Today's Opinions

One again, we find letters concerning TKR on the opinion page of the local paper. One, by Else Gottlieb, is well-thought and well-written even if I don't agree with her.

The other letter falls on the side of sheer ridiculousness. Mr. Mike Higgins actually calls TKR a stupid book, and tells everyone that it isn't necessary to actually read the book for ourselves. We should just trust others to tell us about it and to take excerpts out of context! What a lesson for our children!!!! Don't actually educate yourself about any issues, kids! Let's let the politicians and pundits do your thinking for you. If we are raising future leaders, should we encourage them to think for themselves and to gather as much information as possible before making decisions and forming opinions? I'm sure Hilter would have flourished in a world where people are complacent and gullible enough to think that one can make an informed decision without knowing all the facts. Thankfully, back in the 1940s, there were some folks out there who did think for themselves; otherwise, we'd all be speaking German.

Alexander Pope wrote that "A little learning is a dangerous thing." The key word there is "little."

Next, the comparison of reading a novel to trying crack cocaine is ludicrous, and I am not going to spend any more time on that statement.

Finally, while I am sure that he was trying to be witty, stating that the teacher should be jailed just makes his opinions sound even more absurd. If teachers should be jailed for teaching novels that include people committing crimes, then I guess students could never read the following:

Oliver Twist--He steals.
Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer-- Both novels include theft and slavery (both of which are against the law).
Of Mice and Men--murder
The Scarlet Letter--Adultery is illegal is some states.
The works of Henry David Thoreau--It's illegal to refuse to pay your taxes.
The Great Gatsby--adultery and murder
The Canterbury Tales--Members of the traveling party (The Miller/The Pardoner) commit fraud.

I sure we could make this a lengthy list; however, I am going to end it now so that I can go read a book that someone told me was pretty good. I'm going to read it for myself so that I can form my own opinion. Shocking thought, isn't it?

More letters . . .

Thank you Patti Lail for writing to the News Herald. Your letter addresses many concerns shared by the people of Burke County.

Ms. Dean and Ms. Hedrick,

I am so glad that you exercised your constitutional right to express your opinions supporting Ms. Norman and her misguided, ill-informed attempt to keep our children from learning. You do have that right; however, you must realize that the students of Burke County have the right to ask for and receive an education that will prepare them for a future in a world-wide community that extends far beyond this county, state, and country.

Ms. Hedrick, your hyperbolic example leads me to reiterate what many have already stated: TKR is not trash. The term "pornography" does not apply in definition or intent; therefore, it can not be compared to an X-rated film. The greatest book of all, the Bible, has not been censored from classrooms. In fact, you'll probably find one in most classrooms in the county, and when I recently saw the course offering list from the high schools, it included an English class that studies the Bible.

Please actually read the book . . .

I am once again astounded at the lack of insight people seem to have concerning the children of this county. In her letter to The News Herald, Elaine Harmon writes “a 15- or 16-year-old child is hardly ready for the events in this book, let alone the language” concerning TKR. Obviously, she hasn’t been to a movie lately, nor played a video game aimed at kids that age and younger. I agree that we need to protect our community, but we can't protect our children if we don't warn them about what lurks out there.

In response to the other letter in the newspaper, Lydia Daniel stated that a movie version of TKR would be rated R. Actually, the movie has been made. It’s PG-13. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, all those tenth graders could purchase a ticket to the movie without an adult present. Ms. Daniel accuses this book of “nurturing the darker side of human nature.” Anyone who has actually read the book, knows that it does the exact opposite. The novel isn’t meant to seduce children into aberrant behavior. It is a warning.

Support School Board article

Protect the Community article

Last night's board meeting . . .

First of all, thank you to those speakers who supported TKR. Thank you for pointing out that our children need to be armed with knowledge in order to make the world a better place. Thank you, Sam and Buddy, for your comments. The book does have a tremendous redeeming value. Thanks for pointing out that the rape scenes were not in graphic detail, nor is the book pornographic.

Other board member comments: The brain doesn't mature until the mid-twenties.
Oh dear, the brain doesn't mature until the mid-twenties? Therefore, teachers can't assign TKR? Well, if the brain doesn't mature until the mid-twenties, then let's make sure that teens can't get a driver's license until they are 25. Also, maybe a person shouldn't be able to vote until he/she is 25??? We can use that argument for many, many things.


Hey, Tracy, I guess our kids can't read ROMEO AND JULIET. They may know someone who has committed suicide, and Shakespeare will encourage them to do it themselves. I guess they can't read THE SCARLET LETTER. They may have parents who have committed adultery, and the book might make them feel bad. I could go on. I guess the kids just can't read anything, because, heaven forbid, they might find some relevancy in a piece of literature. Tracy, where did you get your degree in child psychology?

