Obama Hung in Effigy
This is disgraceful.
A teacher at a failing school where he and all his colleagues are being fired hung an effigy of President Barack Obama in his classroom, apparently in reaction to Obama’s support of extreme measures to ensure accountability in schools.
[...]
Gallo told the AP on Thursday evening that the foot-tall Obama doll that she saw Monday was hung from its feet from a white board and was holding a sign that said, “Fire Central Falls teachers.”
[...]
She said that the teacher had been issued a “strong letter of reprimand” and that she considered it an internal matter.
Obama had called the firings in Central Falls an example of holding failing schools accountable. The White House declined to comment Thursday. U.S. Secret Service spokesman Malcolm Wiley said the agency was aware of the doll but declined to comment further.
The president of the Central Falls Teachers Union, Jane Sessums, said in a written statement that the teacher, whose name wasn’t disclosed, hung the doll “as part of what he described as a lesson plan.”
I’m all for hanging politicians in effigy as a means of political protest. It’s a long tradition in this and many other countries. But for a teacher to use classroom time to vent his political frustrations is an utter disgrace. A letter of reprimand is not good enough. He should have been fired on the spot.
On a side note, good for Obama for backing the superintendent’s actions.
Agreed
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 18, 2010 at 2104 hrs
Obama finally backed the good guys for a change. I guess even a blind squirrel comes across a nut now and again.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 18, 2010 at 2109 hrs
Thanks, FG, for always finding a way to criticize.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 18, 2010 at 2125 hrs
So if we follow typical lefty logic when it comes to criticism of Obama….
One union teacher hung Obama in effigy; therefore all union teachers are raaaaacists.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 18, 2010 at 2158 hrs
OR, we could follow typical conservative logic and introduce race when there was no call for it…
Seriously, unless the story has changed from Yahoo News, why would you even introduce race into this thread??? Why?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 18, 2010 at 2224 hrs
Simply because since Obama came on the scene, every time someone critcized one of his stances or policies they were called a racist. Even if it had nothing to do with it.
Although I’m not surprised you missed the correlation…..
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 18, 2010 at 2227 hrs
Minimum 1-3 days suspension without pay. Letter in file and attached optional rebuttal. No letter in file and mutually agreed upon recommendation letter if employee resigns immediately.
An anger management class could be negotiated in.Let’s put this Obama/Bush NCLB mass teacher layoff to the test: Move the “failing school” teachers to a nice suburban public school and offer some high performing, suburban public school teachers an extra 20% for coming to the “failing school” and bringing their “super” teaching powers.
I’ll bet $10K the school will not move from failing to passing in three years and the suburban school will dip then return to its former glory in three years.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 18, 2010 at 2254 hrs
neomom - what the fuck are you talking about?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 18, 2010 at 2255 hrs
She said that the teacher had been issued a “strong letter of reprimand” and that she considered it an internal matter.
Except she brought in the State Police who said no crime was committed. http://lasvegasbadger.blogspot.com/2010/03/stupid-teacher-and-school-news.html
To me, it sounds like the teacher was a stupid idiot because he kept the effigy up and let the superintendent find it and the superintendent was stupid for bringing in the police.Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 19, 2010 at 0018 hrs
OR, we could follow typical conservative logic and introduce race when there was no call for it…
Are you really serious? That’s ranks as one of the ten most ridiculous comments that I’ve ever seen on this blog.
neomom - what the fuck are you talking about?
George, you are quickly losing entertainment value, but thanks for being a rather typical liberal… pointless curses. Most of us gave that up after 5th grade.
I wonder what would have happened had that been George Bush hung in effigy? Many other teachers and unionistas would have considered it a heroic act… speaking truth to power. We do all remember those heroic fellas who hung Sarah Palin in West Hollywood… and as far as burning Bush effigies, I think the left torched so many that it may have contributed to global warming. It would have been nice if the left had been as interested in keeping extreme politics out of the classroom when President Bush was in office. There is much hypocrisy going on. I can honestly say that I did not approve of this sort of behavior then, nor do I approve now.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 19, 2010 at 0834 hrs
Fire a public school teacher “on the spot?” Owen, you crack me up.
