Rod Paige criticizes teachers union [nation's largest teachers union a "terrorist organization"]

NJ.com ^

[Sub-Driver]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Education Secretary Rod Paige called the nation's largest teachers union a "terrorist organization" during a private White House meeting with governors on Monday.

Democratic and Republican governors confirmed Paige's remarks about the National Education Association.

"These were the words, 'The NEA is a terrorist organization,'" said Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle of Wisconsin.

[Sub-Driver]

go Rod..........

[Moose4]

Impolitic, but fairly accurate. Although maybe "terrorist" isn't the right word. "Subversive," "anti-American," "dangerous"...now those are accurate.

}:-)4

[bassmaner]

Bump for the truth! It's a shame that more that Bush Admin officials don't have Paige's cojones!

[Unam Sanctam]

What did actually say? The article doesn't give the context at all.

[leprechaun9]

I believe it is a Goebelite organization that is dedicated to the brain washing of elementary school students to hate the United States and to embrace the teachings of Socialism!

[Tanniker Smith]

'The NEA is a terrorist organization,'

Not a good thing to say. Not for a person in a position of authority. Nope, not good. I don't care if you think it's accurate. Think of the image it conjures -- or at least it may be trying to conjure -- men with AK-47s killing people, suicide bombers on buses, planes into the WTC? Nah, I don't think so. That kind of hyperbole is quite a bit over the top.

I wouldn't like it directed at me. You can't complain about libs with flamethrowers if we're shooting them back.

TS
...

[Eva]

I think I like this guy. The quality of public school education is inversely proportionate to the growth of the NEA.

[Eva]

I think I like this guy. The quality of public school education is inversely proportionate to the growth of the NEA.

[Fierce Allegiance]

Too bad kids 10 years from now won't know the meaning of what you said.

[Fierce Allegiance]

Too bad kids 10 years from now won't know the meaning of what you said.

[Callahan]

Agreed, but this article gives us absolutely zero context. Lousy journalism.

[truthingod]

Absolutely! The NEA continues to demand more money for education yet their efforts show very little compared to the past. Many of these people are the same ones waiting in line for illegal marriage licenses too. They have an agenda that is wrong for America and could potentially "terrorize" the strength of the American family by opposing the family as it now stands. The language out of their own literature and meetings suggest they are just as passionate about their"cause" as any terrorist working to bring adversity to the American family.

[hgro]

Impolitic, but fairly accurate. Although maybe "terrorist" isn't the right word. "Subversive," "anti-American," "dangerous"...now those are accurate.

and Corrupt to the core.

[Sloth]

I'll support anything bad Paige wants to say about them, but personally I wouldn't call the NEA a terrorist organization. They're more of a group intended to promote child abuse in an organized way, sort of like NAMBLA, only less honest.

[Seruzawa]

Think of the image it conjures -- or at least it may be trying to conjure -- men with AK-47s killing people, suicide bombers on buses, planes into the WTC?

Paxil-addled children shooting up their high School? Ritalin-addicted children committing sucide? There's more truth than lie to his statment.

Still wasn't a smart thing to say with pinkocommirdraftdodgerliberals in the room.

[Tanniker Smith]

Agreed. But something like that will *never* be repeated within context. Anyone in public office (forget about a cabinet-level Secretary) should know better.

TS
...

[William McKinley]

This is an absolutely moronic statement for him to have made.

While it may be entertaining to slam a wretched organization, equating them with terrorists is uncalled for and is bound to cause political problems for the administration, playing right into Kerry's whine that Republicans are playing dirty.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

[Flyer]

Rod Paige PING!*

As always, a FReep mail will get you on or off this Houston topics ping list.

[MineralMan]

Hmmm...

As much as we may agree with this statement, it was exceedingly foolish for the Education Secretary to say such a thing in a meeting of state Governors from both sides of the aisle.

This is going to get big play on the networks, and all the back-pedaling in the world is not going to help that much.

Stupid!

[Sloth]

Now that I think about it, though, they do have some terrorist characteristics. They extort, threatening to harm children if they aren't given huge amounts of money, then they go ahead and harm them anyway.

[truthingod]

The choice of words may not have been the best, but gotta give the guy credit for challenging this group. Someone needs to go after them strong and loud. So what if people get upset? It is more upsetting to listen to the NEA rant on and on about their hidden agenda which is to promote the gay agenda and basically desensitize every school aged child in America.

