The infamous package bomber, who clearly did not remember the Unibomber or the nutfuck in Austin earlier this year, has now been captured one wonders what next is up for the clusterfuck of idiots who support Trump.
I live in the South and I do know ironically how to spell Tennessee without spellcheck and even before moving here. The Male Bomber (note that is a pun by intent) and reality as once again it is man who lives in shrine to Trump van no less who apparently at one point lived in his Mothers basement after filing bankruptcy (no wonder he loves Trump). He seems to be the archetype of a man of a certain age, aka tail end baby boomer, unemployed, a loner, who likely had his fill on Rush, Beck and Hannity. No not beers but the radio/tv personalities that fueled this paranoid shit and in turn led to Trump. As I watched the odd caravan of Police and the shrouded van I did not laugh as I knew that he would be found right where the return address sent them -Florida. That has to be the State with the highest nutfucks ever in residence. Isn’t Mar-a-Laog there? Point proven. What I do find interesting that he seems to be not a classical white male given his name which surprised me more, his history less so. How Trump will spin this tale I have no doubt will be highly entertaining and no less disturbing. He won’t be a deplorable but he will be some type of “immigrant” or “minority” in which to mock and blame in traditionally Trump fashion regardless of his surname this will be FASCINATING.
And as always in relation to fascination – Today in Nashville I had a great morning until I walked into a School but this was after four perfect sub days so far so hey one out five not bad odds given this district. The school did not have enough subs so when I got here at 10:30 I was sent to a coffin or in this case a brick room, painted black with no windows, no phone and a group of kids with nothing for them to do. The Theater teacher called in sick suddenly so they needed coverage. Something told me to not get there too early and it worked out because otherwise I would have had been shoved in there longer, my dream day same days as the rest, one period and then out was just not to be. I prefer it as the less time, the less said, the less bothered. I have said repeatedly and again yesterday another Teacher confirmed that the children here are damaged beyond repair and today once again reminded me that yes they are horrible tragic and broken.
I said to the Sub Coordinator for the schools that you are putting me in a high risk situation, a windowless room at the end of a hall no phones or any lessons to even keep these kids busy which means they will go to the restroom, other classes or so they claim, to the library and wander the halls and I have no way to communicate or even have rolls with their names to know who they are. She went into full denial mode about their kids (apparently she is unaware I read news) and then gave me her phone number of which I asked, “How would I call you?” She told me to use my cell phone. I informed her that I have none and if did would not bring it to a school as the one I did have was stolen and I could not afford to replace it so I have a landline now. She looked at me incredulous and said to the Aid there with her SPED kids to stay if she would. That led to a conversation that I call very Nashville, where she seemed to know everything including that the Male Bomber had been arrested despite that I was just watching it transpire on my TV. Then she informed me that I make more as Substitute Teacher as she gets Health Insurance and Child Care deducted from her paycheck. I offered to show her my last payroll stubs to verify how that is possible as I have no health care, no pension, no coverage on L&I which is workman’s comp so if one of these kids attacked me I am pretty much on my own there and I am nearly 60 with a Masters Degree and Teaching License where Subs with no degrees or credentials make 1.42/hr LESS than me. So how is that possible? She took her kids and left. Bye now and Bless You’re Heart!
And once she left the games began. The kids asked me what I was watching and I informed them the news feed about the Bomber’s arrest. They had no idea of what I was speaking of but then yesterday I watched the Teacher I was subbing for explain how sugar and salt dissolve in water. It was a high school Chemistry class. Okay then. This is STEM for the future. Good luck with that.
Today the kids openly again discussed me and planned a kid to come up to me then suddenly act as if he had a seizure and to see my reaction. Again the presumption that I am apparently deaf was one thing the other was assuming I would care. I watched the caravan progress and when finally nothing was going to happen they went back to plotting. The next two girls came up and asked how I was and how my day is going. This one you get a lot here and it is some invite or some baiting question in which I have never responded more than affirmative as I assume it is going down again a darker road and why they care is beyond me. So the next question was: “What is your favorite color?” Okay this one is new so I responded, “What my favorite color is my personal business and you are not going to get even that much out of me so thanks for asking, anything else?” For the record I never give my name, write it on the board and rarely am I asked. They were utterly mystified that I did not want to play so they went back to plot and mock and then they requested the scissors of which I refused. (This is one of these ARE YOU KIDDING ME moments again given the room, etc the last thing I would do is arm a fucking kid.) The end of class could not come soon enough. Finally the last question was: “Have you ever subbed at Croft?” I responded it was one of many many schools I do sub at so beyond the name of the school I can’t tell the difference as you all blend into the same. So they finally gave up. It was a long hour. Really long.
And the sub coordinator checked with me again now in the room I was intended to belong and I informed her it was game on the minute you and the aid left and I chose to ignore it, the restroom runs, the library runs, the go to another class runs as they are frankly your problem as I had nothing to stop it nor would I. I pick and choose my battles and that is not one of them. Note to self: I rarely come to this school and every time I do it is always out there for oddness. But all of them are and today in the Tennessean ran an editorial demanded the resignation of the School Board for their failures to do their job. Get in line dude and get real the system was set up that way historically and there is little to no reason to change it now.
In my day I have never met people so dumb, so ignorant and so unwilling to admit they don’t know something and if they do it comes out in the expression, “I have never heard that” as if you are somehow making it up. This is what defines Southern Hospitality or the Nashville Way apparently. But education across the country is struggling when it comes to the poor, those faces of color and those with special needs as more and more States and Cities struggle with funding and managing their districts, even New York City is no exception as this article discusses their failures in this as well.
So while I do write often about the schools and the horrific children I encounter I do know that that is the anomaly and that when I meet Teachers from other parts of the country or even the area they express the same dismay as to the nature and demeanor of Nashville school children. It used to bother me and now much like how I laugh at the insanity of my former Lawyer now Junkie ramble on and write suicidal missives on Facebook, I do the same. It doesn’t make me feel better it just at least reminds me I do have some feelings. Whatever inspires people to become bombers, to bring harm have to come to public schools and see how this germinates and grows into the Adults that do.
The shooting in Kentucky in Louisville at Kroegers has been overshadowed by the days events and he too wanted to kill members of a black Church like the one in Charleston I had just only paid respects a few days ago. Yes another nutfuck with a history of violence and clearly now free to act upon his racist fantasies was once a boy who had dreams of what? One wonders.
So it begins at home and it extends through the schools. There is no parity, no equality and more importantly availability of quality education throughout the country. The South for some reason (that reason being Civil Rights) have made it an exceptional educational system and by exceptional I mean, not in a good way. The loathing of mandatory integration, the consistent belief that Government is overreaching and the emphasis on religion has made the South a caricature that enables and festers the mockery of those who are from here. As the Teacher who spoke to me yesterday about those who do become educated formally and more importantly, non-secular, they leave. The ones who remain are few and far between and hence as I wrote in my last blog post more willing to be these non-entities who profess to be these neutral non entities content with compromise and reason when in reality they are the sole occupants in the room. This is not a place for wallflowers for if you are you will be torn from the wall or graffiti-ed over.
So tonight another asshole who loves Trump is in custody. It was just a year ago Charlotte and I have no doubt more to follow but to Trump the caravan of Honduran’s and their strength and power that led them to take that risk are terrorists. Again we have one right there in the White House a face of terror everytime I look at it. Funny they brought back Halloween as he seems benign as to the fuckwad in chief. Again its Friday and the weekend awaits. I used to look forward now I just look aghast as to what awaits and Monday is just a break from it all. Its why I now take Tuesday’s off. TGIT.
Off the Rack Publishing 