From The Smoking Gun:
A New York woman claims that she was forced from her teaching post by an elementary school principal who objected to her Republican activism and last year ordered the removal of a portrait of President George W. Bush from the educator's Long Island classroom. In a federal discrimination lawsuit, Jillian Caruso, 26, claims that she was improperly forced to resign her job by Birch Lane Elementary School principal Joyce Becker-Seddio, the wife of state Assemblyman Frank Seddio, a Brooklyn Democrat.[...]
Caruso, who taught first and third graders at Birch Lane, also claims that when the principal spotted the Bush portrait late last year--it was hanging among photos of other U.S. presidents--she "became outraged and insisted that the picture be removed."
I don't know all the facts on this case, and neither do you. All I can say is, if the former-teacher is telling the truth, this is a truly vile example of abuse of power.
I remember, back in junior high school, quite a few of my teachers were hard-core Leftists. One social studies teacher did his best to indoctrinate us into radical, almost violent, environmentalism. Another social studies teacher spent most of our time, not teaching actual American history, but instead discussing various conspiracy theories about JFK's death, and flatly lying about how perfect and innocent the Native Americans were, before the Evil White Man came into the picture with a mindless bloodlust for genocide.
So, I'm well aware that the attempted "brain-washing" of young minds occurs in our schools. But if Leftist teachers are allowed to keep their jobs despite their overt biases, then Right-wing teachers should be allowed to keep their jobs too.
Article comments
1 - billy
these are just wild claims, no one has been indicted yet, lets withold judgement until the investigation is complete, who knows, i heard she wasnt really even a student. and to claim that there is a such thing as a right wing teacher. thats crazy. why would that be allowed? they dont understand evolution. they think it is a church not a school. this doesnt make any sense.
2 - Dave Nalle
The entire right wing doesn't deny evolution, billy. Just a small minority. Some Dems agree with them, btw.
As for this teacher, if putting a picture of the current president on the wall is grounds for dismissal then our school system is in serious trouble. Even if you don't like him, just being president makes him a relevant current events figure.
Dave
3 - billy
the ones that deny evolution sure are the most vocal though. and they seem to have the most influence too. i wouldnt ay its a small minority. probably 50/50. id ont know why they are so afraid anyway. evolution cannot prove god does not exist, mo matter how good a theory it is.
4 - Dave Nalle
No, Billy. They are the ones you choose to hear because they help fuel your desire to hate Republicans. Believe me, they're a tiny minority.
Dave
5 - Anthony Grande
Billy, I am right wing as they get, but I believe in evolution. I do believe god purposely created humans they way they are today though. Does that mean I can't be a teacher? I like Bush, does that mean I can't be a teacher? I accept Bush as our president, does that mean I can't be a teacher?
Wow, you better keep me away from your kids, I could be dangerous to their minds.
6 - Dave Nalle
Apparently yes, those beliefs mean you can't be a teacher - at least as long as the NEA sets the agenda for the schools.
Dave
7 - todd
The NYC schools are notorious for stuff like this. IE the John Taylor Gatto incident, where the HR dept "lost" his leave of absence notification and fired him, only to have it come out in court clearly that they did it on purpose because of his views about education.
Bypass his book tho, its fairly unreadable, even tho its part of the homeschooling canon now.
8 - Georgio
Dave..I hear you saying this all the time..that the right wing Christians are a minority in the Republican party..but.... the South who all voted for Bush is full of right wing Christians who believe the bible to be the word of God and therefore cannot accept evolution..they also believe the earth can not be billions of years old ....is this true or not Dave?
9 - Dave Nalle
Extremist christians are a minority even in the south, and many of them are Democrats or independent. They may turn out to vote for Republicans occasionally when motivated by issues in a particular election, but they are not necessarily Republicans most of the time. In addition, there are lots of right wing christians who belong to relatively mainstream denominations and believe in evolution, but also believe in a conservative social agenda. The portion who are both socially conservative and actual practicing fundamentalist AND also regular Republican voters is relatively small. It's certainly no more than 20% of the core Republican vote, but that's a big block if they all think the same.
Do you think that the majority of Democrats are atheists who believe in a full socialist/communist agenda and think that we ought to have 100% inheritance tax, state mandated wages, a maximum 35 hour work week, a national salary cap, and nationalization of major industries? Cause those folks are in the Democratic party and they are powerful - they claimed they controlled the party after the last election. They're your equivalent of the whole bible right wing conservatives in the GOP.
