Suspended Teacher Speaks at Public Hearing on her Students Get-well Letters to Convicted Cop Killer

Marilyn Zuniga, a third-grade teacher, has been suspended with pay for sending Mumia Abul-Jamal get well letters written by her students.  The board is deciding on what, if any, further action will be taken.  

During the meeting that was being held, Ms. Zuniga made a public statement.  In this statement she said:

"Growing up in a predominantly white suburb, attending a majority white school district, my teachers and peers marginalized me as a first generation immigrant, Peruvian-American. The cultural gap between my educators and me caused me to feel disconnected from my school work and learning altogether. It wasn't until my experience in the classroom my senior year of high school that I realized I could be the teacher I never had."

 Ok, fair enough.  I hope that every teacher in the country has a passion to help all students learn and to think for themselves.  That is what a teacher should be doing.  The problem is that she is going beyond that mission.  She is putting her viewpoints into the classroom and to the heads of very innocent 8-year-olds.  

Now the problem with the supporters of Mumia is that they never answer the question about why he has never told who the murderer of Officer Faulkner is.  There is no dispute that he was there and witnesses it.  There is no dispute that he had a gun.  There is no dispute that his brother assaulted Officer Faulkner.  There is no dispute that the police arrived on the scene within minutes of the shooting.  There is no dispute that Mumia was shot by the police officer.  He was a very short distance away with a gun shot wound and a weapon when the police arrived.  

Most people want to say he was arrested due to his political beliefs.  The problem is that he was arrested within minutes of the police arriving on the scene.  They didn't have time to find out about his political beliefs and writings.  Writing that includes talk about "killing pigs".  For those that may be unclear what that means, it is police officers.  

Anyone that has read my writing over the years knows that I am against the death penalty.  I have no problem with him be taken off death row.  But I certainly don't think he is some innocent lamb that is being led to slaughter.  

She is entitled to her beliefs, but she isn't entitled to bring those beliefs into the classroom.  No teacher is.  What really kills me is the people who were at this meeting supporting her.  

"It is teaching children at a tender age one of the most valuable lessons that they need to absorb in order to mature into adults who sympathize with the plight of their fellow human beings,"

It goes on:

"The lesson that was taught through this project is that in order for society to be peaceful and just, we must care about or reach out to those members of society who are most vulnerable, including children, the frail, elderly, the sick and disabled, the poor and, yes, even prisoners."

What about the family of the dead officer?  Don't they deserve someone to reach out to them as well?  What about the compassion for the young woman who had to go the hospital in very early hours of the morning to see her husband with a gunshot wound to his face?  A wound that was done at very close range and literally blew most of his head off.  Where is the compassion for a woman who didn't have her happily ever after simply because her husband was doing his job?  A car was driving down the wrong way on a one-way street so he pulled it over.  He didn't pull that car over because the driver was black.  He pulled it over because is was posing a safety hazard and violated the law.  She has lived her life without the man she loved enough to marry and pledge the rest of her life to.  

"We are here tonight because Marylin Zuniga is our hero," Larry Hamm, chairman of the People's Organization for Progress, said to the board members. "We ask that you restore her to her job and let her continue to teach the compassion that our children need to learn."

Sorry to tell you Mr. Hamm, that isn't her job.  Teaching compassion is the job of the parent.  Her job is to teach children how to think for themselves, not what to think.  Did she go over the evidence of the case?  Did she tell these students that this man has had two trials and numerous hearings and the best the defense can come up with is that it was a racist police force that sent an innocent man to jail because he was black and a political activist?  If not, that isn't compassion, that is indoctrination.  There are two sides to this story.  Now, don't get me wrong, I think this way beyond what a third-grader should be taught in a classroom.  But the point is still the same.  

Yes Ms. Zuniga should lose her job.  She wasn't doing her job.  She was making political points in a classroom.  That is a job of an activist, not an educator.  She should lose her job the same way the teacher who went an anti-Obama rant should lose hers.  You are not there to push your point of view.  You are there to help them develop their own point of view.  

If you have any doubts that she is an activist her tweet that caused this uproar says it all:

Just dropped off these letters to comrade Johanna Fernandez. My 3rd graders wrote to Mumia to lift up his spirits as he is ill. #freemumia

Comrade?  Oh yeah, she doesn't have an agenda.   

The part I think I like best about this whole thing is this:

"In April, I mentioned to my students that Mumia was very ill and they told me they would like to write 'get well' letters to Mumia,"

That's right, lets throw the eight-year-olds under the bus.  

