Answers to Short Quiz

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johnkarls
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Answers to Short Quiz

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SHORT QUIZ RE 2007 SUPREME COURT REVERSAL OF SCHOOL INTEGRATION AND THE NAACP’S 9/20/2007 MARCH ON JENA-LA –

(1) Why was the nation shocked by pictures coming from New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina??? Why should the nation have been surprised if, after all, similar pictures (except for the flooding) can be taken “any day of the week” in any major U.S. city???

(Answer 1)

This was a rhetorical question.

(2) How did the NAACP Legal Defense Fund President link the 9/20/2007 March on Jena LA to the Supreme Court’s reversal of “Brown v. Board”???

(Answer 2)

Mr. Theodore Shaw, President of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund which defended The Jena Six, stated while being interviewed by McNeil-Lehrer (aka The News Hour with Jim Lehrer) on 9/20/2007 –

“But the other thing that I want to underscore, the third point is, is that the Supreme Court decided in June that voluntary integration efforts are unconstitutional. This (i.e., the Jena LA imbroglio) started in a public school context with racial tensions, and there was apparently segregation within the schools, the tree, the nooses, et cetera. And I think that's the other reason why this is resonating, because a lot of people are trying to will us to a point where race doesn't matter when, in fact, it still does, and this is another sign of that. That's what Jena reflects in this country, the fact that race is still with us.”

(3) How did the Jena LA District Attorney originally charge “The Jena Six” despite their being minors??? Of what were they convicted??? Were the white students who started the imbroglio prosecuted for anything??? Why or why not???

(Answer 3)

Five of the six were charged with Attempted Murder despite being minors.

All six were convicted of Aggravated Assault.

The white students who started the imbroglio were not prosecuted.

In an Op-Ed Article published in the NY Times 9/26/2007 Reed Walters, Jena LA District Attorney, attempted to justify his prosecution of the African-American high school students while refraining from prosecuting their white class-mates who, in the dead of night, hung nooses from the branches of a “white only” tree on their campus beneath which an African-American had dared to sit. Mr. Walters attempted to justify his “free pass” for the white students who were physically beaten in retaliation by claiming that they did not break any law.

In a “Letter to the Editor” which the NY Times refused to print, John Karls pointed out that the first-year curriculum of virtually all law schools still contains a course in criminal law which teaches that “assault” and “battery” are two different crimes – battery is the infliction of bodily harm and assault is the mere threat of such harm. And that Mr. Walters had failed to explain why the nooses did not constitute a threat of death, much less bodily harm.

In a follow-up “Letter to the Editor” which the NY Times also refused to print, John Karls pointed out that the first five of the six “Letters to the Editor” that were printed, were based on the false premise propagated by the District Attorney that the law does not prohibit assault!!! That indeed, the NYU history professor who wrote the first letter was on the right track by stating that “Hanging a noose constitutes nothing less than a threat of murder…” but then disgraced herself by “buying the line” of the District Attorney in stating that “The absence of laws proscribing murderous threats of lynching…” And that the fourth "Letter to the Editor" falsely implied that "Freedom of Speech" has no exceptions – John Karls assuring the NY Times that "shouting fire in a crowded theater" does in fact comprise a crime that is not protected by the Constitution, and that assault (which almost always comprises solely "speech") is likewise not protected by the Constitution. And concluding that if the NY Times is going to print “Letters to the Editor” that relate to a legal subject, then it should have someone who knows something about the law do the selection – rather than defaming the law itself due to the NY Times’ own ignorance.

(4) What was the factual setting addressed by the Supreme Court earlier this year when it reversed “Brown v. Board” school integration???

(Answer 4)

On 6/28/2007, the US Supreme Court in “Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1 et. al” addressed the issue of voluntary busing to achieve integration in the Seattle WA and Louisville KY public schools. In the opinion for the 5-4 majority, Chief Justice Roberts ruled that race could not be used as a criterion to achieve diversity.

