peter the cat comments from Seattle

peter the cat comments (on "The Empire Strikes Back" post below and raises an interesting point:

How do we fashion a grass roots/cross-coalition resitance movement of anti-Kleinites/anti-Bloombergians from the ranks of the dissatisfied/disgruntled/very, very angry and disgusted teachers/scholars/activists/parents/students/community organizations, etc. which CAN AND MUST BE an active and present SHOW of force (peaceably assembled) with a clear message against the surreptious privatization of the NYC public school system. Less blogging, more organizing, but how? Any ideas? (Battle in Seattle, but peacefully. Can we recruit some Seattle(ians?)?

peter the cat,
Send us any help you can from Seattle but keep Bill Gates (and the rain), whose tinkering has led to all sorts of problems in the schools.

Your question is right on but you leave out the union aspect. Right now we can only focus on the UFT where we can reach out to people. That has not been all that easy as angry teachers want more instant solutions and this is a long race. Part of what Ed Notes and ICE tries to do is provide people with the information they need if they decide to get activated. While doing that we try to make alliances with all the groups we can, union and non-union.

Because there are over 1400 schools in NY and Unity Caucus actively works to keep alternate points of view out of the schools, the web and blogging will hopefully be part of the organizing as a way to reach people and also to hash out and clarify issues. But the real struggles take place in the schools where progressive anti-Unity Caucus people have to battle the forces of BloomKlein and the Unity hacks. (Not all anti-Unity people consider themselves progressive and we need to see how to build alliances.)

NYC Educator who has used his blog to great effect in a very short time while also getting more active with the union at his school is a great example of people who have activated themselves, almost building an online virtual caucus.

We need to get you to move to New York and join us.