Red Chinese Consulate interfered in re-election bid of former Conservative MP: report
Kenny Chiu, a former Conservative MP who unsuccessfully tried to pass foreign registry legislation, was targeted by Chinese agents for attacking Beijing’s human rights infringements, particularly in Hong Kong.
The Canadian Press / Sean Kilpatrick
Chinese consular officials in Vancouver orchestrated a targeted campaign against Conservative MP Kenny Chiu during the 2021 federal election, validating his claims that foreign interference played a crucial role in his electoral defeat.
Initiated in December 2022, the investigation found British Columbians of Chinese descent voted with direction from Chinese officials in Beijing. The Hogue Commission, which oversees the inquiry into foreign interference, learned that agents used an atmosphere of fear and media manipulation to compel voters.
Foreign ownership of Canadian media outlets also posed concerns, raising the potential that broadcasting regulations were violated.
That said, there is insufficient legal basis to pursue charges under current Canadian laws, reportedThe Bureau. Investigators say prosecution requires a high burden of proof.
Fines of $5,000 under the Election Act do not adequately deter foreign interference in Canadian elections.
“However, we are satisfied that foreign influence was exercised in the Chinese Canadian community in Greater Vancouver,” the investigation found. MP Chiu has repeatedly attributed his 2021 election defeat to foreign interference.
The former Conservative MP was targeted for attacking China’s record on human rights, particularly Hong Kong, and his failed attempt to pass foreign registry legislation, according to officials.
The tenured member of Parliament introduced Bill C-282, An Act to establish the Foreign Influence Registry, months before the 2021 general election to try to establish the Foreign Influence Registry.
“As an immigrant, it is already very challenging to build a life here in Canada,” Chiu said, who immigrated from Hong Kong as a schoolboy in 1982.
A 112-page report, compiled by the Commissioner of Canada Elections (OCCE), revealed Vancouver’s Chinese Consulate corroborated with local Chinese Canadian associations and media outlets to undermine Chiu’s reelection bid.
Chinese-language media and social media channels, primarily WeChat, portrayed MP Chiu as anti-Chinese and racist.
“When I [went] door knocking…there have been supporters of mine who just shut the door in my face,” said Chiu. “There [was] so much hatred that I sense.”
Findings contend Vancouver community leaders allegedly worked for China’s United Front Work Department to interfere in elections.
Evidence showed Chinese state media apparently posted false reports on Bill C-282, claiming it would put Chinese Canadians behind bars for supporting mainland China, reportedBlacklock’s Reporter.
However, investigators could not probe funding tied to the ‘disinformation’ campaign, as they could not identify victims intimidated by foreign agents.
“We need witnesses that are willing to testify,” said Carmen Boucher, OCCE Executive Director, who testified that the Chinese diaspora is reluctant to come forward because of intimidation.
In one redacted passage, an unidentified witness said a community leader allegedly bragged about defeating MP Chiu with help from the United Front networks.
At the Foreign Interference Commission, MP Chiu testified the Trudeau government “left him to drown” when Chinese agents targeted his campaign. “The government doesn’t seem to care,” he said.
A submission to the inquiry said Chinese proxies targeted Conservative candidates who supported the implementation of a foreign-agent registry.
The CSIS document adds further clarity to findings from a new Australian government report that quoted the WeChat allegations and questioned the federal response to Chinese meddling.
“You weren’t aware of any of these reports at the time?” asked Commission Counsel Matthew Ferguson. “No,” replied Chiu. “I have been betrayed,” he added.
MP Chiu lost re-election to Liberal candidate Parm Bains by 3,477 votes. Approximately 4,400 fewer residents voted for him in 2021 than in 2019 — of which nearly half translated into Liberal support.
In response, the Trudeau government quietly passed foreign interference legislation before the parliamentary summer recess. Bill C-70, An Act respecting countering foreign interference, will punish diplomats and other agents that target Canadian democracy. (The Rebel, September 18, 2024)
“Political, social, or economic system in which individuals are assigned to positions of power, influence, or reward solely on the basis of their abilities and achievements, and not on the basis of their social, cultural, or economic background or irrelevant personal characteristics.”
