BUS DRIVER FIRED FOR GIVING BUSH "THE FINGER" FILES GRIEVANCE

The Houston Chronicle ^ | 2 November 2006 | Gene Johnson

[kidd]

The bus driver should have simply said that it was a botched joke.

After all, this is the age of Kerresponsibility.

[libs_kma]

Wonder what her DUmmie screen name is?

[Preachin']

"Oh, come on. There's not a middle-schooler alive who hasn't seen the middle finger. Many of them indiscriminately drop that word in every-day conversation."

The kids may say it, but they don't run around the school doing it in front of the adults.

Many of them have seen pornography, too. Does that mean that their parents should buy it for them?

I am willing to bet that lewd gestures are forbidden in the school handbook. Bus drives should be held to at least the same standard of public behaviors as the teachers.

[SaxxonWoods]

"...responsibility cannot be enforced by a municipal employer."

It certainly can be so enforced, and is, every day. A municipal employee's behavior is constrained by many rules, and loss of position is one possible consequence of breaking those rules. The rules are in writing, and agreed to by employer and employee. You have obviously never been a municipal employee.

[Preachin']

"Apporoximately every forthieth thread is now on this topic."

Okay. But I didn't post this. It doesn't matter how many there are. Anyone who supports this driver's lewd behavior is wrong.

[Mad Dawgg]

"The driver just needs to explain that she meant to give a "thumbs up" but botched it...then issue a non-apololgy and do a "flip"-flop."

So basicaly, she was for the finger before she was against it?

[jude24]

Two words: interested witness.

Of course they said they fired her because it was obscene. They aren't stupid enough to say "We fired you because you flipped off the President."

[over3Owithabrain]

Are you purposely being obtuse? Giving the finger while driving a SCHOOL bus full of CHILDREN certainly merits discipline. Try running around your office builiding saying "F*** Clinton" (or whoever your least favorite pol is) for all your coworkers and customers and their children to hear and see how it goes, ok?

[L.N. Smithee]

Okay, you can go back to work, but your finger can't. It's up to you.

:) EXCELLENT RESPONSE!

[Dianna]

I may not like her chosen method of articulation, but the government has no business punishing her for articulating political speech.

Did the President throw her in a gulag?

No. Her school district fired her for making an obscene gesture in front of the kids on the bus.

[jude24]

. Try running around your office builiding saying "F*** Clinton" (or whoever your least favorite pol is) for all your coworkers and customers and their children to hear and see how it goes, ok?

No children where I work, and trust me, I hear that and worse every day. (In fact, it was known that when I dropped an obscenity, things were really bad because I don't frivolously swear.)

[over3Owithabrain]

Also, you may want to check the other threads on this topic where the school district points out this particular driver had a pattern of bad behavior prior to this. At least get some more facts before continuing to show your behind.

[tioga]

The school has every right to prohibit obscene speech in front of children. They did the correct thing to fire her.

[Faith]

Okay, you can go back to work, but your finger can't. It's up to you.

I swear, FReepers have the best senses of humor in the world. Thanks.

[P-Marlowe]

Oh, come on. There's not a middle-schooler alive who hasn't seen the middle finger. Many of them indiscriminately drop that word in every-day conversation.

Jude, you need to get a job in the real world. Middle schoolers may all cuss like drunken sailors, but employees of the school district are expect to show a modicrum of decorum. If one of my children's middle school teachers were to throw an F-Bomb during one of their classes, I would demand their head. School teachers and school bus drivers and school employees are expected to show some discipline in their language and expressions. If they cannot control themselves, they have no business teaching children.

Try dropping an F-Bomb or flipping off someone in Court someday and you may find that the price of speech is not free, but could be costly. As an attorney you will be required to temper your speech and your manners in court and if you don't then you may well be spending some time behind grey bars or worse, you may actually lose your license to practice law.

As an attorney you are an officer of the court and your manner in court is a reflection upon the court itself. Likewise, this bus driver is an agent of the school district. She was driving a school bus with the name of the district on it. She is expected to be a courteous and disciplined agent for the school district and if she cannot control her emotions or her language, then she has no business driving one of those six wheeled yellow vehicles.

[L.N. Smithee]

Just give her her job back and forget about it.

...because?

[Beagle8U]

Just a wild guess, but, you work in some sort of government funded job?

[mutley]

"I swear, FReepers have the best senses of humor in the world. Thanks."

I wholeheartedly agree. Everyone makes this the best place to be.

[jude24]

Just a wild guess, but, you work in some sort of government funded job?

Nope.

[FunkyZero]

I can't believe anyone is surprised. This is the mentality of the standard GOP opponent.
I may be stoned by some hard core readers for saying this, but here goes.... Toward the end of the Carters term, had I met the man face to face (and I never did), he would have gotten a salute, as much as I loathed the guy for being a total screw up on almost every subject imaginable. However, he was the President of the United States of America, the most powerful country on the planet, and was elected by the freest people in the world. Even Carter deserved to be afforded the respect he was given by the citizens of the US.
Same rules apply here, like him or not, W deserves that same extension of respect regardless your views of him or his policy.
If you don't like it, write a letter and express your views in a civilized manner. Of act like a DU subscriber and get fired for disrespecting the Commander in Chief.