BEWARE THE CLOWN

I was once a disciple of The Clown. I learned through trial and error that The Clown wore no clothes, just shiny clown underpants.

Sadly, not all others have seen just The Clown's shiny underpants.

Mr Shlimazel, followed blindly to the point where his career is now in jeopardy. He has emailed Randi Weingarten, Betsy Combier and others incessantly calling them c**ts. He has harassed a federal judge to the point where US Marshalls have had to visit him and have a "talk."

Yesterday, in reaction to a comment on this blog I incurred Mr Shlimazel's wrath. On a Facebook thread he commented...

"your wife told me she's mentally ill at your 3020-a and only a mentally person could not notice that you're a faggot...are you a sick man that has his wife use a fake dick?"

"Now you have reason to write about me."

So I am now writing with Mr Shlimazel's blessing.

Wow, throwing the old family thing in there huh? Wonder under whose (or is it who's?) tutelage he learned that strategy? Could it have been The Clown's? Funny thing is this person was never at my 3020-a.

But then the texts started...

"Only a mental ill would marry you dagger."

"Get some dick."

"Be a real man faggot."

"You know people think you are a faggot." 

"Seriously...come out of the closet because you're hurting yourself and your wife...it is 2018 and you don't need to be in the closet...you're more of a woman than your wife, faggot."

I made a mistake and I will cop to it. It was with the best of intentions.

This is very early in 2016. I had a good relationship with this person. At the time I had one with Betsy. Betsy and a friend of hers were being harassed non stop by this person (I have seen the emails). I read the emails that Mr Shlimazel and The Clown were sending.Mr Shlimazel was being vile and causing undo consternation to women. I spoke to him. I tried to clam him down. But in what in my lay opinion was OCD, he wouldn't listen. Betsy and her friend were seriously considering filing criminal charges. I told him that what he was doing can be construed as a crime.

Long story short The Follower just continued and continued with the emails to Betsy, the entire UFT, Randi Weingarten, PERB, and Judge Cogan of the Eastern District of New York. Oh dang, I forgot about the emails (And by emails, we are talking in an OCD (What seems to be to the lay person) manner. Chancellor Farina, US Attorney's office, every journalist in NYC, maybe even Hank Steinbrenner. Who knows?

So yesterday I mentioned to him that he is going off the deep end. I had to. My wife was getting scared. Tried to calm him down. When I asked if he learned from the US Marshalls visit he replied that he will...

"...do it again"

Oh and about Randi....

"She will pay for her sins."

And then, I get a text saying...

 "tell your Grand Leech  (Randi), i will stop (emailing he means) if i can get out 75%  pay on mental disability from the DoE....this way it is a win/win I don't see the DoE and they don't see me...leaving the DoE is a win"

"Or i keep it up until i get justice"

And of course me, I am at the center of this all. I had lunch with Cogan, Betsy and Randi, and we seemed to have planned this out.

Jeesh.

I don't know if to feel sorry for Mr Shlimazel. He made his made. He decided to join The Clown's cult and be played like a dime store floosey. Go to PERB he was told. The chances of winning at PERB are slim and none. Bryan Glass encouraged to go to PERB first for one reason. To get those who are doing bad under oath and on the record. Did The Clown tell Mr Shlimazel this?

In my opinion, he's lost his mind as a plaintiff in his oft dismissed federal lawsuit and is about to lose it in the lawsuit he is involved in as a defendant along with The Clown. He needs to look across the table at the next court date and see The Clown for what he is. If not for The Clown, Mr Shlimazel might still be of sound mind.

All this for what? Getting a U for a per session gig. Boo fucking hoo. I can rattle off 10 teachers in 10 seconds who have had it much worse. This behavior not worth losing one's job, life, or liberty.

Mr Shlimazel needs to high tail it to New York Hospital in White Plains. There is a psych ER there and are affiliated with GHI/Emblem.

The following comes as no surprise to us here at SBSB. The rumors were flying for over a year, but we have confirmed that UFT Solidarity met with AFT president Rand Weingarten early in 2014 seeking employment in the UFT, ostensibly becoming a member of the Unity Caucus. The same caucus that has brought us Mike Mulgrew.

