This isn't your mother’s teachers union.
The Chicago Teachers Union has brandished its radical political stripes in recent months. It has fully embraced Occupy Chicago, protested side-by-side with Action Now (the reincarnated ACORN) and joined a coalition set to protest the upcoming NATO/G-8 meetings scheduled for May in Chicago.
G-8 protests typically get violent, and we won’t be surprised if the CTU resorts to ugly behavior as well.
Neither will anybody else in Chicago. That’s why one company, Midwest Solar Control Corp., is urging local businesses to install “window blast film” and “anti-graffiti film” to their buildings before the G-8 summit begins.
The message is simple – a bunch of irresponsible radicals with no respect for private property are about to loot our town, so protect yourselves while you can.
And by the way, those irresponsible radicals may very well include some of the people who teach your children every day.
“The United National Antiwar Committee as well as an alliance of several Chicago area peace and justice organizations have vowed to protest during the NATO and 2012 Chicago G-8 summit,” a press release from the company says.
These organizations include the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, the Committee Against Political Repression, Chicago Teachers Union, Campaign to End the Death Penalty, Committee To Stop FBI Repression and the Chicago Anti-Eviction Campaign, according to the release.
“The fact that some G-8 summits have seen some confrontation is indicative that confrontation is likely this year,’ the release said. “Rahm Emanuel, the city’s mayor, has put restrictions on all public activities during the NATO and 2012 Chicago G-8 Summit, including morning gatherings and amplified sound. He has also put restrictions on parades. It therefore follows that confrontation is imminent since protesters are not backing down.”
We have to wonder how Chicago parents feel about their children's teachers planning to participate in a violent demonstration that could threaten private property.
Does anyone really wonder why some kids are so violent when their role models are so willing to engage in that type of behavior? It’s simply a perpetuation of a sick culture that utilizes bullying and intimidation to achieve objectives.
The press release explains the potential value of the company’s products during the upcoming summit:
"...The security films undergo tests with regard to bomb blasts and flying objects. Therefore, they are highly durable and strong enough to shield one’s building from violent attacks or terrorism that people may capitalize on especially with the approaching 2012 G8 Summit Chicago, IL. Using this product will help one retain the integrity of their building and any asset therein."
Wow. The CTU and its radical friends are angry enough about capitalism to resort to terrorist tactics? If only we could get them to be half as upset about the deplorable state of some of Chicago’s failing schools.
But why should union activists be concerned about education, when there are so many radical political causes to join? Teachers unions are big, wealthy special interest groups whose agendas generally have little connection to the welfare of K-12 students.
The sooner the people of Chicago understand that, the sooner they might rally in an effort to save the school system from the CTU and its apologists. The union radicals are opposing a school improvement plan meant to increase opportunities for the students of the city, just because they want to preserve union jobs and dues revenue.
The CTU stands for the enrichment of itself and its members, and perhaps a social/political revolution in the United States. It will not fight for a better school system.
If the people of Chicago want better educational opportunities for their children, they will have to work around this self-serving union.
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