Guest blogged by David Edwards of Veredictum.com
A Denver teacher, Jay Bennish, was suspended after he made a loose comparison between Bush’s and Hilter’s foreign policies. A student made an audio recording of the teacher’s comments. The same student may have been attempting to draw provocative comments from the teacher by asking specific questions.
Instead of contacting the teacher or the school, the parents “shopped” the audio tape around to different right-wing radio shows. Both the teacher and the student have now been suspended.
NBC Today had the first exclusive interview with Bennish. He says that he has had a great deal of support from his students and community. The parents of the student that made the audio tape still have not contacted him.
Video in Streaming Flash format…
Video in Windows Media format…
Audio in MP3 format…
ADDITIONAL THOUGHT FROM BRAD: While the Wingnut Media has spent hours upon hours trashing this obscure, previously unknown high-school teacher from a small town in Colorado for the answers he gave to the recording-student in front of a few dozen classmates, to date, we’re unaware of any of those same Wingnuts having aired Ann Coulter’s recent “Raghead Speech”.
Her speech was given as the keynote address, to a packed house of thousands and a standing ovation at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) held a couple of weeks ago in D.C. The CPAC is the nation’s largest and most important “Conservative” annual gathering and featured other speakers such as Dick Cheney and Bill Frist etc. Coulter also discussed the assassination of Bill Clinton and the bombing of the Supreme Court in her speech. The entire speech can be heard here on BRAD BLOG (if not on Rush, O’Reilly, Hannity et al, where you can hear the high-school teacher’s lecture to a few dozen students over and over again.)
ALSO…: Newshounds has great coverage of how Hannity et al, are taking Bennish’s comments out of context and mis-quoting him, etc. to fit their own agenda and to fool their gullible, captive audiences who seem to be less educated than the high schoolers Bennish was speaking to.
Dave,
Did you get the contact information for that school?
(It may be in the videos, but some of us are at the office and are not allowed to listen to anything while here.)
Perhaps we here in BradBlogville should inundate the school and/or school district with our "thoughts" about Free Speech and how it relates to their disciplinary actions.
What do you think?
They don’t mention the contact information in the video but they give a few clues.
The reporter describes it as a "suburban Colorado high school."
One shot does show the school’s sign that says "Overland High School – Home of the Blazers".
It probably wouldn’t be too difficult to google with that much information.
Amazing ! Just speaking with someone with regard to Bush trying to criminalize whistleblowers and leakers and saying how much the US is beginning to sound like Germany in the early 30’s.
Did anyone catch Jay Leno last night with Crazy George’s fire sale…heard it was a riot.
George really is out of control..surely his party will corral him soon, can anyone think this man has one redeeming feature?
Again I say does he not think his kids will have to live in this ruined environment along with us? All the money in the world won’t buy a clean place to live.
The fact that he is in trouble is PROOF that his comparisons of Hitler to Bush are ACCURATE!
We love irony…here at the BradBlog!
I hate to say this because I am big on free speech, however I don’t want my kids class rooms used for ANYONES political agenda. Right or left. My son was in a Christian school that started getting highly political about two years ago. The teachers were talking like Bush was the second coming. I took my kid out. He misses his old school, but really I think politics and religion might best be addressed at home. Schools should stick to academics.
Big Dan and others,
You love irony? You also seem to love hate here at the BradBlog.
Remember that movie, "Red Dawn" (1984) with Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, and Powers Boothe? After the kids helped downed fighter pilot Boothe, he helped them with their war tatics against the invading Cuban/Russian army troops. One night around the campfire, Col.Tanner (Boothe) sees Robert Morris (Howell) marking notches in his rifle’s wooden handle to mark every enemy soldier he has killed. Tanner says to Robert, "All that hate’s gonna burn you up, kid." Robert replies, "It keeps me warm."
That is how I see you liberals here. All you have is tons of hate with no reason, no thinking, no logic. The continuing hate keeps you going, day after day, and I suppose it keeps you warm too. But in the end, it will burn you up. Just like this teacher Jay Bennish.
I have not heard Bennish interviewed yet. But I have heard the kid and his parents on the radio and saw one TV interview. His mother is a Democrat, by the way. But she agrees that high school geography class is no place for that hate-filled drivel spewed out by that teacher. The school district says that his speaking like that out of topic and one-sided opinions is a violation of the district’s policy.
The student said that he was taping the lecture like he has done several times for notes. When I was in college, I did the same thing, didn’t you? According to the student’s father, they took the recording to the schools principal to complain, but they were not happy with the response. So then they went to the radio station. He willingly stayed home from school for one or two days. He makes no mention of being suspended and the show’s liberal co-host did not bring that up, either.
The family does not want the teacher fired. They just want him to follow the policy of the school district and not put his passionate political opinions out in geography class. If this was a political science class or current events lecture, then he is supposed to present both sides of a issue equally. (Of course, that is what mainstream reporters are supposed to do also, but they don’t and instead lean left.)
I don’t want public school teachers to put heavy conservative opinions in their class either. We should all want what is fair and in the proper setting. Presenting a debatable issue equally is what’s fair. Geography class was not the proper setting. I hope you understand that.
Have a nice day! 🙂
Mike J # 6 – Liberals do not hate Bush it is his policies !
Pick anything he and his administration have done in 5 years and tell me what has been good for our country.
Running our country into the worse debt in all Presidencys, lying into a war that has killed over 2300 men and women, and left Iraq in a worse mess than with a brutal dictator, selling off this country to profit his contributors. Our water and environment regulations have been set back years.
Doesn’t matter what party is in power, when things are going into the gutter it is time for a change.