Dave
10 - Nancy
This doesn't have to do with right or left wing anything; this has to do with a nutcase principal abusing his or her authority, IF the facts are as related. I seriously doubt any teachers' association has an official political agenda, outside of backing whoever will keep on ensuring their raises & benefits. I had teachers on both sides of the spectrum, some of whom pressed their issues, and some of whom did not. Actually, the nuttiest, most radical one was the coach, who constantly preached the Boston Bruins to us.
11 - billy
im glad to hear some righties believe in evolution. i respect a person more who says evolution is real, and that is how god designed us to come to be as we are now, than one who says, "evolution is not a fact" or something lame-brained like that.
keep this in mind too, the universe was formed 15 billion years ago from a tiny piece of matter, and expanded within seconds to 99% of the size it is today.
if i was a religionist i would be jumping all over this as proof of creation, but they dont. instead most try to claim it is a hoax, and the earth is flat, and carbon dating is not real, and dinosaurs never existed despite the bones we find, etc.
12 - Dave Nalle
>>seriously doubt any teachers' association has an official political agenda, outside of backing whoever will keep on ensuring their raises & benefits<<
Then you're underinformed in this area. The NEA pushes a whole social agenda which goes far beyond just getting raises for teachers. Same for the other local groups which are little clones of it.
BTW, billy - no one believes the world is flat. Good try smearing all Christians as ignorant fools, though.
Dave
13 - Victor Plenty
Surely you've heard of the Flat Earth Society, Dave. Their continuing existence, however tenuous, exposes your claim that "no one" believes the world to be flat is a slight exaggeration.
A very slight exaggeration, to be sure, but how can I pass up an opportunity to poke fun at the Flat Earth Society? This kind of chance doesn't come around every day.
14 - Dave Nalle
True, but the Flat Earthers are all LaRouche supporting Democrats.
Dave
15 - Nancy
Dems don't support LaRouche ... do they? I thought only LaRouchians supported LaRouche? A few years ago - not sure if the person is still serving - a LaRouchian actually got elected for something in Leesburg, VA. I seem to recall they got kicked out fairly shortly thereafter for some cause, just after LaRouche himself went to jail for stealing some rich guy's inheritance to fund his campaign. Just what does LaRouche pitch for, anyway?
16 - billy
joe scarborough, loyal republican hack, member of the flat earth society, doesnt believe in evolution or dinosaurs. his entire worldview stems from a single myhtical text written more than 2000 years ago. I wouldnt say this is not a typical republican. it is quite common.
17 - Anthony Grande
billy, who th f*** cares about evolution. If bible is something you interpret. Some think Adam and Eve is a metaphor, some think it is true, does that make them a terrible person. Is everyone who believes something different from you a terrible person? Should we kill Scarborough and drag him through the streets, because he doesn't believe in evolution? Is that what you want?
18 - Dave Nalle
I think the killing and street dragging would probably suit billy just fine.
Of course, Billy has no idea at all what Scarborough believes or where his beliefs come from. Plus I'm positive he's not a member of the Flat Earth Society, so how much credence can we give your other claims about him.
Billy - like many lefties - make assumptions about all Republicans based on a couple of bizarre examples, with no real basis for their idiotic generalizations.
Dave
19 - billy
scarborough admitted it on tv that he is a PROUD member of the flat earth society.
no, A. Grande, people that dont believe like me are not bad, but people that dont believe in evolution should not be teachers.
Dave, next time i see dems trying to take evolution out of school, ill accuse them too.
20 - Dave Nalle
Scarborough has to have been joking, surely. Anyone can join the flat earth society as a joke - or buy one of those land deeds on the moon for that matter. No one could possibly rise to the position he has while believing the earth is flat. I believe you when you say he said it, but before I am convinced he truly believes it I'd need more evidence.
Dave
21 - dee
My brother in law is a teacher. He is a strong supporter of bush and he is very right winged. He teaches in Ohio and has taught there for almost thirty years so you can be all those things and still teach. There may be more to this story then the woman is telling us. She may have been a lousy teacher. Did that ever occut to any of you who are defending her? As for evolution, it is possible. (yes, I am a christian). I do not care where we came from as much as I care about where we are going. That is what is important.