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

NJ.com ^

[Sub-Driver]

WASHINGTON (AP)

[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?