It seems an Alabama teacher decided to teach his class about angles by using a scenario in which the students figured angles for an assassination attempt on President Obama.
Seriously?
Stupid – incredibly so, even. Should he be fired? Probably; but he’s not a criminal.
Dumbass.
Indefensible, though. I mean, why didn’t you teach them about already proven angles, or at least already explored ones, with presidential assassinations of the past? I mean, seriously, go ahead and be a dick but don’t be blatantly stupid. Send the same message without raining down a Secret Service investigation on oneself.
That’s EXACTLY what Mr. Chili said when I told him about it. Guy’s an idiot, no doubt about it; he used the example he did because that’s what’s on his mind. It ever occurred to him that he had real-life examples to draw from.
What ever.
Wow… just… wow. How…? Wha…? I have no words.
Actually, besides just being WAY beyond incredibly asinine, he may very well be criminal. My undertanding is that any threat to the president, regardless of how unlikely (or stuupid), is a criminal offense.
From what I understand, Falcon, the Secret Service questioned him, but no charges were brought; he was deemed dumb, not dangerous.
My point here, though, is that, were he teaching in Arizona, he could be brought up on STATE charges (though, honestly, I wonder whether, given the nature of his crime, he would be. I’m relatively certain that some people think this guy’s bravely giving voice to what many of them are already thinking). I understand that a threat to the president can be a federal offense, now it’s also a state crime in AZ.
What. Ever.
My understanding is that right-wingers are by nature treasonous, and that having a black Democrat with a “Muslim” name as president just lets them give voice to the ideas that have driven Republican voters for decades.
Every day, in every possible way, some right-winger shows a new face of the anti-American philosophy that drives their entire movement. They are all disgusting scumbags, and what they deserve is a taste of their own medicine. The problem is that they are the only ones disturbed enough to dish out the rightful punishment… the rest of us are too decent to treat them that way.
Did NurseExec cut and paste that from a Glen Beck page? Replace a few words and it sounds exactly like what Beck says about left wingers.
Now, BB_FAN, you just pipe down, you disturbing and disgusting scumbag racist. You are by nature treasonous and anti-American.
Now please excuse me while I’m off to tell the world how decent I am.
Let’s try to keep the focus on the comment, not the commenter. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think that some people are fed up with the rhetoric they’re hearing from the likes of Glenn Beck and choose to fight the proverbial fire with fire. I know a lot of people just like NurseExec who are frustrated with the hostility that comes from some pretty vocal folks, and I understand why they’d want to lash out.
Let us dispense with the sarcasm, shall we? It doesn’t further discourse.
Nothing I’ve read in the coverage of this story suggests that the teacher intended any political statement whatsoever in saying what he did. Quotes from those interviewed for the story suggest quite the opposite, in fact.
I have to say I’m unnerved by the rabid criticism I’m hearing from people about this. How would we feel, each of us, to have someone insult us, demean us and curse us in this way for something that was, in essence, inadvertent? Even stipulating that the choice of words was inappropriate in the moment, does it really warrant such visceral reaction? Really?
Here’s the thing, Wayfarer; whether he meant it as a political statement or not, that’s what it was. There was absolutely no good place that kid’s comment was going to go, and the teacher, being the grown-up in the room, should have redirected the discussion to something more appropriate.
I understand that the classroom is a place where a lot of touchy things get discussed, and I know this because a lot of touchy things get talked about in MY classroom – I wouldn’t have it any other way. Even so, there are lines (lines the location of which you and I disagree about quite often). He allowed his class to cross one of those lines – in fact, he picked the ball up and continued with it – and he was wrong. As it turns out, he’s not been deemed criminal, but I still say he acted unethically and irresponsibly, and I’d be saying that regardless of who was sitting in the White House right now. In fact, I’d be saying that if he’d been offering up an assassination scenario for the guy cutting the lawn. There are PLENTY of other ways to teach angles. This guy blew it.
WOW.
OK, so you’re fine with the ridiculous, broad-brushed hate speech from NurseExec. It sat out there for a day and a half without a peep from you, after all. However, when she’s called on it, that’s when you step in and declare it’s time for civility in the name of furthering the discourse (while, incredibly, defending her diatribe).
Are you really still incredulous that I ever suggested you were guilty of double standards?
So, Mrs. Chili, would you have allowed such a silly and hateful screed against “left-wingers” to remain without comment?
I recognize it doesn’t fit your desired self-narrative to acknowledge such biases. It’s really no more complicated than that.
As I’ve said to you more than once, it’s never been the biases I’ve found offensive. It’s been your dogged insistence that they don’t exist. I dared to ask you uncomfortable questions, and then wouldn’t allow you to hug and “Love!” them away whilst still proclaiming what a tolerant, unprejudiced, intellectually diverse perspective you bring to anything receiving your study.
So, bad on me. I broke from the lockstep fawning sycophant script.
Bo, I’m on your side in most things, especially when it comes to politics, but you’re not helping yourself here. Whether your it is your intention to do so or not, many of the things you have said here of late are borderline trollish, and we both know you’re better than that.
The bottom line is that you’re not going to convince Mrs. Chili that she’s wrong, and she’s not going to convince you that you’re wrong, so why even have the conversation?
You long ago told Mrs. C. you were done with her, so be done with her. Why give yourself the aggravation? Why waste your time? Just walk away.
Let’s ask ourselves this: If the student had said, “So like when those kids were shooting at Columbine?” and the teacher had replied, “Let’s say one of the students was shot in the ear, how would we find the trajectory” would anyone be defending the teacher?
Inappropriate to use examples of violence toward other humans in a lesson like this.
NHFalcon, no, I might not be better than that. Maybe I feel like Mrs. Chili made me love her in part by lying to me, and chose not to listen when I raised my concerns to her. Consequently, maybe I find a little salve in stopping by once in a while and rubbing her nose in her goddam stinking filthy hypocrisy.
I’m sure that disappoints you. I’m sorry.