There’s “meritocracy,” and then there’s hypocrisy. Within the context of woke ideology, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has indulged in latter like no other national leader in Canadian history.
It’s the essence of “wokism” as manifest in our PM’s recent endorsement of race-based hiring. It’s one thing for Liberal government-approved “Islamophobia Czar” Amira Elghawaby to indulge in the practice– such ethno-centricism is to be expected.
“The Quebec government renewed its call for Canada’s special representative on combating Islamophobia to resign Friday, after she sent a letter to college and university heads recommending the hiring of more Muslim, Arab and Palestinian professors.”
“It was the reference to hiring that drew the immediate indignation of Quebec’s higher education minister, who called on Elghawaby to resign,saying she should mind her own business.”
After which Justin Trudeau came to the rescue:
“Speaking to reporters in the Montreal area, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that while each university has its own rules on hiring, Elghawaby’s role is to make recommendations and encourage dialogue between different groups.”
Turning to Canadian law, we uncover a piece of pertinent information:
“The Canadian Human Rights Act has long prohibited discrimination on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, and certain other grounds.”
Holy Cow. The Canadian Human Rights Act serves as the cornerstone of government’s commitment to racial equality. In turn, non-profit organizations such as National Council Of Canadian Muslims live-and-breathe by such legislative edicts.
Tell us, Ms. Elghawaby– if our institutions of higher learning indulge in hiring policies exclusive to Muslims, what happens to candidates who come from outside the community?
Logical answer: they don’t get the job. Now, tell us how this fails to equate with “prohibited discrimination” against, for example, white or Sikh employment candidates?
“A spokesperson for Canadian Heritage said that Elghawaby was not available for comment on Friday.”
Right. Informed Canadians understand the way these things roll. When it’s time to whine and complain about racism, the so-called anti-racists are there with rainbow-coloured bells on. When time arrives to defend their behaviour, they’re as silent as the lambs.
“Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Jean-François Roberge criticized Elghawaby on Friday for interfering in the management of Quebec institutions and committing the ‘unthinkable’ act of hiring professors based on their faith.”
Hate to break it to you, Minister Roberge, but there is nothing “unthinkable” about this. Straight out of the gate, Mr. Trudeau went all-in on the “race-card”— the outcome being a systemic winding-up of race-oriented controversy.
Looking back at 20th century history, we recognise the fall-out of such situations. In cases of social revolution, the issue of race transitions to a weapon of political manipulation. Call us paranoid, but we say that the Liberals have with full intention cultivated this phenomenon for political purposes.
Readers may recognise a piece of deja vu in regard to Amira Elgabaway’s contentious position:
“In response to her nomination, Quebec political leaders in 2023 called on Elghawaby, a journalist and human rights activist, to have her appointment as Canada’s first anti-Islamophobia representative rescinded.”
Nothing happened, and in typical woke style, nothing will change regarding this latest round of condemnation.
In response, “[Quebec Premier Francois] Legault criticized Trudeau for defending Elghawaby in the name of diversity and refusing to call for her resignation.”
It is with minimal surprise that we trace PM Trudeau’s ethnocentric endorsement to socialist political imperatives endorsed by our prime minister.
“One such aspect of the capitalist education system is the ‘myth of meritocracy.’ While Marxists argue that class background and money determine how good of an education people get, the myth of meritocracy posits that everyone has an equal chance at success.”
A fair amount of media ink has been spilt in terms of Canada’s Marxist-infused education system. Here, Trudeau tacitly endorses the phenomenon.
“Not only is (education) a jurisdiction of the Quebec government, but it is a jurisdiction of the universities,” Legault said.
