I added the above comment to this original post as an intro to the cold warriors and war hawks still running our national, state, and local union....jd2718.orgSaturday, August 19, 2017 at 9:27:00 AM EDTIn 2010 in Seattle, Leo Casey motivated (probably wrote) a before-the-fact justification for US military action against Iran. The AFT may jump on-board some antiwar campaigns, after the entire political mood has shifted in that direction, but at its core it's still pro-war.
https://www.aft.org/resolution/iran-and-trade-union-rights
Jonathan
For decades my colleagues in a certain segment of the UFT opposition have tagged our union's support for the war machine, which is part of the Democratic Party mantra. Like you hear them talk about underfunded education but never about vastly over funded military, which chews up the budget. I once told Al Shanker at a DA in 1976 that when it came to guns or butter our union chooses guns.
Mike Antonucci is on vacation and is posting from the vault -- this one is a goodie about our union leadership's support for the war machine and the invasion of Iraq -- history they continue to try to bury. Is there a statue of Randi we can bring down?
From the Vault: January 27, 2003
https://www.the74million.org/article/analysis-teachers-union-adds-40000-offshore-members-while-labor-rolls-stagnate-at-home
AFT Executive Council Supports U.S. Action to Disarm Iraq. In a noteworthy display of contrariness, the American Federation of Teachers Executive Council passed a resolution supporting U.S. and international efforts to disarm Iraq. The AFT resolution came as something of a surprise, since there is a concerted effort among activists nationwide to promote anti-war resolutions among the public education establishment. AFT reported that the resolution passed “by an overwhelming margin,” but since most Executive Council resolutions pass unanimously, it is clear that the resolution faced some strong opposition. This most probably came from the California Federation of Teachers, which already has its own resolution in place condemning any contemplated action against Iraq and denouncing the “so-called war on terrorism.”
The AFT resolution takes several swipes at the Bush administration, but it places the onus of possible military action squarely on Iraq itself. “Through its actions and ambitions,” the resolution states, “this regime has demonstrated that it poses a unique threat to the peace and stability of the Middle East, to the peaceful world order promoted by the ideals of the United Nations and, therefore, to the national security interests of the United States.”
The resolution also notes that AFT, “along with the AFL-CIO, recognizes that the U.S. may at times have to act unilaterally in defense of its national security.” The resolution similarly concludes, “For its part, the AFT believes there can be no equivocation. The Iraqi regime must disarm. It must comply fully and completely with appropriate United Nations resolutions or face military action.”