Conservative Student Being Bullyied by Leftist Teachers - Video

He is correct, keep politics out of the classroom.  That should be a place that kids are taught critical thinking, not someone else's beliefs.  

Cry Me a River – Michigan Teacher Upset She Can’t Retire at 47 with Full Benefits

Yes, you read that correctly.  Terri List, a teacher in Michigan, is upset that with the new law in place she can't retire at the age of 47 with full health benefits.  She is so upset that is ready to advise her students not to become a teacher in the state of Michigan.  You see they have to start putting in 5% of their annual income (her current salary range is between $70-80K per year).  She is being asked to contribute approx. $3750 per year over her career so that she will get full health benefits for life.  Something that very few people receive anymore.  Only the chosen few.  

She can actually retire in two years at the age of 47 and get $60K per year in retirement pay.  She would also be free to get herself another job that gives health benefits if she doesn't want to pay for them herself.  Which at $60K she should be able to afford.  In order for her to qualify for free health benefits for life she will have to stay at her current job until the age of 60.  Her pay scale would be expected to reach $90K per year by that point.  Which of course will also increase her yearly retirement pay, it increases at 3% per year.  Which would give her an additional $39,000 per year.  

“By the time I’m 60, I would have put in 43 years of service, earning a salary at the top of the pay scale. How does that save the district money? You could hire two people for the cost of one and encourage young people to join the profession. Right now, I would not recommend to my pupils to become a teacher in Michigan.”

Boy, they start them young in Michigan.  She starting teaching at the age of 17?  I sincerely hope Ms. List isn't a math teacher.  

“Wow. They have reached the politicians’ level of entitlement, she thinks she is entitled to retire at 47? Holy smokes. I don’t know what more to say to that. A government employee thinking that 47 is a reasonable expectation to retire shows just how deep inside their own bubble they live, insulated from the real world.”

Leon Drolet, Chairman of Michigan Taxpayers Alliance.

Reason 15,893 to Home School

The NEA among others have come out with new guidelines for teaching sex education to our children.  While the report doesn't specifically say this, I doubt that this will be opt-in.

Lets begin with what will be taught to your 5-7 year-olds:

They should be able to properly name both male and female anatomy, they should be able to talk about all different types of families, and show respect for these families.  They also need to be able to talk about and demonstrate how media influences how boys and girls think and act.

7-10 year-olds:

They should be able to define sexual orientation, and be able to name parents or adults that can help them understand sexual orientation.

Apparently, the worry is that right now, only about 3.1 hours is spent talking to elementary school children about HIV/Aids, pregnancy, and STD prevention.  Silly me, I didn't think I needed to talk to a five-year old about STD prevention.  I am so out of it.

Here is one of my favorites:

By completion of the eighth grade, the report says, students should be able to “[d]ifferentiate between gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation,” “[e]xplain the range of gender roles,” and “[d]efine emergency contraception and its use.”
Upon completion of middle school, students should be able to “[a]nalyze external influences that have an impact on one’s attitudes about gender, sexual orientation and gender identity”; “[a]ccess accurate information about gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation”; “[c]ommunicate respectfully with and about people of all gender identities, gender expressions and sexual orientations”; “[e]xplain the health benefits, risks and effectiveness rates of various methods of contraception, including abstinence and condoms”; and “[d]escribe the steps to using a condom correctly.”

I am not naive enough to think that kids don't have questions about sex or are not tempted to experiment.  Their bodies are changing and many kids hit puberty in the eighth grade and they start to have sexual feelings.  I get that.  I also get that kids are much more advanced in many areas then I was at that age.  But I will tell you, the very last thing I wanted to talk about, let alone participate in at that age was the down and dirty details of sex.  I was horrified whenever anyone brought it up.  I wasn't ready at that age, plain and simple.  I get that not all kids will be like that, but there will be children who are just not ready for these types of conversations and to force it upon them is abusive.

And by the time they graduate from high school students should be expected to “[d]efine emergency contraception and describe its mechanism of action” and “[a]ssess the skills and resources needed to become a parent.”
Also included in the guidelines are the following: “Compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of abstinence and other contraceptive methods, including condoms”; “Access medically-accurate information and resources about emergency contraception”; “Compare and contrast the laws relating to pregnancy, adoption, abortion and parenting”; and “Describe potential impacts of power differences (e.g., age, status or position) within sexual relationships.”

Well, at least they are willing to talk about adoption over abortion and abstinence.  I guess I should take some comfort in that.  But never fear, the NEA, in all of its infinite wisdom, has partnered with Planned Parenthood and GLSEN to help write these guidelines.  Thank heavens, they contacted the experts in giving our children moral guidance.  /sarc.

