WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Rahm at press conference: "I agree with Karen Lewis..."

Karen Lewis

"It's just that simple, it's not rocket science, it's negotiations. Nobody's going to be happy, completely happy, with the outcome," she said. "They're going to have to give a little, we have to give a little. That's what contract negotiations are, but we're doing fairly well." -- Chicago Tribune

Forrest Claypool on stalled negotiations with CTU

"Our priority is not saving money by a week or two paying teachers. Our priority is to allow the current union negotiation process to come to a positive conclusion, and so buying time is the prudent thing to do in that regard." -- Tribune

 Lobbyist on Rauner's failed Chicago takeover attempt

"It's like taking kids away from the junkie mother and giving them to the alcoholic father." -- POLITICO

Sheriff Tom Dart

 “Lutheran provides essential services to the very people government is supposed to care for in times of distress. For the Governor to allow these programs to wither way is simply deplorable. Without Lutheran’s diversion programs, my Cook County Jail population will rise, costing taxpayers significantly more in both the short-term and long-term.” -- CBS

Kent Redfield

“Frankly, as much of a public presence as [Diana Rauner] had in the last year, she might as well have been in the Witness Protection Program.” -- CBS

Chicagoans march for Bernie

Greg Sargent, Plum Line blogger

Sanders is not arguing that the sheer force of persuasion can win over Republicans to compromise, a key element of Obama’s promise of transformation. -- Washington Post

Sarah Palin (after the teleprompter froze)

 'The man can only ride you when your back is bent,' she said, as audience members looked at each other quizzically. 'So strengthen it! Then the man can't ride you, America won't get taken for a ride, because so much is at stake.' -- Daily Mail

Don't ask kids what they want to be when they grow up (career.) Ask them what problem they want to solve (lifelong learners!) #educon

— Jaime Casap (@jcasap) January 24, 2015

Someone should interview Rauner's clout kid. She's an adult now. Wonder how she feels about the kid who didn't get in Payton because of her.

— Beachwood Reporter (@BeachwoodReport) January 24, 2016

Gen. Tata led the efforts to re-segregate Wake County schools. But now...

Gen. Tata with his pal Palin. 

Remember Brigadier Gen.Tony Tata?

He was fast friends with Sarah Palin and Michelle Rhee's second in command in D.C. who then became the superintendent who led the school re-segregation initiative in Wake County, North Carolina.

For some reason, it became trendy a few years ago, to appoint former generals and colonels as school leaders. We did it here in Chicago when Rahm Emanuel appointed Marine Col. Tim Tyrrell and paid him $180,000/year to run his mass school-closing operation. Tyrrell also was charged with selling or finding new uses for closed school buildings, a project that so far has failed miserably.

BUT BACK TO TATA...After mass protests by the NAACP and court actions, the school board finally was forced to fire Tata. But he was then appointed by Tea Party fave, Gov. Pat McCrory to head of the State Dept. of Transportation.

Col. Tyrrell resigned in January.

It was Tata’s credentials as military man that helped him land the superintendent's job and become state transportation secretary, and the retired general continues to trade on his military experience as a TV news commentator and the author of action thrillers. But it turns out, Tata’s Army career included phony court order, at least 2 affairs, according to the News&Observer.

After Tata decided in June 2008 to retire from the Army, Pentagon officials were still asking questions about a mysterious, phony court document he had given investigators in 2007. An Army probe found that Tata had committed adultery with “at least two” women during his career, court and military records show. The adultery complaint against Tata involved affairs with three women and a son born out of wedlock.

Tata resigned as Department of Transportation secretary suddenly in July, citing the needs of his family and the demands of his burgeoning side career. He said he was considering a run for Congress.

According to Army investigators rejected Tracy Tata’s complaint that her ex-husband had failed to meet his court-ordered obligation to support their daughter, based on evidence in the general’s favor -- a court order that criticized Tracy for willfully burdening Tony with medical bills that “need not have been incurred at all” because Brooke qualified for free military health care.

But this court order turned out to be a fake. Military and court officials agreed later that someone had forged the signatures of two lawyers and the Georgia judge.

It remains a mystery.

Tyrell resigned from CPS in January to pursue an unspecified "opportunity in public service."

