A New Kind of Reading Experience

I am shocked and disappointed that NEWSWEEK would give Karl Rove a podium from which to spread more of his lies and invective. This man, the handler behind George W. Bush, a member of the triumvirate who led this country into a horrible war in Iraq, with blood on his hands for tens of thousands of American and Iraqi dead, this man who was allegedly behind the smear campaigns of at least three honorable veterans (Sen. John Kerry, Rep. John Murtha and former senator Max Cleland)—Rove never served his country except to pull the strings of a figurehead president. I'm aghast that you would give Rove a column after all he's done to wreck our economy and ruin so many lives.
Beth Giordano
Marlton, N.J.

The Racist History of the Noose
Ellis Cose aptly characterizes noose wielders as fools deserving contempt ("Ignore the Noosemakers," Nov. 5). But as head of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal agency responsible for combating workplace discrimination, I see such misconduct as a serious and continuing problem. The prevalence of noose incidents in recent weeks serves as a reminder of the persistence of racism in the 21st century. Race has consistently represented the most frequently filed basis in charges of discrimination, and this trend shows no signs of abating. In fiscal year 2006, the EEOC received 27,238 charges of race-based discrimination—36 percent of our private-sector caseload. In addition, color-discrimination charges have almost quadrupled over the past 15 years, rising from 374 in fiscal year 1992 to 1,241 in fiscal year 2006. The EEOC launched the E-RACE (Eradicating Racism and Colorism From Employment) Initiative in February to address existing and emerging race and color issues—including the presence of nooses—in the workplace. Working together, we can make workplaces tolerant and inclusive.
Naomi C. Earp, Chair
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Washington, D.C.

Campaign '08 and Education
Evan Thomas unfairly and inaccurately characterized the National Education Association in his recent Web-exclusive column ("Schooling the Candidates: Why the '08 contenders don't talk about education reform," Nov. 26).

NEA works to provide a quality education to all children and to serve the needs of its members. The two go hand-in-hand. We enhance the professionalism of educators by providing them with opportunities to develop their skills and improve their teaching techniques, and we advocate for the employment rights, benefits and working conditions that they deserve as professionals. 

Every child deserves a quality teacher. For this reason, NEA spends a comparable amount of time and money on increasing the number of highly qualified teachers, giving all teachers the respect and salary they deserve, and building bipartisan support for public education.

The reality is that teachers are underpaid, underappreciated, and lack the basic resources they need to succeed, like current textbooks and safe buildings. With all of the talk about "accountability" in education, where is the accountability for addressing these critical needs?

Reg Weaver
President
National Education Association
Washington, D.C.

© 2007