You can read the report here to get a gander at the glossary they provide.  Ooh, can't wait.   Bedtime reading.

And They Say Conservatives are Anti-Science

I have heard many times that conservatives are anti-science.  This is an accusation thrown around mainly in the concept of global warming or climate change, whatever it is being called today.  We are told that the science is "settled".  Well, that really isn't true.  There are scientists who say that it isn't man-made.  So I would say that it isn't settled.  I don't automatically dismiss the idea of it, but I think that before we spend boatloads of money we should be sure.  

I have also been told that homosexuality is a genetic thing.  Sorry, but there is no proof that it is.  It may very well be, but at this point there is no "gay" gene.  From what I have read, the scientific community seems to believe that there are a variety of factors that goes into homosexuality.  

When all of the work being done to understand causes is put together, the question about what causes homosexuality seems best answered as follows. 

First, science does not have a firm answer that everyone in the field of science let alone everyone else can agree on. The origins of homosexuality are still not clearly understood by scientists.
Most researchers agree that homosexuality is multi-causal and complex; many factors contribute to the development of same-sex attraction. Most researchers, including Dr. Dean Hamer, the "gay gene” researcher who is himself a gay man, agree that homosexuality is due to a combination of social, biological, and psychological factors. Dr. Hamer has said, "Genes are hardware…the data of life’s experiences are processed through the sexual software into the circuits of identity. I suspect the sexual software is a mixture of both genes and environment, in much the same way the software of a computer is a mixture of what’s installed at the factory and what’s added by the user (P. Copeland and D. Hammer (1994) The Science of Desire. New York: Simon and Schuster.)”

 So there seems to be choice involved in it.  So I would like to know why teachers in California have decided that they are going to liberate children of gender.  Liberate you from your gender?  Gender isn't a choice.  It is biological.  This is abusive to young children. They are trying to teach them that biology doesn't matter.  The goal according to the union is that children should feel liberated from stereotypes.  So do we dress our little boys in skirts to send them to school?  Where exactly is this going to lead?  This is the slippery slope of liberalism.  We take young children who are in the process of figuring out who they are and where they belong in the world, and we confuse them more than they already are.  We get them questioning who they are and the values that they are being taught at home by their parents, who by the way should be teaching those values.  

Gender is never choice.  It is biological.  There are hormones that are different between males and females, our body parts are different, we have different functions when it comes to reproduction.  Teaching children that is basic science.  Gender is not in your head.  It isn't a state of mind.  You have a penis or you don't.  Even if you decide to have surgery to "change" your gender, it cannot be done without changing your hormones.  Which says that it is biological.  It further proves that it is science.  

We are blurring the lines between males and females and what is the end game here?  It wasn't all that long ago that homosexuality was considered a mental illness.  That all changed when people started to "normalize" it.  While some may think that I am going a bridge too far with this comparison but I truly believe this is just another step in trying to normalize pedophilia the same way that they normalized homosexuality.  

If you are the parent of young children in the public school system in California you need to stand up to this nonsense.  The school system has no right to "liberate" your child of their God-given gender.  This is just one more way that the far left is interfering with the parent child relationship and pushing an agenda that is detrimental to the core family unit in this country.  It must be stopped.  

The only real cure to this is to get a movement going to get more conservatives involved in the school systems, the unions, and the school boards.  We should be teaching our children how to think critically, not that their gender is a state of mind.  

Why Conservatives Home School

Anyone who approves of this is an idiot.  Even if you are far left, you must admit that no teacher has the right to push their personal ideology on young impressionable children. 

Word to these two ladies - if what you believed was so great, you wouldn't need to sneak around the system to brainwash our children. 

Sarah Knopp, a Los Angeles teachers union leader (in the Tax the Rich shirt) and Megan Behrent a New York City teacher affiliated with the International Socialist Organization, explain how to push Marxism in the public school classroom



H/T to The Conservative Lady

Career Day Sure Has Changed Since I was in School

Most elementary schools ask the parents to come in and talk to the students about their jobs. Not only does this give kids a chance to hear about things that is outside of their own worldview, it involves parents in the education of their children. Most children are very proud of their parents. In Henrico, Virginia such a day took place. One of the parents that came in is a plastic surgeon. As a Show and Tell prop he brought along breast implants and they were passed around to the kids feel.



This was done without any warning to the parents of the children in this classroom. This presentation was done for the older children, which means they are about 9 or 10. This is an age where they are finding out about their bodies and the changes that they will be going through in the next few years.


