Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, yesterday, made an address to the U.S. Congress that was wildly received — much, much applause. In his 46 minute speech, I counted 30 standing ovations. See below for the 30 parts of the speech that inspired Congress to stand up and cheer.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke to the U.S. Congress on May 24. He received 30 standing ovations.

“Americans, should be deeply ashamed of their Congress” for this over-the-top display of support for Netanyahu — says M.J. Rosenberg, Senior Foreign Policy Fellow at Media Matters Action Network.  Rosenberg  has an objectivity that, to me, rings true. In an article entitled, “Congress to Palestinians: Drop Dead,” Rosenberg makes these points:

• Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu delivered a speech to Congress that essentially was a series of insults to Palestinians and every insult was met by applause and standing ovations.
• In fact, Netanyahu’s appearance itself was an insult. In the entire history of the United States, only four foreign leaders have addressed joint sessions of Congress more than once. And now Netanyahu. For what?
• In his entire term in office Netanyahu has done nothing but reject every request by the United States that he take some action (like freezing settlements) to promote Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. In the history of Israel, there has been no prime minister as hardline on Palestinian rights and as indifferent to the wishes of the United States as Netanyahu.
• He was invited because the new Republican leadership of the House of Representatives wanted to demonstrate, loudly and clearly, that Congress will not support President Barak Obama in the event that he tries to achieve an Israeli-Palestinian agreement. And both Democrats and Republicans wanted to demonstrate to AIPAC that the campaign contributions it directs their way are not wasted.
• Netanyahu today essentially returned to the policies that Israel pursued before Yitzhak Rabin and Yasir Arafat agreed on mutual recognition and the joint pursuit of peace.
• And the worst part is not the appalling things Netanyahu said, but how Congress received them. Even Netanyahu’s declaration that there is no Israeli occupation was met with thunderous applause with the Democrats joining the Republicans in ecstatic support. Every Netanyahu statement, no matter how extreme, was met with cheers.
• Congress cheered and cheered and when Netanyahu was finished, they climbed over each other to touch the hem of his garment, hoping that AIPAC’s donors saw them groveling before a foreign leader as they never would for a U.S. President.
• It was as if Congress thought that no Palestinians or other Arabs (or Muslims) would be watching. It was as if it believes that it can shout its lungs out for Netanyahu (and thereby secure those campaign contributions from AIPAC), without any consequences to U.S. policy and national interests in the Arab world.
• The message Congress sent to the Middle East today, to the whole world, in fact, was that Palestinians cannot count on the United States to ever play the role of “honest broker” between Israel and the Palestinians. Even if President Obama was inclined to, Congress would stop him.
• The good news is that, although Congress is in Netanyahu’s pocket, the Obama administration isn’t. Netanyahu insulted the President at the White House last Thursday and then again in the halls of Congress by eliciting support for policies Obama rejects. And the administration is furious.
• Palestinians should thank Prime Minister Netanyahu and, even more, the United states Congress for making their choice so much easier. Together they helped create the Palestinian state today. And that is a very good thing.

These Thirty Statements By The Israeli Prime Minister — Each Caused The U. S. Congress To Stand Up And Cheer

