GO ON STRIKE! May 1, 2017
Showing posts with label Imperialism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Imperialism. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
Friday, March 11, 2016
bell hooks: "I can not longer be a Hillary Clinton supporter!"
Profound and powerful. Professor bell hooks reminds us that we should support feminism, not imperialism. Ms. Hillary Clinton's actions in Honduras alone are an indictment of what "she stands for", and it's not compatible with the tenets of feminism.
Wednesday, March 02, 2016
Hillary Clinton's Record on Race #WhichHillary
Surprisingly, this was posted in Van Jones' twitter feed. The video does a masterful job of summing up Ms. Hillary Clinton's long history of bigotry and opportunism. I voted for the Honorable Dr. Cynthia McKinney in 2008, Dr. Jill Stein in 2012, and likely will vote for Dr. Stein again in this upcoming election, so it should be obvious why I've grown weary of the Clinton camp tarring me as a "berniebot," "bernie bro," or sexist every time I point out obvious, undisputed facts regarding Ms. Clinton's record. If we look at her deeds, rather than listen to her finely crafted rhetoric, it becomes clear that she is really no better than her "supposed opposition" comprising the reactionary, racist GOP.
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Speaking truth to Ms. Hillary Clinton's power
A compendium of quotes from writers and activists on the left speaking truth to Ms. Clinton's corporate power.
Sunday, February 07, 2016
Professor Deepa Kumar addresses the white bourgeois "feminism" of Albright, Steinem, and Clinton
No @madeleine @GloriaSteinem and @HillaryClinton, but there is a special place for war criminals and imperialists. pic.twitter.com/62fh1CKEA5
— Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) February 7, 2016
Professor Deepa Kumar of Rutgers University had this brilliant response to the neoliberal apologies for imperialism and white bourgeois "feminism" being touted by Madeline Albright and Gloria Steinem on behalf of Hillary Clinton.
Only Madeline Albright, who justified the deaths of half a million Iraqi children under US/UN actions, could say that supporting Clinton is the right thing to do because there is a "special place in hell for women who don't support women." So Albright here's a news flash for you: Hillary Clinton has attacked poor and working class women in the US by being a defender of her husbands welfare policies. Also, just like you, she supports killing women around the world through US wars and drone strike campaigns. Now, be honest, what you really mean is this: "there is a special place of glory, power, and wealth for you if you sell out working class women and women of color both in the US and in the Middle East, and support a Wall Street backed candidate like Clinton."
Saturday, January 16, 2016
Not Ready for Imperialism
I will NOT vote for that right-wing, war mongering, nativist, corporatist candidate. Their history of accepting huge sums of money from bankers, hedge fund managers, and C.E.O.s is, in my eyes, far less problematic than their abject record of vilifying immigrants, criminalizing the poor, and accelerating the neoliberal dismantling of public institutions like schools.
Oh, and I would NEVER vote for any of the G.O.P. troglodytes that are her supposed opposition either.
#NotReadyForImperialism
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Suggest menu items for racist restaurant owner Pete!
“In order to raise it above history, the nation is given the support of the race. History is viewed as the emanation of the race.” — Leon Trotsky
I am soliciting take out menu items for my parody of the racist restaurant chain. Feel free to contact me with menu item names and brief descriptions of what the dish contains. I have plenty of space remaining on the menu, and am sure that others can come up with more clever ones than I did.
The real life Pete Turner, owner of the restaurant chain with a hopelessly racist name, has refused to address genuine concerns that his ill conceived moniker fuels nativism and hatred. Dehumanizing others as means to market one's business is deplorable in the extreme.
As we see with the entire field of GOP presidential hopefuls, as well as with right-wing Democrats like Hillary Clinton, cashing in on fears by blaming immigrants for the economic crimes of our own 1% is a popular political tactic.
While mocking bigots like Turner provides some amusement, I suggest you join me in signing the M.E.Ch.A petition demanding the restaurant change its racist name.
Wednesday, November 04, 2015
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Hend addresses the repugnant "Does torture work?" question
This might be the most important tweet I've seen in 2014:
"Does torture work?" as a question needs to be put in the bin with "Is slavery commercially feasible?" & "Can genocide help overpopulation?"
— Hend (@LibyaLiberty) December 10, 2014Thursday, February 20, 2014
First Albright, now Clinton. Sad my university hosts two mass murderers of near eastern peoples in two months.
First Albright, now Clinton. Sad my university hosts two mass murderers of near eastern peoples in two months. #UCLA pic.twitter.com/UGByIqbvPo
— Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) February 19, 2014Sunday, February 16, 2014
Book Talk: Alfonso Gonzales presents 'Reform Without Justice'
Alfonso Gonzales (Lehman College, CUNY) discusses his new book, Reform Without Justice: Latino Migrant Politics and the Homeland Security State.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Haines Hall 144
CSRC Library
UCLA
Placed within the context of the past decade's war on terror and emergent and countervailing Latino rights movement, Reform without Justice addresses the issue of state violence against migrants in the United States. The book explores post-9/11 migration control policies and Latino migrant activism through the lens of neo-Gramsican theory and includes interviews with over 60 migrant activists in Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington, DC, as well as with deportees in Mexico and Central America. It questions why it is that, despite its success in mobilizing millions, the Latino immigrant rights movement has not been able to effectively secure sustainable social justice victories for itself or more successfully defend the human rights of migrants. Reform without Justice concludes by discussing how Latino migrant activists - especially youth - and their allies can change this reality and help democratize the United States.Joining the discussion will be Leisy Abrego, assistant professor of Chicana and Chicano studies; Alvaro Huerta, CSRC visiting scholar; and Raymond Rocco, associate professor of political science.