Mike
From what I heard in the interview, it WAS a Social Studies class, not a geography class. Second, you say we have no reason to "hate" Bush. Guess you’re not paying attention to what’s going on. There are plenty of reasons to "challenge" this , I hesitate to say it, president. Warrantless wiretapping, unprecedented secrecy, lies to Congress about foreign intelligence, selling critical assets to questionable foreign governments, and on and on. When are people like you going to wake up to the fact that these guys in power care NOTHING about the people of the United (now Divided) States and are totally destroying that which they have sworn to uphold, namely the Constitution and the laws of the land? Probably never because that would mean you would have to admit you were wrong and like your "leader", you just can’t do that.
P.S.
If you want to live under tyranny, move to Russia or China. Don’t turn the USA into one.
Dear Mike,
Thanks for your comments above. I really enjoy and respect for your point of view. You seem to advocate fairness in your post.
Too few people advocate fairness these days… and I appreciate your push for it.
It is true; we all need to be fair, especially when it comes to policy making and governing… after all we need to govern for ALL Americans, not just play favorites.
That being said, I pose a challenge to you. Name one fair and just thing that Bush has done or said since he took office with the following exceptions:
– A one time, $300 or $600 rebate checks for all in 2001
– At any time during the first 6 months after 9/11.
Bush slanted everything he did to benefit "his people:"
– The rich (to hell with the poor and middle classes)
– Big Business and especially Big Oil (to hell with consumers and environmentalists)
– Warmongers (to hell with the peacemakers)
Hate Bush? Yes… but with good reason.
MrBlueSky
Bellevue, WA
"Giving what I gotta give
Doing what I gotta do
You don’t care for me
So who gives a f*** about you?"
– Andre "Dr. Dre" Young
How about this. Why don’t we stop pretending highschool students don’t have control over their own minds, and that the slightest hint of political speech in the classroom is going to brainwash them?
Bennish hardly sounds like someone consumed with hate. His lecture is guilty of not being very articulate, but "hate-filled drivel"? You’ve got to be kidding me. As for its relevance to the course, it makes perfect sense to me. He spoke about how a speech given by our president impacts foreign countries more than their own leaders speeches. ‘Spreading democracy’ from their perspective is no different than any other foreign invasion. I’m sure we’d react much the same if Hugo Chavez took active steps to spread his form of government to the United States – don’t kid yourself about that.
Mike J # 6
America was founded on the right to free speech. Once we give that up, it affects everyone, Republican, Democrat, Independent, Green Party.
People do not Hate Bush, but the policies his administration have enacted are taking us to ruin.
We owe our souls to foreign countries for this insurmountable debt he has gotten us into.
There is NO leadership anywhere, look around.
As for speaking out in the classroom, we debated the Nixon removal in my class. We talked about Carter in a class. So now we cannot discuss our elected administration faults. How can we educate our young without discussion? At home they will just hear a one sided version. Good or bad both opinions need to be aired.
Bush campaigned as a "compassionate uniter". He has proved, for all the world to see, that he is a lying, warmongering destructive individual, without morals or ethics or compassion. He has united the world against him and his so-called policies. If he is "hated", then he has brought it all upon himself – no "liberal" made him do what he has done – he has tried to blame "God" for the evil he has performed, but the world more likely considers the devil himself to have taken Bush by the hand. It will be a happy day in the universe when this creature and his supporters are removed from power.
Mike J: What are your views on the top 3 hatemongers going: Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, & Bill O’Reilly? The pioneers of hate.
{Comment deleted. Paul had been previously banned for his flagrant inability to follow the rules for posting here, including the dissemination of loads of disinformation. This post was no exception, so it has been deleted. Apparently he’s decided to work around that ban, since rules, apparently, don’t apply to him.}
{Comment deleted. Paul had been previously banned for his flagrant inability to follow the rules for posting here, including the dissemination of loads of disinformation. This post was no exception, so it has been deleted. Apparently he’s decided to work around that ban, since rules, apparently, don’t apply to him.}
A rightwinger saying WE hate…like I said, we love irony…here at BradBlog. We went through 8 years of hatemongering radio broadcasts by Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, & Bill O’Reilly during the Clinton years. Now, they can’t take it when the shoe is on the other foot!
Geography class isn’t just about finding Wyoming on the map anymore. What age are you living in?
As for comparing Bush to Hitler, there did exist a time before six million jews were killed by the Nazis. Pay attention to the cultural and legal means through which Hitler rose to power, and the period before the holocaust, and it is perfectly acceptable to draw comparisons.
Mr. Bluesky, with all the tax breaks for the millionaires and above $300-$600 a family was insulting.
How anyone can condone the affects of this administration is beyond me. More people without jobs, more people in poverty, cutting aid for higher education. Probably to encourage kids to go into the military.
Our Coast Guard, Border Patrol, underfunded, and undermanned. The Mexican government sued an American property owner who shot at illegals poaching on his land for endangering their citizens.
Cost the property owner $100,000 in legal fees, defending his life and property.
If it weren’t so serious our everyday situation would be laughable.
Bush is responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis – he lied to the American people and misled American soldiers into war, many of whom have been killed or severely maimed on the basis of lies. He has authorized inhumane torture. He has taken away funding from the War Vets which they need for medical care and assistance – that is why Bush is equated with Hitler and Hitler’s evils. Bush wants to hit Iran with a nuclear bomb because Iran wants to stop selling it’s oil for increasingly worthless dollars. Iran wants to sell it’s oil for Euros or use other options. I can understand why Iran may think it needs nuclear arms to protect itself from the lying murderous Bush. How many more innocent people will die and suffer increasingly because of Bush. God save us from Bush and his psychopathic supporters.