1. And I do see a lot of old friends here, and I see a lot of new friends of Israel here, as well — Democrats and Republicans alike.
2. Israel has no better friend than America, and America has no better friend than Israel.
3. Congratulations, America. Congratulations, Mr. President. You got bin Laden. Good riddance.
4. You don’t need to export democracy to Israel. We’ve already got it.
5. And you don’t need to send American troops to Israel. We defend ourselves.
6. You know, I take it as a badge of honor, and so should you, that in our free societies you can have protests. You can’t have these protests in the farcical parliaments in Tehran or in Tripoli. This is real democracy.
7. Israel has always embraced this path in a Middle East that has long rejected it.In a region where women are stoned, gays are hanged, Christians are persecuted, Israel stands out. It is different.
8. Of the 300 million Arabs in the Middle East and North Africa, only Israel’s Arab citizens enjoy real democratic rights. Now, I want you to stop for a second and think about that. Of those 300 million Arabs, less than one-half of 1 percent are truly free and they’re all citizens of Israel.
9. This startling fact reveals a basic truth: Israel is not what is wrong with about the Middle East; Israel is what is right about the Middle East.
10. Now, the threat to my country cannot be overstated. Those who dismiss it are sticking their heads in the sand. Less than seven decades after 6 million Jews were murdered, Iran’s leaders deny the Holocaust of the Jewish people, while calling for the annihilation of the Jewish state. Leaders who spew such venom should be banned from every respectable forum on the planet.
11. There are many who rush to condemn Israel for defending itself against Iran’s terror proxies. Not you. Not America.
12. The more Iran believes that all options are on the table, the less the chance of confrontation.
13. I ask you to continue to send an unequivocal message that America will never permit Iran to develop nuclear weapons.
14. Now, as for Israel, if history has taught the Jewish people anything, it is that we must take calls for our destruction seriously. We are a nation that rose from the ashes of the Holocaust. When we say “Never again,” we mean never again.
15. The peace agreements between Israel and Egypt and Israel and Jordan are vital, but they’re not enough. We must also find a way to forge a lasting peace with the Palestinians.
16. I recognize that in a genuine peace, we’ll be required to give up parts of the ancestral Jewish homeland. And you have to understand this: In Judea and Samaria, the Jewish people are not foreign occupiers.
17. This is the land of our forefathers, the land of Israel, to which Abraham brought the idea of one God, where David set out to confront Goliath, and where Isaiah saw a vision of eternal peace. … No distortion of history could deny the 4,000-year-old bond between the Jewish people and the Jewish land.
18. But there is another truth: The Palestinians share this small land with us. We seek a peace in which they’ll be neither Israel’s subjects nor its citizens. They should enjoy a national life of dignity as a free, viable and independent people living in their own state.
19. You see, our conflict has never been about the establishment of a Palestinian state. It’s always been about the existence of the Jewish state. This is what this conflict is about.
20. Palestinians continue to educate their children to hate. They continue to name public squares after terrorists. And, worst of all, they continue to perpetuate the fantasy the Israel will one day be flooded by the descendants of Palestinian refugees. My friends, this must come to an end.
21. It’s time for President Abbas to stand before his people and say, “I will accept a Jewish state.”
22. As President Obama said, the border will be different than the one that existed on June 4th, 1967. Israel will not return to the indefensible boundaries of 1967.
23. And Palestinians from around the world should have a right to immigrate, if they so choose, to a Palestinian state. And here’s what this means: It means that the Palestinian refugee problem will be resolved outside the borders of Israel.
24. Jerusalem must never again be divided. Jerusalem must remain the united capital of Israel.
25. I want you to think about that, too. Imagine there’s a siren going on now, and we have less than 60 seconds to find shelter from an incoming rocket. Would you live that way? Do you think anybody can live that way? Well, we’re not going to live that way, either.
26. It’s therefore vital, absolutely vital, that a Palestinian state be fully demilitarized. And it’s vital, absolutely vital, that Israel maintain a long-term military presence along the Jordan River.
27. I appreciate the president’s clear position on this issue. Peace cannot be imposed. It must be negotiated.
28. But Israel will not negotiate with a Palestinian government backed by the Palestinian version of Al Qaida. That we will not do.
29. So I say to President Abbas, “Tear up your pact with Hamas, sit down and negotiate, make peace with the Jewish state. And if you do, I promise you this: Israel will not be the last country to welcome a Palestinian state as the new member of the United Nations. It will be the first to do so.”
30. Thank you. Thank you for your unwavering support for Israel. Thank you for ensuring that the flame of freedom burns bright throughout the world. May God bless all of you, and may God forever bless the United States of America.

I'm proud of my great, great niece -- Anna Victoria.

I’m compiling my posts from the last couple of years into a book — Lulu self-publishing makes it easy. This is a first try at a cover, with the picture of my beautiful great, great, niece.

When Anna is 19, in 2030, according to Ray Kurzweil, author of, “The Singularity Is Near,” she will be entering adulthood into a world stunningly different from what it is today. I write here: “Kurzweil predicts that by 2019 a computer with the capacity of a human brain will cost only $1000, by 2030 the process of “reverse engineering” the human brain will be completed and by 2045 the intelligence of computers will be billions times that of today’s humans. Kurzweil says human intelligence itself will increase many fold as humans gain intelligence via machine augmentations — nanobots and implants. He predicts human life expectancy will be multiplied many times and individual human consciousness merged with machines so completely that the consciousness of the individual will live forever.”

The premise of my book, “Kettering Public Education In The Year 2030,” is that I report from 19 years into the future about a community that develops a system of public education where babies, like Anna, in the transformed world in which they will live, are empowered to grow into their potential to be productive and happy citizens.

