy to read type) and then have us do the answers at the end of the chapter whilst he studied his attendance book. The text book went up to Nixon being president and that was one year before Reagan hit big.

Or the high school history teach, a vietnam vet whose lesson on ‘nam’ was: ‘we shoulda just blown cambodia sky high, but the lefties couldn’t have that could they?’ and who used to sport a semi-erection visible through his polyester pants everytime I wore a low-neck blouse. hehehe.

Broder looks like a turtle and sounds like he’s about to fall asleep at any minute, ever seen him on that friday PBS pundit roundtable snoozer?

By: mikey

mikey — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 01:07:28 +0000

Mine were mostly Korean War vetsâ€¦ very reactionary, authoritarian and pissy group of teachers, Iâ€™m afraid.

Mine were almost all drunks. A LOT of alcohol consumed in california public schools in the late fifties and early sixties. In gym class, my job was to get the coach his “coffee” (half coffee, half jim beam from his desk). My english teacher was a funny, brilliant, cynical, train wreck who was incoherent by lunch.

Whatâ€™s most disturbing is the size of the hand Dennis is waving.

That totally jumped out at me too. Is Dennis, er, well “endowed”? I mean, I’ve always been willing to speculate on Blondie naked and Betty Rubble in Dino-Lingerie. And dood, have you SEEN Luanne lately? One word–HOT!! So this really isn’t that far beyond the pale (is it??). I mean, sure, on the one hand, Dennis is seven, but on the other hand he’s been around for like fifty years, so it’s not comicpedophilia. I think. But it’s almost as if Rodin had drawn him. Yikes. The Burghers of Dennis the Menace…

mikey

By: Jillian

Jillian — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 00:24:36 +0000

I can top that.

I had a science book in 7th grade which opined that “One day, man might even walk on the moon!”

I’m not even thirty-five yet.

By: Matt T.

Matt T. — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 00:00:22 +0000

we never get past World War II. I am serious.

Hell, we barely got up to the Civil War and Reconstruction. Every year, swear to God, start at the beginning and get to a point where whichever coach is teaching the history class can show Silverado. Mississippi school system, I do declare.

The best part, of course, is Mississippi History in 7th grade (1988 for me). The books were from 1963 and refered to the Civil War as “The War of Northern Aggression”. Yep.

By: Â¡El Gato Negro!

Â¡El Gato Negro! — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 23:23:02 +0000

Â¡Chinga la maldita Broder! She has no Blog-Integrity©. Broder ees la dinosauria de las dinosaurias, even the other dinosaurias must be hoping for the providential tarpit. so.

By: FMguru

FMguru — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 22:56:39 +0000

Join us next week, when David Broder laments the fact that there’s no political party that stands for fiscal prudence, sound policy, and respect for the rule of law without resorting to thuggish demogoguery, and then wistfully fantasizes about a magical third party that would be all those things. When oh when will someone offers the voters an alternative!

By: Tulkinghorn

Tulkinghorn — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 22:02:21 +0000

Mine were mostly Korean War vets… very reactionary, authoritarian and pissy group of teachers, I’m afraid.

By: Patkin

Patkin — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 21:03:07 +0000

All I ever learned about in public school social studies courses was The ‘Nam.

This may be the result of having every history/civics/history teacher in my school from elementary to graduation being a ‘Nam vet.

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 20:30:37 +0000

oh, and nothing on the Phillipines. except maybe a bit about Hearst and yellow journalism.

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 20:29:56 +0000

really what do they teach in American Public Schools?

we never get past World War II. I am serious.

By: Travis G.

Travis G. — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 20:09:46 +0000

Thanks, Gavin. I’ll pass that on to the boys back in Quibble, but you know how they are; they’ll probably ask me why it took so long or something. (That’s what makes them so good.)

By: punkinsmom

punkinsmom — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 20:04:00 +0000

You forgot Panama and Nicaragua.

By: Gavin M.

Gavin M. — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 19:54:06 +0000

I have an urgent dispatch from the Quibble Dept.: Shouldnâ€™t that read, â€œHi-ya, Mr. Broder! Whatcha doinâ€™?â€?

It is done.

By: chris p

chris p — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 19:50:17 +0000

“Whatâ€™s most disturbing is the size of the hand Dennis is waving. Is that an artificial limb? ”

it’s cyborg-Dennis–he’s a transhumanist. that’s why he’s such a menace.

By: LiberalDirk

LiberalDirk — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 19:44:23 +0000

It seems the problem with America is…

That it is full of Americans.

(Except of course for Sadly No! readers and some from some other blogs, you people are okay)

But by the way, really what do they teach in American Public Schools? How to eat paste?

By: Travis G.

Travis G. — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 19:39:51 +0000

I have an urgent dispatch from the Quibble Dept.: Shouldn’t that read, â€œHi-ya, Mr. Broder! Whatcha doinâ€™?â€?