About Author:
Alfonso Gonzales is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Lehman College of the City University of New York. Gonzales received his training at the Department of Political Science at the University of California, Los Angeles (Ph.D. 2008), and in the Latin American Studies Program at Stanford University (M.A. 2002).
Gonzales migrated to the United States as a child from Tijuana, Mexico. He has 20-years of experience as an organizer and strategist among migrant activists. Like an entire generation of Latino migrant activists and intellectuals, Gonzales became passionately interested in politics with the rise of Proposition 187, a 1994 California ballot initiative that sought to deny unauthorized immigrants vital public services.
Cost: Free and open to the publicSpecial Instructions
Parking Information: The closest parking lot is Structure #2. Visitors may purchase daily parking permits (Currently $12) by stopping at the Information & Parking kiosks (cash only) or by using a "Pay by Space" pay station. The closest information booth to Structure #2 is located on Hilgard and Westholme Ave. To use a Parking Pay Station: Simply drive to a self-service Pay Station location (there is one located in Structure #2). Please read the posted signs and screen prompts for Pay by Space. Pay Stations allow you to select the time you need to spend on campus and pay accordingly (all-day passes can also be purchased). UCLA maps and driving directionsDownload File: 02-19-14-AlfonsoGonzalesBT-1w-a4g.pdf
Sponsor(s): Chicano Studies Research Center, Department of Political Science
Monday, February 03, 2014
Stop Recruiting Kids National Campaign
http://www.srkcampaign.org/
Campaign Goals
Our goal is to protect kids from military recruiting. How we treat our young (and other vulnerable populations) is a mark of our level of civilization.
A free society is capable of filling its military from the ranks of adults and does not need to take advantage of children or adolescents who are unable to judge the risks of such a life altering decision.
The campaign is not anti-military, it is pro-child. We want a safe and healthy childhood for all our kids.
Campaign Values
We are committed to the principles of nonviolence taught by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This means that we attack only the policies and practices involved with military recruiting of minors, not the people involved in recruiting—for whom we show the same love and respect we wish to receive from them.
National Service
We realize the military has massive public funding that enables it to offer economic opportunity, along with development of character and social skills, as benefits that can be enticing for young people to enlist. The campaign will be fully successful only when we have moved society to the point where these same opportunities and benefits are available to all our youth outside of the military.
The campaign will include calls for increased public funding and support for agencies like the Corporation for National & Community Service, the Peace Corps, and other service programs to provide meaningful paths to economic opportunity and development for all young people.
Actions - Drive the Campaign
How to Help
Here are three ways you can drive the campaign:
1. Share our Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest posts in your own social media feeds. This is how we spread the campaign and help move public opinion.
2. Take part in the legislative actions below to tell your representatives what you want them to do. This is how we build support to change public policy.
3. When you are ready for a bigger commitment, organize or join a local Meetup group to start building positive relationships with your school board, administrators, teachers, students, and parent groups. This is how we build real change.
Current Actions
Protect our children and their families from military recruiting in schools without parental consent
Tell your representative that you want military recruiting efforts to honor the privacy rights of our children and their families.
The No Child Left Behind Act requires high schools to divulge students' personal information to military recruiters without their parents' consent.
The Student Privacy Protection Act will change this military recruiting practice from an “opt-out” to an “opt-in” program.
This simple change would ensure that schools do not divulge students' personal information to military recruiters unless their parents explicitly consent to such a release. Act Now >> https://www.popvox.com/orgs/srkcampaign/_action/8240
Campaign Partners
Your organization can join the campaign simply by sharing our photos and actions with your supporters through your Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and other social media feeds and email newsletters. You also can add the campaign to your website and other communications.
Alternatives to Military
Lincoln, Nebraska
On Earth Peace
New Windsor, Maryland
If you would like to list your organization as a partner, email us at: join@SRKcampaign.org
Tell us how you plan to share the campaign with your supporters, and include a square logo image (50 x 50), the city and state of your main office location, and a link to your website.
Campaign Goals
Our goal is to protect kids from military recruiting. How we treat our young (and other vulnerable populations) is a mark of our level of civilization.
A free society is capable of filling its military from the ranks of adults and does not need to take advantage of children or adolescents who are unable to judge the risks of such a life altering decision.
The campaign is not anti-military, it is pro-child. We want a safe and healthy childhood for all our kids.
Campaign Values
We are committed to the principles of nonviolence taught by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This means that we attack only the policies and practices involved with military recruiting of minors, not the people involved in recruiting—for whom we show the same love and respect we wish to receive from them.
National Service
We realize the military has massive public funding that enables it to offer economic opportunity, along with development of character and social skills, as benefits that can be enticing for young people to enlist. The campaign will be fully successful only when we have moved society to the point where these same opportunities and benefits are available to all our youth outside of the military.
The campaign will include calls for increased public funding and support for agencies like the Corporation for National & Community Service, the Peace Corps, and other service programs to provide meaningful paths to economic opportunity and development for all young people.
Actions - Drive the Campaign
How to Help
Here are three ways you can drive the campaign:
1. Share our Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest posts in your own social media feeds. This is how we spread the campaign and help move public opinion.
2. Take part in the legislative actions below to tell your representatives what you want them to do. This is how we build support to change public policy.
3. When you are ready for a bigger commitment, organize or join a local Meetup group to start building positive relationships with your school board, administrators, teachers, students, and parent groups. This is how we build real change.
Current Actions
Protect our children and their families from military recruiting in schools without parental consent
Tell your representative that you want military recruiting efforts to honor the privacy rights of our children and their families.
