Today I had a student tell me that High Schools don't correct for grammar!

[Coventina]

I was going on over a paper with a student....

When I pointed out his use of "there" when it should have been "their" he was dumbfounded that it was considered an error.

He said, "High school doesn't count down for that."

WTAF?

I said, "Well, in college it is an error."

He also complained that I did not consider "your" as an acceptable variant of "you're".

I told him to go ahead and write "you are" so he would know the difference!

What in the name of all that's holy is going on in high school English classes?!?!?!?!?

[msongs]

1. texting, online posting. adding apostrophe requires shift key so just drop them.

goes faster

[Coventina]

3. But, he was telling me that in high school classes these are not considered errors.

So what are they teaching in high school English classes?

[obamanut2012]

25. He isn't telling the truth

Unless he was "unschooled," yes, they do teach this, and they do mark these as errors.

[Nay]

35. Your student is a bullshit artist. Of course they are errors in HS. Now, that

doesn't mean that most students actually LEARN these differences, but that's a different subject altogether.

[Bettie]

47. My son who graduated last year learned this

my Senior (another son) knows this.

And my 5th grader knows this.

Some of the homeschooled kids don't.

[BigmanPigman]

2. Geez, my First Graders knew the difference

between your/you're, by/ bye/ by, they're/there/their, to/too/two, etc. High School kids must be getting lazy with spell checks on all the social media abbreviations.

[Coventina]

4. But, he was telling me that in high school classes these are not considered errors!

So what is being taught in high school English classes?

[BigmanPigman]

21. I'll have to ask my neighbor, he teaches High School.

[Caliman73]

97. My son graduated in 2012

He took Grammar in 9th grade, then Literature classes for the English requirement the other 3 years. He wrote papers for Lit, History, and Psychology classes he took in high school. Grammar was graded on all of his papers to the best of my recollection.

Perhaps the student had an English teacher that was a poor teacher.

[AllaN01Bear]

29. the misuse of the word t/too/two, etc is my main pet peeve on the interent. drives me crazyer.

thanks for teaching your first graders the coorect way.

[BigmanPigman]

34. I hope they kept using it correctly as they got older.

If you don't repeat lessons throughout the years they forget very quickly. If Middle School teachers don't require it in writing then they will forget how to use it.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

81. "to". "crazier". "correct" not "coorect". Sentences need an initial capital letter. . . . nt

[WhiskeyGrinder]

5. It's possible his high school *did* correct for that; he said it didn't "count down" for that.

So it may have been marked, but he didn't incorporate the correction because he didn't lose points on it.

[Coventina]

10. He actually said to me, "I've been doing this for 18 years, why do I have to change now?"

I wanted to say, "So you don't look like an uneducated moron!"

[WhiskeyGrinder]

13. Eh, incorrect grammar isn't always a sign of being uneducated.

There are lots of forms of knowledge, too.

[Coventina]

16. Sorry, but those kinds of errors scream "stupid" at me. n/t

[WhiskeyGrinder]

19. You've made that very clear.

[Paka]

31. After 79 years on Planet Earth...

I absolutely agree with you. I accept there are many types of knowledge, but basic grammer is top on the list of nessessary when it comes to simple evidence of learning.

[PatrickforO]

52. Indeed. You can lose credibility really fast if you begin

using there for their or two for too. No doubt. Another thing that will 'get you' is cursing. Oh, I know it has become passe to drop the f-bomb or casually refer to someone as a m-f-bomb, but it is not good. It is not cool. It is ignorant. That's why I never refer to Trump as Drumf or the Republicans as Rethuglicans.

[Celerity]

65. grammar, not grammer nt

[Paka]

70. Thanks, my fingers don't always work right!

[Celerity]

77. Yw!

Cheers

[Bernardo de La Paz]

82. Not paying attention to elementary details IS a very bad sign. . . . nt

[smirkymonkey]

93. +1000

[lapfog_1]

6. The written word isn't all that important anymore

Just as typing more or less eliminated cursive writing, computers eliminating accurate typing, AI is going to eliminate writing.

English was always a pain anyway... is "live" l (long I) ve or l (short I) ve... they are spelled exactly the same and you have to know the context "Live... From New York" or "I will live to fight grammar wars another day"

Anyway, yes, grammar is quickly becoming lost... you wouldn't believe the number of emails I get on a routine basis from corporate executives that use there instead of their or many other similar errors.

