abcnews.go.com...
The president of a state teachers union left a meeting Monday with Gov. Chris Christie after refusing to fire a local president who wrote a memo that
joked about the governor's death, further escalating a rift that began before Christie's election.
Christie spokesman Mike Drewniak said the governor wants Bergen County teachers union head Joe Coppola fired for his "irresponsible" memo. The memo
from the Bergen County Education Association to its locals included a closing prayer that read:
"Dear Lord this year you have taken away my favorite actor, Patrick Swayze, my favorite actress, Farrah Fawcett, my favorite singer, Michael Jackson,
and my favorite salesman, Billy Mays. I just wanted to let you know that Chris Christie is my favorite governor."
Coppola and New Jersey Education Association President Barbara Keshishian have apologized for the memo. Coppola has said the "prayer" was a joke and
was never meant to be made public.
This is a sticky situation. To start, I have to say that the memo was pretty funny to me. That does not justify it being written down and
circulated. Its not exactly a threat, unless one considers indirect prayers that the governor dies to be a threat. It could just be Christie seizing
any opportunity to weaken the NJEA.
I have to add in this personal tale: Governor Christie visited my town's Ambulance Corps/Fire Department, to make a speech on something or other.
The local high school was not even 10 yards away, yet he did not pay a visit to a politics class, or make a photo op. The whole Christie vs NJEA
battle has gotten way too heated.
[edit on 13-4-2010 by fleetlord]