The No Child Left Behind Act requires high schools to divulge students' personal information to military recruiters without their parents' consent.
The Student Privacy Protection Act will change this military recruiting practice from an “opt-out” to an “opt-in” program.
This simple change would ensure that schools do not divulge students' personal information to military recruiters unless their parents explicitly consent to such a release. Act Now >> https://www.popvox.com/orgs/srkcampaign/_action/8240
Campaign Partners
Your organization can join the campaign simply by sharing our photos and actions with your supporters through your Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and other social media feeds and email newsletters. You also can add the campaign to your website and other communications.
Alternatives to Military
Lincoln, Nebraska
On Earth Peace
New Windsor, Maryland
If you would like to list your organization as a partner, email us at: join@SRKcampaign.org
Tell us how you plan to share the campaign with your supporters, and include a square logo image (50 x 50), the city and state of your main office location, and a link to your website.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Stop JROTC teachers from getting Physical Education authorization in CA
If you're concerned the military's presence and influence in our schools, please act NOW to speak out against this alarming threat in CA.
This will in many cases lead to regular, properly trained, civilian, credentialed P.E. teachers being replaced by military JROTC instructors. P.E. for everyone could become JROTC.
Written comments are due by this Monday, 1/27. Please spread the word.
Immediate Action Needed !
What is Happening?
The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) will hold a public hearing on February 14, 2014 toadopt new regulations that will have a critical impact on physical education in California schools. There was prioraction on this in September of 2013 and the CCTC voted to move ahead with adopting these new regulations.This is the final opportunity we have to express our concerns and ask them to vote “NO” on the new regulations.
Why Should I Be Concerned?
If approved at the hearing, this action will amend Title 5 regulations to authorize JROTC instructors to teachphysical education. A confirming vote will add a Special Teaching Authorization in Physical Education for Holdersof Designated Subjects Special Subjects Teaching Credentials.
Designated Subjects Special Subjects Teaching Credentials currently authorize the holder to teach the subjectnamed on the credential (Aviation Flight and Ground Instruction, Basic Military Drill, ROTC, Driver education andTraining). The requirements for a credential include: four years of experience in the specialty area, two years ofsuccessful teaching experience in the courses listed above, nine units or 135 clock hours in a progra of personalized preparation. You will note the deficiencies in the requirements when compared to the requirements for a full credential to teach physical education. The proposed change will require JROTC instructors to verify their subject-matter knowledge in physical education.
As you know, high school physical education courses require every minute of the required instructional time and there isn’t instructional time to share with other interests.
Can we count on JROTC instructors to provide content rich instruction in physical education? Or, will they focus on military content and devote time to physical activity as it related to successful completion of military activities?
more on JROTC here: http://nnomy.org/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&view=items&cid=297:jrotc&id=324:jrotc&Itemid=154
What Can I do ?
Three important ACTION STEPS for YOU to take:
1. Share this information with everyone who has an interest in quality physical education in our schools and ask them to participate in our efforts to let the Commission know that this is not an appropriate action to take. Share with your colleagues who teach other subjects as well. Ask them to write a letter.
2. MOST IMPORTANT *** Write a letter (see sample and information below) to the Commission expressing your views and encouraging them NOT to APPROVE these regulations at the February 14th hearing. Send your letter via Email to tduggan@ctc.ca.gov FAX (916) 322-0048
All written comments must be received by 5:00pm on January 27, 2014
3. Contact your teachers union before February 1, and let them know that we need their assistance in making surethis does not get approved at the public hearing on February 14th.
January 23, 2014
Linda Darling-Hammond, Ed.D Chair
California Commission on Teacher Credentialing
1900 Capitol Ave.
Sacramento, CA 95811 Re: Public Hearing February 14, 2014
Dear Dr. Darling-Hammond:
I’m writing to voice my concerns about the regulatory action scheduled for consideration on February
14, 2014 by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. The proposal to amend Title 5 to establish a special physical education authorization for holders of Designated Subjects Teaching Credentials in Basic Military Drill and Reserve Officer Training Corps should not be approved for the following reasons:
The Physical Education Content Standards for California Public Schools, K-12 affirm that participation in physical activity is not the same as education. JROTC has different goals and outcomes than physical educationand is focused on participation in physical activity rather than learning the content of physical education.
Approving the physical education authorization would in essence, give CTC’s “blessing” for a blended coursethat cannot be delivered with fidelity. The content and learning outcomes for physical education and JROTC arenot the same. Sufficient time must be devoted to the learning process for students to learn the content of physical education.
Physical education is a science based academic discipline. Effective teachers of physical education have strongundergraduate foundations in biological and physical sciences. This proposal does not require that foundation forholders of Designated Subjects Teaching Credentials in Basic Military Drill and Reserve Officer Training Corps.
The children and youth of California depend on the CCTC to make decisions that will provide them with well-prepared and exceptionally qualified teachers. Adding an authorization to teach physical education to theDesignated Subjects Teaching Credential in Basic Military Drill and JROTC will not prepare our students toachieve their highest potential.