We live in society that puts way too much emphasis on our bodies and how we look as it is. Children are bombarded with issues such of these, and it is already difficult for parents to teach their kids it is what is on the inside that really matters. We also have Michelle Obama's lets move initiative that is highlighting the weight of our kids. There is struggle within our schools to deal with the problems of childhood obesity and the lack of exercise our kids are getting these days.


Most children are not mature enough to distinguish the difference between a healthy body image and being too thin. They are also not mature enough to understand the difference between looking a model they see on magazine covers and the reality of what human beings really look like. Not even the model themselves look as good in real life as they do on the cover of Vogue. This puts pressure on many young women to turn to plastic surgeons to find that beauty that they are seeking. It seems that parents are turning to plastic surgery as way to keep their kids from being bullied:

Statistics from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery show that the number of children and teens who get cosmetic surgery increased nearly 30 percent over the past decade. Experts believe an increase in bullying behavior is one reason for the upward trend.

What exactly are we trying to teach children with displays like these? Can you imagine the giggles that came from these kids when they found out they were touching a fake breast? Small kids don't understand why breast implants may be necessary unless they have the unfortunate experience of a close family member that has had breast cancer. I am sure that there were many children who were very embarrassed by this display. While children are naturally curious, is this a curiosity that we should be enabling in 9 year olds?


Needless to say that most parents were very unhappy when they found out about this display. Parents have the right to decide what their children are ready for and what they are not. Not all parents want their children exposed to an explanation of breast implants at the age of 9. Parents have a hard enough time to guide their children through the very difficult tween years where they are struggling to be like everyone else and have yet to realize that being yourself is much more important. Instead this program is planting the seed that your body image and your looks are the important factors to your self-esteem. It is way past time that the school systems start to realize that as parents we have the right to decide what our kids are and are not exposed to at young ages. Teachers and administrators do not have the right to make these choices for us.

Remember That Emailed Death Threat to WI Lawmakers? Unions Various and Sundry

The news came that an arrest has been made to the e-mailed death threat that was sent to republican lawmakers in the Wisconsin legislator.  Sadly, not only is she young (26), but she is teacher.  Not just a teacher, but an early education teacher.  Don't remember this story? 

WE want to make this perfectly clear. Because of your actions today and in the past couple of weeks I and the group of people that are working with me have decided that we’ve had enough. We feel that you and the people that support the dictator have to die. We have tried many other ways of dealing with your corruption but you have taken things too far and we will not stand for it any longer. So, this is how it’s going to happen: I as well as many others know where you and your family live, it’s a matter of public records.


We have all planned to assult you by arriving at your house and putting a nice little bullet in your head. However, we decided that we wouldn’t leave it there. We also have decided that this may not be enough to send the message to you since you are so “high” on Koch and have decided that you are now going to single handedly make this a dictatorship instead of a demorcratic process

If you and your goonies feel that it’s necessary to strip the rights of 300,000 people and ruin their lives, making them unable to feed, clothe, and provide the necessities to their families and themselves then We Will “get rid of” (in which I mean kill) you

What is really sad is sad fact that she more than likely will not lose her credentials and will be allowed to continue to be around very young children.  She is working with pre-school aged children.  This woman has no business being around young children.  On top of the fact that she is obviously deranged, she isn't too bright to think she wouldn't be caught.  Hasn't she ever heard of IP addresses? 


H/T to Underground Conservative and Another Black Conservative. 

You can also click over to Nice Deb and read some stories on how the unions are using thug like tactics in order to get local businesses to support their viewpoints.  Although it seems that there is a blow back going on. 

What liberals refuse to see when it comes to unions is that they are not interested in helping the "average working person" they only care about power and money. 

The unions are trying to boycott Koch's businesses, but are finding out that the Koch's actually have a good working relationships with unions in the private sector.  Conservative objections to unions have to do with how they hold taxpayer hostages with their demands.  It has nothing to do with the workers themselves. 

A number of organizations are advocating a boycott of the products that come from companies owned by the Koch family. This is problematic for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it could potentially hurt the wrong people.


The Koch brothers own Georgia Pacific. It is an American consumer goods company that makes everyday products like facial tissue, napkins, paper towels, paper cups and the like. Their plants are great examples of American advanced manufacturing. Incidentally, GP makes most of its products here in America. The company’s workforce is highly unionized. In fact, 80 percent of its mills are under contract with one or more labor union. It is not inaccurate to say that these are among the best-paid manufacturing jobs in America.

