The wit and wisdom of KIPP's right-wing business-titan angel

May 2, 6:59 PMSF Education ExaminerCaroline Grannan

Now, of course I don't think that being a right-wing eccentric should disqualify someone from participating in civic life, engaging in philanthropy, attempting to reshape public education, criticizing the president, or other types of political or community engagement.

But it's interesting to see who's deeply involved in building an empire of KIPP schools. One of KIPP's financial and business angels is a titan named Leo Linbeck III, whose biography describes him as "CEO of Aquinas Corporation, a company that controls eight values-driven enterprises: construction management, stone and masonry construction, concrete structure construction, strategy consulting, patented products for the construction industry, medical products manufacturing, real estate development, and life science preventure technology development. "

Jesse Alred, a veteran Houston teacher whose questions about Teach for America I posted a few days ago, told me about some of Linbeck's interesting nuggets of political wisdom.

"Mr. Linbeck co-founded the Free Enterprise Institute," Alred told me by e-mail. "This group holds well-funded conferences trying to bringing high school teachers together with conservative scholars. I attended one my second year of teaching for the free food, and they were promoting the idea that government intervention contributed to and prolonged the Great Depression." 

Alred shared some Linbeck wit and wisdom with me -- commentary Linbeck has posted on the Belmont Club, an online discussion group of Houston conservatives. It's political commentary, it's free speech and I respect that. Some of it is eye-catching, though.

Should Obama win and enter Washington as Napoleon entered Moscow, the question is how our nation will respond. If we leave our nation to the conquering hero, it will most assuredly burn - figuratively, and perhaps literally as well. ...

Most of us still believe that America truly is a shining city on a hill, and we work hard to preserve this vision in our hearts, our families, our local communities, and our nation.

Admittedly, Obama and his Democrat allies in the Congress can encourage us to abandon our dreams. They can attempt to tax, regulate, and muzzle dissent, hoping to gain more control over us. They can loosen the bindings that tie our fates together, hoping that when left to our own devices we will be too weak to respond to their challenges. They can divide us into castes, and pit one group against another, hoping that our energies will be expended upon each other instead of true reform.

Speaking only for myself, I am preparing not for abandonment, but for a siege. It is inevitable that Democrats, once in total control, will overreach and awaken the spirit of our Founders that lives within the hearts of all true conservatives. At that point, the pushback will come.

But this time, rather than pushing for a takeover of Washington to get our share of the spoils, we must use our power to eliminate the spoils.

http://pajamasmedia.com/richardfernandez/2008/10/21/operation-grand-slam/

The people of the British Isle,
Were known for their wit and guile,
But in a twist tragicomic,
It morphed to Islamic
While its leaders remained in denial."

(worse, the second line above has one too few feet)

The Taliban certainly know
That Obama would sure like to go
So to give him a push
Off the ol’ Hindu Kush
They promise to send him some blow.
 

Here we have a commentary that may hint at Linbeck's passion for reshaping K-12 education:

While it may appear now that the forces of liberty are in retreat, I believe we will see a resergence of true conservative values among the one group that can still learn, and that is large enough to make a difference: the young....So talk to the young. Tell them what you believe. Speak truth to power. Fight the zeitgeist!"

If the President gets his way, it will take a decade to undo the damage. And the ultimate irony is that the people who will suffer most through the period are the very people who put him in office: the poor, the young, and the clueless."

But the impact is coming. Rest assured. If Obama's budget passes, he nationalizes health care, raises taxes on investments, and imposes his environmental religion on the nation, these things will have a massive, long-term effect. Then it will certainly be appropriate to call it the "Obama Economy." Or "Europe" for short. Cheers"

 

When Obama was feeling the heat
He commanded his fellow elite
To follow his plan
But depression began
‘Cause they’re dupes of his fatal conceit.
http://pajamasmedia.com/richardfernandez/2009/02/24/avoiding-the-end-of-the-world/?email=1

There once was a sheikh named Osama
Whose bombs were a source of high drama
When Bush was the chief
He encountered much grief
But he’s hoping for change with Obama."

http://pajamasmedia.com/richardfernandez/2008/10/01/is-americas-day-over/

But what Ayers saw in Obama was simple: a young man of color who was articulate, ambitious, and dedicated to reform. Ayers - the rich, white, unrepentant terrorist - was limited in what he could do. But Obama, well he could go places Ayers couldn’t go, win over people Ayers couldn’t work with, champion issues Ayers couldn’t champion. He was a tool.

http://pajamasmedia.com/richardfernandez/2008/10/04/crossed-paths/

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