Paul,
I didn’t say it was wrong to compare Bush to Hitler. I have discussed with my children that Bush uses the "divide and conquer" speaking technique that Hitler used. It is a very effective way to keep people in the dark and unquestioning. Just tell them it is unpatriotic to question his actions. But these are MY children. It doesn’t belong in the classroom
And there are many similarities between Bush & Hitler. Exactly, the comparisons are to pre-WWII Hitler, how he rose to power. The strategy is to claim "anti-semitism" to stop these comparisions. But the comparisons are to Hitler’s pre WWII rise to power, what Bush is doing right now. And that’s what that teacher is saying. It’s a valid comparison.
{Comment deleted. Paul had been previously banned for his flagrant inability to follow the rules for posting here, including the dissemination of loads of disinformation. This post was no exception, so it has been deleted. Apparently he’s decided to work around that ban, since rules, apparently, don’t apply to him.}
"I don’t want public school teachers to put heavy conservative opinions in their class either. We should all want what is fair and in the proper setting. Presenting a debatable issue equally is what’s fair."
Mike, regarding your comment, I agree, we should want equitable representation of issues presented to our young people in the classroom. However, this is not occuring. As I’m sure you know, one the largest school textbook publishers in this country is McGraw-Hill. A billion dollar company with significant ties to the Republican party and access to the minds of millions of young people. Is this fair? Check out the links to info on McGraw-Hill.
http://www.utpjournals.com/jour.../talbert3.html 😉
or
http://www.texasobserver.org/sh...ArticleID=1051
As far as being filled with hate, I watched the video-taped comments of Mr. Bennish and his delivery was not filled with hate.
If anyone has a reason to hate the current Bush administration, it’s me. You can read the true account of my illegal hospitalization and detainment by the FBI in Atlanta, Georgia by clicking on the URL.
http://www.indybay.org/news/2006/03/1806390.php
I’m not filled with hate. I’m angry, I’m sad that this could happen in this country, but I’m too busy trying to pursue justice to hate.
Deborah
"I don’t want public school teachers to put heavy conservative opinions in their class either. We should all want what is fair and in the proper setting. Presenting a debatable issue equally is what’s fair."
Mike, regarding your comment, I agree, we should want equitable representation of issues presented to our young people in the classroom. However, this is not occuring. As I’m sure you know, one the largest school textbook publishers in this country is McGraw-Hill. A billion dollar company with significant ties to the Republican party and access to the minds of millions of young people. Is this fair? Check out the links to info on McGraw-Hill.
http://www.utpjournals.com/jour.../talbert3.html 😉
or
http://www.texasobserver.org/sh...ArticleID=1051
As far as being filled with hate, I watched the video-taped comments of Mr. Bennish and his delivery was not filled with hate.
If anyone has a reason to hate the current Bush administration, it’s me. You can read the true account of my illegal hospitalization and detainment by the FBI in Atlanta, Georgia by clicking on the URL.
http://www.indybay.org/news/2006/03/1806390.php
I’m not filled with hate. I’m angry, I’m sad that this could happen in this country, but I’m too busy trying to pursue justice to hate.
Deborah
Mike J, I don’t see how making a comparison of certain of Hitler’s actions with certain of Bush’s actions is "hate-filled drivel." The teacher did not say that Bush was attempting to systematically exterminate a group of people. Many of the Bush’s actions and tactics are similar to Hitler’s, as was accurately stated by the German justice minister.
What do you think about Rumsfeld comparing Hugo Chavez to Hitler? I think you would say that he is not a teacher saying that to students, but would that comment result in a teacher being disciplined?
Just because you disagree does not mean it is hateful. High school students are mature enough to consider these views on their merits. Your label "hate-filled drivel" does not address the merits.
Paul I direct you to Great Lakes Wisconsin Aquatic Technology Environmental Research Institute, Rebecca Klapper a biochemist.
or Peter Fong, a biologist at Gettysburg College, see what their findings tell you on the condition of our water since regulations have been DE regulated by this administration.
# 10 funding Aids ? Bush funded that about the same way he did NO Child Left Behind. Lots of words and less than half funding.
You should look into the mirror when saying None so blind as those who refuse to see.
Do you not read the poverty reports? More than ever before on seeking food from the food kitchens.
Have you talked to a real estate agent? It is harder and harder to get funding for housing, from people with good down payments. The banks are tightening up.
Paul perhaps in your narrow world life is grand, but there are many others who are struggeling to feed and clothe their children and college is beyond their wildest dreams.
America is for everyone not just the rich.
"I don’t want public school teachers to put heavy conservative opinions in their class either. We should all want what is fair and in the proper setting. Presenting a debatable issue equally is what’s fair."
Mike, regarding your comment, I agree, we should want equitable representation of issues presented to our young people in the classroom. However, this is not occuring. As I’m sure you know, one the largest school textbook publishers in this country is McGraw-Hill. A billion dollar company with significant ties to the Republican party and access to the minds of millions of young people. Is this fair? Check out the links to info on McGraw-Hill.
http://www.utpjournals.com/jour.../talbert3.html 😉
or
http://www.texasobserver.org/sh...ArticleID=1051
As far as being filled with hate, I watched the video-taped comments of Mr. Bennish and his delivery was not filled with hate.
If anyone has a reason to hate the current Bush administration, it’s me. You can read the true account of my illegal hospitalization and detainment by the FBI in Atlanta, Georgia by clicking on the URL.
http://www.indybay.org/news/2006/03/1806390.php
I’m not filled with hate. I’m angry, I’m sad that this could happen in this country, but I’m too busy trying to pursue justice to hate.