For some time, and we knew here at SBSB, UFT Solidarity met with Randi in Manhattan but were never given a reason why. Rumors abounded. The biggest rumor was that UFT Solidarity was asked to start a stalking horse caucus as a way to siphon off votes from MORE which would entail a a splitting of the opposition vote giving Unity yet another victory.

Lately The Crack Team had heard some rumors that the above was untrue, that the meeting was initiated by UFT Solidarity. The Crack Team was sent out into the field to find out more (Pardon the pun).

Bur suddenly yesterday in the comments section of this blog post, "UFT Solidarity Fanboi Love Letter," a comment was made;

"You miss the point. Unity is laughing at the Portelos spectacle - they know he is nuts but are happy to be using him to divide the opposition. They even brag privately how Solidarity is doing their work for them - and they also spill the beans that Portelos was asking Unity for a job and when he didn't get it he figured he could win favor by creating a caucus that could prevent MORE from winning executive board seats. Is that what the meeting with Randi was about? Play the tape."

 Yes, interesting, but even more interesting was trying to curry favor with Unity by splitting the vote and this must explain the near schoolgirl crush that UFT Solidarity laid on New Action.

UFT Solidarity replied to this comment that left many scratching their heads;

Randi asked me "Are you interested in building a bridge back to the UFT? " I told her the UFT won't take me in, like you said above, so "I'm building my own bridge." At that point I sent her the link for Solidarity.

Her response was actually "Wait, let me try one more thing and have a convo with Mike."

Randi sought out UFT Solidarity without clearing this with Mulgrew? Seems strange.

Stranger is why would Randi seek out UFT Solidarity and not anyone from MORE (Not that they would have gone to the meeting) like anyone of at least 50 people I can think of.

Also interesting is that since this meeting occurred in early in 2014 how could Randi have seen the Solidarity website if the website came online in April of this year (According to whois.net) and the Solidarity Facebook page came online in September 2014.

Norm brought up a fine point as well in the comments section of "UFT Solildarity Says It Won't Help All Teachers....And Other Funny Stuff;"

"Remember how you asked me why you couldn't run in their slate in addition to the more slate in 2013 and I told you you had to choose? So there you were ready to run on a slate with mulgrew at the head of the ticket just 2 years ago. You were hoping you could grab one of those unity new action exec be seats even if it meant selling out to mulgrew. But neither unity or new action wanted you for the exec bd and I pushed for you for the more exec bd slate. And you got on the ballot without bringing in any signatures on the petition"

So is it not natural to question the motives behind UFT Solidarity? Is this so called caucus for the teachers and by the teachers, or is it someone's way to get back at all those who have scorned UFT Solidarity. It is starting to look like the latter, as if a boyfriend had been dumped by a girl and this is just nothing more than a tantrum? 

Do the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few at UFT Solidarity or is it about one person in the ultimate con job leading people off the cliff?

The followers of UFT Solidarity need to snap out of it and really start asking questions.

In 2008, a month before my son was to start first grade, I brought him with me to the Westchester County Center where old time Yankee Ron Blomberg was doing a signing show. I told Ron that my son was also going to be starting Hebrew school in September and he looked directly in my son's eyes and said, "Always be a proud Jew."

I have always been a proud Jew, but never a blind Jew, especially when it comes to Israel.

There are lots of things that Israel has done over the years which have really pissed me off. The settlements, the wall, bulldozing houses, the Occupied Territories, the kowtowing to the  religious right, Netanyahu, the hysterical talk about Iran, and so much more.

But, I will say this point blank. There must be a solution soon and it is as much up to Israel as it is with the Palestinians to come to an agreement. The only solution is a two separate states with Israel continuing to be, and always will be, a Jewish state. Jews need and must always have a homeland, a place where they are the majority, a place where they can go if there is ever another Holocaust.

So what is one to think when the UFT Solidarity Facebook page shows up on my feed this comes along (Click to enlarge)?



 Click here to read the article. But before we get to the allegedly anti-Israel, anti-Zionist article, a few words about Randi and her trip.


The author, and by posting and sharing this, UFT Solidarity, seem to imply that not only did Randi and several other AFT upper echelon  travel to Israel on the AFT's dime, but Randi and the AFT are owned by Israel and J-Street.

But one of the free thinkers of UFT Solidarity left a comment;

I liked this page to support teachers even if their union doesn't support them.

