I Was a Radical Republican – For About a Week – And I Didn’t Change a Single Progressive View

by Steven Singer, Member of the BAT Leadership Team

orighttps://gadflyonthewallblog.wordpress.com/2016/03/17/i-was-a-radical-republican-for-about-a-week-and-i-didnt-change-a-single-progressive-view/inally published on his blog:

I do not like Ronald Reagan.

I own no guns.

Back in high school I won a debate arguing for pro-choice.

Trickle Down sounds more to me like a bladder condition than an economic theory.

So why was it that last week so many right wingers were retweeting me on Twitter?

Did I say “retweeting”? They were taking my words and memes and sending them out to the Twitterverse as their own thoughts with a reference to my account.

I’m a little ashamed to admit it, but I think Michelle Malkin pushed down the new heart emoticon on something I wrote.

She may have retweeted me, too. Heck! I may have retweeted her back!

“What new Hell is this?” I thought. “Why am I getting so much love from people who – if they met me in person – would probably try to give me a wedgie and scream, “NERD”?

It turns out I was caught in a maelstrom of political events. And his name is John King.

President Barack Obama named the former New York Education Commissioner as his pick to replace Arne Duncan as US Secretary of Education.

As a public school teacher, this really pissed me off. It pissed off just about every public educator in the country.

Are you kidding, Obama!? John-Freaking-King!? The guy whose only previous experience was teaching for three years at a “no excuses” charter school!?

This is the guy who oversaw the systematic destruction of schools in one of the most populous states in the country all the while pointing his finger at teachers. He approved an obviously fraudulent charter school run by an obvious conman. He ignored and dismissed parents at various education forums. The people of New York hated him so much, he sparked the largest opt out movement in the nation.

And THIS is the guy you’re nominating as Secretary of Education!?

It’s not like he’s even pretended to change his stripes. After New Yorkers booted him out of their state, he was offered a job at the US Department of Education – a prime example of falling upward. Soon afterward, his wife took a job at a corporate education reform company, Bellwether Education Partners!

Isn’t that a conflict of interest? I mean – through her – Bellwether will have the ear of the highest education official in the land. And the rest of us will just be supplicants sending letters, making phone calls hoping for an audience with the King.

THIS was why I was upset. THIS was why I was writing angry blogs and pounding out my rage on Twitter.

And I wasn’t alone.

The usual gang of educators and far left progressives gave me the usual support.

But we were soon joined by a tsunami of social media activists from the other side of the aisle.

Very soon someone made a popular hashtag, #StopJohnKing, and I started seeing hundreds of retweets, restatements and messages of support.

Two of my tweets were particularly popular: one about the conflict of interest of King’s wife working for Bellwhether, the other a seemingly unrelated message about the need to fund public libraries.




That’s when I started to notice the Twitter accounts of the people joining in. There were folks proclaiming their love for Ted Cruz and Donald Trump. They described themselves as libertarians and refused to speak to “libtards.” And the pictures on their Twitter accounts were often famous conservatives, racist cartoons of the President, pictures of themselves packing heat or just the darn guns, themselves.

“What the heck have I gotten myself into?” I thought.

That’s when I questioned why they were supporting me. For many of them I wondered if it had less to do with how terrible King would be as Education Secretary than with who nominated him in the first place.

Ever since Antonin Scalia died, many Republicans have sworn a blood oath not to approve any of Obama’s nominees – for the Supreme Court or ANY office.

For them this wasn’t about opposing a terrible Presidential pick. It was about blocking everything Obama did.

I had to face it. I had become a radical Republican, and I hadn’t even needed to change one of my positions to do it. The GOP came to me.

I have to admit, my right wing supporters were mostly very nice. I felt like I had a stronger group behind me than during most progressive campaigns.

There was some strain, however. A few times I could tell they were choking back anti-union rhetoric. “Why don’t we fund our libraries? Because unions,” apparently. “Who needs libraries – I home school.” That kind of thing.

And unfortunately, my progressive buddies were starting to notice the right wing support and take offense.
I got trolled by several lefties demanding I support Common Core.

“How can you be against it?” they’d ask. “Rand Paul hates Common Core. Do you agree with Rand Paul?”
I’d respond politely that even a broken clock is right twice a day.

Card-carrying Democrats refused to listen to any criticism of the Obama administration’s education policies. Little did these progressives realize, they were the exact opposite of the GOP activists they hated.