Deborah
"I don’t want public school teachers to put heavy conservative opinions in their class either. We should all want what is fair and in the proper setting. Presenting a debatable issue equally is what’s fair."
Mike, regarding your comment, I agree, we should want equitable representation of issues presented to our young people in the classroom. However, this is not occuring. As I’m sure you know, one the largest school textbook publishers in this country is McGraw-Hill. A billion dollar company with significant ties to the Republican party and access to the minds of millions of young people. Is this fair? Check out the links to info on McGraw-Hill.
http://www.utpjournals.com/jour.../talbert3.html 😉
or
http://www.texasobserver.org/sh...ArticleID=1051
As far as being filled with hate, I watched the video-taped comments of Mr. Bennish and his delivery was not filled with hate.
If anyone has a reason to hate the current Bush administration, it’s me. You can read the true account of my illegal hospitalization and detainment by the FBI in Atlanta, Georgia by clicking on the URL.
http://www.indybay.org/news/2006/03/1806390.php
I’m not filled with hate. I’m angry, I’m sad that this could happen in this country, but I’m too busy trying to pursue justice to hate.
Deborah
{Comment deleted. Paul had been previously banned for his flagrant inability to follow the rules for posting here, including the dissemination of loads of disinformation. This post was no exception, so it has been deleted. Apparently he’s decided to work around that ban, since rules, apparently, don’t apply to him.}
Sorry about the double post.
Deb
Haven’t gotten to read all the comments on this thread yet, but thought I’d mention that I added an UPDATE to this item which I believe is worth noting.
Jo I just don’t see how discussing this administration should not be in a class room.
Its not religion which should be a private matter.
The student was asking questions and the teacher was answering. The student can then talk with others and exchange views to mold his own.
Come on, we all know when kids want to know something or try something they will find a way to get it. Better they should be informed before they stumble.
For Jo: You’re right in principle, but if the teacher had said, "We have to support our president as long as soldiers are dying in Iraq, because protesting the war aids the enemies of our country," would the teacher have been suspended? Can you imagine the furor from the right-wing media if this had happened the other way?
It’s wrong, wrong, wrong…provided that the teacher’s remarks were in the context of the class.
If a science teacher were dissecting a frog and said, "This is what Bush is doing to Iraqis," that would be a gratuitous statement deserving of at least censure. But to suggest that Bush’s political tactics are similar to Hitler’s, provided it suited the discussion in class, is absolutely O.K. Besides, he’s right.
Compare Hitler’s Enabling Act vs. Bush’s Patriot Act
Excellent comment, Brad! The wingnuts who are parading this teacher’s comments, say NOTHING about Ann Coulter’s hatemongering comments at the CPAC!
CRAP! I usually think of stuff like that first…DAMN IT!
The word is "Hypocrites". And the same people said nothing as Rush/Hannity/O’Reilly spewed hate about Clinton for 8 years. Now, they don’t want anyone to say things about Bush! The very same people!
So, as I’ve said before, they have zero credibility in their comments, and cannot be taken seriously.
Anyone that still thinks Bush doesn’t govern by polls has their head in the clouds. Nearly everything this guy does is for political opportunity, photo-opportunity, or both. He may ride the Iraq war to the bitter end, but thats only because he’s a dry recovering drunk who found religion and was influenced by a bunch of neocons who couldn’t think of anything better to do after the cold war ended. On every other issue, he’s got Karl Rove crunching poll numbers every minute of every day to anticipate his next move.
Paul – I am very close to the techniques Hitler used, my father being there at the time.
Hitler began by turning different groups of people against each other. Germans were told the poverty was the fault of the Jewish Bankers.
Only the party line of propaganda was allowed in the media, films, radio.
Libraries had books removed and burned, librarians were interrogated about who was reading what. School teachers were monitored and imprisoned for teaching anything outside of party line. My aunt was a teacher and imprisoned for months for someone saying she had answered a question about Hitler improperly. She still had the numerical tatto on her arm when I met her.
My uncle was being taken away for suspicion of aiding a Jew..but someone spoke up for him and he was allowed to get off the train going to a death camp.
Where are we now ? Our MSM is owned by just a few instead of following regulations about monopoly. Our military are not allowed access to liberal talk shows.
Check the Patriot Act see what rights we are slowly losing. Gonzales even said there is more wire tapping going on without warrants than what has come out.
Whistle blowers are being criminalized but the VP can out a CIA operative.
Secret groups are allowed to decide if foreign countries can buy up America, without Congressional Approval.
Dubai tried to shut up Lou Dobbs for telling the public about their Ports deal.
My dad told me people became too afraid for themselves to speak up for what they knew was wrong. Death camps with smoke seen for miles away and people pretended it wasn’t happening.
Is this the America you want to live in?
I am a HS (math) teacher. My students know where I stand. When Colin Powell gave his presentation to the U.N. in Feb ’03, I chose not to give a lesson that day in my first period class, but to rather watch Powell. I prefaced my decision by saying that the presentation would be historic and potentially the deciding factor in whether we may be going to war (and in the long run, whether they might be drafted). After Powell had given the bulk of his presentation, photos with yellow circles and all, I turned off the television and said to my students "I don’t know about you, but I’m not convinced that those weapons exist." A student asked why. I said "Because he (Powell) isn’t convinced either. you can see it in his face."
I have had many a political discussion with my students (I have a PoliSci degree as well as my math credential). My students for the most part trust my judgment and my opinion (which I identify as such) even if they and their parents do not agree with it. Many of them understand the need for balance, and the lack of existing balance and the lack of critical input from our MSM. HS students are, by and large, not stupid. When we disallow honest and relevant discussion of subjects which will affect their future, we are treating them as if they are stupid. We are telling them "government knows best."
