Recent Blog Posts

 

Listen and learn with us

Listen to our Podcast.

This Website is being updated...

please be sure to visit great

History Resources on the right.

Click on picture 

 

Link to--Churches Can Make A Huge Difference In An Election

 

 

Click to podcast link (2nd on list is most recent show-archive to 2015)

 

Click here for link to our podcasts

Search Bar Below To Look Up Articles

SEARCH BAR

Listen to internet radio with City On A Hill Radio on BlogTalkRadio

Why is America At War

Cross in the ashes of the WTC

Click on pic to 9/11

 

The Powerful Story on the Twins
Lifting Each Other in Prayer with Ms. Margaret
Remembering 9/11 in'09
Fresh Hope, the ministry of Susan Sieweke, D.Min.
Laminin

For in him we live (zao {dzah'-o}, and move, and have our being; Acts 17:28

Our Children Our Future
What If A Nation Prayed

See Prayer List

 

 


Let us do our part to keep this the Land of the Free and Honor the Brave

  

Get to speed--basic info you must know as there is not enough news still for K-12th hidden agenda and about the ROE--so please share!

Homosexual Indoctrination for K-12th hidden in Anti-Bullying Law: The Bill   The Agenda  Federalizing

Revised Rules of Engagement--Empowering The Enemy:  Joshua's Death  The Father's Letter & Interviews

Czars and Their Unconstitutional Powers

Health Care Bill Or The Derailing Of America

Cap and Trade--Skyrocketing Utilities For Almost Bankrupt America/ For Whose Benefit? EPA Report

Know How They Voted

Truths To Share As Freedom Isn't Free

Click on pic to see samples of what's on site

Join with us in prayer (National Prayer List)

EPHRAIM'S ARROW--JEWISH STUDIES


Weather By The Hour

Don't forget as you check on the weather to check in with the One who calms the storms!

 

Fields White To Harvest

 

 

Lord, I thought I knew you,

   but know the winds have changed.

Tossed away, will you find me?

   Can still , my heart be sustained?

Just me and you when things were new,

then the season's storms blew by.

   Did I forget to worship you?

 

Will you come, Lord Jesus to gather us- your sheep.

   For the days grow long and still,

If we watch and wait, will you hear us yet-

   Can we stand strong to do you will?

 

 The wheat has been blowing in that field,

   While the laborers are so few.

What then, now are we waiting for?

   Can hardened hearts become like new?

 

 Safely can we stay behind you,

   as we march with your trumpet sound?

Or- have we stayed and hid so long now,

   That our roots dry underground?

 

 I pray Lord that you will find me.

   I pray not to be ashamed.

I seek you when it's early Lord.

   I pray not to fall away.

 

So come Lord Jesus come quickly-

   The terrible day is at hand.

I pray we'll all be steadfast.

   So you may strengthen our spirits ,

as we stand.

 

Loree Brownfield

Thursday
Apr142011

The Power of Parents: Mansfield ISD Drops Arabic Studies Program

“The Power of Parents: Mansfield ISD Drops Arabic Studies Program”

Introducton by Donna Garner

4.14.11

 

http://www.educationnews.org/ednews_today/153951.html

 

[Because of the hue and cry from concerned parents in Mansfield ISD, Mansfield, Texas, the administration was forced to amend its Arabic studies grant application sent to the U. S. Department of Education.  The Arabic studies classes were changed from being mandatory for fifth and sixth graders and were moved up to the seventh and eighth grade as electives.  Consequently, the USDOE refused the amended version; and Mansfield ISD breathed a sigh of relief because they were able to make a graceful exit from their ill-conceived plan.  -- Donna Garner]

 

District drops Arabic program

Posted Tuesday, Apr. 12, 2011

http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/04/12/2994836/district-drops-arabic-program.html

The Mansfield school district will not be teaching Arabic after all.

On April 5, the district found out that its revised timeline to implement an Arabic studies program was rejected by the Department of Education, said Richie Escovedo, district spokesperson.

"We are stopping all Arabic studies effective immediately," Escovedo said.

The district had planned to begin the Arabic studies program this semester at Cross Timbers Intermediate School, but decided to delay the program after almost 200 parents showed up at a parents meeting to question the move. Funded by a federal five-year $1.3 million Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP) grant, the program was to then be integrated into the curriculum at Kenneth Davis and T.A. Howard Middle Schools in the fall and later to Summit High School students.

After weighing the parents' concerns, the district submitted an amended proposal in February that would have suspended teaching Arabic until the fall, using the rest of the current semester as a planning period.

Under the new timeline, Arabic studies would have been offered beginning this fall at T.A. Howard Middle School as an exploratory class for seventh-graders and as a foreign language option for eighth-graders, who could have use it for high school credit.

Howard eighth-graders could also have chosen Spanish.

The Mansfield district has already received $5,897.83 from the grant, Escovedo said. He said he does not know if they will be required to refund the money.

"We haven't received any information that we will have to," he said.

The school district released the news Friday afternoon in a statement on the district's website.

"It is clear to me that MISD and the Department of Education will be unable to agree on the specifics of this grant's implementation," Superintendent Bob Morrison said in the statement. "It is my decision as superintendent that we accept the Department of Education's decision without appeal. We appreciate our local community's patience and honesty as we worked through this process. Thank you for your continued support of our schools."

The University of Texas at Austin, working with the Mansfield district, originally identified Cross Timbers as a target because 10 percent of the district's Arabic-speaking population attends the south Arlington school.

The district offers Chinese, Russian, Spanish, French, German and Latin. Students may begin taking language classes in middle school to fulfill their high school requirement of two years of foreign language.

This story contains information from the News-Mirror archives.

Amanda Rogers, (817) 473-4451



Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/04/12/2994836/district-drops-arabic-program.html#ixzz1JTVfLeeb

 

 

========================

“Arabic Studies in Texas Public Schools”

by Donna Garner

2.25.11

 

People think that studying the Arabic language (and culture) is similar to studying Spanish, French, or German; but these people groups have not declared war on Americans, have not been involved in countless bomb plots and terrorist activities, did not fly their planes into tall buildings killing nearly 3000 innocent Americans, did not kill 13 people at Ft. Hood, and do not have a Muslim Brotherhood that is stealthily infusing itself into every part of our American culture.  

 

Posted further on down the page is the link to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) that are required standards for Texas teachers to teach and for their students to learn. These are the standards that would guide Arabic language courses in Texas.  They fall under two separate TEKS courses:  (1) Languages Other Than English or (2) Exploratory Languages. 

 

 

Please notice how many TEKS require students to learn about the culture of the Arabic language. That means that Islam which is a theopolitical belief system will be infused into these courses. 