Many Republicans hate Common Core because Obama touched it. Many Democrats love it for the same reason.

The majority of teachers throughout the country hate it because we’ve read it, tried to use it and seen what a load of bullshit it is. We know it was developed with very little input from classroom teachers or child psychologists. We know it has no research behind it to show that it works. We see how it erodes our autonomy in the classroom and increases the amount and difficulty of high stakes tests for our students.

But my progressive friends refused to accept that anything Saint Hope and Change approved could be so terrible.

I’d turn to my newfound Republican posse only to find many of them hated Common Core beyond reason. It wasn’t just bad practice – it was going to turn our kids gay. It was a liberal plot to make children progressive atheists.

Oy vey.

The week just flew by. Eventually the Senate voted to approve King, both Democrats and Republicans – though the opposition was almost entirely in the GOP.

In my home state of Pennsylvania, the Senator I can usually count on to have my back (Bob Casey) stabbed me in the same place. And the Senator who usually only votes for things that are officially endorsed by Lord Satan, himself, (Pat Toomey) was my boy.

What kind of a topsy-turvy world am I living in!?

Elizabeth Warren – the liberal lion – said she wasn’t going to vote for King but ultimately gave in. Oh, Elizabeth. They got to you, too?

There were two points of light though. First, there was one Democrat who actually voted against him: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand from New York – the sight of King’s last catastrophe. Second, my Presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, didn’t vote at all. Fwew! I can irrationally justify that – he was too busy, that’s all. Bernie would never have voted for King. Tee-hee!

So once again we see the two major parties as mirror images of each other. Where Republicans made the right choice for the wrong reason, Democrats made the wrong choice for the right one. Progressives were circling the wagons around the President. They were making a point that they weren’t going to let the evil GOP block his nominees – even if one of those nominees was an absolute pathetic failure.

This is politics in 2016, folks.

Decisions are rarely made because of logic, experience, or sound judgement. It’s all political maneuvering, personal gain or both. Meanwhile, the world goes to Hell.

After the vote, I got a smattering of conservative retweets and then… nothing. As quickly as they had come, they were gone.

My tiny caucus of teachers, academics and other ne’er-do-wells are still there. We shout our truths into the wind hoping someone will hear.

On days like today it seems impossible.

But perhaps there is a silver lining in there somewhere. If people from such opposite sides of the political spectrum can agree on something like how terrible John King is, maybe there’s hope. If we can shake hands over the fatuousness of Common Core, maybe we can find other points of agreement.

Maybe these brief moments of concord are opportunities for understanding. Sure my GOP compatriots supported me for the wrong reasons, but maybe some of them were exposed to the right ones.

I know I’ve learned from them. I consider myself an FDR Democrat with an abiding faith in a strong federal government. But even I can see how both the Bush and Obama administrations overstepped their power with No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top.

I don’t buy any of that baloney about Big Government vs. Small Government. But I do think that some things like education policy don’t belong at the federal level. The federal government should ensure public schools are funded properly and maybe regulate outright abuses, but local communities and districts should be deciding how to educate the children in their care.

If those ideas rubbed off on me, what rubbed off on my brief Twitter followers?

Will there come a day when we meet again, join hands and fight for our common good?

Can we overcome the blinders of party and politics to build a better world?

#IHopeSo

Long Island Opt Out Politics 101

By:  Jeanette Deutermann, Founder Long Island Opt Out

In this blog entry Jeanette posted this on the Facebook page she started called Long Island Opt Out.  LIOO has led Long Island, New York in the largest regional test refusal movement in the nation.  As with many Facebook pages, politics can be a hot button item.  Jeanette's words ring so true of all of us who fight for change daily - this is NOT about politics to us - it is about our children! ~Marla Kilfoyle, Executive Director BATs

1. This is a page dealing with opting out/CC/public schools AND politics. They are all one and the same thanks to our legislature and Governor who made it that way. For anyone that says "this page is not for politics", or "you can't post politics here", you are 100% incorrect. I do not post anything without full thought, consideration, and intent. Respectfully disagreeing is what makes this page successful and different from most others. Questioning motives and disrespectful comments cannot be tolerated in order for us to remain effective.

