Dear Bonnita,

I apologise if my remarks upset you. 
I work in education, with the world's poor. And what
Mr. Bush says affects the poor. In his speech he makes
direct (negative and ill-informed) references to
international issues that surround literacy. It was a
speech on global literacy. 
In the US, I worked with immigrants in Adult Basic
Education centres. How can we avoid discussions of
international politics and policies when the students
in our classes have a history of interacting with
them?
An open listserv is a wonderful way of discussing and
exploring issues that touch all of us. And
disagreements are not necessarily battlefields or
contentious. I didn't mean to upset you by commenting
on Mr. Bush's speech.

A wise man in the Himalayas recently told me, "There
are only two ways to change the world: education and
politics." I agree.
Regards,
Ujwala


--- Bonnita Solberg <bdsunmt at sbcglobal.net> wrote:


> I am disappointed this discussion group has turned

> into a political battlefield on foreign and domestic

> policy.  I have all the emails I can handle on the

> political situation in this country and the world; I

> would like todiscuss education issues in this venue.

> 

> Bonnita  

> 

> --- Lauren E Ellington/FS/VCU <leellington at vcu.edu>

> wrote:

> 

> > As long as we are mentioning being particularly

> > offended, I find your 

> > statement about the South to be a rather

> > narrow-minded view.  By your 

> > comments, racism only exists in the South.  This

> is

> > certainly not true.  I 

> > am a very proud Southern who is not a racist and

> > know many who are just 

> > like me.  While I agree with your statements about

> > Bush, please don't 

> > become just as bad as he is by proclaiming one

> > geographic area as racist.

> > 

> >

>

**************************************************************

> > Lauren Ellington

> > Online Training Specialist, 

> > Learning Disabilities Specialist, and

> > Writer of Update and Update on LD

> > Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center

> > Virginia Commonwealth University

> > 817 W. Franklin Street, Room 221  |  P.O. Box

> 842037

> > Richmond, VA  23284-2037

> > Phone:  1-800-237-0178 or  804-828-6158 

> > Fax:  804-828-7539

> > www.valrc.org

> > 

> > 

> > 

> >  

> > And these remarks were particularly offensive:

> >  

> >                  "I am deeply concerned about the

> > spread of

> > radicalism, and I know you

> >                  are, as

> >                  well. We long for the days when

> > people don't feel

> > comfortable or

> >                  empowered

> >                  to take innocent life to achieve

> an

> > objective. One

> > reason radicals are

> >                  able

> >                  to recruit young men, for

> example,

> > to become suicide

> > bombers, is

> >                  because of

> >                  hopelessness. One way to defeat

> > hopelessness is

> > through literacy, is

> >                  to

> >                  giving people the fantastic hope

> > that comes by being

> > able to read and

> >                  realize dreams.<<

> > 

> > A number of the Islamic, Irish, Hindu, Nepali,

> > Congolese, Sri Lankan 'radicals' were educated. A

> > greater number were unemployed. And a number

> dislike

> > American international policy. He completely left

> > out

> > the conservative Bible Belt and the everyday

> racism

> > that is experienced by non Bible thumpers in the

> > South. He left out the KKK, he left out the lynch

> > mobs.... the police, one could go on.

> > 

> > 

> > 

> > 

> > 

> > 

> > 

> > 

> > 

> > >

> ----------------------------------------------------

> > National Institute for Literacy

> > Women and Literacy mailing list

> > WomenLiteracy at nifl.gov

> > To unsubscribe or change your subscription

> settings,

> > please go to

> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/womenliteracy

> ----------------------------------------------------

> National Institute for Literacy

> Women and Literacy mailing list

> WomenLiteracy at nifl.gov

> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings,

> please go to

> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/womenliteracy

> 



__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com