Read the whole post here, it was written by the man who does the bargaining for paper workers.  There is no reliable connection to the Koch brothers and Gov. Walker of Wisconsin.  Their PAC gave him a minuscule part of the money he raised (less than 1%) for his election bid, and they have never met.  Yet, the unions are pushing unsuspecting people into boycotting Georgia Pacific products that will only end up hurting the very workers they say they are trying to protect.  People who are some of the most highly paid manufacturing workers in the country.   Yeah, boycott that company.  You will cause layoffs for people who have nothing to do with what is going on in Wisconsin and make no difference to the bank account of the Koch's.  Good idea.  Even this man goes a long way in verifying the story that the Koch brothers are not at all what they are being made out to be.  The left just may have to find another boogey man.  What the record shows is that the Koch's businesses follow the law and believe in compliance with the law.  As American citizens they have the right to exercise their rights and get involved in the political process.  Their PAC is something that is not directly tied to their businesses.  It is a personal venture that they have every legal right to do.  The political process in only a very small part of the charitiable works that they involve themselves with.  The vast majority of their money goes to medical research, hospitials, and the arts. 

This presents a dilemma and a paradox. While the Koch brothers are credited with advocating an agenda and groups that are clearly hostile to labor and labor’s agenda, the brothers’ company in practice and in general has positive and productive collective bargaining relationships with its unions

And let us not forget that if you have the audacity to follow the law and get rid of illegal workers this is what the left will do to you:

The Tolerant Left Pictorial

Seriously, is there anything that they won't blame on Sarah Palin?

Again, these are the people who are teaching our kids? 

Lovely.

At least they are getting to the true heart of the matter now.

Yeah, These Are The People I Want Teaching My Kids

H/T Michelle Malkin

Student Protesters in WI

Here is a high school senior talking about the protests going on at the Wisconsin Capitol Building. 

Hmm, lets see.  Wisconsin schools are rated at about a C-.  He also talks about taxing the rich to pay for the benefits, this state is already one of the highest taxed states already.  The teachers are not going to be getting a pay decrease, all that they are being asked to do is to contribute to their benefits and pensions, otherwise their will be layoffs. 

He also is talking about how the Governor has caused these problems, he has only been in office for about a month.  This is something that existed before he got there. The former governor, a democrat, admitted before leaving office that spending cuts were mandatory for the state to try and stave off them falling off the financial cliff. 

THERE IS NO MORE MONEY!!!!!!

I admire the kid for being involved in the system, I just have to wonder how much of what he is saying are his original ideas or is he just being given one side of the story from a teacher who has a financial motive to not present both sides of the story?  Did his teacher tell him he is going to have to pay increased taxes for the rest of his life to pay for his/hers pension?  Did his teacher tell him that his class sizes will increase if layoffs are done?  Did his teacher explain that when you over tax the rich they move, so the revenues actually go down? 

Public Sector Unions Uprising

In Wisconsin public sector unions have surrounded the Capitol Building in protest of the bill that will basically put an end to the teachers union.  It should have come as no surprise that I am no fan of public sector unions.  Unions are meant to protect workers against their employers.  We shouldn't have anything to fear from working for the government.  While I understand that in some ways it is easier to make salary decisions as a group than it is on an individual basis.

The problem is that these public unions have become so powerful that the rest of us are getting screwed.  Many of these unions have not cared for the tax payer funded retirement funds, that we will have to pay for a second time.   This is the reason that they lack all creditability.  So much of the problems that the states are facing are due to the fact that they have refused to put up a fair share of the costs for the benefit packages that they receive.  In New Jersey teachers generally pay into the benefit packages slightly over $100K over the period of their career and take out more than a million.  How can we possibly sustain that? 

In many instances the unions are asked to put in an additional percentage into their benefits or face layoffs.  The UNIONS choose lay offs.  They then go out to the media and make statements about how the government (usually republicans) is against education and anti teacher.  The only chance these states have is to break up these unions.  Otherwise they will bankrupt the states that were silly enough to sign these contracts that they couldn't afford. 

All the polls show that public sector unions popularity is at an all time low.  I wonder why?  The rest of us are watching our taxes increase to pay for benefits that we don't get.  Many of us haven't gotten a raise in years, some of us have lost our jobs and are running out unemployment benefits.  We are supposed to be shedding tears because they are being asked to spend an additional 7% towards the Cadillac benefit packages that they have received? 

I have no problem with them protesting against a bill they feel strongly against.  But, do they really need to bring their students with them?  Do the parents of these kids know that they are there?  Do the kids even understand why they are there?  From the videos that I have seen, they don't seem to.  They are basically striking illegally and closing down school systems across the state.  That is great message to teach the kids, I mean isn't that the lesson that we want the teachers to giving to our children?  Don't worry about the rules, just do what you want when you want. 