Sigh

[Generic Other]

50. Years ago I got a letter from Senator Slade Gorton

A Republican, of course. The letter was a mess. I corrected the sentences and returned it to his office. I was particularly mad as he was introducing legislation to censor the internet. I told him a man who didn't have the ability to proofread a letter should not be trying to legislate what citizens could read or write online.

I still correct error-ridden letters sent to me and return to sender. I also add possessive apostrophes on signs at the grocery store. Me and my sharpie.

[fescuerescue]

94. That probably really annoyed his aides

he wrote the letter and read your response.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

7. Also, just because this happened at his high school doesn't mean it happens at all high schools.

[Coventina]

15. It shouldn't happen at *any* high school! n/t

[TreasonousBastard]

8. Try to show him sentence diagramming...

Actually, I think a big problem is with the lack of structure in English. Unlike Romance and Germanic languages, we consider word placement in a sentence to be more important than tense or gender.

And too damn many people consider fluidity in the language to be an end in itself. That's something I blame squarelyu on my fellow liberals.

[snpsmom]

17. Piles of research show

that’s not an effective way to teach grammar.

[Poiuyt]

45. I used to be a professional grant writer, but I have no idea how to diagram a sentence

I probably was able to in grade school but not now.

[dawg day]

78. Diagramming a sentence isn't an end in itself-- it's a lesson--

That you are able to write professionally now might have something to do with what you learned about sentences-- what should go first, what should be emphasized, where the adverb should go-- when you learned to diagram. No one pays you to diagram a sentence, but I bet they pay you to write effective and persuasive sentences... and yeah, diagramming helps teach that.

[Farmer-Rick]

107. Oh..... groan....I never, ever understood sentence diagrams.

Yet, I am a decent writer and have had several short stories published.

I understand grammer. I just never understood the purpose or even the logic behind sentence diagrams.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

108. Maybe a ship's wright can't write how to set the ship right, but ...

... he nose hoo is two blame when the dam thing leeks.

[TreasonousBastard]

67. I know-- I was just being a punk there.

[dawg day]

76. Well, I am a professional editor, and all my colleagues speak nostalgically about diagramming

We are all really good at grammar, and we all thought sentence diagramming really helped.

Why? Well, diagramming sentences teach you what parts of speech are important in a sentence. But more important, this teaches HOW the nouns and verbs can be used in a sentence. For example, a noun can be a subject of the action (verb), or the object of it.

It helps the writer understand that a "noun phrase" can be all sorts of things and still be a "noun" -- (subject or object)-- whether it's a gerund or a participle or an adjective-noun or an infinitive.

Most important, it veers away from "rules" to show what syntax is-- how words can join to form a sentence.

It's f-ing invaluable.

I actually taught this in a college composition class, and the students loved it. They'd never seen a good graphic expression of how a sentence works. It unlocks a whole new way to view sentences -- how words and phrases connect to make meaning.
(I love it. Okay. I admit it. I am fulfilled.)

[obamanut2012]

27. It has been proven diagramming does not effectively teach grammar

Sentence structure, etc.

[TreasonousBastard]

68. I know-- I was just being a punk there.

[pnwmom]

66. That's helpful for some, but not for many. And it won't help at all with "their" vs. "they're"

vs. "there."

[TreasonousBastard]

69. I know-- I was just being a punk there.

[pnwmom]

71. My daughter actually loved sentence diagramming.

She was a math lover who took Calculus in 10th grade, but sentence diagramming was the first thing in an English class that she enjoyed.

She's the only one I know who felt that way, however.

[TreasonousBastard]

72. I found it fascinating, and it kind of focused you on the structure of a sentence...

but it seemed largely useless. Try diagramming poetry.

The thing is, if you're going to break the rules properly, you have to know the rules first.

[pnwmom]

73. There's another way to learn the rules, which I found much more enjoyable.

I read good books for fun.

[TreasonousBastard]

74. That works.

[MontanaMama]

9. I was shocked that my kiddo got away with

basic spelling and language usage errors in middle school such as your, you’re, their, they’re and there, to, too and two. etc. All three years of his ELA courses there were no grading penalties for those types of mistakes. I would point them out when I proofed his homework but if I missed an opportunity to look his work over before he turned it in, I noticed his teachers didn’t take off points for those mistakes. He’s a freshman in high school now and I’m looking forward to seeing if it will be different. My mother used to dock my allowance for errors like that!

