Teacher who showed students offensive Bush video is candidate for state office

THE DECATUR DAILY ^ | 4/7/06 | Holly Hollman

[wagglebee]

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Courtesy Photos
An eighth-grade science teacher showed his students a derogatory, profanity-filled Internet film about President Bush and Vice President Cheney, among others. The West Limestone teacher, Steve White, also is running for state office.

Teacher who showed students offensive Bush video is candidate for state office

By Holly Hollman
DAILY Staff Writer
hhollman@decaturdaily.com · 340-2445

SALEM — An eighth-grade science teacher, who is a Democratic candidate for state office, won't face suspension for showing students a derogatory, profanity-filled Internet film about the president.

Limestone County Superintendent Barry Carroll said Thursday that he talked with West Limestone High School teacher Steve White about showing the film.

"It's a personnel matter, and it's been handled," Carroll said. "Both I and Principal Stan Davis discussed the matter with him. He's not on suspension or anything like that."

Carroll would not specify how he handled it.

White has qualified to run for District 4 state representative, which includes portions of Limestone and Morgan counties.

White ran against Rep. Tommy Carter, D-Elkmont, in 1994 for the District 5 seat. During that Democratic primary, the Alabama Democratic Party ordered a new election because of balloting errors. Carter, who won the initial primary by 27 votes, criticized the party for that decision and tried to stop the new election.

In the new election, Carter won by 1,633 votes.

Carroll said he has notified school board members about the incident, but White won't go before the board.

Board member John Wayne King said he is "confident the matter's been handled, and it won't happen again."

White did not return THE DAILY's phone or e-mail messages.

The video by Filmstripinter
national.com opens with the words "American Civics Volume II" and shows black and white clips of war and what appears to be the Great Depression.

It refers to a country at war, the poor getting poorer and jobs moving overseas. Then it shows a color photo of President Bush with a profane caption.

That upset some parents, who complained to school officials about the content of the clips featuring Bush, members of his administration and his supporters.

Other captions, some containing profanity, are shown under photos of Texas Rep. Tom DeLay, Vice President Dick Cheney, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Focus on the Family's Dr. James Dobson and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

The band Big Jim's Ego performs the film's song. As images of Bush's administration scroll across the screen, the song says:

And I know there are those people,

Who say they never are to blame;

And that's not my modus operandi,

I don't play that game.

And then there are some people, who claim the sun shines out their behind

And it's oh so hard to get them to change their mind;

And I've given up trying.

Carroll said White did not give a reason for showing the film. Carroll said the incident occurred before spring break.

Parent Christy Jackson, whose son saw the film in White's class, said she thinks the motivation was political. Jackson said White is anti-Bush.

Jackson said she is upset because she wants her son to respect other people's religion, beliefs and political views.

Pam Wallace, chairwoman of the local Democratic Executive Committee, said she is in Montgomery and had not heard about the incident.

"So I don't see how I can comment on it," Wallace said.

Jim Burden, chairman of the local Republican Party, said, "It bothers me that he took his political opinion into the classroom. That's not what we're paying him to teach. He should be teaching students how to make gold out of lead and stick to science."

District 4 Rep. Micky Hammon, R-Decatur, who is seeking re-election, said this is "absolutely not appropriate material" for eighth grade or high school.

"I know he's my opponent, but I would say this about any teacher who showed something like that. You shouldn't use your position as a teacher to influence children about your political opinions," Hammon said. "That is wrong. He's abusing his authority."

Hammon said legislators are debating getting the Bible taught in schools as an elective, and "we sure don't need to have to come back and battle over stuff like this getting in the classroom."

Hammon said the school system needs to reassure parents that "this won't happen again."

[wagglebee]

There is so much to go after here, but my biggest question is why is an eighth-grade science teacher even discussing politics in the classroom?

[meyer]

Liberals don't fall far from the dummy tree. When I finally returned to college back in the mid-1990's, Dennis Kucinich was one of the guest speakers in one of those "required" classes that I took at Cleveland State University. He was also a candidate for a seat in the Ohio House.

Most of the younger students in the class didn't know that Dennis the Menace had nearly destroyed Cleveland some 15-20 years earlier.

[ishabibble]

I'd start with the photo used in this article. It is probably the least offensive frame in the video.