(5) What historically is the largest de facto affirmative-action program for African Americans??? And why won’t the Supreme Court dare touch it???

(Answer 5)

Scholarships for varsity athletes.

Because the Supreme Court is a highly political institution that does not dare jeopardize its standing with the American public unnecessarily by taking grossly unpopular stands.


(6) How did housing patterns in the “Old South” (the 17 Confederate states) lead to the Supreme Court’s pre-1954 “separate but equal” line of cases???

(Answer 6)

Housing patterns in the “Old South” were not racially segregated. Accordingly, to achieve educational segregation, it was necessary to enact laws that provided for a “white only” school system existing side-by-side with a separate school system for non-whites. Hence, the US Supreme Court’s old “separate but equal” line of cases – which was overturned in 1954 by the Court’s “Brown v. Board of Topeka” decision that “separate is inherently unequal.”

(7) How are present-day housing patterns different, and how does that difference produce segregated K-12 education???

(Answer 7)

Present-day housing patterns across the country feature suburbs that are de facto “white only”!!! And inner cities and other suburbs that are de facto populated by non-whites.

(8) How is K-12 education funded in America and what implications does that have for the perpetuation of a permanent American underclass???

(Answer 8)

K-12 education in America is largely funded through local property taxes.

Wealthy parents, when shopping for housing, typically look for a wealthy suburb with a good school system for their children.

Poor people are “left behind” in inner cities and poor suburbs. Their school systems suffer from low taxes due to low property values. Accordingly, it is no mystery why their schools do not perform well (before even considering the social milieu). And why America has a self-perpetuating permanent underclass.

(9) According to “identical twin studies” as reported in “The Bell Curve” (“identical twin studies” are the “Gold Standard” for ascertaining vis-à-vis any trait what is inherited and what is environmental, since such studies focus on sets of identical twins that are orphaned before age 12 months and raised in different environments), what happens to the measured IQ of the inner-city twin that is raised in a suburb (vs. the measured IQ of the identical twin adopted by another inner-city family)???

(Answer 9)

The inner-city identical twin orphaned before age 12 months and adopted by a suburban family develops by adolescence a measured IQ 90% of the way from the average inner-city measured IQ to the average suburban measured IQ. While the other identical twin adopted by an inner-city family develops a measured IQ equal to the average inner-city measured IQ.

John Karls speculates that the “raw data” for these studies (which was not reported in “The Bell Curve) would show that 90% of the inner-city identical twins orphaned before age 12 months and adopted by a suburban family develop by adolescence a measured IQ 100% OF THE WAY FROM THE AVERAGE INNER-CITY MEASURED IQ TO THE AVERAGE SUBURBAN MEASURED IQ. And that 10% experienced a “Cinderella Evil Step-Mother” in the form of a teacher, coach, etc., who “turned them off” and caused them to develop only an average inner-city measured IQ.

(10) What is the typical inner-city profile in terms of percentage of households headed by a single adult, percentage of single-adult households headed by a drug addict, and percentage of single-adult households headed by an addict who turns any receipts over to the dealer so the kids have to steal just in order to eat???

(Answer 10)

From the experience of John Karls, when he served as the volunteer national Treasurer of the “I Have A Dream”® Foundation (tutoring/mentoring of 100% of the third graders in an inner-city school or of 100% of the third graders in a public housing project through high school graduation + college tuition in 180 projects in 50 American cities), the typical statistics were –

99% of households headed by a single adult.

90% of total households headed by a single adult who is a drug addict.

75% - 80% of total households headed by a single-adult addict who turns any receipts (welfare, etc.) over to the pusher, so the kids have to steal just in order to eat.

(11) What is the typical success for early-intervention programs, such as Head Start???

(Answer 11)

The sad truth is that, although early-intervention programs such as Head Start, do a wonderful job of providing intellectual stimulation for inner-city 3- and 4-year-olds – they are then placed in inner-city public schools which Jonathan Kozol properly characterizes as “Apartheid” in all of his books on K-12 education in America’s ghettos and by third grade there is NO MEASURABLE DIFFERENCE between the inner-city kids who attended the early-intervention program and those who did not.

