The head of the New York chapter of the NAACP has made headlines for bluntly excoriating the concerned parent of a charter school student. The background: The NAACP is part of the teachers' union lawsuit against the Department of Education, which wants to close 22 failing schools and open charter schools in their place. One concerned Bronx mom, Janette Ramos, recently emailed NAACP head Hazel Dukes to urge the NAACP to drop the lawsuit. "If you and the NAACP continue on this horrible lawsuit against my daughter's school and the fellow 18 charter schools, it will not be the best legacy to leave behind," Ramos wrote. The Post reports that Dukes's reply was swift and, well, to the point. more ›

Saturday's weekly meeting of Reverend Al Sharpton's National Action Network was a little extra spirited yesterday, the gathering being used as a birthday party for the Rev, who was turning 55. But the festive occasion didn't stop Bill Thompson from using it as a pitch to its attendees to make sure they lend a hand to a campaign that could use it. Thompson said, "We have 32 days until the election, 32 days. Over the next 32 days, I need each and everyone of you involved in the election, knocking on doors, grabbing your friends, saying to your neighbors, 'We can take this city back and put someone in City Hall who can stand up and fight for all of us.'" Hope he at least brought a card. more ›