This whacky idea of speaking from the future, I’ve discovered, has already been developed by the conservative “think tank,” The Hoover Institute. See:

• Conservative “Think Tank” Predicts And Welcomes A Future Where Teaching Machines Dominate Public Education
• Chester Finn Predicts — By 2030 ALL American Children Will Be Able To Choose From A Wide Variety Of Educational Options. In his video, Finn starts by announcing: “It’s the year 2030 …”

My old posts will be the biggest part of the book — probably simply arranged chronologically. The first part of the book will be an expanded version of what follows — maybe, I’m being influenced by Netflix’s offering of BBC’s programs about the time traveler, “Dr. Who”:

Report From 19 Years In The Future:  Public Education In Kettering, Ohio, In The Year 2030 — First Draft

Greetings. You may wonder: Why Kettering, Ohio?

I thought it best to use this unexpected opportunity to visit the future to focus my attention on a system of education that is exemplary, a system worth copying. Certainly, if there is to be any hope for the future, it must come through education, enlightenment.

But, there is a deeper question — “Why Kettering?” — What happened? How did this particular community come to define for public education a whole new plateau of quality and success? What must a community do to emulate its success?

Yes, Kettering is an economically advantaged, stable community. But, this advantaged community succeeded in transforming its system of public education, when other advantaged communities failed to do so. My report will show that Kettering’s system of public education became transformed in tandem with its democracy becoming vitalized. What happened to Kettering’s democracy is a story to itself, but, the point to be made is, Kettering’s success proves, again: authentic communities that work together toward common goals can accomplish great things.

Because Kettering, via an active democracy, became a strong community, it was able to assert local control over its system of public education. It was able to come together to find and apply profound knowledge to answer two key questions:

1. What is the aim of public education?
2. How is the system organized to accomplish this aim?

In 1992, when I had a chance to interview the legendary “quality guru” W. Edwards Deming, I asked the great man how he would define the aim of schools. He gave this answer: “To restore and nurture the yearning for learning the child was born with.” (You can see the scanned article here.) The idea is, if a system can accomplish the aim of inspiring and empowering student motivation, then the accomplishment of every other educational goal will follow.

What I found in Kettering in 2030 was a community united around a very different aim for their system of public education than the aim of their 2011 system. And I found a system well designed to effectively achieve that aim with high quality.

In every aspect of education, there is a big contrast with Kettering’s system of education in 2011 and its system of education in 2030. In my extended report, I will compare the two in regard to:

• The definition of “common good.”
• A theory of how a system of public education advances the common good.
• The definition of “school.”
• A theory of what it means for a school to be considered “excellent.”
• The definition of intelligence.
• A theory of how to increase intelligence.
• The definition of individual potential.
• A theory of how individuals grow into their potential.
• The definition of effective citizenship.
• A theory of how the qualities needed for effective citizenship can be developed.
• A theory of human motivation.
• A theory of the organizational structure that will maximize motivation.
• A definition of “teacher.”
• A theory of how the pay of a professional teacher should be determined.
• A theory of how resources, in general, should be allocated.

Recent posts on this topic:

1. In Order To Reform Public Education, The First Task Is To See The Big Picture, May 11th, 2011
2. Humanity Is On A Wire — In The Future, Education Will Seek To Develop Character More Than Intellect, May 9th, 2011
3. Schools Of The Future Will Center On Development Of Virtue, The Whole Person, May 2nd, 2011
4. What Is The Educational System That Would Empower An Explosion Of Virtue?, April 21st, 2011
5. When Computers Are Billions Of Times More Intelligent Than Humans — What Should Be The Aims Of Education?, April 12th, 2011
6. Bob Sommers — Ohio’s New Director Of 21St Century Education — Explains His Vision Of The Future, April 6th, 2011
7. In Education, How Do We Accomplish More — While Spending Less Money?, March 25th, 2011
8. Who Should Control America’s Schools?, March 10th, 2011
9. What Is The Aim Of Our System Of Public Education — That Justifies Coercive Taxation?, March 9th, 2011
10. Ohio’s SB5 Provides The Greenspace Required For System Transformation — Needed: Profound Knowledge, March 4th, 2011
11. Our System Of Public Education Should Be Centered On Advancing “Liberty And Justice For All.”, March 2nd, 2011
12. Watson’s Jeopardy Win Should Force Us To Rethink Education And The Profession Of Teaching, February 18th, 2011
13. Transformation Of Public Education Is Possible Only Via Strong Communities Exerting Local Control, February 16th, 2011
14. Great Teachers — Through Their Behaviors And Attitudes — Serve As Good Role Models, January 6th, 2011
15. The Dumbing Down Of What It Means To Be A “Great Teacher” — Will Lead To Machines Replacing Teachers, January 5th, 2011
16. What Is The Public Education That Will Sustain An Ever More Successful America?, December 15th, 2010
17. ABC News Propagandizes That 5% Increase In Student Test Scores Would Boost U.S. Economy $41 Trillion, December 8th, 2010
18. If The Aim Of Public Education Is To Provide Opportunity — How Should $150,000 Per Student Be Spent?, November 22nd, 2010
19. Diane Ravitch Says Guggenheim’s Movie, “Waiting For Superman,” Is UnFair Propaganda, November 2nd, 2010
20. Strengthening Local Control Of Public Education Is Key To Achieving The Transformation That Is Needed, October 8th, 2010
21. To Bring Excellence To Public Education We Must First Engineer A Better System, August 16th, 2010

