Kudos to Our Candidates

Great job yesterday by Barack Obama (Kayla McGonagle) and John McCain (Catherine Abbott) in a very true-to-life debate. Both candidates were well prepared, carried themselves well, and genuinely presented the views and positions of senators Obama and McCain. We thought about conducting the debate without having the questions known beforehand, but felt the candidates would really be put in a difficult role, so the questions were provided at sort of the last minute, and they did a wonderful job of researching and preparing their answers in a short amount of time.

Hats off also to our audience. Not only did we have a great turn out, but those that were able to attend were attentive, polite, and totally in tune to what was being delivered by the candidates. Our candidates were put at ease in a challenging situation by having an audience that was so supportive and positive. An audience that was inattentive or distracting would have hindered the candidates' abilities to concentrate and especially in trying to respond to what their opponent may have said. So once again, thanks every one for making the debate a success. We can never know if anything that was stated by a candidate changed any one's mind, but the opportunity was there to listen and learn, and you all took advantage of that clearly. BRAVO!

Now on to the election. Tuesday will be an interesting day, here at FBA and out there in the real world. We will try to mimic the voting process here by setting up our polls in the multi-purpose room and having them open throughout the day for students to vote when they choose. The SS classes will be brought to vote by their teachers but everyone else will be on their own. We will vote for president and on the 3 binding referendum questions. If the debate is any indication, the election day activity will be smooth and one of sincere participation. We will try to have our results by the close of school, but no promises.

*N.B. - think about what a great "ticket" Abbott - McGonagle would make!!

Week of October 27

* First - the Fontbonne Academy Presidential Debate on Tuesday, October 28th. - if you are unscheduled or if your teacher wishes to bring your class to the auditorium, please join in listening to Barack Obama and John McCain discuss the issues facing this nation in the upcoming election.

* US I has a test on the American Revolution on Tuesday. Review your text essay assignments. You will be asked to build an essay!

* US I & II will spend much of the week looking at the election...what is the electoral college? why do people vote the way they do? how do TV networks cover election night?

* US II (all levels) should be close to finished with reading The Jungle or The Alienist. Remember the 'collage' assignment that goes with the reading assignment. That will be due by Nov. 7.

US History Bits & Pieces

• Each US II student must complete their outside reading by Nov. 3. Please pay attention to that task! Both stories - The Jungle and The Alienist - are startling in many ways, so no matter which you select to read, you will find iteasy to read and follow. However, you must get moving on that assignment. We hope to be at the Progressive Era in our course by that time, so the readings will be very timely. And pay attention to the assignment that must be completed please.
• Election activities - both Honors sections are working on campaign materials for their respective candidates, and my other US II class is concentrating on the 3 referendum questions on the Mass. ballot. I know a lot of thought and effort has been put into this so far, but be aware of the particulars of each assignment. Most groups have multiple tasks to complete. These are all to be 'ready' by Friday, Oct. 17.
• US II course work:
• Honors - get chapters 18 completed by next week, and chapter 19 the week after.
• US II - you should have completed chapter 9 now and move on to chapter 10 assignments.
• Research Paper assignment will be given immediately after Election acativities are completed. You will have 3 weeks to complete your 3-5 page paper.
• US I coursework:
• Complete American Revolution chapter by end of this week (pages 78-93).
• Test on American Revolution next Friday
• Research Paper assignment will be given last week of October. You will have about 3-4 weeks to complete a 2-4 page paper.

Laura's Wish

We drove out to Ashfield Friday for Laura Kulp's funeral, which was on Saturday morning. We worked our way over to the family's farm (this photo was taken late last autumn) and gathered with the Coleman and Kulp families for dinner. Laura's cousin from Arkansas said grace as we gathered around the table (there were about 25-30 of us) and David thanked everyone for being so supportive and prayerful during Laura's long ordeal. Joe & Natalie (Coleman, Laura's parents) spent most of their time trying to make sure everyone was comfortable, full, and had everything they needed. This is so typical of them. They and their entire family are so welcoming and embracing, one can not help but feel like part of the family, even if you have just met them moments earlier.