I told my students throughout the day yesterday of the incident in Colorado, and sais that one of the complaints against this teacher was that he did not give a balanced perspective on the SotU address. I told them, "Let me provide you with some balance and positivity in regards to our president. He should give C-students who have disdain for academics and intellectualism great hope – that they too can attend Harvard and Yale, and go on to become president. If their daddy has enough money."
The teacher specifically said that he was not comparing Bush to Hitler, just that there were some errie simmilarities.
I’ll point out 2
1- The Reichstag- do your own research
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichstag_fire
To 9/11
2- The Enabling Act- do your own research
To The Patriot Act
Anyone with more than a pea sized brain willing to do a little reading would have to say at the very LEAST that there are errie similarities between Bush and Hitler.
P.S. Ok One more Errie Similarity
Bush belongs to the skull and bones…
The skull and bones was founded in America as a branch of the German Thule Society, both believed to be part of the infamous Illuminati
Hitler was also a member…
Thats three…need anymore errie similarities just to have the right to acknowledge them as errie similarities?
My impression is that Bannish needs some work on his teaching skills, but so do many teachers. His presentation was heavy handed and seemed to be trying to push a certain point of view, rather than stimulate critical thought, but his intent, as shown by his statements about his intent and as shown by his openness to Allen’s repeated challenges within the class seem to show that his heart is in the right place as far as that is concerned.
> (Comment deleted. Paul had been previously banned for his flagrant inability to follow the rules for posting here, including the dissemination of loads of disinformation. This post was no exception, so it has been deleted. Apparently he’s decided to work around that ban, since rules, apparently, don’t apply to him.)
Brad’s blog bans free speech! That’s ok! It is only illegal if banned by the government. Nothing that I said was against the blog rules. This blog is afraid of the truth and opinions!
It sounds like Bannish was set up to get der antagonist in line wit der Fuhrer, everything fell right into place
She’s (Fascism) here folks, it ain’t almost here anymore
Yesterday, on Hartmanns show, a disabled vet called in
He asked his doctor at the VA hospital if Bush should be impeached, The doctor got a scared look on his face and told the guy, "you shouldn’t talk like that around here, its not safe" WTF?
Geography class is no place to talk about politics.
Soul Rebel –
Math class is no place to turn on the TV and watch Powell at the UN. A Political Science class is where that is appropriate. Go teach that instead of math.
Be careful, you may be canned next!
This issue is pretty damn ridiculous, IMO. It’s like every comparison of Bush policies to those of Hitler sets off a irrational explosion in the minds of Busheviks – "My God, we can’t think that! Censor! (It might be true!")
I think that if Mr. Bennish had not said something along the lines that he did, he would have been remiss as a teacher. It wasn’t well put or very articulate, but it is truly the responsibility of a teacher to counter lockstep, robotic, unthinking acceptance. In other words, to encourage civic maturity.
Maybe I went to progressive schools or something, but this would have been easily accepted as an exercise in critical thinking there. It shows how far we’ve regressed and how inimical to American values are the ubiquitous loudmouth "commentators" and this wholly unAmerican administration.
(BTW, "hate" is the big word nowadays from all neocon apologists once again doing all they can to obscure focus and discussion and bully others into line. I didn’t hear any hate in Mr. Bennish’s words.)
And something else 2. I took sociology in 1997 when I wsa a softmore, and I remember one of the biggest topics in the class was Waco Texas and the actions of Janet Reno and the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol,Tobacco, & Fireams.
This was a hotly contested issue…many unanswered quesitons about what exactly happened and evidence that dissapeared. Kind of like the steel beams on 9/11 that were exported to souteast asia.
The point is that we were discussing the hottest issues of the time, exploring both sides of the argument…political views welcome. One of the earliest things my sociology professor wanted to teach us was perspective. It’s not like the professor misstated the facts about the Bush presidency, he pointed out the tones of his policies vs those of adolf hitler. And if you dont think the tones are similar then look at them 9/11, patriot act, military spending increase, invasion of soverign country based on faulty pre-war intel, silence the critics, allow torture, spy on your own citezens, keep everything "secret", never testify under oath for critical issues, etc…..
Think People. Think.
#46
It is a geography class!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is not a PoliSci class. It is not a government class. It is not a current events class. It is not a history class.
In 1966 – 67 my Current History teacher spent a lot of time discussing the Vietnam War. He opened our eyes to the fact that it had been going on for centuries as tribal conflicts over the land in that part of the world. He explained how the French tried to colonize it and stop the fighting with no success and how America stepped in and took over, covinced they could "fix" it. As he predicted that was also a disaster.
He encouraged much debate amongst us students both pro and con, although he was not afraid to state that he was against the war.
That experience stands out as one of the best times in my education. Where I really learned something beyond memorizing formulas, stanzas and phylas!
It’s a shame that today people are so afraid to speak out lest their jobs and livelyhood be on the line.
My boss is very neo and I don’t dare bring up these things because of the friction it would cause. I have no illusion – or is that dillusion – that I could ever change him. This is a small company and he owns it and I keep my mouth shut – life’s great – ya sure!
Brad, I’m linking to this in my upcoming Assclowns of the Week this week (it’ll be in the Dishonorable Mention at the bottom). The hypocrisy of this party knows no bounds.
Paul
What kind of second rate education did you receive if you didn’t talk about politics in a geography class? Seriously, what did you study in your geography class if not land, countries, geo-politics, and the human impact on the earth?
As long as we’re playing this game, religion doesn’t belong in a science class except as the object of ridicule – so take your half-cocked intelligent design fantasies and stick em in a parochial school.