 

In other words, the Arabic language cannot be studied without learning about Islamic religious beliefs, practices, and the cultural/political ties to Mohammed, the Quran, Sharia law, Jihad, etc.  

 

Separating concepts in Islam from concepts specific to Arab culture, or from the language itself, can be difficult. Many Arabic concepts have an Arabic secular meaning as well as an Islamic meaning. One example is the concept of dawah. One of the complexities of the Arabic language is that a single word can have multiple meanings. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_Islam)

 

QUESTIONS CARING PARENTS NEED TO ASK

 

Will school districts require an opt-in form to be signed by a student’s parent(s) before the student is allowed to participate in an Arabic studies program?  

 

What Arabic instructional materials will Texas public schools use to teach these courses? 


Have those instructional materials been approved by the Texas State Board of Education?

 

Have those materials gone through the normal adoption approval process where the public has had extensive opportunities for input? 

 

What publishing companies have published these instructional materials? 

 

What are the financial ties behind these publishing companies?  Are they tied to Saudi Arabia or any other Middle Eastern countries?

 

Do we want our innocent school children to be seduced into Islam by becoming captivated by a study of the Arabic culture and Islamic belief system?   Do we as taxpayers want to pay for this Islamic indoctrination of our school children? 

 

YOUTUBE BY COL. ALLEN WEST

 

2.12.10 -- Col. Allen West explains that Islam is a theopolitical belief system.  Move marker to 1:35:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkGQmCZjJ0k

 

MANSFIELD ISD, TEXAS

 

At taxpayers’ expense, Mansfield ISD (Texas) planned to start mandatory Arabic studies in Grades 5 and 6 with these classes eventually extending through high school -- 2.8.11:

 

http://www.navigator-news.com/component/content/article/32-editorials/202-mansfield-isd-making-arabic-mandatory

 

and

 

http://news.navigator-news.com/component/content/article/3-local/203-mansfield-isds-poor-decision-to-mandate-arabic

 

Under pressure from enraged parents and members of the public when Mansfield ISD finally decided to inform the parents, Mansfield ISD has now changed their plan, but they have to wait on the U. S. Department of Education to approve it because of the $1.3 Million FLAP grant that Mansfield ISD received.  Federal grants (paid for with our taxpayers’ dollars) do have strings attached.

 

NEW PLAN PROPOSED BY MANSFIELD ISD

 

Update:  Feb 18, 2011

Press Release Mansfield ISD Arabic grant update

Mansfield ISD was recently awarded a Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP) grant focused on the Arabic language from the Department of Education. Based on our community feedback, Mansfield ISD has proposed a change to the US Department of Education that will modify the timeline and structure of the Arabic language grant. Arabic language classes will not be mandatory at any level in the District.

 

Mansfield ISD has proposed the following timeline for the Arabic FLAP grant implementation:

 

* Year 1 (2010-11) The current school year will be considered a planning year.


* Year 2 (2011-12) T.A. Howard Middle School will offer Arabic as an elective foreign language*; exploratory class for 7th grade and Arabic 1 foreign language for high school credit** in the 8th grade.


* Year 3 (2012-13) Cross Timbers Intermediate School (grades 5-6) will offer optional language exploration during advisory periods throughout the day. Parents will have multiple opportunities for feedback once a draft of the curriculum is ready for review.

 Summit High School will offer a level 2 Arabic as an elective foreign language.


* Year 4 (2013-14) Summit High School will add a level 3 Arabic course as an elective foreign language. Additionally, Kenneth Davis Elementary will add optional language exploration of Arabic for grades K-4. Planning is in the early stages for the optional language development program at Davis. Parents will have multiple opportunities for feedback once a draft of the curriculum is ready for review.


* Year 5 (2014-15) Summit High School will add a level 4 Arabic course and an Advanced Level Arabic for Native Speakers in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin.

 

“We feel confident that these changes will be approved by the Department of Education,” said Dr. Bob Morrison, Superintendent.”

 

HURST-EULESS-BELL ISD (TEXAS)

 

Arabic language classes in Hurst-Euless-Bell ISD -- 2.20.10: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/02/20/2863420/h-e-b-school-district-to-offer.html

 

GULEN CHARTER SCHOOLS (TEXAS)

 

Charter schools tied to Gulen, an Islamist imam who was recently honored by the Texas Senate: http://ramparts360.com/uncategorized/texas-senate-honors-islamist-imam/

and

http://www.todayszaman.com/news-233740-texas-senate-passes-resolution-commending-fethullah-gulen.html

================

 

These are the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) that are required standards for Texas teachers to follow when they teach Languages Other Than English or Exploratory Languages. 

 

http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter114/ch114b.html#114.11

Chapter 114. Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Languages Other Than English
Subchapter B.
Middle School

 

 

 

Donna Garner

Wgarner1@hot.rr.com

 



Tuesday
Apr122011

Why Does Texas Allow Charter School Board Members To Be Non US Citizens--It Depended On Who You Know--The Selling Of America's Children In Texas?

[You must go to Peyton Wolcott’s power-packed website today if you are concerned about the possible indoctrination of our students through the Gulen Movement/Cosmos Foundation/Harmony Charter Schools. – Donna Garner]

 

  

While we may "hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal," not all charter schools are created equal. www.PeytonWolcott.com

 

Texas: Land of Charters -- and Economic Opportunity

(SB 597 & HB 1437)

By Peyton Wolcott

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

 

In 1995, state senator Bill Ratliff rewrote the Texas Education Code -- big-time. Other than paving the way for a lucrative career as a lobbyist for both himself and his son Thomas (Microsoft, etc.), this accomplished several things (more below) including the establishment of charter schools in Texas [e.g., Gulen/Cosmos Foundation/Harmony Schools].

 

But Bill forgot to include proof of US citizenship for appointed charter school board members.

 

Like old-time sleeper cells, charter operators have mostly been content to keep a low profile, renting empty storefronts and doing their best, some like KIPP telling us enthusiastically and often about their achievements, others like Houston pastor Harold Wilcox or San Antonio superintendent Roi Garcia, failing miserably (links to news stories below).

 

But now the charter operators have gone all glitzy on us and want a piece of the Texas plum pie, a guarantee by the Permanent School Fund (the PSF is the endowment that allocates monies for free textbooks to Texas public school students) for their school construction bonds, just like at public school districts.

 

The largest of the Texas charter operators, Cosmos Foundation, Inc., has even hired no less than Karen Hughes of PR heavyweights Burson-Marsteller to -- uh, what's the word I'm looking for -- help Cosmos pass the school construction bond bills.