In this regard, one must comprehend socialism at its base form. For communist governments, everything within society falls under government jurisdiction. It’s how mainstream media became a branch of our federal government. It’s the method by which CBC Corporation hire new employees, and a core component of hiring practices within Canadian corporations and NGO’s.
Not good enough. Looking to place the agenda on steroids, rather than an “open field” for job candidates, advocates want it whittled down to one ethnic community in particular.
“We’ve seen an increase in rhetoric and tension and I think we all have to really reflect on what we’re doing to bring people together to make sure we’re listening to each other and even people with very different perspectives that may challenge us, make sure that we’re hearing each other,” Trudeau said regarding the controversy.
What a pile of steaming hogwash. His statement doesn’t say anything of substance at all. Still, there’s one thing Canadians know well and good. When it comes to Trudeau’s preferred ethnic voter communities, no words of criticism ever come forth.
“She has no legitimacy to make recommendations for Quebec. She must leave her position, and it should simply be abolished,” stated Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Jean-François Roberge.
Justin Trudeau has no legitimacy to back this latest version of community ethno-centricm. Unfortunately, this and a loonie will get you a half-cup of coffee at Tim Horton’s.
The White haters have tried to saddle Whites with guilt about slavery, The truth is almost all peoples have enslaved others. For almost a thousand years, White Europeans were the victims of Moslem raiders from the Ottoman Empire or North Africa who raided communities along the Mediterranean and kidnapped White to be used as slaves. Whites have abolished slavery, but many non-Whites still practise it often on their OWN people. Here’s a case in point.
Teacher smuggled girl into UK to be her slave – and hid conviction from school
A primary school teacher has been barred from the classroom after it was revealed she helped smuggle a 14-year-old African girl into Britain to act as her “slave”.
Ernestina Quainoo, 53, was sentenced for her crime in 2008 but failed to disclose her previous conviction to Cherry Lane Primary School in West Drayton, London, before taking up a teaching role in 2019.
She taught children aged between five and seven until December 2022, when a colleague received an old newspaper clipping divulging her criminal past.
Following a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) investigation, Ms Quainoo has been banned from teaching for her actions, which went against “the very core of her practice”.
Ms Quainoo moved to the UK from Ghana with her husband, Samuel Quainoo, in 2004.
The pair managed to smuggle a 14-year-old African girl into the country, promising her that she would receive an education and a job, a court heard in 2008.
The girl was instead subjected to 18 months of unpaid labour that left her contemplating suicide.
Sweden is going to pay immigrants up to $34,000 to leave their country as part of a bold new remigration plan from the ruling right-wing Swedish Democrats.
The Great Repatriation is upon us.
From The Middle East Monitor, “Sweden to pay immigrants $34,000 for voluntary return home”: The Swedish government announced on Thursday that it will increase grants for immigrants who choose to return to their home countries voluntarily, despite a government-appointed inquiry’s recommendation last month against a significant increase, Anadolu Agency reports.
Starting in 2026, immigrants who choose to leave the Nordic country voluntarily will be eligible for financial assistance of up to 350,000 Swedish kronor (approximately $34,000), up from the current 10,000 kronor.
Under the current law, migrants returning home can get a maximum of 10,000 kronor per adult, or 5,000 kronor per child, with a maximum of 40,000 kronor per family, according to local broadcaster, SVT Nyheter.
“We are in the midst of a paradigm shift in our migration policy,” Migration Minister, Johan Forssell, said at a press conference in Stockholm.
According to Ludvig Aspling of the anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats, the grant has been available since 1984 and “is relatively unknown, small, and used by a few people”.
However, he now believes that heavily promoting substantially increased financial assistance would encourage more people to accept the offer to leave the Scandinavian country.Immigrants should hop on this ASAP because forced remigration is what comes next.
