Children of soldiers being sent to Gulf being hassled by teachers... - Page 2

David Floyd · February 27, 2003, 09:08

Quote:

I treat anything from Fox News as immediately suspect, but this is terrible if it is true.

Why is it terrible to tell kids the truth? Hell, I'm sure their parents are feeding them the same bullshit government lies that their dumbass believe.

Sikander · February 27, 2003, 09:19

This whole thing is probably overblown. It is well-known that teachers tend to lean to the left, and my experience during the Vietnam war leads me to believe that many of them aren't above a little (or more than a little) indoctrination. But few would stoop to hurting their charges for the sake of winning a political argument with their captive audience. That said, if they have, then to the wolves with them.

Kropotkin · February 27, 2003, 09:24

Children who actually believe their teachers are gullible fools. Their beliefs are not important in the long run anyhow as they can be reprogrammed at any moment in the future.

mactbone · February 27, 2003, 09:59

So elemtary school kids should be leading the revolution? Decrying the falseness of their teachers?

Look, when you're learning to read, write and do math I don't think there's much of a chance that you'll say "Hey! That teacher's a dumb ****!" Kids at that age haven't developed mentally or socially to the point where they start questioning things told by authority figures (and no that's not brainwashing).

As to the story, unfortunate if true, but I would hope that was just a blanket statement citing a reason that the war on Iraq would be a bad thing and not a specific "Your parents are murderers!" or some similar rhetoric.

FrustratedPoet · February 27, 2003, 10:08

Quote:

Originally posted by Kropotkin
Children who actually believe their teachers are gullible fools.

My teachers used to try and tell me it was dangerous to lick my fingers and stick them in electrical sockets. Hah! Those bastards think they can indoctrinate me with their evil anti-electrocution propoganda? I'll show them that I'm not gullible!

/me is fried in an explosion of righteous electrical indignation.

DinoDoc · February 27, 2003, 10:15

Quote:

Originally posted by David Floyd
Why is it terrible to tell kids the truth?

You strike me as the kind of person that would go to a wake and tell everyone there that the deceased deserved his fate.

Zkribbler · February 27, 2003, 10:36

Quote:

Originally posted by Sikander
It is well-known that teachers tend to lean to the left . . .

That's probably true. It's usually the liberals who are compassionate enough to work for teachers' wages in order to assure children are educated.

Conservatives probably take the position that, if children want a diploma badly enough, they should get a job and earn enough money to buy one.

Kropotkin · February 27, 2003, 11:02

Quote:

Originally posted by MacTBone
So elemtary school kids should be leading the revolution? Decrying the falseness of their teachers?

The teacher is the pupils natural enemy after all. To believe them is to think that you're actually going for a shower when you jump of the train in a concentration camp.

FrustratedPoet · February 27, 2003, 11:09

Quote:

Originally posted by Kropotkin

The teacher is the pupils natural enemy after all. To believe them is to think that you're actually going for a shower when you jump of the train in a concentration camp.

After the soccer team at my school played a particularly bad match their coach told them to go inside and have a shower. Little did they know that 10 minutes later they would be gassed and burnt for their poor performance. Will we ever learn from history?

General Ludd · February 27, 2003, 11:16

Quote:

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui

Quote:

I treat anything from Fox News as immediately suspect

Just like those people that treat anything from CNN as immediatly suspect?

Yes. I really hope you aren't implying that CNN is anti-war. The only difference between CNN and FOX is that fox doesn't even try to be creditable.

chequita guevara · February 27, 2003, 11:23

Is there a link for this story?

SlowwHand · February 27, 2003, 11:37

Quote:

Originally posted by Lancer
...who are saying that their parents are being sent to an unjust war. -FOX news.

This is occuring across Maine according to the report.

IF true, fire their asses. That's not what they're there for.

Zkribbler · February 27, 2003, 11:37

Quote:

Originally posted by Lancer
...who are saying that their parents are being sent to an unjust war. -FOX news.

This is occuring across Maine according to the report.

When you think about it, all across America, there will be some teachers taking an anti-war stance and others taking a pro-war stance, and they'll be talking about it with their classes.

All this Fox "News" stories does is to focus on a few of those incidents and to try an spin them into a story aboutt heartless teachers harassing the students of service people.

Ming · February 27, 2003, 11:57

Any teacher that harasses a student for what their parent are doing should be fired and never be allowed to work again. And then the parents should sue the teachers for every penny they have.

While I'm sure this isn't wide spread, and that Fox is just trying to over blow some isolated circumstances... any teacher that did this should be toast.

Teachers preaching their "political views" is one thing. Being cruel to a student for something beyond their control is criminal and the teachers should be made to pay for this assult on their students.

uh Clem · February 27, 2003, 12:04

I can't find any mention of this story at Fox's website. Perhaps they're backing off, which would be no surprise when one looks at the apparent source.

It seems that this originates with a story in today's Washington Times, written by Robert Stacy McCain.

Children of Maine Guard unit taunted by teachers

McCain is an "assistant national editor" IIRC with the WT. I won't bother you with the details, but do a Google search for some of his funny writings and associations.

One thing worth mentioning, though, is the cheap shot McCain takes at the National Education Association (next-to-last graf), which refers to an earlier act of creative writing from the Moonie Times. See The big NEA-Sept. 11 lie for a dose of reality.