[MineralMan]

"The choice of words may not have been the best, but gotta give the guy credit for challenging this group. Someone needs to go after them strong and loud. So what if people get upset? It is more upsetting to listen to the NEA rant on and on about their hidden agenda which is to promote the gay agenda and basically desensitize every school aged child in America."

That's all well and good, but this is an election year, and the margin may well be as close as it was in 2000. Right now, this was simply not a prudent thing for an administration official to say. As I said, whether you agree with what he said or not.

Politics often involves being politic.

[El Conservador]

Look forward for Rod Paige to be lumped in the Oreo-cookie, Uncle-Tom, house-negro crowd by the white liberals, just like they did with Colin Powell, Condi Rice, Clarence Thomas, Alan Keyes, Walter Williams, J.C. Watts, Janice Rogers Brown, Jesse Lee Peterson, Ward Connerly, Thomas Sowell, et al.

[truthingod]

Yes, to a degree. Quite frankly, sometimes you have to stop worrying about the politics to do the right thing.
Ronald Reagan sure didn't check the polls to do the right thing and the American people loved(most of them) for it.

[MileHi]

I know he wasn't calling teachers terrorists — but to ever suggest that the organization they belong to was a terrorist organization is uncalled for."

No it isn't.

[vaudine]

I've seen Grantholm on TV a lot lately. I don't like her--typical Dem spin. Any chance she won't get reelected, Freepers from michigan?

Paige is right on the mark, joke or no joke. The NEA is a menace to our education and our culture.

vaudine

[MineralMan]

"Yes, to a degree. Quite frankly, sometimes you have to stop worrying about the politics to do the right thing.
Ronald Reagan sure didn't check the polls to do the right thing and the American people loved(most of them) for it.
"

As individuals, that's fine. As Education Secretary, it isn't. Everything Paige says reflects on the administration, for good or bad. Right now, Bush doesn't need another blockbuster issue for the media to run over and over again.

Paige was an idiot, whether he was right or he was wrong in what he said. An idiot.

Watch the backpedaling begin.

[truthingod]

Yes, if big companies keep walking out of Michigan like they are right now. She is also not winning the voters of Michigan over with her request to increase taxes(again)on cigarettes and alcohol. She is trying to balance the budget on the backs of people without cutting any promises she made to Kwame in Detroit--that is keep the money is Southeast Michigan.

[truthingod]

It might be helpful to hear the full text of how the comment was actually made before too much reaction.

[Xenalyte]

Rod Paige ROCKS. He was Houston's superintendent for awhile, and did a more than decent job against forces of overwhelming stupidity and ossified bureaucracy.

[barkingdog]

Sounds like a statement made out of frustration. To harsh, but I'm in his corner.

[commandante_zero]

Speak Truth to Power

[From The Deer Stand]

The teachers union - an organization that prevents the good teachers from being paid well, prevents the districts from firing the bad teachers thus inhibiting education of our children, and, as "professional" as they say they are, can't figure out a system of merit pay and annual evaluations like private industry. They prefer their pay comes from "time and grade" rather than performance. The union has kept teachers' pay low by their socialistic policies while the union big-whigs are in the six-figures.

[MineralMan]

"It might be helpful to hear the full text of how the comment was actually made before too much reaction.
"

Yes, it might, but the bottom line is that we aren't going to hear it. What we're going to hear tonight and for some time to come is that the Education Secretary called the NEA a bunch of terrorists.

Then we're going to hear a bunch of sorry denials from Paige, Bush, and others. Then we're going to hear one more time that Paige called our kids' teachers a bunch of terrorists.

Finally, Paige will probably leave office, but the harm will be done already.

You see, conservatives like Freepers agree with Paige. All those moms and dads out there, though, don't. The ones that bother to go to parent-teacher meetings don't agree, since most teachers come off pretty well in those sessions.

Those whose kids are doing well in school aren't going to agree, either.

Take the schools in my area. They're very good, as a matter of fact. They're educating the kids well...they're sending them off to do well in college, and the parents are happy. Yes, there's the 5% of parents who are home-schooling, but the rest are feeling OK about the schools. They're a little ticked that the schools are run-down, but they like the teachers OK.

Bad judgement on Paige's part. Bad judgement.

[Clintons Are White Trash]

"One Term Bob" Holden needs to keep his mouth shut. He has done such a lousy job here in Missouri that the Dem's are already backing someone to run against him when his term is up.

The remark was right on target!

[Jaded]

Alot of teachers would tend to agree.