If instead this page is to promote Islamic terrorists and lie about Israel, it behooves you to be honest and change the page name.

For the record, in Israel, government members are women, Arab, Druze.
Arabs and women vote.
Arabs and women in the army.

So, what apartheid, exactly?
None.

The Crack Team will soon send her a gift basket from Hickory Farms, of course no pork products, to say thank you.

I have no proof, nor does anyone, that Randi went there on the AFT dime. Nor, do we have proof that Randi is a shill, owned, has her bread or Matzoh buttered, by Israel or J-Street.

Want to whine about J-Street? Better to deal with them than with AIPAC.

Watch the video. So Randi speaks in favor of a two state solution. So what if Randi talks about peace? HEre are some of her words at the conference that she attended.

“This is a difficult moment for those of us who believe in the ideal of Jews and Palestinians living side by side, in two states, with real rights, and with security,” Weingarten lamented.

She lambasted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “last-ditch effort to retain power.” It was, she said, “both painful and pitiful – just days after thousands of us went to Selma to honor those brutally beaten fighting to exercise the right to vote – to watch Netanyahu renounce the two-state solution and demonize Israel’s Arab citizens for exercising their basic democratic rights.”

Weingarten fretted about a status quo that “threatens the future of the State of Israel.” She posited herself as a representative of the reasonable middle in a “vast chasm between those who believe: Israel, right or wrong, and never mind the occupation or democracy; and those who believe: Israel is evil and doesn’t have a right to exist, which then justifies BDS, or worse, violence or terrorism.”

This is a proud Jew speaking, not a a blind Jew. But Randi brings up a great point and the point the author takes umbrage with. The call for boycott, divestment and sanctions of Israel until as the author wants, to make the Israel withdraw from the West Bank and/or make one state is wrong, just plain wrong.

But yet no one wants to BDS Russia, China, (Look at Tibet), Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Venezuela, or any other totalitarian country. Why? 

Let's not forget that in Israel, Muslims, Christians, and Druze can practice their religion. Serve in government, serve in the Israeli Defense Forces, leave free. What other Mid-East can say the same?

As I had written at beginning, and as Randi as agreed, Israel has a responsibility in this mess. But it takes two to tango. Even without the issue of the Occupied Territories, the right of return is a non-starter. If this happens Israel will not be a Jewish state in 50 years.

I have disagreed with Randi on many things. I have not been shy about it. However, if she does something I agree with I won't be shy about sharing that as well. And if it is something I agree with and she is being attacked I will defend her. And if any Jew anywhere or Israel is being attacked I will without a doubt have their backs in my own way.

People don't realize that in 1948 most if the Arabs and Palestinians fled not because of the Israeli (Yes, this happened) Army, but because the government of Iraq, Syria, Egypt, and Jordan encouraged their people to leave telling  them they will soon be victorious and they will be able to come back.

 Israel would not be occupying the West Bank if Jordan never had entered the war. Remember this. Jordan from the time of the partition to 1967 allowed ZERO Jews and Israelis into the Holy Land. Since 1967 Israel has allowed full access into Jerusalem.

Between 1948 and 1967 Jordan had done nothing to promote or turn over the West Bank for Palestinians. In fact, what is now Jordan was part of the Province of Palestine during the Ottoman Empire. Why not pressure Jordan to turn over their land as well?

Israel days after the 1967 war offered all the land they took back under the condition of peace and recognition. They were turned down. Israel has shown what they will do when serious peace offerings are undertaken. See The Sinai.

Why should Israel withdraw unilaterally from the West Bank? Have we not seen what has become of Gaza?

Both sides must make efforts. Both sides must tone down the rhetoric. Both leaders must do what is best for their people not for their political lives.

It is amazing that whomever posted this on FB from UFT  Solidarity did not take the time to do research, or even read, the article or find out about the author, Ali Abunimah. Just look at the web address;  https://electronicintifada.net . Abunimah is a virulent anti-Semite whilst living in the United States breathing the air of freedom he can't enjoy in the Middle East. His statements in the past have been repugnant and has compared Israel to Nazi Germany and has called for a third Intifada.

By sharing this on Facebook, UFT Solidarity either agrees with Ali Abunimah, did not properly vet the article, or there is no organizational controls at UFT Solidarity. We here at SBSB doubt that it is the latter for all decisions in our opinion are made in a vacuum and come down as decrees.