If my child were shown that video by a teacher, I would have called the cops. Somewhere in all those "corruption of a minor" laws must be something that covers children forced, by the implied power and authority of a teacher, to sit and listen to obscenity. It doesn't matter if "everybody says it" it is still wrong, and I do believe, against the law.

[DoughtyOne]

Well there's one way to make sure it doesn't happen again, but in their wisdom they took a pass on that option.

Not only are there abysmal teachers out there, there are some fairly sick minded people overseeing them.

This guy should have gotten his walking paper when this came to light.

[BW2221]

Superintendent Carroll sounds like a real idiot. He seems quite confident everything is handled, but I don't expect he's gotten a call from Bill O'Reilly's people because O'Reilly was on vacation last week.

I imagine Carroll will be receiving a call from the good people at FNC about 9 AM Monday. Unlike Colorado, People in Alabama will go nuts.

[FlingWingFlyer]

This moronic bozo, White, sounds like a real Brokeback Mountaineer. He should do pretty good with the 'RAT voters.

[sergeantdave]

Breach of contract - the idiot was hired to teach science, not present propaganda - doesn't apply to rats. If I were a parent here, I'd have my attorney lined up at the school board office Monday morning filing a motion to ask why this moron hasn't been fired yet.

[Socratic]

Most of the younger students in the class didn't know that Dennis the Menace had nearly destroyed Cleveland some 15-20 years earlier.

And I'm sure none, unlike myself, remember seeing him as a candidate for Cleveland City Council appear on the Super Host program with his ventriloquist act and dummy. (It was hard to tell which was which.)

For those who don't recall local Cleveland TV, Super Host was a station employee who did mostly news spots, but on Saturdays dressed as a demented Superman type and presented grade B sci-fi flicks.

[Squat]

I wouldn't think this is over yet.

[jtill]

Amen!

If my child was in that class, a "talking to" over a "personal matter" wouldn't cut the mustard, especially when the teacher wasn't disciplined or put on leave without pay.

Sickening, and to think I live in the district he is running in. Guess who isn't going to vote for him -- well,I wouldn't anyway because he's a demoncrat.

[9999lakes]

Another Poster Boy For Vouchers To Every Parent In America!

[Faith]

Carroll said White did not give a reason for showing the film.

White knows that his real reason is unacceptable. Most science teachers would recognize that the video doesn't come close to fitting into their curriculum.

[WOSG]

"It's a personnel matter, and it's been handled," Carroll said. "Both I and Principal Stan Davis discussed the matter with him. He's not on suspension or anything like that."

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oh ... of course not!

that only happens if the teacher slips out a "Jesus is Lord!"
statement or something awful like that.

(Sigh - we are losing it, folks! the inmates are in charge of the asylum)

[WOSG]

There is so much to go after here, but my biggest question is why is an eighth-grade science teacher even discussing politics in the classroom?"

Because he is a deranged liberal who thinks it is his right to propagandize his captive audience on this matter.

[Libertarian444]

[Superintendant] Carroll would not specify how he handled it.

He probably gave him a raise.

[Don_Ret_USAF]

I Agree with you. I would be pressing for showing a R Rate clip to an underage person. I would also remove my child from that school in a heart beat. What else is going on that has not surfaced.

[napscoordinator]

There is so much to go after here, but my biggest question is why is an eighth-grade science teacher even discussing politics in the classroom?



As soon as I read Science Teacher, that was my question too. I am sick of these teachers trying to teach politics in non government classes.

[Gopher Broke]

Click here to send a webform email to Principal Stan Davis....

http://www.westlimestonehigh.org/?PageName='PrincipalsCorner'

Click here to send a webform email to Limestone County School Superintendent Barry Carroll......

http://www.lcsk12.org/websites/LimestoneCountySchools/LimestoneCounty/Default.asp?PN=StaffList&L=0&DivisionID="103'&DepartmentID=''&SubDepartmentID=''

[napscoordinator]

Thank you...just wrote it. I was hoping to actually get the e-mail when I clicked, but that is ok it should be in the in box by now.
Take it easy.
Bob

[Gopher Broke]

The Republican opponent of this Bush-hating jerk is Micky Hammon.

Micky Hammon
Micky Hammon Campaign
1344 East Upper River Road
Decatur AL 35603
256-350-0375

I plan to send him a check today......