They, like everyone else in this country, need to realize the gravy train is over.  We can no longer afford to pay these benefits.  The public sector workers are going to have pay towards their benefits and retirements just like the rest of us do.  Welcome to the real world. 

Head on over to Althouse to see the mess that they left at the Capitol, you can also see the new civility in action. 

Waiting for Superwoman - Michelle Rhee To Resign as DC School Chancellor - UPDATES

Michelle Rhee,  the tenacious chancellor of the DC public school system, is reported to announce her resignation today.  Rhee is at the frontier of public school reform.  As such, she has made many enemies; especially of the teachers unions. 


Rhee was featured in the documentary "Waiting for Superman" a scathing and honest look at the crisis that our public school system is in.  DC has one of the worst public school systems in the country.  By no means is it due to a lack of funds; as they spend more per student than any other school system in the country.  Which by the way, mainly comes from federal funding to the tune of almost $30,000 per student.


Rhee has stood up to the unions, which has been the cause of her downfall.  Soon to be former Mayor Fenty hired her three years ago and the when the re-election battle began, the unions went into overdrive to get him out of office. 


Rhee has also closed schools that were failing and didn't have enough students to justify the costs of keeping them open.  She realized that the funds would be better utilized if they went more directly to the classrooms and the students.  Under Rhee, the test scores and achievement levels have increased, yet the teacher unions saw fit to spend more than $1 million to help elect Grey.  They went into overdrive to convince the residents of DC that Rhee was not the answer to school system that is keeping many of the poor residents in DC in poverty. 


DC has lost big today and it is a shame.  But, I have to believe that someone that is as committed to improving failing school systems as she is, will be a great pick up for another school system.  I am hoping that she can go and work in Newark.  The gift of $100 million and both a mayor and governor who are both willing to stand up to the unions will have her back and give the residents of that city a chance to get a good education that will help lift their families out of the generational poverty that they have had the sad luck to find themselves in. 


Rhee has the ability and desire to present a road map for other school systems to follow.  We cannot be competitive on the world stage if we can't even educate our children.  It is time to think outside of the box and break the failing mold that we have created for ourselves.  The federal government spends almost $70 billion on the department of education.  For that not one single child is educated.  That money would be better spent by individual school systems that understand the needs of their own community. 

Michelle Rhee did indeed step down today.  It doesn't look like she has decided where she is going to end up, and says she wants to try and work in the private sector. 






Look carefully at the improvement that they call modest!!!  Shameful

A little Blue Pill for Me, No Job for Thee

The teacher's union of Milwaukee is reaching a new low; and it is not easy for teacher's union to reach new lows.  The union has filed a sex discrimination case in order to get the district to start covering Viagra again.  That's right, they want to make sure that male teachers are getting some. 

The district is in a financial crisis so bad that they have already laid off 400 teachers and may well need to lay off some more.  The Viagra coverage will cost close to a million dollars per year.  A million dollars that could easily be used to keep teachers employed.  But, no they want their erectile dysfunction pills more.  I am no doctor, but I have never heard of Viagra being used for anything other than sexual recreation purposes. 

The suit claims that since they cover estrogen replacement therapy for women it is discriminatory.  Ok, not to get too graphic here, but I went through menopause early due to my ovarian cancer.  I would like to see a man going through night sweats and hot flashes then tell me that ERT is about having sex.  It is not, the therapy does have some additional benefits that could potentially help a woman in the sexual department, that is not why woman take ERT.  The problem is worsened by the fact that insurance does cover penile implants and pumps.  So, men can still find ways to scratch their itch without increasing the costs to the district. 

This is one of the most ridiculous things that I have ever heard of.  Our country is basically bankrupt and the unions are worrying about Viagra?  They can still get off if they so chose, they can pay for it themselves.  Unions just continue to ask for more and more and are never willing to give up anything.  This is playing out in state after state.  New Jersey asked the unions to forgo a wage increase and pay 3% towards their health benefits and they refused.  States are drowning in red ink and the teachers think they should have to make no sacrifice whatsoever. 

If our country is going to get back into a steady footing where are debt is concerned, everyone will have to give up something.  I, for one, will pay a higher tax rate as long as spending cuts are put into place.  As Americans we need to be together in this.  All of us must give a little to get something for the future generations.  It is just that simple. 

