As IF Times

link New London Graduation Requirement: Speak English | NBC Connecticut.

Yet another intrusion into the liberties guaranteed to all people.  In a free country, why aren’t people allowed to try to communicate in a series of clicks, pops and grunts?  To be required to submit to some arbitrary state sponsored threshold of language competence is oppression and surely, some lawyers will be jumping on it soon.  Perhaps the quaint notion of being able to speak and read a common language to belong to a society is obsolete.  It’s a bit specious to argue that one needs an education to get ahead these days. 

How many rap stars can brag about their lofty education, or of being  even vaguely articulate for that matter?  All that is needed is to be able to hear when two words rhyme, content is secondary.  If you can find some rhyming words for ‘other trucker’ or ‘yo’, you’re in business.   Somehow, these artistes are able to command adulation, fame and of course, big incomes.  Heck, they can hire people to read and speak for them.  In fact, their lyrical bon mots will be quoted by kids everywhere and spread as sage utterances.   Who knows, they may even be invited to the White House for  a reading.  Ironically, people who are educated, will be quoting them!

Or what about ‘athletes’?   Given a choice between worrying about a language proficiency level or honing their craft in manipulating a ball, which will ultimately lead to the aforementioned life of adulation, fame and big incomes, why would anyone pick opening a book?  Nobody buys tickets to someone reading Chaucer.  The average ‘educated’ person works hard to live an average life, but spends big money to watch the exploits of uneducated athletes, buy the recordings of inarticulate singers and to watch the films of dumb actors who happened to have been blessed with good looks in life’s lottery.

Maybe it’s time to rethink the entire notion of mandatory education.  Of course it would be available and accessible to all who want it, but for those who think that life has other paths for them to follow, let them be.  Over time, those that aspire to education to improve their position in life will do so and those that want to be rappers, ball players and jugglers will also pursue their life’s calling.  Maybe the one size fits all education regime doesn’t work.  Interestingly, in  an unrelated development, McDonald’s just announced their intent to phase out customer service people with touchscreen pads.  Therefore, one doesn’t even have to be able to speak a language to order food,  just be able to recognize it on the monitor and point to it.  These guys are way ahead of the curve.  On the other hand, without an education, one may not even be able to work at McDonald’s anymore.

link Osama Bin Laden had not left room where he was shot for last 5 YEARS, claims wife | Mail Online.

Here’s something no one has considered.  Bin Laden wanted to be found and killed. 

This is as logical as any other of the theories surrounding his masterful hiding for over 5 years and subsequent discovery.  According to revelations by one of his 3 or 4 wives living with him all this time in the large house in Pakistan, they never left the walls of the gulag style compound…in all that time!  How is this much different than being imprisoned in the federal hoosegow in Joliet for example? 

Paranoia had to be Osama’s normal state since literally the entire world was looking for him.  From sophisticated spy satellites, to night vision monitors to orphan boys delivering newspapers, there was the possibility of detection at any time.   He wasn’t allowed any telephones or cable or satellite service, so amusing himself on Facebook was out.  He was constantly surrounded by smelly men with guns who were likely humorless stooges.  In his darker moments, I’m sure he was reminiscing about his privileged, rich and comfortable youth.  “What was I thinking?!”, he must have asked himself a million times.  Of course he was trapped.  He couldn’t just retire and pass on the leadership reins to the next fanatic.  There is no retirement resort for ex-terrorist Jihad leaders.   There was no upside in being the world figurehead of terrorism if there were no perks.  Directing terrorism from inside a walled prison for 5 years was probably not in the original plan.  When news got to him that Al Gore was being wined and celebrated as a visionary worldwide, it must have eaten him up.

Near the end, the reality of living with not one, not two but up to 4 wives in the same place had to take its toll on the poor guy.  ” You never take us out”, ” Is Fatima prettier than me?”  “You never take out the garbage” etc.  The constant refereeing of cat-fights among his wives must have wore him down.  Five years of this while looking at the same stone walls would drive anyone insane.  Even with 4 real life wives, I’m sure he was musing about the 72 in the hereafter.   He saw giving up as his only out.  When the Navy Seals broke in, he may have been relieved for a split second until he realized that he was wanted DEAD or ALIVE and they were ignoring the Alive part.   The truth will come out eventually.