2. Both myself and this organization are issue voters/supporters. Our steering committee is made up of ALL parties. I have voted Democrat, Republican, and Green over the past few years. On this page I will post anything/information about anyone I feel is detrimental to this movement, our public school children, or our public school system. If it happens to be your favorite party or politician that is being called out, then you may want to ask that politician why they stand where they stand, rather than criticize that they were called out. I am not in the business of protecting those that do not deserve protecting. I WILL speak in favor of those that are working with us. I have backed members of all parties when they back us.

3. New Yorkers are notoriously party line voters, which is why we are also the most corrupt when it comes to politics. Our politicians have been trained to ignore voters who vote party lines no matter what they do while in office.

3. Being anti-common core is not the same thing as being pro-public education. Often those two things line up. But when they do not, let me be clear about my priorities: THIS IS A PRO-PUBLIC EDUCATION PAGE. PERIOD.

4. Save only a few legislators from the majority houses (Senate GOP and Dem Assembly) EVERY SINGLE LEGISLATOR WAS CULPABLE in last year's catastrophic vote on the Education Transformation Act. The majority houses that control the law being passed voted FOR, and the minority houses admitted they had the luxury of voting no since their vote didn't count. These votes were block votes and coordinated by the leaders of the houses. Again ALL WERE RESPONSIBLE.

5. As far as I am concerned, the ONLY way for these guys to get off of the black list is to show they are willing to do something to fix what they destroyed. Those that ride through this legislative session without action will remain on that list. If our backs are turned to every single one of our legislators for last year's vote and they believe they have no hope at redemption, then they will not bother trying and all is lost. Grudges may feel personally gratifying, but will grind progress to a screeching halt.

6. We have a Republican majority in the Senate, and a Democrat majority in the Assembly. THIS is why no great bills get passed EVER. Both houses must pass the bill for it to become law (and signed by the Governor) The ONLY chance large bills have at passing is generally when they are introduced by the majority party from either house, or it will never leave the house floor. Then the other house majority has to pass a "same as" bill (which also rarely happens because god forbid these guys sign onto a bill that their "enemy" has passed). Often the other party says "oh great bill, but we're not letting you take credit!" They just change a few words, reintroduce it, and now the process starts all over again. It is a complete display of insanity and childish behavior.

7. If we want the current law changed, bills HAVE to be introduced by a majority (Democratic Assembly or Republican Senate) member or it will be DOA.

8. Being on the inside of our political process has been disheartening and depressing to say the very least. It is corrupt, childish, unfair, and entrenched. Hearing the way the public reacts to trying to change this system and force the changes we want to see is almost worse. The game of politics is an ugly one, but make no mistake, it is in fact a game. Stomping our feet and shaking our fists is not going to help. Being smart, savvy, and playing their game BETTER than they do is our only route through this mess that has become our children's education.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 14, 2016 
More information contact:
Marla Kilfoyle, Executive Director BATs
Melissa Tomlinson, Asst. Executive Director BATs
Contact.BATmanager@gmail.com


John King’s Nomination: A Blow to Public Education in America

The Badass Teachers Association, a national grassroots education organization of over 56,000 members, stand firmly in declaring that John King’s nomination to Secretary of Education is one of the most detrimental decisions that our federal lawmakers have made in the course of legislative history.

John King’s record as an educational leader in New York was one of chaos, alienation of parents, and rife with decisions that were bad for children and public education. In 2014 the New York State United Teachers’ (NYSUT) board resolution declared a "no confidence" in King and his leadership. This vote was supported strongly at the NYSUT Representative Assembly. Parents, educators, and communities across New York State raised their concerns regarding Commissioner King's lack of responsiveness and transparency. Republican and Democratic legislators alike raised serious concerns regarding Commissioner King's leadership. Parents and educators from all corners of the Empire State have lost faith and trust in the New York State Education Department and Commissioner King, which led to over 240,000 parents to refuse testing.

BAT Board of Director member and retired New York Teacher Terry Kalb states, “John King ignored the pleas of NY parents and teachers to change course on horribly conceived, abusive testing and curricula. His own children in private schools were untouched by the system he imposed on our children. His ignorance and incompetence created bipartisan fury resulting in over 240,000 parents refusing to allow their children to participate in flawed, punitive testing. His Cabinet appointment is a travesty.”