WEEKEND QUOTABLES

NEA Pres.-Elect Lily Eskelsen García

As educators, we believe in good testing. Almost every student in America will confirm that most teachers are neither strangers to, nor enemies of, tests. But great teachers know the difference between tests that help students and tests that harm students. -- AJC

President Obama

The United States is not going to be the air force of Iraqi Shiites or any other faction... And because Israel is so capable militarily, I don’t worry about Israel’s survival... I think the question really is how does Israel survive. And how can you create a State of Israel that maintains its democratic and civic traditions... And, in order to do that, it has consistently been my belief that you have to find a way to live side by side in peace with Palestinians. ... You have to recognize that they have legitimate claims, and this is their land and neighborhood as well.” -- Interview with Thomas Friedman

Helen Gym

Helen Gym, Philadelphia parent leader

But choice is just a sorry substitute when government gives up on equity. -- Interview in The Notebook

Bruce Rauner on indictment of his top execs

“You know what? Behavior inside large organizations unfortunately is not always perfect, and nobody can control every element and every behavior,” said Rauner at his digs at 212 E. 79th St., seeking to woo voters in the mostly African-American neighborhood. -- Early & Often

Sarah Palin responds to Elizabeth Warren [Video]

 "We believe”? Wait, I thought fast food joints, hurh. Don’t you guys think that they’re like of the Devil or somethin’ I was.  -- Daily Banter

Today's Quotables

Diane Ravitch

 As usual, I did not pull punches. I don’t have time for that. The amazing thing is that even though everything I said contradicted the axioms of Chicago-style “reform,” I got a standing ovation from a warm and friendly crowd of civic leaders at the City Club. -- What happened when I spoke in Chicago

Letter to parents from Chicago principal asking for air-conditioning money 

“The weather is getting hotter and hotter every year and we need to make sure that our students have a classroom with a suitable temperature to learn,” the letter read in English and Spanish. “You can choose to pay in monthly installments for your convenience." -- Sun-Times

 Palin's racist "shuck and Jive" 

“I’ve been known to use the phrase most often when chastising my daughter Piper to stop procrastinating and do her homework." [Piper, stop shuckin' and jivin', STFU and do your gottdam homework--mk] ... “Just to be careful, from now on I’ll avoid using it with Piper, and I would appreciate it if the media refrained from using words and phrases like igloo, Eskimo Pie, and 'when hell freezes over,' as they might be considered offensive by my extended Alaska Native family.” -- Politico

McCarthy at budget hearings

Cops were "playing cowboy" 

 “ You’re talking about people who really liked being in those task forces who have no accountability, no connection with the community and could run around the city playing cowboy. That’s not good policing. That’s not what modern policing should look like.”  -- Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy 

Best Tweet

 Obama to Leno: 'Rape is rape' (by @JTSTheHill) http://bit.ly/QZwfbG

Good riddance, Gen. Tata

Sara Palin and Gen. Tata hawking their books. 

If there was ever a guy you would never want to run your public schools, it was Brigadier General Anthony J. Tata. But after a brief stint at Eli Broad's training camp for school superintendents, Michelle Rhee brought him in as her second in command in D.C.

Then Tata became fast friends with Sarah Palin, and wrote a glowing review of her book, "Going Rogue," on the Big Hollywood site operated by the late wing-nut journo-goofball Andrew Breitbart. Tata wrote that Palin "is far more qualified to be president of the United States than the current occupant of the White House" and that the she is "precisely the kind of leader America needs."

I guess that wasn't enough of a clue for the embattled Wake County, N.C. School Board who hired Tata  as their schools chief to take command of the board's re-segregation initiative. The program, pushed mainly by Republican school board members, backed by national tea party conservatives, was aimed at reversing years of gains by the North Carolina civil rights movement. Pledging to "say no to the social engineers!" the board rolled back one of the nation's most celebrated integration efforts.

Tata was up to the task. When asked if it's the school districts job to promote diversity Tata said, "I think it's the school systems responsibility to insure student achievement happens in every single school."

"I'm talking about diversity sir," ABC11 I-Team reporter Jon Camp said. "I'm talking about achievement," Tata replied. 

Yesterday it was announced that Gen. Tata has been given the boot after six to eight months of "strained relations" between T-bagger Tata and the Democratis on the school board.

According to NewsObserver.com, "Tata and his staff made rough going out of situations such as the rollout last week of a test version of an address-based assignment plan."  That's another way of saying re-segregation of Wake County schools.

