Tuesday, February 28, 2012

A Closer Look At Saul Alinsky's Industrial Areas Foundation PART 1

We've already exposed the IAF that has infiltrated the Mesa School District and suckered some gullible "Republicans" into signing the Arizona Accord.  At this stage of the game, it's too late to try and waste time on the hope that they may some day see the error or their ways.  It's time to move on, even if it means leaving them on the side of the road to wallow with their new-found friends.  Even if they DID come around to the truth, we can't waste time waiting for that moment because by that point, it will be too late.

So, let's expose what the IAF and groups like them (ACORN, PICO) have been up to for the last 50 years...while we were sleeping.

In part 1, we will look at who the IAF is and what role they have played in our schools.

In 2005, this report surfaced on community organizing and our schools.

Can Community and Education Organizing Improve Inner-City Schools?

Norman J. Glickman and Corianne P. Scally

Rutgers University


"IAF is a good example of a national organizing group that has taken on education issues. Founded in the 1940s by Saul Alinsky, IAF organizes a broad base of citizens across race and ethnicity on a wide range of issues (Alinsky 1946, 1971). Today, the Foundation’s network includes more than 50 local groups representing more than 1,000 institutions and one million families, principally in New York, Texas, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nebraska, and Maryland. These IAF affiliates have removed blighted properties and built thousands of units of “Nehemiah” housing built in New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington DC. Further, they have had successful living wage campaigns in Baltimore and New York; pushed human capital efforts to connect less educated people to good jobs; and, importantly for this paper, developed a large number of Alliance Schools in the Southwest (mostly in Texas) and community-based schools in New York.
IAF’s base is local institutions—primarily faith congregations, but also parents’ associations, schools, and trade unions—which it sees as rooted in communities and committed to advocating for societal change over the long term. The organization bases its philosophy on traditional mainstream American values—on religious faith and the self-interest of people—making campaigns for social change more sustainable. IAF works with poor and often less-educated people, channeling their anger about inequality into an agenda for political action. It maintains an “Iron Rule:” never do for people what they can do for themselves—a kind of tough love. This encourages self-reliance among its community leaders. To reach their objectives, members go through multi-day training programs to learn how to think through local issues, to relate to each other and to public officials, and to recruit neighbors to local causes—creating what IAF calls a “university of the streets.” IAF’s organizing process differs from many of the other groups discussed earlier: leadership development and constituent development come early in the process, with issue identification (such as the need for better schools) coming later, flowing out of dialogue within the organization.
IAF has built a network of more than 150 Alliance Schools in Texas and elsewhere in the Southwest. These campuses operate on the philosophy that public schools have a critical role in improving communities. Local IAF groups began organizing to transform a culture of low expectations for students and little or no community participation. Now, they argue, the campuses have increased achievement and formed strategic alliances. Groups focus on strategically engaging parents in the process of running schools, rather than having them involved in a token manner (Shirley 2002). This means building leadership among parents and using the social capital that grows out of that to improve school performance through civic engagement. The Alliance Schools expect teachers to reach out to parents in their neighborhoods. Teachers learn the basics of the IAF philosophy and train in elements of organizing (e.g., how to carry out one-on-one house meetings with parents).

Since IAF affiliates in these two regions (Texas and New York) have been working in schools for well over a decade, there has been enough time for their actions to begin to show tangible results. Our initial assessment of the indicators of both community and school outcomes show some positive results, although students and schools have not reached the highest level of attainment that IAF desires. As Shirley (2002, 38) finds, the advances made thus far have often come with political friction, remain hard to measure in terms of student achievement, and leave “considerable room for improvement.”


A long-used model of building community power through alliances and collective action—community organizing—has been refocused to make schools more responsive to community needs and to transform them into allies rather than adversaries.

National groups such as the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF), the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), and the Pacific Institute for Community Organizations (PICO) continue to work with poor people across the nation to improve conditions through grassroots organizing.  Many independent, local organizers are also at work on campaigns for living wages, affordable housing, and fighting predatory lending practices within low-income communities.

