August 27, 2002

(AgapePress) - The largest teachers' union in the world continues to be criticized for its recommended guidelines for teachers as the one-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on America approaches. Critics are directing their comments at the leaders of the National Education Association -- not the 2.7 million teachers who are members of the union.

The NEA's guidelines for commemorating the September 11 terrorist attacks have been called "outrageous," "un-American," "pro-terrorist," and "treasonist" by critics. The suggestions that no individual or group be blamed for the attack -- and that America is to blame -- have been subjected to harsh criticism. [See Earlier Article]

Eagle Forum founder Phyllis Schlafly is a strong advocate of morals-based education, a syndicated radio commentator on the topic of education -- and a long-time critic of the NEA. She says the guidelines for the upcoming anniversary of the attacks on America reveal the true attitude of the leaders of the teachers' union.

"For many years, they've been teaching children not to be judgmental about anything -- to be tolerant of everything," Schlafly says. "[They teach] there is no wrong or evil in the world [and] we mustn't blame anybody -- but if we're going to blame anybody, of course we have to blame the United States."

A strong proponent of home schooling, Schlafly says among the many advantages that home-schooling parents have are the freedom to teach that it is okay to be judgmental about illegal and immoral acts, and the freedom to teach that their own religion and country are the best.

The pro-family leader says the NEA's leadership is a liberal group that is completely out-of-step with mainstream thought in the U.S. When asked if the NEA speaks for America's mainstream teachers, she did not hold back.

"Are you kidding? They're a radical left-wing organization as proven by their resolutions that they pass every 4th of July weekend at their national convention," she says. "They always have about a dozen pro-gay-rights resolutions, about half-a-dozen pro-radical feminist resolutions, and they have about a dozen anti-parent resolutions."

In her most recent online report, Schlafly points out the NEA adopted several new goals at last month's annual convention -- none of which, she says, have anything to do with improving the reading, writing, or calculating skills of America's schoolchildren.

Sandy Rios

'Intolerant Tolerance'
Another pro-family leader appeared recently on national television to discuss the NEA's recommended lesson plans. Sandy Rios, president of Concerned Women for America, sat in on CNN's Crossfire and Talk Back Live, as well as The O'Reilly Factor on the FoxNews Channel, to "stand up for American patriotism and to speak about the true nature of the attacks."

According to Rios, Crossfire co-host James Carville became so angry about the position she was taking on the issue that he "pounded the table and used the Lord's name in a curse." The Washington Times described the outburst as "resorting to blasphemy to express his devotion to religious tolerance."

Rios points out the hypocrisy of Carville's reaction. "It just goes to show that those who speak up for 'tolerance' only tolerate what is politically correct," she says. "I assure you that [Concerned Women for America] will always stand on God's truth -- not the mood of the day."

NEA 'Scare Tactics'
The NEA is also under the watchful eye of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation. The Virginia-based organization says the National Education Association is employing several scare tactics to force teachers to support its radical social agenda that promotes abortion and special rights for homosexuals.

Dan Cronin is with the Foundation. He says under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, people of faith who object to supporting the NEA financially are entitled to have all of the money diverted to a charity of their choice. But Cronin says the NEA routinely harasses religious objectors.

"First of all, they will not tell people what their rights are -- that's the first way that they try to keep people from coming forward," Cronin says. "The second thing is that when you do come forward, they try to label you [and] force you to fill out evasive forms and prove that you're religious enough to be a religious objector -- which of course can be a very daunting thing."

Cronin notes the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently ruled that such a requirement puts an unfair burden on people who are simply standing up for their rights.

Recently, Cronin's group represented a Christian public school teacher in California who objected to his union dues being used to advocate abortion and special rights for homosexuals -- issues he felt compromised his Christian beliefs. Rick Still wanted his dues diverted to a mutually agree upon charity, but his request was denied. Only after legal pressure did union leadership allow Still to divert his dues to a local college scholarship fund. [See Related Press Release]

Cronin also believes America's public education system has suffered mightily from compulsory unionism -- and that the NEA has succeeded in crippling the teaching profession.

"The union bosses are always looking to make sure that they take care of those teachers who aren't doing the job -- keep them around, make sure they get tenure, make sure that they stay in forever and keep paying their union dues," he says. "[They are] not really looking to take care or help those teachers who are doing the best job, who are going out of their way to make sure that kids can read, write, know all the facts, and are up on things."

Cronin says by opposing merit pay and bonuses for teachers, the NEA has driven thousands of qualified educators out of the classroom. In addition, the workers' rights advocate says the NEA is well-known for its schemes to pressure workers into paying a full year's worth of dues within a period of two weeks.