by TK 2016
How can you be in charge of a Newark charter school and mess up a venerable name like Paul Robeson? Was “Miss” Gray’s shadow-self acting out and halfway, in her mind, to Robberson? Now that’s a Freudian name-drop.
I found this letter’s closing to be particularly twisted. Like this:
The “beatings” usually occur on many different levels – in public life – and begin with a simple loss of face, before escalating from there. Same with the coopting (or destruction) of basic family relationships and responsibilities.
What you encounter depends on where you go to look. Serious, serious, stuff.
But wait – why are some readers so quick to provide cover for the reputation of ALL charter schools? (See comments from Jody Pittman and Eric Dawson).
Just like … what’s-her-name? Eva. Eva “Success Academy” Moskowitz (founder of a charter school chain in New York) – gotta love the name, Eva – reminds me of another Braun (hope you don’t mind, Bob), a star-struck young woman who, upon suddenly finding favor within THE leader-cult of her day, was soon vexed – in the extreme – by what later became a troubled and fatally conflicted relationship. (Moskowitz, touted early as education secretary under Donald Trump, lost out to Betsy DeVos, billionaire Amway heiress, sister to the Blackwater mercenary military company founder Erik Prince–and someone who touts Christian values for public schools).
Anyway, what’s really in a name? Since it’s hardly fair of me to dwell on that, let’s look at the face of Success Academy, Eva Moskowitz herself:
More importantly, let’s consider the assurances of Ms. Pittman, yesterday, on Bob’s Facebook feed:
“If this is true, this is one human being and in noway [sic] indicative of the policies of all charter schools!”
Hers is a reflex action that reminds me of this incident:
And how this one outlet, for example, covered that story:
“In response to such complaints,” Moskowitz said on Friday, ‘We had, I don’t know, a combined total of 25 parents who filed lawsuits or go to the press. I don’t see how that’s representative of 11,000 families [in the Success Academy system], plus 20,000 on the waiting list, plus the 20,000 that applied.’”
I mean, really, what the hell kind of enabling behavior is this? What’s the deal with rationalizing abuse this way? It’s 11k to 25, with 40k more swarming in the wings, so tough shit, kids, eat it? Our kids’ lives are just a way to build the reputation of someone’s personal brand? Brand loyalty, at all costs? How is anyone supposed to trust their kid’s life to that mindset? Easier to do, I suppose, If you feel you have no other valid path in life (Success Academy’s 14,000 children in her 41 charters are 93 percent black or Latino).
Or if, maybe, you’re carefully trained to crave standing within your peer group. Or approval – by some sort of super-authority. Or – riskiest of all for the seriously bitten — approval for the sake of acquiring that authority for yourself someday.
It all begins, so innocently, with a beguiling, aggressive style of “approval,” doesn’t it? And a corresponding willingness to deny and internalize a conspicuous level of abuse that is right up in your face:
So, even though Eva has since fallen, somewhat, from her 2014 perch on the 2016 President-elect’s thirty-five-year-old son-in-law’s very own news organization’s very special power list (no more print version, btw – fast, lean, mean, and aiming to expand nationally):
http://observer.com/2014/04/new-york-observers-political-power-80/#slide12
(Hey, 2016, where’d Eva go?)
http://observer.com/2016/04/new-york-citys-political-power-50/
…and Eva also “lost out” in the newest jostle for US Secretary of Education (ya mean you aren’t going to abolish the department, Mein Herr?), ceding ground to the more desirable straight-up Aryan “education activist,” Betsy DeVos, (who is heavily into evangelical/fundamentalist Christian-power – big themes going forward – and yet, who still, somehow, manages to nonplus certain Tea Party types who, get this, seem to view Moskowitz as a “liberal”).
Who in the name of sanity is what on whose political spectrum now?
http://truthinamericaneducation.com/uncategorized/trumps-secretary-education-short-list/
We all might be saying, at this point, WTF, right? Is this for real? Well, you better take care and study up, people, because the billionaires are coming to town (Mayor Ras kinda digs that action, or at least he once did – while Chris Cerf? – all over it, being a charter-loving “liberal” himself. Uh huh).
But never mind that tepid craziness, cuz apart from her faith-dealing free-market entrepreneurial-everything billionaire husband (whose faith-based, globalist, China-invested, motivational-speaking dad gave him a nice leg up in business), Ms. DeVos has, within her pedigree, one badass brother – so get back (the future secretary of education’s own faith-based activism is, naturally, all about family loyalty, values, and connections – and God’s kingdom – Old Testament or New?).
