Teacher caught in Bush "rant"

The Overland High educator is on administrative leave. Cherry Creek's superintendent said a balanced viewpoint will be given to students.

An Overland High School teacher who criticized President Bush, capitalism and U.S. foreign policy during his geography class was placed on administrative leave Wednesday afternoon after a student who recorded the session went public with the tape.

In the 20-minute recording, made on an MP3 player, teacher Jay Bennish described capitalism as a system "at odds with human rights." He also said there were "eerie similarities" between what Bush said during his Jan. 28 State of the Union address and "things that Adolf Hitler used to say."

The United States was "probably the single most violent nation on planet Earth," Bennish also said on the tape.

Bennish, who has been part of Overland's social studies faculty since 2000, did not return calls seeking comment Wednesday. Cherry Creek School District officials are investigating the incident, but no disciplinary action has been taken, district spokeswoman Tustin Amole said.

Bennish was placed on leave "to take some of the pressure off of him" during the investigation, which could wrap up in a week, Amole said.

Superintendent Monte Moses, who received a copy of the recording on Monday from 850 KOA-AM radio show host Mike Rosen, said it appears "a breach of district policy" occurred.

"Our policy calls for both sides to be present ... in the interest of intellectual discourse," Moses said. Bennish's presentation appeared to be unbalanced, he said.

The district is looking into whether the incident was an isolated one and will ensure that a balanced viewpoint of the president's State of the Union address is provided to students, Moses said.

Moses also said the district will be fair to Bennish. "People in life make mistakes occasionally," he said. "We address them. We learn from them."

The 20-minute recording of only a portion of the class was made by 16-year-old sophomore Sean Allen the day after the president's speech. The recording has raised questions about what level of academic freedom is acceptable for high school teachers. It also has generated discussions about Bennish on dozens of websites.

Sean, who appeared on Rosen's show Wednesday morning, said in an interview he had been disturbed by the "political rants" he heard in Bennish's class. He added that he wanted to tape the session for his father, who later shared it with the media.

Sean, who described himself as a political independent, said the comments seemed inappropriate for a geography class.

"If he wants to give an opinion in class, I'm perfectly OK with that," he said. "But he has to give both sides of the story."

James McGrath Morris, an author who has written about academic freedom issues, said Bennish's comments are acceptable for an adult audience, but they are hard to defend in a high school classroom.

In a number of legal cases, courts have ruled that "up until the age of majority, children are easily influenced ... in a way that they don't have the faculties to sort out rights from wrongs," Morris said.

The teacher now has an ACLU lawyer..Same one the Ward Chrchill had ...I wrote to the school already ..We ALL need to do that and slam this Marsist pig and the school's principal.

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I just saw this teacher's lawyer on Fox. The lawyer says that it's about protecting the teacher's First Amendment rights.

Well......what about the student and parent's right to freely assemble? That's a First Amendment right as well. Yet, unless this student could provide an immediate alternative, if that student refuses to go to that school, armed police, court, and foster care action would be taken against him and his parents.

Government schools are fiendishly evil. They are human rights and child abusers.

What first amendment right? The teacher has the right to his opinion, but not the right to proselytize.

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I was referring to his lawyer's opinion.

As for my own opinion, I agree with you. The child is a captive in the government indoctrination camp. It's not as if he can just choose not to go to school. If he doesn't show up at the government assigned classroom, armed police, court, and foster care action will be taken against him.

But,,,let's examine the lawyer's stand. If the lawyers says his client has a First Amendment right to free speech, then why just focus on free speech? Doesn't the child also have a First Amendment right NOT to associate with this idiot of a teacher?

In my opinion, the government schools trash First Amendment rights and other constitutional rights of the students and parents in many ways:

1) Once the child is in the government school, he can NOT speak freely, publish freely, or to freely exercise his religion. No! Instead he is told to shut up, sit down, and be quiet!

2) The child is FORCED into the company of other teachers and students that are NOT of his choosing. This is a violation of free assembly.

3) Since the education of the young is the transfer of culture, traditions, morals, ethics, and values, ( with profound religious consequences) the government will ESTABLISH and uphold the religious beliefs of some while actively undermining those of others. How can this be constitutional or respectful of the First Amendment?

4)Government schools are imprisonment of children who have committed no crime. ( violation of the 13th Amendment)

Government schools are compulsory for those who have no other option. Since government schools are a price-fixed monopoly, this makes private schools scarce. Also, the onerous taxes to support government schools often forces both mother and father into the workforce and thus eliminates homeschooling as an option. The child and parent then really have only two choices: be imprisoned in the government school, or have armed police, court, and foster care action taken against them.

Only government could devise something so fiendishly evil.

We all know what a "Clymer" is, why something is "hugh!" or "series" etc ...

George Clymer

Signer of the Declaration of Independence

GEORGE CLYMER was born in Philadelphia on March 16, 1739. His parents died when he was very young, leaving him to be brought up by a merchant uncle, William Coleman who, according to Benjamin Franklin, had "the coolest, clearest head, the best heart, and the exactest morals of almost any man I ever met with." Clymer's appreciation of philosophy and fine literature flourished under his uncle's roof. Clymer was educated at the College of Pennsylvania and then entered into his uncle's business. In 1765 he married Elizabeth Meredith, herself the daughter of a merchant. Clymer formed another partnership with his father-in-law and brother-in-law "Merediths & Clymer". He first met George Washington in his father-in-law's house and they formed a lasting friendship.

A modest man and cool on the surface, Clymer never sought public office, but for a score of years he was in almost unbrokern public service, showing consistent republicanism and unusual warmth of devotion. An active Patriot from his very young manhood, he was one of the five elected to Congress from Pennsylvania for the first time in July 1776.

While no orator, this handsome man was well informed, a witty conversationalist, and a good writer. At the time of the signing of the Declaration, George Clymer was a prosperous merchant who was praised as one of the wisest of all delegates, excepting Benjamin Franklin. His "dearest wish" came to life when he signed the Declaration. In December 1776, when Congress fled from Philadelphia to Baltimore, he and George Walton and Robert Morris remained behind to carry on congressional business. After the British victory at the Battle of Brandywine, British troops advancing on Philadelphia detoured for the purpose of vandalizing Clymer's home in Chester County about 25 miles outside the city.

Clymer, as a member of the first Congress under the Constitution remained loyal to his friend Washington, but tended to side with Madison against Hamilton. Clymer declined re-election and was appointed by Washington as head of the excise tax department for Pennsylvania. He found the office distasteful and resigned after his son Meredith, who was in the army dispatched against the Whiskey Rebels in 1794, died in Pittsburgh. Clymer was a member of the commission that negotiated a treaty in 1796 with the Cherokee and Creek Indians in Georgia. It was his last public service. In his retirement, Clymer devoted himself to fine arts and scientific agriculture. He had nine children by his marriage with Elizabeth Meredith, of whom five had survived infancy. George Clymer died at his Philadelphia home on January 23, 1813, nearly seventy-four years old.

http://www.georgeclymer.com/

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