Truth, Love, and Partisanism
By Dr. James D. Kirylo
July 3, 2013
Guest Column - 450 words
Last week, Robert Mann, a professor at LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication, wrote a provocative column in The Times-Picayune. Titled Louisiana is Walling off School Children From Each Other, Mann challenges the direction of the Louisiana school reform effort.
July 3, 2013
Guest Column - 450 words
Last week, Robert Mann, a professor at LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication, wrote a provocative column in The Times-Picayune. Titled Louisiana is Walling off School Children From Each Other, Mann challenges the direction of the Louisiana school reform effort.
Among other facts, he asserts that
40 percent of the state’s voucher students scored at or above grade level last
spring, that 80 schools in the Louisiana Recovery School District (RSD) were
plagued with allegations of mismanagement, wasteful spending and millions in
lost or stolen property, and that the New Orleans’ RSD schools, mostly
charters, were the worst performing in the city. In short, Mann calls out
the so-called reformers, making clear that their effort to systematically
dismantle public schools is not working, not good for Louisiana, and ultimately
undermines the common good.
Evidently, Senator Conrad Appel
(R-Metairie) took exception to Mann’s piece, provoking him to strike back with
a rather long diatribe in a post on his Facebook page. In more ways than one, Mann brilliantly did
his job as a columnist. Appel was defensive, divisive, and ideological,
injecting partisan politics, essentially proclaiming how the Republican Party
is saving public education in Louisiana.
Nowhere in his column did Mann
mention political party, the left, the right, Republican, Democrat or
Independent. He simply presented a critical point of view that is clearly
necessary in the overall conversation regarding the direction of public
education in Louisiana.
As for Appel, instead of
thoughtfully considering Mann’s assertions as a prompt for constructive
reflection, he pounced, taking Mann’s commentary personal, attacking the left,
the Democrats, unions, and then somehow thinking he hit a home run with the
proclamation, “Out of sheer love of our state, we Republicans have taken on the
campaign to free our people from ignorance…Petty attacks by people who seek to
destroy what is noble and good will be met with truth.”
“Truth” is a funny word and so is
“love.” Evidently, Mann doesn’t speak the truth, nor does he love the
state of Louisiana. Heck, the Democrats, those on the left, and even
union people don’t speak the truth or love this state. But the
Republicans do! The kind of political posturing that Appel injects is
incredibly destructive, leaves no room for dialogue, and is an obvious
manifestation of the axiom, “A house divided against itself, cannot stand.”
According to a recently published
Bloomberg report, Louisiana has been rated the most miserable state in
2013. The list goes on and on as to why we were graced with that
not-so-flattering label. Clearly, the partisan divide has exacerbated
that misery. Perhaps Senator Appel should meditate on the misery he's caused
before his next missive is written.
Reprinted with permission.
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Blogger Dayne Sherman lives in
Ponchatoula and is the author of Welcome to the Fallen Paradise: A Novel.
His website at daynesherman.com.
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