The clock is ticking towards a teachers’ strike in Chicago. Facing more layoffs and budget cuts, the Chicago Teachers Union refused an arbitrator’s deal as inadequate. Tensions are running high. Governor Bruce Rauner has no sympathy for public schools or teachers. He is a big supporter of charter schools and even has one named for him.
Karen Lewis spoke to the Chicago City Club and pulled no punches.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported:
“A new lightning bolt erupted Wednesday from the dark cloud that surrounds the looming teachers strike when Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis called Gov. Bruce Rauner a “new ISIS recruit.”
“Has Homeland Security checked this man out yet? Because the things he’s doing look like acts of terror on poor and working class people,” she said, citing Rauner’s decision to slash millions in state funding to CPS and numerous social service groups.”
“He talks about me all the time, so guess what, gloves are off,” Lewis told reporters after speaking at a luncheon hosted by the City Club of Chicago, a non-partisan group that hosts forums and debates.
“She said that Rauner’s use of the state budget impasse — and its negative impact on social services and education — as leverage to achieve union-weakening reforms equates to terrorism.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Any individual or economic system that thrives on, and perpetuates poverty — is committing mass violence and injustice.
Call it whatever you want.
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Call it what it is. Terrorism in trying to force more concessions out of public schools and their teachers. Balance the budget that he and Rahm have mismanaged on the backs of poor children and teachers. He sucks big time.
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I am a Karen Lewis fan but I think she was out of line using that term.
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Comparing a minion of the corporate public school demolition derby like Bruce Rauner to ISIS might have been inappropriate, but all of the oligarchs and their minions are homegrown terrorists attempting to subvert the Constitution and the democratic process of our republic. They deserve nothing less than what the U.S. military is doing to rid the Earth of ISIS and Al Qaeda.
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Yes, it’s very unfair to ISIS. They haven’t done us half the harm that people like Rauner have.
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Yikes. Someone should probably explain to Karen Lewis what ISIS is, and the kinds of things that they do, so she doesn’t make this mistake again. Maybe a statement from Bernie Sanders would be helpful in that regard.
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Perhaps, but Rauner is most certainly a more direct danger to the people of Chicago and Illinois than ISIS – a Saudi/CIA co-production – will ever be.
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To Tim:
So what do you know about ISIS? According to media, ISIS only terrorizes women and children. Elementary students are children. Teachers mostly are women. Therefore, I think that Karen’s statement is correct in the context according to media.
Isn’t Rauner becoming billionaire from making money from TEACHERS’ PENSION FUND in the past? From Teachers’ pension fund, Rauner runs to be Governor and then to wipe out Public Education. How clever and considerate, one can be? Do you know about this, Tim? Back2basic
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Only women and children, really? Someone should let these guys know!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISIL_beheading_incidents
Karen Lewis screwed up. She knows it. She should apologize.
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Oh, Tim! If only ISIS could get their hands on you . . . .
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Why so angry Bob Rendo? Bernie could still run as an independent. Don’t give up and go into a shaking impotent rage so easily–chin up!
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Tim,
Having an ISIS crisis?
I’m not the least bit angry. I’m merely pragmatic. When you spot a roach, you slam it with a rolled up newspaper. Why let disease and pestilence spread when you don’t have to?
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I agree with Tim. To equate Rauner with ISIS is absurd. That kind of hyperbole makes us lose all credibility as thoughtful, intelligent advocates for public education. And for those who suffer under actual terrorism it is offensive.
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To Sally057 and Tim;
It is the opinion about the equation of pain physically, emotionally and intellectually.
If both of you respect and treasure your democracy and right to the quality in public Education, then Governor Rauner commit the terrorized act to public domain.
He completely supports privatization from public tax fund and tear public education apart (= deteriorate democracy = fire employee who spoke out the truth= killing employee’s family lives).
I hope that both of you are not educators because if you are, your expression will truly makes us to lose all credibility as thoughtful, intelligent advocates for public education. Back2basic.
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Impeach Rauner !!
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Agree with Tim and Sally.
Do not stoop to the level of Roderick Paige, Campbell Brown, Richard Whitmire, Rishawn Biddle, Arne Duncan et. al.
“To live outside the law you must be honest.”
BD 1966
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A governor who acts like he is affiliated with ISIS – I think that calls for a Hell-fire missile from a drone.
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To phillipmarlowe2terry:
Isn’t Karen honest about her expression?
How could you equate the honest CTU leader to all liars, like Campbell et al?
Your suggestion is that “to live under DICTATORSHIP law, you should be submissive and dishonest”don’t you? Back2basic.
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ISIL:
James Wright Foley (October 18, 1973 – c. August 19, 2014) was an American freelance journalist and photojournalist of the Syrian Civil War when he was abducted on November 22, 2012, in northwestern Syria. Foley was the first American citizen to be killed by “Jihadi John”.[21] James Foley’s beheading by ISIL received wide condemnation in the United States.