 

Other than the fact that Karen has declined to state how much cash she's receiving for her, uh, help with the bond bills, what's the problem with charter schools wanting bond bills passed?

 

Sen. Florence Shapiro's SB 597 & Rep. Rob Eissler's sleeper companion, HB 1437

 

Until this year, so long as charter schools were content to lease those empty storefronts, whether or not Texas charter operators were citizens of the United States of America was relatively moot.

 

But now with their wanting access to the PSF the issue of US citizenship becomes very important indeed.

 

The local ISDs who also have access to the PSF as a guarantee for their construction bonds are governed by elected trustees, all of whom must be US citizens. When they run for office we get to vet them for ourselves.

 

Not so with our charter operators. When folks get off the plane from another country and apply to the State of Texas to start up a charter school, TEA does not ask whether or not they are US citizens because, remember, Bill Ratliff did not include US citizenship requirements in his 1995 SB1.

 

And because charter school operations are run by boards who are appointed, not elected, they do not go through the same vetting process as do elected officials.

 

At least two Cosmos Foundation, Inc. officials have non-Cosmos businesses that are not in good standing (as of this morning) with the Texas Comptroller. They are superintendent Soner Tarim and board VP Ellen A. MacDonald. There may be more or these two may be the only ones; they are the only two I've researched so far.

 

Also, Soner, the superintendent, still has no SBEC certification after a decade at the helm. These two officials are running a charter operation involving many schoolchildren and many millions of dollars. 

See chart here: www.peytonwolcott.com/TX_CosmosFoundation_BoardMembers_TurkishEducationEmploymt.html

 

All charter schools are not created equal. At the very least requiring all of our charter operators to be US citizens, to have annual GAAP audits and to put their check registers online will go a long way towards leveling the playing field.

 

As I learn more I will share it with you as soon as is feasible. Our schoolchildren deserve for the grownups in their lives to be better informed on this than we have been.

 

----------------

 

What Bill Ratliff's SB1 in 1995 -- the major rewrite of the Texas Education Code -- did:

  • Gave then-Governor Bush the so-called Texas Miracle in time for his run for the White House.
  • Stripped power from our elected local school boards and given to their employee, the superintendent.
  • Gave Texas schoolchildren fuzzy math and whole word language instruction; the Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills (TEKS) introduced drecky curriculum standards and teachers began teaching to Pearson-supplied tests.
  • Launched Texas taxpayer-funded charter schools -- without requriing the proof of US citizenship which would prevent what's happening now, folks getting off a plane from, say, Kazakhstan, and opening a Texas charter school shortly thereafter.

 

Link to San Antonio Express-News article re Roi Garcia/San Antonio Prep Academy & TEA audit findings: www.mysanantonio.com/news/education/article/TEA-alleges-illegalities-at-district-1320246.php

 

Link to Houston Chronicle article re Pastor Harold Wilcox's $3 million problems at his charter school: www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/2658525.html

 

****************

 

 

www.PeytonWolcott.com

 

 

 

 

 



Tuesday
Mar222011

Prevent Federal Take-Over Of Education Through Common Core Standards-Contact Congressman John Kline

 

“Our Hope Rests with Congressman John Kline”

by Donna Garner

3.19.11

 

When I originally mailed this letter on Nov. 14, 2010 to U. S. Representative John Kline, he was not yet the chair of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce; and I also did not have the e-mail addresses of his staffers.  Therefore, I had to send this as a "snail mail" version. 

 

Today, 3.19.11, I have turned this letter into a digitized version that contains many links to the various documents referenced and to updates which have occurred since November 2010.

 

Please feel free to share this e-mail widely because it clearly explains how the Obama administration working with U. S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan have managed to take control of the public schools in our country. 

 

This is the bottomline: We must convince the Congressmen to cut the funding for Common Core Standards and Race to the Top right now before the national standards, national curriculum, national assessments, and intrusive national database are institutionalized and are considered “too big to fail.”  

 

[Note -- The arrows mean “lead to.”]

 

National standards  →  national assessments  →  national curriculum → teachers’ salaries tied to students’ test scores  →  teachers teaching to the test each and every day  →  national indoctrination of our public school children  →  national database of all students and educators

 

 Donna Garner

Wgarner1@hot.rr.com

========================== 

 

March 18, 2011

 

Congressman John Kline

U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce
2181 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

Tel: 202-225-4527
Fax: 202-225-9571

 

 

Dear Congressman Kline:

 

I am a retired teacher who taught for 33+ years.  I have written prolifically on the federal takeover of the public schools by the Obama administration through Common Core Standards/Race to the Top (CCS/RTTT). 

 

I have researched and tracked this takeover from well before Obama was even elected.  For the first year, it was a pretty lonely experience as most people thought I was in error.  Now that the agenda is inundating the public schools in our nation, parents and the public are growing terribly concerned.

 

Thankfully, you have given me encouragement.  I have read some of your comments on education, and you seem to understand the federal intrusion into the public schools and favor returning that control back to the states and local school districts.  I am thrilled to know that you have not been fooled by the Obama rhetoric.

 

I receive no remuneration for what I write but feel compelled to warn people of the dangers of the Obama administration’s plan for our  school students. 

 

Please go to the following link to read my 3.18.11 article entitled “Taxpayers, Grab Your Wallets” --

http://www.navigator-news.com/component/content/article/3-local/251-taxpayers-grab-your-wallets

 

This explains how terribly expensive the implementation of CCS/RTTT will be for the states. 

 

Not only has the federal government spent $100 Billion (Stimulus), $350 Million for development of assessment tests, $4.35 Billion for RTTT (2010), and $1.35 Billion for RTTT (2011); but the states are going to be left with huge expenditures as they try to implement the online assessments, teacher training, national curriculum, and the national database. 

 

I have asked myself a million times, “Why have the fiscally conservative Congressmen and conservative news media not been vocal about trying to defeat CCS/RTTT even though I and other people have done everything possible to reach them with fact-based articles?”  I believe I have the answer.

 

The Obama administration thought up a scheme to silence the Republicans who normally would have been the ones to oppose this massive takeover of the public schools by the federal government.  

 

The White House/USDOE decided to “divide and conquer” the conservative Republicans.  If the Administration could get the Republicans to think CCS/RTTT was going to help raise academic achievement among students, then who would speak out against that?  Nobody.

 

(1)  The first thing the Administration did was to glorify charter schools, and I believe they used Davis Guggenheim (director of Waiting for Superman) to do it.  The theme of his very popular movie is to glorify charters as only Hollywood can do.  National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grants helped to publicize this movie at the Los Angeles Film Festival and across the country.

