Posted on 11/02/2006 12:14:21 PM PST by MeneMeneTekelUpharsin
SEATTLE — A school bus driver fired after she reportedly made an obscene gesture at President Bush has filed a union grievance in an attempt to get her job back. The 43-year-old driver, whose name was not released, was driving middle school children back to school after a zoo visit on June 16 when the president and Republican Rep. Dave Reichert drove slowly by in a motorcade. From the bus, the children waved; with the windows down in their car, Bush and Reichert waved back.
That's when the driver gave the president the finger, according to Reichert and Issaquah superintendent Janet Barry. "The congressman hadn't seen it, but the president turned to him and said, 'That one's not a fan,' " said Reichert spokeswoman Kimberly Cadena. Reichert later called Barry to tell her about the incident, but the bus driver had already been fired. District officials learned about the incident after the driver boasted to colleagues about it, Cadena said.
District spokeswoman Sara Niegowski said the driver has filed a wrongful termination grievance through the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The union did not return calls seeking comment. Niegowski said the firing was not politically motivated. "The bus driver was not terminated for making an obscene gesture at the president. The bus driver was terminated for making an obscene gesture in view of the students," Niegowski said. "That's not the role modeling we need for our students."
Free speech is not free from consequences.
LOL!
"The bus driver was terminated for making an obscene gesture in view of the students," Niegowski said. "That's not the role modeling we need for our students."
There you go. Someone else will do a better job not corrupting the youth on the bus.
Last time I looked giving someone the finger was the same as saying Farouk You. Do you really want your children being driven around by people who use language like hat in front of them. Not withstanding the lack of respect for the man holding the highest office in the land.
What she was really fired for is using vulgar language in front of kids. Great, she/he deserved it.
You are hopeless. Perhaps after you've lived in the real world a few years, you will shed this fairy tale academia world you seem to be living in right now.
Do you claim that she should not have been disciplined at all? Are you claiming that the right of "free speech" means that you are free to drive a school bus and flip people off without consequence, simply because you are employed by the state?
Should a teacher be allowed to flip off the flag during the pledge of allegiance? Should a coach be allowed to flip off the other team? Should a janitor be allowed to flip off students who drop trash on the grounds?
"But that gesture is as integral to driving as the turn signal!"
There are a lot of whackos on the road. Flipping off someone could get you run off the road and beaten within an inch of your life. Not good to have someone with this lack of maturity and common sense driving children around. If she wants to flip the president the bird, she can do it on her own time.
Any bus driver who gives anyone the finger while children are on the bus should at the very least be disciplined, if not fired. Totally inappropriate behavior in front of kids.
It is obscene and no bus driver should flip off anyone while in the bus, especially when children are on board.
She merely forgot to extend the firts finger along with the middle finger. Oh, and to turn her hand around too. She actually meant to flash a "V-for-victory" sign. Yeah, that's the ticket. After all, it worked for Kerry.
I do hope you don't have a fish on the back of your car.
Oh please...she got fired for making an obscene gesture in front of the kids, it had nothing to do with free speech.
The Government had nothing to do with her firing, the story clearly states she was already fired before they even contacted them because she was bragging about it.
No, I find them tacky.
This driver should have her middle finger removed.
Typical liberal lack of any respect whatsoever.
W always has a sense of humor!!
I think it was the fact that she was around ELEMENTARY SCHOOL KIDS that was the issue.
Let us suppose she flips off a nutjob with a gun who decides to shoot at the bus. This is not impossible in todays world.
My son came home today to tell me about the lunch supervisor. It's unbelievable, the way she talks to these kids. Today she apparently told one 10 or 11 year-old the French equivalent of "F*** off, you little s***"!!!!!
There are some behaviors that are not acceptable in front of children and giving the finger to the president, or to anyone, is one of them.
I notice you are in Canada. I suspect that if the lunch supervisor had said, "Jésus vous aime", she would have been fired on the spot.
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