There's a story here, all right, but it isn't the one McCain wrote.

Edan · February 27, 2003, 12:31

Kind of reminds me (in a off-on-a-tangent-but-I-thought-I-would-mention-it way) of some news story where a kid in a religious school was expelled because the mother was an exotic dancer. While I can understand having a moral code, I think what a parent (and for that matter, the student) does in their own life (at least in anything not related to the school) that isn't illegal, is none of the schools buisness.

Kramerman · February 27, 2003, 19:29

Quote:

Originally posted by Edan
Kind of reminds me (in a off-on-a-tangent-but-I-thought-I-would-mention-it way) of some news story where a kid in a religious school was expelled because the mother was an exotic dancer. While I can understand having a moral code, I think what a parent (and for that matter, the student) does in their own life (at least in anything not related to the school) that isn't illegal, is none of the schools buisness.

Ben Kenobi · February 27, 2003, 19:43

Religious schools have different codes of conduct from public schools.

That being said, I agree with you Kramerman. The school has a right to expect certain behaviour from the child, but why should the child be kicked out because of the actions of his parents?

Boris Godunov · February 27, 2003, 19:45

Religious schools have fought to be able to exclude students on whatever basis they want, and they've been pretty successful so far in keeping it that way.

Sava · February 27, 2003, 20:11

It's funny how conservatives only care about children being harassed if there's some political interest for them.

mactbone · February 27, 2003, 20:13

It's funny how not all conservatives are religious and or bigots

molly bloom · February 27, 2003, 20:15

To harass a child on the basis of their parents' occupations is a cowardly act. It is not part of a teacher's post to make life unpleasant for a pupil on the grounds that their charge's parents may be engaged in some form of employment that they do not approve of. If the (unnamed, unspecified) teachers were expressing their opposition to troop deployments to the Gulf in a putative Gulf War Mk. II, then presumably that is covered by free speech. Although I would question the appropriateness of directing it solely to the children of combat or support personnel.

In any case, whatever happened to a teacher being 'in loco parentis'?

This 'story' is just a little too cute for me- no school named, no teachers, no locale other than a state- tabloid journalism at best, gutter press smears at worst.

'A "fact-gathering" process about the incidents is under way, Maj. Rogers said. '

from the link- yes, why not jump to conclusions first, then gather facts later. A much better approach to journalism...

Sava · February 27, 2003, 20:16

Of course not... most conservatives simply believe Bush. Others are smart enough to know he's a lying sack of sh1t.

Ben Kenobi · February 27, 2003, 20:22

And some Liberals believe Saddam when he says he's disarmed.

C'mon sava. You are bright. Surely you can do better.

SlowwHand · February 27, 2003, 20:22

Sava, you meathead. Did you vote? Will you vote?
Wait. Felons can't vote. Never mind.

uh Clem · February 27, 2003, 21:40

Quote:

Mr. Albanese told the Bangor Daily News that only one complaint involved classroom remarks, after the child of a Guard member became upset during a discussion of Iraq when a teaching assistant "took up the anti-war" argument.

(my emphasis)

Just another lie from the usual right-wing lie factories, who've had all this spare time since Bill Clinton left office. It's amazing that this story's almost a day old and they haven't yet worked Clinton's penis into it. They will, probably.

Faux now has its own story. Find it yourself, I'm too disgusted. It takes a mere dozen or so paragraphs into the story (and man, is that the right word) before the writer (or channeler) gets around to quoting anyone who actually represents teachers in Maine. This is after already citing two websites (with links) who are outraged, needless to say. The websites don't have anything to do with schools in Maine, which is also needless to say.

And as soon as the teachers' union rep has had his say, we get this:

Quote:

But others, like Ohio public school teacher Kyle Farmer, said he wouldn't be surprised if the unions didn't do much to ferret out the problem teachers.

"We have an infrastructure set up now to protect people who are horrible teachers ... I can't believe any teacher is so poorly trained that they would think that that conduct is acceptable."

Ohio? Didn't Faux have any reporters in Maine? Naw, I didn't think so. But notice how the issue is now "protect[ing] people who are horrible teachers." This is just news, folks! Just news, there's no agenda behind it! Trust us!

From the final graf: "It seems there are always a few mean-spirited people out there who seize upon military children to vent their wrath at the war in question," said some busybody who doesn't know squat about the matter.

Fair and balanced? If you believe that, you're a sh*thead.

Imran Siddiqui · February 28, 2003, 02:14

Well it probably isn't too far from being 'fair and balanced' as CNN is, though on the other side of the aisle.

Ramo · February 28, 2003, 02:31

Link?

tandeetaylor · February 28, 2003, 02:36

Either teachers are allowed to say what they think or they aren't. And I know for a fact that, at least in Las Vegas, children are being taught in school that this is a just war. This is the problem that arises from government control of schools. Speaking for the government, one of course cannot be biased, but there's no such thing as unbiased teaching.

Gatekeeper · February 28, 2003, 02:57

Quote:

Originally posted by FrustratedPoet
* FrustratedPoet is fried in an explosion of righteous electrical indignation.

Dang! I was hoping the colored text was a link to live-action shot of you being fried, with sparks arcing from your hair.

Gatekeeper