 

Please consider Congressman Darrell Issa’s report on 8.26.10 to the U. S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, “Public Relations and Propaganda Initiatives.” [http://www.gop.gov/blog/10/08/16/issas-report-on-obamas-first ]

 

 

In this report on pp. 9-12, we learn that the Obama administration is accused of doing the following: 

 

 Analysis: The use of taxpayer dollars and federal employees to create an alliance whereby the NEA becomes the de facto strategic communications firm of the White House is unlawful. Using a government email account and government personnel and resources to host a call urging artists and arts groups to support the President’s agenda is a clear violation of federal law and the Hatch Act. Furthermore, it is inappropriate for representatives of the White House, NEA and CNCS to formally ask artists and entertainers to use their talents to support the President’s agenda because many of these people rely on NEA grants to subsidize their livelihoods.

 

 

It is my contention that film director Davis Guggenheim (director of Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth) and recently Waiting for Superman may have been present during the conference call that took place on 8.10.09.  In this call, U. S. Government and White House staffers pressured the 75 members of the art and entertainment community to promote Obama’s agenda “by creating art consistent with the goals of United We Serve.” 

 

At the end of the call, the participants were reminded of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) federal grants ($155 million for FY 2009) and the fact that “each grant dollar typically generates up to seven times more in matching funds.”  Three days after the conference call, 21 people from the arts community who had been recipients of the NEA grants endorsed the Obama agenda.

 

I believe that the Obama administration used Waiting for Superman to push its charter school initiative on the American people, partly to tamp down any concerns by the Republicans over CCS/RTTT. 

 

Republicans  basically love charter schools; but what they do not understand is that the Obama model of charters is completely different from the charters that most of us conservatives support.  We want charter schools that offer deep academic curriculum and set high standards for students.  The Obama Administration envisions charters that are themed charter schools (e.g., gay, environmental, Muslim, social justice) that can be used to indoctrinate students into the Obama agenda. 

 

(2)  The second ploy the Administration decided to use in order to “divide and conquer” the Republicans was to vilify the teachers’ unions. Of course, nearly all of us Republicans are opposed to teachers’ unions; and we all want to get rid of poor teachers and reward good teachers.  At least that sounds good, doesn’t it? 

 

What the Obama Administration did, however, is to use this wedge issue to force their agenda into the schools.  If teachers’ pay, evaluations, and contracts are tied to how well their students do on the national assessments, then every teacher will be forced to teach the national curriculum each and every day in his classroom.  Voila!  You have the] national indoctrination of America’s public school children.

 

Following are various articles that contain very important information to guide you when considering the dangerous ramifications of the takeover of the public schools by the Obama administration. 

 

Please do not hesitate to contact me if there is anything that I can do to help you in your efforts to bring the authority over our public schools back to the state and local level.

 

Donna Garner

wgarner1@hot.rr.com

 ======================

NORTH TEXAS NAVIGATOR NEWS  

 

2.14.11 -- “Let’s Get Off the National Standards Train”  -- by Henry Burke & Donna Garner

 

http://www.navigator-news.com/component/content/article/4-national/206-lets-get-off-the-national-standards-train

 

Let’s pose a question.  If you wanted to “sell” something that a number of people did not need, how would you do it?  You might try setting up a contest where everyone competes for a significant financial prize.  After all, Americans love to compete, especially when money goes to the winner. 

Here are the contest details:  The competitors are strapped for cash; the competitors must give up some of their prized possessions in order to qualify; and the game organizers do not announce all of the rules until the game is well underway. How fair does this sound?

This is exactly what Barack Obama and U. S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan have done with Common Core Standards (CCS) and Race to the Top (RTTT). 

Under Obama and Duncan, the federal takeover of our schools is rapidly spreading across our nation.  

It is not too late for the "contestants" to quit playing this game.  States that have taken no federal Common Core Standards (CCS) money can drop out of the game.  Even states that have received some of their Race to the Top (RTTT) funds could make a plea to Congress to pass a "hold harmless" clause that would allow these states some relief.

The questions that states must answer are, "Do we really want the federal government taking control of our public schools?  How much will it cost the cash-strapped taxpayers of our state to make up for the lost CCS/RTTT federal funding?”

(CONTINUED AT:  http://www.navigator-news.com/component/content/article/4-national/206-lets-get-off-the-national-standards-train )

 

=======================

EDUCATIONNEWS.ORG 

http://www.educationnews.org/index.php?news=100137

9.16.10 -- “Am I a Wacko Now?” by Donna Garner

 ================================

http://www.educationnews.org/index.php?news=105680

 

9.1.11 -- “The Obama Administration’s Bullying Agenda” -- by Henry W. Burke and Donna Garner

 

=================================

http://blogs.usdoj.gov/blog/archives/1243

3.18.11 -- “Schools Are Failing To Keep Students Safe” -- by Tracy Russo -- U. S. Department of Justice

================================

11.6.10 -- Link to New York Times article, “In Efforts to End Bullying, Some See Agenda

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/us/07bully.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&ref=education

 

===================================

http://www.educationnews.org/ednews_today/108436.html

 

2.24.11 -- “The Race to the Top Scheme” by Henry W. Burke and Donna Garner

==============================

http://www.educationnews.org/commentaries/107827.html

 

2.16.11 -- “Making Texas the Laughing Stock of the Nation”  -- by Donna Garner

=======================

http://www.navigator-news.com/component/content/article/32-editorials/207-obama-trying-to-do-an-end-run-around-texas-citizens

 

2.15.11 -- “Obama Trying To Do an End Run Around Texas Citizens” -- by Donna Garner

====================

http://www.educationnews.org/index.php?news=104319

 

12.10.10 -- “Obama’s National Data Base Is Upon Us” by Donna Garner

 

=======================

http://www.educationnews.org/index.php?news=103613

 

11.29.10 -- “Time To Resurrect My Article on Marc Tucker” by Donna Garner

====================

http://www.educationnews.org/headlines/151603.html

 

3.18.11 -- “The Further Dumbing Down of America: Marc Tucker, GED”  by Donna Garner

 

Donna Garner

wgarner1@hot.rr.com

 

 



Tuesday
Mar222011

Fethullah Gulen and His Charter Schools Draws Federal Attention

 

[In Texas -- Harmony Science Academies]

 

 

Philly News -- Sun, Mar. 20, 2011

 

U.S. charter-school network with Turkish link draws federal attention

By Martha Woodall and Claudio Gatti

INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/118313549.html?viewAll=y

 

 

Fethullah Gulen is a major Islamic political figure in Turkey [Gulen is an Islamist imam -- Donna Garner], but he lives in self-imposed exile in a Poconos enclave and gained his green card by convincing a federal judge in Philadelphia that he was an influential educational figure in the United States.