Sincerely,
Your Name HERE in Script Font
Your Name Here
Your Title
Your City Here
Additional Information
| Selected Rationale for Proposed Regulations Communicated by CTC in the Initial Statement of ReasonsDocument | Physical Education Community Response |
Current basic military drill andphysical fitness training activitiesassociated with Basic MilitaryDrill and JROTC courses mayinclude instruction in some or allof the required eight contentareas. | Basic Military Drill and JROTC courses have objectives that are vastly differentthan the objectives for physical education. While physical fitness is indeed acomponent of JROTC coursework, the learning of skills, knowledge, anddispositions required to be physically active across the lifespan are absent in theJROTC curriculum. We have never seen a course that meets the objectives ofJROTC AND physical education and includes all eight content areas. |
Alternate ways of meeting the requirements for physicaleducation as outlined in EC51225.3 | JROTC is NOT an alternate way of meeting the requirements for physicaleducation as outlined in EC 51225.3. This section of the code does not providefor an exchange of content, rather a modification in instructional strategies. JROTC does not provide students the opportunity to learn the content in the PhysicalEducation Content Standards for California Public Schools. |
Some school districts grantphysical education course creditfor Basic Military Drill and JROTCand others do not. | Appropriate credentialing is one of several concerns associated with JROTCgranting physical education course credit. See other issues. |
Physical Education is an integral component in all branches of themilitary. | Physical Education is NOT an integral component of all branches of the military,physical fitness is. The physical activity that takes place in the military settingspreparation for military tasks and does not include learning the necessary skillsand knowledge pieces to design, carry out, evaluate, and adjust one physical activityprogram. |
Current Basic Military Drill andROTC special subjects teachingcredentials do not currently include a specific physicaleducation teaching authorization. | Because JROTC course are not physical education courses, they do not includea specific physical education teaching authorization. One could make the casethat because military history is included in JROTC, social science credit shouldbe granted for these courses. |
Districts that are willing to allow Basic Military Drill or JROTC courses to satisfy high school graduation requirements often require these classes to be taught byindividuals who hold a Single Subject Teaching Credential inPhysical Education. | Those that insist upon a Single Subject Teaching Credential in Physical Education are following currentcode and regulations. |
Since many instructors in Basic Military Drill and JROTCprograms do not have a bachelor’s degree, they do notmeet the basic requirements for earning the Single SubjectTeaching Credential. | Teachers who do not hold a bachelors degree are notpermitted to teach any other subject in California.Why would the CTC think that it is permissible forteachers to teach physical education? Theundergraduate degree provides importantfoundations for all teachers. |
Pupils attending schools that do not grant physical education course credit for Basic Military Drill and JROTCare required to enroll in traditional physical educationcourses to meet graduation requirements. Thereby creatingthe potential for enrollment declines in Basic Military Drilland JROTC programs. | Enrollment declines in JROTC should not be a concern of physical education. Nor should thepromotion of these programs be placed anywherebut within JROTC. |
A review of the 49 other states revealed that there are currently 9 states that allow JROTC courses to satisfy the physical education graduation requirement. | 9 of 49 states is hardly enough to say it is a national trend that JROTC courses should be used to grantphysical education courses credit. Of the 9 cited in the document, 6 are permissive rather than prescriptive, using the term “may”. No information is available for other decision making factors. |
Read the CTC Documents that are available online for the hearing:
Published abstract to be presented at the AAHPERD National Convention in April 2014. The entire article iscurrently under review for publication.
Title: Using SOFIT to Compare High School Physical Education and JROTC
Authors: Monica A.F. Lounsbery, Kathryn A. Holt, Thomas L. McKenzie, & Shannon A. Monnat
Background/Purpose: Physical education (PE) is important for engaging students in health-enhancing physical activity (PA) and for developing physical fitness and movement skills. PE is mandated as a curricular area in all
50 states, but many policy barriers to its effective delivery exist. Among these policy barriers is the practice of
allowing alternative programs, such as Junior Officer Reserve Corp (JROTC), to substitute for PE in high schools. Advocates supporting substitution policies typically argue that these alternative programs engage students insubstantial amounts of PA and provide the content that meets PE standards. Data supporting these argumentsare not yet forthcoming. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the conduct of PE and a commonlysubstitution program (JROTC) using direct observation.
Method: Two observers, trained via a standardized protocol, employed a validated and frequently usedinstrument, SOFIT (System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time), to assess student physical activity levels andthe lesson contexts of 38 PE and 38 JROTC classes in 4 high schools. The schools were randomly selected from12 district schools that provided both PE and JROTC. Data were analyzed using two-tailed t-tests.
Analysis/Results: Inter-observer reliabilities exceeded 90% for both student activity and lesson context variables.Students engaged in relatively more time in Walking (49 vs. 19%; p<.001), Vigorous (11 vs. 4%; p<.001), andModerate-to-Vigorous PA (61 vs. 23%; p<.001) in PE than during JROTC. Conversely, they spent significantly lesstime Sitting (17 vs. 47%; p<.001), Standing, (22 vs. 30%; p<.05), and engaged in sedentary behavior (39 vs. 77%p<.001). Relative to lesson context, management time for both programs were similar (about 31% of lessons), butPE teachers allocated significantly more time for physical fitness (20 vs. 9%; p<.05) and game play (30 vs. 5%;p<.001) and teachers of JROTC lessons allocated significantly more time for knowledge (38 vs. 6%; p<.001).Knowledge time during PE primarily focused on physical fitness, motor skill development, and game strategyconcepts. In contrast, most knowledge time (83%) in JROTC focused on drill, inspections, and military history andstrategies.
Conclusions: JROTC and PE provide substantially different content, contexts, and opportunities for students to be physically active, learn movement skills, and become physically fit. Policies and practices for permitting substitutions for PE should be carefully examined. Replications of this study using the direct observation of otherprograms frequently permitted to substitute for PE (e.g., marching band) are recommended.
Education Code Section 51225.3
(b) The governing board, with the active involvement of parents, administrators, teachers, and pupils, shall adoptalternative means for pupils to complete the prescribed course of study that may include practical demonstrationof skills and competencies, supervised work experience or other outside school experience, career technicaleducation classes offered in high schools, courses offered by regional occupational centers or programs,interdisciplinary study, independent study, and credit earned at a postsecondary educational institution. Requirements for graduation and specified alternative modes for completing the prescribed course of study shallbe made available to pupils, parents, and the public.