Their faith is powerful and it shows throughout everyone that comes in contact with them. And Laura and Elena (our daughter-in-law) are such beautiful examples of that. They too are always so warm and caring about everyone. The weekend was filled with that warmth and care, and Laura pretty much directed the weekend. She had wanted certain music played at her service, and so it was. She selected the readings. And she had insisted that the gathering before and after be joyful. And so it was. There were laughs and tears of course (David had put together a beautiful slideshow on his computer which was just running on loop all day, and everyone stopped to watch and remember in their own peaceful moment amidst the chaos of kids and kitchen!), but mostly the sounds of friends and family sharing stories, the little kids playing hide and seek, wiffle ball, swinging, having adventures in the barn, floating rocks on leaves in the pond, and constantly on the search for another cookie or two. Of course there was enough food to feed a cast of thousands, and at times there seemed to be that many people there. The Colemans just make loving friends of everyone and so do the Kulps, and everyone loves them in return. People came from Arkansas, California, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and of course from all over Massachusetts, and it was a tribute - and a thank you - to Laura and her family. This is family as it should be. We need not be blood-related, but must realize (and live) that we are all related by God's love. It is powerful, peaceful, and beautiful. We often are oblivious to that as we get wrapped up in our daily list of distractions.

Sunday was Emma's birthday (our oldest grandaughter) and we had a smaller gathering again (about 25 or so) after going to Mass together. When Gramma Eileen and I left to return home, it was a parting that was emotional but hopeful. Laura will be missed by so many, but she never felt sorry for herself and insisted that no one else feel that way either. So she has used Christ's strength to empower us all to move on...with hope, love, family, and friends. That was Laura's wish for us all.

Town Meeting Debate Disappoints

Last night's debate settled little, at lesat in my mind. I was hoping one candidate or the other would really step up, be bold, and give us a real vision. I did not feel that either did that. Obama clearly is the more visionary candidate, but he still needs to be more precise in what he says he will & can do. McCain, a wonderful man, continues to disappoint to a greater extent. He said many times last night something to the effect of "I know how to fix that" but never elaborated on how he would do "that" regarding whatever the issue being discussed. It was frustrating sitting there, feeling like screaming at the candidates "Will you give me something I can work with here?" Unfortunately, both reverted to the politics of old with shots at each other, distorting each other's record, slanting every statement about each other as far as they could, and constantly saying little that gave us reason to feel more secure about the future.

I know our future will be fine. Things do work out, even if painfully slow in the process. However, I want to have leadership that makes us feel really good about that future. I think Obama comes closer to making people feel that way, but I still ask him to become clearer in the program he will put together. Come up with a name that we can latch onto to for your program. Whether one agreed with FDR or LBJ or Nixon, they had their New Deal, Great Society, and Silent Majority, respectively, that when mentioned, everyone knew what their program was. We still do not have that clarity (as much as it was) from either McCain or Obama. And I am not optimistic that we will any time before November 4.

Last night Senator McCain came across as resentful toward Senator Obama. His already infamous "that one" reference may be one of the major campaign/debate slips of the tongue in our history (although from what I have read, it was not a 'slip'). And Senator Obama needed to come on with greater clarity and precision. It was not the best debate I have ever seen and left me asking for more. Not more of the same, but more optimism and more clarity.

Laura Coleman Kulp

Many of you know the name Laura Kulp because I have asked you in our daily prayers in class to pray for her.Our prayers have been answered in that now she has passed away but is no longer suffering the pain and heartbreak of cancer. Laura passed away Sunday morning, which somehow is so fitting. Her faith, and that of her entire family, was such a powerful part of her life. For her to leave our physical world on the Lord's Day has some feeling of being appropriate, although that entire thought does somehow feel awkward and inappropriate perhaps.

