Well working friends, Hostess has dumped 18000 workers so a handful of executives and vulture capitalists can stuff their pockets with some more money. Wal Mart is threatening their workers with "consequences" if any of them get any funny ideas about participating in a Black Friday job action. And here at home the Buffalo News has sent out another of its pom pom girls for the Charter/Privatization movement to write a chummy, cozy, gee whizzish, aww shucks tribute to the head Chameleon, Steve the lawyer. Done Esmonde has once again waxed enamored of the little Lawyer Who Could, blubbering, gushing, batting his lashes at the Ultimate Fighter like abilities of Stevie P. to withstand the slings and arrows of the Buffalo Board of Education's Sorority Majority. Last week they took this caring privatizer behind the woodshed for the cowardly way he tried to bypass them and ask Daddy in Albany to give him 2 Buffalo Schools for Christmas. It's a wonder he just doesn't give up, sighs Esmonde, lashes batting, never mentioning that Polowitz had all he got and a whole lot more coming for the little end run he and his merry bluenosed band of privatizers tried to pull. See, asking the Board of Ed to cough up a couple of schools wasn't going to fly and he knew it. So with a State Ed Commissioner who has never set foot in any classroom that wasn't a charter and a pair of underling hirees who are equally tipsy from the bottle of privatization (and even more grossly unqualified to hold their positions than he is) the Little Lawyer Who Could figured let's just skip these mean old aunties and go ask Daddy, he's a charter guy, he'll SayYes! And for this the sisters laid into him but good. It really upset Done Esmonde. He feels terrible for the guy who runs 2 of the city's 3 schools with the lowest number of kids receiving free or reduced lunches (the other is Westminster charter too btw). You know he's known Stevie P. for years... And I guess in Done's book that should confer some sort of instant cred on the spot. The fact that one wanker knows another wanker proves nothing to the rest of us, but it may waif some balm with that elite little band of Elmwood Village Just for Men Hipsters who like to get moonfaced about their wild nights at The Pink Flamingo while waiting for Poppy and Declan to get out of string lessons. See Done wants to create yet another of these mythical Yeoman like figures who wades into the bad guys (teacher union members, irate AKA pin wearing board members and the like) and wages some Book of Eli-like war against the darkness for the good of, of course, "The Children." But once again, Done has his action figures confused and he's gone and created a bogus Paul Bunion of sorts with a flatulent ox and a dull axe who almost got nailed when Ralph Hernandez asked what about the million plus left over from all of your budget, where does that money go? Uhhhh...over 5 years that's not much.... Was Stevie P's slick reply. No, Done your buddy isn't a folk hero or an action figure. He's another fucking lawyer who has go it into his head that making money off school kids is fair game. He can't show anyone how to be a better teacher, he can't make some of the unbelievable slugs who gave birth to our students be better parents, he can't help anyone get a job or come to school or show up more than twice a week. All he can do is make money off tightly hyper managed groups of kids who are screened and screened and screened again and immersed in mini madrassas for test taking purposes. He is no more a hero than James Williams was, another carpetbagger looking to leave his mark and take away his check and have some bored reporter who has lost touch with the hard stories write him up as the next John Dewey. Sorry Done, Sorry Stevie, but Buffalo's teachers are the ones who can do the job and they have been for a long time in spite of what pasttimes and current trends you two are dabbling in as we speak. The ones who go into the rough schools and the lousy neighborhoods day after day after day are the superheroes and they don't need anything from either of you. Remember who we are friends and what we do every day no matter what nonsense lil Jon and the gnomes of the Kingdumb in Albany throw in our path. Don't shop at goddamned Wal Mart either while you're out there. Unless you're cool with the fact that those scumbag Waltons own more wealth than the bottom 40% of our entire country. Go Local and have a Happy Thanksgiving.
This suburbanite needs a primer on "Say Yes". Gotta be a wolf in sheep's clothing.
ReplyDeleteThx, Naive in the southtowns.
Chris,
ReplyDeleteThey are infiltrated with TFA alums...Rheeformers? The founder has been trnasformed into a cheerleader on "We are here to save you" day, while they fleece the generous donors who have bought their load of "hype" and lies. Check out Mr. Joftus for starters.
The Walton's are one of the top three financial contributors to educational Rheeform. The other two are Bill and Melinda Gates and Eli Broad. I have given up my Sam's Club membership and refuse to shop at Walmart. The guy that owns Netflix is a big contributor too.
ReplyDeleteAs an aside, my superintendent sent out an email which included his frustration with RttT, it's unfounded mandates, and the fact that the monies received cannot be spent at the district's discretion. Also included in his email: the fact that our APPR plan was not approved. What, you ask, did SED find objectionable? The parts that the district used from the approved exemplars from the SED documentation! Proof that the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing or "Do as I say and not as I do."
I also tried to publish a comment to Donn Esmonde's's column but it hasn't shown up yet. I am not sure if the News will publish a contrary opinion to theirs or if using an iPad is incompatible with the online set-up at the News.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Third:
ReplyDeleteThey aren't printing mine either, so I gave up.I even called about 5 times.,e-mailed etc.
The comments are few and far between now. It used to be fun, but now the News is boring...and biased
If the Chameleons really wanted to set up a school for "for the children", they would go for a building that is empty...Going for newly remodeled schools makes them suspect. Five years as a school and then a real-estate investment for sale. It has happened.
Dr. king wants to go to D.C. with Andrew, so he will do whatever fits into the political "let's get ourselves elected" agenda.
