aaargh

We were watching the first season of 24 last night, which is great because we can finally see why and how that show hooked so many people.

All we'd seen thus far were this season - awful! - and the 2nd season on DVD, which was better than this year's episodes but far from riveting. (We saw the second season on DVD before seeing the first season on DVD for reasons I will not go into on a blog, other than to say that the Chinese bootlegging industry seems to have a problem with labeling.)^*

Anyway, as I say, we were watching the first season of 24 last night.

Midway through the episode, Dennis Haysbert & his wife are touring a Los Angeles school and the female principal says something like, "The problem with Los Angeles schools is the parents suck."

Haysbert nods sympathetically and the principal then whines -- I'm serious, she whines -- "What can the federal government do about parents?" at which point a bad guy appears and Haysbert seamlessly hands the principal off to his aide, Mike, who says he's been privileged to write the white paper on education for the Senator and is last heard muttering, "Parent involvement is very important."

Repeat after me.

There is nothing the federal government can do about the parents. Nothing that will matter, that is, unless the federal government plans to send all the parents back to school for remedial education (scroll down for CA Math Frameworks) so they can help with homework.

NCLB to the contrary.


meet the parents
Steve H on TIPS

what can the federal government do about parents?
Bong hits for bad parents
Bong hits for bad op ed writers


^{*We didn't buy a bootlegged DVD & wouldn't buy one. On the other hand, we would watch one if a friend just so happened to bring one back from China.}