“The Senate HELP Committee's vote to move the nomination of John King as Education Secretary on to the full Senate is bipartisanship at its worst. It is beyond irresponsible to take a candidate with a proven record of failure in New York and promote him to oversee schools across the country. No one should block the President's nominees for political reasons, but in this case there is a mountain of just cause. King was terrible in New York. He will be terrible for the nation. Once again we see lawmakers in both parties either have no idea what is best for our schools or else they just don't care”, Steven Singer, Pennsylvania BAT and Director of BAT Research and Blogging, points out. 

NJ BAT and BAT Asst. Executive Director Melissa Tomlinson notes, “John King has already proven himself to be a person that does not deem the inclusive voices of all of the students, parents, or teachers as important when creating educational policy. To approve the appointment of King, once called upon to resign from the Commissioner of Education position in New York, would be a grievous and negligent decision from the legislators that were hired to represent our voice.”

NEA BAT Caucus Chairperson and Washington State BAT Becca Ritchie wondered, "How can someone who lost the faith of the parents, teachers, students and community in New York be put in charge of education for our whole country?"

Finally, CA BAT and Co-Director of BATs Action Team Tina Andres, "John King has proven time and time again that he does not listen to teachers or parents. He does not have the experience as a public school teacher that is needed as a qualification for this job."

John King consistently showed a lack of interest in listening to parents and educators in New York State. We anticipate that not much will change as he takes control of the USDOE. What we know for sure is that the policies he initiated in New York State will become national education policy, and this will be detrimental to our children and our public education system.

                                                         ###

BATs LEGISLATIVE TEAM WEEKLY UPDATE

FEDERAL NEWS

This week's update:
-- The panel that will negotiate proposed regulations to some sections of ESSA meets March 21-23 and will include two voting members nominated by NEA: Ryan Ruelas (far left), a social studies teacher at Anaheim High School and a member of the Anaheim City School Board in California, and Lynn Goss, a paraeducator in the Menomonie school district in Wisconsin. The panel will focus on “supplement, not supplant” funding issues and assessments.
-- Following a 16-6 vote by the Senate HELP Committee, the full Senate is set to vote Monday afternoon on the confirmation of Dr. John King as the next Secretary of Education. King has been Acting Secretary since Arne Duncan stepped down.  We are still encouraging you to send in letters and make calls to your Senate members telling them to say NO to King.  

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/say-no-to-john-king-as-us-secretary-of-education?source=direct_link&referrer=badass-teachers-association

Check out our BAT Election Scorecard here for a rundown on where the primary candidates stand on education
http://badassteachers.blogspot.com/2016/01/bat-election-scorecard-common-core.html

Finally don't forget to share widely the BATS Candidate Position Paper - email, tweet, social media post to the primary candidates and demand an answer!
http://www.badassteacher.org/

BATs Press Release - Please share with your local media outlets
BATs Thank the National Opt Out Movement http://badassteachers.blogspot.com/2016/03/for-immediate-release-12-2016-more.html


We have BATs running for office!!  Please support

Educator Larry Proffitt  running for Tennessee House from district 66!  If we want to BE the change we have to run for office.  Please support Larry with whatever you can donate.  https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/larryproffitt4tnhouse66?refcode=promote-share#.Vr7AYwl-y04.facebook

Retired educator Janet Garrett is running for office in Ohio 4th Congressional District.  Please support Janet and learn about her here http://www.janetgarrett.com/janets-story-1/

Oregon BATs support staunch education and child advocate Lew Frederick.  Lew is running for  District 22 - North and Northeast Portland
  http://www.lewfrederick.org/

If you know of a BAT running for state or federal office please email our Executive Directors Marla Kilfoyle and Melissa Tomlinson at Contact.BATmanager@gmail.com



State News

COLORADO
The Colorado State Board of Education has passed legislation mandating that ESL students take mandatory reading tests in English.  http://co.chalkbeat.org/2016/03/09/english-learners-in-bilingual-programs-will-take-literacy-tests-in-english-under-state-board-action/#.VuWiEvkrKM9


NEW YORK
NYSAPE (a parent/teacher group) is getting an educator to lead their  board of education  http://www.wsj.com/articles/bronx-educator-to-be-tapped-n-y-regents-chancellor-1457140781


MISSISSIPPI
The full Senate has passed SB 2858, a tax cut bill that would reduce state revenue by hundreds of millions of dollars per year, phased in over 15 years. Estimates of the impact of the tax cut range from $575-million to $896-million. See your senator's vote on the tax cut bill:http://www.msparentscampaign.org/.../2016_SB2858_Senate.pdf. Please thank the senators who voted no on this bill. It now goes to the House.