How can a Jewish educator in their right mind now support UFT Solidarity? In the opinion of The Crack Team a Jew should take a long, long look at what they are getting into. If you are a compliant, of course this is just opinion, quiet Jew, you might not worry about support. But what happens if you are not?

If UFT Solidarity wins, will a Jew have to be concerned with any future support of the anti-Israel/anti-Zionist lobby? Would we be seeing Ali Abunimah or his cohorts welcomed at 52 Broadway?

I have finally sat my son down to watch Schindler's List. We have been watching it in bits and pieces. This past Sunday we watched when the ghetto was liquidated. It was a movie, I've seen that scene before and it still disturbed and sickened me.

My great-great uncle, Maurycy Trebacz  was one of the most famed Jewish-Polish artists of his time. He and his family died in the Lødz ghetto in 1941 just because he was a Jew.

Ron Blomberg. He knows.

I guess the first bad taste I got in my mouth was early this year at a DTOE meeting I had
attended in the Woodlawn section of the Bronx right over the Yonkers line. I had been at the time, on the DTOE steering committee and was truly gung-ho about the future of DTOE and what it could accomplish.

But something that night did not feel right and I don't mean the dude who came dressed as Jean-Luc Picard and smelled like a Klingon.

With what I saw it was more like a revival meeting and seemed to be centered around a "leader" and only that "leader's" agenda. Forgive me if I am wrong, but should not an agenda for such a meeting go through a steering committee? Is not the job of such a committee is to steer?

Too much of the agenda was how to be reactive to the crap we as teachers go through. How to FOIL, how to write a grievance, how to record a principal, stuff like that. There was nothing about how to be proactive. Nothing to do with how to get through being targeted emotionally.

Now mind you I am all for fighting the fight and holding feet to the fire but that is just me. I can't force my beliefs on someone else nor, and much more importantly, not everyone is like me. Not everyone else can or wants to fight back like me. Some just want someone to talk to. Some just want a shoulder to cry on. Some just want support.

Something clicked that night for me. It reminded me of the family that lived across the street from me when I was a kid. They seemed perfect from the outside--like from central casting for a 1950's family TV show--but they were truly dysfunctional. The screaming fights we heard from outside truly made sense when we all found out dad was a raging alcoholic. And things started to make sense that night in the Bronx.

Back in April, DTOE had decided to align itself with New Action in several protests across the city. I was bothered by that. Why, should DTOE be aligned with New Action when NA is not only sleeping with the enemy but making Unity's breakfast as well?

"Oh, it doesn't hurt to work with others. Besides, NA might leave it's alliance with Unity."

Yeah, right. And Donald Trump will become president.

I questioned this publicly in DTOE FB page and elsewhere. Not just the alignment but more important was the subjugation of democracy. The DTOE steering committee was not notified. One person made the decision.

I then inquired as to the by-laws of DTOE. I was told;

"We don't need by-laws."

Really? I was perplexed. What was to be done?

The same thing the leader of any country that is ruled despotically and for the purpose of enriching a leader when factions from it's puppet legislature or cabinet speak up. Call for new elections.

Yes, new elections for the DTOE steering committee were immediately called for without any input from the current steering committee or any by-laws. Care to guess who called for these elections?

I got the hint. But fittingly no one else ran so in a way I think I might be still be on the steering committee.

Remember this? The teacher Carmen Fariña harangued at PS 123 in Harlem during a visit? The "leader" sent this email to the Principal of this school (Just to allay any concerns this was publicly displayed in one of the "leaders" many Facebook pages");

Good evening Principal Hernandez,

     I was reading the below article and couldn't help but wonder who the teacher you had concerns about was. Chancellor Fariña recommended you "observe them many, more times a day."

    I'm curious in not only their identity, but if they are probationary/non tenured or veteran? Even more important to me is what support have they been given in the last year, two years, three years etc.

     I will be making a Freedom of Information Law request today to obtain documentation on the support this teacher was given. Please expect communication from the Records Office soon.  I don't agree with the chancellor's "counseling" methods and intend to follow up on the number of observations this teacher has from now until the end of school in June.

Women, children, and those with weak constitutions please avert your eyes for a second while some choice words are used to express opinion of this email.