Once groups identify and agree upon the issues of greatest importance to them, they work toward indigenous leadership development to increase the community’s ability to address problems on their own and get their voices heard. As these organizations define their issues and develop leaders, they build political power. Poor people can often take on the forces of city hall or the statehouse and win political victories. Writing about IAF, Cortes (1994) says when people learn through politics to work with each other, supporting one another's projects, a trust emerges that goes beyond the barriers of race, ethnicity, income, and geography: we have found that we can rebuild community by reconstructing democracy.”

Monday, February 27, 2012

Occupy Phoenix: We Are One (with leftists)

We will take a closer look at this video that we discussed in a previous entry.  Try hard not to think about the ironic signs in the background that say "LIFE BEFORE PROFITS".  It begs the question, would they lend those signs to someone to use at a pro-life march against Planned Parenthood?


At 4:50, Senator Gallardo steps up to the plate flanked by our Rebekah "Friend" from the AFL-CIO and in true form, brought out his inner Russell Pearce obsession hatred.

I am an Arizona State Senator and I stand with the 99%!  Say no more to the Corporate greed.  No more to those elected officials, those politicians, and some of them are my colleagues, who continue to want to push legislation that doesn't benefit working families, do not benefit the majority of the this state or majority of those in the country, but it benefits themselves.  We're here to say it's a new game!  It's a new day in Arizona and across this country.
  That the working families are going to stand up and say, 'no more! 
 No more to that type of legislation!'

I was so proud early on in November when I saw organizations like organizing labor....Promise Arizona....where are you?  Promise?  (crowd cheers)....who stood up in LD18 to say, 'no more to Senator Russell Pearce.'  No more.  No more to his statements that racial profiling was a good thing.  No more to his statements that operation wetback was a good thing.  No more to his type of legislation that gave 1/2 billion dollars to special interest and corporate America.  No more!  Shame on Russell Pearce and shame on those colleagues who voted with him.  We sent him a message....and it wasn't just Democrats folks!  It was Republicans, Independents, Democrats.  It was the 99%.  We sent him packing and sent him walking.  LD18 was just 1 election folks.  We have more elections coming up in 2012 and we have to work in solidarity to drive a loud message not only to those in the legislature, but those members of congress that you either stand with the 99% of those folks that are struggling day in and day out, or guess what?
  We will send you to the same door we sent Russell Pearce!

The next person to speak was Diane D'Angelo.  Remember Diane?  She's the chairwoman of the Phoenix Human Relations Commission who is working with Randy Parraz in his effort to go after Joe Arpaio.  It was the HRC that voted to call for Sheriff Joe to step down.   D'Angelo spoke and encouraged those in attendance to band together with the Occupy movement.

This isn't any big surprise, however.  We already knew that groups like the AFL-CIO, Moveon and SEIU would take advantage of the situation.  This next April 9-15th,  in honor of MLK, these groups plan to "train" upwards of 100,000 people in homes, places of worship, campuses and the streets to join together "in the work of reclaiming our country".

Sponsors? 

UAW, MoveOn, UNITE HERE, New Organizing Institute, SEIU, Greenpeace, United Steel Workers, Working Families Party, Rebuild the Dream (Van Jones), PICO Network (IAF) , National Day Laborers Organizing Network (NDLO), Progressive Democrats of America (Tim Carpenter from Phoenix, AZ wearing Dodgers shirt standing next to Dan O'Neal and Virginia Haufflaire who helped with the Pearce recall)


Just to name a few.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

So, This Is What Promise. Arizona. en Accion. Has Been Up To

We haven't seen Promise Arizona (PAZ) since the recall election when they were campaigning for Jerry Lewis.  They must have had some of the $30,000 infusion they received from the union UNITE HERE and Campaign for Community Change left over, just burning a hole in their pocket.

 
So, they attended the "Occupy Phoenix:  We Are One" rally sponsored by the MALF (Maricopa Area Labor Federation), a branch of the AFL-CIO.  Our next installment will cover the speeches in the video.

The first 10 seconds show the big PROMISE AZ banners which were proudly displayed in their base camp for Jerry Lewis' campaign.  It also serves as a backdrop when the speakers get up to the podium to blather on about the evil 1%.




