A punch in the face

[Omaha Steve]

You deserve “a punch in the face.”

At least that’s what New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie thinks.

In an interview aired Sunday, Christie threatened violence against teachers, and called our unions “the single most destructive force in public education.”

Tell Chris Christie that bullying and violence have no place in our classrooms or our communities, and demand an apology.

Teachers unions aren’t some faceless entity—our unions are made up of individual teachers, women and men who go to work every day to help children succeed.

In a massive national survey we conducted with the Badass Teachers Association this spring, we saw just how real on-the-job bullying and violence are for our teachers.

After looking at more than 30,000 responses, we learned that nearly one in five teachers has been threatened with physical violence in a school. One in ten has been physically assaulted, and 30 percent have been bullied on the job.

Teachers today face huge challenges—from top-down, blame-and-shame policies to record child poverty, deep cuts to school funding, and on-the-job bullying and violence.

We need leaders who support educators and collaborate with our unions, not people who threaten violence to score cheap political points.

Sign now: Chris Christie must apologize for threatening violence against our teachers.

While Christie is busy blaming teachers, he’s destroying his own home state.

Chris Christie has slashed education funding for New Jersey schools by more than a billion dollars. He’s gutted support for higher education and women’s health, driven New Jersey’s public pension system to the brink of bankruptcy, and crashed the state’s credit rating, all while giving billions in tax breaks to his corporate pals.

Christie and his allies—like Wall Street hedge funds and the Koch brothers—are set on destroying our unions. They know that a strong labor movement can rebuild the middle class and rebalance the scales in our economy.

Our unions are one of the only forces that have prevented Christie from running roughshod over the people of New Jersey. He’s made no secret that breaking unions is a top priority, but threatening violence against teachers is a step too far.

Please join us in demanding that Chris Christie apologize: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/chris-christie-apologize-for-threatening-teachers?can_id=a9cf23302332fb8fa0573509116ae7fe&source=email-a-punch-in-the-face-7&email_referrer=a-punch-in-the-face-7

In unity,
Randi Weingarten

AFT President

[gratuitous]

1. Go Sermon on the Mount on his ass

Remember those suggestions from Jesus (he's very big in some circles) about facing down a tyrant or a bully? If someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other to him. If someone compels you to walk a mile with him, go with him two. If you're sued for your coat, give him your shirt, as well.

All three examples are drawn from the abuse of power by the strong over the week. Someone who strikes you on your right cheek is - in a culture that eschews use of the left hand - backhanding you, a very degrading and dismissive blow. The Roman soldier who compelled a civilian to carry his gear was limited by law to going only a set distance, to prevent abuse of the populace and to contain resentment. Someone suing a poor person for his next-to-last article of clothing was greedy and grasping.

But by turning all three of these common situations around, the oppressed could turn the tables on their oppressors. Turning the left cheek to a superior is not only calculated insolence, but an "is that all you got" challenge that levels the field. Carrying a soldier's gear further than the prescribed distance leads to the comic sight of the soldier trying to either convince his mark to give him back his gear or to wrestle it away. The defendant handing over not only his coat but his shirt leaves him naked in public, a humiliation and embarrassment that redounds on the greedy litigant.

The teachers should line up at the governor's mansion and offer their faces for the punching by Gov. Christie. Down the sidewalk, around the block, down other streets, each and every one lining up for the punch in the face Christie says they deserve. Teacher after teacher. Young, old and in between. Make sure the fawning media get a chance to watch Gov. Christie come out and face the people he wants to bully. See just how tough he really is.