Good riddance Tata.

News; Laugh to keep from crying

"WTF?" says Palin

"[Obama's] theme last night in the State of the Union was the WTF -- winning the future," continued Palin. "I thought, 'OK.' That acronym? Spot on. There were a lot of WTF moments throughout that speech." --Sarah please. You're grossing me out. I'm hving a Sputnik moment. 

 

Failing schools?

AP--Standard & Poor’s cuts Japan’s credit rating one notch to AA- over concerns about government debt, deflation, aging population. -- Must be those crappy Japanese schools.

 

AP--Trading is halted on Egyptian stock exchange after market plunges 6.25 percent in 15 minutes -- More failing schools?

Family News
Hawaii charter schools could face some new funding challenges this year because of the misconduct of a few schools — or one in particular: Myron B. Thompson Academy. Several questions at a joint legislative briefing Wednesday centered on the online public charter academy, which has been in the news lately for concerns about nepotism in its hiring practices. -- Ah, the family.

Uh oh

AP --A Utah military base that carries out tests to protect troops against biological attacks was locked down Wednesday to resolve a "serious concern," officials said.Base commander Col. William E. King said no one was in danger. -- Yeah, right.

Jumping the shark?

The phrase "jump the shark" refers to the climactic scene in Happy Days in September 1977. In this story, the central characters visit Los Angeles, where Fonzie (Henry Winkler), wearing swimming trunks and his leather jacket, jumps over a confined shark on water skis, [Winkler--not the shark. m.k.] answering a challenge to demonstrate his bravery. --Wikipedia

Russo tweets that I jumped over the shark when I compared Michelle Rhee with Sarah Palin. Did I really do that? Shucks, I guess I did--sorta when I wrote:

Like Sarah Palin, who bailed mid-term from her job as Alaska's governor, everything should be coming up green for Rhee, provided she is handled right and her name kept in the public eye.

Of course, I don't deserve all the credit. Dozens of bloggers and columnists have been comparing the duo. But still, Russo may be right. Maybe I did jump the shark. Maybe there is no comparing Palin with Rhee. After all, Rhee is shorter than Palin. Plus, Palin kills moose and other living things with a rifle and sniper scope, from helicopters. Rhee only kills teaching, learning and democracy. 

More from Russo

On his TWIE blog, Russo has this quote (without comment) from union basher, Eric Hanushek:

"This is not a war on teachers en masse. It is recognition of what every parent knows: Some teachers are exceptional, but a small number are dreadful."

Now some of you might respond to this statement with a "duh" or "doh" or something like that. But I for one, am really taken with the notion that only "some teachers are exceptional." Doesn't this affirm the Race-To-The-Top theory of what's wrong with public education?

Some day, I hope, visionaries like Rhee, Bill Gates and Arne Duncan will surely see to it that ALL teachers are exceptional. That will really jump the shark.

Go Giants! Beat Palin!

The press reported that Sarah Palin was in Chicago yesterday, or as Huffington described it, "had no problem dissing President Obama on his home turf."

Well, let me explain for those who don't know this city--Palin spoke in the corrupt little town of Rosemont, not Chicago and certainly not on Obama's home turf. She wouldn't dare come into the city, even for her $100K speakers fee and with her 9 personal body guards.


What really pissed me off was that she used her speech before a gaggle of cheering T-baggers to bully and threaten Highland Park High School over it's decision to boycott a girls basketball tournament in Arizona.  With a diverse team of hoopers, the school rightly felt the girls would be unsafe and vulnerable to stop-and-search racial profiling. On this, they found common ground with Arizona's own Phoenix Suns players.

GO GIANTS!

BTW, I ordered my Highland Park High Giants basketball T-shirt here. You can too.

WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Republican battle cry

"Drill, baby, drill" is now, "Hush, baby, hush." (Greenwire)

Cardinal Roger M. Mahony at L.A. May Day rally

“Everyone in God’s eyes is legal...Every time we have an economic downturn, there is a new attack on immigrants.' (NYT)

McCain's bashing of immigrants

What a difference the Tea Party makes. This time McCain endorsed his state’s new immigration law as “a good tool” and “a very important step forward,” and propagandized in favor of it with his widely ridiculed televised canard that illegal immigrants were “intentionally causing accidents on the freeway.” (Frank Rich)

 Report from the Venture Fund meet

Charters have also become a pet cause of what one education historian calls a billionaires’ club of philanthropists, including Mr. Gates, Eli Broad of Los Angeles and the Walton family of Wal-Mart. But for all their support and cultural cachet, the majority of the 5,000 or so charter schools nationwide appear to be no better, and in many cases worse, than local public schools when measured by achievement on standardized tests, according to experts citing years of research. (Trip Gabriel, N.Y. Times)

What happens when Democrats take their lead from McCain/Palin

"Drill baby, drill?"

The worst eco-disaster in U.S. history is taking place in the Gulf. BP Oil's race to the top has even got T-bagger politicians like Gov. Jindal crying for help from BIG GOVERNMENT.

But it was just three weeks ago that Obama and the Democrats themselves were calling on congress to open vast expanses of water along the Atlantic coastline, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the north coast of Alaska to the big oil companies. This was their way of  "reaching across the aisle" to the Limbaugh Party of No.

Watching the seemingly boundless glob of crude, now bigger than the state of West Virginia, washing up the mouth of the Mississippi and on to the eco-sanctuaries of Louisiana, destroying the fishing industry and everything natural in its path, I can't help but recall Diane Ravitch's comparison of the current Arne Duncan-led ed reform to an "educational tsunami," another pathetic attempt by Democrats, to echo the market-driven policies of the neo-cons.


It seems that whenever Obama stands up and acts the way he promised to act during the election campaign, good things can happen, ie. passage of the health care bill and now potentially Wall St. Reform. But when he and the Democrats cave in and mimic McCain/Palin, it's a national disaster waiting to happen--ie. expansion of the war in Afghanistan, drill, baby drill and test baby, test.

This is almost too good

Palin & Gen. Tata hawking their books

I mean, first you've got Arne Duncan backer and DFER's patron hedge-funder, Whitney Tilson calling for more rich, white folks to "take reform to the next level, both politically and operationally." Can we call them Duncan's White School Reform Army?

Then you've got WaPo ed writer Bill Turque, back, I assume, from his censorship exile in WaPo's rubber room, telling us about Rhee's Tata. That's Brigadier General Anthony J. Tata, recently appointed by D.C. Supt. Michelle Rhee as her second in command after a stint in Eli Broad's Superintendent's Academy..

Gen. Tata is no one to fool with, writes Turque. He's:

...a distinctive, alpha-male presence at a school headquarters filled with 20- and 30-somethings transfixed by their BlackBerry devices -- and where five of Rhee's top aides, including her chief of staff, are women. No one else is likely to talk about how to take an issue and "shoot it between the eyes."

And you were worried about Rhee and her broom.

Tata is definitely not into Obama's hopey, changey thingy either, writes the rehabilitated Turque.

In December, he wrote a glowing review of Sarah Palin's book, "Going Rogue," on the "Big Hollywood" site operated by conservative activist Andrew Breitbart. He said that Palin "is far more qualified to be president of the United States than the current occupant of the White House" and that the former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate is "precisely the kind of leader America needs."

It all adds up if you think (really) long and hard about it.

You see, Tilson loves Duncan. Duncan loves Tilson and Rhee. Rhee loves Tata. Tata loves Palin--hates Obama. Turque writes critically about Rhee. Turque is censored by Rhee/WaPo. Turque comes back with a softer piece on Rhee & Tata. Whew!

There's much more tangled up in this web of deception, publishing, censorship (right Russo?) and the ownership society. But for now, I need to take a nap.

WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Palin to T-baggers: 'No to courts, no to profs'

Palin told conventioneers, she's not a big fan of the court system or academics.

"It scares me for my children, for your children, to treat this like a mere law enforcement matter," she said. "It puts our country at great risk... To win that war we need a commander-in-chief not a professor of law standing at the lectern."

As for health care, education reform, racial equality...to Palin and her fans, it's that "hopey, changey thing."

Gov. Mark Sanford

After first refusing to allow stimulus $$ into S. Carolina, Gov. Sanford has decided he likes Race To The Top after all. He flew up to D.C. on Thursday, to talk school reform with Arne Duncan.

