Solomon's Private File #417
1950's. Stephen wrote about his life in letters to a penpal, and then
in a secure blog, in case he lost his memory again, in the master
computer in his school for gifted students, which he started attending
in 2016 in a new incarnation, until his death. Now his son Solomon is
attending the same school, and is writing in his own secure blog for
his future incarnations.
All characters are fictitious, even if some of them might have names
that belong to some actual people, or act like people we know.
Solomon is 34 in this story, in the Fall of 2060.
Solomon's Private File #417 "School Board"
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suspended two boys for kissing each other. Why?" He said, "We don't
allow public displays of affection in this school district." I said,
"Yet you allow girls to kiss each other in greeting." He said, "That
isn't reported to us." I said, "Don't lie to me again." George said in
the air, "Why do they keep doing that?" I said to the principle,
"That's our school, and Corps assignment, administrator. He monitors
what I do in schools. Professional interest. You know I know all, and
even before that, as all my group, can, and any other half and above
psionic can, I could detect lies. But people still insist on lying to
us. How much sense does that make, and for somebody who's in charge of
a school, who isn't able to learn this?"
He said, "You have a point there. I apologize. Their kiss was deemed
to be sexual in nature, and so exceeded the bounds of allowed contact."
I said, "Yet you allow students to punch each other, even after it's
reported. And by the victims of that bullying." He said, "That sort of
thing is normal for boys." I said, "So now it comes out. YOU have
decided what's normal, and what isn't, and you decide what to enforce
on that basis, in a discriminatory way. Girls may kiss girls in
greeting, but boys may not. Those two are cousins, and not gay. They
grew up with kissing everybody in the family as a normal thing, as it
is in MY family. It isn't and wasn't sexual, and it was not fair to
selectively punish them. And you don't punish bullies who physically
attack other students. You know I oppose injustice done to children.
What are you going to do about this?"
He said, "I have to do what the school board requires." I said, "I
know of their requirements. You don't apply them fairly, is the
problem, which is what proper justice requires. What are you teaching
your own students with this? They DO know what's going on, and why.
Their lack of respect for you is causing more disruptions and
violence." He said, sweating, "Some board members have told me
privately what they wanted me to do, and threatened my job if I
didn't." I said, "Name them. You know I know who they are." He said,
"Johnson and Masters." I said, "Parents of the worst bullies in the
school. More evidence it runs in families. Board meeting is tonight,
and open to the public. If I told you I would be there, would you warn
them in advance?" He made a hand gesture indicating no. I nodded and
said, "I hope things will change in the future." I shifted out.
The school board meeting was just getting underway, when I appeared
there, to a lot of notice. The chairman of the board said to me,
"Welcome Solomon! Are you here to address a problem?" I said, "I am.
One moment." George ported in, and we greeted each other with a kiss. I
said to then, "This is George. You know, the one people say for, let
George do it, when they don't want to? He's our school administrator
and Corps assignment supervisor." I said to him, "You did say that." He
said to me, "But I didn't say you should spread that around." I said,
"Would you have done that to me?" He said, "That's besides the point."
Chuckles in the room. I said to them, "We're both fathers, and not gay.
We all kiss each other. Is there something wrong with that?" They all
said there wasn't. I said, "Some of you don't believe that, and were
not honest in your expression, and have required injustices to be made
to happen in your schools, regarding that and other things."
I said, "I visited your middle school principle this afternoon. I'm
here now before he has a chance to report it, to SHOW you the meeting."
I did that, editing out the mention of the board meeting. He noticed
that, and he knew I felt his gratitude. I said, "Selective enforcement
and punishment is unjust. The students are well aware of that. Is this
how you want them to grow up to be like? Is this what you want the
world to know of you? These bullies are not being stopped, because
their parents are bullying the principle." I showed them some of what
the bullies, children and adults, did. I said, "Instead, you further
punish the victims! This is causing all the children to disrespect you,
and more acting out and violence. Their grades are declining. Is this
what you really want to happen to your children? How much do you really
care about them?"
Masters stood and said, "You're calling me a bully? You take that
said, "Thank you, Mr. Masters, for demonstrating the accuracy of my
description of you. Please be seated, and let your friend have his
turn. You wouldn't want detention, would you?" They could see George
was struggling not to laugh, and they smiled at that. One said, "You
mentioned the world knowing about this. Will they?" I said, "That
decision will be made at the right time. For now, YOUR decisions
regarding this need to be made. Your principle is not being allowed to
do his job properly. You are harming your children. Yes, injustice,
even in witnessing it, harms people, and children all the more, because
they are still developing their own morality. In fact, children
understand injustice more than most adults, being more victims of it by
reason of not being in control of their lives, because their parents
are. That's as it should be in most things, but from the viewpoint of
children, it's not fair. That's made much worse when true injustice is
done to them, and they have absolutely no way to make it right, because
the adults just don't care. It eats at their very souls, a kind of
torture you very rarely experience as adults. Yes, it's torture. Yes,
children are actually real people who have REAL feelings, just as you
do."
