Naming A Madison School After Your Child's Next Role Model

While the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) Board plods forward, Vang Pao plots on.

10 men accused of plotting coup in Laos-Hmong exiles in state, retired U.S. colonel allegedly raised money to buy, export arms

The enormity of the crimes is beyond anything I've encountered," Assistant U.S. Attorney Bob Twiss told U.S. Magistrate Judge Kimberly Mueller during a court hearing. "...

...The defendants conspired to murder thousands of people." The men allegedly raised money to buy AK-47s and other automatic weapons, Stinger missiles, anti-tank rockets, Claymore mines, C-4 explosives, ammunition, night-vision goggles and other equipment.

As of last month, the group had agents in the Laotian capital of Vientiane and had drawn up plans for a military strike there, the complaint says.

"The defendants have issued instructions that the mercenary force is to destroy ... government facilities, to reduce them to rubble, and make them look like the results of the attack upon the World Trade Center in New York on Sept. 11, 2001," the complaint says.

Now the board may reconsider the decision to name the new school after Vang Pao. Excuse me? This is the same guy with an already, less that inauspicious past. We can only conclude drug trafficking and summary executions are not a sufficient bar to a school naming.  Take comfort. Arms trafficking and mayhem are. The bar is raised.

There is no question that Vang Pao was an important force in combating Communist oppression.  There is no question that his military leadership delayed the Communist take over of Laos and led to many thousands of families making their way to the Untied States. But that is not his entire record. There are many heroes with checkered and imperfect pasts. There is a balancing that must be achieved in recognizing their achievements. A school named after Vang Pao does not pass any test.

Comments

[dude]

we named our schools after presidents who are less than perfect..with just as much controversies..so i don't know why this is such a big problem

[Chris]

I'm going to propose "Soglin Elementary" :)

[Teresa Doyle]

The reason it is a problem is that education is not to be a commodity in this country but rather the goal of education is to be the ideal.

I propose we name a school after a Hmong person who has contributed to the advancement of the education and integration of the Hmong people in the United States.

Until then, I think the next school should be named after Soglin. Why? Because he supports dialogue, discussion and debate which are the essence of democracy.

I've studied Soglin on and off since I was a kid. Those things have never ceased to exist in him. I don't always agree, but at least he's going to let you say it.

Teresa Doyle

[Steve Vokers]

Can we name it after Gary George? Oh wait...

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=615670

[Steve Vokers]

Can we name it after Gary George? Oh wait...

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=615670

[george hesselberg]

The name: The Ends Justify the Means Elementary School. That ought to cover it, military, business, religion, politics, media.

[Kyaw Htun]

VP is simply a murderer. Just ask the relatives of his victims over the past 30 years or so. I was in Laos in 1975 and in the rural areas the hatred for this killer equals that for Eichmann in Tel Aviv. They described to me what he did. US Special Forces vets are complicit in some of his crimes. They bragged about these. One of them was in the US Embassy in 1997. Disgusting.

[StraightFacts]

VP is not a murderer. The difinition of a Murderer is a person who kills for fun. Think before you say anything. I don't see you doing anything but criticizing people.

[Paul]

I wonder why everybody just don't name the school "Hmong Elementary School". Then everyone can celebrate whatever hmong hero they want. I getting sick and tired of all this debate on what hmong hero it should be named after. America shouldn't be taking sides right now, when they should be realizing that Hmong people are getting slaughtered and their humanitarian rights stripped in Laos, because the Hmong were the allies of America during the Vietnam War. If America wants to help the Hmong the least they can do is brodcast the events happening in Laos and Thailand, by sending in more journalists and seek the truth. It's a dangerous job, but the world will be shock!