Yesterday, President Bush gave a speech on the economy at JS Logistics, a trucking, courier and warehouse business.  Behind him was a painted backdrop showing industrial shelving filled with boxes carrying a "Strengthening America's Economy" and a "Made in the USA" stamp.  To compliment the backdrop, real boxes were stacked around the audience.

These real boxes, however, had to be "modified" in order to be appropriate as part of a set for the President's speech - or at least what has been described as an "overzealous" staffer thought so.  Every one of the real boxes had a label on it saying "Made in China", and each one had the "Made in China" label covered with a piece of paper.

Maybe it's a silly thing to pick on, yet it just seems to be so representative of the Bush administration and it's constant attempts to make us see only what it wants us to.

9/11 fund awards lesbian partner $500,000. WASHINGTON —A federal fund created to compensate victims of the Sept. 11 attacks has awarded $500,000 to the lesbian partner of a woman who died at the Pentagon, a decision gay rights advocates hailed as a milestone. [USA Today: Nation]

Good to see this.  I'm sure there will be some who will protest it, and I'll almost be surprised of no one files suit to prevent them from awarding benefits to homosexual partners (on the theory that it leaves less money for "real" families or something of that nature), but I'm really glad that they're going ahead and doing it anyway.

Bigotry of a Teachers Union. Bigotry of a Teachers Union The New Jersey Education Association, a Teachers Union, has a website that contains brochures called "Getting Involved in Your Child's School." It comes in three versions: English, Spanish, and African-American. [more inside] [MetaFilter]

When I first looked at the brochures - trying to figure out why one would be "English" and another "African-American" - I thought perhaps the difference was that the "English" version had pictures of white children and the "African-American" version had pictures of black children.  Nope, that wasn't the only difference.

Steve_at_Linnwood posted sample paragraphs at MetaFilter from both the English and the African-American versions of the brochure so that they could be compared side-by-side:

Regular English Version:

The primary focus of the parent involvement program is on the child. By helping your child's teacher, you can offer students new and varied experiences - suited to their interests and capabilities.

By working in your school, you will become more familiar with its programs, and you will see why they are vital to your child. With this new understanding of education needs and goals, you can give the school the backing it needs and encourage others to do the same.

You will learn more about everyday happening in the classroom from the increased communication and interaction between you and the teacher. You will have the satisfaction of helping children during a very important stage of their development.

African-American Version:

The goal of the parent involvement program is to help children. By helping your child's teacher, you can offer students your experiences and support.

By working in your school, you will see how it works. With this new understanding, you can give the school the backing it needs.

You will learn more about the classroom. You will enjoy helping children.

Both versions ask "Why do teachers need my help?"

Regular English Version:

Today, there is an increasing emphasis on individualized instruction--fitting the curriculum to the child. Teachers want to employ new methods and materials to give each child personal guidance.

When you assist teachers with growing paperwork, make instructional materials, or conduct a science experiment, you give them more time for planning activities, for trying new teaching strategies, and for working directly with children. As a parent volunteer, you allow them to be more effective teachers--and the school obtains your skills and services that might be unavailable due to financial limitations.

African-American Version:

Today, teachers want to use new methods and materials to give each child personal guidance.

When you assist teachers, you give them more time to work with children. You allow them to be more effective teachers.

In some ways, I wish I could have been a fly on the wall at the meeting where the Teacher's Union officials decided that the different versions would be a good idea.  Are they somehow under the impression that "English"-speaking people need more words to understand a concept, or that "African-American"-speaking people can't handle as many and need to have information simplified for them?  Either option is rather insulting to both groups, though the second is by far more offensive - and sadly, more likely.

The files were originally posted in PDF format at the New Jersey Education Association's website: English, Spanish, and African-American. Because of concerns that they files may be pulled once the flack starts flying as more people find out these brochures, Steve_at_Linnwood has posted copies of them to his own website: English, Spanish, and African-American.

I suppose we can be grateful that they just decided to simplify the language for the African-American version.  They could have used Ebonics.