Sanford met with Duncan to learn more about a charter school program Duncan started in Chicago, said Ben Fox, the governor's spokesman. Sanford also took the trip to urge Duncan to support more charter school grants, Fox said. (The State)

Gee, I've been in Chicago all this time and never even heard of such a charter school. Maybe Duncan will tell us which one he started.

"Enough is enough"--Researchers unionize

“We’ve taken this step so we can protect our rights on the job, and make sure post-docs working on different campuses and in different labs are treated fairly and receive comparable pay and benefits,’’ Simona Maccarrone, a postdoctoral researcher at UMass Amherst, said in a written statement. (Boston Globe)

Obama's dream

This, from Paul Krugman's column last Thursday:

So much, then, for Mr. Obama’s dream of moving beyond divisive politics. The truth is that the factors that made politics so ugly in the Clinton years — the paranoia of a significant minority of Americans and the cynical willingness of leading Republicans to cater to that paranoia — are as strong as ever. In fact, the situation may be even worse than it was in the 1990s because the collapse of the Bush administration has left the G.O.P. with no real leaders other than Rush Limbaugh.

But then there's always Newt Gingrich, the former Dixiepublican congressman from Georgia and erstwhile 2012 presidential candidate, who, alongside of Limbaugh and Sarah ("Death Panel") Palin, has led the charge of the paranoids against Obama's healthcare reform and tried unsuccessfully, to deny Judge Sotomayor her seat on the Supreme Court by labeling her a "racist."

Yet Gingrich, desperately seeking a measure of credibility outside the shrinking base of the Limbaugh Party, now stands, anointed by Arne Duncan as the face of his Race-To-The-Top ed reform. Gingrich will stand next to Duncan on their current RTTT speaking tour. It's worth asking again, what is it about RTTT that makes it so attractive to the likes of Gingrich? And what is it about Gingrich that makes him so attractive to Obama and Duncan?

Goodbye academic freedom

Banning Ayers

The banning of Bill Ayers has become a symbol of the collapse of academic freedom, residue from eight years of neocon power and the use of the politics of fear to push a conservative agenda in the schools.

Debra Pickett has a pretty good piece on Ayers in Chicago Magazine this month. It's good because it focuses on Bill Ayers the educator, not Ayers the cartoonish radical monster created by the Palin/McCain gang and then ratified in the media and even by many liberal educators and academics.

Writes Pickett:

Many of his tenets are hardly revolutionary—that parents and communities should control their own schools, that students learn better in “small learning communities,” that teachers are most effective when they ask questions and facilitate projects and discussions, rather than simply lecture or drill. These ideas in particular have become components in most major school reform efforts across the country, influencing not only educators but also private philanthropists and public policymakers.

But even though the elections are over, Ayers the caricature, is being banned from speaking at schools and public meetings across the country. Ironically, those doing the banning aren't mainly the right-wing Palin types any more. All too often they are liberals who are quick to abandon academic freedom and 1st Amendment rights out of fear. Shades of the '50s.

The most recent cases: the principal of Naperville (IL) High School where Ayers was invited and then dis-invited to address only those students who had signed parent permission slips. And then at Boston College, where Ayers' invitation was yanked and where even his virtual speech via satellite was virtually (I guess) banned.

A sign of the times

Just to show where the country is at right now, there was even serious talk about banning Pres. Obama from speaking at Notre Dame because his position on abortion and stem cell research upset the church hierarchy. Somewhere, the late senator from the state of Wisconsin is resting comfortably in his grave.

One voice that leaves me with some hope, is that of UMass Professor David Lisak who was scheduled to give a lecture at Boston College later this month. In the wake of the College’s decision to ban Ayers from campus, I received a copy of an email Lisak sent to the individual who had invited him to campus:

Dear Dr. Marchetti,

I am very sad to have to cancel my colloquium at Boston College, “The Undetected Rapist: Exploring the Causes and Consequences of Interpersonal Violence,” scheduled for April 27^th. I do so because I cannot, in good conscience, provide a lecture to the Boston College community in the immediate wake of the College’s decision to block Mr. William Ayers from speaking on campus, and to further prevent him from being heard by the campus community. Freedom of speech is a critical component of vibrant public discourse and a pillar of our democracy. When it is attacked – and I view Boston College’s decision as such an attack – it is incumbent on each of us to take whatever steps we can to challenge such actions. Unfortunately, the step that I can take creates an inconvenience for individuals who likely had no part in the College’s decision, and who may strongly disagree with that decision. For that I am truly sorry, and I ask you for your understanding.