[Turin_C3PO]

11. My mom is a high school English teacher

and teaches grammar. She also said grammar counts in essay papers in history and science classes, etc. So I’m not sure that’s correct that high schools aren’t teaching it. Maybe a few are like that but I’m sure the majority teach proper English.

[hlthe2b]

12. Oh heavens. Don't get me started.

I used to work with Master's Degree candidates interning with me and was absolutely appalled that they could not write at all. Not only was poor grammar and spelling a tremendous issue, but defining basic concepts seemed nearly impossible. Early on, I found myself doing so much work that I was basically re-writing everything for them. I finally wised up and made them submit a writing sample before I would take them on.

Social media and twitter are only going to make things worse.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

38. I used to teach a couple of college courses,

and the quality of some of the students' writing was amazingly bad. It did make me wonder what they'd been taught in high school.

[Tipperary]

75. I have seen evidence of that right here.

Pretty regularly.

[snpsmom]

14. There's no way for me to know

what happened in the high school your student attended, however, where I teach, grammar is both explicitly taught and it is marked.

[IcyPeas]

20. diagramming sentences is a dying art...

the nuns made us do it

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

37. Now do it in the original German.

Als Gregor Samsa eines Morgens aus unruhigen Träumen erwachte, fand er sich in seinem Bett zu einem ungeheueren Ungeziefer verwandelt.

[eppur_se_muova]

46. Maybe it's not the idea, but the presentation/symbols that needs more work.

It's anything but obvious that the original sentence started with "as", or that the lower phrase preceded the upper one.

When the symbols get too complicated, they no longer serve the goal of clarity. Time to start over.

[Farmer-Rick]

109. The logic of that is beyond me.

It looks like someone playing around with words and lines. Even the beginning is moved around to appear as if it is the ending.

I failed that part of English class.

[TidalWave46]

22. I believe the person was being dishonest.

You mention that they are at least 18. I’m assuming a senior. Public schools correct for these things across courses.

[obamanut2012]

30. +1

[obamanut2012]

24. Yes, high schools do teach this, and correct this

And mark down for this. This student either attended a low-performing and horrible HS, 9is lying to you to not look like an idiot, was a bad student then and still is.

[struggle4progress]

26. I've heard plenty of BS from students over the years

[Coventina]

28. I guess I never figured students would try to lie their way out of grammatical errors.

[struggle4progress]

32. I teach math. I'm amazed at some of the nonsense I've heard

[obamanut2012]

84. Your student is not telling the truth

[Ms. Toad]

33. It depends on the high school

I think correcting for grammar is more universal now, but the high school I taught at throug the 80s did not.

They figured (1) that's not really a high school problem - grammar should have been taught earleir, and (2) didn't want to put barriers up that might discourage students from writing, and the amount of red ink that would be used to correct grammar (rather than the content) would be too discouraging.

But - this is the same school system that never failed any student without the parents' consent until 9th grade. So we had half of the high school in teh 9th grade due to repeated failures (the first level at which no parental consent was needed.

[Coventina]

36. Good gawd! No wonder the US is falling behind the rest of the globe.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

39. I don't know if it's changed in recent years,

but not so long ago foreign language teachers at all levels complained that they had to teach English grammar to the students as well as the grammar of the language they were teaching.

[a la izquierda]

87. Well I can tell you that history professors have to teach grammar as well.

I have to carefully explain why writing about a dead person and their actions must be done in the past tense. "Porfirio Diaz takes land away from peasants." No. He's been dead for 104 years. He can't "do" anything anymore.
And my students get pissed when I mark for grammar, because "you're not an English teacher."

[Golden Raisin]

40. An entire generation of young people is now used to

text/chat/message/emoji rules, not academic, proper English grammar rules. I still find it hard to believe the high school didn't correct the egregious examples given here by this student. Is this kid home-schooled?

[lettucebe]

41. When my son started college I was shocked by his bad grammar

and he said basically the same thing. He said if it was an English class, then yes, they would correct for grammar, but a class on geography, no, because they are interested in the answer based on the content (and grammar is not in their wheelhouse).