How about Chris Collins $5000 breakfast last week in D.C...already for sale and he isn't even there yet. ( Lots of integrity in the political arena...it would fit in a thimble.)
Aargh!
Happy Thanksgiving to y'all !
Chris, this ruralite only knows enough about them to smell a rat, same as you. Peg has the scoop, yu know the one Mary Pasciak tried to float in a 2 days spread last week. She couldn't have been kinder to them. Raise a few questions on day one then silence all debate day two with how great they are. Typical privatizer cheerleaders at da News.
ReplyDeleteThird, I love the blizzard of awful press the Waltons are generating these days every las tbit of it deserved. I first learned of their shiftless soulless brand of capitalism from Nickel and Dimed in America by Barbara Ehrenreich who went under cover as an employee and described some of their slimy tactics. My nephew Jordan read the book and followed up teaching me about their ghoulish practice of taking out life insurance policies on sick workers then keeping the money when they died, known as Dead Janitor or Dead Peasant policies, they were allowed through a legal loophole Wal mart's lawyers had discovered. And doesn't it make perfect sense that this corporation is a huge donor to the privatization movement. And that a prominent Dem like Hillary whom I generally like served on their Board. They are a truly despicable lot of people who've built their castle on earth a lot like the Pharoahs built their pyramids, on the backs of the destitute and the powerless.
ReplyDeletep.s. Eamonn my son you need to log out your accounts or you will be blamed for my remarks.
ReplyDeleteI am so loving the disastrous digitizing of the Buffalo News. Nobody can post remarks below the stories and if I had a dime for every person who told me they dont even read it any more since they can't read my comments I'd have, in the words of Slim Pickens in Blazing Saddles " a shitload a dimes." Of course I am flattered by such remarks and I admit to sneaking a look at the work computers where it still shows up but they created a story behind the story that was often more compelling than what their writers wrote and I am certain brought in a lot more readers. As Jim Rome says of his own radio show the real story of the jungle isn't the sports as much as they serve as a platform for The Jungle and its clones to work their magic. The Jungle is what the Jungle is all about, not if LeBron makes the shot or Hefty misses the putt. Likewise in the news. The back and forths between the Tax Whisperer of Akron and the knowitall from Derby, the dope charter schooler from Grands Island and crazy arse Lydia. It was fun to read their paper and it was engaging and feelings got hurt every day,. Now all they get are the rambling screeds of Louis from Snyder and everyone else gets 1984d and redacted. This paper has one foot in the grave and the other on a piece of wax paper. BNkruptcy.
ReplyDeleteSean, I agree that the real story was often found in the comments posted following the Buffalo News 'stories". As I have said before, I learned much more from you, Peg, and the others that routinely posted comments. The News online version is a mess. As I was trying to post my comment last night I was repeatedly told to log in, despite the fact that I was logged in. This kept me in a vicious dog chasing its tail scenario until I gave up. Maybe the News is reaping their ultimate goal: totally one sided news reporting. Maybe the illusion of being able to comment is just that, an illusion. After all, Peg said she called and emailed several times to report problems, I called once and was told no problems had been reported by anyone else. So according to the News the online comment feature is working properly. (By the way, the day I called I also questioned how someone was able to comment anonymously and the girl on the phone told me she thought this could be done if you commented without logging in. I have not been able to see if she was correct). In the mean time, few comments are getting through and the only thing that can be read are the one sided articles. That is why we need your blog and all the others that do get the information out to us. Thanks again for persevering with the blog in addition to all your other responsibilities.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Waltons taking out insurance policies on ill employees, Law and Order did an episode similar to this many years ago. Who knows, maybe the Waltons were the basis for this "ripped from the headlines" episode.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving. Among the many things I am thankful for are those who keep this discussion going, we need it more than ever. Thanks to Sean and the other "regulars." Please know your insights make a difference and help inform us.
ReplyDeleteHard not to get discouraged...the privatizers are closing in and Donnnnn, Mary, the News ed board and their obnoxious love affair with these "reformers" are paving their way. Not sure what we can do to change that and alter the course we seem to be on, but I think there is something to be said for not standing by silently.
This blog is important. I admire your voice. You are helping me find mine. I have been attending my local school board meetings and taking my 3 minutes to speak up. Last week, my nine year old said he wanted to speak as well. He did - among his words, his message - "I am not just a fourth grader with a bubble sheet." I know it will not stop the chameleons or the assault on public ed, but does give me a moment of satisfaction.
Enjoy the holiday.
My daughter's 11th grade science teacher has commented to her that he always got a kick out of my remarks in the News and they have a running dialogue about education. The other day he asked her how their cheerleading tryouts went and she shrugged and said just a silly hoop we had to jump through kind of like what the state is doing to you guys. He laughed and asked where she'd ever get an idea like that then informed her that all of his kids opt out of standardized testing in their school. "Just my little contribution to the cause" he called it. Karen I rally believe this thing shifts when we engage kids in the battle and teach them that they don't have to put up with this. It could well be their first experience with Participation in Government as my senior Social Studies class calls itself. But they are going to catch on with a little help and some parental support and when they do this little game is in checkmate. Thanks for the thoughts, enjoy the day.
ReplyDeletethanks for the blog and the comments in the past in the Bflo Snooze. Done Esmonde forgot to preface his article like he does in every other teacher/union bashing article: "my wife, a bflo teacher who hasnt seen a student in years,... or my child attended a charter school"
ReplyDelete