NEA General Counsel Bob Chanin Tells It How It REALLY Is during his farewell Speech
I will have no further comment, but I thought the speach was interesting.
Not surprising to see this coming from you, Ron, considering your past contributions.
Consider the source, for one (
ALWAYS consider the source of information in order to asses the degree of impartiality): TheFoundryBlog
Have you ever checked out their YouTube Channel? Hard to imagine a more radical conservative source. Surely you don't expect any rational, truth seeking individual, who would most assuredly expect the information referenced to be from an unbiased source in order for it to be viewed as valid in any form, to take this 2 minute bit of a lengthy address to an audience of his peers (those who have tried to further the profession of education through advocacy of a legal organization) as truly representing the views of a man who has dedicated his life to the goals and membership of that organization?
He certainly didn't speak for me when he said that NEA and its affilliates are not effective advocates ONLY because they have power, although I can imagine that this would certainly be a selling point for further membership initiatives, having seen many times during my 32 year career in education the way school boards run roughshod over the teachers they supposedly value. In the state of Kansas, collective bargaining is allowed, in the state of Texas teacher unions are prohibited by state law from being allowed to represent teachers in their negotiations with school boards. I've seen both sides of that equation, and it is not EQUAL when the school board is allowed to run unfettered by a powerful negotiating force over the rights of the teachers they employ.
Rather, it is obvious that TheFoundryBlog has chosen a short soundbyte for its inflamatory value......not at all an uncommon technique considering the inflamatory rhetoric in use by the most radical of the right wing conservative movement, the TEA Partiers.
People are starting to get the idea about the radical-right, Ron. Their brief soundbytes are either "manufacturered" or at a minimum taken out of context, as this one was.
Mr. Chanin was simply emphasizing the power in numbers...something which is common knowledge. What a sad state of affairs that TheFoundryBlog felt it necessary to misrepresent the tone of his farewell speech by picking a few seconds to showcase their displeasure with the union movement, and in the same shameful stroke impuning the altruistic intentions of those who have undertaken what is perhaps the most important of efforts, that of preparing our children to compete in an ever-increasingly difficult world economy and political landscape. The future of the U.S.A. depends on the success of our teachers in those endeavors.
SHAME ON THEM, and shame on you for posting the YT clip knowing full well that it was not representative of the global tone of the speech (or, even worse, for having allowed yourself to be so blinded by the radical-right wing conservative agenda that you didn't WANT to see it).
[edit--just in case you misunderstand where I'm coming from, in my entire 32 year career in public education I was a member of the NEA for only my first year.....just didn't want you to think I was biased toward the union cause]
Cheers from Doug!!
