The Power of Ridicule: California Teachers Association Trims 80 Protest Ideas
posted at 11:01 am on April 14, 2011 by Mike Antonucci
[ Education ]
Alas, we shall never know the taste of “labor-union flavored ice cream.”
After the widespread dissemination of the California Teachers Association’s list of “potential activities” planned for its May 9-13 protests and occupation of the state Capitol, the union has severely edited the list, posting a new one on its CAstateofemergency.com site.
Gone from the original list are plans to picket legislators’ homes and target their businesses. Gone is the idea to “follow targeted legislators for the entire day.” Gone is having students and parents picket school sites and camp there overnight.
No more co-opting of the earthquake/fire drill. No more closing of major arteries into cities. No “Refrain from Shopping Day,” dyed red hair or ”labor-union flavored ice cream” from Ben and Jerry’s.
However, CTA still thinks it’s a good idea to “Call parents to tell them how their child is doing and then talk about the budget cuts and invite them to attend the rallies.”
Union spokesman Mike Myslinski told the Fresno Bee the list was “brainstorming” from the union’s State Council, and that CTA is not suggesting students be used as props.
“There was a lot of high emotion and a lot of ideas that came out of it, and that was distilled into what you see now,” Myslinski said.
Distilling is what happens when the ideas that were applauded in the echo chamber of the union hall are exposed to the average California citizen.
The most ridiculous part of this whole enterprise is that by the time next month rolls around, the California GOP will probably have already folded and given Gov. Brown and the public employee unions what they want.
Blowback
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From what I understand,
it was supposed to taste like Obama’s a$$,
but certain members of the msm objected,
claiming trademark infringement.
mrt721 on April 14, 2011 at 11:29 AM
What California GOP? Don’t they have only something like 30% of the seats in the Legislature now? Why are people making this out like Republicans actually have any power to fix the state’s fiscal mess?
It was California’s voters who chose 13 years ago to require the state to spend 48 cents of every dollar on K-12 education. Gov. Deukmejian, the last thing approaching a conservative with any influence in the state, argued strongly against it, but the people voted for it anyway.
California is getting only what it deserves.
rockmom on April 14, 2011 at 11:54 AM
True. The democrats can do whatever they want in this state now and there isn’t really anything the republicans can do. I’ve begged Blakeslee and Katcho Adchadjian, to their faces, to try to hold back the behemoth that is the California Welfare State. They both said it’s going to be hard to affect anything right now with the way everything is set up. The only hope is that we get to re-draw district lines soon. Hopefully the committee who does it isn’t completely co-opted by the Van Jones crowd yet.
NTWR on April 14, 2011 at 2:13 PM
The CA GOP has bought an almost entirely passive role for itself. It can still block a formal tax increase in the legislature; it can block Brown’s attempt to get an extension of the tax increases on a ballot this summer.
But it has no ability to pursue a positive agenda.
Although I see hopeful signs, I suspect that it may take actual, and perhaps catastrophic, disruptions of daily life for California voters to realize that the state’s path is truly unsustainable.
It isn’t possible to systematically shut down economic activity with regulation and taxes, and also have enough public revenues to pay the ever-expanding cadre of regulators, AND sustain an ever-expanding welfare state no one is willing to trim, AND roll out the welcome mat for the influx of illegals, AND, oh by the way, perform the public services traditionally expected of government, like police, fire, criminal administration, prisons, schools, and public infrastructure (roads and water).
Sensible people have known this for years.
J.E. Dyer on April 14, 2011 at 3:51 PM
Oh? Is that a veiled threat? “Nice grades little Johnny has. It would be a shame if anything were to happen to change that. By the way, would you like to attend a rally?”
Absolutely despicable.
crosspatch on April 14, 2011 at 6:47 PM
Brainstorming? If that list was the “precipitate” from the “storm” there’s a dustbowl of intelligence in that union.
tpitman on April 15, 2011 at 10:08 AM
CA is broke, common knowledge.
Yet the State is discussing purchasing large acreage in my area, for off-highway-vehicle use. In theory, big OHV fees might make it profitable for the State. In practice, who will pay these fees if nobody can afford gas?
Who is the seller? Big Dems, who are running into trouble with their wind power schemes.
jodetoad on April 15, 2011 at 3:08 PM
And how is this different than a teacher using PRIVATE files to call a parent to attend a Tupperware party? They are only calling the parents to get more money out of them this is incredible extortion.
Those CA parents should call the teacher’s back – in their homes – and work their own extortion racket.
batterup on April 15, 2011 at 5:26 PM
“Nice little GPA your Sally has going for her. Hate to see anything happen to it.”
PattyJ on April 16, 2011 at 10:40 AM
That’s exactly it. California’s unionized teachers will now be assigning grades based on whether or not a child’s parents support and donate to their union.
That needs to be screamed to the heavens. Humiliate these stupid bastards and make it clear that they are “educating” based solely on whether parents comply with their demands; they don’t give a sh*t about the kids or whether or not they learn, just their union, their perks, and their parasitic existence.
northdallasthirty on April 16, 2011 at 4:54 PM