[bogeybob]

Maine is a very liberal state and the teachers union is a key player in maintaining Democrat control here. There are indications that this might be a coordinated effort by the teachers union as complaints have come in from as much as 300 miles apart. This is outrageous and should be elevated to national news!

[F16Fighter]

"There are indications that this might be a coordinated effort by the teachers union as complaints have come in from as much as 300 miles apart. This is outrageous and should be elevated to national news!"

If this indeed is an conspiracy, every single one of these b@stards ought to be rooted out exposed on the major media as for what they are, and who they most likely represent -- LIBERAL ANTI-AMERICA SOCIALIST DEMOCRATS.

Just let 'em try and sweep this under the rug...

[RobbyS]

NEA abd AFT have become more and more ideological in the last twenty years. As a former member I each, I cocnlude this by observing the changing tones of their publics as they became more and more deeply commiyyed to the policies of the Democratic Party. I conclude that teacher unions should not be allowed to affiliate with political parties.

[Thazzaryte]

Put the Maine Teachers' Union on the list with Iraq, Iran, NK, Syria, Venezuela, etc.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Best to get children out of government schools asap.

[thegreatbeast]

Let's wait to hear the facts. This is a lynching offense in my book so we have to be sure.

[rocky88]

I just pasted this story to an email and sent it to everyone I know who has children in the public school system. What an absolute outrage.

[aruanan]

"Thank you for your interest on this most troubling matter. Our Family Assistance Centers have reported cases from Aroostook County to Southern Maine. We are reluctant to give out specific schools and the individuals involved in the interest of giving the education community a chance to address the problem itself. Also, parents wanted the opportunity to pursue the issue through their local school boards first.

In all, we have over thirty complaints that name schools and individual principals, teachers and guidance counselors. If one considers that these complaints come from just the parents who attended our briefings and only from children who told their parents, we are concerned that the problem may be more widespread than we know.

We are recording the complaints, and I will personally visit these educators to express our concern as a professional organization and ask for their cooperation.

Ultimately, our main concern and first responsibility is the safety of our children during these uncertain times. Maine has a core of dedicated and professional educators, but we will challenge any individual who places our children at risk due to their own political ideologies."

At first glance I thought this was from the school system because of the way it was written.

interest on
Should be interest "in", "regarding" or "concerning".

to give out
Should be "to name". I didn't think that anyone could give out schools and individuals, though he could give out the names of the schools and the people involved.

to address the problem itself.
Faddish jargon that means little, if anything. Within the "education community" the term means barely more than to talk about something, usually at a workshop for continuing education credits held during an in-service day at a local resort. Given the level of writing, "itself" could be referring either to "the problem" or to "the education community", itself a faddish, overused construct: the education community, the religious community, the broadcasting community, the gay community, the female sex workers of Bangalore community.

the opportunity
Deadwood. Did they merely want the opportunity to pursue or did they want to pursue "the issue"? And "pursue the issue through their local school board" as they could "pursue a rat through their local sewers"?

In all,
Unless the introductory phrase is five words or longer or contains a verb, it is not separated from the rest of the sentence by a comma. The phrase isn't need.

teachers and guidance
There should be a comma separating each item in a list, including the penultimate and ultimate items. The "and" doesn't take the place of the comma.

If one considers that these complaints...
The highlighted is deadwood. "If these complaints" is simpler and more direct.

than we know.
Duh! This is deadwood.

We are recording these complaints....
In these days of audio recording, "recording" refers primarily to this activity rather than to compiling evidence about a series of events. "Making or compiling a record of these complaints" is better and sounds more ominous, considering the matter at hand.

and ask for
Lack of parallelism. "to express and to ask" is the basic construction.

