Democratic Process Returns Support For Palestinians, How Inconvenient

Massive walkout at Harvard graduation yesterday

My union, the Maine branch of the National Education Association (MEA), is owned and operated by the Democratic Party and has been the whole time I have belonged. The NEA/MEA will oppose no wars despite chronic school underfunding, because wars are the business of the Democratic Party.

So with amazement I read that the Representative Assembly (RA) of the MEA passed a resolution instructing our pension fund to divest from "any corporation, state-owned entity, or financial product identified as being complicit in the violation of the human rights guaranteed to Palestinian civilians under international law.”

Which is a long way of saying Israel -- which they of course did not say, because you can't say that anymore. Just like you can't wear a keffiyeh in a Memorial Day parade (better make it a watermelon).

Washington University commencement protest

Or wear one to attend your own graduation that you and your family invested in. Or even be prevented from receiving the degree you earned, for nonviolent protesting.

The RA brought the voice of the people into the MEA and that's inconvenient for the owner/operators of the union. Democrats in Congress have been cheerleading Israel's genocide gleefully for months now. So where does a dinky state representative assembly get off voting to use the second plank of the BDS strategy? It's almost like teachers can think for themselves! 

I grudgingly admire the dark art on display here, that of finely slicing and dicing language as fascism creeps over the land. Here's the MEA president's letter in its entirety.

Dear Members,

MEA wanted to brief you on an item that passed at the MEA Representative Assembly (RA) last weekend. The MEA RA is the democratic governing body of the union. Every year, MEA members submit New Business Items (action items) concerning a wide range of issues. Some are intimately tied to MEA operations and others reflect policy positions delegates would like the union to take. MEA is committed to democratic processes and open debate. These values are fundamental not just to MEA’s vision as a union but to our functioning as a democratic body.

MEA delegates adopted NBI 11, which states, “The MEA will urge trustees of the Maine Public Employees Retirement System to develop a cost-effective and financially sound investment portfolio that does not contribute to any corporation, state-owned entity, or financial product identified as being complicit in the violation of the human rights guaranteed to Palestinian civilians under international law.”

 A New Business Item (NBI) is NOT an official belief statement or position taken by MEA or its membership. As directed by the delegates at the assembly, MEA staff will reach out to MainePERS and notify them of the NBI passed by the delegation.

While MEA will notify MainePERS of this, the New Business Item, as approved by the delegation, does not reflect the Union’s position. As educators we have a responsibility to speak out against injustices and respect differing opinions. Our members and the students we serve represent diverse groups, and we value each and every one of their opinions.

Please do not hesitate to reach out, and our deepest apologies for any pain caused by any misrepresentation in the media

In Unity,

Grace Leavitt, President

Maine Education Association

Don't you love the slightly desperate In Unity as her sign-off? Can you hear Zionists howling in pain and crying antisemitism in the final paragraph?

Which side are you on, Grace, which side are you on?

I'm pretty sure that civil unrest will be fomented in the U.S. to stave off the revolution we need. It's why we have such a proliferation of guns. What I did not foresee is that opposition to or support for genocide in Palestine would become the litmus test for our political affiliations. 

So be it. When it comes to genocide, I know which side I'm on.