Sincerely,

David Lisak

See how they run

According to the Washington Times, McCain’s people are now blaming Palin for the failed Bill Ayers strategy. “She went rogue,” they claim. Like rats from a sinking ship they are denying culpability. Are they afraid of an Ayers suit, a reader asks? You betcha.

Support builds for Ayers

Today’s Sun-Times headline: “Outpouring of academic support for Bill Ayers — 3,200-plus sign petition for 1960s terrorist linked to Barack Obama”

******

I’m growing weary of writing about my friend and colleague Bill Ayers. Yet, here I am. I can hold out as long as McCain can, I guess. He and his campaign are spending millions of their dwindling campaign funds while I’m only spending way too much time. Reading the polls after each Ayers attack, I would suggest that the RNC simply send all that money directly to the Obama campaign and save themselves and folks like me, all the trouble. I mean, do they really think their new 4-page pamphlet, their robocalls and the Barack Book (to which my name has just been added) will actually help McCain win the election? I guess they do.

The RNC is out right now, gathering names by combing online websites like Facebook, seeing who’s friends with Bill, or friends with their friends or friends with friends of their friends, in order to make the Obama link. The whole process actually puts me in some rather interesting company, ie. Joe Biden, Penny Pritzker, Valerie Jarrett, Rashid Khalidi—even Mayor Daley. Yes, we’ve all been “paling around with terrorists” together according to the RNC's Barack Book. Who’d have thunk it? It kind of makes me proud in a way. I think of the late great actor Paul Newman saying that one of the proudest moments in his life was when he made it on to Nixon’s “Enemies List.”

Actually there’s some pretty good stuff in the Barack Book if you can manage to wade through the sewage to find it. There’s a link, for example to Tribune writer Eric Zorn’s “Change of Subject” blog, which carries a Tribune Magazine piece from 2001 by his colleague Don Terry, “The Calm After the Storm.” It has some pretty good insights about the issue of repentance. What if Ayers had openly disavowed his past Weatherman politics? Would that have changed anything? I’m also quoted in Terry’s piece from 7 years ago:

Ayers and an old comrade from SDS, Mike Klonsky, run the Small Schools Workshop to mentor and provide guidance and technical support to educators seeking to start small schools. So far, the workshop has helped 150 such schools open their doors. "We've learned how to work within the system," says Klonsky. "The fight to save and improve public education embodies all the issues we were fighting for back then." The two men "are like family" today, Klonsky says. But back then, "I led the fight against the Weatherman," he says. "I wasn't big on blowing up toilets and statues. They wrote a big piece denouncing me. Bill was one of the co-signers. Now we're on the same train. We still disagree about things, but . . ."

The best part of this guilt-by-association campaign, is that so many people are refusing to be cowed and intimidated by it. Joe McCarthy's witch hunts of the ’50 had the country trembling in fear for a time. Similarly, when the anti-Obama “terrorist” hunt started, lots of good people who knew better, remained silent, hoping not to make Ayers THE issue in the campaign. But when it was clear that Ayers was McCain’s ONLY issue, thousands of people stood up, signed statements of support, and spoke out—and are still speaking out. Rather than sinking Obama, the witch hunt seems to have backfired on McCain and Palin.

******

Today’s Tribune endorsed Obama. It’s the first time since its founding, that the Trib has endorsed a Democratic candidate for president. The Washington Post also endorsed Obama today.

See this week’s Time Magazine story by Steven Gray, “Chicago Says There Is Too Much Ado About Bill Ayers.”

Letter in the Salt Lake Tribune:

A few years ago I heard William Ayers speak at a conference of educators. It was an excellent, well-received speech. No surprise, since he is a leading theorist and writer on educational reform and a distinguished professor at the University of Chicago. Was I listening to a terrorist?... Read the rest here.

Also read this letter (“Ayers is an Inspiration to UIC Students, Alumni”) in today’s Chicago Sun-Times from Patrick O'Reilly, vice president; Therese Quinn, Ph. D., member of UIC College of Education Alumni Board.

