TN Educators Vs. Mass Media

The following news release features Jackson's Own Earl Wiman

August 31, 2007
For Immediate Release
Contact: Cheryl Umberger, TEA Communications, cumberger@tea.nea.org,
615.242.8392, Ext. 112 (O), 615.319.1018 (C)
Tennessee’s Teachers Appalled by Food Chain Television Advertisement
NASHVILLE—“How irresponsible can you get? At this very moment, there are female teachers in high school classrooms with 30+ students who are working hard to teach our children so that they can compete in today’s world. It is unbelievably demeaning to every one of them to promote a television advertisement showing a young teacher gyrating on top of her desk while boys in the class rap about her body in order to sell hamburgers!” Tennessee Education Association President Dr. Earl Wiman’s strong reaction came following the airing of the Hardee’s ‘flat bun’ hamburger commercial during last night’s Titans football game. “At a time when teachers, parents and the business community demand even more rigorous and relevant coursework for K-12 students, no one should condone such a sexually exploitive assault on our teachers, our students, or our schools,” he continued. “All morning I have received calls and e-mails from teachers, their families, and other school officials. They are outraged, and so am I.“I am asking that all of our members and the public who care about children and their education to contact their local Hardee’s to voice their concerns. The TEA Web site, http://www.teateachers.org/, will also carry contact information for those who want to write or call corporate officials. (Hardee’s is one of the CKE Restaurants chain, along with Carl’s Jr. and Green Burrito fast food restaurants.)Wiman concluded, “Tennessee’s teachers work hard every day to educate the children of this state. Working with parents, we strive to teach and reinforce good behavior so that all students have the chance to learn in a safe and orderly environment, and we strongly resent those who flaunt their disregard for both teachers and the children we teach.”

Presidential Prospects

If you look at the calendar, November 2008 seems light years away. If you read the newspapers, search the web, listen to talk radio or catch the evening news, the presidential election seems much, much closer.

Here in Tennessee Fred Thompson, TV actor and former U.S. Senator is virtually assured of the Republican vote on February 5th, 2008. Just how well Mr. Thompson fares in the other 49 states remains to be seen in light of the lateness of his accouncement in his quest for the presidency.

The other potential presidential candidate from Tennessee is Al Gore. According to The Boston Globe, some 1,000 signatures are in place in the Granite State in an effort to get Gore to enter the New Hampshire presidential primary. Just how far Mr. Gore decides to take this option remains to be seen.

What impact will these two Tennesseans have on their respective parties? Hillary R. Clinton leads the pack on the Democratic side, while former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is currently the front runner for the GOP. Thompson's impact is clear. Even this late in the game, the actor-turned-politician is a force no one in the Republican Party is ignoring. Gore on the other hand seems to be just a dim hope for the Democrats.

At the moment, the debate over early primaries has touched both parties. Iowa and New Hampshire traditionally serve as kick-off states for the presidential contests but other states like Florida are debating earlier contests to bolster their states political clout. Ultimately, the Democratic Convention takes place in Denver this August while Minneapolis-St. Paul will be playing host to the GOP in early September.

Yep. September 2007 is here and so is the race for the White House, even with election day being well over a year away.

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John Scofield