(12) What is the typical success for a long-term (say 3rd grade through high school graduation) program of tutoring and mentoring???

(Answer 12)

From the experience of John Karls, when he served as the volunteer national Treasurer of the “I Have A Dream”® Foundation (tutoring/mentoring of 100% of the third graders in an inner-city school or of 100% of the third graders in a public housing project through high school graduating + college tuition in 180 projects in 50 American cities), the typical IHAD statistics were –

65% - 70% (vs. single digits) rates for high-school graduation and college entrance.

The results are even more impressive than this statistic suggests. Approximately 50% of the female Dreamers become pregnant and, as a practical matter, do not graduate from HS and proceed to college!!!

Accordingly, the success rate was 65-70 percentage points out of 75 percentage points!!!

To assist with national fund-raising, several local IHAD projects interviewed their female Dreamers who had become pregnant to ascertain what happened. Invariably, each was not motivated by financial considerations (obtaining welfare (Aid for Dependent Children) and getting an apartment of one’s own), etc. INSTEAD, EACH HAD NEVER HAD ANYONE WHO CARED ABOUT THEM AND WERE FOCUSED ON CREATING SOMETHING THAT WOULD HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO LOVE THEM!!!

Following that discovery, several local IHAD projects were requested to interview their female Dreamers who had not become pregnant and proceeded to college, to evaluate what happened. INVARIABLY, THERE WAS SOMEONE IN THE LIFE OF EACH WHO CARED ABOUT THEM (E.G., A TEACHER, CLERGY PERSON, OR ONE OF OUR TUTORS OR MENTORS) – AND WHO MADE IT CLEAR TO THE DREAMER THAT IF SHE DIDN’T BECOME PREGNANT SHE COULD, WITH THE HELP OF THE IHAD PROGRAM, MAKE SOMETHING OUT OF HERSELF AND THAT IT WOULD “BREAK THE HEART” OF THE PERSON WHO CARED IF THE DREAMER DIDN’T DO SO!!!

I do not know whether IHAD programs after my tenure as volunteer national Treasurer used this knowledge to increase success rates.

*****
AND FOR EXTRA CREDIT –

(1) If you were your African country’s Ambassador to the United Nations before 1964 and wanted to visit your country’s Ambassador to Washington, what had you better be prepared to do during your travel between NYC & Washington???

(Answer 1)

Before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, public accommodations were segregated.

Accordingly, as your African country’s Ambassador to the United Nations traveling from NYC to Washington DC to visit your country’s Ambassador to Washington, you had better be prepared to be denied service at white-only restaurants and white-only hotels/motels. And to be denied drinking at white-only water fountains or use of white-only restrooms.

Most African diplomats stocked their limousines with plenty of food and liquids for the ordeal. But still had to suffer the indignity of being denied access to white-only restrooms.

(2) How did The Hon. Thurgood Marshall (who, as General Counsel of the NAACP, successfully argued “Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka” in which the Supreme Court in 1954 overturned its old “separate but equal” line of cases and decided that “separate is inherently unequal” – and who later served on the Supreme Court 1967-1991) ANSWER CRITICS WHEN THEY ASKED WHY HE SENT HIS OWN CHILDREN (he had two = Thurgood Jr. and John W.) TO EXETER, ONE OF THE TOP 2-3 PRIVATE BOARDING SCHOOLS IN AMERICA, AND A NOTED IVY LEAGUE GATEWAY???

(Answer 2)

The Hon. Thurgood Marshall was frequently reported to answer this question with:

“Every parent tries to do the best s/he can by her/his own children.”

John Karls was keenly aware of Marshall’s attitude because John Karls’ own children attended private schools from Pre-K through boarding school (Milton Academy, another of the top 2-3 private boarding schools in America and another noted Ivy League gateway). John Karls was also frequently asked the same question Marshall encountered, and always recounted Marshall’s answer. However, it did not really prevent a deep sense of guilt.

