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Thread: Bush's Sec. of Ed. calls teachers union "a terrorist organization"

  1. #1
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    Bush's Sec. of Ed. calls teachers union "a terrorist organization"

    Just in case you missed this one...
    It used to be that all of us who opposed the Patriot Act were "enabling" the terrorists.
    Now it seems that according to the Bush administration, criticism of any of it's policies is tantamount to terrorism. Apparently, teachers are now terrorists too.

    Education Chief Calls Union Terrorist Then Recants

    February 24, 2004
    By ROBERT PEAR

    WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 - Education Secretary Rod Paige said
    Monday that the National Education Association, one of the
    nation's largest labor unions, was like "a terrorist
    organization" because of the way it was resisting many
    provisions of a school improvement law pushed through
    Congress by President Bush in 2001.

    Mr. Paige made the comment in a private meeting with
    governors at the White House, just hours before the
    president stepped up the tempo of his re-election campaign
    with a speech attacking his Democratic opponents.

    The secretary later apologized for a poor choice of words,
    but repeated his criticism of the teachers' union as a
    group of obstructionists.

    His initial remark was described by four governors and
    confirmed by the Education Department. "The secretary was
    responding to a question," said Susan Aspey, a spokeswoman
    for Mr. Paige. "He said he considered the N.E.A. to be a
    terrorist organization."

    The governors who recounted Mr. Paige's remarks were two
    Democrats, Jennifer M. Granholm of Michigan and James E.
    Doyle of Wisconsin, and two Republicans, Mike Huckabee of
    Arkansas and Linda Lingle of Hawaii.

    Ms. Granholm said the governors were "all a little bit
    stunned" to hear the union described that way.

    Mr. Huckabee said Secretary Paige "was trying to point out
    that one reason it's been so difficult to execute real
    reform is that a lot of people in teachers' unions are
    trying to protect the status quo."

    And Governor Lingle said, "He's frustrated" by the N.E.A.'s
    "lack of support for a law that's clearly aimed at helping
    all children." She said Mr. Paige had complained that the
    union seemed concerned more about its 2.7 million members
    than about children.

    In an interview, Reg Weaver, president of the National
    Education Association, said: "Secretary Paige's comments
    were pathetic and morally repugnant. They are no laughing
    matter. When our members learn of his comments, they will
    be outraged, and even more determined to make changes in
    the law."

    The law, the No Child Left Behind Act, calls for greater
    use of standardized tests and remedial action to raise
    student achievement and improve school performance. Some
    governors, while endorsing the goals, say the federal
    government has not provided enough money for states to meet
    them. The union is lobbying for legislation that would give
    states more flexibility and more money.

    After his remark had begun circulating, Mr. Paige issued a
    statement saying he had gone too far in describing the
    union as a terrorist organization. "It was an inappropriate
    choice of words to describe the obstructionist scare
    tactics that the N.E.A.'s Washington lobbyists have
    employed against No Child Left Behind's historic education
    reforms," he said.

    "As one who grew up on the receiving end of insensitive
    remarks," said Mr. Paige, who is black and was born in a
    segregated Mississippi, "I should have chosen my words
    better."

    Mr. Paige suggested that the union's lobbyists were out of
    step with its members.

    "Our nation's teachers, who have dedicated their lives to
    service in the classroom, are the real soldiers of
    democracy," he said.

    By contrast, he asserted, "the N.E.A.'s high-priced
    Washington lobbyists have made no secret that they will
    fight against bringing real, rock-solid improvements in the
    way we educate all our children, regardless of skin color,
    accent or where they live."

    Mr. Weaver, the union's president, said there was no
    difference between its members and its leadership. "We are
    the teachers," he said. "There is no distinction."

    Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic national chairman, said,
    "Secretary Paige and the Bush administration have resorted
    to the most vile and disgusting form of hate speech,
    comparing those who teach America's children to
    terrorists."

    John J. Sweeney, president of the A.F.L.-C.I.O., said, "The
    Bush administration would like to label all those who
    disagree with it as terrorists in order to cover up its
    policies, which are harmful to working families, and to
    divert attention from its inability to create good jobs."

  2. #2
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    Think Bush'll fire the guy? I don't. But soon we get to fire Bush.
    [quote][//quote]

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    That is pretty disgusting that he used that language. However, just playing devils advocate here, he did apologize. Second, what was it that made him think something along those lines in the first place. I highly doubt that there is anything that organization is doing that could be compared to terrorism, but at the same time, maybe the way they are dealing with the opposition is what made this guy think of them in a negative way. The article doesn't point out any of that.

