...I'm okay with being REALITY-based.




Monday, February 23, 2004
      ( 4:18 PM )
 
The Teachers are the Terrorists

If you had any doubts about the low-life-ness (if that's a word) of our Secretary of Education Rod Paige, put them to rest with this story of how he characterizes the union that a majority of our teachers belong to:

Education Secretary Rod Paige called the nation's
largest teachers union a "terrorist organization"
Monday, taking on the 2.7-million-member National
Education Association early in the presidential
election year.

Paige's comments, made to the nation's
governors at a private White House meeting,
were denounced by union president Reg
Weaver as well as prominent Democrats.

The education secretary's words were "pathetic
and they are not a laughing matter," said Weaver,
whose union has said it plans to sue the Bush
administration over lack of funding for demands
included in the "No Child Left Behind" schools law.

Yep, we knew it would happen. But it's now proof positive: anyone who is against a Bush administration policy is a terrorist. Not only does this diminish the word "terrorist" in the context of the world we are now living in, but it is one more step on the ladder being built towards the ultimate time when anyone who dissents is classified "terrorist" and punished accordingly. Not that we didn't see it coming after Richard Perle called Sy Hersch a terrorist on the Wolf Blitzer show last year. (oh, and it's only democrats who use political hate language!!)

It is not only the NEA's right, but their responsibility to advocate for teachers and their students by protesting the No Child Left Behind act that is debilitating school districts, schools and teachers across the country. For Paige to denounce this as, at best, unpatriotic, and at worst, a terrorist act, is unconscionable.

Of course he tried to laugh it off as a joke the next day. And Bush continues to defend him as the best Education Secretary ever (despite everyone now knowing the truth about how Paige fudged numbers in the Houston school district while he was head to show false levels of dropouts). In fact, when Bush came in to talk with that same group of governors, he answered only two questions and didn't leave any time for real discussion of the issues:

Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, chairman of the
Democratic Governors Association, said that
during the private meeting, Bush took only
two questions, leaving little time for a full
exploration of issues.

"It would have been helpful for him to have
heard the discussions about 'No Child Left
Behind' because there may be a disconnect
between what he thinks and what we know,"
Vilsack said.

Oh there's a disconnect alright. With reality. One more reason on top of the thousands before it why this president is not only a horrible leader, but surrounds himself with the worst of advisors. Nice way to court the teacher vote too.

Teachers: pack your bags for Gitmo.

thanks to Atrios for the link - the comments are worth a read too

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