Posted by Lance on March 19, 2010 at 0934 hrs
“Are you really serious? That’s ranks as one of the ten most ridiculous comments that I have even seen on this blog.”
Wow. Nothing gets by you. Newsflash: it was MEANT to be ridiculous. Unfortunately, this board doesn’t have a sarcasm key and admittedly, I forgot to type “<rolls eyes>”; my bad. But I really thought that the first word of the next sentence, “seriously”, might have been enough of a clue for folks. Too bad there’s no way to illustrate bread crumbs on these post in order for you to keep up with the discussion.
As far as what this teacher did, he should be immediately fired. His explanation of hanging the doll as “part of a lesson plan” is idiotic. If this is an example of the level of incompetence of the teachers at this school, no wonder the school is failing. Good riddance; taxpayers and students deserve better.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 19, 2010 at 0942 hrs
“Are you really serious? That’s ranks as one of the ten most ridiculous comments that I have even seen on this blog.”
Wow. Nothing gets by you. Newsflash: it was MEANT to be ridiculous. Unfortunately, this board doesn’t have a sarcasm key
Ok, I’ll accept that… but I’m afraid that if it was sarcasm, then I’m not getting the point of the statement at all. Admittedly, I have not seen very many of your posts, but the ones I have seen led me to believe it wasn’t sarcasm at all… <shaking head> maybe I just need more coffee to see it…. maybe.
In any case, interjecting the raaaacism, as neomom did, is quite appropriate. That cry has been heard by conservatives far and wide, ever since Dr. Utopia announced his candidacy. That label is slapped on everyone who disagrees with the Obama-Pelosi-Reid cabal… heck, it was even slapped on voters who did not choose Obama. Well placed criticism, neomom.
Fire the teacher? In a rational world, perhaps… but, from what I have seen, 2001-2008 was open season on President Bush in our schools. 2009 was definitely the year of the Obama religious revival in those same schools. Perhaps this teacher just became confused and thought that extreme political expression was now appropriate. The teacher should have known that it is only appropriate in praise of Obama, or against a conservative… never as a criticism of the hand that feeds the union. They really should have known better.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 19, 2010 at 1135 hrs
Yeah, it was definitely sarcasm. Neomom’s statement about “thypical lefty thinking” on the firing of a teacher was just plain stupid.
I’m curious why you felt her comment on racism was appropriate. While there is a lot of complaining about unfair play and cheap shots, race has RARELY (and I mean rarely in a healthy, constructive way) been an issue on this board; I think people on this board treat the topic and each other on the subject for the most part with proper respect. So, when neomom brought it up, I simply asked why. To me, it was random and out of context; the story made no mention of racism or a hate crime investigation or the sort (unless an earlier story did), so I think my question is legitimate. It would appear she brought her “history” or “baggage” into the discussion. Just my observation.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 19, 2010 at 1543 hrs
laker,
I know how I would answer your questions, but I’m not sure it’s the same way TFG would.
Look, there *have* been a lot of cheap shots, not necessarily here, but all over the place…everywhere really. So people get a bit sensitive about it. It’s understandable, I think.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 19, 2010 at 1547 hrs
To take it further than racism:
Imagine that everywhere you turned, in movies, magazines, newspapers, nightly news, work…everywhere, there was always something negative being said about one of your dearly held beliefs.
I mean, *everywhere*. You go to a movie and you hold your breath, knowing that at some point during the 97 minute runtime there’s going to be something derogatory said about what you believe, what you *know* to be true. Something said that’s trying to make you out to be evil. You can’t enjoy the movie, because you’re sitting there waiting for the sucker punch. You know it’s coming. Or you watch the news, and it’s about how some nutjob with communist leaning flew his plane into an IRS office. It’s blamed on people that have beliefs just like you, even though they have nothing to do with the nutjob’s beliefs.