 

As evidence, his lawyer pointed to the charter schools, now more than 120 in 25 states, that his followers - Turkish scientists, engineers, and businessmen - have opened, including Truebright Science Academy in North Philadelphia and another charter in State College, Pa.

The schools are funded with millions of taxpayer dollars. Truebright alone receives more than $3 million from the Philadelphia School District for its 348 pupils. Tansu Cidav, the acting chief executive officer, described it as a regular public school.

 

"Charter schools are public schools," he said. "We follow the state curriculum."

 

But federal agencies - including the FBI and the Departments of Labor and Education - are investigating whether some charter school employees are kicking back part of their salaries to a Muslim movement founded by Gulen known as Hizmet, or Service, according to knowledgeable sources.

 

Unlike in Turkey, where Gulen's followers have been accused of pushing for an authoritarian Islamic state, there is no indication the American charter network has a religious agenda in the classroom.

 

Religious scholars consider the Gulen strain of Islam moderate, and the investigation has no link to terrorism. Rather, it is focused on whether hundreds of Turkish teachers, administrators, and other staffers employed under the H1B visa program are misusing taxpayer money.

 

Federal officials declined to comment on the nationwide inquiry, which is being coordinated by prosecutors in Pennsylvania's Middle District in Scranton. A former leader of the parents' group at the State College school confirmed that federal authorities had interviewed her.

 

Bekir Aksoy, who acts as Gulen's spokesman, said Friday that he knew nothing about charter schools or an investigation.

 

Aksoy, president of the Golden Generation Worship & Retreat Center in Saylorsburg, Pa., where Gulen lives, said Gulen, who is in his early 70s, "has no connection with any of the schools," although he might have inspired the people who founded them.

 

Another aim of the Gulen schools, a federal official said, is fostering goodwill toward Turkey, which is led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the pro-Islamic prime minister, whose government recently detained journalists after they alleged that Gulen followers were infiltrating security agencies.

 

Gulen schools are among the nation's largest users of the H1B visas. In 2009, the schools received government approvals for 684 visas - more than Google Inc. (440) but fewer than a technology powerhouse such as Intel Corp. (1,203).

 

The visas are used to attract foreign workers with math, science, and technology skills to jobs for which there are shortages of qualified American workers. Officials at some of the charter schools, which specialize in math and science, have said they needed to fill teaching spots with Turks, according to parents and former staffers.

 

Ruth Hocker, former president of the parents' group at the Young Scholars of Central Pennsylvania Charter School in State College, began asking questions when popular, certified American teachers were replaced by uncertified Turkish men who often spoke limited English and were paid higher salaries. Most were placed in math and science classes.

 

"They would tell us they couldn't find qualified American teachers," Hocker said.

 

That made no sense in Pennsylvania State University's hometown, she said: "They graduate here every year."

 

Other school parents described how uncertified teachers on H1B visas were moved from one charter school to another when their "emergency" teaching credentials expired and told of a pattern of sudden turnovers of Turkish business managers, administrators, and board members.

 

The charter school application that Truebright filed with the Philadelphia School District in 2005 mentioned that its founders helped start similar schools in Ohio, California, and Paterson, N.J.

 

Shana Kemp, a School District spokeswoman, said that the district had just learned Riza Ulker, Truebright's permanent CEO, was on extended sick leave and that it would look into that. She said district officials knew nothing about a federal investigation of these charter schools.

 

Further evidence of the ties comes from a disaffected former teacher from Turkey who told federal investigators that the Gulen Movement had divided the United States into five regions, according to knowledgeable sources. A general manager in each coordinates the activities of the schools and related foundations and cultural centers, he told authorities.

 

Ohio, California, and Texas have the largest numbers of Gulen-related schools. Ohio has 19, which are operated by Concept Schools Inc., and most are known as Horizon Science Academies. There are 14 in California operated by the Magnolia Foundation. Texas has 33 known as Harmony schools, run by the Cosmos Foundation.

 

In their investigation, federal authorities have obtained copies of several e-mails that indicate the charter schools are tied to Hizmet and may be controlled by it:

 

One activist sent an e-mail Aug. 30, 2007, to administrators at four schools and the president of Concept Schools in which he mentioned "Hizmet business" and several problems that needed to be addressed so that "Hizmet will not suffer."

 

And the disaffected teacher who described the five regions gave authorities a document called a tuzuk, which resembles a contract and prescribes how much money Turkish teachers are supposed to return to Hizmet.

 

State auditors in Ohio found that a number of schools had "illegally expended" public funding to pay legal, immigration, and air-travel fees for nonemployees and retained teachers who lacked proper licenses. Audited records from the Horizon Science Academy in Cincinnati in May 2009 also say that "for the period of time under audit, 47 percent (nine of 19) of the school's teachers were not properly licensed."

 

The same records show that the founder of Horizon Cincinnati was listed as the CEO of the school's management firm and as president of the school's property owner.

 

The American charter schools were a central part of Gulen's argument that won him a green card after the Department of Homeland Security ruled that he did not meet the qualifications of an "alien of extraordinary ability" to receive a special visa.

 

In a lawsuit Gulen filed in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia in 2007 challenging the denial, his attorneys wrote: "In his position as the founder and head of the Gulen Movement, Mr. Gulen has overseen the establishment of a conglomeration of schools throughout the world, in Europe, Central Asia, and the United States."

 

His attorneys also referred to a letter of support from a theology professor in Illinois who described Gulen as "a leader of award-winning schools for underserved children around the world, including many schools in the major cities in America."

 

On July 16, 2008, U.S. District Court Judge Stewart Dalzell ruled that Gulen met the requirements for a green card.

Hocker, the State College parent, said the current CEO had assured her the school had no ties to Gulen.

 

Rather, he told her that Gulen had inspired him to go into education and that Turkey "wanted to be known for teaching, the way you would think of India" for information technology, Hocker said.

But she noted that when the school's founding CEO disappeared, his successor arrived from the Buffalo Academy of Science, another Gulen school. The dean of academics came from a related school in New Jersey. Ulker, Truebright's, CEO, was one of the school's founders and is a board member.

 

"If you start looking at their names, you can connect them back to all the other charter schools and Gulen groups," Hocker said.

 

She later withdrew her three children over concerns about secrecy and finances.

 

A sister school - Young Scholars of Western Pennsylvania - is scheduled to open outside Pittsburgh in the fall.