WHAT THE F**K?????

What right does the leader have to do this. Yes, we know, you have the right to FOIL anyone, anytime, but do you have the moral and ethical right to file a FOIL request on a teacher who you do not even know, who did not ask you, who does not know you?

How do we know if this teacher is nontenured, on probation and because of this FOIL (Which was also CC'd to Farina and Aimee Horowitz) led to this teacher's discontinuance? Or if this teacher is tenured led to the teacher facing a 3020-a hearing? Or even more harassment?

What right does the "leader" have to play God? Or has the "leader" started thinking of itself as a deity? 

That was it for me. But there is more that one can question the judgement of the "leader."

Why is a clown, borderline disbarred (In my opinion and almost all of Earth's) attorney like Joy Hochstadt given a voice in DTOE? What is her role now with Solidarity?

Why when after all your love-ins with New Action did they repay the love when an UFT Executive Committee voted down the rights of ATR to have their own chapter with only one New Action member voting on the proposal (A retiree) with 2 abstentions and the rest voting no?

Why does the "leader" label himself as a "Union Boss" when the "leader" as yet to achieve such a lofty position? One also can ask where are the photos of the "leader" with the words so big saying, "UNION BOSS" imprinted prominently?

Why at the ICE meeting last week in which the "leader" asked for a joint slate was the "leader" either unable or unwilling to answer this simple question from myself?

"If there were to be a joint slate would you be willing to step down as nominee for UFT president and let a joint committee decide and will let where the chips fall where they may?"

The leader as been unable or unwilling to answer the question.

Why did the "leader" take credit for creating the Facebook group ATR Alliance and why did the "leader" turn a FB group originally used for support into a political tool of the "leader's"? What accomplishments as the ATR Alliance endeavored to?

What truly happened at the lunch meeting with Randi Weingarten? Has she asked the "leader" to form another caucus to split the anti-Mulgrew vote?

As UFT President one should wonder what the "leader" will do to those who dare to those that dare to question or contradict the "leader" president.

And lastly, one can reasonably ask, whether or not the "leader" is in this for the "leader" or for THE CAUSE as the "leader" likes to say. If this is for THE CAUSE than the "leader" should remove the rose colored glasses and look around and do what is right for THE CAUSE.

Why all of the sudden come to ICE for a joint slate? Because Solidarity does not have the numbers to run nor to sign the petitions is what The Crack Team as ascertained. 

 What is one to make of comments such as this from this James Eterno posting?

 "When I'm up at the podium one day, don't worry, no hard feelings, I'll still call on you at the DA"

"You will see me up at podium one day and despite the fact that you've discarded our work together, know that you had a part in that success, whether you like it or not. MORE running a separate campaign would be a extremely irresponsible."

"Because I'm going to be leading something called the "United" Federation of Teachers."

Humility goes a long way. Try it. 

For those watching us get screwed yet again in Albany and having Mulgrew crow that it is a victory for teachers, don't wave your angry fist at Unity for they are not alone in the enabling of mayors, governors, principals and testing corporations.

Don't forget the puppet opposition, the hand maidens, the Washington Generals of education labor unions, the New Action Caucus.

But first some background.

Many years ago there was real opposition to Unity (If I am incorrect about anything please let me know). There was [Teachers for a} Just Contract Caucus - tjc and New Action. Mark Schulman of New Action was a VP on the executive board. New Action was picking up steam [ losing steam -- that's why they did it] when Randi Weingarten made a deal with Schulman [in 2003 for the 2004 election]. She had told him that if New Action did not run anyone in opposition to Randi then New Action would be guaranteed the 6 high school seats  on the executive board. Unity didn't run for those seats --
this spurred people to form ICE - including defectors from new action like James Eterno. ICE and TJC combined to win all 6 seats, leaving New Action off the board for first time in a decade. In the next UFT election - 2007 -- Unity put 7 NA people on the Unity line so they could win.
in 2010 and 13 NA got 10 seats on the Unity line Yeah, they were bought off.

The heretic actions of New Action caused a rift and out of the rubble came ICE. New Action became nothing other than a "co-op" opposition to Unity, appearing to be another voice, yet voting and agreeing with Unity in lock step, just as the Washington Generals have been treated by the Harlem Globetrotters all these years.