The following are my thoughts on the novel Camp of the Saints. It was written by Jean Raspail, and published in 1973:
I recently read the English translation of Camp of the Saints. It was horrifying, but a good study in how people act and respond in terrifying situations. I wonder if this book is banned for being “racist” in a lot of places or in people’s minds. It addresses that concept. Its main theme, in my mind, is the hypocrisy of the church, of those who want to “save humanity”, of the do-gooders, etc., and then, how they react when danger comes to their front door. I’m not sure I could recommend it for your reading pleasure, unless you want a view and understanding of what it’s like for your country to be invaded and taken over. In which case, it might be eye-opening and spur you to work even harder on your own safety and security. Also, I think a primary theme is the idea that there is no such thing as universal peace and compatibility between people of different cultures and races. Each “tribe” prefers their own way of living, and their own cultural and moral standards. The book showcases “white guilt”. It showcases the idealistic goals of the leftist, globalist, Marxist/communist/socialist believers, and the idea that we must all embrace “equity” – the rich must be destroyed and the poor lifted up. The playing field must be leveled, in their view, no matter the consequences. And no matter who dies in the process.
In America, we are famous for being the “melting pot” of the world. We are numbered by people of all races who have legally immigrated here from around the world, adopted our Western culture and practices, while holding on to their own dear beliefs. In America, that was possible, and expected. We pride ourselves in our acceptance of our differences. Mostly, we all get along while still maintaining our own “separateness”. In my family tree, we are English, German, Irish, Scottish, Swiss, Austrian, Portuguese, Italian, Flemish, Hispanic, American Indian, and African American. We are “diverse”, and yet we have similar values: love of God, love of country, love of family. We wish to live in peace.
Americans get “irritable” when you start shoving things down their throats or forcing them to conform to someone else’s belief system. We have, probably uniquely, a “live and let live” attitude… until we are threatened. Then, not so much. I wish I could better describe our mixed culture. It’s not about “celebrating diversity” by enforcing diversity via laws and policies. It’s about accepting people as they are and accommodating one another’s cherished cultural differences. It is actually a voluntary thing because we believe in Freedom. With that being said, we have been, mostly, a Judeo-Christian country governed by fair and impartial Laws that protected (past tense is intentional) the independence and freedom of everyone equally, while punishing criminals who break the Laws. We have failed at that on and off throughout our history. I have no desire to excuse our collective sins.
In the recent decades, the idea of a “Judeo-Christian” country has been kicked to the curb by many in high and low places. That has “irritated” the majority of Americans. And most recently, it seems, if you are “a white, Christian, man”, you are even more despised. But, not by regular Americans, don’t get me wrong. You are despised by the people who wish to “level the paying field” for “all humanity” and therefore your “white patriarchy” must be destroyed. That doesn’t really work in our “live and let live culture”. To most Americans, it matters not the color of your skin or belief system, as long as you respect others. Do your thing – just don’t force me to do it, and certainly do not teach your ideologies to our children.
On another train of thought… One thing that is universally true, whether it’s an invasion or simply war, women and children are always the first to be brutalized. In previous years, I had read The Gulag Archipelago, and also spent a great deal of time reading and listening to various Holocaust survivor stories. Very dark, yes, but I personally want a reminder of man’s inhumanity towards man, even if it jostles all my sensibilities. I’m not an optimist nor a pessimist, but a realist. Very bad things can happen and it’s better, in my mind, to understand how things happen rather than stick my head in the sand (with my butt exposed) and pretend everything is okay. Everything is okay, until it’s not. Slowly, then all of a sudden.
There is a lot of “pretending” going on in America over the invasion of our country. I don’t see it ending well. I am not excusing America’s sins. No. They are legion and we collectively deserve God’s judgement. What I see is that there are forces at work who wish to destroy us and they will use any means necessary, as they’ve stated. Better to know than not know. Ultimately, the enemy is Satan and he is busy telling people what to do and they are doing it. We have as much of a spiritual war on our hands, as we do an intellectual war, that will devolve into a physical war if things don’t change significantly.