Ultimately, our main concern and first responsibility
If he's using "ultimately" to emphasize his organization's most important point, it sounds funny to say that its ultimate responsibility is its first responsibility. Even if he's using it to introduce his last paragraph, it still sounds funny juxtaposed to "first". And how can the first responsibility also not be the main concern? This is simply redundant. The less descriptive "main concern" should go.

but we will challenge...
This sentence is poorly constructed because he's making the more important part of the sentence subordinate to the less important part. It should read, "Although Maine has a core of dedicated and professional educators, we will challenge anyone who puts our children at risk..."

any individual
As opposed to anything that is not an individual? It should be "anyone" or "anybody." Who else but an individual human being is capable of acting in the way he's describing?

who places our children at risk
...who puts our children at risk....

any individual who places our children at risk due to their own political ideologies
Hmmm, tragic. Imagine, persecuting children because of the children's own ideologies; and political ones, at that, as though there were any other kind. Oh the pathetic lengths to which bureaucrats, even those working at the Maine Army National Guard Family Assistance Centers, will go to avoid using the singular masculine pronoun! If the writer wants to avoid using a sexist pronoun, there are better ways than assigning a plural pronoun to a singular subject.

Here's how this should have been written:

"Thank you for your interest regarding this problem. Our Family Assistance Centers have reported similar cases from Aroostook County to Southern Maine. For now we are not naming the specific schools and the people involved in order to give them a chance to resolve the problem. Parents also wanted to present the matter before their local school boards first.

We have over thirty complaints naming schools and individual principals, teachers, and guidance counselors. If these complaints come from just the parents who attended our briefings and only from children who told their parents, then we are concerned that the problem may be more widespread.

We are compiling a record of the complaints. As a representative of our Family Assistance Centers, I will visit these educators to express our concerns and to ask for their cooperation.

Our first responsibility is the safety of our children. Although Maine has a core of dedicated and professional educators, we will challenge anyone who puts our children at risk by demeaning their parents' roles in the Maine Army National Guard.

[metesky]

Looks like WVOM, FM 103.9 (Maine in the Morning) is going to highlight this story at 6:30 AM, 2/24/03.

Give 'em a call and express yourself.

[Doctor Raoul]

NEA is a four letter word.

[Grampa Dave]

This does not surprise me!

This is the lowest form of extortion. The threatening and harrasment of a person's children.

Time for a few grand parents who are veterans to go kick some liberal a$$es from the superindents to the priniciples and the clymer teachers! This can't be tolerated!

[RightWingMama]

check this out.

[Van Jenerette]

This kind of ANTI AMERICAN propoganda is not just in Maine...right here in South Carolina my son came home from 4th grade and told me that the counselor said that it was 'evil' for us to go to war with Iraq. I went 'controlled' balistic - I'm on the mobilization list for Army retirees and my wife is a GULF WAR I veteran...
http://www.jenerette.com

[George W. Bush]

As usual, it's for the children. Terroize them, demean their patriotic parents. A bunch of unrepentant hippies who think they'll get away with it.

Damned Democrats.

[Illbay]

I am beginning to realize the magnitude of the problem we have here with "citizens" who HATE the U.S. They consider that the nation is "lost" since Clinton left and Bush was elected.

When Clinton was in office, we conservatives feared for the Republic, but we never turned against it.

These people hate Bush, and they hate America for allowing him in office.

I do not know what, short of civil war, is going to correct this state of affairs. And believe me, I do NOT want to see civil war.

[JohnMac]

Deport the bastards.

[Thud]

This is a self-solving problem. A statewide class action in federal court is coming under the federal civil rights law. The teachers involved are acting under color of official right.

Maine is about to have approximately 1% of its school budget devoted for years to instructing teachers to obey the law as part of the injunctive relief. In addition to damages and attorney fees.

[Thud]

ping

[ezo4]

The majority of teachers / professors I had in college were drop outs from the profession. Basically they couldn't gut it in the real world and then spent there twisted views on the students.

Don't get me wrong there are allot of good teachers out there. Id say about 10% or so

[Rightly Biased]

BTTT

[NonValueAdded]

Great job, everyone. Today, everyone is a "momma bear" when it comes to the children of our servicefolk. I look forward to hearing about how the national shows pick up on this. If it doesn't happen today, let's keep the heat on so it will happen tomorrow. God Bless.