ISIL:
Aug 28, 2014 Lebanese Army Sergeant Ali al-Sayyed (July 15, 1985 – c. August 28, 2014) was beheaded following his capture by ISIL during the Battle of Arsal. ISIL member Abu Musaab Hafid al-Baghdadi posted pictures of his beheading on Twitter. The beheading sparked public outrage in Lebanon. Sergeant Al-Sayed’s body was delivered to Lebanese authorities on September 1, and his identity was confirmed through DNA tests on September 2. His funeral ceremony was held on September 3, with family, friends, members of the public, comrades, and Lebanese Army Commander Gen. Jean Kahwaji.
ISIL:
David Haines (May 9, 1970 – c. September 13, 2014) was a British aid worker abducted in March 2013 while working in Syria for the humanitarian aid group Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development assessing the Atmeh refugee camp near the Turkish border and the Syrian province of Idlib. Haines’ family requested that his abduction be kept a secret. The abduction became public when Haines appeared in the purported Sotloff beheading video, being held by “Jihadi John” who threatened that Haines would be the next victim.The UK Foreign Office originally requested the British media to not publish Haines’ identity, fearing for his safety, though international press had published his name. A video of the lead-up and aftermath of David Haines’ beheading, entitled “A Message to the Allies of America”, was released by ISIL on September 13, 2014
On 3 August 2014, ISIL killed the men from the al-Qahtaniya area, ten Yazidi families fleeing were attacked by ISIL; and ISIL shot 70 to 90 Yazidi men in Qiniyeh village.
On 4 August, ISIL fighters attacked Jabal Sinjar, killed 30 Yazidi men; 60 more Yazidi men were killed in the village of Hardan. On the same day, Yazidi community leaders stated that at least 200 Yazidis had been killed in Sinjar (see Sinjar massacre), and 60–70 near Ramadi Jabal. According to reports from surviving Yazidi, between 3 and 6 August, more than 50 Yazidi were killed near Dhola village, 100 in Khana Sor village, 250–300 in Hardan area, more than 200 on the road between Adnaniya and Jazeera, dozens near al-Shimal village, and on the road from Matu village to Jabal Sinjar.
Recall the comment of Noam Chomsky:
we lose our humanity if we are even willing to enter the arena of debate with those who seek to deny or underplay Nazi crimes.
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To some extent, corporate deformers are kind of education terrorists.
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Rauner has caused more suffering than most people want to think about. Imagine sleeping on the ground in the dead of an Illinois winter because programs for homeless men, women and children have not been approved in a budget passed by both the Illinois Senate and House. The mentally ill have been deprived of everything and are doomed to wander without medication, food or housing. If terrorists of another faith from another country had done this to our people, they would be declared guilty of crimes against humanity.
Rauner is an amoral sociopath.
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This. Rauner might not be beheading people, but he’s responsible for plenty of deaths nonetheless.
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To all naive journalists and song writers:
Humanity is not to be abused by tongue twisted, mind twisted, and intentionally bully evils.
There are heaven and hell where people’s souls find comfort to live in. There are some gullible journalists and song writers who believe in evils’ FAKE and CHARISMATIC promises or sweet talk. Therefore, these gullible people will fall evils’ scheme and are willing to blindly follow until they suffer their irreversible death.
Cannot they acknowledge that all fascists and communists try to buy real estates, land, mines in all innocent countries where lots of gullible citizens who believe in humanity, human rights, and legal constitutions?
One important aspect is that living with practical experience in all situations will train people to be divergent in HONESTLY and COMFORTABLY dealing with both God and Evil. Back2basic.
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This piece on ed reform is Chicago is wonderful. I hadn’t heard this before:
” They opened sixteen schools, many named after the businesspeople who funded them, like Pritzker College Prep, Rauner College Prep, Rowe-Clark College Prep. (John Rowe and Frank Clark are both executives of the energy company Exelon, formed in a merger brokered by Rahm Emanuel in his investment banker days; Rowe was a member of the committee that authored “Left Behind” and also a member of the Noble Network’s board of directors.)”
Like naming a school “Lincoln” or “Washington”, right? Now we name them after executives at energy companies 🙂
God almighty, the egos on these people. Do they really get naming dibs and then USE THEIR OWN NAMES?
https://www.jacobinmag.com/2016/04/chicago-public-schools-charters-closings-emanuel/
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Perhaps she is channeling Rod Paige, ex Secretary of Education who called teachers “terrorists..” I think that was shortly after 9/11.
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great wording! It sounds like the comment the former finance minister of Greece, Yanis Varoufakis, said about austerity economics being imposed on Greece by the EU and Troika – it’s “economic waterboarding ”
expose these criminals
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