Discussion on EC 51225.3
This section of the California Education Code encourages the governing board and local school districtstakeholders to adopt alternative means for pupils to complete the prescribed course of study. You’ll note that itdoes not suggest that course content can be substituted or altered in those prescribed courses.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
My comments on SCIC protest photo on facebook
What I love about the SCIC, and why I am proud to have been one of its founding members, is that it never compromises its principles out of political expediency or opportunism. When other so-called "progressive" immigration groups were trailing the Democratic party calling for "comprehensive immigration reform" (read no reform at all), the SCIC was calling for full legalization and amnesty for all undocumented peoples. When other groups said ignore proto-fascist racist groups like the Minutemen and other Klansmen, the SCIC stood up to bigots and white supremacists. When funding stream conscious NPICs said don't target media that glorify the Border Patrol, the SCIC protested in front of places like ABC Studios demanding an end to the vilification of the undocumented. Currently LAPD and Mayor Villaraigosa are waging a war on immigrants by stealing their cars at checkpoints. Which major group protested in front of the Mayor's lavish mansion? You bet — The SCIC!
This is also why I support Ron Gochez for City Council. His background of standing up for workers and immigrant rights is peerless, and he brings the vision that only a leftist has to the debates over issues that effect working class people the most.
Saturday, October 08, 2011
Make Banks Pay
My dear friend Ernest Savage produced these documenting a local struggle to save a homeowner from foreclosure by their capricious bank. Like the man at the end of the first video says, "you can't foreclose on justice."
[click here if you can't view this video]
[click here if you can't view this video]
[click here if you can't view this video]
[click here if you can't view this video]
Thursday, October 06, 2011
CAMS October Actions: Stop Military Recruiters from having easy access to our children!!!
Inform students about their right to "opt out" of their school giving their private information to MILITARY RECRUITERS! Join Palisadians for Peace and CAMS as they distribute Student Privacy (Opt Out) forms to high school juniors and seniors.
October Student Privacy (Opt Out) Actions:
Thursday, October 6, 7am
Belmont High School
1575 W 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA 90026
Tuesday, October 11, 7am
Jordan High School
2265 E. 103rd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90002
Monday, October 17, 7am
Lincoln High School
3501 No. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90031
Wednesday, October 26, 6:30am
Bell High School
4328 Bell Ave.
Bell, CA 90201
RSVP: Sandra Sunshine Williams 310-573-1901 sandrasdelmundo@gmail.com
OPTING-OUT: Section 9528 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 2001 (No Child Left Behind) mandates that school districts must provide the contact information (names, addresses and telephone numbers)of juniors and seniors to the military upon request unless an Opt Out form is signed and returned to the school.
Students must Opt Out every year.
LAUSD deadline:
Opt Out forms must be returned by October 28, 2011.
October Student Privacy (Opt Out) Actions:
Thursday, October 6, 7am
Belmont High School
1575 W 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA 90026
Tuesday, October 11, 7am
Jordan High School
2265 E. 103rd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90002
Monday, October 17, 7am
Lincoln High School
3501 No. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90031
Wednesday, October 26, 6:30am
Bell High School
4328 Bell Ave.
Bell, CA 90201
RSVP: Sandra Sunshine Williams 310-573-1901 sandrasdelmundo@gmail.com
OPTING-OUT: Section 9528 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 2001 (No Child Left Behind) mandates that school districts must provide the contact information (names, addresses and telephone numbers)of juniors and seniors to the military upon request unless an Opt Out form is signed and returned to the school.
Students must Opt Out every year.
LAUSD deadline:
Opt Out forms must be returned by October 28, 2011.
Thursday, September 08, 2011
Nativo Vigil Lopez: Katt Wiliams' Anti-Mexican Rant a True Kramer Moment
Katt Wiliams' Anti-Mexican Rant a True Kramer Moment
By: Nativo Vigil Lopez
Not dissimilar to an experience lived by standup comedian Michael Richards, who played the fictional character of Cosmo Kramer in the sitcom Seinfeld, who repeatedly yelled the n-word at a supposed audience heckler, Katt Williams repeatedly taunted an audience member with anti-Mexican vitriol in a recent comic performance in Phoenix, Arizona.
Williams' set began with an assumptive statement that "it seems to me that you all like it over here a lot." He ridiculed the giving up of California by Mexicans to the U.S. An audience member yelled back to him that "this is Mexico," but not all was picked up by the audio. Williams taunted back with, "this used to be Mexico motherfucker, and now it's Phoenix" - to cheers from the crowd. He even referred to the audience member as "nigger," although he was clearly of Latino appearance. The heckler vulgarly gestured back to Williams. It was clear that the heckler dished out as well as he got from Williams. It was obviously no accident that the standup comic had a large statue of the American eagle on the stage surrounded by six young black women?
And, so it continued, taunting the heckler with chants of "USA, USA, USA," which were repeated by other audience members. The Latino man, now standing, engaged Williams who was visibly reactive and at one point even declared, "fuck him," and told him, "if you love Mexico, bitch, get the fuck over there." He angrily engaged the Latino with his interpretation of the Star Spangled Banner, and others in the audience picked up the tune in chorus. After physically plucking the eagle statue in front of the heckler he yelled, "we were slaves, bitch, you all just work like that at a landscapers, motherfucker." After that outburst he circled the stage and was high-fived by a black audience member.
He referred to the heckler as "nigger," and "bitch." At the end of the tirade five burly security guards removed the Latino from the audience.
