Rouge Forum Update: Punished By Premature Rewards?
Dear Friends,
More action this week: The UC Berkeley LIbrary Sit-in: www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/11/BAPR1A40PE.DTL#ixzz0TcJ5JQQ0
And here is the link for the coming October 24 meeting in Berkeley: www.savecapubliceducation.org/
Shortly, you’ll see one of our very infrequent requests for funds in order to send our Community Coordinator, Adam Renner to that meeting.
Let us remember our context.
October 7th was the 8th Anniversary of the US assault on Afghanistan, a full invasion, war, in response to a crime.
In my section A of the New York Times (CA) , there was no mention of that.
Since then, $12.9 trillion was given to the banks. Obama seized the auto industry, with tax money. The wars will cost around $3 trillion if they project into next year, as they will. Stocks are up, buoyed by government gifts.
The government became a full blown corporate state, an executive committee and armed weapon of the rich. Schools merged with the effort, becoming missions for capitalism.
The American public, having agreed to shop during Bush’s wars, can no longer shop. The US economy, 2/3 rooted in consumerism, cannot consume, nor produce, and the banks will not loan to the unemployed. Spectacles continue, more and faster. Baseball! Football!
The demagogue, Obama and his friend, Arne Duncan, now throw the Bush agenda for education into hyper-speed: Regimented curricula promoting witless nationalism, anti working class high stakes exams, militarization, layoffs and cutbacks, some privatization, and, with perfect logic, merit pay.
The union leadership of every major union cooperated at every turn, played a significant role in electing Obama, in harmony with their Quisling roles of the past. They are the nearest and most vulnerable of workers’ enemies. Harsh measures for them.
Professional organizations accepted the division of academic labor they represent; remained largely impotent. Historians talked to historians, wrote a few petitions, rarely crossed the hall to deal with the sociologists. Some took up petitions, begging.
The rich grew much richer as barbarism rose. The poor became much poorer. Segmented by race, class, gender, split against each other by reactionary unions, now we see impoverished people battling for scraps. www.detnews.com/article/20091007/METRO01/910070396/Chaos-at-Cobo–Detroiters-turn-out-for-federal-help
The education agenda is a war agenda. The core issue of our time is the reality of the promise of endless war and booming inequality met by the potential of mass, activist, class conscious resistance, connecting reason to real power.
m1.cust.educ.ubc.ca/journal/index.php/workplace/article/view/47
The youth at the occupation of UCSC point the way. Having a good school within this capitalist society is like having a reading room in a prison. Not acceptable.
The choice is clear enough. Community and resistance—or Imperial Barbarism.
Up the rebels!
Good luck to us, every one.
r
In the Little Rouge Schoolhouse:
Rampant Fraud in Detroit PS Amazes Boss: www.freep.com/article/20091009/COL10/910090328/1322/Rampant-fraud-still-amazes-DPS-manager
Broad Appointee to Spend $40 mil on Detroit Consultants: www.freep.com/article/20091010/NEWS01/910100322/1322/Bobb-set-to-spend–40M-on-advisers-for-Detroit-Public-Schools
Ohanian Comments on the DPS Consultant Rip-off: susanohanian.org/show_atrocities.php?id=8904
Marc Bousquet Interviews the UCSC Occupiers: howtheuniversityworks.com/wordpress/archives/218
NEA to Abandon Seniority Rules on Staffing? www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-09-30-nea-teachers-poor_N.htm
No Volunteer Left in Taylorized School: www.susanohanian.org/outrage_fetch.php?id=599
What Would Alfie Say About the Nobel Award? www.alfiekohn.org/articles.htm#null
War, War, War But What is the Plan? Who is the Enemy? What is Winning? Don’t Dither!
Taliban Raids Pakistan’s HQ: www.nytimes.com/2009/10/11/world/asia/11pstan.html?hp
Honduran Coup Continues Crackdown: www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/10/10/world/international-us-honduras.html
Kissinger (Surprise) Calls For More War, Done Better:
www.newsweek.com/id/216704
Danger of Delay in Afghanistan by the CFR and CIA: www.cfr.org/publication/20376/danger_of_delay_in_afghan_policymaking.html
An Oldie But Goodie From Country Joe in honor of those young people sitting in the mud in Afghanistan, wondering what their ruling class plans for them, what the strategy is, who the enemy will be and what tactics will be used next (and can we trust that our officers care?)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwwEHJ0K_yw&feature=related
Money, Profits, Losses, Fear, Greed: The Economy
Wall Street Journal on the Weakening Dollar, Down 25% Since 2000: online.wsj.com/public/article/SB10001424052748703298004574458923186941870.html
What does a Trillion Dollars Look Like? Wait! What Does 12.9 Trillion Dollars Look Like?
www.pagetutor.com/trillion/index.html
100th Bank Failure of 2009 Coming to Your Hometown? “Mr. Cassidy projects that as many as 1,000 small banks will close over the next few years…Together, the 8,176 smallest banks control just 15 percent of the industry’s $13.3 trillion in assets.”
www.nytimes.com/2009/10/11/business/economy/11banks.html?hp
Welfare, the Real Minimum Wage, Under Attack Again:
www.nytimes.com/2009/10/07/us/07califwelfare.html?_r=1&hp
Goldman/Government Sachs to Reap another $ Billion. www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=agRAQzb5M3cg
More Education and Resistance:
North American Labor History Conference, Detroit, October 24 to 26
nalhc.wayne.edu/North_American_Labor_History_Conference/Home.html
Pittsburgh G20 Protests and the Coppers: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JySzR9G5KNc
Good luck to us, every one.
Thanks to The Susans, Ken, Karen B, Stephen, Jack, J and M, Candace, Elvira, Tony, Joan, Arturo, Vincente, Donna, Joyce, Julie, Judy Purdy, Kathy K., Donnie A, Doug, Colin, Bob A, Tom, Victoria, Mr J, Mr Larry, Sherri, Marc, Bonnie, Bill, Greg, Jenn, Adam, Gina, Justin, Georgia H, Hans, Erwin, and Stew.
r