Rouge Forum Update--from Rich

The MORAL LAW causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger. Sun Tzu

Dear Friends,

There have been at least 16 occupations seeking to rescue education from the ruling classes in California this month, and more to come. UC Irvine next. Germany, Austria, and France also witnessed fight-backs coming from united students and workers.

To date, the only organized school voice in the US that recognizes the current crises as class war is the Rouge Forum–which may speak well for us, or not so well for others who, so far, hold onto wisps of unfounded hope made up of the shreds of democracy and citizenship in the USA.

The direct action occupations and the defenders outside the buildings up the ante for thought and action in schools and in the streets, demonstrating the violence behind capitalist democracy; overcoming the alienated notion that people other than us will save us.

On the Education Agenda is a Class War Agenda Front: Video: UC Berkeley Occupation and Cop Attack: “This university has no moral legitimacy at all…just violence.” And segment of comment from Susan Harman on the scene, “students we talked to who’d been inside said they broke hands and noses and clubbed people, and that they could hear the crackling of tasers.”
http://www.ktvu.com/news/21674608/detail.html

Every Movement Has its Scabs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHOnIJ2W1R4

UC Students Statement on the Necrophilia of University Life: “Being president of the University of California is like being manager of a cemetery: there are many people under you, but no one is listening.”UC President Mark Yudof; “Capital is dead labor which, vampire-like, lives only by sucking living labor.” Karl Marx http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/11/25/18630552.php

UC Santa Cruz Prof Robert Meister on the Use of Student Fees to Prop Up the Bond Income for the UC System (video and text): http://www.newspress.tv/main.jsp?category=News&id=585B

Peter Phillips of Project Censored: Higher Ed Cuts Serve the Rich: “The students who are protesting tuition increases know they are being ripped off. They know that we are bailing out the rich with hundreds of billions dollars for Wall Street and massive budget cuts for the rest of us. The corporate media doesn’t explain to over-taxed working families how they are paying more while the rich sock it away.”http://dailycensored.com/2009/11/22/the-higher-education-fiscal-crisis-protects-the-wealthy/

Ohanian on the Dem/Repub Alliance to Deny Education to the Public: “no group was a stronger supporter of NCLB than the Democratic Leadership Council. Take a look at this page. Click on a few of the articles–if you have the stomach for it.” http://susanohanian.org/outrage_fetch.php?id=614

NYC + AFT To Use Student Test Scores for Teacher Tenure: “The city already uses test scores in evaluating the system: to determine teacher and principal bonus pay, to assign the A through F letter grades that schools receive, and to decide which schools are shut down for poor performance. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/26/education/26teachers.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Detroit’s DFT May Soon Report Out the Worst Big City School Worker Contract in History Including Massive Pay and Benefit Cuts, Layoffs, Merit Pay, and a “Covenant” With the Broad Foundation. Here is a short photo tour of some of the 69 closed and stripped Detroit Public Schools. http://richgibson.shutterfly.com/26

New Fairtest on the Race To the Top (RATT) and Merit Pay: http://www.fairtest.org/newsletter

AAUP Speak Out for Academic Freedom: http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/protectvoice/overview.htm

The Falling Sky and Endless War Fronts: Yes, of Course the Sky is Falling: 15 Signs of American Ruin: “The economic elite have launched an attack on the U.S. public and society is unraveling at an increased rate. You may have missed it in the mainstream news media, but statistical societal indicators are reading red across the board. Let’s look at the top 15 statistics that prove we are under attack.” http://www.alternet.org/workplace/144109V

Video Map of US Unemployment Growth Since Janurary 2007 (scary): http://cohort11.americanobserver.net/latoyaegwuekwe/multimediafinal.html

Every Hegemony Has its Holes: Reality Couple Meets Real Demagogue: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/28/us/politics/28crasher.html?hp

Demagogue To Send 34,000 More Troops to AFPAK: “Obama met Monday evening with his national security team to finalize a plan to dispatch some 34,000 additional U.S. troops over the next year to what he’s called “a war of necessity” in Afghanistan, U.S. officials told McClatchy. Obama is expected to announce his long-awaited decision on Dec. 1, followed by meetings on Capitol Hill aimed at winning congressional support amid opposition by some Democrats who are worried about the strain on the U.S. Treasury and whether Afghanistan has become a quagmire, the officials said. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/336/story/79380.html

Blair Warned Invasion Illegal: “Mr Blair refused to accept Lord Goldsmith’s advice and instead issued instructions for his long-term friend to be “gagged” and barred from cabinet meetings, the newspaper claimed. Lord Goldsmith apparently lost three stone, and complained he was “more or less pinned to the wall” in a No 10 showdown with two of Mr Blair’s most loyal aides, Lord Falconer and Baroness Morgan. Mr Blair also allegedly failed to inform the Cabinet of the warning, fearing an “anti-war revolt”. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/iraq-the-uwaru-was-illegal-1830508.html

Bloomberg: Goldman (Gov’t) Sachs to Pay Just 1% Tax: “Goldman Sachs Group Inc., which got $10 billion and debt guarantees from the U.S. government in October, expects to pay $14 million in taxes worldwide for 2008 compared with $6 billion in 2007. The company’s effective income tax rate dropped to 1 percent from 34.1 percent, New York-based Goldman Sachs said today in a statement. The firm reported a $2.3 billion profit for the year after paying $10.9 billion in employee compensation and benefits. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601110&sid=a6bQVsZS2_18

Safely Bailed Out AIG Forces Poor to Choose Between Water or Food:http://www.alternet.org/workplace/144203/bailed-out_aig_forcing_poor_to_choose_between_running_water_and_food

Who Manufactured the Auto Bailout? Obama Did: http://www.detnews.com/article/20091124/AUTO01/911240365/The-inside-story-of-the-GM–Chrysler-bailouts/?imw=Y

The Rouge Forum Steering Committee meets on December 15. Suggestions and ideas welcome. Criticism too!

Thanks to AG, Bob, Wayne, Adam and Gina, Bill B, Greg and Katie, Sandra, Shelly, Peter, David, Kev, Donna, Carol, Elvira, Tony, Arturo, Jesus, Marisol, Ann W, Candace, Abraham, MrZ and MrJ, Lloyd, Eric and Steve, Phillip, the Susans, Sherry, Marc and Bonnie, Victoria, Ileana, and Kerrie.

Good luck to us, every one.
r