Posted on 03/04/2006 1:39:56 AM PST by JohnHuang2
Free speech implies a level playing field
...And that's my point. They're should ALWAYS be a level playing field in this country of the U.S. Your'e right, he shouldn't be politicking, but on the other hand he should have full rights to free speech as well as any other student. And if it causes him to get FIRED because he wasn't doing his job, then so be it. I want these idiots to speak because they sound so ridiculous and people see them for what they truly believe.
Level playing field with the understanding of what game you're currently playing.
I am surprised no one yet asked: Exactly on what continent does Tokyo appear?
There's a really entertaining analysis of Bennish's rant at http://lawnrangers.blogspot.com/2006/03/dissecting-rant.html
>Not only is he unhinged, he’s wrong too.
You’ve probably heard about the anti-American rant by Colorado geography teach Jay Bennish. Jay has been suspended, rightfully so in my mind, for his wholly inappropriate diatribe against the US. It used to be that we taught students to be good citizens; now we don’t even teach them the facts.
Michelle Malkin has transcribed the majority of the rant for us, so let’s look at some the statements that Jay makes.
Statement: “For over 30 years, America has had soldiers fighting in Colombia in a civil war.”
Fact: US military involvement in Colombia began in the 1980's.
Statement: “Who buys cocaine? Not Bolivians. Not Peruvians. Americans! Why are we destroying the farmers' lives when we're the ones that consume that good.”
Fact: Bolivian and Peruvians smoke coca paste.
Statement: "Who is the world's largest producer of cigarettes and tobacco? The United States!"
Fact: China is the largest, followed by India and Brazil. Depending on how you measure it, the largest tobacco company is either Phillip Morris, BAT, or China National. Brazil is the largest exporter.
Statement:“What part of our country grows all our tobacco? Anyone know what states in particular? Mostly what's called North Carolina.“
Fact: North Carolina is responsible for 37% of the tobacco grown in the US.
Statement: “don't the Peruvians and the Iranians and the Chinese have the right to invade America and drop chemical weapons over North Carolina to destroy the tobacco plants”
Fact: We sell very little, if any tobacco to Peru, Iran and China.
We actually import about 50% our tobacco.
Statement: “killing millions and millions of people in their countries every year”
Fact: Annual worldwide deaths from smoking are around 5 million. I doubt that Peru and Iran account for the majority of those. Muslims aren't even supposed to smoke. My guess is that China probably sells us more tobacco than we sell to them.
Statement: “Who has the most weapons of mass destruction in the world? The United States.”
Fact: For many years, the Soviet Union had the most. Russia most likely still has more weapons of mass destruction than the United States.
Russia is estimated to now have around 20,000 nuclear weapons.
During the Cold War, and afterwards, the Soviet Union had the world's largest arsenal of chemical weapons, including artillery shells, bombs, and missiles...
financial and other difficulties have impeded the destruction of its chemical weapons stockpile, so it is far behind the timetable specified in the treaty.
...the United States maintains a sizeable arsenal of nearly 10,000 nuclear warheads, of which nearly 6,000 are operational and the remainder in reserve or inactive stockpiles.
The entire U.S. [biological warfare] stockpile was destroyed in 1969 and 1970...
The NSCMP also destroyed 80% of the nation's original chemical weapons production facilities in 2003, 16 months ahead of schedule, and will meet the final deadline of 100% destruction by April 2007.
Statement: “There are dozens upon dozens of countries that have weapons of mass destruction.”
Fact: 15-20, depending on who is counting and how.
Statement: They [Israel] assassinated the British prime minister in Palestine.
Fact: I assume he’s talking about Lord Moyne, Minister Resident for the Middle East, who was assassinated in Cairo, Egypt in 1944.
Statement: Israeli terrorists used "Car bombings, you name it".
Fact: One truck bomb, actually (1/4/1948).
Statement: "And when you shoot a missile into Pakistan to quote-unquote kill a known terrorist, and we just killed 75 people that have nothing to do with al Qaeda,"
Fact: 18 killed, including al Qaeda affiliates.
Statement: In the Iran-Iraq war, we sold missiles, tanks, guns and planes to both sides.
Fact: We sold missiles to Iran as a part of the Iran-Contra debacle.
Statement: US conducted 7000 terrorist attacks against Cuba in two years, 1960 to 1968.”
Fact: He can’t even get his Radio Havana propaganda right. (Apparently it’s 5780 over 30 some years. Who knew?)
Statement: The FBI had an office in the World Trade Center
Fact: I can’t find any confirmation of this.
Statement: The Clinton ordered Sudan attacks destroyed the largest pharmaceutical plant.
Fact: I could not confirm the size of the plant destroyed.<
Sheesh! It should read: No one HAS yet asked:....
In this interview, a former student talks about Bennish, and we get an insight into why he launched into the "lesson" that got him in hot water (this too is a must hear):
http://wvw.clearchannel.com/spacer.mp3?event=16~~29~~104~radio~28~khow-am~1319~Caplis+%26amp%3B+Silverman+Interviews+Podca~1322~Brad+Tatum+Interview~98~http%3A%2F%2Fsecure.eonstreams.com%2Fkhow_am%2F3.01%2520BRAD.mp3
Wanna' bet that the most significant outcome of this is the banning of recorders in classrooms?
Since most highschool classes are not elective and the student has no choice in the matter, it would seem that this type of teacher ought to be precluded from teaching at any grade level.
Wouldn't you just love to visit a teachers college and see what they're spewing to the prospective teachers.
…Bennish had taken it upon himself as the geography teacher to begin teaching his view of political science…
Wouldn't you just love to visit a teachers college and see what they're spewing to the prospective teachers.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&77
I recommend visiting "Dr. Dave's Issues and Concerns" a MSN message board. The teachers posting on this board are drooling idiots.
http://groups.msn.com/DrDavesIssuesConcerns
Recorders in classrooms have always been banned. Whether that can be enforced is another story. Doubt it's ever been tested in court.
Truth? The ignorant don’t need no truth!
There are ten apples on the tree, three fell to the ground. How many in all?
This teacher lasted two more years until she was not rehired.
There would be notes home to the parents with spelling and grammar errors....on a regular basis.
In 1948 Henry Wallace won the election for president at my high school in Detroit. The FBI was called to investigate the history department for members of the communist party.
Free speech also implies that a teacher is able to say anything they want and we know that's not true. Teachers may not proselytize students to any religion and in some schools, teachers may not display any religious symbols or read the Bible during silent reading periods. On O'Reilly, I heard Bennish's lawyer claim Bennish was exercising free speech and I wished O'Reilly would have asked him if he supported Bennish preaching the Gospel.
Good for you...at least he knows he's being watched.
I heard the son and father talking last night. They hope that the teacher is NOT fired. This would send a message that you can be fired for saying your opinion as a teacher in a classroom. They have no problem with an editorial by the teacher as long as both sides are presented.
I hope there are mechanisms in place to stand up for the kid. He'll get it from both barrels--libs don't like being outed.
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