# 48 — There may be something to what you say, but I’m not sure discussion of the State of the Union address is entirely inappropriate in a geography class, and if that is what they were discussing, they might as well discuss it.
Seems to me "cultural geography" shades very clearly into current events.
But, anyway, the controversy doesn’t seem to be about the discussion but about Mr. Bennish’s Hitler remarks. If it was inappropriate to have a particular discussion in a particular class, I guess the school authorities could inform Mr. Bennish that he was not conforming to his class syllabus, or whatever they call it. Not much of our business, anyway.
I suspect part of his written mission is to encourage critical thinking. It was the Hitler remarks that got him into trouble.
Free speech on Bradblog? I have been booted off from several blogs for bush just for asking a simple polite question which didn’t fit their agenda. You have to follow the rules where ever you go. At blogs for bush the rule is: Ask no questions. Brad allows a lot more discussion than anything I can find at a pro-bush blog.
I still want the teachers to keep their political opinions to themselves. My daughter has a great teacher who uses history to explain the present without actually saying anything political. If kids learn the reasons wars are fought and the consequences of war, they will be able to decide for themselves what is right and wrong. Just stick to the facts. They speak for themselves.
I think it’s funny that people don’t want to talk "politics" at school.. or at work.. or at the grocery store.. let’s just keep that quiet, like sex..
Here’s the problem. Children are SUPPOSED to go to school to LEARN.. Yet, people just want their kids to learn "math".. that’s IT these days.. no science either because "they believe in god and biology doesn’t fall in line with the bible".. Funny how these SAME people can’t stand politics talked about in school.. Parents, instead of being PISSED, should TALK to their kids when things like this come up.. OH NO! NOT TALK TO YOUR KIDS!.. If you are secure in your "political beliefs", and your kids are questioning you, then you should have NO PROBLEM explaining things to them so they see your point. If, however, you’re a right-wing moron, I guess I can see your consternation. It’s hard to keep lying to kids and having them swallow yoru falty logic.
I, as a parent, don’t ever want to prevent my child from hearing about the world… understanding how things go, how things work. Only closed minded twits with an agenda who don’t like free thinking care to smother their children in secrecy. You’re doing them a HUGE disservice.
As for this discussion, sounds like the teacher was discussing FACT by making these comparisons. If FACTS bother you, good luck operating in the real world..
I want to make it clear that my point was primarily a logical one in #52. I entirely agree with BVAC in #51 that geo-politics is a aspect of geography and that a discussion of current geo-politics in a geography class is appropriate and necessary to get a full view of the subject and bring it to life.
As the current empire-building can be very easily seen to be carrying on the traditions of past empire-building (including Hitler’s) – a central subject of geography – it would make sense for a teacher to point it out or at least put it out for discussion.
For "Banned"…
All subjects are interconnected. Critical thinking traverses artificially prescribed academic boundaries. Powell’s speech was a historic event. That it occurred live during my math class and I had the foresight to say "hey, this is important, this is our future, we should watch this" I make no apologies for. For all you know, I could have turned it into a probability lesson – for example, based on the presentation that we just saw, what is the probability that those weapons actually exist? As far as a lesson in politics, it wasn’t – it was simply "this is an important event" – kind of like stopping class to watch the moon landing (in that maybe the moon landing didn’t happen either, hehe).
I’ll repeat this – my students come to me for my perspective on political issues because they trust me. I give them honest and candid assessments, and I always separate opinion from fact and identify them as such. The best teachers I ever had were those that weren’t afraid to forward what they saw as truth, while encouraging us to seek our own enlightenment. Which I always do. I never ask students to take what I may say "off topic (math)" as fact. That’s what folks like Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity do.
now now, Soul Rebel.. you know you’re picking nits.. When Kenedy was assasinated and all the news stations broke in and all the schools shut down, that was just wrong. Everyone should have just kept studying their math and chemistry.. only those in "current events class" or "history class" or "poly sci class" should have been allowed to watch.. and when Armstrong stepped on the Moon, only "history" .. well, and maybe Geography since the moon is a place..
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* * * * * They will continously send you email spoofs with Viruses. . . . . I KNOW . . . * * * * *
I know we don’t want to go into a huge discussion on this because it could go on forever, but what if, say, oh…a rogue minority took over the goverment through election manipulation and took the nation on a course destructive to the principles on which it was founded? Say, this rogue government took pages from "1984" as a basis of public manipulation. Say they diverted the national wealth into their own pockets and marginalized larger and larger segments of the population; that they sent thousands of citizens to their deaths in an illegal war to enrich themselves and ensure the domination of their class; that they thought and acted from the standpoint that the basis of citizen rights – the nation’s constitution – was only a hindrance to be done away with.
Further stipulate that teachers had been well educated and knew the above to be the case and were true patriotic citizens. Would the teachers be right in presenting the liberty-destroying, phony-patriotic, unconstitutional and criminal side as equal to that of national laws, character, tradition and ideals? You know, to present both sides of the question?
No one said life would be easy.
…And how could they possibly discuss current events without making a decision regarding the question raised in # 59?
#6 Mike J…… (Of course that is what ms reporters are supposed to do also, but they don’t and instead lean left.)………HAHAHAHAHAHA what a joke. When I was a sophomore in HS and had just learned about Watergate, I was confused and asked my teacher what it was all about. She told us what she knew about it and we had a very lively discussion about it. She was my Biology teacher and was one of the best teachers I had. I’m glad she didn’t tell us it was off topic and instead engaged her students about a very critical time in our history. I wish teachers now could engage their students,to provoke thoughtful discussions that teach our kids critical thinking. But from what I’ve read teachers are getting canned for talking about Peace in their classrooms. This is a sad and scary time in this country.