As I research material for the book I’m writing, “Kettering Public Education In 2030,” I’ve discovered that a distinguished and well funded “think tank,” The Hoover Institute, last year published an e-book, “American Education In 2030,” and also posted a series of videos with the same theme. In future posts, I intend to analyze this material, maybe incorporating some of these thoughts about twenty years in the future into my own project.

Chester E. Finn, Jr. serves as chair of the the Hoover Institute’s “Task Force on K–12 Education.” He is also president of the Fordham Foundation, originally a Dayton based foundation. Fordham has been an active supporter of charter schools in Dayton.

In this video, Finn predicts that by 2030 all American children will be able to choose from a wide variety of educational options. “Districts will no longer be operated by a single bureaucratic school system,” he says, “(parents will choose from) dozens of providers, operators of schools and learning institutions that have all kinds of contractual relationships with the district.” Here is a partial transcript:

It’s the year 2030 and world of school choice in American primary and secondly education has evolved dramatically from the old days of 2010. Almost every child in America is now able to exercise some kind of school choice. That’s up from about one-half of the kids, back in 2010 and they go to an astonishing rich variety of schools in 2030. …

Let me illustrate with Columbus Ohio, which has about 50,000 students in 2030:

• About 5000 (10%) students study at home, mostly on-line, occasionally with their parents. They have a wide variety of providers they can tap into from home
• About 10,000 (20%) attend what we might call old fashioned brick and mortar schools. They look like schools, they smell like the old fashioned schools with a teacher at the head of the class providing instruction.
• The rest of the students in Columbus, 35,000, (70%) attend an amazing variety of hybrid educational institutions in all sorts of physical facilities with partly on-line and partly face-to-face instruction. Some of these are akin to old fashioned schools by the way they look, but when you walk in the door they don’t feel that way. A lot of learning is taking place in a lot of different formats. And these schools are not operated by a single bureaucratic school system, but by dozen of providers, operators of schools and learning institutions that have all kinds of contractual relationships with the Columbus city and with the State of Ohio.

What has made this kind of change possible are six historical developments.

Six historical developments in the United States:

1. National standards and tests have made transparent the performance of each school as well as a lot of other information about it, so it is possible to get more and better information than it used to be, and many families are making better choices than they use to do.
2. School finance is now piggybacked on the back pack of each child in America. The money travels with the kid to the school of his or her choice — the State, local and federal money, too. Different amounts per child, depending on special needs, etc.
3. Charter schools take hundreds of different forms, all kinds of operators can contract with communities and states to operate different kinds of schools. School systems are no long big bureaucratic behemoths … rather they enter into these contractual relationships with educational providers of many different kinds.
4. Venture capital has become available for educational entrepreneurs. It wasn’t in the old days, but now with a whole lot of valuable changes in state and federal tax law, venture capital is now rewarding investment, just like it used to be in the old days when it was used for green technology and energy efficient cars and things like that.
5. Federal education policy has changed. Children who are eligible for help from the federal government — for example, disabled or very poor kids — the money travels with the kid. It no longer is sent to a district to be administered centrally. It is now part of that backpack that stays with the child as he or she attends a school of choice.
6. States have rewritten compulsory attendance laws., the rules that say you must go to school. Well, what is a school? It used to have a homogeneous definition. Now those laws have been liberalized so that many different educational providers qualify as “schools” for the purpose of satisfying the compulsory attendance requirement.

The upshot of all of this is that choice is now universally available to all American children and lots are taking advantage of those option, particularly poor and minority kids. And the remarkable news is that student achievement is beginning to inch up and achievement gap that has troubled us back in 2010 is beginning to narrow

This has been a promising and fruitful development for American education, and I’m really glad it’s happened between 2010 and 2030.

 

Conservative “Think Tank” Predicts And Welcomes A Future Where Teaching Machines Dominate Public Education, May 17th, 2011