The plan would reduce state revenue by $18-million in the first year. When fully implemented it would:
- Eliminate the 3% and 4% corporate and personal income tax brackets, costing the state budget $306-million annually
- Eliminate the corporate franchise tax, costing the state budget $260-million annually
- Provide for a state deduction for self-employment taxes, at a cost of $10-million annually

The totals above are based on today's dollars; with natural growth over time, the actual cost will be much higher. With the elimination of the franchise tax and the 3% and 4% corporate income tax brackets, 80% of corporations doing business in Mississippi would pay no corporate taxes at all.

Consider:
- Mississippi ranks 13th in the nation in low business taxes (Tax Foundation) and 6th in the nation in most tax-friendly states for business (Kiplinger 2015)
- Mississippi ranks 47th in the nation in per pupil spending on public education (U.S. Census)
- Mississippi's public schools are under-funded this year by $201-million
- Mississippi is under a federal court order for failing to provide adequately for the protection of children in foster care
- Mississippi is short the additional $375-million needed to make roads and bridges safe
- Mississippi's revenue for the current year has fallen more than $40-million short of projections, already causing mid-year budget cuts
- Mississippi's current-year revenue was reduced by more than $124-million by corporate tax cuts passed in the last four years
- Of the 150 largest for-profit corporations in Mississippi, 100 of them pay no state income tax

The budget bills working their way through the legislative process include cuts to nearly every state agency, including cuts to overall K-12 education funding in the amount of $7.6-million, with funding for the MAEP remaining flat (underfunded by $172-million). House appropriations bills contain reverse repealers which ensure that they will go to conference where they will be adjusted to reflect updated revenue projections, including the impact of tax cut bills that have passed both chambers.

Please ask your representative to vote NO on any tax cut bills, including SB 2858. Find contact information for all of the legislators who represent your school district: http://msparentscampaign.org/.../legislators...

Mississippi parents are angry with legislators who consistently choose corporate cronies over our school children. Ridgeland mom Angelique Lee expresses the sentiment shared by thousands of Mississippi parents who want their schools fully funded: https://youtu.be/uYg6j6cplQ4

Mississippi's children are worth our investment. Please make sure your legislators know that their excuses for underfunding schools fall flat when they vote to diminish state revenue.


FLORIDA
Continues to fight charter expansion  https://fundeducationnow.wordpress.com/2016/03/11/fl-senate-walk-away-from-monster-train-hb-7029/

...and continues to fight merit pay http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/best--brightest-teacher-bonuses-to-continue-another-year/2268362


PENNSYLVANIA
The Philadelphia School District owes the U.S. Department of Education $7.2 million for federal grant funds misspent more than a decade ago, a federal appeals court ruled this week.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20160312_Philly_school_district_owes_U_S__education_department__7_2_million.html#mmZk7TYz5STIk3PI.99

KANSAS
The Kansas State Board of Education would determine “that portion of the aggregate amount of unencumbered cash balances” held by each district on July 1, 2014 that is in excess of 15 percent of the “general operating expenditures of such school district for school year 2014-15.”  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XnDkwgUuUOZYFCFNS2uvRkyIOg8AtHUFSBIjuaUoNFQ/pub

I Am So Livid!



by Dawn Neely Randall, Ohio BAT and Member of the BAT Leadership Team

Yesterday, I used the word "livid" in a tweet to a legislator for the first time ever. I then talked to two administrators from two different districts; Patrick O'Donnell from the Plain Dealer; left voicemails for legislators; and talked to the Ohio Department of Education...twice...to confirm my findings.

Base knowledge: A district could choose paper or online testing.

Let me paint a picture in your head. Ten and eleven year olds. February through May, 2015. Computer Lab. High-pressure and high-stakes testing situation. English Language Arts. PARCC testing (developed by a British monopoly). Test content: Common Core.

Biggest problem: A time clock on the computer screen counting down the seconds and a slew of hoops of reading/writing passages for students to complete on the screen in front of them.

