What do Stanford, NASA, and PAUSD have in common? Dear Daubers, local link and the discovered local missing link. And – ”No problem can be solved by the same consciousness that created it. We need to see the world anew.” A. Einstein
What do Stanford, NASA, and PAUSD have in common?
Long story short – keeping up appearances. A few appearances, at least. All three institutions are accountable (or should be accountable ) for the well being/safety of their students/employees.
I’ll relate to NASA now while Stanford keep providing insights as to the establishment’s attitude towards sex assaults victims, (I am not referring only to the recent verdict), and PAUSD produced many stories relating to the most vulnerable kids.
Let me remind all of the Challenger crash. I am assuming that most of the parents of Stanford and PAUSD students were too young to follow that investigation. Prof. Feynman, a Noble prize winner, was part of the investigation committee.
Link #1 – One of the many interviews with Prof. Feynman. I think that the second part of this clip may provide insights on the lengths that were gone to in order to keep up NASA’s appearances. The challenges Prof. Feynman faced en route to presenting his findings. How come many in NASA knew of faults, and no one talked?
Link #2 – Recent interview with an engineer who blames himself now, after 30 years, for not trying enough. “I was one of the few that was really close to the situation,” Ebeling recalls. “Had they listened to me and wait[ed] for a weather change, it might have been a completely different outcome…”
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Dear Michele and Ken Dauber,
You both could have had the public embrace you. You both have chosen the route of “do as I do” instead of “do as I say”.
It so happens that the recent weeks place you, both, on the other side of the institutions’ interests in keeping up appearances. I addressed you, Mr. Dauber, more than three years ago asking you to form a Shadow PAUSD Board (link #8). I am well aware it was an unusual suggestion. I could not think of another way to have a trusted place to share concerns/incidents etc. AND provide a mechanism of practicing some Checks and Balances. Churchill led a Shadow Government, I thought, why not try here? Nothing to lose (I thought). Even Albert Einstein related to this issue (quote above). I have addressed you several times since, last time asking you to resign (link #3).
I did not know you. I read your family story, and I heard a fraction of the tactics that were used to silence you.
Your family story – Michele, you wrote recently
“… As a society we have to acknowledge the threat of suicide just as we acknowledge cancer, diabetes, and car accidents. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people under 24. …. I think that suicide, particularly of a child, scares people. They don’t want to talk about it openly because it is too frightening. … There is no way to describe the depths of the sorrow experienced by families like mine and like the Lees. We are members of a club that no one wants to be in — but which does not discriminate. Anyone can experience this devastation…” (link #4).
While I in no way want to cause more pain, here, it was clear to me that your family’s experience took you both along the routes you went. You both could have had it easy – public opinion wise. Who would disagree with the teachers’ strong union? Disagreeing was suggesting a raise of 9% instead of 12%, if I am not mistaken. It takes a strong inner conviction as to doing the right thing to dare face the union. Not to mention the actions relating to Ken’s candidacy, I could not figure out the rationales behind some of those actions.
I thought that your personal experience must be the root of your dedication, both of you, in trying to advocate for the kids in front of the PAUSD board before Ken was elected.
And the recent year presented the events at Stanford, still unfolding. I remember your writing, Michele, more than a year ago –
” Victims of sexual assault have routinely reported to me a three week wait to see a counselor. Even with a call from a faculty member it is difficult and entails red tape to push the appointment sooner. Everytime I have raised this issue I have been told it is fixed, only to have another student contact me to tell me a similar story. I no longer believe it when I am told that this has been “fixed” because I have heard it so many times only to hear that it is not from students…. I have recent personal experience assisting a student trying to be admitted inpatient in which I personally waited with the student for many hours in the ER and found this to be appalling. This is evidently the same treatment that every student in need of inpatient psych care receives even if they have a doctor at Stanford and even if they are a victim of sexual assault on campus. It felt completely unnecessary, and retraumatizing. I think that the university should take a serious look at fixing this process. ” (link #5)
Again – Leading by example.
This all connects, I believe to the culture of keeping up appearances/no talk. Local appearances are wrongly prioritized which leads me to a local link. That is the Palo Alto online. I have written many times about the ongoing censorship. Detailing the measures taken to prevent me from commenting will be very long. I cannot think of any of my comments which violated the terms of use. Last I read the terms of use, noting that the censoring was not a violation of the terms of use. I have provided many samples of the ongoing censoring (link #6). I noticed long time ago that inconvenient discussions are being silenced, systematically by the moderators. One way of silencing was to enable comments only to those who are logged in.
While the thread which addressed PAUSD secret meetings was the last straw for me,(link #7) , I am still grateful to the Weekly for providing the initial info, which will hopefully will lead one day to a serious discussion.
And the discovered local missing link – David Starr Jordan. It seems to me that all the local problems which are ignored and hushed up so to keep up appearances conform with his theories. Even Lars Johnsson’s first couple of threads trying to promote petitions were restricted. The Moderators attitude changed when the momentum changed. This is not the first time when the Weekly joined a cause which was silenced by the Weekly short time before. Unfortunately, the moderators were able to keep up appearances and keep out of the public eye other inconvenient discussions relating both to Stanford and PAUSD, for example.
Is the censoring worth it? Does anyone want to regret in 30 years not doing enough? Not talking enough? While the Daubers will not regret what they do, change cannot happen before the issues will be discussed. To the tiniest details. Independent investigation anyone? (link #8)
(Personally, I think the school’s name should not change before a detailed account is given of the ways that those whom David Starr Jordan looked down upon are/were treated.)
I mentioned and quoted MLK many times. “Why We Can’t Wait”, and –
“Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
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