There's more than Russlynn Ali's pledge to root out seven-year-old misogynists that's dubious about the federal anti-bullying conference and it is the federal anti-bullying conference. Here is an example of the devil operating in the aggregate. One need not be some intransigent hard-ass to see the inherent wrongheadedness of this two-day, government conference, which, said Education Secretary Arne Duncan, resulted from ?months of unprecedented collaboration and hard work across federal agencies? now ready to make ?a sustained commitment to address and reduce bullying.? Asked Duncan: ?Why have these agencies not come together for a federal summit on bullying before today?? Perhaps because they never before thought to devote ?months of unprecedented collaboration and hard work? to policing the nation's fifth-grade toughs? A fellow from the Anti-Defamation League was in the conference crowd and told a reporter from the Christian Science Monitor that Uncle Sam had not spent nearly enough money on anti-bullying measures and programming.* Actually, however much was spent just in preparation for the first Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention Summit is too much.
* One realizes that the Anti-Defamation League has a certain hobby-horse to ride, but uttered as it?was when the federal government is blowing billions upon billions in the midst of a recession, can this claim really receive any response but bemused, sorrow-tinged laughter?
?Liam Julian