Let me be clear… I do not live in fear. My days may be filled with hard, sweaty, work on the farm, but each day is a beautiful thing – whether I’m milking a cow who generously gives her full fat creamy milk to nourish my family, or training a young heifer to follow a lead, or training dogs, or cats, or caring for chickens and teaching them to “go to bed” in the hen house at night, or tending to the garden, or baking yummy things in the kitchen, or reveling over how full the freezers and pantries are, or spending time with my adorable grandchildren, or reading a book I want to read, or marveling at the beauty, God’s creation, that surrounds me, or simply babbling away to my Father Who watches over me… My days are ordered and spontaneous at the same time. It is beautiful here. Peaceful. Amazing. I love to watch the sunrise early in the morning, to hear the birds waking up, to watch the farm come to life. The “To Do List” is very long, and yet here is where I want to be. So, no. I do not live in fear. I live in a beautiful place, enjoying Freedom, and I want it to stay that way.
Therefore, I take pains to understand what is going on in the world and around me. Therefore, I am armed and dangerous to my enemies at the level I am capable of. Therefore, I work at honing my skills should the rug of freedom be ripped out from under me. Therefore, I prepare a place for my family to take refuge in, if the Lord wills it. Therefore, I plan to be without the modern conveniences I was born with. Therefore, I expose my mind to the realities. Lord forgive me, but I have zero patience with other women who babble about their next vacation, or sanctimoniously speak of their most recent “charitable giving” or “girls night out”, or chat about fashion (unless it’s a new side arm), and who whine when they are inconvenienced. Again, Lord forgive me, and that is why I’m not the Lord because my mercy and grace are not perfectly balanced with my judgment, as the Lord’s is. Where the Lord can see everything future and past, I can only see the reality in front of me.
When people say, they’re just going to trust the Lord, I want to stomp my foot and say, “Show me in the Scriptures where a man or woman of God sat there on their YouKnowWhat and did nothing.” Even Paul was active in his prison chains.
Take a look around Europe and see what is going on there. Many parts of European countries are in total chaos, “no go zones”. I bet the general population wished they hadn’t given up the appropriate weapons to meet the challenges. Look at what is happening in our big cities. Not to mention, the world is on the cusp of WWIII and America is on the cusp of another Civil War. Things are a mess. How messy will things get?
But, I digress. The focus of the book, a novel, details the happenings when a large group of invaders arrive by the millions to another country (in this case, from India, to France). The reader is drawn into the squalor and death the “migrants” have suffered through to get to their destination. The people of France form “Welcoming Committees” in order to prepare for their arrival. And it shows how the proponents of the “migration” equally die when the invasion occurs, for whatever reasons. It forced me to think about our “kind intentions” and our “generous nature” and our endless funding of this or that “cause” around the globe. And we are happy and sanctimonious (tie that blue and yellow ribbon around your mailbox!), until we lose something of value – a daughter, for example, to brutal rape or murder. Then, suddenly, we want the “Authorities” to do something about it. But, it’s too late then. It’s too late because the “Authorities” are not able to address tens of millions of those types of incidences “all at once”.
The book describes a very small group of very brave men who are tasked with defending the country, as most of the “armies” have fled the challenge. And in the end, it shows how the government of France kills its own men who are still trying to stop the invaders from ravaging the country. How could that happen? Why? Because long ago, the government was infiltrated by “migrants” who had been waiting for their moment of revenge against the country they adopted. A worst-case scenario obviously. But, think about it… who in our American government is “not to be trusted”? Trust in the American government is at an historic low and there are valid reasons for that – too numerous to list here. Our government, currently, is not our friend.
Basically, reading the novel takes the mind through a whole host of emotions, intellectual acrobatics, and brutal resulting facts of an illegal invasion of one’s country. You can dismiss it all because it’s a “novel”. Of course you can – why even read it! Who even wants to know that they gang raped the wife of the guy, who heralded their coming, until she was dead, and they threw up on her chest and left her naked on the floor for him to find after they beat and locked him up. Ewwwww. Who wants to fill their mind with such things? Well, I do, for a brief time, and only so that I can clearly see what could be in store for myself, my daughters, my granddaughters. If you read the news, that very same thing is happening in our country, but downplayed by the “Media”.
