Education Revolt! Blog

Conservatives Against Bill Gates?

2011-05-16T07:21:00.001-07:00

Well, here's a nice surprise: Bill Gates’ Education Buying Spree - For What? (Ann Kane, American Thinker, May 16, 2011).

The author apparently sees Bill Gates' lavish spending on education as part of his war against teachers - a theory I absolutely agree with. Gates obviously doesn't give a rat's ass about the kids.

The irony is that American Thinker appears to be a right-wing website. I haven't explored it in enough detail to gauge how right-wing it is. But isn't it ironic that the liberals who claim to be protecting our schools from the conservative hordes are turning a blind eye to Bill Gates - probably the biggest corporate crook on the planet?

As a sixteen-year employee of the Seattle School District turned education activist and six-time candidate for public office, I've watched with great sadness as Seattle's schools sink deeper and deeper into a sewer of...welll, whatever word describes a combination of corporate corruption and public apathy.

I consider myself a left-winger - but I've come to hate America's liberals. Seattle is an intellectual and ethical black hole, driving me to seek intelligent conversation with revolutionaries in Latin America, the Middle East and other distant locations via the Internet.

Anyway, Ms. Kane deserves kudos for what appears to be an intelligent analysis of Bill Gates' education subsidiary. I wish the corporate media would get a clue and stop portraying Gates as a philanthropist.

P.S. I liked this article so much, I linked to it from THREE blogs - Education Revolt, Billysoft and Politix.

Obama Loves the Seattle Mafia!

2011-02-23T21:58:00.001-08:00

Still think the Seattle Mafia is insignificant to people who live in the Midwest or New England? Well check out the latest news from Bill Gates' favorite school district. If you're really pressed for time, scroll down to the last paragraph, where you'll find the punch line.

Today's edition of the right-wing Seattle Times features an ominous headline:

Financial Scandal Hits
Seattle School District

The details are spelled out in the article Seattle Public Schools spending targeted in criminal probe.

Let me first put things in perspective for you. The Seattle School District is a cesspool of corruption; I'm talking hard core crime. The administration could be compared to George W. Bush's cabinet – or Obama's.

The endless corruption – along with rising property taxes – makes some people leery of voting for multi-million-dollar school levies. No problem: The Seattle Mafia has worked hard to make sure that levies get passed. If people vote NO, the levy just gets resubmitted until they vote YES.

Ever greedy for more money, the bastards recently unveiled a new trick: After citizens approved the latest school levy, they said they needed still more money and were therefore submiting ANOTHER levy. Then they decided it was safe to reveal their latest mega-scandal.

I'm not going to get bogged down in the details. It's the same old story of cronyism, with scumbags taking money that's supposed to go to students and giving it to their corrupt friends. You can find some more information courtesy of the Seattle Times' inbred sibling, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

The school district's website reveals that two of the main characters, Silas Potter and Fred Stephens, were well honored for their role in helping minorities and women (while screwing children).

Silas Potter has apparently gone into hiding, following in the footsteps of so many Seattle Schools administrators before him. But former executive facilities director Fred Stephens followed a more interesting path.

Stephens also served as deputy chief of staff under Governor Gary Locke, probably the most corrupt governor in Washington State history. As you may have heard, Obama appointed Locke as head of the Department of Commerce. Care to guess who Fred Stephens' new employer is?

That's right, the Dept. of Commerce. Unfortunately, Stephens isn't available for comment right now.

Shadow School Board

2010-06-12T05:37:00.000-07:00

I think it was during my first bid for public office, in 1999, that I came up with the idea of a "shadow school board" that could help to expose Seattle's Seattle School Board for the fraud it is. Of course, my idea never went anywhere because nobody cared.

So imagine my surprise when I discovered that some people have now created a Seattle Shadow School Board. I read about it in the article Seattle parents gathering no-confidence votes against superintendent.

There's no question that Maria Goodloe-Johnson is an extraordinary asshole, as are all Seattle Schools superintendents. But the Seattle Shadow School Board is just another facet of the same shit.

If you visit their website, you'll notice the group's founders and members are all anonymous. They discuss few, if any, issues. Yet the corporate media and corporate neighborhood blogs are more than happy to publicize the group's website.

The Seattle Mafia was loathe to mention any of my political websites, election campaigns, issues or shadow school board idea.

So what's it all about?

This is just the latest example of our corporate masters trying to create the illusion that a network of citizens are actively involved in policing our schools. It's entirely possible that Goodloe-Johnson has been slated for removal, either because the public is fed up with her or for totally different reasons. But if Goodloe-Johnson's time is up, why not make it look like a group of irate citizens got her removed?

If Goodloe-Johnson does fly the coop, she'll probably get an even higher paying job with another school district. I recently learned that Arlene Ackerman is now in charge of Philadelphia's public schools. Remember that worthless bitch?

Ackerman was a mean-spirited principal in St. Louis before moving to Seattle to serve as assistant superintendent under retired general and privatization agent John Stanford. She then became assistant supe in Washington, D.C., dragging a local principal - and alleged boyfriend - along with her.

She was later promoted to superintendent before flying off to San Francisco. (Her "boyfriend" returned to his position as principal in the Lake Washington School District.) Ackerman appears to have been profiting off a suspicious TeachFirst program, along with Don Nielsen, one of Seattle's most heinous corporate thugs.

St. Louis to Seattle to Washington, D.C. to San Francisco to Philadelphia...so much for community loyalty.

It's a safe bet that Seattle's new shadow school board will have nothing to say about carpetbagging supes. Nor will the group make a credible effort to fix any of Goodloe-Johnson's problems. They'll just go through the motion of getting rid of her, only to turn a blind eye to her replacement and the next wave of corporate assaults against Seattle students. I suppose you can think of them as virtual pedophiles.

Welcome!

2008-06-02T22:26:00.000-07:00

This is one of two blogs I've set up in association with my website Education Revolt! As you may know, I'm a former teacher turned political activist, currently running for the position of Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

I have lots to say about "education reform" in general and the sad state of education in Seattle in particular. In particular, I'm speaking out against the de facto privatization of public education, led by Bill Gates and other corporate thugs. This is the #1 education issue nationwide.

It will take me a little time to organize the series of websites, blogs, forums and groups I've created. At present, comments are not allowed on this blog, but that will probably change soon. In the meantime, you can find more information by following the links on the right.

Thanks for visiting.