But the difference between the Washington Generals and New Action is we all know the Generals are there to lose. New Action acts like it is the loyal opposition but in reality is nothing but a bunch of sock puppets.

I have had my disagreements with MORE in the past, but I will give MORE this. That when approached by New Action to work together MORE more or less told NA to take a hike and to come back when their symbiosis with Unity is renounced.

Hey, just look at the New Action blog. See any similarities in their stand and Unity's?

I can not in good conscience support any collaboration with New Action nor should anyone. If you are having a difficult time deciding, take a look at our work conditions, the contract we were subjected to, the state of education. We also have New Action to thank for this.

But you don't have to take just my word. Read Ednotes. Check out NYCEducator, here, here, and here. And Peridio Street School.

New Action is Unity. New Action is not to be trusted.

I have been away for a week. Went on a little baseball road trip with the family.

So a lot has happened in the last week. The UFT not only supported Rev. Al's march in Staten Island, but was paying for buses to transport marchers to Staten Island.

Oh, and the UFT soon hid it's support on Facebook by deleting the posts in support of the march after several hundred pissed off comments.

Firstly, what happened in Staten Island was wrong. Do I think that people of color are treated differently by than others my some NYPD officers? Yes. Does this effect the way the community interacts with NYPD? Yes. Should the UFT have supported this march? No way.

The UFT showed it's hypocrisy in supporting the march for the act of one police officer. We as teachers are broad brushed day in and day out by the acts of a very few. We are railed against, beaten down and left on an island without any support. By making this march about the UFT's involvement we have put the 99% of officers of the NYPD who do the right thing in the shoes we don't like being forced to wear by outsiders.

At a time when we as teachers and a union need all the support and backing we can get to show a lack of support to our union brethren is not right. Yes, it's been said that the NYCPBA has done squat for us, well someone has to step up and do squat first, why not the UFT?

And, how can we support anything the Rev. Al is leading? Let's not forget his Wall Street Journal article he co-wrote with Joel Klein. Or his traveling roadshow with Newt Gingrich and Arne Duncan. Or what he truly feels about charters. And lest we forget some of the silly things Rev. Al has said in the past. Or the tax evasion, being an FBI informant, or Steven Pagones.

The UFT could have showed it's support for the community in other ways than endorsing this march.

We as teachers could have been asked or encouraged to go out into that Staten Island community and found common cause with the citizens. We as teachers have been subject to heavy handed tactics by Tweed and worse, SCI. We, both teachers and the Staten Island community have been affected by the last 20 years in this city of a top down, heavy handed, oligarchy, near police state by our elected officials and those at 1 Police Plaza.

Why has education been so able to go down the proverbial toilet? Because the citizenry is isolated from being heard (Hence, network offices 2 hours away by subway) which has enabled education to be controlled by a few of those 1 percenters who do not care one iota about those of color. The UFT missed it's chance. This is what the UFT should be marching about.

I don't begrudge Rev. Al having this march. It is his right and plenty do believe in him. I don't.

Nor do I condone those that live in their mommy's basements, drink Pabst, read about Che Guevara and Eugene Debs or bathe in months ending in Y. These people are immature and ignorant.

What bothers me and The Crack Team is Randi marching right next to Rev. Al and wearing a AFT shirt and Mulgrews involvement and thinking he knows what is best for the rank and file.

If Randi and Mikey want to march with Rev. Al, fine. Don't do it on my dime, The Crack Team's dime, or any other members dime.

It's time they start listening to the membership.

Late on Christmas night I jumped into the middle of a Twitter conversation between Norm Scott and Randi Weingarten. The jist of the conversation was about the lack, and rightly so, of democracy in the the UFT. Of course Leo Casey chimes in with;

@NormScott1 @rweingarten @Sangiovanni @GetUpStandUp2 Strange idea of democracy: losers in election get to make the decisions
— Leo Casey (@LeoECasey) December 25, 2013

But that is another story for another blog post. Of course losers don't get to make decisions, but the losers get to participate, no? Isn't the US Constitution set up to give voice to the minority?