The crowd was clearly racially mixed, and as much as could be observed from the video, now replayed ad nauseam on YouTube, was supportive of Williams' rage.
Williams was subsequently interviewed on CNN and refused to apologize for his angry outbursts. He excused his words as responsive to a heckler who "claimed this land as Mexico." He wrapped himself in the American flag as a defense of his comments. He even disowned and disapproved of a public apology that was issued by his publicist.
Sad is the day that the popular comedian would choose Phoenix, Arizona as the place to unleash his jaded sense of patriotism to his public. Only a fool would not be aware of the political significance of the location in what is considered the national epicenter of the anti-immigrant/anti-Mexican right-wing movement, nationally. The origin of virulently anti-immigrant laws, SB1070 in particular, Arizona has become the template model for similar legislation in other states. Today, Phoenix is to Mexicans what Birmingham, Alabama of the Deep South was to blacks during the civil rights movement era. Williams' rant more than hurt, it was outright destructive and divisive.
Williams' comments could be reflective of a current of opinion amongst the African American community, albeit not a majority one, especially in these tough economic times. It trashes, however, the historic strides towards unity between brown and black communities throughout the country before a common foe. Our common African origin is ignored. The violent annexation of half the national territory of Mexico, now the southwest of the U.S., is ridiculed, as is the uninterrupted resistance to conquest by indigenous peoples.
Just as Richards' tirade had no place in a public forum (or private for that matter), notwithstanding the comic venue where in most instances everything goes, Williams' comments have no place in the America he proclaims to love, nor does his use of the terms "nigger," or "bitch."
Some comedians, journalists, and media commentators still believe that they are protected by the First Amendment in their use of colored language, and terms as "illegal alien," "illegal immigrant," and other such references to immigrants, people of color, women, and gays. The word is powerful, and its inappropriate and uncultured use denigrates and dehumanizes the powerless. What is even worst, however, is when individuals of the powerless use the word of the powerful to refer to themselves and others of the same social class. And, when such occurs they are nothing more than servants and slaves to their pay-masters - the corporate media, even those of medium stature or alternative "progressive" mediums.
I have a remedy for Katt, though, and it relates to a personal story of mine. One day as young boys, 8 and 9 years of age, my brother and I were playing outdoors within earshot of my mother. My brother called me a "nigger." Well, when my mother heard that she called him into the house and literally washed his mouth out with a bar of soap. He claimed to her that he didn't even know what it meant, and that he was just repeating what a Mexican girl, with much darker complexion than him, had called him on the school playground. He was never again heard to utter the word.
My suggestion is that we boycott Katt Williams, not unlike the black community called for a boycott of Michael Richards after his uncouth racial tirade, and that this boycott should continue until Williams' makes an unreserved public mea culpa to the Mexican community or until his Mama publicly washes his mouth out with soap. In the alternative, I have only one thing to tell Mr. Williams, as I would to any Minuteman spewing anti-Mexican hate language - No, fuuuuck you, motherfucker!
* The author authorizes the re-publication of this article. Please credit the author.
nativolopez@sbcglobal.net
By: Nativo Vigil Lopez
Not dissimilar to an experience lived by standup comedian Michael Richards, who played the fictional character of Cosmo Kramer in the sitcom Seinfeld, who repeatedly yelled the n-word at a supposed audience heckler, Katt Williams repeatedly taunted an audience member with anti-Mexican vitriol in a recent comic performance in Phoenix, Arizona.
Williams' set began with an assumptive statement that "it seems to me that you all like it over here a lot." He ridiculed the giving up of California by Mexicans to the U.S. An audience member yelled back to him that "this is Mexico," but not all was picked up by the audio. Williams taunted back with, "this used to be Mexico motherfucker, and now it's Phoenix" - to cheers from the crowd. He even referred to the audience member as "nigger," although he was clearly of Latino appearance. The heckler vulgarly gestured back to Williams. It was clear that the heckler dished out as well as he got from Williams. It was obviously no accident that the standup comic had a large statue of the American eagle on the stage surrounded by six young black women?
And, so it continued, taunting the heckler with chants of "USA, USA, USA," which were repeated by other audience members. The Latino man, now standing, engaged Williams who was visibly reactive and at one point even declared, "fuck him," and told him, "if you love Mexico, bitch, get the fuck over there." He angrily engaged the Latino with his interpretation of the Star Spangled Banner, and others in the audience picked up the tune in chorus. After physically plucking the eagle statue in front of the heckler he yelled, "we were slaves, bitch, you all just work like that at a landscapers, motherfucker." After that outburst he circled the stage and was high-fived by a black audience member.
He referred to the heckler as "nigger," and "bitch." At the end of the tirade five burly security guards removed the Latino from the audience.
The crowd was clearly racially mixed, and as much as could be observed from the video, now replayed ad nauseam on YouTube, was supportive of Williams' rage.
Williams was subsequently interviewed on CNN and refused to apologize for his angry outbursts. He excused his words as responsive to a heckler who "claimed this land as Mexico." He wrapped himself in the American flag as a defense of his comments. He even disowned and disapproved of a public apology that was issued by his publicist.
Sad is the day that the popular comedian would choose Phoenix, Arizona as the place to unleash his jaded sense of patriotism to his public. Only a fool would not be aware of the political significance of the location in what is considered the national epicenter of the anti-immigrant/anti-Mexican right-wing movement, nationally. The origin of virulently anti-immigrant laws, SB1070 in particular, Arizona has become the template model for similar legislation in other states. Today, Phoenix is to Mexicans what Birmingham, Alabama of the Deep South was to blacks during the civil rights movement era. Williams' rant more than hurt, it was outright destructive and divisive.