 

(Young Scholars in State College and Western Pennsylvania are not connected to the Young Scholars Charter School in North Philadelphia.)

 

Truebright, at 926 W. Sedgley Ave., opened in 2007, enrolls seventh through 12th graders, and is about to hold its first graduation. Ninety percent of its students are African American. The school has met the academic standards of the federal No Child Left Behind Law the last two years.

 

Cidav, the acting CEO, came from the Harmony Science Academy in Austin, Texas. He said he could not comment on behalf of the school. He referred all questions to Ulker, who Cidav said had gone back to Turkey for a family emergency after Christmas and was not expected back until July. Board Chairman Baki Acikel did not respond to an e-mail request for comment.

 

Before Ulker's abrupt departure, he was involved in failed attempts to open charters in Camden and Allentown.

 

He also applied for Truebright to become one of the charter operators selected to take over failing Philadelphia schools as part of Superintendent Arlene C. Ackerman's Imagine 2014 initiative. In late December, Truebright was one of 10 organizations the district deemed "not qualified" for further consideration.

 

Truebright Science Academy , a charter school in North Philadelphia, is one of 120 that followers of Fethullah Gulen have opened in 25 states. Another Pennsylvania school is in State College.

 

 

Fethullah Gulen and Pope John Paul II at the Vatican in 1998. Gulen, a major Islamic figure in Turkey, lives in the Poconos. He got a green card after touting educational leadership here.


Claudio Gatti is the New York-based correspondent of Il Sole 24 Ore, the leading daily financial newspaper in Italy.

 

Contact staff writer Martha Woodall at 215-854-2789 or martha.woodall@phillynews.com.

 

 

 



Tuesday
Mar012011

Gulen-Most Dangerous Islamist and US Taxpayers Are Paying For His Schools--Why--Because They Are Counting On Media To Help Them With America's Lack of Knowledge

[Please go to the following link to hear the audioclips that are embedded in this World Net Daily article. I could only post the actual text from this article.  Following the WND article is the link to the “puff” piece in yesterday’s Houston Chronicle about the Harmony Science Academies.  Let’s remember that the Gulen Institute is situated at the University of Houston. Underneath the Houston Chronicle article, I have posted the latest list of Gulen schools.  This list was provided to me by someone who has done extensive investigations into the Gulen schools and has seemingly tied the Harmony Science Academies to Gulen.

 

If interested, please go to my article posted at:  http://ramparts360.com/uncategorized/texas-senate-honors-islamist-imam/

 

From the University of Houston, Gulen Institute website:

 

The Gülen Institute was established in October 2007 as a non-profit organization and a joint initiative of the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work and the Institute of Interfaith Dialog.

The perspectives of the institute are inspired by the life and works of the distinguished contemporary scholar and civic leader Fethullah Gülen. Visit Fethullah Gulen Forum for updates on Fethullah Gulen and Gulen Movement.

 

 

 

Donna Garner]

 

=======================

 

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=267417

 

GLOBAL JIHAD
WorldNetDaily Exclusive


Islamic indoctrination on U.S. taxpayers' tab
Founder of charter school chain called 'most dangerous Islamist in the world'


Posted: February 27, 2011
6:09 pm Eastern


WorldNetDaily

 

A large network of jihad-preaching schools dots the American landscape, and it's being paid for by taxpayer dollars.

The network of more than 100 facilities in 27 states is the result of the work of Turkish expatriate billionaire Fethullah Gulen, who lives in a heavily guarded compound near Saylorsburg, Pa.

Terrorism analyst, author and Family Security Matters contributing Editor Paul Williams explains that Gulen left Turkey under a cloud, and came to the United States carrying an agenda.

"Fethullah Gulen is a chap who fled Turkey in 1998. He was attempting to avoid prosecution from the secular government at that time; he wanted to set up an Islamic government," Williams explained.

"He moved to Pennsylvania and established a mountain fortress around Saylorsburg, which is in the heart of the Poconos," Williams explained.

Court records from the Eastern District of Pennsylvania's federal courts indicate that Gulen won his removal case against Homeland Security by showing that he was an "alien of extraordinary ability," and that by staying in the United States he could pursue his work of "authoring articles and providing guidance 'to fellow scholar in the fields of theology, political science, Islamic studies, and education.'"

Williams says Gulen had help.

"The Department of Homeland Security uncovered that Gulen has over $25 billion in assets. That's more money than many countries have. Most of this money has been channeled to Gulen from the CIA," Williams asserted.

Koinonia Institute senior analyst Steve Elwart says Gulen was helped by a number of different factors.

"He was denied his visa the first time around by DHS by saying that he didn't have any experience since he was trying to come in as an educator. DHS said that he really didn't have the qualifications to hold himself out as an educator," Elwart observed.

Elwart says there was another concern.

"There were also concerns about his ties to the CIA and that as it turned out, those concerns were apparently valid, because when he appealed the decision, he got two letters of recommendation from the CIA," Elwart continued.

Listen to an interview with Elwart:  

"That would strengthen the position that he did seem to have those ties," Elwart added.

Williams explains that U. S. officials may have had a reason for funneling money to Gulen.

"I'll tell you why the CIA is funding him. These countries (referring to the Middle East and former Soviet Central Asian Republics) have vast natural gas and oil reserves. They are afraid of where those reserves will go, so we want to gain some control over the supplies," Williams claimed.

Now his fingerprints are all over schools across Asia – and dozens more charter schools across the United States. Those are schools that are run on the taxpayers' money, but have private teaching agendas, often using the subtle inferences in social studies courses to advocate for Islam, observers report.

"He has these schools all over Central Asia and these counties, Tajikistan, Kurdistan, all have Turkish backgrounds. They speak Turkish. They share a Turkish culture. They share the same religion so it's really easy for him to establish these schools throughout Central Asia," Williams explained.

"They have prospered; they have grown and the countries where they are have become increasingly militant and increasingly anti-American," Williams added.

Williams says Gulen put his money to work, first in his home country of Turkey.

"He used that money to create this political party in Turkey and to take over the newspapers, and almost all of the Turkish media. He's also created a network of Islamic charter schools in Turkey that has spread through Central Asia, particularly in the newly created Russian republics," Williams also stated.

Listen to an interview with Williams:

"Gulen's movement is so radical that it is outlawed in Russia and even in The Netherlands, a country that's known for its tolerance, would not allow any funding for the Gulen schools," Williams added.

Elwart adds that there was one still another factor influencing U.S. assistance to Gulen.

"There has been a movement in the last two administrations to promote what they call moderate Islam by bringing these people forward and financing them to get people inculcated into the Muslim culture," Elwart explained.

