Principals Revolt? Or not...

Bob Moses

I'm taking part in a great event, "Youth Organizing For Social Justice -- Then and Now", at DePaul Student Center this evening. Bob Moses, 60s Civil Rights leader and founder of the Algebra Project, will interact with participants and discuss the significance of the 50th anniversary of Freedom Summer, describing what actually happened, and its implications for America's future. Bob will also be the commencement speaker at DePaul's College of Education graduation ceremony tomorrow morning at the Rosement Theater in Rosemont.

PRINCIPALS REVOLT?...Some friends tell me I'm overstating the case by calling it a Chicago "principals revolt" when only a handful are daring to speak out (See Melissa Sanchez and Sarah Karp's excellent series in Catalyst). They may be right. Maybe listening to Blaine's forthright leader Troy LaRiviere, Gresham's Diedrus Brown and a courageous few others, ripping CPS' plantation culture has left me in a state of delirium. I should probably take a cold shower and tone it down a bit. But I have reason to believe there's a lot more of this, churning just below the surface.

I also happen to know that the growing principal ferment has got Rahm acting all conciliatory and Byrd-Bennett and her damage-control team at Clark St. scrambling to stomp out the sparks before they ignite a full-blown prairie fire. After last night's secret meeting with Principal Assoc. leaders, look for BBB to finally offer principals an overdue pay-increase, apart from the private foundation bonus money currently handed out to the worthy few, and throw some other goodies principals' way. Let's see if that quiets things down for a while.

BTW we haven't heard much from Rahm's attack-dog consultant John Kupper since the Little Emperor made him publicly apologize for his verbal assault on CPA. Pres. Clarice Berry. After all, Kupper was hired to collect negatives on County Board Pres. Toni Preckwinkle to dissuade her from running against Rahm next year, not stirring up the normally passive CPA.

The "fall of Saigon" April 29, 1975

AFTER THE FALL...One line in this morning's N.Y. Times report on Iraq evoked memories of the "fall of Saigon" nearly 40 years ago.

Since then the militants seem to have been emboldened by the capture of American-supplied military equipment left behind by government forces as they withdrew.

This was all too predictable when Bush and the neocons (with support from Clinton and the Democrats) invaded Iraq 11 years ago. Remember, WMDs? al-Qeada? They weren't there then, but they are now. Almost 5,000 American servicemen and women dead. Over 110,000 Iraqis (officially, maybe a million unofficially) killed. An estimated $2 trillion in war costs leading directly to the Great Recession and the global financial collapse, as well as the near destruction of our public school system...need I go on?