Sec. of Education Rod Paige Calls NEA Teachers Union A Terrorist Organization

ABC ^ | 2/23/04

[11th Earl of Mar]

Rod Paige Criticizes Teachers Union Education Secretary Paige Calls Teachers Union 'Terrorist Organization'

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON Feb. 23 — 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.

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

"I don't think the NEA is a terrorist organization," said Rendell, who has butted heads with the group as well. "They're not a terrorist organization any more than the National Business Organization is a terrorist organization.

Neither the Education Department nor NEA had an immediate comment on Paige's comments. Both indicated that statements were forthcoming.

Education has been a top issue for governors, who have sought more flexibility from the administration on President Bush's "No Child Left Behind" law, which seeks to improve school performance in part by allowing parents to move their children from poorly performing schools.

Democrats have said Bush has failed to fully fund the law, giving the states greater burdens but not the resources to handle them.

Missouri Gov. Bob Holden, a Democrat, said Paige's remarks startled the governors, who met for nearly two hours with Bush and several Cabinet officials.

"He is, I guess, very concerned about anybody that questions what the president is doing," Holden said.

"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,'" he said.

Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas, a Republican, said of Paige's comments: "Somebody asked him about the NEA's role and he offered his perspective on it."

Gov. Jennifer Granholm of Michigan, a Democrat, said the comments were made in the context of "we can't be supportive of the status quo and they're the status quo. But whatever the context, it is inappropriate 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."

When Bush welcomed the governors at the State Dining Room during brief public comments, he told them that rising political tensions of an election year won't stop him from working closely with them.

"I fully understand it's going to be the year of the sharp elbow and the quick tongue," Bush said. "But surely we can shuffle that aside sometimes and focus on our people."

"We'll continue to work hard to help you. Because by helping our governors, we really help our people," he said.

Bush spent much of the first half of his opening comments on foreign policy and the war on terrorism, defending his decision to go war in Iraq and thanking the governors for their work on homeland security.

"The most important job of anyone in public office is to protect the people of our country," he said.

Bush also defended his domestic policies, telling the governors that he strongly believed in his education law and that the tax cuts he championed were helping spur the economy.

The governors are in Washington for four days of discussions at the annual meeting of the National Governors Association, though the usual effort to build consensus was marked by partisan politics that Democrats said couldn't be avoided.

Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, said he planned to confront Bush on White House predictions of 2.6 million new jobs this year. Bush spokesmen already have backed off those numbers.

"If the president's not going to fight for jobs, governors will, Democratic governors will," Vilsack said. "We're on the front line of that fight every day, and we see the consequences of having lost three million jobs."

[EdReform]

Bump

[Chris Talk]

Thank God someone finally called these evil witches what they are.

Throw rotten apples at THESE teachers!

Their doctrine is, these kids are too dumb to learn anything anyway, so pay us $60k per year to indoctrinate them and teach them how to commit homosexual acts and use condoms.

[JohnnyZ]

So is Rod Paige gonna run for something in Texas or what?

Paige and Hamid Karzai share stories about terrorists.

[CedarDave]

He'll be asked to resign by the media and the P/C crowd. That he's black won't matter to them (as it would if he was a Democrat in a Clinton-type administration where calling for his ouster would label you as racist). Any attempt to force him out will please them; just being a black in the Bush administration automatically means you're an "Uncle Tom" and have to go.

[Chris Talk]

NEA Terrorist Org bump

Why doesn't the govt seize it and put the ringleaders on trial. Send em to Guantanamo for all I care.

[nobody_knows]

PLEASE email secretary Paige and tell him you agree with his comments about the NEA.

His email address is Rod.Paige@ed.gov

[11th Earl of Mar]

Well, this will successfully ensure that Bush's salvos that he hoped to start lobbing Kerry's way at tonight's speech will either get no coverage or will be linked to this asinine comment.

Way to shoot your boss in the foot, Paige. You were speaking to a crowd with a large number of Democrats; what were you thinking?

Unfortunately, I agree.

His comments will not help Bush in tonight's news coverage or in November's election.

[Diva Betsy Ross]

Do they deny it?

[anniegetyourgun]

Friends don't let friends hand their kids over to terrorists.

Seriously, folks - it was the wrong word to use during the WOT. Paige will probably end up apologizing for using such hyperbole. However, he should not apologize for suggesting that the NEA is not about kids, education, or anything other than advancing their political agenda. Furthermore, I think he should engage Elaine Chao is pointing out that ALL unions exist to do the same. None of them care a wit about their constituents or their consumers.

[tiamat]

Years ago a teacher got in HUGE trouble by doing "urban" math story problems... along the lines of :

"Fast Eddie is running 8 girls on the street... "

and

"If Jose buys a kilo of weed and divides it to sell in dime bags, how many bags must he sell to make back his origional investment?"

I am NOT making this up.

[demnomo]

That's a good question. All the Dem Guvs want the press to know is the "NEA is a terrorist organization" part, not the whole statement nor the context.

Unfortunately, this is going to be pushed ad naseum by the press all week long!

[anniegetyourgun]

It will also be used in presidential campaign ads against the prez.

[beaversmom]

Glad he said it. The are a terrorist organization. They hold parents and children hostage in the lousy government schools and saturate the children's impressionable minds with radicalism that could rival the PLO.

[AppyPappy]

Typical media. Their desire to hide the exact reference makes me suspicious.

[John Lenin]

Right on Rod, you nailed them to the wall!

[anoldafvet]

"Why do these limp wristed Republicans do NOTHING about that?" I believe Rod Paige is a democRAT.

[varina davis]

Rod Paige is correct.

[teletech]

Even though its true, Sec. Paige should not have used those words. This will be a part of each and every campaign ad Kerry runs.

[Esther Ruth]

Everyone sing along -

School days, school days, all those golden school days, reading and writting and rith-ma-tic- all to the tune of the hickory stick. (1910 or so?)

Forward a few years

Screw-all daze, screw-all daze, all doz nastee screw-all days, didn't yearn nuttin at all ya know, kant eben spel or add 1 and 1, sure wish my techer knew what to do, so I koud learn wat I neeed too no.

Help me, save me from this retchid school now, please wood some one hav the kerage now, for life's a-over and no more time.......

[Howlin]

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