Today was a remarkable day for students at Capital HighSchool. Valerie Plame Wilson, ex CIA agent and nuclear counter proliferation operative, recounted her story to faculty and students. She detailed the plans for preemptive war established by the Bush administration even before 911, and President Bush’s state of the Union speech in which he cited Africa as a source for ingredients for WMD in Iraq. Plame Wilson relayed the role her husband, Ambassador Joe Wilson, played in exposing lies and mistruths about the sale of uranium yellow cake in Africa to Saddam Hussein. Valerie said she was shocked by the deliberate attempt to use intelligence to justify its political decision. The justification for the war in Iraq rested on the suspected weapons of mass destruction, which Saddam was allegedly building. Valerie talked about her family, her public service and her training to be a CIA covert operations agent.Approximately 40 students studied the CIA and national security. The main focus of the lesson was on the concept of checks and balances and changing power between the executive
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| Valerie Plame Wilson with Mayor David Coss |
and legislative branch. A subtext for students was on choices
that people face and how sometimes their loyalty collides with
their ethical notions. Students were able to watch the movie Fair
Game and to examine more closely the events surrounding the
disinformation campaign in the Bush Whitehouse.
A great comment came from the director of Veteran’s For Peace
who cited a famous quote about intelligence gathering more or
less “A lamp post should be for illuminating not just as support.”
Mayor David Coss of Santa Fe called Mrs. Plame Wilson a true
“national hero.” In citing the total cost of the war, he said that
over $800 billion was spent, 4,000 American lives were lost and
over 600,000 Iraqis were killed. He cited the theme of the
presentation “Democracy is Not a Spectator Sport” and urged
students to hold their public officials accountable for their
actions, spending and decisions.
http://www.abqjournal.com/north/18231729810north02-18-11.htm
What a enlightening opportunity for everyone to hear all these speakers.
ReplyDeleteQuestions and Answers
ReplyDelete1. How did you get the resolution and courage to tell the truth. ..I come from a family of public servants, a teacher, a lieutenant colonel in the airforce.
2. I am not an anarchist. I believe you should make the government better, not undo it.” BUT, what do you think is wrong with the Wikileaks exposure in that Julian Assange and his crew has exposed more truth that the public should know. “It is apples and oranges"... but clearly changes are taking place.
3. Comment on the quality of teaching and learning.student“We need to participate in our government if we are to keep this democracy.”
4. Is it harder for you to trust the CIA and the National Security apparatus now knowing that they betrayed you? Comments were made about the importance of keeping integrity and independence in intelligence.
5. Would you ever consider rejoining the CIA in another capacity?
“I would come back as the Director General.”
Great post and fascinating insights! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most interesting parts of being a teacher at Capital High School is the power of setting the agenda for student achievement. Our mission statement uses the words “challenging, relevant, and supportive learning environment.” Advanced Placement Government is intended to prompt, inspire and foster rigor in analyzing our political structures, their functions and outcomes. We look at systems but then learn from real life and real people.
ReplyDelete“High school students then undertake increasingly sophisticated study that is engaging, purposeful, and useful in understanding ideas and issues the impact their lives as individuals and citizens in a democratic society.”
The curriculum for this lesson has three parts: analysis, interpretation and inspiration. I hope you will agree:
1. First there is reading and analyzing the role of the President and Congress: Commander in Chief, Circumstances of War, National Security, WMD and Congressional oversight.
2. Second, we take the foundations of our constitutional government and its checks and balances, and see how democracy has changed over time. We watch and learned from the movie Fair Game about powerful interests which shape our world. We live on a stage that reflects the multidimensionality of students, people relationships and media.
3. Introducing students to a person such as Valerie Plame Wilson will provide the hook, the inspiration that students need to know that there is a relevance, an importance, and gravitas in all the decisions they make. We are talking about real people, with real life situations that place us in a position to make value judgments. So I introduced the question of ethics and loyalty and ask students to write about it from their own perspective.
4. Finally, The best example of the relevance of this approach to curriculum is the street learning that recently took place in Tahrir Square in Cairo. While the evidence and results for the Middle East are not all in, the inspiring and daunting events in Egypt reflect new geopolitical realities, tempered with the youth factor and communicated through modern social media.