Lauer for the Defense: Matt Asks Colorado Teacher "Were You Set Up?"

Today Show/NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

by Mark Finkelstein

March 7, 2006

Turns out the real culprit in the Colorado kerfluffle over the teacher who compared Pres. Bush to Hitler is . . . the student who complained about it. Just ask Matt Lauer.

Interviewing teacher Jay Bennish this morning, Lauer laid out this sympathetic scenario:

Lauer: "The family here, the student's family, didn't go to the school board with this tape."

Bennish: "They never contacted me."

Lauer: "They shopped it around to conservative media outlets and finally released it to one and created an uproar. On the tape you can hear Sean Allen [the student in question] asking you questions that seem to be egging you on a little bit. Do you feel you were set up?"

Wait a second, Matt. Isn't the essence of the teacher's defense that he was trying to provoke discussion of these issues? Didn't you just hear him say that "my job as a teacher is to challenge students to think critically," that he was trying to "encourage critical thought" and that students would "get extra credit regardless of their viewpoints"?

But when a student does just that, he is "setting the teacher up"?

Think Lauer would have floated the same theory if, for example, a Muslim student had recorded a teacher propagating the notion that Islam is an inherently violent religion?

[television is just wrong]

exactly. He went through a MAJOR clean up.

[AD from SpringBay]

Questions I'd like to ask the 'teacher'.

How come you didn't just stick to the subject you are paid to teach, namely geography?

How many of your students can correctly identify both Atlantic and Pacific oceans on an unlabeled map?

How can the teacher be the victim in a situation like this?

Do you teach your students that Hitler was responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of noncombatants? And, on what basis do you reason that Bush is like Hitler?

After listening to your own rant, aren't you ashamed of yourself?

[Halfmanhalfamazing]

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All your bush hate are belong to teachers!

[TBP]

Typicla of the educational-media complex. They never miss an opportunity to harm America.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Lauer: "The family here, the student's family, didn't go to the school board with this tape."

Bennish: "They never contacted me."

The parents contacted the principal and she blew them off. Then they went to the superintendent of the Cherry Creek School District. Other parents and students have publicly stated that they have complained to Bennish and about him to school administration in the past.

Right now Bennish is being interviewed by Peter Boyles on KHOW in Denver. Boyles, no rocket scientist himself and someone who doesn't believe that there is a liberal media bias, is tearing the Rasta man a new bung hole. Bennish has no recollection of comparing Bush to anyone other than Hitler in any of his classes.

[small voice in the wilderness]

The only thing the Today Show is missing is the {{{{echoing}}}} voice of doom warning used to make sure listeners understand just WHO the *evil* ones are

Lauer: "They shopped it around to conservative media outlets and finally released it to one and created an uproar. On the tape you can hear Sean Allen [the student in question] asking you questions that seem to be egging you on a little bit. Do you feel you were set up?"

"They"{{{'theytheythey'}}},(in evil Republican voice) "shopped it around to conservative" {{{'conservconservconservative'}}}"media outlets and finally released it to one"{{{'oneoneONE'}}}"and created an uproar"{{{'up...roar...roaruproar'}}}}."

[governsleastgovernsbest]

LOL. Sounds like one of Rush's hilarious parodies!

[PBRSTREETGANG]

[jgilbert63]

Who is this Lauer of which you speak?

[Courdeleon02]

Lauer is a typical liberal garbage man. That teacher was indoctrinating those kids. The student who recorded him did the world a favor. Quite frankly after hearing the tape I wished I could punch that creep in the mouth.It shows how biased the education world is against this country. It shows how liberal the propagandists have polluted the minds of our young people.

[george wythe]

A liberal teacher is embarrassed with the world finds out what he is really teaching in a geography class.

Why should he be ashamed of his hour-long screed being played on the radio?

[iceskater]

Thanks for that little tidbit of information. I didn't realize he cleaned up his personal appearance.

[mewzilla]

FR EXCLUSIVE: Class Syllabus of Bush-bashing Colorado Geography Teacher Jay Bennish

Set up?!

SNORT.

[YaYa123]

I consider my wrist gently slapped.

[E Rocc]

I wonder if Bennish, or his defenders, would stick up for a teacher that got in trouble for praying in class?

-Eric

[Right Cal Gal]

Hmm...every liberal media outlet out there in the "sources." I'm surprised he managed to leave out Kos, Atrios, and DU.

[Inspectorette]

Mark, I don't know how you can stand it day after day, just reading this made my stomach lurch.

"It's a nasty job, but somebody's gotta do it" -you must've needed a double dose of Prilosec ;-)

[ru4liberty]

[dead]

[AmericaUnite]

Lauer didn't play the anti-US, anti-profit, anti-capitalist tirade of this idiot. It was all about not liking Bush.

Lauer wants the audience to see that this reasonable teacher, just hates Bush. Doesn't everybody? (sarcasm)