Posted on 03/04/2006 1:39:56 AM PST by JohnHuang2
Sean Allen is a 16-year-old in Aurora, Colo., who couldn't take it anymore. Sitting day after day in Jay Bennish's 10th-grade geography class had become too much.
Though Bennish teaches students to identify which continent Tokyo appears on, and what the climate of India is like compared to Tibet, Bennish had taken it upon himself as the geography teacher to begin teaching his view of political science (a course not presently offered at Allen's Overland High School).
Following the president's State Of The Union address, Bennish boiled up a bit, until he could no longer take it. Marching into his classroom – preceding what was supposed to be a lecture on geography, Bennish opened his remarks thusly:
He [Bush] started off his speech talkin' about how America should be the country that dominates the world! That we have been blessed essentially by God to have the most civilized, the most advanced, best system, and that its our duty as Americans to use the military to go out into the world and to make the world like us.
Sounds a lot like the things Adolph Hitler used to say. We're the only ones who are right. Everyone else is backwards. And its our job to conquer the world and make sure they all live just like we want them to ... There are some eerie similarities to the tones that they use. Very, very – ethnocentric.
Deciding he had had enough of Bennish's rubbish, he taped him on his IPod, played the tape – for his parents – who took the matter to the school administration who then put Bennish on paid leave. Yesterday, ignorant students walked out of Overland protesting the teacher's paid leave.
But what did Bush say in the beginning of his State Of The Union addresss? Indulge me ...
Abroad, our nation is committed to an historic, long-term goal – we seek the end of tyranny in our world. Some dismiss that goal as misguided idealism. In reality, the future security of America depends on it. On September the 11th, 2001, we found that problems originating in a failed and oppressive state 7,000 miles away could bring murder and destruction to our country. Dictatorships shelter terrorists, and feed resentment and radicalism, and seek weapons of mass destruction. Democracies replace resentment with hope, respect the rights of their citizens and their neighbors, and join the fight against terror. Every step toward freedom in the world makes our country safer – so we will act boldly in freedom's cause.
Far from being a hopeless dream, the advance of freedom is the great story of our time. In 1945, there were about two dozen lonely democracies in the world. Today, there are 122. And we're writing a new chapter in the story of self-government – with women lining up to vote in Afghanistan, and millions of Iraqis marking their liberty with purple ink, and men and women from Lebanon to Egypt debating the rights of individuals and the necessity of freedom. At the start of 2006, more than half the people of our world live in democratic nations. And we do not forget the other half – in places like Syria and Burma, Zimbabwe, North Korea, and Iran – because the demands of justice, and the peace of this world, require their freedom, as well.
No one can deny the success of freedom, but some men rage and fight against it.
And, according to Bennish, this kind of language is directly comparable to Adolph Hitler:
If at the beginning of the War and during the War 12 or 15,000 of these Hebrew corrupters of the people had been held under poison gas, as happened to hundreds of thousands of our very best German workers in the field, the sacrifice of millions at the front would not have been in vain.
These tactics are based on an accurate estimation of human weakness and must lead to success, with almost mathematical certainty, unless the other side also learns how to fight poison gas with poison gas. The weaker natures must be told that here it is a case of to be or not to be.
We should all applaud Sean Allen for standing up to a lying liberal teacher. Oh that more young people are steeled with the courage to charge headlong into the battle for all that is true, just and good!
And as for the ignorant kids who pulled the "walk out"?
Come on, its a public school – what they miss can't corrupt them!
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Kevin McCullough is heard daily in New York City, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware and New Jersey on WMCA 570/970 from 2-5 p.m. He blogs at muscleheadrevolution.com.
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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