I have been positively impressed with Thomas Friedman’s words and ideas ever since I became acquainted with his writing about five years ago. I have found that he thinks and writes quite clearly. I regret to report that he has just provided evidence that forces me to acknowledge that his work is not always as clear and thoughtful as I used to think. Please consider his analysis of federal education “reform” under Presidents Obama and Bush in a column published in the October 20 The New York Times. It seems to be based on fantasy, falsehoods and a complete misunderstanding of the relationship between (a) infant and child development and (b) K-12 education. Friedman seems to think that K-12 teachers can somehow “fix” the developmental injuries inflicted on children by life in inadequate households. He seems to have abandoned his marvelous analytical and critical skills when it comes to what politicians and pundits call school “reform.” The result is nonsense.