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[jay-ell]

oh man that last chick in the video. was her entire speech that vapid and shallow?

Yeah, she was a high schooler complaining about all the "Raleigh people" she has in her suburban school. It was...hard to watch.

There was another student who spoke in favor of diversity. I missed her speech, but part of it is clipped here:

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=7916995

[jay-ell]

Mom just called to tell me that she saw me on the news this morning (a different channel from the one I posted above) and my dad heard a local conservative talk radio host quote me on his show and attack my argument. He said that all the attention Wake County has gotten for its school system is due to "falsified" test scores and graduation rates that are "very misleading." Haven't found a transcript yet to see exactly how badly I was misquoted, but I do know that he only cited me by my first name.

Also, I was quoted in the local newspaper.

I do not think I should be getting this much attention for a two-minute speech. It's making me kind of nervous.

[wombat]

my dad heard a local conservative talk radio host quote me on his show and attack my argument.

You should call the show!

[Nabubrush]

Mom just called to tell me that she saw me on the news this morning (a different channel from the one I posted above) and my dad heard a local conservative talk radio host quote me on his show and attack my argument. He said that all the attention Wake County has gotten for its school system is due to "falsified" test scores and graduation rates that are "very misleading." Haven't found a transcript yet to see exactly how badly I was misquoted, but I do know that he only cited me by my first name.

Hmm, what hatred and venom can I spew today? Ah, here's someone trying to improve things! I can bloviate about this for three hours without including anything substantive, or indeed even truthful! There's another program in the bag!

Seriously, good for you, JL. I feel like I actually know someone famous, and doing good work besides!

[jay-ell]

Gear up to run for a local public office, lady. Your already taking the flak, so why not jump all the way into the fire?

Little known fact: the day I found out I was pregnant with my son, I decided that I would never hold public office. My dad was in local politics when I was little, and while I loved being involved in the process, I swore I would not sacrifice the time I wanted to spend with my kids chasing a political career.

So if anything comes of this -- and a campaign writing gig actually seems fairly likely, given the email exchange I had with the head of the Great Schools in Wake Coalition last night -- I will be very, very conflicted. But I don't think they're going to offer a stay-at-home mom with little political experience a position in the bureaucracy*.

(*Although that's exactly what happened on page 30 of my master's thesis, I don't think Alice K. Leopold's meteoric rise from being president of the PTA in 1948 to being appointed to a federal agency in 1953 couple possibly happen again today.)

[wombat]

-- and a campaign writing gig actually seems fairly likely,

That seems like a really good place to start. Think of all you can learn doing that sort of thing, till your kids get older and you want to do more.

[jay-ell]

JL is too good to use it but imagine the hella sales job a campaign could do with her background and fambly.

Who says I'm too good to use it? I would play the autism card all over the map.

Also, I'm the daughter of a WCPSS teacher, the mother of two WCPSS special-ed kids who have 12 and 15 more years in the system, respectively, and a WCPSS graduate (married to a Wake County native). I'm invested in this school system from small times and for the long haul.

I would totally use every bit of that. Hell, I do marketing -- I'd write the message myself. But, it's naught but vanity to think that it will ever, ever happen -- for starters, I would never, ever, EVER get (or want) a party endorsement, and nonpartisan candidates don't do so hot around here.

That seems like a really good place to start. Think of all you can learn doing that sort of thing, till your kids get older and you want to do more.

This is what I'm hoping for. I would really like to do speechwriting, though that might be overreaching for a start. But it is conceivable that I could spend 3 - 5 hours a week working on a campaign this fall if such an opportunity were available.

This is much more likely to happen since the lady in charge is married to my former MA thesis adviser, who thought I was a good student and frequently complimented my writing. (Ha ha! Fooled him!)

[Choop]

no such thing as working 3 - 5 hours a week on a campaign of any sort

[Nabubrush]

no such thing as working 3 - 5 hours a week on a campaign of any sort

Unlikely to even be working 3-5 hours a day on a campaign.

[jay-ell]

Not my *own* campaign, of course...and not as staff. As a volunteer. I know they take what they can get from anyone who's willing to help out for free -- when I was eight I got recruited to canvass neighborhoods for my dad on Saturdays.

We'll see where it goes. I'm too tired to think about it tonight -- I just crapped out six product descriptions and my brain is done for the day.

[Nabubrush]

I just crapped out six product descriptions

This ability will serve you in good stead when it comes to political campaigns.

[arkabee]

And if you can have people sing the Precious Roy theme from Sifl and Ollie afterwards, you know, icing on the cake.

priceless