The Hitler regime is a piker when compared to the Bush regime.
Hitler could not spy on millions of his own people and gather info on them to use against them. He did not have computers paid for by those who are being spied upon.
Hitler did not have the most powerful army of hardware to spread shock and awe and depleted uranium around the world.
It does not matter if Bush’s heart is better than Hitlers, because the orders of magnitude more power Bush has is the equalizing factor.
Bush can do more damage with his one finger than Hitler could do with his whole army.
What scares the hell out of me is the consideration that Bush may have been holding back. Not doing everything he wanted to do … because he or the republicans running in elections this year did not want to take the poll hit or be voted out of office.
After November if the elections are stolen again, there will be absolutely no restraint and we will see the true colors and we will know how close Bush and Hitler are.
I would rather not know, and instead see the republicans voted out of power because they are so unamerican and corrupt.
I would rather see a kinder and gentler congress. One that stops the president when he gets messages from god to invade here, bomb there, spy here, torture there.
You know what they should teach in school? In a dictatorship, the dictator blatantly orders the people what to do.
In a democracy, you can only do it through manipulation through the mass media. (Noam Chomsky)
That’s not entirely true, Dredd. The Nazis employed spies everywhere and encouraged children to spy on their parents (maybe even their teachers?) and report any anti-Nazi sentiment. And, the very first computers were built and used for the express purpose of processing paperwork for concentration camps faster. There was the entire beauracratic process of paper identification that got many killed if they didn’t have their "papers".
It just shows how technocratic and benign behavior can lead to atrocities. Those engineers who set up the IBM computers were only doing their job as far as they were concerned. The children were just following the propaganda presented to them.
I think it illustrates the point that by giving the administration unfettered power to spy on its citizens, run massive data mining operations, and setting up these complicated legal hurdles before justice, we’re giving any president from here on license to commit any atrocity they want. What we’ve seen so far is insignificant compared to what we will see.
Jo – Which war was started that was not for political or Christian reasons? It comes down to one power imposing their beliefs on another.
In the medical field all factors are analyzed to find the solution, shouldn’t education be the same?
It is so frightening that the generation now IS NOT thinking outside the box.
I think our children are exposed to enough right wing-left wing bickering within the society and media. I send my kids to school to learn academics. I talk politics with them at home and they know where we stand.I live in a blue state so this may not be true everywhere, but the kids who come to my house already have very firm views based on what their family and friends think, what they read,and the shows they watch. For the record I don’t want a teacher lecturing my kids about how great Bush is anymore than I want them lecturing about how evil he is. It’s enough to say he started a war, The rational for the war didn’t pan out, and it’s going badly. Have some discussion and debate. My kids are smart enough to figure out what that totals up to.
Here is an interesting article.
Vermont Towns Endorse Move to Impeach Bush
By DAVID GRAM, Associated Press Writer
5 hours ago
NEWFANE, Vt. – In five Vermont communities, a centuries-old tradition of residents gathering in town halls to conduct local business became a vehicle to send a message to Washington: Impeach the president.
An impeachment article, approved by a paper ballot 121-29 in Newfane Tuesday, calls on Vermont’s lone member of the U.S. House, independent Rep. Bernie Sanders, to file articles of impeachment against President Bush, alleging he misled the nation into the Iraq war and engaged in illegal domestic spying.
This discussion certainly shows the central position of teachers in our society. We on this blog think so and those who would Orwellize our society think so – otherwise there wouldn’t be such a controversy.
My hat’s off to good teachers – such a continually difficult task to keep the fires of civic life and critical thinking burning while struggling to keep the darkness at bay.
BVAC #64
I can’t tell what you think I said was not entirely true since you did not reference a post # nor quote my text.
But I will guess that you meant Hitler spied on folks. I said he did not have computers to spy on citizens like Bush has … the difference in degree is astronomical. The potential to spy which Bush has compared to what Hitler had is like comparing a firecracker to a nuclear device.
Yes of course Hitler had spies. But as I said, what he had was a piker compared to what Bush has.
Hitler did not have the capacity to hear each and every phone and email conversation. He did not have huge telecom switches and backbones to tap into as Bush has. Automatic spy machines was something that Hitler could only dream of, but something Bush has even as we speak.
No, Bush is orders of magnitude more able to spy than Hitler was. In one second Bush can spy more than Hitler could in a year.
My main point being that even if Bush has a better heart than Hitler had, the great power Bush has puts him above Hitler in terms of the damage which each could bring about.
Hitler could cause many millions of deaths over a long span of time, but Bush can extinguish all life on this planet in very, very short order.
Jo – You have conversations with your children as I did in my home…but please look around and see how many parents are both working..kids are going to so many activities that there is no dinner table conversation or any conversation.
We have so many friends that are Principals and teachers and the common comment is the kids are starved for one on one talk. Parents are to overworked, overtasked to actually be parents.
This teacher tried to stimulate controversy, which actually makes learning alot more interesting. And we are talking about 20 minutes in a 50 minute class one time. I hardly feel it is a life changing event. More like a tempest in a teapot.
Now when you have military recruiters daily in your school on a closed campus…how do you feel about that? Talk about a one sided version being poured into your children. And we did manage to get it stopped but it will probably pop again when the furor subsides.
If we consider a family line as a connection, there are direct connections from Bush to Hitler.
Bush’s grandfather had his american assets taken by the government for trading and dealing with the enemy.
His name was Prescott Bush, and there are public records showing his assets were seized under the "Trading With The Enemy Act" during WWII.
The business was linked to helping finance Hitler’s rise to power in a manner sufficient enough that the US government took official action to stop it.
