LET'S REVIEW

Before I tell you about the conference I need to take a moment to issue my third correction. Once again, I plead deafness, I misunderstood the introduction. It appears in my recent review of the Alfest in Rowe, I attributed the poetry set to authentic scholar Sandra Alland's companion Megon, when it was Sandra herself who did it. Sorry about that Sandra and thanks to Andrew Grice for gently pointing out my error.

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On a related note, my pal Al Giordano, finally managed to find some time to read our humble blog and expresses his appreciation for our efforts on his own BigLeftOutside. Thanks for the plug buddy and by the way, I could only review the people whose names I already knew but I assume David Rovics was the astonishing singer-writer with the killer lyrics who was playing those crystal lines on that plain jane guitar. For my readers here in the Happy Valley, if you see he's performing, check him out.

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YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT

The DP Alliance conference is still so big in my head I hardly know where to start, but I read a police report today that reminded me of the Flex Your Rights production of Busted that I promised to review.

I think the film should be required viewing for every citizen of this country but particularly so for every young adult, as this is the group that is so often targeted by random law enforcement.

The kid who was busted this week did everything wrong starting with admitting guilt and consenting to a search. If he had seen Busted, he may have handled the situation differently. Now I have to tell you that the film has a certain hokey Joe Friday-Dragnet quality that gives the audience a reason to laugh, but I think that's part of its effectiveness. It offers a hook to an otherwise dry and uncomfortable subject that keeps an audience engaged and they all walk out with a solid understanding of their rights. I might also mention that no one laughed when Ira Glasser did his narrations.

This video should be playing on a continous loop on every high school and college campus in the US. Check out the site and think about your Christmas list. I understand they have a deal on orders of three or more.

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TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL

On the note of civil rights, I want to revisit the travesty of that South Carolina raid for a moment. Video links to the indiginities the kids at the Goose Creek high school suffered have been coming in and I ask you to take a moment to watch this footage. It's short but significant and I ask you again, how much respect will these kids show the law in return for this disrespectful treatment?

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YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED

Someone at the conference, and I wish I could remember who, told me that high school students rights will be the new battlefront in the war on civil rights. This report on a student expelled for a piece of fiction she wrote in her diary would indicate he was right. The zero tolerance thing is out of control. This goes beyond drugs into paranoid hysteria and thought control. The invasion of privacy issues aside, it's absurd and destructive to be punishing this child with a mature perception for exploring her creative talents.

GO FLY A KITE

Rachel Boim should have been free to express her private thoughts without falling victim to over-zealous administrators who peer under every creative impulse looking to find a reason to be afraid. This is same logic these people use to justify the war on marijuana. It facilitates original thinking rather than mindless complicity.

Last word goes to Ben Franklin, with this classic observation on the subject.

They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security

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