Al Sharpton has now endorsed the call by Reverend/state senator James Meeks for students to boycott the first day of school, a protest against education funding disparities. Sharpton’s political allure being what it is, his announcement isn’t going to convince the likes of Mayor Daley, Governor Blagojevich, or Chicago schools chief Arne Duncan to drop their opposition to the plan—all have said they want to fix the funding gaps but don’t like the idea of keeping kids out of school, even though they’ve previously shown no reluctance to do it themselves when the rally is for a cause they want to be seen showing “leadership” on, such as tougher gun laws.