Foleygate and the Star Tribune

The Minneapolis Star Tribune, lovingly known to locals as the Strib, carries a horrible column by Jonah Goldberg, son of Lucienne Goldberg, the eminence grise behind the Monica affair during those halcion days of yore. Anyway, the Strib should be ashamed to run his stuff, but they, like every other quasi-liberal media outlet, pander like crazy.

Case in point. Today, ol' Jonah went on a rampage about the hypocrisy of Democrats, who, he believes, allowed Bill, Gary Stubbs, and other ghosts of a bygone era to get off scott free (censure? impeachment? scott free?), while taking poor Mr. Foley to the cleaners. I think Jonah missed the point. I don't remember that the Democrats campaigned on their so-called family values, their hatred for gays, or their religiosity. The Republicans did that. So, when they are hoist on their own petard, the GOP and their holier-than-thou supporters resoundingly deserve the label of hypocrite. There are certainly hypocrites in this story, but they ain't Dems. Take that mote out of your eye, Jonah. And Strib, stop wasting ink.

Minneapolis school conferences

It's school conference time in Minneapolis. It probably is where you live, too. Joe College Grad, who is teaching first grade in the Bronx, reported that he had sandwiched in parent-teacher conferences in between the high holy days and Columbus day. Apparently few parents attended.

That's not the case at Minneapolis South High, where I'm doing PT conferences for the third time. Most of the teachers are now familiar faces, and there are lots of middle aged parents milling around, learning that little Sean or Nick or Emily is doing very well.

And that's the problem with PT conferences, of course. The families who should come don't. Kids who have marginal school performance often have families who are diengaged from their school life. And it's easy to become disengaged. Now that I have kid #3 at South High, Joe High School, I feel as if I know the ropes. I don't pay as much attention to details as I did 8 years ago, when Joe College Grad hit South with a bang.

But education is the pre-eminent value in our family, so my disengagement probably registers as over-involvement on some meters. But what really struck me this time was that all the teachers are old, over 50. And that, of course, is the result of the funding scene in Minneapolis for schools. There is no money for teachers, and only the most senior have been able to hold on to their jobs.

And while there is some benefit to having a teacher who really knows what he or she is doing, there is also some benefit to having fresh perspective, energy, and gratitude for the job. And there is really major benefit to having enough teachers that you don't have to have 38 kids in a French II class. That is really disgraceful, and any Republican who tells you otherwise should have to teach that class for a week, although I suspect that they won't know French....

Logan Airport

I've been flying in and out of Logan for around 45 years. From my first solo trip to England, at age 16, to an unknown number of trips from MSP to Boston, Logan airport is either the destination or the departure venue. And, throughout all those years, it has always been under construction. Always.

Today, Terminal C (or was it B)--anyway, the US Airways terminal--seemed totally inaccessible because of massive sidewalk construction activities. Fortunately, NWA flies out of terminal E, which is the international terminal. During the day, NWA is one of the few airlines operating, making terminal E actually pleasant (the international airways perk up in the late afternoon). And it's no longer under construction, although it was for at least five years.

Apparently huge airports never cease their self-improvement activities. This constant effort to rearrange the landscape resulted in the Big Dig, an effort to streamline Boston's terrible roadway system that certainly helped fuel stereotypes about Boston drivers. Unfortunately, the Big Dig collapsed, killing a motorist, and causing the thing to shut down. The result, of course, was more construction on the tunnels that lead to the airport. As of today, the tunnel is still closed west-bound, forcing tourists onto the streets of South Boston. I do believe that the Boston economy requires major construction projects to stay alive. So even if Logan airport were cement-truck-free, there would still be massive disruption just getting to the place. There has to be serious government-funded construction activity at all times in Beantown. Right now, visitors to Boston who pick up rental cars at Logan are treated to a view of South Boston's industrial wasteland as they circle around the disabled tunnel. And I love it. Logan is my home. Just like Tom Hanks in Terminal.