Maine’s largest union, the Maine Education Association, has passed a resolution calling for the state pension system to divest from corporations “complicit in the violation of the human rights” of Palestinian civilians amid Israel’s ongoing war against the Islamic terrorist organization Hamas, according to a copy of the resolution obtained by the Bangor Daily News.
[RELATED: Report Uncovers Links Between Anti-Israel Protesters and CCP…]
The union’s resolution, which calls for the state pension to exercise economic pressure on Israel as they attempt to eliminate Hamas, comes just over seven months since the terrorist group launched an attack on Israel from the Gaza strip, killing about 1,200 Israelis and taking hundreds hostage — including U.S. citizens.
Since the Oct. 7 attack, Israel has engaged in an ongoing bombardment and ground invasion campaign into the Gaza Strip with the stated goal of eliminating Hamas.
The Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health has claimed that the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza since Oct. 7 is more than 34,000.
Maine Education Association delegates approved the resolution at their annual Representative Assemble in South Portland over the weekend, a delegate who wished to remain anonymous told the Bangor newspaper.
The resolution calls on the trustees of the Maine Public Employees Retirement System to “develop a cost-effective and financially sound investment portfolio that does not contribute to any corporation, state-owned entity, or financial product identified as being complicit in the violation of the human rights guaranteed to Palestinian civilians under international law.”
[RELATED: GOP Pols Want to Send U.S. Citizens to Work in Gaza For Crimes Unrelated to Anti-Israel Protests…]
Citing precedent “for leveraging our state pension fund in the interest of justice and human rights,” the union argued that teachers’ retirement funds “should not be complicit in human rights abuses.”
“Now, almost 40 years later, we should leverage our pension fund once again in the interest of human rights,” the resolution states.
It is not clear where the resolution mentions how exerting economic pressure on Israel benefits the quality of Maine schools, which by recent studies have declined in rankings to among the worst in the nation.
The Maine union’s resolution comes amid nationwide protests on college campuses by pro-Palestine student organizations — in some cases creating tent encampments and occupying university buildings — demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict, and that universities divest from companies connected to the Israeli military.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="28094 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=28094">21 Comments
Not sure how this is considered antisemitic. The Israel government is committing a genocide similar to how the United States government committed a genocide on Native Americans. Technically speaking Palestinian, Iranian, iraqi etc are all Semitic people. So if anyone is committing antisemitic behavior it is Israel and all their zionist supporters.
End dual citizenship in congress. You can not serve two masters but its quite obvious exactly 0 politicians have the peoples best interest. Time for exiting their system and building a better one.
@Joe. Technically speaking you don’t know what you’re talking about. In modern usage Semitic refers to the Jewish people. Hamas started this war and the State of Israel has every right to end it on their terms. This is NOT a genocide by any length of the imagination except in the minds of progressive terror supporters like the teachers unions.
Fact, most Maine newspapers, as exposed by Maine Wire, were bought out and now owned by, yup, you guessed…”The National Trust for Local News, a nonprofit trust funded by left-wing billionaires George Soros, eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, and a collection of like-minded progressives foundations and nonprofits.” Why trust these Pravda (Truth), propaganda strongholds for Maine information. Question who runs the teachers’ unions, brainwashing our children…more leftist, fascist propaganda. Turn Insane Maine around to normalcy with your next vote!
Does anyone here know about the dancing Israelis,or the mossad art students? Anyone here ever read By Way Of Deception? How about what happened to the USS Liberty? The Balfour declaration? What about the transfer agreement. Israel supporters dont know their history.
Netanyahu is currently being looked at by the International Criminal Court for crimes against the Palestinian people.
Also, Hamas was created by Israel. Ron Paul told us that about 14 years ago. You may still be able to find that video on the web. The powers at be like to hide the truth from the public. Hence the reversal of the Smith-Mundt Act, (Project Mockingbird).
So I guess they’ll be diversifying from china, canada, mexico and all middle eastern countries too? You retirees better lawyer up or be prepared to eat dog food in your golden years.
Joe, the USS Liberty was shot up because it had been told to leave its location but the message was lost, Perhaps in a U S Navy Com Sta. That was about sixty years ago.
Joe, Good comment and true.
Palestinians are being killed because Hamas will not let them leave, Hamas shields themselves in Palestinian schools and hospitals. In an effort to be humanitarian Israel drops leaflets before an impending attack. Hamas is the enemy not the Palestinians.
@Joe
Remember your audience. Most were taught by the MEA, so history is not one of their strong suits
Seriously this is teachers, remember this group advocates for gender mutilation, abortion, etc. Education of children is the last thing on their minds and agenda.