A woman in the audience said, "My children do things to spite me!" I
said, "There are two things involved with that. One is, you deserve it,
being a spiteful bitchy woman. You constantly criticize them, and in
the meanest demeaning way. Even when you very infrequently praise them,
you look mean, like it hurts you to do that. Give them an example to
follow, you shouldn't complain that they do it. You cause it, you live
with it. But you're also wrong. While children sometimes do bad things
to test people to determine limits, most of the things they do that you
think are done just to annoy you, they don't do it for that reason. In
fact, you weren't even in their minds for that. They're children! They
have impulsive behaviors, with no thought to the consequences at the
time. It didn't cross their minds that you wouldn't like it, but they
would have if they had stopped to consider that, but they couldn't.
That part of their brains isn't fully developed. Children are NOT just
little adults. You need to teach them about consequences RATIONALLY,
not stupidly self centered."
I said, "Let me show you." They family were about to cross the
street. One six year old child went first, and was almost hit by a car.
She grabbed his arm, and yanked him back, and then screamed at him for
almost giving her a heart attack on purpose. I said, "He didn't do it
to you. he did it because he's a child! But look at your face. To him,
it was a monster he saw. He couldn't see that you acted out of love for
him. All he saw was you being like a monster to him, saying selfish
things he couldn't understand why you did, but knew they were wrong.
You were showing him that you hated him for doing something to you that
he didn't. I know you love him, but HE doesn't know that. No, telling
him you love him is absolutely nothing, compared to what he can see for
himself. It makes him believe you less. He doesn't know what love is!
And you really aren't teaching him that, but he sure does know what a
monster looks like. That's instinct. We're born with facial recognition
instincts. I used that incident as an example, but you do it every time
you punish him, and your other children. If they grow up loving you,
it'll be a miracle. One more thing. Your children don't bother to obey
you, because it doesn't make any difference if they do! Whatever
happens, you will still be the same never satisfied monster faced very
crabby person they really want to avoid all contact with. Why you are
as you are, is not difficult to understand. You're unsatisfied and
frustrated with your life, and all the more so, because you caused it
yourself. You get some relief of that by making others around you feel
the same. You're VERY skilled in that. Noticed your oldest son won't
bring his girlfriends home anymore? He's ashamed of you! He did it
once, and she ran out of your house crying at how you treated your
children. He really learned his lesson from that."
I said to the board, "Some people shouldn't have children. Some
people shouldn't be given the power to overcome professional educators'
correct judgment on how to run schools. Not all, but some people are
self centered and abusive bullies, and should NOT be supported in that.
Your principle is being forced to act in an unethical way. That's
wrong! And seriously damaging. Children should have equal treatment in
enforcement of rules, as all people should, or you teach them people
should not. Beware the adults you create, for THEY will treat you as
YOU made them, in your old age, when you are dependent on them even to
live." That woke them up.
I said, "Bullying is happening in the school, and it's not being
corrected, because the parents are also bullies, and are stopping the
principle from acting. This could involve criminal charges for the
physical violence, and extortion. Girls are allowed to kiss each other
in greeting. Boys who do that with boys are suspended. That's
discrimination, and could result in possible legal action. You know
this meeting is being shown on your local cable channel. Your police
chief was notified to watch. So was your Mayor. If you want to do
something useful about these situations, now would be a good time to
start. Wait! I know what you were going to say. It's illegal in this
state to have private school board meetings except for personnel
actions. You engage in private meetings on school matters, don't expect
them to be private. One more thing. The Mayor has the power to dismiss
board members for misconduct. I would have no reluctance at all in
supplying evidence of that, and in public, for those who did that who
don't resign on their own. The State Attorney General has the power to
sue the city for non compliance of state laws and regulations. Can you
afford that? So, now you have some work to do."
George and I sat down. Silence. One said, "You're still here." George
had to laugh. Some in the audience caught it, too, and laughed with
him. I said, "Public meeting. Bylaws doesn't limit public attendance to
just this city. A recommendation. It would be unfair to fire the
principle for giving in to extortion, without giving him a chance, on
being free of that illegal pressure, to do a good job." Two board
members nodded in agreement. Chairman said, "Are there any board
members who request to resign at this time?" Silence. George grinned.
They looked at us specifically to see our reactions to that, and
weren't surprised. I whispered loudly to him, "It's not nice to be glad
we can do bad things to people who deserve it." He grinned even wider,
and said, "I know." Chuckles, even from most of the board members.
