Monday, November 17, 2008

Lawmaker dressed for failure

If you thought the revelation that school uniforms are made in abusive sweatshops (a story that was almost entirely covered up) would put the kibosh on uniform requirements, then you haven't come face to face with what corporatism is all about.

In BushAmerica, you see rights taken away every day. You're told what you can and can't do with your person, even as corporations have almost no regulations.

This trend is just fine according to Nevada State Sen. Bob Coffin. Coffin calls himself an "independent Democrat" much like Joe Lieberman - but he values neither independence nor democracy. The appellation is code for Republican.

Coffin has drafted a right-wing bill that would require all public schools in the entire state of Nevada to make it mandatory for students to wear uniforms. He cried that students "flaunt their appearance as a sign of disobedience."

Bob Coffin's scolding manner sounds like that of some right-wing preacher like the one who wrote that 'Rock Report' book.

He says he introduced the same bill 20 years ago but it was rejected then. Uh, Bob? Didn't the legislature already decide this? Talk about a man of futility. Oh well. Maybe Bob Coffin is the best kind of totalitarian to have, if his ideas don't pass.

If it does pass, what about the school systems that don't want uniforms? Very few districts in Nevada have a districtwide uniform requirement now. Is the state going to call in the National Guard to enforce it?

And I can absolutely guarantee that some kid somewhere is going to defy the policy outright. In a state with millions of people, at least one is going to stand up against right-wing groupthink - especially because Coffin's arguments are so untenable. He's more worried about "disobedience" than the economic excuses that have been debunked. (The sweatshop discovery discredited the economic arguments even more than they already were.)

What a fucking fool.

Now you know why I reregistered as a Green, don't you?

(Source: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/nov/17/bill-would-require-public-school-uniforms)

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