Besides the third of my fifth-graders whose parents opted them out (their activist spirit is about the only reason we don't have this same PARCC test any longer), my students sat in this tense testing situation suffering last year and I begged boards of education, legislators, and parents across the state to help.
In a longer amount of time than a woman could have conceived, grown, and birthed a new child, the PARCC phantom test scores FINALLY started emerging in piecemeal from the state.

ACROSS THE BOARD, it turns out that the ONLINE scores were lower than the paper tests, which has sent the Ohio education world into a tailspin since pulling off statewide online testing was nothing short of miraculous.

Next, the Ohio Report Cards came out slaughtering many hardworking, top performing, accomplishment-proving districts.

To the tune of "Old McDonald," let's sing what the Ohio Department of Education/State Legislature has said to many previously performing stellar districts based on bogus scores (tests never seen; graded tests never returned; scores finally received about a year later):

"....here an F, there an F, everywhere an F, F."

And via an onslaught of private conversations, this is what I found out which I am now shouting about to the world:

Students taking the ONLINE tests had company "field test items" added to them (yes, so students could become guinea pigs and practice test questions for the company to later sell) which means that, within their precious clock counting down, they had to give up time from questions that counted, to then work on questions that DIDN'T count (and they had no clue which were which).

The Paper tests? NOT AN EXTRA FIELD TEST QUESTION GIVEN.

AND GUESS WHAT? The Ohio Department of Education confirmed with me that they will do the EXACT same thing with the AIR tests this year.

Students doing online tests....take extra "company" field test item questions. Students doing paper/pencil tests...they leave them the heck alone.

But then, of course, they'll label the students. Compare them to death. And make districts that are jumping through the state's hoops look like they are the ones who are ducking performance.

Dear Legislature and Ohio Department of Education, get your freaking act together.

Here a quack, there a quack, everywhere a quack quack.

Steal my students time?! Stress little boys and girls out? Call them a failure after robbing them of time to perform?! Now you're messing with me.

I'll be AIRing my grievances far and wide.

In the heat of a new testing season (students will be testing for three weeks after spring break)....

Wouldn't you be livid, too?!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In state testing, does format earn an ‘F’?

Ohio stands by report card grades despite "huge disparity" in grades for paper tests vs. online

Say It To My Face: Chicago’s Epic Trump Shutdown

By Steven Singer, Director BATs Research/Blogging

Originally posted on his blog https://gadflyonthewallblog.wordpress.com/2016/03/12/say-it-to-my-face-chicagos-epic-trump-shutdown/

All fascists are cowards.

Especially Donald Trump.

The Reality TV star turned Presidential candidate is known for making bigoted statements at his rallies against Muslims, Latinos, women, black people, the disabled– basically anyone not white, male and straight.

So when thousands of these Muslims, Latinos, women, black people, etc. showed up at his rally in Chicago last night, Trump took a bold stance… and ran away.

He cancelled the rally rather than face them.

Sure there was the potential for violence if he had continued with his speech as planned, but that has never stopped him before. How many times have we seen cellphone videos of minorities being forcibly escorted from his campaign events, sometimes after being beaten or otherwise accosted? I don’t remember Trump canceling any of those events.

But when the people he denigrates show up in force, THAT’S when he pulls the plug.When voicing the same hostility-filled rant puts himself in danger, that’s when he turns tail.

THIS is your strongman, America! A sniveling coward who only has the guts to spout hate speech to a receptive audience!

Hilariously, his supporters are defending the Republican challenger’s brave retreat by appealing to the First Amendment.

Trump’s right to free speech is being violated, they say. What nonsense!

I just saw him on CNN complaining about it. And CBS. And NBC. And every other cable channel plus satellite! If that’s having your First Amendment rights violated, I wish someone would violate mine! Put my blog in the center of the 24-hour news cycle!

Let’s get one thing straight: the First Amendment guarantees your right to free speech. It does not guarantee a right to consequence free speech.

When you build a political campaign on the notion that some people are inferior to people like you, those so-called inferior people are eventually going to call you out.

There’s no hiding behind Uncle Sam’s coattails. YOU did that. You’re responsible for dealing with it.

Another popular response is that the protesters are sinking to Trump’s level. They’re meeting one mob with another.

Wrong. You cannot equate these two groups.