The Mayor came into the room, and said to me, "This extortion
evidence you mentioned, would you show it to me?" I said, "Being a
possible legal matter, and involving a personnel action with the
principle, that, according to the bylaws, must he done in a closed
meeting." He nodded. I said, "But I could show it so only you, and
George and I, will see it, more than what I already showed." He said,
"I request that, please." I did. A few minutes later, he said, "Johnson
and Masters, you're dismissed from the school board. I'm going to seek
legal advice on a possible criminal complaint. You may step down from
the stage." They didn't. I said to the Mayor, "It wouldn't hurt to have
them stay as visible objects of scorn. Their votes don't need to be
counted." He tried not to grin. I said, "You have the power to appoint
temporary board members, if you feel there aren't enough to make proper
decisions. No, the police chief would have a conflict of interest. For
now." He grinned, and said, "Thank you." He named two in the audience,
who accepted. I ported two more chairs to the stage, and people smiled.
George said, "It can be convenient to have you around." I said, "And
what are you, a square? You could have done that." Chuckles.
They asked the principle what he would change, and he spoke well.
They agreed to his proposals. That didn't take long. They said a few
things about fund raising, and adjourned. I said then, "I recommend a
police presence at the next meeting." Mayor said, "As I'll officially
request. Thank you Solomon, For all you do for us. Er, and George.
Assignments for the Corps! Wow! I'm glad to meet you." George was
embarrassed. My grin at that really didn't help him. He said, "Sol
gives me the actions, and I assign the members to them, with some
supervision. Yes, I'm still doing it now. It's all mental work, so I
can do it anywhere. Why I'm here, is some of Sol's actions work better
with a partner. And he likes to share, knowing we ALL want to do
actions with him." Mayor said, "Did you ask for this one?" George said,
"He knows all. We don't need to bend his ear for him to know all about
that. But yes, we still ask. A lot." Chuckles. One asked him, "Do you
really look like this, and is that your real name?" George said with a
grin, "I'm not going to answer that. Policy. Only Sol, Rose, and Hawk
are fully public. Oops! And Kam." She said in the air, "Better believe
it!" Grins and chuckles.
I said, "Is this meeting now fully over?" Mayor said, "Yes it is." I
said, "I just told CNN that." Mayor said, "We were live?" I said,
"Painfully ignoring that opening for my odd humor, yes." He had some
conflicting emotions, then grinned, and said, "That should have been
included." I said, "Permission?" He said, "Granted!" I said, "Most here
did well. The ones who didn't, were good to hang important lessons on.
So, to all, well done!" Applause. We hugged them all before we left.
The new rule in the school was that no kissing of any kind was
allowed on school property, and would be enforced equally. Principle
called the bullies and their parents to meet with him. He showed the
recordings, and said, "From now on, if this happens, there will be
suspensions. More after that, will result in expulsions, and possible
criminal charges." One parents said, "Invasion of privacy!" Principle
said, "Hallways, classrooms, and offices, here, are not private. We
actually have our own security system, and with cameras. All schools
do." One said, "Bathrooms are private?" Principle said, "And locker
rooms, but those are monitored by staff. And one more thing. Solomon
knows all. Don't expect him to ignore things in this school now, EVER."
Nods.
He said, "It's well known that bullies ten to run in families. You
parents have some responsibility in creating them of your children. Our
counselors are available to help you with that in a limited way, if you
ask. More than that, you should seek more specialized help. Better you
and they change, than have them expelled. Home schooling is a LOT of
work for a parent." Some nods. They left, and I shifted in. I said,
"Some problems we just can't fix, without causing bigger problems. We
can only do, what we can only do. And cry about that we can't, which
doesn't actually help." We hugged.
CNN asked to talk with me. He said, "You've started some catch
phrases that are trending. Don't tarnish the Golden Rule, and let the
Golden Rule shine, are two of the pay it forward kind. But the ones
evoking selfishness in making a better future, are making a lot of
people think." I said, "But you can't hear them straining in that," He
laughed. He said, "Beware the adults you create, is becoming an instant
big hit." I said, "It's a fad. They'll ignore if soon." He said,
"Maybe. You should make a book of your sayings." I said, "No, and
there's an immodest reason for that." He said, "I've got to hear that!"
Kam said in the air, "Me, too!" I said, "Family!" Chuckles. I said,
"She suspects a religious reason, correctly. Such a book would be
treated as something like a Bible. That would preclude government
institutions from using those sayings, limiting their reach." He said,
"Oh! You want schools to use them, even show them on their walls!" I
said, "Don't you?" He said, "Got me. Yes. I have to agree, darn it!"
Grins. We hugged. They actually started that initiative, to have some
of those sayings on public property. Other countries are doing it, too.
Some people objected to that, on the grounds that I was a religious
figure. Then some mentioned Martin Luther King, as an example that
religious people can do and say secular things that governments can use
where they don't mention religion. Kam said in an announcement, that
"universal wisdom shouldn't be ignored, wherever it comes from." That
was agreed with a lot.
Mom said, "But you did make a book." I said, "They don't know that
language here." She said, "That could be fixed." I said, "That world
treats religion differently. Different governments, too. Right for
them, not right for us as we are now." She said, "Yes. I have to agree,
darn it!" Grins and hugs.
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Grant
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