"In terms of following the money trail, part of it I think was from the United States government. There were a number of people out there that see him as a religious leader which in fact he comes from a family of imams, and people donate to him," Elwart detailed.

Williams asserts that Gulen's long-range plans are to re-establish an Islamic caliphate.

"He created a party which is called the Justice and Development Party. The prime minister is Tayyip Erdogan. He's severed relationships with Israel and he's allied himself with Iran," Williams observed.

MEMRI Turkish expert Rachel Sharon-Krespin writes in an article in Middle East Quarterly that Fethullah Gulen is a major player in Turkish politics. Besides the Justice and Development Party, he also owns, controls or operates a network of schools and universities in Turkey, as well as the major newspapers and television stations.

In an American Thinker article, Center for Islamic Pluralism Director Stephen Schwartz says that Gulen is the power not only behind a movement in Turkey, but is the controlling force behind what Schwartz calls a Turkish Diaspora.

Elwart agrees that Gulen's intention is to use his schools to indoctrinate the students into Islam at taxpayer expense.

"Gulen has started his school system in the United States through the charter school system, which of course is publicly financed. That is one of the big worries about the Gulen movement is that they're using the charter schools to educate these kids and give them Islamic indoctrination, so to speak, and it's being done at taxpayer expense," Elwart observed.

Listen to another interview with Elwart:

Williams says the indoctrination is subtle and administrators say the schools aren't trying to be Islamic.

"They'll say these schools are completely secular. These schools don't promote any Islamic doctrine; they're not political in any way. But according to Gulen himself these schools serve, in the shadows, the creation of a new Islamic order," Williams maintained.

"If you read about Gulen in the foreign press, they have it pretty well nailed down. In speeches he talks about the importance of stealth jihad, of infiltrating places and appearing very secular," Williams added.

Gulen's claim to be a secular educator whose interest is simply in promoting interfaith dialogue appears to have been successful, as the claim was used to support District Judge Stewart Dalzell's opinion in Gulen's case.

"The final requirement is that an applicant show that his or her 'entry into the United States will substantially benefit prospectively the United States.' 8 U.S.C. § 1153(b)(1)(A)(iii). The AAO did not find-and the Government does not contend-that Gulen fails to meet this criterion. Based on his unchallenged statement that the visa he seeks 'will allow me to continue to advocate and promote interfaith dialogue and harmony between members of different faiths and religions,' A.R. at 1053, activities that are certainly a benefit to the United States in these times of tensions between adherents of different religions, we find no basis for denying his application on that basis," Paragraph E of the opinion stated.

Williams disputes the judge's ruling and says that Gulen's own speeches say the opposite.

"In his own speeches he says you can really infiltrate a secular government in a place like the United States and wreak all kinds of havoc. That's what he's been doing. Once again the schools are funded by us. They're at least 140 of them. He's been called the most dangerous Islamist in the world and very little light is being shed on him and his activities," Williams stated.

Elwart says the potential indoctrination is very subtle, even though he believes it's intentional.

"There is a certain amount of an Islamic-centered slant to their teaching. One place they really start bringing in the slant is through their after-school programs and what they call their outside programs," Elwart observed.

"For example, they'll have Turkish festivals and the kids can compete in making costumes, writings and the like. Many times the prize for these in these competitions is a cultural trip to Turkey," Elwart also said.

Elwart believes that the Gulen charter schools are going largely unnoticed by the American public.

"This is a problem with the charter school system; it's fragmented. There is not a lot of oversight on the schools so people are disconnected from one another. If they see something that isn't quite right at their school they don't have any place to go to to raise the alarm," Elwart asserted.

Elwart says the schools are established and then each school brings in teachers from Turkey using H1B visas. These are visas granted to people with math and science skills.

Listen to another interview with Williams:

"Most of the time these applications will say they need to bring in these teachers because of the lack of math and science teachers available locally. The teachers that do come in are Muslim and almost all of them are from Turkey," Elwart explained.

He explains that administrators are usually brought in on more temporary visas which explains the frequent turnover in the Gulen-connected schools.

The web site, Charter School Scandals, reports that the Pioneer Charter School for Science in Everett, Mass., is a Gulen School.

Pioneer Charter School of Science Public Relations Director Aimee Mott says that her school was started by a group of concerned parents.

"It was a community of really parents and other concerned members of the community who thought that in this area, Everett, Chelsea and Saugus area, that the public schools were not meeting all the needs of all the students," Mott stated.

"They decided to get together, submit a charter to the state for our school and that was in 2006. So, our first year in operation was in 2007 and 2008," Mott said.

Mott also says that the school's newness means it relies on taxpayer dollars.

"Because we are a new charter school, all of our funding at this point comes from the state. We are funded just like a public, we are a public school. We are a public charter school," Mott described. "We are working on applying for a grant to get some funding for some things."

Listen to an interview with Mott:

The school's web site gives few details on the school's curriculum, provides no list of faculty members and lists only the principal and the board members.

The Massachusetts Department of Education school directory lists the head of the school as Barish Icin, and also gives the members of the school's board of directors.

Among the board members listed are Board Chairman Murat Kilic, Mustafa Ozdemir, Nuh Gedik and Ramazan Nigdioglu. A name origins web site, HearNames.com, verifies that all of the surnames are of Turkish origin.

Nigdioglu is also connected to the Cambridge Ridge and Latin School where he is on record as recommending that the best students at the Latin School be rewarded with a trip to Turkey.

Williams says that Gulen's school network is well-funded, well-organized and well-represented.

"He has set up lobbying groups and through his lobbying groups he has given millions and millions of dollars to both Republicans and Democrats. He has gained their favor and support so his schools are rubber-stamped," Williams observed.

Williams warns Gulen's compound in the Poconos is much like the one in Islamburg, N.Y., that Williams says he's visited.

"I went up there to take a look at his fortress and it is a fortress in the heart of the Pocono Mountains. Hundreds of Turks live there. According to all the neighbors there are helicopters constantly surveilling the area looking for intruders," Williams described.

"There are sentry posts there and the neighbors have complained to the FBI about gunshots and explosions," Williams added. "They have a foreign militia on American soil. If this doesn't get people up in arms, I don't know what will."