(2(a)) How is Thurgood Marshall’s “good parent” attitude reflected in the decision of most American families when they shop for a home in which to raise a family – producing what Kozol would call “Apartheid” housing and schooling across America???

(Answer 2(a))

If Marshall had chosen instead to send his children to public schools, his “good parent” attitude would probably have led him to purchase a home in a wealthy suburb with a good school system. Leaving “in the dust” the permanent American underclass as described in Answers 7-8 above.

(3) Since both the Union and Confederate Armies during the Civil War were integrated (albeit many African-Americans in the Confederate Army were slaves fighting side-by-side with their masters), and the U.S. Armed forces were segregated during World War II, how did they become segregated??? How did this turn the Democratic Party into the party of segregation until Richard Nixon’s “Southern Strategy” realigned the parties once more???

(Answer 3)

Woodrow Wilson, the “Gentleman from Georgia” and former Princeton University President, has always been promoted by the Princeton University lobby, as a laudable US President because he championed the ill-fated League of Nations.

However, in real life, he was probably one of our most despicable US Presidents!!!

For example, it is well documented how he manipulated American public opinion in order to enter World War I – even though he had campaigned for re-election in 1916 on the platform of remaining neutral.

It is universally agreed among historians that Wilson loaded passenger ships for Britain with munitions – in violation of International Law regarding neutrality. Knowing full well that Germany would be entitled under International Law to sink any such ships and, indeed, intending that Germany would do so in order for Wilson to manipulate public opinion into supporting entry into the war.

OF COURSE, WILSON’S ACTIONS WERE “TOP SECRET” AT THE TIME BECAUSE HIS INTENTION TO MANIPULATE PUBLIC OPINION WOULD NOT HAVE SUCCEEDED OTHERWISE!!! One can easily imagine the reaction of US citizens who found out long after the war that their friends and relatives that had died on the passenger vessels that were sunk should really have blamed Wilson rather than Germany, since Wilson was violating International Law and Germany was following International Law!!!

*****
The “Gentleman from Georgia” also segregated the U.S. Armed Forces with a simple Presidential “Executive Order”!!!

This had two important results.

On a national level, it alerted Southern Segregationists what could be achieved with Executive Orders –

1. Particularly with Southern Segregationists using filibusters to block all civil-rights legislation in the Senate until 1964; and

2. Particularly with Southern Segregationists being appointed to the US Supreme Court by Wilson and FDR where they were very instrumental in blocking civil-rights lawsuits (their most egregious action was to initiate a line of cases that held that the Eleventh Amendment to the US Constitution dealing with federal-court diversity-of-citizenship jurisdiction did NOT mean what it plainly said – in order to send African-American plaintiffs back to state courts when they tried to enforce the Civil-War Amendments (12-14) that applied “due process” and “equal protection” to the states).

Indeed, one of the most important provisions of the Civil Rights legislation of the 1960’s was to make murder, etc., motivated by racial repression a federal crime specifically prosecutable in federal courts by the US Department of Justice.

This “unholy alliance” between Southern Segregationists and the Democratic Party lasted until Lyndon Johnson championed Jack Kennedy’s civil-rights proposals and succeeded in having them enacted beginning in 1964. This led to Richard Nixon’s “Southern Strategy” which succeeded in wooing Southern Segregationists into defecting to the Republican Party and transforming the “Party of Lincoln” into the “Party of Segregation”!!!

*****
The second important result???

Because of Woodrow Wilson, Southern Segregationists recognized Princeton University as a pillar of their cause.

Since Woodrow Wilson, Princeton U. has enjoyed the unofficial moniker of “Best University in the South” (despite its location in New Jersey!!!)!!!

Because it was well known that, unlike any other Yankee school, Princeton University did not mean that a member of Southern Society could not return and resume an honored position in Segregationist Society!!!

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