How soon we forget. There were quite a few more noncombatant’s that died in Afghanistan after the 9/11 terrorist attack. Proportionately a far greater death toll in the attack on Israel based on population than 9/11. And the general media and public have been fed false information on casualties in Gaza. No where is it listed how many were terrorist fighters that yes can be women. So Maines largest union bases its decision on fake facts fed by Hamas?
This is clearly antisemitic. These leftist groups seem to forget how the sequence of events started; with an unprovoked slaughter of innocent Israeli citizens which absolutely was a genocide. Too bad that none of these groups seem to care about the innocent US hostages being held by the Hamas terrorists.
Where did people think the poorly educated, highly indoctrinated, useful idiots on America’s campuses got their ideas from? From public educators and college professors sitting on their ivory towers, that’s where.
Why are they so concerned about the business of other countries while we here at home are being invaded by many who are extremely hostile toward our own country. What’s with this almighty thinking of saving the world as our own nation is on a path of self destruction?
If I were the teacher I would be furious that my dues which fund the pension system could be endangered by a small few who are supporting clearly as activist a cause that is not part of their charter. One of their jobs is to see that the pension fund gets a maximum return.
It’s time for teachers to start protecting the financial interest of their future and move away from these leaders who are consumed with follow the crowd, follow the crowd, follow the crowd.
Joe Joe
Why is it that Saudi Arabia has an impenetrable wall 20’ deep to keep the people of Gaza out? We don’t get all the facts due to a media that cherry picks what we are told. The issue is that the teachers union has no business manipulating and possibly endangering the pension fund of teachers based on the ideological political views of the leaders currently in power.
@ Chris
Thanks for the ‘Europa: the last battle’ tip. That was pretty good. Consider checking out ‘Monopoly: who owns the world?’ on ‘stop world control’ site.
@ Joe
I’m afraid this crowd is a product of a failing education system and the plug in drug (T.V). They are the “freedom fries” nuts. State Dept just issued a do not travel anywhere / at your own risks for Americans. This crowd doesn’t realize it’s our own fault everyone hates us. Some of them actually think the teachers union should invest in the manufacture of precision guided munitions (boeing) to murder women and children and facial recognition (amazon) to prevent them from escaping the precision carpet bombing. Apparently that is good role modelling for the younger generation.
@Mainer
Not sure israel created Hamas or simply funded a start up rivalry against the PLO. The result was to cause dysfunction in Palestinian leadership. Playing both sides as it were. Fat lot of good it did them.
Bottom line none of this should be happening. Right after Monica blew bill in the oral office bathroom he shook hands with Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin where they had been waiting in the rose garden the whole time. The Oslo I accords were then signed that established a two state solution. A year later a duel citizen American/israeli went on a shooting rampage at the Ibrahimi Mosque, a year after that Yitzhak Rabin was assonated, both thanks in large part to Benjamin Netanyahu’s psychotic rhetoric. The Oslo accords died with him.
Recommended sites: no particular order
⬇️
Anti-War
Moon of Alabama
Unz Review
VT Foreign Policy
Natural News
The Libertarian Institute
Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity
The Cradle
Algora Blog
Information Liberation
Brownstone Institute
Anthrax Vaccine Blogspot (Dr. Meryl Nass)
RT
Sputnik
Middle East Eye
Aljazeera
Schengen News
Fort Fairfield Journal
Gold, Goats, N’ Guns
Unlimited Hangout
The Corbett Report
Field and Stream
Thankfully the Maine constitution gives MEPERS the exclusive right to invest in what benefits the retirees. I serve on the Labor committee, and we see bills that would require MEPERS to disinvest in fossil fuels, and for-profit prisons, and we see bills that propose to change retirement ages for groups. This is why Maine voters approved the constitutional amendment, which states when we pass a bill to increase benefits the state has to write a check up front for the whole cost. This is why back in the 80s the fund was going broke, unfunded mandates passed by the state, which did not require payment up front.
The Maine EDUCATION Association is a result of decades of Marxist infiltration of academia. They certainly don’t educate our children to be critical thinkers because that concept is foreign to them. What a useless bunch of hacks!
If you don’t think the government of Israel is a Zionist genocidal regime I have a vaccine I would like to sell you. Wake up sheeple, this garbage has destroyed the empire and YES we are an empire.
Glad to see the MEA do the right thing. This extermination of Palestinians and the destruction of Gaza by apartheid Israel should not be supported.
I can see most of the comments below are from people who are as ill informed as many AIPAC recipients in Congress. I always believed Mainers were kinder and more open minded than the rest of the nation. Cable news has had a negative impact on the state.