Trump’s supporters are embracing a message of hatred and intolerance. The protesters are espousing a message of love and tolerance. Trump’s supporters are singling out and beating individuals or small groups of minorities. The protesters areoverwhelmingly nonviolent – though occasional sporadic violence did erupt at the rally most often when protesters defended themselves.

The protesters marched hand-in-hand into the lion’s den where they were vastly outnumbered. They put their lives on the line to make their views heard. They had the full expectation of being attacked and possibly killed, but they did it anyway.THAT is true bravery. THAT is true conviction – not someone who expected to be in a stadium full of like-minded people waiting to be whipped into a frenzy by a megalomaniac with extremely bad hair.

Which brings me to my favorite criticism of the Chicago protest. Some folks say the protesters had no idea what they were doing. They were just ignorant fools.

Exactly. People coming to protest hatred are ignorant and those coming to celebrate it are intelligent!

And finally we have the man, himself. The Donald has been crying on the news about the organized “thugs” who disrupted his rally.

He must really be rattled to call them “thugs.” Trump isn’t known for falling back onracist dog whistles. Usually he just says it outright. Did he forget his favorite N-word?

So once again Chicago shows us all the way.

The runaway Trump campaign can run roughshod over media criticism, wagging fingers and shaking heads. But the one thing it cannot handle is confrontation by the very people it denigrates.

Like a schoolyard bully, Trump retreats when you call him out.

You don’t like Muslims! Say it to my face!

You don’t like Latinos? Say it to my face!

You don’t like women…

This could take a while.

In the meantime, here’s to those brave Chicago protesters who stopped totalitarianism in its tracks!

They showed us that the only thing we need to truly make America great again is to recognize how great we are when we come together to fight for each other.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  March 12, 2016
More information contact:
Marla Kilfoyle, Executive Director BATs    

 Melissa Tomlinson, Asst. Executive Director BATs

(516) 987-4405

Contact.BATmanager@gmail.com

The Badass Teachers Association - http://www.badassteacher.org/

Thank You to The National Opt Out Movement!

The Badass Teachers Association, a national education activist organization, would like to extend their support, and thanks,  to families who are taking action by refusing to take standardized tests. The act of test refusal is an act that seeks to wrestle public education back from the grips of the 1%. The act of test refusal across the nation is a referendum against the test and punish system supported by a few wealthy foundations that seek to dismantle public education.  Parents across America are telling the Gates Foundation, The Broad Foundation, The Walton Foundation, and The Koch Brothers our children are NOT for sale! 

We have witnessed the most damaging assault on public education in our urban communities. Urban regions have seen mass public school closings and their subsequent sale to charter operators.  We have seen urban districts starved of resources which in turn hurt children.  We have witnessed the voting rights of whole communities negated when their school boards are dismantled and sent into exile.  We see communities denied the right to an elected school board. Parents are saying enough is enough!  

Dr. Denisha Jones, BAT Board of Director member states, "Parents, students and teachers must remember that opting out is a form of civil disobedience. You are not asking for anyone's permission. You are informing the school of the decision you made as a student, as a parent with your child, or as a teacher of conscience, who can no longer sit back and allow the test-and-punish system to destroy public education. By denying the testocracy the data they need to rank and label children as worker bees or managers, you reclaim public education as a system that educates all children to use their full potential to make the world a better place."

The act of refusing to take a test, in which the data will be used to punish children, schools, and teachers, is a pure act of civil disobedience. The act of refusing to test says, return our schools back to our communities in which decisions are made for our children.  Refusing the test says, we will not allow you to privatize our public schools and profit off our children.

"Refusing the Test is the Civil Rights issue of contemporary times. It encourages parents across the spectrum of demographics to exercise their parental authority to advocate on behalf of their children.  It tells our elected lawmakers to strengthen the government's (federal, state, municipal) commitment to fund adequately and resource Public Schools, from sea to shining sea," says Roberta Reid, Co-Director of BATs Social Justice Committee.

With over 500,000 parents who refused testing for their children nationwide, we expect the number to rise this coming test season. Parents and communities understand that testing, and flawed tests, are the vehicle that corporate education reform organizations use to fuel their agenda to destroy public education.  We encourage all teachers with school age children to refuse your children from testing and to share the stories of how high-stakes testing has destroyed the joy of learning.  We applaud the brave parents who are taking this bold step in telling those who seek to privatize public education - We will not bow down to your agenda because it hurts our children and seeks to dismantle OUR public schools!

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