A suggestion from a reader:
Just sent an email to Rachel Maddow with a link to the Bad Ass Teachers website that has the article on it. I would suggest that others of you send an email as well. Here’s her email Rachel@msnbc.com . I tried also to send something to Chris Matthews but couldn’t find an email to send it. If anyone finds something please post. I believe we need to bring things like this to the attention of the media because they tend to accept it because it’s accept by Obama or any one else that they believe in. Doesn’t matter what party they go with they will only believe those from the party they trust. Since both Republicans and Democrats are wrecking public education it must be best for the country. We need to put it in their faces that it’s causing segregation and force them to face it. The more of us that send emails to them the more they’ll be confronted by it. Maybe one of them will truly be a journalist and investigate it. Here’s the email that I sent to Maddow.
Go to http://badassteachers.blogspot.com/2015/08/our-publiceducation-crisis-white.html?m=1
and read about what both parties are doing to our education system. It is undermining the democratic process and causing segregation in places like Little Rock, Arkansas. Please use your investigative reporting skills to check out what’s happening to the Public schools. Without public education there will be no viable middle class.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Thanks for the email address and for the brief on-point message as a model.
MSNBC is undergoing some reconstruction, supposed to be concentrating more on news than news personalities. Ed Shultz is already out. Chris Matthews and Maddow are likely to stay along with Rev. Al Sharpton.
Maddow has been working on background info for two programs on candidates, starting tonight and Friday. I think the constant drumbeat about Trump this and that makes it difficult to break through his outrageous performance of the day. I find minor signs of news-room saturation, tired of being pawns to his PR machinery.
Please see Mercedes Schneider’s insightful post about the foundations who are collaborating to push the common core and those tests– tools that heighten the perception that public schools offer no choice and which of course opens the door wide for venture philanthropists who market choice as a panacea. I started a spreadsheet with a list of these philanthropic co-conspirators- over five-hundred including the usual suspects. I have also found that Education First is a Seattle PR firm that has some of these philanthropies as clients.
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I am not saying she wouldn’t cover it, but Ms. Maddow is extremely good friends with Eva Moskowitz. I would think Chris Hayes might be more likely to cover it–and he had you on his show, so I am guessing he has some interest in these topics.
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Ed Schultz was the real truth teller…and they got rid of him.
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Ed Schultz was on the side of working people. A voice for justice.
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Maddow is also a former classmate and friend of the execrable Cory Booker; you’ll be waiting a long time before you see this faux pwogwessive critically examine so-called education reform.
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Done. Thank you!
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I also have my doubts that Rachel Maddow will be any help. Ed Schultz was the reason to watch MSNBC, he stood with public school teachers during the recall of Walker in Wisconsin, and MSNBC dumped him. Chris Hayes has done some stories on corporate reform, but Rachel is a close friend of Corey Booker who was all for privatizing Newark, so I am not hopeful.
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Agree completely GST…and as of moments ago, Daily Kos did a lead article on how wonderful Cory Booker is and quoted his voice as the prime supporter of democracy. There is no way to write back to Daily Kos that I can find…but I did reply anyway (to soothe my angry soul), to express how outrageous and short sighted this report is…and that Booker is a Repub in Dem clothing and a prime supporter of Wall Street privatization of public education, for vast FREE MARKET profit.
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Ellen Lubic,
Cory Booker teamed up with .Gov Chris Christie to hand Newark over to privatization with Mark Zuckerberg’s $100 million. Nothing accomplished other than happy consultants.
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To Ellen Lubic:
To sooth our conscientious soul, we must write constantly to influence the GULLIBLE and TRUSTING mindset of INEXPERIENCED JOURNALISTS who are being brainwashed by corrupted money and power.
Although it ONLY takes 35 years (1980 – 2015) to brainwash young politicians at the age 45-55 to believe in material world can dominate spiritual world, it will take lots of agony in health issues like survival from terminal illnesses in order to awaken from being savage and transform to being civilized.
We cannot internalize whatever we do not experience because theory and assumption are NEVER equal to a reality. This is why educators must be VERY PATIENT and MUST ADAPT TO young journalists with GLOBAL historical EVENTS so that young intellectual people need to smell the coffee.
Immigrants must flee away from dictatorship BECAUSE they lack of mean to be self-defense or to protect their loved ones.
Every aspect is a dual blade sword in body, mind and spirit. Medicine can be poison and poison can be medicine because of certain AVAILABLE usage.
THE ONLY WAY THAT WE CAN CONQUER any evil plan is that we are constantly and genuinely care for the unfortunate or the lesser in all aspects of body, mind, and spirit regarding the beauty of LESS in toiling for MATERIAL NEEDS that is compensated to be MORE in PEACEFUL MIND, GOOD HEALTH or HAPPINESS.
Please do not give up on writing to media. Love. May
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Do not worry May….I have been fighting back with words for most of my life…and I write letters daily to my legislators and to the media. There is no way that will stop.
Ellen
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I just emailed Rachel Maddow. I suggested she invite you to be on her program.
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Try: hardball@msnbc.com
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I will write to her. I will include a story about the rollout of 8 new charters in St. Louis…..I complain about the lack of information…..it reads like a public relations release, not a news story…There is a gotcha….out of 27 thousand students, 11,000 are now in charters. but their featured speaker at the Fox Theater, the inspiration for the cheering teachers three days ago a this…presented by the superintendent hired by the appointed takeover board….. “I cannot judge our education system by seeing how they treat the rich kids, the powerful kids, the talented kids,” he said. “I have to look at how we’re treating the poor, the marginalized, the disabled.”
