LAPU's Ben Austin Creating Hysteria Again

Hired gun Ben Austin is out creating straw men again. In his latest diatribe against our hard working teachers [1], he mocks LAUSD and UTLA by insinuating that they somehow harbor "child molester teachers." These vile and unsubstantiated statements are used to segue into his pitch for his Corporate Revolution er, Parent Counterrevolution. In Ben Austin's fantasy world, Green Dot, unlike any other private corporation on earth, will somehow be accountable to our communities. That's why they pay him top dollar, to attempt to provide a liberal veneer to a reactionary corporate organization.

Since Green Dot's, I mean, LAPU's, I mean the Parent Counterrevolution's well paid staffers delete uncomplimentary comments on their astroturf blog in a timely fashion, I thought it fair to reproduce my response to Mr. Austin's disgusting piece.

Given that "child molester teachers" would be in prison if such accusations were true, Mr. Austin's rhetorical gimmickry here is proof of his mastery of the his barrister craft. What Mr. Austin really wants here is for the district to fire teachers for unproven allegations. Given his penchant for union busting, this isn't any surprise.

Your "Billionaires' Revolution," so named because your sponsors Eli Broad and William Gates are hardly advocates of progressive education or social equality, is no revolution at all. It is merely a continuation of the reactionary neo-liberal privatization of public services.

Mr. Austin if you were really an advocate for parents and students, then where were you when our communities were making a stand against Cortines' vicious budget cuts? I didn't see you at any of the rallies, camp-outs, protests, or marches. You must have been at your Beverly Hills bungalow, counting your ill earned gains (our tax dollars), that Mr. Barr pays you.

Revolutionary indeed!

[1] http://www.parentrevolution.org/index.php/blog/entry/news_flash/
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