I was shocked but by the time he graduated he wrote really well so somehow his grammar improved

[madamesilverspurs]

42. Sad, ain't it?

When I went back to school in the mid '90s I did work/study for one of my professors, and my first real task was grading a stack of essays. To say the least, it was damned horrifying. Spelling skills were rare, and some of the papers had no punctuation other than the period at the end. The use of homophones was nightmarish; war for wore, plain for plane, sure for shore, etc. I finally had to read one paper aloud in order to get the gist of what the student was trying to say; as it happens, she did understand the subject, but her writing skills could not convey that knowledge.

The prof said that he was uncomfortable penalizing grammar and such, but he also realized that, somewhere along the line, these kids had been failed by their schools. We decided to talk with each student about the problem and then directed them to the writing lab at the library; we told them that marked improvement would significantly raise their grades by the end of the term. A couple of them didn't understand why we were making such a big deal out of it, and instead of giving them a long lecture on the importance of good communication skills we just pointed out that the university required a passing grade on an English essay exam in order to receive a diploma -- no passing grade, no diploma, four years be damned.

It all served as a very potent reminder of the moment I left the Republican party, when William Bennett announced the intention of the Reagan administration to begin defunding public education. I hadn't voted the party line in years, but that action booted my butt right out the door. In November of '16 it seemed that the outcome of the election proved the dumbing down of the population thanks to that Reagan policy.

[exboyfil]

43. I was fortunate to always have been in Honors English

classes. While I majored in Engineering in college, my high school English classes were the ones that prepared me most for college (I graduated high school in 1981). I had one semester in a regular English class in my sophomore year (I had transferred and was not placed in the Honors class). I was shocked at how poor the students were and how unprepared the teacher was (a very nice woman). I was probably in the bottom 30% in my Honors English class (these were tremendous students - many are now lawyers).

[bullwinkle428]

44. Could it be...TRUMP UNIVERSITY?

[leftyladyfrommo]

48. I see those mistakes all the time on FB.

There are posts with no punctuation at all or Too, to, two ; they're. there, their; seperate; your, you're, yours are all commonly mixed up.

Sometimes I can't figure out what they mean at all and I live here and hear it all the time.

And around here it's " I seen that. " or " I have saw that ."

There are lots of people who can speak perfect English but slide into dialect in casual conversation.

I love to hear regional Arkansas dialect. It's very soft and beautuful.

[3catwoman3]

49. I confess to being a spelling/ usage/grammar/punctuation nerd...

...and slovenly writing makes me nuts. Along with all the problems already mentioned her, my jaw clenches at all the variations of "Me and her went to the store."

No one ever does it wrong in the singular (Me went to the store/ her went to the store) so why is it so difficult to get it right in the plural?

And putting apostrophes after everything that ends in an "s."

And, I am hearing more and more people make a possessive out of I - "John and I's vacation." Jesus H!

I enjoy reading some fan fiction (Poldark and Downton Abbey) on line, and there are some pretty decent story tellers to be found, but some of the language misuse is really dreadful. I don't think the writers realize how much this detracts from their work.

My older son is a very accomplished writer. While he was in college, one of his professors urged him to become a Certified Writing Fellow, and work at the campus writing center, which he did pursue. He was quite proud of that.

[kskiska]

56. Another: "Myself and John went to the store."

[benld74]

51. NOT in our kids HS,,,

[Collimator]

53. Colin Jost on SNL's Weekend Update made a joke.

He was correcting a Trump tweet, apologized for being a Grammar Nazi, then pointed out that Trump likes at least one of those things.

BTW. I claim the title of ultimate, sad, grammar nerd. I know the real name for this symbol: /--which is called a "slash" in American English and a "stroke" in British English.

I'm feeling kind of tired right now, so please feel free to correct any grammar mistakes in this post.

Oh, and the actual name for the " / " symbol is virgule. It is also the answer to the question: Why doesn't Collimator ever get invited to parties?

[bullwinkle428]

55. I literally collapsed to the floor laughing over the "grammar Nazi" joke!!

[dawg day]

54. "I won't believe everything he says about you, if you don't believe everything he says about ME."

I've had students tell me all sorts of nutso things about what they weren't taught in high school or didn't matter in high school. One went to high school with my kids, and I knew he was lying (or "misremembering" what he was taught but never learned).