Laura was 38 and leaves behind her husband David and two beautiful daughters, Lily, almost 6, and Naomi, 3. They have lived the past 2 years on an old apple farm, where they enjoyed catching fireflies, picking apples, running in the fields, fishing with daddy, and growing flowers. We spent a few hours with Laura and family on Sept. 7 participating in the Susan Komen Walk at UMass-Boston. It was incredible to see her spirit and that of David's...always "up", positive, smiling, full of humor and as much energy as could be imagined. Laura struggled that day comprehending everything that was going on, as 7,000+ people milling about is overwhelming for anyone, never mind suffering as she was. But her struggles could not stop her...we took turns pushing her wheelchair, but she was determined to walk the last .2 mile herself. And she did with "thumbs up" for everyone she saw. She knew what her situation was, but it mattered not. That is who Laura Kulp was, and still is.

Let The Campaigning Begin!

With 1 month left in the election campaign, it is time for all Great Americans to rise to the occasion and get involved! Those Great Americans in the Honors US II program are now charged with getting either Barack Obama or John McCain elected in the Fontbonne Nation.

Each Honors section has been assigned one of the two candidates, and they have a series of assignments (policy profiles, policy statements, ads, flyers, and preparation for a formal debate) to tend to, which hopefully will prove to be hectic and exciting, just as running the real campaign must be! It is the task of the 2 sections to convince the students (and entire Learning Community) to vote for their respective candidates. And as we lead this fantasy camp world of mock elections, we also must pay attention to the real world of this all too important presidential election. We live in a remarkable nation where we get to stage a peaceful revolution every 4 years. And this time around, it seems to be much more critical than in other years. We welcome your comments on:

*The Issues
*The Debates - who do you think won the first debate? How did you think Biden and Palin did in the much anticipated VP debate?
*The Candidates - why should we elect McCain? Obama?
*Third Parties - are there ever real alternatives?
*Voting - will you be voting in the real election? It is amazing (and often disappointing) how many people pass up this privilege, one that people fought for decades to gain in this country and still only dream of in many other areas of the world.

Regardless of anyone's authentic political loyalties, the mock election is meant to be a real learning experience as well as an enjoyable experience. Let us all hope the actual election is a positive one for this country and all the people of the world who are impacted by the election.

Financial Problems...History DOES Repeat Itself!

In US II as we go over the Populist era and the plight of the farmers and the demise of the agrarian society, we see some eerily similar situations to today's financial crisis. A couple of students commented about the loans given to farmers in the post-Civil War era and how the ill-suited risks taken by many banks ended up as bankrupty for so many farmers being so much like all the foreclosures of today and the domino effect that has been seen from all of that. It is a good lesson to learn. Whether one agrees with more government regulation or less government regulation, surely we can all agree that circumstances can not be allowed to reach the dire straits that we now see. How many families have been seriously injured by all of this? And how many of the CEOs of many of these financial insitutions have felt similar pain? That is one of the greatest arguments against the bailouts, that often the CEOs do not get hurt, even though they allowed the horrible conditions to develop. We need to ask also "What role does government have?" Do we want smaller government or larger government? If we want smaller govt, can we feel secure in having the financial world regulate itself, or is that a case of having the fox guard the henhouse?

Today's finicial crisis also raises the question about being in a recession. A recession is defined as "a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, normally visible in real GDP, real income, employment, industrial production, and wholesale-retail sales." (Wikipedia) So what does that mean? It means we have what we have right now. I am not able to understand why this administration refuses to answer 'yes, we are in a recession' (okay, I do understand why this administration refuses). So we have problems in the areas underlined in the definition above. That is obvious. It has not lasted long enough nor had the devastating impact that would make it a depression ("a sustained downturn in the economy. It is more severe than a recession (which is seen as a normal downturn in the business cycle). Considered a rare but extreme form of recession, a depression is characterized by unusual increases in unemployment, restriction of credit, shrinking output and investment, price deflation or hyperinflation, numerous bankruptcies, reduced amounts of trade and commerce, as well as violent currency devaluations." - Wikipedia), but it sure feels ugly. And while the actual numbers and names may be different, the general issues remain the same as during the Gilded Age. You'd think we'd learn, eh?