Education with Tracy in charge sounds like an old song I know:

What did you learn in school today?
by Tom Paxton

What did you learn in school today
Dear little boy of mine?
What did you learn in school today
Dear little boy of mine?

I learned that Washington never told a lie,
I learned that soldiers seldom die,
I learned that everybody's free,
That's what the teacher said to me,
And that's what I learned in school today,
That's what I learned in school.

What did you learn in school today
Dear little boy of mine?
What did you learn in school today
Dear little boy of mine?

I learned that policemen are my friends,
I learned that justice never ends,
I learned that murderers die for their crimes,
Even if we make a mistake sometimes,
And that's what I learned in school today,
That's what I learned in school.

What did you learn in school today
Dear little boy of mine?
What did you learn in school today
Dear little boy of mine?

I learned our government must be strong
It's always right and never wrong
Our leaders are the finest men
That's why we elect them again and again
And that's what I learned in school today,
That's what I learned in school.

What did you learn in school today
Dear little boy of mine?
What did you learn in school today
Dear little boy of mine?

I learned that war is not so bad,
I learned about the great ones we have had,
We fought in Germany and in France,
And someday I might get my chance,
And that's what I learned in school today,
That's what I learned in school

Amnesty International

According to the Amnesty International Website:


Human rights education is both a lens through which to observe the world and a methodology for teaching and leading others.

Amnesty International believes that learning about human rights is the first step toward respecting, promoting and defending those rights.

Why would we want the shield Burke County's children from this lesson?

Amnesty International's initial response to banning The Kite Runner:

You will see from our websiite (www.amnestyusa.org -- click on WHAT YOU CAN DO, then on EDUCATE) that Amnesty International USA has used this book/movie as a way to talk to young people about human rights issues.

Betsy, my contact at Amnesty International, has forwarded our issue to their human rights education department.



Something interesting from the curriculum guide:


“Hope is knowing that people, like kites, are made to be lifted up.”
- Afghanistan Relief Organization

Kite-running (Gudiparan Bazi) has been a favorite pastime in Afghanistan for the last 100 years, but there are few on the streets of Kabul that can forget the terror of living under the Taliban regime for so many years. Under Taliban rule, if you were caught with a kite, many times you would be beaten and the spool would be destroyed. However, since the fall of the Taliban regime, kite-running has again resurfaced tenfold.

Our children have so many freedoms that other children are denied. They need to know that many children go to bed hungry, get beaten for standing in the wrong place, and suffer horribly simply because of where they were born. I bet most of our kids would never dream that there are places where they might be beaten for the simple act of flying a kite. How can our children appreciate what they have or grow up to help change the world if we don't let them learn about what the world is really like?

Pornography, Witchcraft, and Other Issues

I am terrible saddened by some of the letters that I saw in today's News Herald. That anyone would write in support of banning a book that he/she admittedly has not read is astounding. Each person should educate himself/herself before making a statement. If you think the book is inappropriate, you're entitle to your opinion. But if you haven't even read the book, you have no business make comments that might affect others.


About filth/Playboy/pornography: According to the Oxford University Press and Brittannica Concise Encyclopedia, pornography is anthing that is meant to cause sexual arousal. If you have read The Kite Runner, you know that the disputed passage is no no way intended to arouse. If it does give you a thrill, then there's something wrong with you.

About the Harry Potter series: I can remember my mom reading a story to me when I was little, and I'm sure that folks who think Harry is a bad influence would want it banned. It had magic in it. It had a witch in it. It even included a character who was supposed to cut out another character's heart. Yep, folks. I'm sure many of you would be shocked if you knew that your five year-olds were reading such non-Christian filth. Why don't you get up a petition? I'm sure you'll find lots of people who will support you in banning the story my mom read to me when they realize that it's probably in every school in the county. Yes sirree, that "Snow White" might turn me into a Satan worshipper.

Dr. Hosseini's Page

If you would like more information on The Kite Runner, you should visit the above link to Dr. Hosseini's pages. Once there, you will find a link to his blog. You may want to comment and let him/his publishers know of the recent controversies. Your comment will not show up on the blog immediately, as it would on this one.

First Post

I am greatly concerned by the events of the past few weeks. As many of you who know me know, two members of the Burke County Public Schools Board of Education are trying to ban The Kite Runner without following proper challenge procedures. Also, it is quite obvious that the members have neither truly read nor thought about this book. They see it as dangerous and morally corrupting. It is neither. I am encouraging any and all people to let these board members know that you are disgusted by their closeminded efforts to deny our children a proper education.

School board members' addresses can be found at www.burke.k12.nc.us.

Also, check out skoolbored.blogspot.com to learn more about the atrocities being enforced upon Burke County's children, parents, teachers, and communities.