Wait till you tell him that in college, contractions are frowned upon. "What's a contraction?"

[Iggo]

58. "...contractions are frowned upon."

That one pissed me off.

Still, the whole point of that class was to prep us for the Common Writing Final.

And prep'd I was.

[dawg day]

79. Oh, I don't like that contraction rule either. I always say, if it was good enough for Shakespeare..

However, one of the things I want to teach students is audience awareness-- and there's always some professor they'll encounter who will have a Henry James attitude towards contractions. "These are not allowed!"

I work with a lot of ESL (English is Second Language) students, who often write quite well, compared to native speakers. But the one thing we native speakers get right-- even if we get subject/verb agreement and case wrong-- is articles. We automatically use the/a right. Automatically. We put the "the" and the "a" in and we're right, even if not one of us could explain why we used "the" here and "a" there.

So here I have this ESL student who writes cogently and logically, develops a solid case, and even constructs complex sentences... but as almost any non-native speaker would do, occasionally drops an article or uses "a" when we'd use "the".

And their marketing professor will notice this one tiny aspect to declare that this student's paper is "unreadable".

I always tell the student that as irrational as the article is in English, perfect use of this is an example of fluency, and it's something they might want to get right as they revise.

Am I being unreasonable? No, I'm preparing them for another unreasonable professor who does not understand how unusual articles are in other languages.

Reality bites sometimes.

[ProudLib72]

57. My dear Coventina,

This is exactly why I dropped down from college to middle school. When (if) they ever make it to your class, you will be pleasantly surprised.

One girl in my class misused "there," and I circled it every damned time. Then I wrote an explanation at the bottom of the page. I'm not sure if she read it, but I'm trying. I think the issue is that most public school teachers are just thrilled to get anything from their students that they forgive all the errors.

[Permanut]

59. So the punctuation conventions change with time..

Especially when our esteemed leaders find new ways to express themselves.

For example, now it is acceptable to use "they-re" for "they're", and "you-re" for "you're".

Not sure it's in the textbooks yet. Or is it "it-s"?

[Coventina]

60. It's certainly not acceptable in my class!

[Permanut]

61. Just taking another jab at Mango Mussolini..

I should have used the sarcasm tag!

[Coventina]

63. Mango Mussolini! That's good!!

[onecaliberal]

62. Not in our schools system. I don't know how he wrote an essay for college admission.

[GulfCoast66]

64. I'm glad back in the day I did not have to write an essay!

My grammar is good and my father, being a professional editor, taught me to use as few words as necessary.

But despite the fact my leaders at work often have me craft their writing, I have two huge problems!

My spelling is horrible. I was raised in the generation when learning phonics was considered wasteful. We were not taught it.

And I’m impulsive. I don’t proof read what I write well enough. So while I am liked for my ability express thoughts in writing I’m sloppy in doing so.

More often than not I edit something I post on DU immediately because I find an error.

But that said I am a science graduate and always knew I would study science. I never took Language Studies seriously enough.

[NCLefty]

83. A young woman on a late show was asked which ocean Hawaii was in...

She replied, "Couldn't you have asked me a pop culture question?"

This was on James Corden's show last week or so.

But yeah... we're doomed. :p

[MineralMan]

89. "Do you want the name of a spacific ocean?"

"That's to hard."

[Caliman73]

98. You can find many of those "person on the street" compilations online.

It is sad that so many people make such silly errors. The bright side is that the shows that do those compilations probably interview dozens of people and end up with maybe 10 or so who give the really dumb answers, or who don't know basic questions like which ocean Hawaii is in.

[Chemisse]

85. The mindset that grammar is not important.....

starts in the Elementary Schools. Not sure if it has changed but 20 years ago was the "Inventive Spelling" approach was the rage.

[Sunsky]

86. The student saying it is so, doesn't make it true.

The student was probably trying to garner sympathy and an improved grade. My child just began HS and that is definitely not his experience.

[a la izquierda]

88. My nephew just started university.

On day 1 he panicked, realizing that he hadn't been taught to write a history paper properly. He's a smart kid, so I pointed him to a few websites and told him to go talk to his professor, go to the writing center, etc., and that it would be fine. Grammar and writing are like any other skill. They can be learned and with practice, one can get better at it.