Crossing the line

Racist Martin started it

A NYT front page story today, is about Andy Martin, or as we knew him here in Chicago, Anthony Martin Trigona. The Times story says that this petty fascist and anti-Semite was the one who launched the McCarthyite, swift-boating, guilt-by-association smears on Obama, smears that have been repeated hundreds of time by Maverick’s campaigners and mob members. Martin was allegedly the first one to claim that Obama was a “Muslim.” But what does it matter who was first?

Even more disgusting and insidious was Maverick’s response last week to a mob member who repeated the claim that Obama was “an Arab.” McCain, under pressure from many members of his own party to back off his racist posturing, shook his head and replied, “No mam, he's not [an Arab]. He’s a decent, family man, citizen." The implication was clear. Arabs aren't decent, don't love their families, and aren't citizens." Some shame also falls on the Obama campaign for their voicing uncritical support for McCain's sham backtracking. There's a line between civility and complicity.

Nobel winner Krugman on McCain

Why isn’t he in love with Maverick’s proposed giant tax cuts for the rich, his bent toward deregulation of Wall Street, or his choice of economic advisers? Here’s why. And here. And here...

In case you missed it

Where's Sarah?

You won’t see Sarah Palin on any of the network news shows this morning, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t keeping busy. My Republican insider friend Sid tells me that Schmidt/Davis are keeping her away from any more media interviews for obvious reasons. Her job for the next few weeks leading up to election day is playing attack dog on the phoney Ayers/Obama connection. With polling numbers plummeting like a stone, it appears that the Ayers card is Schmidt/Davis’ last hail-Mary gambit in an otherwise failed and erratic campaign. While the maverick war hero still tries looking presidential for Tuesday’s debate, he’s sent Palin off down the low road.

From Goebbels' film vault?

For those educators concerned about the rise of militarism and fascist social movements here at home, you have a right to be. If you’ve gone to the movies lately you’ve no doubt had to sit through a grueling two-and-a-half minutes of the latest Kid Rock/Dale Earnhardt Jr. production of Warrior, a National Guard promotional video that appears to come straight out of the Joseph Goebbels' film vault. Shame on the big theater chains for making this piece of trash ubiquitous.

The surge comes home

Another big reason for concern is the illegal redeployment by Bush/Cheney of an infantry division from Iraq back to the U.S. to train in curbing civil disorders that may arise out of the current economic collapse. The new mission, according to the Army Times, marks the first time an active unit has been given a dedicated assignment to NorthCom, a joint command established in 2002 to provide command and control for federal homeland defense efforts and coordinate defense support of civil authorities. Steve Fox Campaign Director of the American Freedom Campaign Action Fund, says the redeployment is in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act.

Quotables...

Last night’s debate

From The Plank’s Jonathan Chait:

Palin's final quote was from Ronald Reagan, warning that without vigilance, "you and I are going to spend our sunset years telling our children, and our children's children, what it once was like in America when men were free." In fact, Reagan was not warning about a general lack of vigilance about freedom, he was warning what would happen if Medicare was enacted.

The factory model

Barack Obama’s educational advisor Linda Darling-Hammond speaking on Capitol Hill (video here):

“You cannot take the vestigial, factory model high school that was invented in 1910 and make it produce the kinds of outcomes that are needed in high-needs communities…Schools are trying to teach a double curriculum, she said, “They’re trying to teach a curriculum that matters and they’re trying to teach kids to be proficient on the bubble tests that we currently have.”

Chicago's first day of school

Remember when Rev. Meeks called for a student boycott on the first day of school in Chicago. Daley/Duncan went ballistic. “Kids can’t afford to miss one day of school,” they told the media, even though the boycott and trip to suburban New Trier was probably one of the greatest educational experiences many of these kids have ever had while in CPS.

When the suburban New Trier kids. Including the Student Council president, missed classes to come out and join the protest to demand fair and equal funding, they were praised by their teachers and superintendent for their civic responsibility.

Now they’ve started anew student organization to involve their fellow students in the struggle for equitable school funding.

What they missed...

But what’s the first day at a CPS high school was, Quintin Creamer (picture above), a student at Robeson High in the Englewood neighborhood took recording equipment and asked fellow students and a parent that very question. The answer? Lots of confusion when some students' transcripts were sent to the wrong schools. The District's Area Instructional Officer, Jerryelyn Jones said it was a computer glitch.

Listen to this report from the students’ perspective on WBEZ, Chicago Public Radio.