L.A. teacher loses job over anti-Semitic comments (while attending Occupy Wall Street rally)

sf gate ^ | 10/19/2011 | ap

[tobyhill]

Los Angeles school officials say a substitute teacher has lost her job after making anti-Semitic comments during an interview.

In a statement Tuesday, schools Superintendent John Deasy condemned remarks made by Patricia McAllister during a protest rally last week.

In an Oct. 12 interview with Reason.com at a Los Angeles rally, McAllister said "Zionist Jews and the Federal Reserve" need to be run out of this country.

[LevinFan]

I have to agree with nathan. She has the right to an opinion outside of class. Taking a govenment job shouldn’t be a renunciation of their basic rights.
“You can’t take away peoples right to be @ssholes.” - Demolition Man

[SZonian]

If her remarks were made as a private citizen, I agree.

If her remarks were made as a representative of the school district or she was there in any “official” capacity, I disagree.

She’s still a douche though...

[GreenLanternCorps]

I absolutely agree.

Having nutty political opinions is not grounds for firing. This situation is no better than the New Jersey Transit worker who got fired for burning a Koran, or the Florida teacher who was disciplined for opposing homosexual marriage.

The government has no business policing the private speech of it’s workers, period.

[GreenLanternCorps]

In this case it would be justified.

Free speech for everyone, not just those with whom we agree.

[PapaBear3625]

Every freeper should send the video link to every Jewish friend or relative he has. Especially the liberal ones.

[Buckeye McFrog]

translation: she will be put on Paid Administrative Leave while an arbitrator orders her reinstatement and the district fights a fruitless five-year legal battle to try and overturn that.

[tobyhill]

My posting had nothing to do with her rights but there are consequences for that right in her case and besides the main stream media has to now admit there’s racist in the occupy wall street crowd.

[markman46]

this teacher id herself as an employee of LAUSD at the occupy la event on saturday. she lost her employment by the antisemitic rant she made by iding herself as a employee of lasud she inplys she is speaking for LAUSD.

[tobyhill]

Also let me explain what I meant by consequences. The consequences doesn’t neccesarily mean she should be fired, but the fact that she has now given the proper context to the occupy wall street.

[SparkyBass]

OUL
(Occupy Unemployment Line)

[Minus_The_Bear]

She has the the absolute right to say whatever she wants.

She has no right to a government job.

[Albion Wilde]

Just because she lost her job as a teacher doesn’t mean she wasn’t hired back as an administrator.

LOL of the morning!!!

[LevinFan]

She does have a right not to be punished for exercising her rights.

[Minus_The_Bear]

She was at the protest in work capacity.

She was representing her school and her district. That is problem when these astroturf unions do this.

She was not making this statement on he own time. She was being paid to make this statement by the taxpayer.

[chooseascreennamepat]

Woof- a two-bagger!

[aimhigh]

She was representing her school and her district.

And her Jewish students feel safer now that she's fired.

[Leep]

Transgendered bigot?

[GSWarrior]

McAllister said "Zionist Jews and the Federal Reserve" need to be run out of this country.

One out of two ain't bad.

[Interesting Times]

It occurs to me that free speech ought to enjoy more protection in the public square from punishment by the state. I believe that a substitute teacher should have the constitutional right to say these despicable things in the public square without losing her job. I believe that if she had said them in the classroom, she should lose her job.

I agree. We surrender the right to free political speech at our own peril.

[Lmo56]

A teacher should not be in public raging about anything.

I agree. That being said, I also believe in the 1st Amendment.

As long as she was expressing her opinion, on her own time - and not trying to express her view in the classroom, then she should be free to do it.

HOWEVER, as it was a public interview, she should have declined to give her name and occupation to the reporter ...

Tha is where she messed up - pubicly identifying herself and her job position ...