Sad, yes. Another case of opening mouth and inserting foot. I used to take a New Mexico magazine and the back page was called "One of our 50 is missing". It had to do with people being ignorant that New Mexico was indeed a state in the United States. Lots of short comments about people trying to buy a stamp and being told it was a foreign country and needed extra postage!! Do they not teach geography in school any more? It was my favorite subject.

We were joking when I was in Hawaii about people who go there and ask about the conversion rate of U.S. dollars to Hawaiian dollars-lol.

I lived in New Mexico for a few years. We had trouble getting a hotel through the 1-800 number one night because the operator didn't book rooms for people out of the country. When we moved here to the Tulsa area, I was quizzed about the poor people living in stick huts. New Mexico has a brand of poverty that is a bit different from people living here. The poor people there are still much 'richer' than the poor I saw living on the other side of the border.

I don't think it is at all clear that she is actually saying that AZ is not on the border with Mexico. She's from Minnesota.... they would be discussing whether or not MN should have a bill similar to AZ. I think she is saying that MN is not on the border with Mexico & they don't have the same immigration problems as does TX & AZ.

That's what happens when snippets of statements are taken out of context.... people can be made to look stupid. That's the goal in this vid, imo.... look @ the title as well as the www site on it..... very biased.

I did have a friend (well educated, I might add) that on her first visit to Chicago, stood on the shores of Lake Michigan & said, "I didn't know there was an ocean next to Chicago!" She admits.... geography is not a strong point for her.

Bee, I thought that might possibly be the reason also. But if you listen to it, they are discussing Arizona's law... she is definitely speaking of Arizona, she even talks of Arizona's governor. As the gentleman at the end states, he wants to assure everyone that Arizona does indeed share a border with Mexico. The meeting is about Arizona's new law... nothing to do with Minnesota's law.

Kat's right, I listened to her entire statement. She was talking about Arizona.

Pretty sad. She tried to back pedal later and say she meant Texas shares a LONGER border with Mexico than Arizona does. That is definitely NOT what she said.

You're right she was referring to the AZ border. Her words & sentence structure were choppy. She also said that there are "already national guard troops on the border in AZ". .That conflicts with the idea that she doesn't know about the AZ/ MX border.Given her heritage, I'll guess that she & her family are quite familiar with that border. Kinda reminds me of the big "too-do" of a high profile former gov. calling Africa a country. People make misstatements & then there is made much ado about nothing.

When I was stationed at Dover, AFB, DE many years ago I had problems when I'd call information.

I'd ask for a phone listing in Delaware, or call 800-numbers to request catalogs, etc., the operators would often say "what state is that in?"

"Delaware."

"Yes; but what state is that in?"

Yep; here's your sign.

Haven't watched the video yet -- I'll do that in a minute or two, but I wanted to post the link to this online game. It's called Know Your States. Each time you go to it, it starts out with a different state and they appear in a different order each time. But it's a great way to learn which states are where. A good online educational game for kids and adults.

Here is a link that might be useful: Know Your States

The crazy part is ...

... that they ain't no water in AZ - but people keep movin' there! (My daughter included).

Same with CA - and they also have earthquakes to contend with, including the prospect that there may be/probably will be, a major one, soon ...

but people insist on keepin' movin' to there, as well!

Rationality takes a back seat, sometimes.

What a sad thing ... that they report that something like 20% of the people in our countries are functionally illiterate.

ole joyful

Lindsey-Cool game! That should be required for all school age kids (and anyone else!) I wish the states were labeled once you positioned them correctly. I know what my DD will be playing later, and since they give you a score at the end, I'll be trying to beat my best time!

P.S. Why is the state of Maryland so funky shaped? lol

"Same with CA - and they also have earthquakes to contend with, including the prospect that there may be/probably will be, a major one, soon ..."

LOL
ah, but people move to the midwest, and the south... California, Arizona, Washington... etc.. we don't have
"earthquake seasons.. like those other places that have tornado seasons, hurricane seasons, horrible lightening storms

earthquakes are a surprise! ahahahaha

She must be totally embarrassed! That's almost as bad as the President saying he campaigned in 57 states....

I agree Wanda, that was pretty bad too. I don't know exactly where every state is located, but I do know the general area (I did pretty good on the state game above), but Arizona? It's like saying you didn't know California was next to the Pacific Ocean.

Well Wanda you know the old saying....birds of a feather flock together. She's the fresh young new voices of change BO is counting on. LOL Too bad they didn't give her a teleprompter so she could sound smart.

Ms. West isn't from Minnesota. Milwaukee is in Wisconsin.

Here's another map challenge. I love maps and work on some of these in my spare time. This one is also posted over on Hot Topics, but their discussion about Ms. West is nastier than here. Meow.

We should have a party for whoever identifies all the provinces of Afghanistan!

Here is a link that might be useful: If you think high school geography was hard...

It doesn't bother or shock me that someone doesn't know where every state is or even what Arizona, or any state, borders... what bothers me... is that people speak and have strong opinions on matters without doing their homework and research first. Bottom line, if she's there talking about this --she should have known...

Just another example of a politican running their mouth when their brain is on empty!!I watched the entire video and she most definitely talking about Arizona!
By the way, Joyful, we do have water in Arizona. Have you visited the entire state??? Of course, when I see my water bill every month during the summer, I'm convinced that it is liquid gold, not water, pouring forth from those pipes! Bettye/AZ

Hmmm. Politics aside, not everyone has sense enough to get their facts straight before opening their mouth.

I hope she learned never to do that again, and that others will take a lesson.

Lindsey, thanks for the link -- I needed that. Time for me to brush up on US geography!

Exactly Carla! That's the scary thing!

Blessings,
Haley

Kathsgrdn posted this about someone not getting her facts right, and not as a political statement, but of course there are those who just can't seem to help themselves, and have have to turn it political. The sad part is this is a civil forum and there IS a forum where they can vent, called Hot Topics. Sad. JMO Dottie

That was my first thought too Carla.

You would think that would be one of the first lessons you learn when you are in front of the public. If you don't know your facts, don't open your mouth because contrary to what you might believe, it is not neccesary to talk if you don't have anything to say! LOL

I've been biting my tongue, sitting on my fingers.

This woman should have kept her mouth shut, since she hasn't a clue.

But here on this forum - Borders are boundaries between states, provinces, or nations.

Boarders rent a room in your home.

So, glass houses and all of that.

Ok, Mary, so I can't spell anymore. If you want to get technical here, I vaguely remember you aren't supposed to start a sentence with "But" and is your last sentence a full sentence? Sounds like an incomplete thought to me.

Speaking strongly in public about a political issue while not knowing the basic facts is not the same thing as a spelling mistake here... That's exactly the point and why it hurts to watch her!!!

My old computer doesn't handle videos and such very well, but I'm not surprised to hear about this.

I've never forgotten how a new co-worker was told to separate her out-going mail in batches: US mail, Canadian, and foreign. She then asked if Rhode Island was considered foreign mail (and she was serious). lolol

I seriously doubt a spelling mistake on The Garden Web is going to be broadcast all across the world via Youtube.

Could happen, but not likely.

The saddest thing about Miss Wests statement is the reflection it has on our public education system.

Sad.

Gee Mary, I think here at KT the word "border" could ALSO mean:

1.A part that forms the outer edge of something.

2.A decorative strip around the edge of something, such as fabric.

3.A strip of ground, as at the edge of a garden or walk, in which ornamental plants or shrubs are planted.

I guess we ALL have our glass houses. Let's cut each other some slack!

LOL Kath... easy enough to do, whoever posted the video
spelled it with an A also!