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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thanks to Sue Hovey and Louise Regelin for
responses to a highly uninformed article by McGilp. A great deal of harm
can be done by an articulate individual who doesn't know the facts.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Shirley</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=thansen@moscow.com href="mailto:thansen@moscow.com">Tom Hansen</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=Vision2020@moscow.com
href="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com">Moscow Vision 2020</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Cc:</B> <A title=cpenni@gmail.com
href="mailto:cpenni@gmail.com">Penni Cyr</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, July 08, 2011 4:53 AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [Vision2020] Columnist Grasping
at Straws</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>Courtesy of today's (July 8, 2011) Moscow-Pullman Daily News with thanks
to Sue Hovey.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>------------------------------</DIV><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469)">
<P class=storybody
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 10px 5px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.4; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>Columnist
grasping at straws</STRONG></P>
<P class=storybody
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 10px 5px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.4; PADDING-TOP: 0px">Obviously
Town Crier columns aren't vetted for accuracy, as Eric McGilp's (Opinion, June
29) was filled with misstatements and factual errors.</P>
<P class=storybody
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 10px 5px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.4; PADDING-TOP: 0px">Louise
Regelin (July 4) and David Nice (July 5) refuted a number of those in
their <EM>Daily News</EM> letters. Their responses motivated me to
take issue with others. McGilp touts the Luna laws as being fair to teachers
and resulting in contracts created through amicable bargaining. He should have
delayed his conclusion until all the results were in.</P>
<P class=storybody
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 10px 5px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.4; PADDING-TOP: 0px">One
example: In May the school board in Cassia County told teachers they were
wasting their time attempting to bargain, because the board would be
implementing its own agreement as soon as the bargaining deadline passed. And
so they have. And it's legal now. They also rescinded all parts of the
district policy pertaining to teacher rights.</P>
<P class=storybody
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 10px 5px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.4; PADDING-TOP: 0px">Grasping
at straws in his attempt to castigate teachers, McGilp quotes National
Education Association Counsel Bob Chanin. I have known Bob for many years, and
I've heard him make that speech repeatedly. Bob does not say NEA members don't
care about children.</P>
<P class=storybody
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 10px 5px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.4; PADDING-TOP: 0px">Take
another look McGilp, because what Chanin says is this: The fact NEA members
hold legitimate educational ideas, the fact NEA members care about children
and the fact NEA members have a vision of a great public school for every
child; those legitimate claims are not important to many policymakers. NEA
members are effective education advocates because they have power. Members of
Congress listen to them and often make changes because the NEA with its 3
million members insists. The AARP impacts senior citizen issues because it has
power. The NRA impacts gun laws because it has power. The NEA impacts
educational policy because it has power.</P>
<P class=storybody
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 10px 5px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.4; PADDING-TOP: 0px">And
that, McGilp, is the obvious message in Bob Chanin's quote.</P>
<P class=storybody
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 10px 5px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.4; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>Sue
Hovey,</STRONG> Moscow</P></SPAN>
<DIV><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469)">------------------------------</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469)"><BR></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469)">Seeya
round town, Moscow.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469)"><BR></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469)">Tom
Hansen</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469)">Moscow,
Idaho<BR><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.300781); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.234375); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.234375)"><SPAN
class=Apple-style-span
style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.300781); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.234375); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.234375)"><BR></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN>
<DIV>"The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to
change <SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469)">and
the Realist adjusts his sails."</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>- Unknown</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV></DIV>
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