Reason #15,879 Why Conservatives Homeschool More Liberal Lunancy in our Schools

This happened in a middle school in New Haven, CT. Now, I went to college in New Haven; it is a poor community that has major problems with drugs and gangs. So, I am all for a teacher trying to give kids a sense of themselves and to teach them that they can grow beyond their environment and achieve success and change the circumstances of the life they were born into. This goes waaaaaaaaaaaay beyond that, and it is not acceptable.

Liberal Logic - Teacher Unions Edition

I was reading a post by a fellow blogger who is a conservative and a public school teacher.  She referenced an article on Pajamas Media.  The article is about a comment that was made by President Obama in regards to the Rhode Island firing the entire staff of a public school that has been failing for years.  President Obama's comment seemed to back the move and this of course is upsetting the unions.  The article itself was interesting, but one of the comments is what really caught my attention:

11. james:

I am so disgusted by all this teacher bashing! These are our best and brightest, and they have dedicated themselves to serving our children. Has the author of this article have no shame? I know that we have some problems with some of our schools, but mass firings and “union breaking” is never the answer. Here’s a few simple steps we can take to improve education now:

1. Raise teacher pay by at least 15-20%. That will attract more talent.


2. Grant teachers a better benefit package than most currectly enjoy. There’s no reason why people who have dedicated their lives to children cannot have 100% of their health care (families included) paid for. I’ve also endorsed a special retirement fund for teachers that the Federal govt can invest in. Possibly an additional $300 monthly, per teacher, into a special IRA account. Of course, we’ll need strict government over-sight and accountability of such a fund.

3. More time off. The fact of the matter is that most teachers are over-worked and under-paid. End the traditional school year in early to mid-May. That will give teachers a well-deserved extra month or so to re-charge their batteries. Teaching children is a very difficult job, especially when the classroom is filled with inner-city children from broken homes (i.e. the Newark and D.C. school systems). 

4. More administrators to help teachers. I always advocated a “teacher first” policy, in the sense that the “first” employee of any school should be the teacher. If a teacher needs help, each should have their own administrator at their beck and call. Admimistrators should be paid well ($65,000+ yearly), but not included in the special teacher retirement fund.

5. Finally, we should institute a “six-month” tenure called for by Medea Benjamin. Once a teacher has been employed full-time for six months, automatic tenure should set in. This will show that we are dedicated to our teachers, which will entice more productivity.


With these simple changes, we can fix our school systems within 5 years, save money and contribute to the fight on racism and global warming. It will just take some courage.

Where to begin.....
Contribute to the fight on racism...I am not trying to say that racism doesn't exist, but what exactly should tax payer money be doing to fight racism? 

Have you read all the information about the scandals around the data for global warming?  The science is far from settled. 

Six month tenure?  You get a job for life after working for six months!!!  What sort of craziness is this thought process?  A teacher (who could be as young as 22 with no job experience) should be allowed to never be fired before they even have finished one school year of teaching simply based on the fact that they have chosen an admirable profession?  What kind of sense does this make?

Ending the school year in mid May.  Now, I have never taught school and I am sure that it is a stressful job.  But so is being a doctor, a nurse, a police officer, a social worker, heck even when I was working in the direct mail fundraising field I was stressed out, after all I had meet to constant deadlines. Working in a retail store is a very stressful job; should they get three and half months paid time off every year as well? 

You want the government to have strict oversight of an additional IRA fund?  They had strict control over Social Security, how has that worked out? 


An administrator at your beck and call.  Does every teacher get their own administrator, or do they have several teachers?  If so, how they would be at the "beck and call" if they have more than one?  One of these teachers may have to wait a half hour.  I don't think James would find that half hour wait acceptable. 
 
I am in no way saying that teachers don't deserve gratitude, as they do.  James is correct that it is a difficult job, that doesn't mean that they should never be fired if they do a bad job.  Look at the teacher who writes loser on the top of papers he is grading.  I am sorry, James but this man doesn't deserve to keep his job especially since he has been talked to about this previously.  He thinks it is ok to call 6th graders losers.  It is not ok. 
 
Teachers salaries are not that terrible.  I am not saying that they shouldn't be better, but in Virginia the average salary is almost $44,000 and it is higher in Northern Virginia, where costs of living are higher.  You will never get rich being a teacher, but you can live on $44,000.  The median income in Virginia is $46,055.

The NEA and Alinsky - Coming to a school near you

Here is a copy of the recommendations of the NEA.  So how long until this becomes required for our kids? 


Recommended Reading: Saul Alinsky, The American Organizer



Reveille for Radicals


by Saul Alinsky


Vintage; Reissue edition (October 23, 1989)


Buy It






Rules for Radicals


by Saul Alinsky


Vintage; Reissue edition (October 23, 1989)


Buy It






An inspiration to anyone contemplating action in their community! And to every organizer!