Raquel Teran was there at the march as well along with a fellow SEIU friend.  It is nice to see that aside from the signs, the yellow shirts are getting some mileage too.



Look for the "union" label, as seen on the photo above.  This symbol means "I support union labor".  The closeup on the right was from a Martin Quezada campaign poster from 2010.


Saturday, February 25, 2012

WE ARE ONE

This is the catch phrase used by the AFL-CIO.

A previous entry showed a luncheon sponsored by MALF (AFL-CIO) which was attended by Randy Parraz, Geoff Esposito and Carolyn Cooper.

Those who spoke included Senator Steve Gallardo and Rebekah Friend (Arizona Director for the AFL-CIO who replaced Randy Parraz).



Gallardo criticized the nerve of the TEA Party legislators for daring to talk about Obamacare by referring to it as "socialized medicine."  He said,

They have the morality to cut 100's of thousands of people off our Medicaid system but they do not have the morality to cut their own health care.  Folks, if we're going to cut my people off health care, we need to cut OUR health care first!  Governor Brewer and members of the legislature including Senate President, Russell Pearce, have lived off government paid health care....let's call it what it is....government paid health care.  If we have the morality to kick off 180,000 of our people off our health care system, we should have the morality to cut our health care first.


Let's break this down, shall we?

For starters, let's call it what it REALLY is which is NOT "government paid health care".

It is TAXPAYER PAID HEALTH CARE.

Secondly, unless it has been overlooked, we can't seem to find any legislation proposed by Senator Gallardo which would make it so that legislators would no longer be able to receive taxpayer funded health care.  It is, according to Senator Gallardo, the "moral" thing to do.  However, it is curious as to why he hasn't personally taken action to cut the health care perks that the legislature is afforded and paid for by the citizens including the union members in the room that day.  So, really, by calling out the Governor and Senator Pearce as having lived off "government paid health care", he is also cleverly deflecting the fact that he, himself, is a partaker of the same government trough.

And by the way, who are "my people"?


At the same meeting was the Arizona AFL-CIO/lobbyist, Rebekah Friend.
She also piled on the "I hate Russell Pearce" bandwagon,

"I want to talk to you about Senate President Russell Pearce.  This year, there is more anti-worker, anti-union legislation this year than any year in the history of the Arizona legislature and guess whose name is on it?  Russell Pearce has signed onto every piece of anti-worker, anti-public employee, anti-education, anti-teacher, anti-ill person, anti-working mother and father in the state of Arizona.  So, what do we do about that?  (crowd yells "RECALL")

Randy Parraz....will you stand up for me?  Randy Parraz is running an effort in LD18 to recall Russell Pearce.  Russell Pearce hates everyone in this room.  I guarantee you, there's no one in this room he likes.  I need you to do something today.  I need you, if you live in LD18 or know anyone in LD18.  Randy has petitions here today.  Find him and sign those petitions.  If you don't live in LD18, give him five dollars."

Ms. Friend is a good "friend" of Randy Parraz.

They participated in a march/protest against John McCain in 2008.
A Working Families United for Change rally in 2008.
They both spoke at a CWA meeting on September 11, 2010.



Friday, February 24, 2012

MALF - Maricopa Area Labor Federation (AFL-CIO)

Well.  Look who attended the MLK/Cesar Chavez "We are one" luncheon sponsored by MALF (AFL-CIO) in April 2011.

Randy Parraz.  Friend of Richard Trumka.





Paul Castaneda, Vice-Chair of MALF, said:

"We've already talked about taking out Senator Russell Pearce.  Randy and staff are doing a great job.  We want to recognize Geoff Esposito who is field director.  They are currently working out of our Union Hall over on 36th Street and McDowell.  If you want to write a check,  make it out to Citizens for a Better Arizona... We need a little extra help to get rid of Mr. Pearce."

Jim Parker, Geoff Esposito and Brenda Rascon celebrating at the Wright House the day they submitted the recall petitions in May 2011.

at 4:30, in the video, you can see Randy Parraz appear.

at 5:00, you can see his fellow progressive leftist, Carolyn Cooper, also appear to be in attendance with Parraz.

