Low Expectations?

07 Jan 10

Expectations Low Enough? This from a friend and trainer in SA:

"Our national school results have just been released. Our Education Minister expressed concern that there has been an alarming decline in high-school exam scores. No 'official' reason has been offered. However, those of us involved with police training at the grass-roots level know what the problem is.

Our education system has been changed to an 'outcome-based' approach. The term sounds lofty, of course, but it has been a disaster! In OBE, a minimum standard is set. Most learners aspire only to that. When failure rates exceed a certain percentage, the predictable bureaucratic reaction is always to lower the standard! When even that low standard produces disappointing results, the process is repeated.

We all know, when government finds something that demonstrably doesn't work, their enthusiastic reaction is, without fail, to do more of it. With government, and all the swelled heads in it, 'repentance' is absolutely unthinkable, as that would involve them being compelled to sheepishly admit that they were wrong, and arrogantly so, to begin with!

In firearms training, we see this flawed philosophy fail consistently. Every time some ignorant manager meddles with our qualification standards (invariably lowering them) because our failure rate is too high, we actually see an increase in failures, as learners no longer have to try so hard.

The underlying theory with OBE is that, when you make standards low enough, you'll never be disappointed. In other words, 'standards' are nonchalantly manipulated with the goal of making bureaucrats look good. In fact, that is the only 'goal' that ever sees the light of day. The welfare of students, and the nation's future, is, of course, the last thing anyone ever thinks about!"

Comment: OBE is just a symptom. As always, government's fearful attempts to prevent "chips from falling where they may" insulates bureaucrats and weaklings from reality and, in the end, causes them to be deathly afraid of, and violently hateful of, truth in any form. Truth becomes their enemy.

Elected officials should be genuine beacons of truth, never compromising in an effort to pad resumes. But, not today!

Today, votes are purchased, like any other commodity. "Elected" officials are thus, for the most part, sleazy con-men.

"Successful bluffs require an opponent who is (1) deathly afraid of failure and humiliation, and (2) haunted by the aberrancy of you holding a hand superior to his. Thus, nimble bluffs demand a plausible narrative that is, at once, both credible and logical. You want to mislead your opponent, escorting him down a believable (albeit false) path, but avoid embarrassing or bewildering him. When he becomes angry, or inordinately perplexed, your opponent will call your bluff, just to indulge his curiosity, or maintain his dignity!"

Poker Players Axiom

Here is another gambler's axiom:

"Never play the game too long!"

Today, we've played too long, and World History is calling our bluff!

/John

Old Scam

07 Jan 10

Re-emergence of an old scam, from a friend on the East Coast:

"Last week, a woman pulled into a local bank parking-lot, went in, and withdrew several thousand dollars in cash. When she got back into her Mercedes, a smiling 'good-Samaritan' approached, waving a stack of bills, and saying, 'Lady! You dropped this."

Instead of leaving her window up, locking all doors, and quickly checking, she rolled down her window. He grabbed her arm, took her purse, and fled. Two accomplices then came from behind and quickly slashed all four of her tires. They then fled also.

Police arrived shortly thereafter. The trio is still at large. The woman was not hurt, but she was badly shaken, lost her purse, inherited a towing bill, and had to buy a new set of tires!

However, she could have just as easily been murdered!"

Comment: VCAs are working in pairs and groups, especially in big towns. Smart ones select victims carefully. Thus women, infirm, and elderly need be particularly observant and careful.

In big towns, with paranoid, power-hungry mayors who invariably have anti-gun agendas, VCAs know that most potential victims are not armed. In states and towns where CCW permits are available, there is currently a rush to get them.

In those places, VCAs can't be quite so smug!

/John