A visit from my superintendent this morning brought the news that some punks from an anti-union outfit called the Education Action Group had filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request on all my district emails.
Why?
They’re fishing for evidence that I’m a pro-union, politically active, progressive teacher.
Hey. They could have just asked my colleagues. It’s not a secret. That’s why they elected me president of their union local for ten years.
I write openly about my views on my blog.
And I don’t use work email to do it.
Of course that’s only part of their intent. They also want to intimidate others.
This is an old story. They tried it back in the 1950s when they followed the lead of that drunk Joe McCarthy.
It works sometimes. But not when good people stand up to bullies like this and say, “bring it on.”
The law says they can look at my work emails because I’m a public employee. But they could have looked anyway.
I am what I am.
Ben Velderman is the guy who filed the FOIA request. He is the “Project Manager” at the Education Action Group Foundation, Inc at 213 733 4202. His email is ben@edactiongroup.org.
Don’t email him from work.
Fred Klonsky 
They came for Fred Klonsky, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t Fred Klonsky…
Personally I think ridicule is the most effective response assuming that your livelihood and/or well-being aren’t directly threatened.
Maybe you should just send him all your work e-mails — dump your entire “sent” file — that would keep him happy and entertained for a while. Or send them to some intermediary, some charter-loving journalist whose e-mail you have handy — one by one.
I wouldn’t e-mail this guy to win a bet.