Williams' comments could be reflective of a current of opinion amongst the African American community, albeit not a majority one, especially in these tough economic times. It trashes, however, the historic strides towards unity between brown and black communities throughout the country before a common foe. Our common African origin is ignored. The violent annexation of half the national territory of Mexico, now the southwest of the U.S., is ridiculed, as is the uninterrupted resistance to conquest by indigenous peoples.
Just as Richards' tirade had no place in a public forum (or private for that matter), notwithstanding the comic venue where in most instances everything goes, Williams' comments have no place in the America he proclaims to love, nor does his use of the terms "nigger," or "bitch."
Some comedians, journalists, and media commentators still believe that they are protected by the First Amendment in their use of colored language, and terms as "illegal alien," "illegal immigrant," and other such references to immigrants, people of color, women, and gays. The word is powerful, and its inappropriate and uncultured use denigrates and dehumanizes the powerless. What is even worst, however, is when individuals of the powerless use the word of the powerful to refer to themselves and others of the same social class. And, when such occurs they are nothing more than servants and slaves to their pay-masters - the corporate media, even those of medium stature or alternative "progressive" mediums.
I have a remedy for Katt, though, and it relates to a personal story of mine. One day as young boys, 8 and 9 years of age, my brother and I were playing outdoors within earshot of my mother. My brother called me a "nigger." Well, when my mother heard that she called him into the house and literally washed his mouth out with a bar of soap. He claimed to her that he didn't even know what it meant, and that he was just repeating what a Mexican girl, with much darker complexion than him, had called him on the school playground. He was never again heard to utter the word.
My suggestion is that we boycott Katt Williams, not unlike the black community called for a boycott of Michael Richards after his uncouth racial tirade, and that this boycott should continue until Williams' makes an unreserved public mea culpa to the Mexican community or until his Mama publicly washes his mouth out with soap. In the alternative, I have only one thing to tell Mr. Williams, as I would to any Minuteman spewing anti-Mexican hate language - No, fuuuuck you, motherfucker!
* The author authorizes the re-publication of this article. Please credit the author.
nativolopez@sbcglobal.net
Saturday, August 27, 2011
EDUCATION AND CAPITALISM: Struggles for Learning and Liberation
"This book is a breath of fresh air! The chapters take on central issues in education with a clear vision of what could be. Class, race, language and culture become not just educational 'problems,' but tools with which to rethink the future. A stellar addition to books in our field." — Jean Anyon, author of Marx and Education
"At a time when the capitalist class and their corporate allies in the media have waged an all-out assault on teachers, students, and public education, Education and Capitalismr esponds by speaking truth to power.... Drawing from the lived experiences of the editors and their students, and informed by cutting edge sociopolitical critique, Education and Capitalism clears the path for new understanding of the current assault on public schooling and points towards important directions if we are to save it." — Peter McLaren, author of Che Guevara, Paulo Freire, and the Pedagogy of Revolution
EDUCATION AND CAPITALISM: Struggles for Learning and Liberation
EDITED BY JEFF BALE AND SARAH KNOPP
In the first decade of the twenty-first century, a conservative, bipartisan consensus dominates about what's wrong with our schools and how to fix them. In each case, those solutions scapegoat teachers, vilify our unions, and promise more private control and market mentality as the answer. In each case, students lose--especially students of color and the children of the working class and the poor.
This book, written by teacher activists, speaks back to that elite consensus. It draws on the ideas and experiences of social justice educators concerned with fighting against racism and for equality, and those of activists oriented on recapturing the radical roots of the labor movement. Informed by a revolutionary vision of pedagogy, schools, and education, it paints a radical critique of education in Corporate America, past and present, and contributes to a vision of alternatives for education and liberation. Inside are essays that trace Marxist theories of education under capitalism; outline the historical educational experiences of emergent bilingual and African American students; recap the history of teachers' unions; analyze the neoliberal attack on public schools under Obama; critically appraise Paolo Freire's legacy; and make the historical link between social revolution and struggles for literacy.
Sarah Knopp is a public high school teacher in Los Angeles and an activist with United Teachers Los Angeles.
Jeff Bale is assistant professor of second language education at Michigan State University. Their work has appeared in Rethinking Schools, International Socialist Review, and CounterPunch.
Available Fall 2011 | Trade paper | $17.00 | 220 pages | ISBN: 9781608461646
Published by Haymarket Books | www.haymarketbooks.org | info@haymarketbooks.org | 773-583-7884
For review or desk copies, contact Sarah Macaraeg, sarah@haymarketbooks.org
"At a time when the capitalist class and their corporate allies in the media have waged an all-out assault on teachers, students, and public education, Education and Capitalismr esponds by speaking truth to power.... Drawing from the lived experiences of the editors and their students, and informed by cutting edge sociopolitical critique, Education and Capitalism clears the path for new understanding of the current assault on public schooling and points towards important directions if we are to save it." — Peter McLaren, author of Che Guevara, Paulo Freire, and the Pedagogy of Revolution
EDUCATION AND CAPITALISM: Struggles for Learning and Liberation
EDITED BY JEFF BALE AND SARAH KNOPP
In the first decade of the twenty-first century, a conservative, bipartisan consensus dominates about what's wrong with our schools and how to fix them. In each case, those solutions scapegoat teachers, vilify our unions, and promise more private control and market mentality as the answer. In each case, students lose--especially students of color and the children of the working class and the poor.
