Posted on 03/10/2006 2:40:02 PM PST by jmc1969
Q I'm from Aurora, Colorado. In our town a teacher was suspended for remarks critical of your State of the Union message, made the talk shows, et cetera -- compared you to Hitler and -- actually, I've heard the tape and he didn't, he said, "Hitler-esque," but it's not --
THE PRESIDENT: He's not the only one. (Laughter.)
Q And it's not the content that my question is about. My question is about your sense of the free speech right in the classroom or in public to criticize you without being considered unpatriotic.
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, I think people should be allowed to criticize me all they want, and they do. (Laughter.) Now what are you all laughing at over there? (Laughter.) Don't cheer him on. (Laughter.)
Look, there are some certain basic freedoms that we've got to protect. The freedom of people to express themselves must be protected. The freedom of people to be able to worship freely. That freedom is valuable. I tell people all the time, you're equally American if you're a Christian, Jew, or Muslim. You're equally American if you believe in an Almighty or don't believe in an Almighty. That's a sacred freedom.
(Excerpt) Read more at denverpost.com ...
These people are beyond evil. They can't even stop themselves. The guy is supposed to be asking a question of the President of the United States, and he goes off into an apology for this aging adolescent of a teacher!
I wonder: what is the difference between comparing someone to Hitler and calling them Hitler-esque? Is there a meaningful differnce?
(and, yes, this is a rhetorical question)
Sounds like the President had no idea what actually happened in the classroom.
Well, Dubya is being a jolly good sport about this, but Bennish wasn't just "expressing himself," he was TEACHING.
He's right and he didn't fall into the trap of telling a school what their policy should be concerning "free speech".
oh. Like Burl Ives and Burl-esque?
"My question is about your sense of the free speech right in the classroom or in public to criticize you without being considered unpatriotic."
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Wrong. We have a right to speak our mind...and those who hear it have a right to think of us however they want...if that means thinking that you are unpatriotic that is your problem.
But in reality, free speech is not the issue. The issue is that idiotic teacher imposing his wild arse political views on high schoolers in a Geography class paid for by public funds...with no balance. I GUARANTEE the jerk lefties supporting Bennish would be in a rage if he had spoken a strong conservative viewpoint to the students.
So kiddo...you are a fool...start thinking for a change!
Off hand, sounded to me like a decent answer. I was expecting something about the schools responsibility to do what their paid to do-- provide an education; but that wasn't the question. The question concerned what the President is paid to do-- have a good sense of what's in the constitution.
He is right about free speech, but school is not the place to be spouting your personal beliefs that have nothing to do with teaching the class.
If he did, I say he was out of line saying he is in favor, basically, of opening public schools to open indoctination.
I bet he had no idea what happened in the classroom, probably never heard of this story.
Jay Bennish basically said it was fair for Carolinians to be KILLED. That's my bone of contention with the man who says he's a "teacher".
This teacher's mistake is similar to a boss who takes advantage of a female who works for him (like that other unmentionable ex-president).
What a bore this kid is. He has the opportunity to ask the president of the United States any question at all and he asks about this loser Benish? And then he furthers his stupidity by lacing his idiotic question with the straw man argument that the president considers Americans who attack him unpatriotic? What a dunce. Bush has never said nor implied any such thing. This has just become another tortured operating assumption in the Alice in Wonderland world of the looney left.
But further, what Benish was saying in comparing Bush to Hitler is not some benign exercise in free speech. It was an exercise in indecency. The issue isn't one of free speech. The issue is RESPONSIBLE speech. And we should not hide indecency and incivility behind the skirt of free speech to claim it's all a-okay. Of course it is constitutionally protected speech and should be. No one would advocate governmental control of this kind of speech, and the straw man that assumes that's what we advocate is entirely baseless. What we call for is something higher and more noble. It's called SELF-CONTROL. Because you can do or say something doesn't mean you should. And to waste classroom time on it when you should be teaching your kids the educational skills they need to make it in the world is unconscienable. No one is paying you to propagandize their kids. So again, it's not an issue of exercising free speech. It's an issue of exercising some adult judgment.
And yes, comparing your president whether this or ANY president to Hitler is absolutely indecent and should be considered out of bounds by thinking Americans, especially in a time of war. Forgetting that it does violence to the memory of those who suffered under REAL Hitlerism, it simply has no basis in reality. Our media and many Americans get away with the most vile of slanders against this country and its policies than have EVER been allowed in times of major warfare in America's past. So maybe these idiots should learn a little about the world and their own country before they start promiscuously throwing around brain dead labels. Free speech in America has never had it so good as is obvious by the endless torrent of bile being spewed at this president and his policies and in a time of national danger and with near total impugnity.
I have been a big supporter of President Bush but with all due respect he hasn't got a clue on this issue. It's not about free speech, its about indoctrination. The teacher can say whatever he wants in his free time. The issue is not about his free speech but rather his speech in the classroom in front of children who are forced to listen to him. It's not a federal issue, its a local issue (however federal funding is involved). But a President should at least understand what the issue is and speak out against propaganda techniques and encourage local officials to take appropriate action. Propaganda is being used in Arab countries to breed suicide bombers from children. So this issue is important.
Apparently Bush doesn't even understand this issue.
True but that's the school board's job, not the Presidents. The feds responsibility in this issue is to but out. That's what the President is doing.
Let's heap scorn where it belongs-- on the school board.
Bennish is free to express himself. The First Amendment does not guarantee there will be NO consequences for doing so. The First Amendment means the government won't throw him in jail.
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