I have university students who use "ur" in emails to me (along with IDK- once I got an email that said "Hey, IDK WTF is wrong with me today but I'm sick&quot . I tell them I will not respond to text messages disguised as emails. I'm not their bro. Sometimes if I tell them to treat me like their boss (only in regards to email exchanges) that tends to get them thinking about how they email me.

[Codeine]

90. I assure you high schools correct for grammar.

My kids both write properly, even in texts, because they have been taught to do so in their public schools.

[Ms. Toad]

99. That means you have knowledge of

8 public schools, at most (assuming each child went to a different school, you moved every year, and your high schools included th e9th grade).

My knowledge is limited to 3 high schools (mine, my daughter's, and the one I taught at). I can assure you from that experience that not all high schools correct for grammar. In the high school I taught at for more than a decade, the formal policy was not to correct for grammar or speling errors.

The school district had several policies I did not agree with, but they did exist - and the English teachers followed them.

[MineralMan]

91. Well, it could be that your student had a teacher who let that stuff slide.

If that's the case, then your student is making a logical error in assuming that every teacher is like his teacher.

My answer would be something like, "The real world doesn't care what your high school teacher told you. That's irrelevant. Pay attention."

[malaise]

92. And this is a global problem

Sadly some of the people teaching English in high schools across the globe don't know the language - it's heartbreaking.

[Pacifist Patriot]

95. My three boys (recent college grad, college freshman, and HS junior)...

went to two different public high schools. Not only were they knocked down for grammar and spelling in their English classes, but also in any other course that had a written component to it.

[CTyankee]

96. There are assholes everywhere. You just got one that unfortunately is one of your students.

is there a textbook that he can consult if he doesn't believe you? I think there is a manual of good English usage. when I was in high school and college a gazillion years ago there were a couple of manuals on Good American usage. I recommend that you get one for your desk so you can point to chapter and verse, black and white. See what happens.

[redstatebluegirl]

100. Welcome to the world of college students who live on their phones texting and watching videos.

You cannot write well if you don't read and the only written communication you have is in some weird shorthand. I had a student ask me to give them feedback on their resume and cover letter. The cover letter was a page long paragraph, no commas impossible to read. The resume was full of errors like the ones you talk about along with over 40 spelling errors.

I am at a loss to explain this except to say they were clearly failed by the "teaching by the test" that is required now in High School.

[lonely bird]

101. My wife teaches Physics

And she most certainly corrects their grammar on lab reports.

[Politicub]

102. Someone is pulling your leg

Sounds like a silly excuse the student made up as to not get penalized for the error.

[CRK7376]

103. I can't vouch for the high school

English departments, but this high school History teacher corrects grammar errors on the spot with kids and on their papers.

[Tracer]

104. It is part of my job to proofread.

I don't claim to be a grammar expert and have trouble figuring out whether to use a colon, a semi-colon or just a comma in certain sentences. But I can spell.

It has been a long time since I saw the inside of a high school classroom, but I come HERE every day.

There are posters on DU that I don't bother to read because of their awful writing style. People whose cap key seems to be broken, who can't break up a page-long paragraph into readable sections, who haven't a clue about spelling, and who type 2 inch long sentence fragments separated by random explosions of periods.

This is a shame. Maybe these people have something interesting, intelligent or topical to write about, but I'll never find out.

I can forgive some mis-spellings if it is an obvious typo, but when the mistake is regularly repeated it is annoying because it shows that the writer doesn't care to learn.

[Coventina]

105. There was a poster (no longer here) that I actually put on ignore.

Her posts were so atrociously hard to read that they drove me crazy.

She was the only person I have ever put on ignore.

Clarity matters.

On edit: I have to take that back. I currently have one other member on ignore, because their sig line grosses me out.

[Lulu KC]

106. Yes, it is true

Our last child graduated from high school in 2017. It was one of many things I found chilling about her academic experience at a fairly highly rated high school.

The other one that blew my mind was when I told her AP history teacher that I thought she and her friends were cheating and that she didn't really learn what he was trying to teach her, since she did well on tests but when I asked her casual questions she looked like she didn't recognize any of the words. He said, "Yes, they all cheat, but they're all learning." At that point, I realized I'd gone through the looking glass. Much the same feeling as when I read that the secretary of state will ignore subpoenas.