Re: Linda Chavez's AFT "labor" roots

["Quan, Cao" <QCao009@AOL.COM>]

In a message dated 1/6/01 5:47:44 AM Eastern Standard Time,
Csubstance@AOL.COM writes:

<< The disinformation specialists
 on both sides of the Iron Curtain (yes, I think it was a very useful phrase,
 and I know its origins) had (and have) a lot more in common with one another
 than they do with those of us who really want democracy, equity, educational
 opportunity, and the kinds of justice that underlay the debates here. >>

Good morning, George and Leo.  ARN is always such an education for me that I
am usually busy keeping up with the knowledge base, and have little time to
respond or contribute.

On this count, however, the "natives"(nativism, and nativity aside) would
probably bode well to contribute our two cents, since most of the
disinformation are intended, directed, and disparagingly cast upon our nets.

The fact of the matter is both sides are right, and both are wrong, and both
sink to the practices they accuse the other side of.  My Lai can be easily
multiplied a thousandfold by Le Duc Tho and Vo Nguyen Giap, but that does not
mean that the Russian, the Chinese, the American, and the French governments
can wash the blood of their hands simply by citing their support for Amnesty
International in condemnation of the other sides' crimes.  The sad part is
that all war crimes are committed in the name of justice and freedom, and the
people of those countries know little about how their own monies are being
spent on criminal activities.  How else would we explain the Ollie North
disinformation phenomenon?

The fact of the matter is that in this past election we have elected the
worse of two evils, and more than ever, this republic is in danger of losing
the most basic freedoms that the framers of the Constitution intended for all
of us. Our Senators and Congressmen from both sides of the aisle, McCain
included, paid lip service to a campaign finance reform they never intended,
then and now, to push through, because they are beholden to the pied pipers
who pay for the tune they dance to.

The fact of the matter is the same people who paid for the disinformation
that confounded and perplexed half of the American people to vote for
candidate Bush, are the exact same people serving right now on advisory
councils and transition teams leading up to the policies and plans of the
next four years.  It's simply payoff time.  And the disinformation program
has some marvelous criteria:  compassionate conservatism, racial diversity,
dimming points of light and all.

So while we may attack our new Uncle Toms, the Linda Chavezes, the Norman
Minetas and the Colin Powells and Clarence Thomases, and while we may choose
to disagree so we can agree, here's a completely outside the dots thought,
Leo and George:  if the colonized can forgive, shouldn't the colonialists
forget?

At some point in time, it is great tragicomedy to watch the Frenchman
mouthing "Nos ancetres, les Gaulois" to a group of Vietnamese schoolchildren.
 After a while, we can see the masters actually believing their own lies, and
that's the most absurd of all absurdities, to actually see the voucher
supporters and the testocrats actually believing their own promises.

At what point, I ask all of you, my friends, do we understand Timothy
McVeigh's request to die:  it isn't him that we as a society are killing, it
is a little of each of us that stands by while people like Cheney, Rumsfeld,
McNamara and Kissinger, Bennett and Finn are plotting the demise of the next
generation.   A generation that we can test and then send to war, a
generation we can inject with drugs and television rather than reward their
curiosity in knowledge, a generation that simply asks for our respect because
they want to give us that respect.

So, Leo, forget the AFT.  Think of your children and mine.  It's their time,
to learn and to thrive.  Think of teachers like George, Steve and Theresa.
Waste no more time on the AFT.  Looking back will turn you to stone.

Quan

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