The vast majority of St. Louis school students are low-income, black, and come to school with health and emotional needs that often go unaddressed.”…..the words of Bryan Stevenson.
One of the comments was from one of the powerless elected board……talking about “construction workers madly trying to get the building ready for the start of school Monday They are six weeks behind because the city gave them so much trouble with permits and such. Considering how the mayor and his administration are known for “fast-tracking” charter schools, I am, as a city resident, taxpayer, and supporter of public education, beyond disappointed at how the city treats SLPS in comparison.” http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/slay-celebrates-the-opening-of-eight-new-charter-schools/article_cf25a5b5-6da0-5f1a-a296-80bd24cc041b.html?mode=comments
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I am continually dismayed that many posters on this blog actually still think we have anything resembling a free press. The U.S, ranked 49th out of 180. We are closer to Haiti and Mongolia, which ranked 53 and 54 than Finland ranked at #1 or even Canada at #8.
The 2015 World Press Freedom Index highlights the worldwide deterioration in freedom of information in 2014. Beset by wars, the growing threat from non-state operatives, violence during demonstrations and the economic crisis, media freedom is in retreat on all five continents. Two-thirds of the 180 countries surveyed for the 2015 World Press Freedom Index performed less well than in the previous year.
We are so physically close to Canada. What makes our press so much more controlled and repressive? Could it be Tavistock, the CFR and the Trilateral Commission have captured our media which allows certain talking points to be repeated on every station from morning till night while really important events and ideas and people are completely left out of the conversation.
Of course, I will be shot down for suggesting a conspiracy here which to me is an obvious fact and not a theory at all. When you see that so many members of the press, and others who hold positions in think tanks and foundations that give enough grants to sway policies and agendas are all members of the Council on Foreign Relations….it is no mystery as to why Rachel Maddow is not going to interview Diane or anyone about any of this. She has been assigned to stir up as much racial tension as possible as has Al Sharpton and all of the talking heads on every channel. It is complete theater. We are the audience/pawns.
Turn your TV off. Save yourself from the brainwash. Read a book.
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The onspiracy is real, no doubt about t. Here in the Des Moines, Ia school district other metro public schools were either solid of to faith-based private schools to take over taken out for development projects. None of the schools were listed to be sold, and tax-payers paid a 1 cent tax hike to renovate and preserve every historic public school in the metro. The pot of gold was to get to he last spot where a new public school Local elected officials of BOTH parties have been playing footsies with Rep Gov. Terry Branstad. Check it the details at RiceField.weebly.com website and friend request us at Ginny Antrim FriendsofRiceField@Facebook. We are all in this together. We finally have folks to listen to what has been happening over the last say 15 years. It is everywhere. Thank You so very much every one of you. Diane Ravitch, We bless you for exposing this to ur country. You are a noble woman.
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The onspiracy is real, no doubt about t. Here in the Des Moines, Ia The metro public schools were either solid of to faith-based private schools to take over or tore down and sold for development projects. None of the schools were listed to be sold, and tax-payers paid a 1 cent tax hike to renovate and preserve every historic public school in the metro. The pot of gold was to get to he last spot where a new public school Local elected officials of BOTH parties have been playing footsies with Rep Gov. Terry Branstad. Check it the details at RiceField.weebly.com website and friend request us at Ginny Antrim FriendsofRiceField@Facebook. We are all in this together.Stop the insanity of Faith-Based private, charter, and corperations from segregating our children We finally have folks to listen to what has been happening over the last say 15 years. It is everywhere. Thank You so very much every one of you. Diane Ravitch, We bless you for exposing this to ur country. You are a noble woman.
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Same thing is happening across Louisiana. Anyone heard of New Orleans Recovery School District?
The one thing that I would like to make note of is that it is not a white vs. black issue. This is an elitist issue. If it is a white vs. black issue why are elitist blacks supporting the annihilation of publc education? Why is Obama supporting it every step of the way? Why are Black Caucuses in every state and the Congressional Caucus supporting this egregious ed reform? Why is the National Urban League continuing to endorse this destruction? Why isn’t the NAACP fighting for ALL children to have equal access to education? And why is a huge percentage of the people fighting this “white soccer moms” as Arne Duncan refers to them?
Bill Gates and cronies are funding and pushing Modern Day Segregation and the silence and apathy are deafening. Until the parties and races decide to stand together and fight it, we will never win this for our children.
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YES, this is an ELITIST issue!
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c Jenkins….such a great post. One of the most difficult concepts to get across to people on a very wide basis.
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Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Texas Education.
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I was told by somebody a few months ago (sorry! don’t remember who) that Rachel Maddow is a lost cause because she has a very close association with Wendy Kopp. Can somebody confirm this? I’m not trying to start a rumor, I just know that this was shared with me but I don’t remember who! If nobody can make the connection I will forget about it.
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Sue,
I don’t know who Rachel Maddow is friendly with, but she never covers K-12 issues, other than a brief interest in a school for pregnant girls in Detroit that was closing
I met her in 2010 in the makeup room at NBC and asked her if I could go on her show. I have been on Andrea Mitchell, Chris Hays, Ed Schultz at NBC. Rachel said, “Aren’t you the one who left Bush?” I said yes. She changed the subject.
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