Wow.
Wow wow wow. I'm not easily "wow'd." But tonight, tonight I was wow'd.
In fact, I was beyond wow'd. As I sat in my seat at the Panida, I was
humbled. Humbled beyond my grasp, humbled beyond any influence I could
hope to have in this dear town of mine.
This is exciting.
This is
humbling.
Seeing close to 300 people gather tonight to "Reclaim Idaho."
To reclaim it for the middle class by supporting education, funding
healthcare and giving access to public lands.
To RECLAIM IDAHO. I'm
humbled. I'm excited. I am THANKFUL. I am thankful to Luke and Garrett.
You had a hope. And a mission, and you did it. You DID IT. And you're
DOING IT.
Thank you. THANK YOU. 
❤️
❤️
---Megan Johnson, a Reclaim Idaho volunteer
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| Janende Grende and her granddaughter attended, and Luke's mom Linda took tickets. |
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It's Cindy Wooden's birthday today, and she told me last night that she had received one of the best birthday presents imaginable: she met her favorite author Marilynne Robinson. It was actually the meeting of two worldly women writers from Sandpoint. As many Slightdetour readers may already know, Cindy works in Rome at the Vatican as bureau chief for Catholic News Service. Since 1989, she has covered the activities of three popes, traveling with the Vatican press corps to all ends of the world. Cindy happened to be home on vacation when she saw that Marilynne Robinson would be speaking, and, happily, she even enjoyed a few minutes of speaking to the Pulitzer Prize winning author who was born in Sandpoint. Cindy says Marilynne's books are especially popular among the English speaking folks in Rome. So, twas fun to watch these two accomplished women from our hometown connect with each other. Happy Birthday, Cindy. |
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| Bonner's Books provided signed copies of Marilynne Robinson's novels at the event. |
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| Students from Sandpoint High School served as ushers. |
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| Garrett Stizich and a Reclaim Idaho volunteer worked some technical strategies to live stream the event around the state. |
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| Dr. Marilynne Robinson, featured speaker at last night's kick-off event for the Reclaim Idaho movement. Besides her literary achievements, Dr. Robinson has earned the distinction by Time magazine as one of America's 100 most influential people. She was born in Sandpoint in 1943. |
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| A packed house for the kick off of Reclaim Idaho. |
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| Sally Moon, who has already participated in neighborhood groups associated with Reclaim Idaho, gave a brief speech on her experiences with the movement thus far. For more information about Reclaim Idaho, visit www.reclaimidaho.org. |
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Luke Mayville provided some well-researched, compelling facts about the need for legislators to show more support for public education in Idaho. He stressed that the Reclaim Idaho movement is designed to support three important issues facing Idahoans----public education, better health care for working families and protection of access to public lands. Mayville noted that the group will back Idaho legislative candidates in the 2018 who support the above, regardless of political party. |
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| In her discussion last night, Dr. Marilynne Robinson strongly dispelled the myth/cliche that "public education has failed us." In fact, she provided evidence that the American public education system generally offers much broader opportunity and liberty for its students. She noted that in the public education system, American students are free to take any direction their heart and brain desire, unlike those whose futures are often determined at early ages, via a test, in other countries of the world. |
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| Lots of fun visiting after the event along with a spirit of great enthusiasm for what had happened on the Panida stage. |
2 comments:
I nerdily took notes.
They are unedited, so please hold your nose at the spelling and grammar errors.
The quality of the light, where so much of it is refracted by the lake.
How do we make the Idaho legislature respond to its constitutional obligation.
The quality of education is very good in the United States.
Many European countries have what the call Social Security where they receive a stipend for tuition and living expenses. Students change majors over and over again, avoiding the finish. The fear, they came dangerously near having enough credits to graduate.
Unpromising students are eliminated at a very early age, as young as 11.
Our education system allows students to create and recreate.
By 6th grade the European countries the struggling students have been skimmed off. At 15,16 they separate to math/sciences only or humanities only.
Avoid the argument that schools are failing, they are not. But this argument weakens the defense of education.
Public school students are not invited into step into an identity they have done nothing to earn.
They can encounter and interact with all people. This is their advantage over the elite.
"I went to CDA high school, then to Brown. Frankly I never felt I shouldn't be there".
If you go to any college in America, and read what they assign, and striver to meet their standards - you will do fine, anywhere, at any institution."
Preparing
Educate people broadly and as well as we possibly can, we do not know what their future will hold, but the will need breadth and scope to adapt to the needs of the future.
You have a brain, the very singular privilege of existing as a human in the universe is that you are the owner of the most complex computer that has existed.
The pursuit of happiness, probably has something to do with happiness.
To love where you live, to have control over your time, to
The infinite value of what you see around you, to learn from and to enjoy.
Words get tangentially used.
Being involved actively in a democratic society involves respect for each other and self restraint.
Eventuated
Do you think public education can promote tolerance rather than fear of alternative viewpoints.
The movements that isolate us from one another, away from public education, away from public service.
Can writing be taught? "We are running an art school, interest is far more important than polish". We look for someone who has a privileged relationship with language. Reinforce the strongest impulses a writer has and push them away from patching lazy writing between quality pieces. Steer them away from cliches.
Consciously attentive readers, treating it like an art, getting them to the point where they can become serious writers.
"I think I am no more threatening than the average elderly lady".
Do you find there has been a change in commitment to publicly funded education. There is a political movement that does not value education at near historic levels.
Wow, so complete. Thanks for sharing!
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