Saul Alinski wrote the book on American radicalism - two books, in fact: a 1945 best-seller, "Reveille for Radicals" and "Rules for Radicals" in 1971. The "Reveille" title page quotes Thomas Paine... "Let them call me rebel and welcome, I feel no concern from it; but I should suffer the misery of devils, were I to make a whore of my soul."






Saul Alinsky, who was a labor and civil-rights activist from the 1910's until he died in 1972, has written here a guidebook for those who are out to change things. He sets down what the goal is: a society where people are free to live, and also aren't starving in the streets. A society where there is legal and economic justice. Then he sets out to say how to get there.






Alinsky spends a lot of time critiquing the idea that "The end does not justify the means." What end? What means? He feels that there are circumstances where one can and should use means that in other circumstances would be unethical. I am not sure I agree, but Alinsky certainly speaks with the voice of experience.






Alinsky's goal seems to be to encourage positive social change by equipping activists with a realistic view of the world, a kind of preemptive disillusionment. If a person already knows what evil the world is capable of, then perhaps the surprise factor can be eliminated, making the person a more effective activist. Alinsky further seems to be encouraging the budding activist not to worry to much about getting his or her hands dirty. It's all a part of the job, he seems to say.






Alinski, the master political agitator, tactical planner and social organizer didn't mince words...






"Liberals in their meetings utter bold works; they strut, grimace belligerently, and then issue a weasel-worded statement 'which has tremendous implications, if read between the lines.' They sit calmly, dispassionately, studying the issue; judging both sides; they sit and still sit.






"The Radical does not sit frozen by cold objectivity. He sees injustice and strikes at it with hot passion. He is a man of decision and action. There is a saying that the Liberal is one who walks out of the room when the argument turns into a fight.






"Society has good reason to fear the Radical. Every shaking advance of mankind toward equality and justice has come from the Radical. He hits, he hurts, he is dangerous. Conservative interests know that while Liberals are most adept at breaking their own necks with their tongues, Radicals are most adept at breaking the necks of Conservatives.






"Radicals precipitate the social crisis by action - by using power. Liberals may then timidly follow along or else, as in most cases, be swept forward along the course set by Radicals, but all because of forces unloosed by Radical action. They are forced to positive action only in spite of their desires ...






"The American Radical will fight privilege and power whether it be inherited or acquired by any small group, whether it be political or financial or organized creed.


"He curses a caste system which he recognizes despite all patriotic denials.


"He will fight conservatives whether they are business or labor leaders.


"He will fight any concentration of power hostile to a broad, popular democracy, whether he finds it in financial circles or in politics.


"The Radical recognizes that constant dissension and conflict is and has been the fire under the boiler of democracy. He firmly believes in that brave saying of a brave people, "Better to die on your feet than to live on your knees!"


"The Radical may resort to the sword but when he does he is not filled with hatred against those individuals whom he attacks. He hates these individuals not as persons but as symbols representing ideas or interests which he believes to be inimical to the welfare of the people.


"That is the reason why Radicals, although frequently embarking upon revolutions, have rarely resorted to personal terrorism."


Alinski practiced what he preached. He said, "Tactics means doing what you can with what you have ... tactics is the art of how to take and how to give."






He uses eyes, ears and nose for examples...


Eyes


"If you have a vast organization, parade it before the enemy, openly show your power."


Ears


"If your organization is small, do what Gideon did: conceal the members in the dark but raise a clamor that will make the listener believe that your organization numbers many more that it does."


Nose


"If your organization is too tiny even for noise, stink up the place."






Alinski devised and proved thirteen tactical rules for use against opponents vastly superior in power and wealth.






1. "Power is not only what you have but what the enemy thinks you have.


2. "Never go outside the experience of your people.


3. "Wherever possible go outside of the experience of the enemy.


4. "Make the enemy live up to their own book of rules.


5. "Ridicule is man's most potent weapon.


6. "A good tactic is one that your people enjoy.


7. "A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag.


8. "Keep the pressure on.


9. "The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself.


10. "Major premise for tactics is development of operations that will maintain constant pressure upon the opposition.


11. "If you push a negative hard and deep enough it will break through into its counterside.


12. "The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative.


13. "Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.


"The real action is in the enemy's reaction. The enemy properly goaded and guided in his reaction will be your major strength. Tactics, like life, require that you move with the action."

Alinski was hated and defamed by powerful enemies, proof that his tactics worked. His simple formula for success...


"Agitate + Aggravate + Educate + Organize"


h/t to Watching the Nation