Socialist Teachers, Unions and ACORN Use Children in Pitiful Power Grab (Part II)

Teachers in California, with their union thugs and the support and participation of ACORN are brainwashing elementary, middle school and high school students with political rhetoric -- among reports of bribes, threats and intimidation -- in an outrageous attempt to draw public support. The press, by the way, is right there to be the mouthpiece for the socialists.This story is so completely over-the-top I will encourage you to eat this entire enchilada with me as I work through the morass in several parts. In the first part, I told you that California teachers are the best paid in the nation, bounce out of school ten months out of the year with one of the best gold-plated benefit and retirement plans in the nation, with a salary higher than most households in the state. And this in a state with a near 20% dropout rate and SAT scores near the bottom.

In this part, we examine how the teachers are abusing your children with propaganda to further their political goals. In the next part, we will review the Union thuggery and ACORN Involvement. While this is happening here in California today, this could happen in your state someday soon, so you might want to bookmark this page.

California Budget Cuts Necessary
The California educational system has a budget of some $50 Billion annually. The Governator recently signed legislation to cut the budget some $8.4 Billion over 16 months. Well there is some slight of hand with the budgets over 16 months vs. 12 months, but it is something like a 10% budget cut. The California budget ballooned 45% since ex-libertarian Arnold Schwarzenegger took office. Not only are cuts coming, they are necessary.

'Pink Friday' Protests are Organized
The California Teachers Association (the Union) rules state the school districts must send out pink slips six months in advance of the next school year, and that date was 15 March of this year. About 26,000 teachers (out of 300,000) might lose their jobs next year and received pink slips on the 13th of March. Thus, the Teachers Union thugs dubbed it Pink Friday in protest. They gathered in pink clothes and waved pink signs. They marched and sang and they asked for support. They got a lot of press coverage as well.

Children Recruited, Bribed, Manipulated, Cajoled, Encouraged to Support Teachers Political Views
They recruited your children to support them. There are reports of threats, intimidation and bribes of elementary, middle and high school students. They encouraged students to wear pink. They bribed students to wear pink for extra credit and they manipulated elementary school kids to get them to wear pink. (first couple minutes of audio.) Kindergarten children are coming home from school with notes from the teachers to wear pink to support the layoffs. Kids that don’t wear pink don’t get a toy. High school children are given assignments to write to the school board in protest. (Audio at 14:45 and 27:32.)

Student reactions are fear, shock, and anger. The teachers love to rile the students up.

A quick search of the Pink Friday blog revealed they are distributing fliers to educate students, they are giving students monetary incentives to participate in Pink Friday events (SCTA is the student version of the California Teachers Union), they are being encouraged to join Student/Teacher Rallies (isn’t that a violation of fraternization rules?).

Teachers: Propaganda is a Right

Our teachers also believe they have a right and an obligation to, as they put it, educate our children on their political views. Now, to be fair, some school districts put out the word to keep the kids out of it. Look at the reaction from Cindi Johnen:

I would just like to know if this seems okay to anyone. Our district told us there are guidelines to follow for Pink Friday. Some of these guidelines include: 1. We can wear pink, but not tell any student why we are wearing pink. 2. We are NOT to tell students about the current budget and RIF issues facing California and our district, 3. We are NOT to tell the students about any rally being held, 4. We are NOT to encourage our students to wear pink. Is there something I am missing? I thought this was a state wide event and we are supossed [sic] to encourage our parents and students to become involved.

Yes there is something you are missing Cindi, a brain. But look at the reaction from the other teachers:

You are right to be confused. This is a statewide day of action - parents/students community members ARE encouraged to get involved. It's unfortunate your district isn't supporting the effort Tiffany Hasker

I too was told to "keep it out of the classroom" this past Tuesday after school. But it was too late. All my students were informed last week. How sad that my school prefers to keep our kids in the dark, even though other schools in the district have the message running across their marquees... Meli

Wow! It never ceases to amaze me how fearful and closed minded some districts are about such issues, . . . you would be within your rights to bring it to the attention of your students and parents. You are not defending a politial [sic] view or supporting a candiate [sic] for elected office - if you were doing that then you would have actionable problems. Jose Segura

The voice of sanity on this blog: "I am glad that you district told you not to get you kids involved. I get very upset when my kids come home from school and are filled with prejudice about subjects. I always ask them why do they are saying these thing and there reply is that is what me teacher said. Never do they have facts about the subject." virtumonde

A Lone Teacher Opposes Propaganda

One teacher tries to stop the others from using the students: "I am a teacher and I am always troubled when kids are used to push political agendas. I suppose this could be used as an educational opportunity, but to truly be educational both sides of the argument should be covered. This topic is so emotionally charged it would be difficult to present it in a fair manner. Students should be kept out of this process." Jim F.

The reaction from the typical one-sided teacher, Terri Josten: Terri says that if an election isn’t involved teachers can spew whatever kind of propaganda they feel like spewing. “What IS the other side of the argument?” she argues. “It is crazy what teachers have to go through on a daily basis with the lack of parenting going on with many families and what they have to purchase with their own money on their classrooms but the real crime is that the kids are the ones that are going to suffer the most.”

Thanks for that run-on sentence Terri. Is this really who is teaching our kids? She continues: “I don't think this is so much a political agenda like when it comes to elections and whatnot, but this is for the children's own good. What better way to teach about democracy then to show how it works directly?”

And there is Sandra who also agrees that election law does not cover Pink Friday. She

...participated along with my teachers during the teacher's strike in 1989 (or so), I can tell you that there are times when there isn't a political agenda, such as when things are just wrong and bad for students...and teacher lay offs are such a situation. Sure when your [sic] discussing about political/contraversial [sic] issues (i.e. War, immigration and so forth), then yes by all means remain impartial and let the kids hear both sides. But in this case what's the other side? And I have to tell you participating in the teachers strike was paramount in my development...most of us students that participated went on to careers in social services fields. Sandra

Tom and Tina Teacher are tenured, well paid, have great benefits, and only work ten months out of the year. Now if Tenured Tom and Tina Teacher want to dress up in pink tutus and tango, well I can’t really object to that; it is entertaining in fact. But I draw the line when they dress up our children in pink and threaten, bribe, cajole and encourage them to support teachers “for their own good.”

It is an outrage.

Tomorrow: Union Thugs and ACORN