  4. #4
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    Great, now my entire immediate family are terrorists. Looks like Asscroft is gonna come after my ass soon.
    "There is a hell of a huge difference between skiing as a sport- or even as a lifestyle- and skiing as an industry"
    Hunter S. Thompson, 1970 (RIP)

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    Saw it this morning on the news. He was trying to make a joke (evidentally he's not good at that sort of thing). He has appologized. It was a stupid thing to say but I don't think that this is his actual mind set. I'm sure that would be good enough if he was a democrat but since he's a bush appointee he's obviously the devils spawn.

  6. #6
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    Perhaps the teachers are being obstructionists to the Bush reform because they believe and know that the program is shit. But what do they know, these "teachers" as they are called, it's not like they spend any time actually working with the kids.

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    Plake, nothing against your family, I work in a school and have NOTHING but the greatest respect for ANYONE who decides to work the long thankless underpaid hours to teach kids. Militant teachers unions suck, they make it impossible to fire incompetent teachers and allow SOME to basically do just enough to get by and not help our kids achive. I DESPISE closed shop unions, if your union is SO great then why not let people make the choice whether they want to pay union dues or go without their protection. Most teachers unions in my view fight with administrations and school boards for a bigger piece of the pie for their members meaning that school boards have to cut sports, drama, music and other extra-curicular activities just to fund state minimum standards. Rather then put union and administration at each others throats all the time the two SHOULD work together to demand a larger share of the pie from state and federal funding so that TEACHERS who are some of the most underapreciated underpaid people on the planet could get the PAY that they deserve and SCHOOL DISTRICTS could provide the kind of oppertunities that our childeren NEED.
    For sure, you have to be lost to find a place that can't be found, elseways everyone would know where it was

  8. #8
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    Originally posted by laseranimal
    if your union is SO great then why not let people make the choice whether they want to pay union dues or go without their protection.
    I'm not in the union. That's why until recently I fell into the category of the 45 million uninsured Americans.
    "There is a hell of a huge difference between skiing as a sport- or even as a lifestyle- and skiing as an industry"
    Hunter S. Thompson, 1970 (RIP)

  9. #9
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    Originally posted by 1080Rider
    I'm sure that would be good enough if he was a democrat but since he's a bush appointee he's obviously the devils spawn.
    Yeah, I'm sure if a Clinton appointee referred to a conservative group as 'terrorists' no one would pay attention if he apologized.
    [quote][//quote]

  10. #10
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    Is Kerry speech writing as well as running for president??

    Kerry himself not referred to congressional Republicans as "legislative terrorists," as the Drudge Report notes he did back in 1996.
    "The trouble with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money" --Margaret Thatcher

  11. #11
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    Originally posted by mr_gyptian
    Is Kerry speech writing as well as running for president??

    Kerry himself not referred to congressional Republicans as "legislative terrorists," as the Drudge Report notes he did back in 1996.
    And we all know what a responsible journalistic organization the Drudge Report is.
    "There is a hell of a huge difference between skiing as a sport- or even as a lifestyle- and skiing as an industry"
    Hunter S. Thompson, 1970 (RIP)

  12. #12
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    Originally posted by Telephil
    That is pretty disgusting that he used that language. However, just playing devils advocate here, he did apologize.

    "It was an inappropriate choice of words." "I should have chosen my words better." You call this response an apology? The guy frickin equated teachers with terrorists! He should be begging not to be fired!

    Second, what was it that made him think something along those lines in the first place. I highly doubt that there is anything that organization is doing that could be compared to terrorism, but at the same time, maybe the way they are dealing with the opposition is what made this guy think of them in a negative way. The article doesn't point out any of that.

    You "highly doubt there is anything that organization is doing that could be compared to terrorism." Bravo, way to stand up for the teachers. Highly doubt?? How about this Phil--There is no fucking way, short of blowing up a building or another terrorist act, that the NEA should be compared with terrorists.
    There is a HUGE difference between "think(ing) of them (teachers) in a negative way," as you say, and calling teachers terrorists. There is NO excuse, whether you are playing devil's advocate or not, for such language.
    Dude, if you are going to play devil's advocate, at least do a little research on the subject so you have more to say than "maybe the way they are dealing with the opposition" leads the secretary of education to calls them terrorists. Uninformed hypothetical arguments are really a waste of everyone's time.

  13. #13
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    Sorry, I should've chosen my words better.

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    No worries dood.

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