But at that point I chimed in asking a pertinent question which Randi replied to;

@SoBronxSchool @LeoECasey @NormScott1 @Sangiovanni @GetUpStandUp2 -yes& retiree vote is capped so it can never determine outcome of election
— Randi Weingarten (@rweingarten) December 26, 2013

Huh? So the rationale is as long as the retiree vote is capped? At this point, Reality Based Educator shared;

@rweingarten @SoBronxSchool @LeoECasey @NormScott1 Retiree vote increased in 2012 to 23,500 by Unity to rig elections.
— realitybasededucator (@perdidostschool) December 26, 2013

And my reply to Randi, which she never responded to, was;

@perdidostschool @rweingarten @LeoECasey @NormScott1  Willie Mays doesn't get to vote in MLBPA Union elections, why do retired tchrs?
— Bronx Teacher (@SoBronxSchool) December 26, 2013

Which brings us back to the question, why do retired teachers get to vote in the UFT elections?

I mentioned this to a friend of mine that drives for UPS and is a Teamster just after the UFT elections. To say he was surprised would be an understatement. We both put our heads together and were unable to think of one union that has retirees vote.

I understand that the retirees have done a lot for us in the past. They are concerned about their benefits and pensions. They sacrificed a lot in the past and we owe them a debt of gratitude. As one retired teacher friend of my family would say to me, "You schmucks have given back everything we went on strike for in 1968," I couldn't agree more. But now they are holding back rank and file to affect change.

Personally, I have no problem giving them a seat at the table. Of course they should be represented in the UFT. Be it in the DA, executive board, etc.... They have a right to have a voice. But, to be able to sway elections for current teachers with issues that are affecting us today and in the future is not right. If anything, if retirees continue voting, their votes should at the most count for one-half, and still be capped.

But as long as they get to vote, the opposition to Unity (I don't feel I am at liberty to speak for any one organization) must be proactive with the cards we are dealt and be ready for 2016.

This means reaching out to the retired chapter and forging some common bond. Find out what it would take to get an endorsement, to see how the retired chapter can best advocate for the opposition. It certainly won't hurt to try, it's better than sitting around in committees.

The issues facing the teachers of New York are in the present and in the future, not in the past.

Yesterday, I touched on a flyer that will be distributed on May 1 in teacher's mailboxes throughout the city touting the "accomplishments" of UFT El Presidente and Unity Politburo Chief Michael Mulgrew. Tonight, I shall relate a story of voting shenanigans that only Unity and The UFT could have pulled off.

Back in September of 2003 I had just arrived at PS 156 in The Bronx after working out of the District 7 office for 3 years. Sometime that fall we were having some type of SBO vote. I forgot what we were voting for, but I do recall that it was something that the principal at the time wanted, and since she wanted this and our chapter chair was in her pocket, it was to be.

The day of the vote I arrived at the school to notice an cardboard ballot box with a hole in it and a stack of ballots next to it. No big deal you say? Actually yes, it was a big deal. For this box and these ballots were on the counter in the office unattended there for the world not only to see, but for the world to vote in our private little election if it so desired.

I decided to monitor this election on my own. I came down during my prep and the box and the ballots were there, unattended still however the box was slowly being filled. I came down during my lunch and it was the same as it had been all day. Same at the end of the day. At no time throughout the day did anyone supervise the vote, nor was there anyone with a list of eligible voters.

Being that I had already seen how the clique was in true effect at PS 156 and not liking what I had seen I contacted the District 7 DL and informed her of this irregularity. I was asked if I am challenging the vote and when I answered in the affirmative was told to write a letter challenging the vote and why I was challenging it.

I did so promptly and was proud that I was taking a stand for what was right. It was not that I disputed what was voted on, but rather the way the vote was conducted. After all, we are professionals and as professionals we must set an example of honesty and transparency for our students and ourselves.

It was a couple of weeks or so before I heard back from The Bronx UFT. My petition to have the vote nullified and done again was denied. There was no finding of any irregularities and that the vote was conducted in an above board method.

I was incredulous. How can this be? Anyone, a parent, the UPS guy, the letter carrier, a cop, a student could have voted for the SBO and no one could have nor would have known. No one cared at The Bronx UFT and I should have know better. Even if no one voted that was not supposed to the perception was there that the vote was not done properly and therefore we should have voted again.

How can a union not look out for its members? How can a union when presented with such blatant disregard for a clean vote turn its back and look the other way as if nothing ever had happened?