Yes.  The SAME Carolyn Cooper who showed up to speak in front of the Guadalupe Town Council along with Randy Parraz and Steve Gallardo to beg the council to sign off on a resolution to force Joe Arpaio to resign.
 And the Progressive Democrats of America Conference.
 And with Lydia Guzman (who is helping the DOJ in their lawsuit against AZ and Arpaio) along with being an active member of CBA/Randy Parraz.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

The IAF. A Little Too Close To Home (eh, Jerry Lewis?)

Suppose Senator Jerry Lewis and those self-proclaimed "Republicans" realize that by signing on to the Arizona Accord, they were aligning themselves with the IAF and Saul Alinsky?

Whether through ignorance or purposeful intent, shame on them.

We know that Randy Parraz was trained in the Alinsky method through the Industrial Areas Foundation.  We also know that Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta were students of Saul Alinsky and his partner, Fred Ross. 

Here is the link to the IAF.

According to their website:

The IAF is non-ideological and strictly non-partisan, but proudly, publicly, and persistently political. The IAF builds a political base within society's rich and complex third sector - the sector of voluntary institutions that includes religious congregations, labor locals, homeowner groups, recovery groups, parents associations, settlement houses, immigrant societies, schools, seminaries, orders of men and women religious, and others.
And then the leaders use that base to compete at times, to confront at times,
and to cooperate at times with leaders in the public and private sectors.

The IAF develops organizations that use power - organized people and organized money - in effective ways. The secret to the IAF's success lies in its commitment to identify, recruit, train, and develop leaders
 in every corner of every community where IAF works. 



Who are these IAF Affiliates?  (note:  All of the affiliates listed below signed off on the Arizona Accord)








We've noted in a previous blog entry how the faith community was being used to push for a more "humane" tone towards immigration.


Two of the groups in the Valley Interfaith Project include


MESPA
(Mesa Education Support Personnel Association for Mesa Public Schools)

The MEA website homepage gives the impression that they have nothing but the best interests of the children at heart.

We are a professional association advocating for
 quality public schools for every child. 


Yet, most of what they REALLY do is for the benefit of the teachers themselves.  Oh, and they are activists for liberal causes.  Anything for the children, right?

President of MEA, Kathy Ray on right








-One of the members of the MEA Facebook page, Robert Unferth, who was also heavily involved in the Russell Pearce recall effort, posted last June: 
Robert Unferth  RECALL PEARCE - NEXT STEPS: 1) Make calls to over 10,000 supporters; 2) Continue to visit voters every Saturday to sign them up; 3) Voter registration and PEVL sign-ups; & 4) Raise $5,000 by the end of June. Please let your friends and family members know that our campaign is not over! Now is the time to recruit more volunteers and stay engaged, active and vocal!

www.recallpearce.com or email to rap7power@gmail.com
 

-If you are looking for ways to make your voice heard, and show your support for your fellow teachers in Wisconsin (and other states), as well as support for all public workers, here are a few things you can do.
 1. Visit the AEA website at www.arizonaea.org for more information on “Wear Red for Ed” and a link to sign NEA’s petition on Education Votes.
2. Visit moveon.org at this link: http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/event.html?event_id=112845&id= to sign up to attend the “Rally to Save the American Dream” being held TOMORROW (2/26) at the Arizona State Capitol at 12 PM. 
3. Tell your friends and family, and encourage them to show their support for educators and public employees, as well as workers’ rights

-Hey teacher friends! Please support Mesa teacher, Mike Conway Monday night as he debates his opponents in Legislative District 18.  HE NEEDS SUPPORTERS, so please support Mesa Education Association's own member! (We have discussed Mike Conway before) 


-This month MEA has assisted several teachers with disciplinary issues as well as evaluation concerns.
 -MEA has an amazing team assembled for bargaining and we have been meeting several times to prepare for the new process, but also to plan for our interests in making our working conditions better.

-Mesa teachers and support staff members have borne the brunt of a bad economy plus a legislature that has certain-ly not been supportive of public education, public educa-tion teachers and support staff. Our elected "leaders" have been especially punitive toward the concept that employees have participation in the decisions that affect our profession, our careers and the student learning for which we are tasked.
  