 

==================================

 

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7448570.html

A long line to learn

Harmony Academy charter system is booming, despite initial suspicions by parents and a lackluster economy

By JENNIFER RADCLIFFE
HOUSTON CHRONICLE

 

=============================

List of Gulen schools in Texas and surrounding areas:

Austin Gulen Organizations - (all office at 12400 Amherst Dr, Suite 108, Austin, Texas 78727):

- Raindrop Foundation (Austin, Texas) - Mehmet Okumus operates this location. 7 locations in Texas. I believe the main office is the Houston branch. Locations in AR, MS, NM, LA, KS and OK

- Institute for Interfaith Dialog (Austin Branch of Houston office) - Dr. Yetkin Yildirim (Vice President) and Dr. Guner Arslan is "Founding Member"

- Turkish American Women's Association (Austin, Texas)

- Austin-Antalya Sister City Committee - the Chair is Prof. Burhanettin Kuruscu (a professor of economics at University of Texas a Austin) and seems to be managed by Dr. Yetkin Yildirim

- WhirlingDervishes.org - evidently a site run by the Raindrop Foundation of Texas. I understand their performances are booked through Austin.

 

- Bluebonnet Learning Center of Austin. 3-5 year olds. Summer programs at Harmony School of Science.

- Harmony Science Academy of Austin, 930 E. Rundberg Lane, Austin, Texas 78753 (K through 8)

- Harmony School of Excellence of Austin.  2100 E. St. Elmo Rd. Austin, Texas 78744 (K through 8)

- Harmony School of Science, Austin. 11800 Stonehollow Drive, Austin, Texas 78758 (K through 8)

- Harmony Science Academy of North Austin, 1421 Wells Branch Pkwy, Pfluegerville, Texas 78660 (5 through 12)

(All of the "Harmony" schools have a website at http://hssaustin.org)

 

Houston Gulen organizations (most office at 9301 West Bellfort, Houston, Texas 77031):

- Cosmos Foundation, Houston - operates all Gulen-organized "Harmony" charter schools in Texas. Located in same office park at Bluebonnet Learning Center, Gulf Language School and Texas Gulf Institute. As of March, 2010 the President of Cosmos is "Oner Ulvi Celepcikay." http://www.harmonytx.org/

- Texas Turkish Chamber of Commerce, Houston - linked to Raindrop Foundation and TUSKON;

- Houston-Baku Sister City Committee (?) - linked to Raindrop Foundation which is listed as a 'Sponsor' on site;

- Gulen Institute, Houston - a venture between the University of Houston and the Institute for Interfaith Dialog; located at the UH Graduate College of Social Work, Houston;

- Houston-Istanbul Sister City Committee - President is M. Ruhi Ozgel (offices are located at 9301 W. Bellfort which also houses the Institute for Interfaith Dialog);

- Alumni of Turkey Trips (http://www.alumniofturkey.org/) - Houston? Evidently a new website created by Institute for Interfaith Dialog and Raindrop Foundation both of Houston.

- ISWEEEP - Annual Cosmos Foundation science fair in Houston. 

- Institute for Interfaith Dialog, Houston - President is Dr. Y. Alp Aslandogan (?)

- Turqouise Center, Houston - cultural center located at 9301 W. Bellfort with IID, Houston-Instanbul, Raindrop, etc.)

- StudyTurkish.org - based at Raindrop House, Houston. Affiliated with University of Houston;

- Houston Blue Mosque - (http://www.houstonbluemosque.org/) connected to "Citadel Foundation"(?). Islamic mosque offering daily prayers and religious events. Both operate at 9301 W. Bellfort;

- Azerbaijanian American Cultural Alliance, Houston - located at 9301 W. Bellfort.

- Turkic Fest, Houston. Annual Turkic "Cultures and Children's Festival" evidently organized by the Raindrop Turkish Houston of Houston;

- Turkish Cultural Center, Houston (?) - mentioned as being housed with Raindrop and Institute for Interfaith Dialog in 2007 Texas Monthly article. Now Turquoise Center?

- Bosniaks Cultural Community of Houston - organized by Miralem Turkic?

- Citadel Foundation, Houston - Islamic charity located at 9301 W. Bellfort (see: Houston Blue Mosque, supra).

- Turkmen Young Scholars Association (Houston?)

 

- Harmony Science Academy, Houston

- Harmony Science Academy of NW Houston

- Harmony School of Excellence, Houston

- Harmony School of Endeavor, Houston

- Harmony School of Ingenuity, Houston

- Harmony School of Innovation, Houston

- Harmony School of Science, Houston

(Besides the Harmony Schools in Austin and Houston, there are 14 other locations (for a total of 25, not including vocational and pre-school - 4 more than my last count in early '09) in Texas as listed on their website at http://www.harmonytx.org/schools/)

 

- Helix Design & Production (produces many of the Gulen websites in Houston). Located at 10700 Kingston Street, Houston, Texas 77099. Same address as Texas Turkish American Chamber of Commerce

- Rainbow Painting (http://www.rainbow-painting.com/index.html). Listed as "Rainbow Construction" on Cosmos Foundation 2006 IRS Form 990 - Cosmos paid over $2.3M that year for 'construction' services yet Rainbow Painting's website shows that it did no work in Houston until 2007. Operated from a single family residence at 12722 Ashford Meadow Drive, Houston, Texas 77082;

- Ege Construction Company of Turkey (Houston office) http://egeconstruction.org/;

- Atlas Construction Company of Turkey (Houston office) - provided construction services of over a $1M to Harmony Schools

- Karagan Law Firm, Houston. Small 2-5 person firm run by Yalcin Karagan who was licensed to practice in Texas in 2000. Although website indicates personal injury focus, did he handle labor certifications for Gulen H1B's? Received $178, 520 on 2006 Cosmos IRS Form 990 for legal work. 

 

Louisiana Gulen organizations (not a complete listing)

Atlas Foundation of Louisiana - locations in Baton Rouge and New Orleans (http://www.atlaslouisiana.org/)

Baton Rouge-Malatya, Turkey Sister City Committee

 

Gulen-affiliated Educational Institutions (not a complete listing):

Texas Gulf Institute (vocational, computer training) Houston, Texas  - located at http://www.tgicareer.com/

Gulf Language School (located with Texas Gulf Institute), Houston, Texas - http://www.gulfesl.org

Bluebonnet Learning Center, Houston, Texas (also locations in Dallas and El Paso). For children 3-5 years of age. Located in same office park as Texas Gulf Institute and Gulf Language School (?). http://www.bluebonnetlearningcenter.com

=====================

Sent to Donna Garner by unnamed source:

 

List of Gulen charter schools can be found here:
http://www.charterschoolscandals.blogspot.com
 
Their main arteries are:
Magnolia Science Academy  (California)
Sonoran Science Academy   (Arizona)
Harmony Science Academy  (Texas)
Horizon Science Academy   (Ohio)

 

Donna Garner

Wgarner1@hot.rr.com