The UFT likes to claim that it is a "union of professionals." Wrong. It is a "union for keeping those in power in power."

Oh hi. I was just watching Brian Jones p3wn the panelists on NBC. I am now taking a break after beating my head silly against a concrete wall when ever Randi Weingarten opened her mouth. But during the time of of head thrusting into concrete I had an epiphany on what to do about Randi Weingarten and that open sore under her nose. And all it takes is the inspiration of Vic De Salvo

Remember Vic? Actually, Danny DeVito. In 1984, DeVito, starred and directed a cable movie, "The Ratings Game." He played a small time hood that wanted to get a pilot on a network. The network relented but put the pilot up against game 1 of the World Series. Vic, upon learning from girlfriend Rhea Perlman that all it took was about thirty families to skew the ratings. Vic sent these families away on a "cruise." Turned out since the pilot was a hit, Vic and his paisans, got commitments for more shows and the families were at sea for over a year.

So, here is the plan. Teachers from all over the United States chip in and buy a garbage scow or something. Paint up and beautify only one side. Put a few help wanted ads in Manilla for a crew, and then send Randi a letter telling her that she is a a grand prize winner and wins an all inclusive cruise around the world. For other passengers, homeless and the unemployed can be plucked off the street. They'll be happy to just get away.

In the year that she is gone, and out of range of any modern day communication devices, she will be unable to screw things up anymore.

Sorry about the lack of blogging. In my last had entitled, "Randi Weingartens Testicle's," I had promised to reveal some of Randi Weingarten's empty promises, or as I like to call them, lies.

Back when I started this blog, I blogged this about a student on September 12. Now mind you, this is two weeks into the school year. I received this email from Ms Weingarten in response to the blog posting:

On Sat, Sep 13, 2008 at 8:27 AM, Randi Weingarten wrote:

Which school-and we will send our safety people in

Wow! Randi is coming to the rescue! I mean I already knew what was going on. Now Randi knows! Yippee! But I told her to hold off because I did not want to go over my chapter leader's head.

November 3rd comes, the situation is getting worse and I get this email from Randi:

On Mon, Nov 3, 2008 at 11:30 PM, Randi Weingarten wrote:

You are absolutely right that I read it and I have asked what school. If you told me, I missed it. Now I am asking again. I want to visit. Randi

Notice the key words there? "I want to visit." Wow! A state visit to our little school. But is it to be? Was it to be? Well, we need to wait for tomorrow's episode to find out more. Tune in!

Oh why am I doing this? Because Randi is not a labor leader. Nor will Mulgrew be. Simple.

Yeah, I know she hasn't any. I mean literally. Unfortunately as a union leader, figuratively she hasn't any testicles. What is it with her and always acquiescing to whatever Mayor Bloomberg wants and/or demands?

Over at Gotham Schools I read how parents and my union brothers and sisters are pissed with her. Again. She just does not get it or want to get it. The system is broken, mayoral control, as it is, is not working. This quote bothers me the most, “It’s always been a balance of stability, cohesion, and responsibility, which is what mayoral control brought us," blabbered Randi. Please!! There is no stability, no cohesion, and certainly no responsibility. Not at Tweed and certainly not at 52 Broadway.

You mention stability Randi? Where? In the schools where teachers leave in droves because of dictatorial, incompetent principals? Schools that have any teacher over forty sent to the rubber room on trumped up charges? This is stable for the students? For the school community? Where are the regions? Oh they are gone. No we have LSO's, ISC's, etc... No one knows where to go or whom to see with a problem.

Cohesion is a laugh! There is none. Not in the schools. Instead of administration and staff doing what is best for the students, it has become a pissing match my the incompetent, dictatorial principals who seem to get away with whatever they want to. Everything now is top down. That is no way to run a business let alone a school.

There is no responsibility, unless Randi's idea of responsibility is passing the buck, and that is what Mayor Bloomberg and his hand puppet Klein do. It is never their fault. It is always someone else. And guess what? There is no responsibility from the UFT to its members. Zero. None. Nada. Everything is the teachers fault from Tweed, and from the union all we get is "let's not get them too angry." Bullocks!

How can Randi serve two masters? The AFT and the UFT?

Randi, you are a labor leader. Grow a set already.

Coming Soon: Proof how Randi lies.