-Their upcoming meeting on February 28, 2012 at Mesa High School at 4:30pm will be featuring Joe Rubio from Valley Interfaith Project who will speak about "Organizing for Power."

Joe Rubio is the Supervisor for the IAF Southwest Affiliates.  We know what he thinks about immigration.  He said, criticizing AZ lawmakers who passed SB1070, "Where do the legislators think business will find workers?"

"The accord focuses on common sense solutions, not demagoguery, and it shows that good economics and a humane approach to immigration are not only possible but very necessary.”

So, the MEA teacher's group is hosting a meeting with the Supervisor for the IAF? 
SAUL ALINSKY's IAF?


It sounds EXACTLY like something that would be useful 
"for the children".


Just as I'm sure the strategies discussed in a leadership training meeting will help train them to be better teachers "for the children".

Like:  ability to organize, we are activists, organizers, and my favorite....
"Educate so that the word ADVOCATE is seen positive"


So, we have the Mesa Education Support Personnel Association with the Mesa PUBLIC SCHOOLS who is affiliated with the IAF.

We also have the MEA (and the AEA and NEA) with Mesa Public Schools who have ties to the IAF.  Suppose those teachers who work for Mesa Public schools and those who pay dues to groups like the MEA, AEA or NEA realize that they are directly supporting the IAF?
Former MEA President Kirk Hinsey and current President Kathy Ray (on right):



Swastikas Part 2

Because you can never have too much hypocrisy.

Still looking for Nancy Pelosi....















Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Al Jazeera?

There is a certain TP Leader who apparently likes to do vanity Google searches for her name and her organization.  And by TP we don't mean the TEA Party.  But, in an effort to reduce the chances that this certain person will discover this blog and whine to her friends directing them with a link, we have abbreviated the name.  Let's just say the name of the group isn't "tea" but rather an alcoholic beverage.

Seen here with Todd Landfried from the Arizona Employers for Immigration Reform:

This TP Leader said:
What a media day! Finished with Reuters, CNN Latino,
and now Al Jazeera who requested video of the tequila party movement
in action ...

Al JAZEERA?


Seems Al Jazeera has taken an interest in the immigration issue.
And they apparently got the memo about making sure to include "faith-based" leaders in their reporting.

200,000 Latinos convert to Islam in the US.
"There are so many common denominations between immigrant Muslims and immigrant Hispanics who see the issues common to both of them. Immigration issues is a big discussion in the US and there are other issues of trying to find a job, keep a job, buy a home, all the same struggles two groups of people happen to be going through creates this bond between them.
Many who come from Central and South America come with conservative values and as well as Muslims come also with conservative values and here in the States, they find that those values are being challenged. It's common to see that Hispanic and Muslim working on similar projects in terms of family, education, reforms to protect their values. The conservative values they have."
 
Maybe there is something to this news report from Atlanta?
(interview with JD Hayworth on Muslim Terrorists Crossing US/Mexican Border )

or this from 2005?

Iranian smuggling ring busted near Mex border.
A 39-year-old Iranian with permanent legal residency status who is suspected of having smuggled 60 other Iranians into the U.S. was arrested in Mesa, Ariz., according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Protests Lining Up For Republican Debate

It will be a Who's Who of radical leftists.

Arizona Dream Act Coalition & Dolores Huerta
PROTEST at GOP Debate!

The Republican Presidential candidates are coming to Arizona for the CNN debate. Dreamers and supporters will be there to hold them accountable for their anti-immigrant platform and remind them that the Latino community in Arizona has woken up!

If they want to win the L
atino vote, they will have to support the DREAM Act and stop wanting to make us "self deport", as Romney said, if they win the presidency.

Dolores Huerta, a long time civil rights activist , and for many a role model, will be joining us as well.

Please bring your DREAM gear if you have it, and be ready to kick some butt!
 
Dolores was one of the co-founders of the UFW with Cesar Chavez and worked with Randy Parraz to organize the strawberry workers.



With Barbara Boxer, Carlos Santana and Hilda Solis in Sept. 2010