Facing it, in its horrific gory detail, gives me the strength to pick up a rifle and know that I must defend myself and my family at all costs and at all times. I am a gentle woman who cannot even watch a scary movie. I closed my eyes and covered my ears when watching “Saving Private Ryan”. I have not seen war up close and personal like many of our heroes have. They have seen things that they will not retell us, for their own sanity, and to protect ours. So, it is up to us individually, even if we get our gumption from an uncanny novel. If the evil can be written about, the evil exists.
If you still don’t believe that our country is at grave risk, right now, from the illegal invaders, you might find that reading some of Michael Yon’s writings, a veteran and journalist who has been chronicling the invasion, helpful. Or not. Suit yourself.
I cannot face such realities in large doses should I slip into despair. It has been many years since I studied the holocaust survivor testimonies, and many years before that I read The Gulag Archipelago. I can only face it in small doses, but each time I do, it gives me courage to fight the good fight. It helps me to be exceptionally aware that great evil exists in the world. It causes me to turn to the Lord God and request mercy and protection against the great evils. It causes me to be prepared, as best as I humanly can. It informs my politics. It influences my associations. It causes me to accept that “situational awareness” at all times is 100% essential. Reading the book may not be for you. Maybe you don’t want to know or fill your mind with that kind of knowledge. My opinion about this book written 50 years ago… is it is essential reading for the times we are in.
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It has been said, “Teaching is the greatest act of optimism”, and it is. I just retired from education after thirty-plus years as a high school teacher. I brought tremendous creativity, energy, and a little irreverence to my teaching, and students would tell you mine was one of their most enjoyable classes. Now in my 60s, I just don’t have the same enthusiasm I once did. My optimism for what is trending in public education is also running on fumes. Like a skilled party guest, it’s important to know when to leave.
It is said that you only need a sip of wine to know if the bottle is any good. What about three decades of “sips” in many classrooms? My first public school teaching position was in an “urban” Nevada school that was so gang-infested that one vice principal wore a kevlar vest under his button down shirt. I once asked a Hispanic student in one of the gangs, “Why don’t you warring gang kids band together and become a united group? You have so many of the same struggles.” He said, “Because if we’re better than at least one other gang at least we’re better than somebody, Holmes.” Telling.
By and large I genuinely liked the Spanish-speaking kids mostly because they interacted with me (as a bilingual) differently than they did with other teachers who weren’t. For the most part I found them friendly enough so long as you gave them a fair shake and never ‘dissed’ them. Hispanics are one-on-one reciprocal in interpersonal assessment, something I liked about them. That said, once you get beyond a percentage tipping point, they’re just as “our race over yours” as blacks.
The impact of illegal aliens on America’s schools is tectonic. The tax dollars spent to serve illegals (and feed and provide them health care) in our schools is obscene. Federal costs alone come to nearly seven billion dollars. In my state of Tennessee there is about $383 million in education spending on undocumented students (2017 figures.) Certainly it’s more now. Educating/serving children in foreign languages is twice as much per person as native born children. What do we get for this cash hemorrhage? Staggering truancy, a spike in discipline issues, low test scores and a high school dropout rate three times the white rate and twice the black rate. They receive free education, free meals, often free day care, and free medical services in school, yet, as with blacks, they loudly demand more rights, privileges, and entitlements. Mainstreaming these students into the regular classroom doesn’t serve them very well and results in a lower common denominator that puts a drag chute on higher performing students. (Much more on this to follow.)
What’s the impact of non-English speaking illegal alien students in America’s schools? You will find no research on this vital question, absolutely none. A significant number of our urban schools are a Third World culture that does not value education, accepts their children becoming pregnant and dropping out, and adamantly refuses to assimilate. You’re paying for that.
