Carl J. Petersen
Bio
Carl Petersen is a former Green Party candidate for the LAUSD School Board and a longtime advocate for public education and special needs families. Now based in Washington State, he writes about politics, culture, and their intersections.
Stories (325)
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Desperate Republicans And The Threat Of Violence
“If I don't get elected, it's going to be a bloodbath for the whole country.” – Donald Trump The Republican party has lost touch with the electorate. Voters have soundly rejected its conservative views on abortion and marriage equality. Beholden to lobbyists from the gun industry, Republican politicians have rejected common sense gun control proposals that enjoy widespread, bipartisan support. While Republican politicians continue to deny that man-made climate change is an issue, “two-thirds of Americans prioritize developing alternative energy sources, like wind and solar.” The party advocates repealing Obamacare even though 62% of Americans view the Affordable Care Act favorably.
By Carl J. Petersen2 years ago in The Swamp
Defenders Of Public Education?
“I love the poorly educated.” – Donald Trump I dropped out of the Democratic party in 2017 during my second run for an LAUSD School Board seat. Frustrated by local Democratic clubs who ignored the party’s positions on public education and unions to endorse my opponent, Monica Garcia, I registered with the Green Party. With their stated opposition to charter schools, members of this party understood the dangers posed by these publicly funded private schools and were more supportive of my candidacy. Supporters of the Green party’s Congressional candidate, Keneth Meija, even distributed my literature as they canvassed within the shared parts of our districts.
By Carl J. Petersen2 years ago in The Swamp
Gender Confusion
“Boys have a penis and girls have a vagina.” – from Kindergarten Cop In an email to the Los Angeles City Council supporting last year’s violent protest in front of Saticoy Elementary School a member of the NoHo West Neighborhood Council wrote about her belief that “aggressive activists in the LGTBQ+ [SIC] community [had] hijacked our education system in the name of equity and inclusion.” In her view, schools should only be focused on “math, reading, science and history”. However, the ignorant hatred directed toward an Olympic boxer from Algeria shows why our education systems need to delve into these topics.
By Carl J. Petersen2 years ago in The Swamp
School District Continues To Stonewall Efforts To Reform Special Education
“I think that especially under superintendent (Alberto) Carvalho, they are cracking down on attempts to empower families to ask for what they want.” – Outgoing CAC Chair Ariel Harman-Holmes
By Carl J. Petersen2 years ago in The Swamp
Learning To Fly
“I'm learning to fly But I ain't got wings” – Tom Petty Fresh off our wedding at Disneyland in 2008, I was ready to embark on the first adventure as a newly blended family. With Summer approaching I asked Nicole where we should go on vacation. She looked at me bewildered and replied: “Who is going to watch the kids?””
By Carl J. Petersen2 years ago in Families
A Lie Repeated Is Still A Lie
“Tell me who you walk with, and I'll tell you who you are.” – Esmeralda Santiago When Green Dot Public [SIC] Schools last sought a renewal of the charter for Locke High School in 2017, the overwhelming evidence showed that the chain had failed to achieve the promised results. Even the Charter School Industries' lobbying firm, the California Charter School Association (CCSA), recognized the failure, giving the school a Statewide Rank of one out of ten for the previous two years. The LAUSD Charter School Division graded its Student Achievement and Educational Performance a two on a four-point scale. When compared to Resident and Similar Schools Medians, “Locke reclassified [English Learners] at a lower rate”, had “low graduation rates” during the past three years, and had “a high disproportionality suspension rate for African Americans and Students with Disabilities.”
By Carl J. Petersen2 years ago in The Swamp
Didn't We Get Rid Of The Monarchy?
“With fear for our democracy, I dissent.” – Justice Sonia Sotomayor A grand experiment in Democracy began when the Continental Congress voted to declare independence from England on July 2, 1776. The thirteen colonies would no longer be ruled by a King who derived his power from a line of succession. Instead, leaders would rise from the populace. Their power would not be absolute but would be restrained by the rule of law.
By Carl J. Petersen2 years ago in The Swamp