[BellStar]

"men with AK-47s killing people, suicide bombers on buses, planes into the WTC?"

Yes maybe!!!!!!!!!!! Suicide bombers!? The NEA is an un checked, un relenting source of left leaning propaganda. Remember, some of the Terrorist were educated here and fed a steady diet of subversion at home and school. As we say the rest is history.

[cyncooper]

I don't know. I just saw Terry McAuliffe try to bring this up, all outraged, and Lester Holt shut him down.

It ain't going anywhere.

[LexBaird]

I think the NEA has far more in common with a repressive industrial monopoly than a terrorist organization. I sure wish trade unions were subject to the same anti-trust laws that govern the management side.

Of course, with guberment worker unions, there is no management side, just politicians with their hands out.

[RJL]

Goodbye NEA endorsements for the Republicans.

I guess I’d be upset, but since there are zero NEA endorsements for Republicans, there is no loss.

The term terrorist isn’t too far off the mark. What do you call an organization that is doing its best to destroy you and your organization as the NEA does to Republicans and conservatives?

[thackney]

"maybe Paige isn't as bad as most thought" ping

[Clemenza]

"Gee our schools are swell. Junior gets As and his teachers are so nice to us." I've heard it all my life...

Meanwhile, test scores continue to fail and a large proportion of those who enter college can't even properly conjugate a sentence. It does not surprise me that my foreign colleaugues often get better grades than their American counterparts.

[oldironsides]

This man knows exactly who is holding back education. You cannot improve education when some of the teachers cannot (Massachusetts) pass a proficiency exam after graduation from college with a degree in elementary or secondary education. Protecting NEA members functioning at a substandard level is a cancer spreading through many school districts. Get the dead wood out, pay the good ones enough to keep them in place and watch the kids improve.

One thing I did note all through elementary school, all teachers children had the best and brightest teachers. They knew who was functioning at a high level and made sure their offspring got into the select classrooms of the ones they considered the best.

[MEG33]

He's a good man and made a real boo boo.This is just impolitic.The Dems will use this to their benefit nationwide.

[BykrBayb]

I don't understand why they're objecting to being called terrorists. I thought they liked terrorists, and our war against terrorists. I'm so confused!

[StriperSniper]

Oops! Did I say that? ;-)

[Tanniker Smith]

Holding back education? Sure. "Terrorists", I don't think so. It's explosive terminology. Believe me, I am not defending the NEA or any of the teachers unions.

And you can take from me -- I'm not just a critic, I'm also a member.

TS
...

[ovrtaxt]

This is from Newsmax-- it gives a more accurate (less slanted) picture of what was actually said.

---

Education Secretary Rod Paige called the nation's largest educrat union a "terrorist organization" during the White House's meeting with governors today.

Governors from both major parties confirmed his remarks about so-called National Education Association, which vehemently opposes school choice, pay based on merit, teacher accountability and other education reforms.


"He was making a joke, probably not a very good one," said Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a Democrat. "Of course he immediately divorced the NEA from ordinary teachers, who he said he supports."


"He was implying that the NEA has not been one of the organizations that has been working with the administration to try to solve 'No Child Left Behind,'" said Missouri Gov. Bob Holden, a Democrat.

President Bush was not present at the time Paige made the remark.


'Bad Joke' or 'Hate Speech'?


Reg Weaver, head of the anti-Republican union, called the comment "pathetic" and "not a laughing matter."


The secretary later told the Associated Press that his remark was "a bad joke; it was an inappropriate choice of words."


"As one who grew up on the receiving end of insensitive remarks, I should have chosen my words better," said Paige, the nation's first black secretary of education.

He said he had made clear to the governors that he was referring to the union, not its members.

"It's certainly not appropriate to use those kinds of comments for 2.7 million members who are trying to do the best they can to make sure that all children have access to a quality education," he said.


Terry McAuliffe, chairman of Democratic National Committee, accused Paige of using "the most vile and disgusting form of hate speech, comparing those who teach America's children to terrorists."

[ovrtaxt]

Terry McAuliffe, chairman of Democratic National Committee, accused Paige of using "the most vile and disgusting form of hate speech, comparing those who teach America's children to terrorists."

Someone needs to write and publish an article : Terry McAuliffe bashes black education leader

[oceanview]

a friend of mine knows a long island teacher, just retired at age 55 after 30 years service with a (are you sitting down): $95K per year pension. here on long island, they are bankrupting both the taxpayers and the school system of dollars for actual student needs, facilities, computers, etc.