Mike Pompeo 'The Stupidist Person in the World' - Diane Ravitch, Pro Public Educ., Teachers Unions
- 'Mike Pompeo Just Proved He Is the Stupidest Person in the World,' By Diane Ravitch, Common Dreams, Nov. 23, 2022. - Ed.
- Only strong unions will fight for the teaching profession—&`the children our educators cherish & serve—against the hostility of bombastic fools like Pompeo. - Trump’s Secretary of State Mike Pompeo just proved that he is the stupidest person in the world. He said in an interview that Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers, is “the most dangerous person in the world.” -
More dangerous than the President of China, Xi Jinping, who is threatening the survival of Taiwan & re-imposing a repressive regime across China. More dangerous than President Kim, the dictator of North Korea, who is threatening South Korea & the rest of the world, with his intercontinental ballistic missiles & nuclear weapons. More dangerous than Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, who is trying to destroy the people of Ukraine by destroying their access to heat, light, & water as winter begins,in addition to raining deadly missiles on them.
No, Pompeo says, Randi is “the most dangerous person in the world.” Why? Because she leads a teachers’ unions, & unions are evil. Teachers too are evil, Pompeo believes, because the children of America can’t read, write, or do math.
He said, “I tell the story often — I get asked ‘Who’s the most dangerous person in the world? Is it Chairman Kim, is it Xi Jinping?’ The most dangerous person in the world is Randi Weingarten,” Pompeo said. “It’s not a close call. If you ask, ‘Who’s the most likely to take this republic down?’ It would be the teacher’s unions, & the filth that they’re teaching our kids, & the fact that they don’t know math & reading or writing,” the former top U.S. diplomat added.
Randi replied: In a thread on Twitter, Weingarten said she didn’t know if the remarks should be considered “ridiculous or dangerous.” “At the state department, Pompeo defended Middle East’s tyrants & undermined Ukraine. He was more focused on pleasing Trump than fighting 4 freedom, national security & democracy. To compare us to China means he must not know what his own department says,” she wrote.
“Maybe spend a minute in one of the classrooms with my members & their students & you will get a real lesson in the promise & potential of America.”
- Pompeo’s blast is ridiculous & stupid. * But it’s also dangerous for Randi. It makes her a target of extremists in search of targets. This country has a surfeit of lunatics with guns. Pompeo should pay the cost of personal security for her. His uninformed, ignorant remarks are insulting to teachers. I challenge him to name a non-union state that outperforms unionized states. Every teacher should belong to the AFT or the NEA. They would have higher salaries, health care, pensions, & job security. They would have state & national organizations to protect them in state legislatures & Congress.
The teaching profession is under fire by ignorant politicians like Pompeo. Consequently, many experienced teachers have resigned, & there is a national teacher shortage. The best way to support teachers & their noble profession is to improve their stature, their salaries, & their working conditions. The only way that will happen is if there are strong unions to stand up for teachers, who alone are powerless. Only strong unions will fight for the profession against the hostility of bombastic fools like Pompeo.
Pompeo can’t tolerate strong women or strong unions. - https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/11/23/mike-pompeo-just-proved-he-stupidest-person-world
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- Also, - HuffPost, Mike Pompeo Names 'The Most Dangerous Person In The World' And It's A Surprise. The former secretary of state made quite the reach as he explores his presidential chances. Nov 22, 2022.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday that American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten is “the most dangerous person in the world,” prompting disbelief from the union chief. “I tell the story often — I get asked, ‘Who’s the most dangerous person in the world? Is it Chairman Kim, is it Xi Jinping?’ The most dangerous person in the world is Randi Weingarten,” Pompeo told Semafor.
Pompeo, who served in President Donald Trump’s cabinet, could have said his insurrection-fomenting ex-boss was the most dangerous. He’s been criticizing Trump as he ponders a challenge to him and others in the GOP for a presidential run. Or perhaps he could have said Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has led to thousands dying and a spike in global tension.
But nooooo... Pompeo went after an educator. “It’s not a close call,” he said. “If you ask, ‘Who’s the most likely to take this republic down?’ It would be the teacher’s unions, and the filth that they’re teaching our kids, and the fact that they don’t know math and reading or writing.”
Weingarten pushed back hard on Twitter. “I know that Mike Pompeo is running for president, & frankly, I don’t know whether to characterize his characterization ... as ridiculous or dangerous,” she wrote. Weingarten accused Pompeo of defending “the Middle East’s tyrants,” “undermining Ukraine,” and kowtowing to Trump instead of “fighting 4 freedom.” “So Mike, let me make it easy for you,” Weingarten continued in her Twitter thread. “We fight for freedom, democracy, & an economy that works for all. We fight for what kids & communities need. Strong public schools that are safe & welcoming, where kids learn how to think & work with others. That’s the American Dream!”...
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mike-pompeo-randi-weingarten_n_637cf6fde4b0a97fec816568
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- - DIANE RAVITCH is a historian of education at New York University. Her most recent book is "Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America's Public Schools." Her previous books & articles about American education include: "The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education," "Left Back: A Century of Battles Over School Reform," (2000); "The Language Police: How Pressure Groups Restrict What Students Learn" (2003); "The English Reader: What Every Literate Person Needs to Know" (2006), which she edited with her son Michael Ravitch. Ravitch lives in Brooklyn, New York.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diane_Ravitch
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-- RANDI WEINGARTEN is an American labor leader, attorney, and educator. She is president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and a member of the AFL–CIO. She is the former president of the United Federation of Teachers. Her interest in trade unions & political advocacy was formed during childhood. Her mother's union went on a 7-week strike when Weingarten was in the 11th grade..From 1979 to 1980, she was a legislative assistant for the Labor Committee of the NY State Senate. She received a B.S. degree in labor relations from the ILR School at Cornell University in 1980 & a J.D. degree from the Yeshiva Univ. Cardozo School of Law in 1983.
- Legal career: Weingarten worked as a lawyer for the firm of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan from 1983 to 1986, where she handled several acrimonious arbitration cases on behalf of the UFT. She was appointed an adjunct instructor at the Cardozo School of Law in 1986. She also worked as an attorney in the real estate department of Wien Malkin & Bettex. In 1986, Weingarten became counsel to Sandra Feldman, then-president of the UFT. Weingarten handled high-level grievances for the union. She was also lead counsel for the union in a number of lawsuits against NYC and the state of NY over school funding & school safety. By the early 1990s, she was the union's primary negotiator in UFT contract negotiations. Her negotiating positions became more aggressive throughout the 1990s
.- Teaching career: From 1991 to 1997 she taught at Clara Barton High School in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. The classes she taught included Law, Ethical Issues in Medicine, AP Political Science, and US History & Government. Weingarten was one of the coaches of students that competed in the We the People civics competition that won the NY state championship in 1994–95, & 4th in the national championship...
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randi_Weingarten
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Even WITH Unions teachers are working for below average pay compared to other professionals with the same education and experience. Some teachers' unions pay only partial benefits and teachers still have to fight like Hell to get a dime out of the districts and cities. The working conditions suck and it gets worse every year.
Everyone knows teaching is hard and sucks and Mike's statement shows he is trying to make enemies with an honest, hard working, disrespected profession. How is this behavior in keeping with his "high morals and values" as a religious person? Fucking hypocrite!