The main reason for the present day mess is the 1982 Plyler v. Doe Supreme Court (5-4) decision. This judgment upheld that “A state cannot prevent children of undocumented immigrants from attending public school unless a substantial state interest is involved.” (It is undeniable that today, 45 years later, a very substantial state interest is involved when it comes to screening students for their legal citizenship status.) The court determined that to deny enrollment to such children violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Fast forward. We need a new assessment of “equal protection” in 2024 to factor in the protection of children born to American citizens who have the right to self-actualize, deserve freedom of association, and must be safe in the schools where their families’ taxes underwrite those schools with their tax dollars.
Here’s the immigrant net-net: nearly one out of four (23 percent) students in public schools come from immigrant-headed households, both legal and illegal (2021 statistic.) This is double the 11 percent in 1990 and more than triple the 7 percent in 1980. About 90 percent of all immigration inflow has been non-European since 1970, and the 3rd World/PoC floodgates are wide open. You do the math.
The black kids at the Nevada school weren’t “simpatico” with the Hispanics (typical), and showed open hostility towards them during any Hispanic heritage event while insisting on special recognition for anything, everything, black. Both groups shared a generally apathetic attitude towards bettering themselves through education, though the Hispanic kids were very hard working at their manual labor jobs outside of school. A notable point of difference was that the Hispanic kids still seemed to listen to and had a modicum of respect for their mothers. The family orientation for them was strong to the point of them being truant for the slightest family reason. The black kids showed mostly eye-rolling tolerance for their mothers despite the volume and bluster they generated. Black mothers did more shouting and hitting than any other race that I taught. Dad was mostly nowhere to be found.
My experience with both groups of students “of color” was the same in several other school systems across the country where I worked. The most dysfunctional school I taught in was in the inner city of a major Southern city that was overwhelmingly black. Ironically, it was the highest paycheck I’d ever earned as a teacher with the most massive budget of any school system I’d ever experienced, and the most spectacular waste of time and tax dollars I’d ever been party to.
My average day there was teaching mostly kids with no want, need, or use for education except as a place to go during the day to do anything but learn. Drug dealing was common, bullying was everywhere, fights happened nearly every day. The school had a day care for teenagers’ children, themselves babies, who had their own babies. My classes were stocked with few kids who were there to really apply themselves (though there were some, and I deeply respected their dedication.) Standards were low, and administration pressured teachers to not write up kids for “minor” things that disrupted the learning in the classroom (read: short of a full-on brawl in your classroom, don’t burden us with your problem). The subtle imperative there was: keep the kids in your room, out of the halls, don’t bother Admin with whatever they do short of needing crime tape. Some teachers rolled with it and allowed their rooms to become little more than loitering spaces with the unspoken understanding that students could do anything they wanted so long as they were relatively quiet about it. I wasn’t one of them.
Once I called out a student who was carrying on in the back of my room during a lesson. The student’s posse swarmed me with objection to my asserting control in my class. I telegraphed an I’m-not-having-it tone. My response to them was, “I seriously doubt she’s going to need psychological help over this situation that is, by the way, none of your business.” Thirty minutes later I was summoned to the principal’s office and told that four girls in my class stood as witnesses that I had told the fifth that “she had psychological problems.” I stood on what really happened. The principal urged me to “take one for the team” and sign an already drafted reprimand that would go in my personnel file. “Nobody sees these things, anyway,” he told me.
The principal wasn’t going to have my back, so I wasn’t going to remain there. Several months later, that spring, all five new hires in my department resigned. The department chair, a kindly older white woman, who was more mother to them than teacher, remained. Mrs. X was imbued with white savior complex to the point of having a washer and dryer in her classroom for students to use. The whole place was more of a health and human service mini mall than a school. A few years later President Obama visited the school and told students, “I’ve heard great things about this high school and all of you.”
The Canadian Press / Sean Kilpatrick
Sweden is going to pay immigrants up to $34,000 to leave their country as part of a bold new remigration plan from the ruling right-wing Swedish Democrats.
