Posted on 11/01/2001 4:02:31 AM PST by summer
Letter to President Bush
from NEA President Bob Chase
Dear Mr. President:
We Americans are a diverse and often divided family, but at this time of tragedy we stand united - one nation indivisible. We are united by our shared grief, and also by our resolve to root out and punish those who have attacked our homeland.
Nearly one in one hundred Americans is a member of the National Education Association. I want you to know that, as President and Commander in Chief, you have our wholehearted support at this time of crisis. You should also know that, in recent days, teacher unions from around the world have expressed their strong solidarity with America. Those who love freedom and democracy are rallying to America's flag and to your leadership as President in the war on terrorism.
You have our strong support - and our prayers - as you make the fateful decisions necessary for America to prevail. The 2.6 million members of the National Education Association stand with you, and we stand ready to assist you in any way we can.
May God give you wisdom and strength, Mr. President, and may God bless our great nation.
Sincerely,
Bob Chase
President
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Letter to NEA Board of Directors
from NEA President Bob Chase
October 5, 2001
Dear NEA Board of Directors Member:
As President Bush so compellingly argued in his speech to Congress, the terrorists attacked America because they despise our values. We will defeat this enemy by arms and law, but also by holding fast to the core values that define us as Americans: our freedom, our liberties, our commitment to an open, tolerant, democratic society.
Of necessity, public schools will be a frontline institution in this new era. America's domestic security will depend on more than metal detectors and sky marshals. It also will depend on the values taught in America's public schools. In the months and years ahead, it is our challenge as educators to guide an entire generation of young Americans to understand the freedom and democratic ideals that are at stake in this struggle.
With this in mind, I am passing along this packet of source materials that I hope you will find useful - and inspiring. Included are America's founding documents: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights. There are also backgrounders on Islam and the Arab world; resource lists on school safety and helping children cope with loss; a booklet titled "The Bible & Public Schools: A First Amendment Guide;" and much more.
When you get back home to your schools and communities, I encourage you to reproduce and disseminate items in this packet that you find especially useful. If there are other ways that we at NEA headquarters can assist you in responding to the events of September 11, don't hesitate to ask.
Sincerely,
Bob Chase
NEA President
We will never be as we were pre-9/11. That powerful punch to our nation's soul may serve as a springboard for far more positives than negatives.
Perhaps we have spent too much time being wary, watchful, and suspicious of those who disagree with us. I'm not suggesting that now is the time to "let down our guard", but it may be time to listen first and react later.
They're donning sweaters in Hell, folks.
Such a statement is newsworthy and should have been mentioned by the national media because it is something unexpected and significant.
It certainly would be nice to have a balance of conservative and liberal teachers in our public schools. If nothing else, it might make conservatives more supportive of public education and more committed to improve it.
While these letters certainly don't represent a shift from the liberal positions of the NEA, the very fact that the NEA has anything nice at all to say about Bush gives us some hope that it will be more receptive to his ideas regarding education. I remain skeptical of that, but this is still very much a positive development.
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