This book, written by teacher activists, speaks back to that elite consensus. It draws on the ideas and experiences of social justice educators concerned with fighting against racism and for equality, and those of activists oriented on recapturing the radical roots of the labor movement. Informed by a revolutionary vision of pedagogy, schools, and education, it paints a radical critique of education in Corporate America, past and present, and contributes to a vision of alternatives for education and liberation. Inside are essays that trace Marxist theories of education under capitalism; outline the historical educational experiences of emergent bilingual and African American students; recap the history of teachers' unions; analyze the neoliberal attack on public schools under Obama; critically appraise Paolo Freire's legacy; and make the historical link between social revolution and struggles for literacy.
Sarah Knopp is a public high school teacher in Los Angeles and an activist with United Teachers Los Angeles.
Jeff Bale is assistant professor of second language education at Michigan State University. Their work has appeared in Rethinking Schools, International Socialist Review, and CounterPunch.
Available Fall 2011 | Trade paper | $17.00 | 220 pages | ISBN: 9781608461646
Published by Haymarket Books | www.haymarketbooks.org | info@haymarketbooks.org | 773-583-7884
For review or desk copies, contact Sarah Macaraeg, sarah@haymarketbooks.org
The unnamed corporate ed-reform "uber-hipster" has a name, Mike McGalliard
"I'm not going to accuse you and John Holcomb of white savior syndrome per se, but I will go on record as saying that your ideas and actions, no matter how well intentioned, are the epitome of what Freire called 'the false generosity of paternalism.'" — Robert D. Skeels
Dr. Ravitch recently spoke about being in a "Twitter debate with someone," and I immediately identified having been in an ongoing one myself with an unlikely opponent — Mike McGalliard of LA's Promise (née MLA Partners). Seems he took exception to my comments on the Los Angeles Times regarding his corporately backed project and wrote a blog post saying as much. I wrote a response on Schools Matter entitled Open note to LA's Promise former CEO Mike McGalliard regarding what he terms my pithiness. We spent about a week going back and forth on Twitter. He went as far as to accuse me of being a defender of the chimerical "status quo," to which I sent him here, and me calling him out on having arch-charlatan Tom Vander Ark on his board. McGalliard, a guy who doesn't seem to mind being called an uber-hipster, was described to me by an ex-employee of a local corporate reform 501C3 as a "child of privilege."
For the most part I can't speak to peoples intentions, and perhaps the wealthy white McGalliard really has good intentions. That said, he says:
I am going to write my own assessment of the Los Angeles Times piece, which will in a round-about way defend the corporate reformers. I say that because these business types don't have a clue, and now that their own scores aren't improving like they claimed they would, they are in a quandary. The truth is that standardized testing, charter school accelerated segregation, and our plutocratic overlords telling us that the purpose of education "college preparation" or "career readiness," are all parts of the malady that McGalliard and his ilk buy into and propagate.
Once we accept the true purpose of education, as put forth by Freire, we can begin looking to real solutions to education ills. Rather than a bevy of idiotic business buzzwords that are part of the problem, including blended, distance, disruptive, and innovative, we can look for solution oriented phrases like desegregation, fighting poverty, equal resources, and liberation. I gave McGalliard the last word on Twitter. Ironically he misapplied a Freire quote in response to me telling him to read Freire. I suppose his class affiliation doesn't allow him to see what he is doing, and we all know how Freire stood on neoliberalism and corporatization.
Ultimately, we don't need education reform, we need economics reform. When we address that, everything else will fall into place.
Dr. Ravitch recently spoke about being in a "Twitter debate with someone," and I immediately identified having been in an ongoing one myself with an unlikely opponent — Mike McGalliard of LA's Promise (née MLA Partners). Seems he took exception to my comments on the Los Angeles Times regarding his corporately backed project and wrote a blog post saying as much. I wrote a response on Schools Matter entitled Open note to LA's Promise former CEO Mike McGalliard regarding what he terms my pithiness. We spent about a week going back and forth on Twitter. He went as far as to accuse me of being a defender of the chimerical "status quo," to which I sent him here, and me calling him out on having arch-charlatan Tom Vander Ark on his board. McGalliard, a guy who doesn't seem to mind being called an uber-hipster, was described to me by an ex-employee of a local corporate reform 501C3 as a "child of privilege."
For the most part I can't speak to peoples intentions, and perhaps the wealthy white McGalliard really has good intentions. That said, he says:
Even if Howard's narrow assessment of CST data is a fair view of school performance, and even if his dubious collection of comparable schools is a legit comparison, what's there to celebrate? Our best reforms are failing and teensy adjustments to the status quo is all we can hope for at LAUSD?
I am going to write my own assessment of the Los Angeles Times piece, which will in a round-about way defend the corporate reformers. I say that because these business types don't have a clue, and now that their own scores aren't improving like they claimed they would, they are in a quandary. The truth is that standardized testing, charter school accelerated segregation, and our plutocratic overlords telling us that the purpose of education "college preparation" or "career readiness," are all parts of the malady that McGalliard and his ilk buy into and propagate.
Once we accept the true purpose of education, as put forth by Freire, we can begin looking to real solutions to education ills. Rather than a bevy of idiotic business buzzwords that are part of the problem, including blended, distance, disruptive, and innovative, we can look for solution oriented phrases like desegregation, fighting poverty, equal resources, and liberation. I gave McGalliard the last word on Twitter. Ironically he misapplied a Freire quote in response to me telling him to read Freire. I suppose his class affiliation doesn't allow him to see what he is doing, and we all know how Freire stood on neoliberalism and corporatization.
Ultimately, we don't need education reform, we need economics reform. When we address that, everything else will fall into place.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Matt Damon speaks truth to power and advocates for authentic reform
[click here if you can't view this video]
Valerie Strauss posted a transcript of this cogent and inspiring speech.
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