The insidious radicals

A correspondent wrote today about former members of the Weather Underground endorsing an "independent grassroots effort" for Obama. (Clearly a front group for whom the word "independent" constitutes merely the first canard.)

Per WorldNetDaily (2 Oct 08),

The petition was initiated by Progressives for Obama, an independent organization acting to ensure the Illinois senator's election.

Progressives includes among its ranks many former members of the 1960s radical organization Students for a Democratic Society, or SDS, from which the Weathermen splintered, as well as current and former members of other radical organizations, such as the Communist Party USA and the Black Radical Congress.

As vomitorious as these people are (along with Obama's deranged buddy Bill Ayers), I’m almost more frightened of the insidiousness of allegedly mainstream organizations like the NEA, which was planning to have teachers “wear blue for Obama” next week.

I’m of an age that remembers when the NEA was an innocent bucolic organization that had a meeting once a year. (So one or two more days off for us kids! Yay!) Then years later, the American Federation of Teachers burgeoned via its agressive agenda.

Before long , the NEA decided to out-militant them, and paradoxically Albert Shanker* of the AFT was actually writing sensible articles in his "Where we stand" column during his later years. I actually considered writing him a fan letter.


Incidentally, in J-school, I took classes with some members of the SDS. Their most noteworthy impact seemed to be a rebellion against soap and barbers.

* In one of Woody Allen's movies, perhaps Sleeper, he makes reference to that earlier period: "And then a man named Albert Shanker got hold of an atom bomb." This probably sailed over the heads of even his sophisticated audience.

For a fine summary of the movie, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeper_(film)