The Tribune’s editorial today is well justified. What the Dickens is the School Board and Administration doing by turning a low level spat into WW III? This is what I had in mind when I tried to advise the Superintendent last week, when he was on the verge of persecuting Art’s long time partner, that he was getting terrible political advice. Afterwards the Superintendent switched gears and decided to attack Art instead. Now the Super and his loyal Chair are in the soup with their accursed pain in the neck.
I can only find one fault with the editorial, its call for Art Johnston to examine his conscience and consider stepping down for the good of the schools. I’ll have more to say about Art and the News Tribune in later posts but let me add that I could just as easily ask the News Tribune editors to step down for failing to cover the Duluth Schools with the vigor the Red Plan deserved which has resulted in classes with fifty kids in them. I don’t think the editors would take me any more seriously than Art will take their suggestion that he examine his conscience.
Frankly, I expect to have people point fingers at me soon enough. Why, in my last post I employed a cruel word play by grafting the word fascist onto the first name of the law firm which will may or may not conduct a fair investigation of this most unnecessary summer tempest. On the other hand my school board attorney, Kevin Rupp, who participated in our open hearing last week told me that I was impugning the legal profession by saying I found its methods questionable. I replied (to the best of my recollection ) “Thank you for casting aspersions against me, Mr. Rupp. I may have a few aspersions to cast myself soon enough.” A check of the tapes of the meeting will give me my exact wording. Consider my use of the word “fascist” as my first aspersion.
As for the law it can be abused and often is. My favorite American was a lawyer, Abraham Lincoln. My Dad was a lawyer. I esteem the law at its best and sneer at it at its worst. Like anything else the law is a tool and can be used badly as when one employs a screw driver as a hammer.
I’ll be playing with my grandsons today. Don’t expect any new posts immediately.
