Poem.

 
I Hear America Singing 
I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,
    Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe
              and strong,
    The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,
    The mason singing his as he makes ready for [...]

Yet another reason why I am no longer a Democrat.

Democrats Drop Key Part of Bill to Assist Unions
(NY Times) July 16 – A half-dozen senators friendly to labor have decided to drop a central provision of a bill that would have made it easier to organize workers.
The so-called card-check provision — which senators decided to scrap to help secure a filibuster-proof 60 votes — [...]

“When In Doubt, Blame a Labor Union”

by David Macaray
(counterpunch) July 7 - Someone once described 53-year old Bill Maher, the comedian and host of his own HBO show, as “America’s most brilliant teenager.”  Considering Maher’s tastes, his predilections, his likes and dislikes—the way his nimble, post-adolescent mind works—that seems a fairly apt description. 
Maher likes sex, drugs, nature, animals, and pornography, but [...]

“What do Starbucks and Wal-Mart have in common?”

Actually, they have more in common that just this.
Wal-Mart sells cheap plastic crap made in overseas sweatshops.
Starbucks sells (burnt-tasting) coffee that tastes like crap.
Visit Stop Starbucks here.

Happy (human rights hero) birthday.

Happy birthday to Pete Seeger, who turns 90 today.
UPDATE: An essay on why Pete deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.

“We’re American seamen. We’re union members.”

From Think Progress:
Yesterday, NBC Nightly News interviewed the brave crew members of the Maersk Alabama, who all survived an attack by Somali pirates. They discussed how they managed to capture one of the bandits and bind him up, and they had universal praise for Capt. Richard Phillips, who agreed to be taken hostage to save [...]

Happy (human rights hero) birthday.

Dolores Huerta turns 79 today.
“Si se puete!”

I got your “accountability” right here…

So last week, a visitor to my little corner of the cyber-sandbox engaged me in an email conversation on issues related to some of the posting about education that I’ve been doing here lately.  Yeah, there has been a lot of that.  My little borough is about to experience a perfect storm of education-related chaos: our teachers’ [...]

“The Global Teachers’ Anthem.”

by Jesse Hagopian
(CommonDreams) April 3 – “Raise the threat level to a code red,” they cry out.     
From Baghdad to D.C., a growing chorus of a-tonal anti-union executives around the world (the only choir that may be left after all the public school budget cuts) are asserting that the teacher union menace must be neutralized. [...]

Happy (human rights hero) birthday.

Happy birthday to Cesar Chavez, born March 31, 1927.
Si se puede!
Sign the petition to support the National Cesar Chavez holiday HERE.

“The MYTH of the ‘Powerful’ Teachers’ Union.”

Many thanks to NotSoccerMom for this:
Bill Maher Reveals His Ignorance… Again
By David Macaray
(Counterpunch) March 20 – There’s a myth circulating out there that not only threatens to ruin the reputation of America’s school teachers, but has the potential to side-track any realistic hopes of education reform.  It’s the assertion that “powerful” teachers’ unions are responsible [...]

Pants on fire!

Breaking news:
Fox News is lying about the Employees’ Free Choice Act.
A shocking surprise, I know.
Reality check here.
And here.
And here, too.
(Video c/o Think Progress)

Dear Mr. President:

You’re wrong on this one.
Obama, taking on unions, backs teacher merit pay

WASHINGTON (AP) March 10 – President Barack Obama embraced merit pay for teachers Tuesday in spelling out a vision of education that will almost certainly alienate union backers. A strategy that ties teacher pay to student performance has for years been anathema to teachers’ [...]

Walk a day in our shoes, Bill.*

From the wonderful folks at SEIU.   Again.
(* – But please, wash your feet first!)

Scary movie.

From the very, very good people at SEIU.

Don’t mourn…

ORGANIZE!
Many Employers Are Just Using the Recession To Stick It To Workers
by David Lindorff
(CommonDreams) February 19 – Whatever the truth is about where this economy is heading, one thing is clear: employers are taking every opportunity to slash employment and, if they are unionized, to hammer unions for pay cuts, even when there is no [...]

Support the Employees’ Free Choice Act!

Because it’s the right thing to do.
Video c/o the good people at SEIU.

Another poll.

Another question (#2, to be precise) from that Rasmussen poll.  Yes, that one.

My first poll.

Thanks to an idea from Jaliya, I’m polling MY visitors on the same questions posed by those nice folks over at Rasmussen, the poll results touted by the Fake News as a way of attacking teachers’ unions, the poll at least one commenter said I shouldn’t give a rodent’s hindquarters about.
So I’ll ask you:

Next week: [...]

I’m stickin’ with the union.

Last Saturday, I was at the gym, working off some holiday cheer on an elliptical machine.  My particular personal torture device was positioned right in front of a large-screen TV which was – sadly – tuned to the misnomered Fox News Channel.  Every Saturday, this channel apparently features a business and financial shout fest “round table” show, [...]