Brother Erik’s trailblazing pretty much defines the global franchise on a free-market, black-op, cocked-and-locked lifestyle, and, having thrice (at least) shed his brandname skin (from Blackwater® to Xe® – a little problem with some murdered civilians under the first logo – to Academi®, at which point he divested), he can now afford a new life in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, working on his latest project (at least as far as the press can tell):
http://www.linkedin.com/company/reflex-responses-management-consultancy-llc
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/15/world/middleeast/15prince.html
When he is not all up you-know-who’s backside (in a totally Christian, entrepreneurial, globalist sort of way):
Anyway, as Newark begins to really farm out its public school system to free-market, conservative, white-power Christian prosperity peddlers (spare the rod, spoil the child?), just be damn sure, Ms. Pittman, that you’re careful — when ordering up some “Tough-Love” — that you stay away from the spicy “Can of Whoop-ass,” because the mercenary Anglos in charge of this operation (Erik’s moved along, but his faithful still rock on) know how to deal the hurt AND cover their tracks:
Guess I’ll say an extra prayer for my little fam tonight, just in case. Not like I’d ever see the payback coming (for any disrespect felt by the DeVos family). But you all can read about it in the Star Ledger.
Another tragic accident?
Yep, America is gonna be great again. The world will tremble before the feet of an army of well-trained, publicly-funded (much of the time) and privately operated true believers. This piece (below) is kinda old news, by now, about a striving to be state-of-the-art operation, but the photograph is killer and nicely captures an aspect of their patented and timeless élan:
And another one, for good measure, from a local blog during the “Blackwater” era:
BTW: Ever ask a true-blue uniformed services veteran how they feel about the rise of the mercs? Aka: Contractors. Aka: Privatized Security Services. Try it sometime. Last guy I spoke to (yup, just this week) called them a “ruination.”
http://www.securitydegreehub.com/30-most-powerful-private-security-companies-in-the-world/
And I think this newest breed aims to get a key part “right,” this time, wherein: If you want it to last, say, a thousand years (the dream of a New Empire: markedly corporate in nature and preferring to answer to no government in particular, though many will claim Jesus, at a minimum, when they are not feeling like the full-on hand of God), then you have to start with “fixing” how you teach the kids. A look back:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVUAIPMsZ60
And watch out, because that urge to build monuments to oneself can and will get the better of certain people, so much so that entire populations have already been swept into the mania. Another look back:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vbuf20xmPKo
Still, one might prefer to hold out hope that they will fall by the hand of their own delusional incompetence, but, for the moment, they have the worldly power. Just stand well clear of their more fevered dreams of glory – and hope they steer clear of you. Believe me, they’re coming to a lot of new neighborhoods, all around this “asking-to-be-conquered” and (aka: “shown the way”) – in their minds, if you or someone you know can scare up that large cash – amazingly beautiful world.
You can also figure that they are more certain than ever that they have – hands down – might on their side.
That, naturally, can lead to big trouble.
So, in the end, who most wants it all privatized? Are they just going for the easy pickings and juicy bits? The trouble spots? Will they have restraint? You really think this is the best weapon against government abuse, neglect, and corruption? Theirs is the face of liberty, justice, and equal rights for all?
People, even when you aren’t paying attention, they are. That’s why we’ve been had. By dollar-loving entrepreneurial mercs – specialist predators and action junkies, of all stripes and across all “business” sectors, who are also coming to claim franchise rights to everything we once held dear.
They specialize in knowing your game, and then beating you with theirs.
Like some of them, maybe you just don’t give a fuck – it’s an opportunity. Maybe they offered you a pep-talk and a palm cross. Or some palm grease. Maybe, just maybe, you’re a true believer.
First, they come to “protect” your government. Then, they eat it for lunch.
Who knows who’ll be a perfect fit for the glory of this dawning order?
Oh.
Look at that. Past noon – by their timetable – already?
Newark is ripe for the DeVos invasion, um I mean the heralding of God’s Kingdom on earth. State district interventions have been instrumental in softening up the educational marketplace. Separation of Church and State and First Amendment protections are going the way of the horse and buggy. One day the community will awaken to witness the destruction that has been wrought by the unending parade of carpetbaggers rushing into the city.