News Jan 18, 2017 at 11:07 am

Betsy DeVos: We Need Guns In Schools to Protect Children From Grizzly Bears

Charles Mudede
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Comments

1
..and wolves..I found them to be a particular problem on long wooded walks to granny's.what big teeth they have.
reverend dr dj riz on January 18, 2017 at 11:22 AM Report this
2
Well I ain't paying no bear patrol tax. Let the bears pay the bear tax. I pay the homer tax.

Macro on January 18, 2017 at 11:30 AM Report this
4
Helpful when alligators are in Florida classrooms.
raindrop on January 18, 2017 at 11:38 AM Report this
5
Another in the Katherine Harris mold, except less smart. Have we reached the bottom?
Call me Scott on January 18, 2017 at 11:39 AM Report this
6
The Berenstain Bears are fighting this tooth and nail. Their kids also deserve an education. #MBGA
droctopu5 on January 18, 2017 at 11:40 AM Report this
7
I wish people would stop hitting this point because it is far from the most egregious thing in Mrs. DeVos testimony. There is actually a tiny minority of rural school districts in a few tiny areas that very rarely have bear issues.

Every single school district in the country would be harmed by her ideas about vouchers and charters. Our heritage of secular democracy would be undermined by her plans to funnel taxpayer money to unaccountable religious schools. She lied to Congress about her role in her mother's foundation.

Stop mocking the bear comment, there are very real issues and gun rules at school are the very least of Mrs. DeVos flaws.
dwightmoodyforgetsthings on January 18, 2017 at 11:42 AM Report this
8
her brother is Erik Prince, of Iraq War/Blackwater reknown. most recently, of colluding to intimidate Comey into putting his thumb on the scale for Trump.

quid pro quo.
Max Solomon on January 18, 2017 at 11:45 AM Report this
9
@7 At least one right to bear arms joke? No? (ok, did a bit of googling, and why is Goldy on this one?)

Ok, that out of my system I agree completely. It is more terrifying to have Mrs. DeVos in charge of our classrooms than having bears in them.
Matt the Engineer on January 18, 2017 at 11:49 AM Report this
10
Of course, things with DeVos are much worse than just her stupid bear remark.

Watch Patty Murray try to get a straight answer out of her.

Watch Al Franken find that she does not know the difference between student growth and student proficiency (which would hurt kids at both ends of the learning spectrum.)

She's absolutely not qualified if only because she never went to public school nor did any of her children. Her experience with public schools has been her experimentation on OTHER people's children. With no great outcomes.

westello on January 18, 2017 at 12:02 PM Report this
11
https://soundcloud.com/let-artists-be/03…
Wandering Stars on January 18, 2017 at 12:09 PM Report this
12
Our only hope is that she makes kids so miserable that that people start giving a shit.
tmplknght on January 18, 2017 at 12:13 PM Report this
13
Yeah, what @7 said, although Mudede's take is less about the grizzly comment and more about the privilege and insularity that gave rise to it, which are the traits that explain her backwards positions on policy issues as well.
schmacky on January 18, 2017 at 12:15 PM Report this
14
What @7 and 10 said,

Her lack of knowledge about our country's education system is startling. Focusing on this idiotic bear comment will distract from the very real and frightening fact that she simply doesn't know the basic arguments, positions, and functioning of the department she's been tapped to lead.
Urgutha Forka on January 18, 2017 at 12:16 PM Report this
15
@7 I think you mis-read how powerful this "bear" statement is in making her seem ridiculous. "Actual Issues" just gets into the weeds and people tune out. It's fully acceptable to mock the bear statement and use it as a pivot to point out the absurdity of her other ideas/positions.
Beetlecat on January 18, 2017 at 12:35 PM Report this
16
She couldn't know less about public schools if she'd been lost in the Vietnamese jungle for the past 50 years. I know Trump wants to pick terrible people, but are there really no terrible people who are even vaguely qualified for the posts they're standing for?
originalcinner on January 18, 2017 at 12:37 PM Report this
17
Sarah Palin must be so jelly
Unregistered User on January 18, 2017 at 1:01 PM Report this
18
@15- The bear statement makes her seem ridiculous to people who already understand how bad she is. It sounds like a reasonable statement to a lot of people, given that she didn't say she'd ban gun free schools, she just said localities should decide.
dwightmoodyforgetsthings on January 18, 2017 at 1:06 PM Report this
19
@15- Whoops, didn't finish my thought. The fact she is an investor in businesses that will profit from her policies and made large donations to get her job, that will resonate with people who wanted to "Drain the Swamp."
dwightmoodyforgetsthings on January 18, 2017 at 1:10 PM Report this
20
"Thinking is hard work, which is why it's so rare to see anyone doing it."

- Sue Grafton
Original Andrew on January 18, 2017 at 1:10 PM Report this
21
As best I can determine, there haven't been any actual grizzly bear attacks on a school - in, apparently, ever.
COMTE on January 18, 2017 at 1:16 PM Report this
22
@12 - "Immiseration" as a route to revolution is not a successful strategy, imho.

@8 - That is the most frightening detail, that her brother is the mercenary Eric Prince, of Blackwater/Xe.
treacle on January 18, 2017 at 1:56 PM Report this
23
I went to school and college where there were and are grizzly bears.

This is just stupid Trump morons talking out of their behinds.
Will in Seattle on January 18, 2017 at 2:38 PM Report this
24
Yes, the grizzly bear is a red herring. Betsy's evasive and contorted answers to Tim Kaine's questions on Federal law are very alarming.
raindrop on January 18, 2017 at 2:42 PM Report this
25
I don't think Trump or his allies/supporters have the mental faculties to appreciate how deep the sarcasm was from Chris Murphy on that parting remark.

@24: That URL is not busted, but the file it immediately downloads seems broken. (My up-to-date VLC Media player can't play it, and it should be able to).
Knat on January 18, 2017 at 3:14 PM Report this
26
@25 - Thanks for calling attention to that, here's the link to the article it's in: Huffington Post
raindrop on January 18, 2017 at 3:24 PM Report this
27
@22 Just trying to look on the bright side. Might as well, if we're going to be the global laughingstock for at least the next four years.
tmplknght on January 18, 2017 at 3:47 PM Report this
28
@27 That's very Life of Brian.
seatackled on January 18, 2017 at 6:24 PM Report this
29
@26: Thank you. I watched it, and you're right, it's pretty unbelievable how unfit she is for this job, and how she's already clearly laying down the groundwork to let charter and private schools play by different rules than public schools, despite receiving federal dollars.
Knat on January 18, 2017 at 10:03 PM Report this
31
The facial expressions of the people behind her . . .

Priceless.
hey on January 19, 2017 at 3:06 PM Report this

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