In this case, one of those things is “racism” though I doubt that anyone on this blog is truly racist. That’s one of the bludgeons that have been used many, many, many times against conservatives…it’s one of the sucker punches. To be honest, it’s destroying the ability to debate, or have conversations. I know I’m a jackass sometimes, and a lot of that has to do with these things I’m talking about here. If you don’t lend me basic respect for my views, I’m not very inclined to lend you any for yours.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 19, 2010 at 1638 hrs
Wow - go to work for the day….
Thank you GMan and The Family Guy…
laker and George…. Its called “SATIRE”...
You know, the same “SATIRE” every liberal blogger, commentor, CNN/MSNBC personality, actor/actress, newpaper and magazine columnist, academic, etc. uses (or hides behind) when taking pot shots at everyone that disagrees with them.
Because you know damned well, that if it was anyone but a union teacher hanging Obama in effigy, you two would be positively apopleptic about it.
Turnabout’s a beyotch ain’t it?
Get used to it. We aren’t sitting down and shutting up anymore.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 19, 2010 at 1703 hrs
“Because you know damned well, that if it was anyone but a union teacher hanging Obama in effigy, you two would be positively apopleptic about it.”
Wow, so you’re a clairvoyant? And you know these things HOW? Please tell me more about myself. The bottom line is you don’t know shit about me, and in your case, I’m quite happy with that. There was no reason for me to be “apoplectic” about this story. I saw no racism in this instance, only confirmation that this idiot of a teacher isn’t qualified to teach. I don’t see racism in every instance, or unlike you, “justified reverse racism”. Seriously lady, you need to get over yourself. The magnitude of the stupidity of your comments is absolutely colossal.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 19, 2010 at 1756 hrs
@ GMan. Yeah, I’ve been there in terms of that holding-my-breath, waiting-for-the-other-shoe-to-fall, anticipated-sucker-punch feeling; however, I must confess I‘ve never experienced it in a movie theater. I agree that it’s difficult to have discussions about race because it is so emotionally charged. People in this country through that our race issues would suddenly disappear with the election of a Black president, but we all know that’s not the case. I also have to agree with you that I have not encountered real racism on this particular board. But it’s frustrating to post an opinion on this board when your opinion is in the minority. I KNOW my political beliefs are left of almost all the regular posters on this board, yet I don’t consider myself as overly liberal, just more liberal than other people. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be much wiggle room or leeway on this board for diffrerent opinions without being “labeled” or branded as a communist-socialist-union loving-democratic-tree hugging liberal with all the other left wing nuts. I have often found it difficult to express a differing opinion without a personal attack in return. Yet, there also some posters who respect a healthy difference of opinion. I want to, but don’t always, take the high road; case-in-point, I just flamed the hell out of neomom. To say it’s all the fault of liberals OR the fault of conservatives is naïve, irresponsible and disingenuous. But I’m like you in that if you won’t respect my having a perspective different than yours, I’m sure as hell not going to respect you back. That’s just human nature.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 19, 2010 at 1823 hrs
@laker
Thank you.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 19, 2010 at 2023 hrs
13. ...the hand that feeds the union?
Have you read the Guidelines for race to the top fund?Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 21, 2010 at 1054 hrs
the hand that feeds the union?
Have you read the Guidelines for race to the top fund?Um…. Race to the Top is a government give away program… I’m not seeing how it affects unions in any negative way… and I’m guessing that the vast majority (if not all) of the funds will go to public union staffed schools. He certainly hasn’t cut funding for the Department of Education (quite the opposite) and Obama is no friend of the private schools (Well, except for the one his elite daughters attend). He’s all but destroyed the choice system that was a success for many poor DC kids.
I think I’ll stand by my statement till Obama shows me different.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 21, 2010 at 1235 hrs
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