The Prescott S. Bush story by the Guardian tells a lot about the controversial issue.
The US government is not supposed to take property without due process of law pursuant to the 5th Amendment.
If they obeyed the law then Prescott S. Bush would have had his day in court.
All I know is that some of his assets were seized pursuant to the trading with the enemy act.
I’d like to add on to what Texaslady #69 says…
You are so right that a good proportion of our students get no civic/political education at home. I’ll give an example – I teach a statistics course. In an activity I like to use to identify bias in sampling procedures, I give my students a list of the 100 senators and their years of service in that office. I then ask them to select 5 senators whose names they are familiar with (and follow up by randomly selecting 5 senators) and then we calculate the mean years of service – the point being that those who have been in service longer are generally more prominent (Kennedy, Kerry, Biden, Lieberman, etc.) and thus the "self-selected" group of five will typically have a higher mean, and thus we should randomly select our sample to counter that bias. Anyway…
I always have at least half of my class unable to identify five senators whose names are familiar to them. These are honors/AP kids. Can’t name five senators. Needless to say, I use the activity to identify the lack of civic involvement (not as a chastisement, but to say "don’t you think it’s important to know this – to know what these people in our government are saying and doing? These people who are making the rules that will in part determine the course of your life." I know we’re talking about high school kids, but we’re also talking about college-bound seniors, are my opinion is that there is a clear deficit somewhere, and if those gaps don’t get filled in the home then it’s at least my responsibility to identify the deficit.
I agree with Soul Rebel. It is clear that parents do not tend to teach their children.
I used to play "Teach Your Children" by Crosby, Stills, and Nash. It has a line "Parents teach your children well" and another "Children teach your parents well".
It was balanced and helped me realize we can learn much from our children too.
I wish that Bush had gone to school at Soul Rebel’s place. He would have learned some fundamentals.
One fundamental he needs to learn is that government and religion need to be kept at a sane distance from each other.
He did not learn that and has issued a Presidential Executive Order establishing a "Department of Homeland Security … Faith-Based … Community Initiative …"
Perhaps this is an extension of faith based voting machines ("trust us, they are ok") and faith based FEMA responses ("pray hard we are trying to find Brownie").
Or perhaps he thinks we need a First Church of Homeland Security.
Jo #66
You brought up a good idea. I heard of it before, in other towns, but I guess I forgot about it.
We’re all wondering what we can do to stop the neocons control of govt., media, etc.
One of the main problems is that most citizens don’t know what is really going on & there’s no good way to spread the word.
Bringing up the proposal to issue a statement to impeach Bush at a town meeting would be a step in the right direction.
It would cause a discussion, in which it all could be told, & the town newspaper would list the minutes & the points made for all to read.
Even if the town refuses to issue the article to tell their representative to impeach–it still would get more info out there.
I’m going to do it.
Charlene — We are doing it in my town and we are trying to get all kinds of reasons for impeachment into the newspapers and presented to groups. We developed an impeachment resolution and are endeavoring to make it prominent in community discussion.
The concept is spreading. Hope it catches on like wildfire.
bush is the reincarnation of hitler.
It’s important to the Republicans that students, and the general public for that matter, not be told all the facts because those facts indicate that Bush and all the Congressional Republicans are criminals.
Even more, it’s important to not just get the facts of what’s going on, but to learn to connect the dots to discern motivations and goals. I, for example, believe it’s quite possible they attacked Clinton and impeached him specifically because they knew Bush was coming and they knew what Bush was going to do and they wanted to make any Democratic attacks on him or impeachment of him to look like ordinary hardball politics and not something extraordinary. They don’t want the public to recognize the true significance of all Bush has done.
Remember, they called for a military prepared to fight two simultaneous wars back in the 1990s. Why? It’s obviously because they wanted to begin preparing to fight Afghanistan and Iraq. They plan ahead.
Regarding the teacher: Isn’t it amazing how many parents don’t really want their kids to learn to think.
#1 & #2,
I called information 5 minutes after I heard of this Bennish fellow’s predicament the day I heard it on the news.
I asked for the High School in Aurora, Colorado, which is where the news person said the incident occurred.
Then I called the school & spoke with them, voicing my support for Bennish.
It’s simple to take action, you don’t have to wait for help.
I actually, Texaslady, we do hate Bush, so speak for yourself. He and his idiotic policies are inseparable, in my mind.
But what Mike conveniently sidesteps is how hateful Ann Cunter was in her CPAC speech, which was by no means an isolated incident. She, like fellow right wing whack jobs like Hal Turner and Bill O’Reilly, has turned hatred into a cottage industry. The woman has no regard for the truth and saves her twisted regard for hyperbole and racial intolerance simply because it sells.
So you’d better back up and shut the fuck up, Mike, before lambasting liberals and their blogs for fomenting "hatred."
Btw, I’m linking to this, albeit a bit belatedly, on my blog tonight or tomorrow.
This student brings a micro-cassette tape recorder to class,….. ?
This student eggs the teacher on with loaded questions to provoke a desired response,…?
This student takes his audio tape and shops it around to the Far Right Conservative Media,..?
This student is a brown-shirt storm trooper
for the best interests of Fascism,.. and nothing less.
The marching orders of the neo-nazi
fundamentalists far right, and the "Young College Republicans" has been to rid the campuses of American Colleges and Universities of any/all/every progressive political thought or discussions for some time now.
The next natural progression to take this
Joe McCarthy-esque fascism,.. to silence the voice of opposition,.. is to bring this anti-progressive
storm trooper army into the high school class rooms to muzzle voice/thought/discussion.
See the "Blueprint" these neo-fascists brown shirt
storm troopers will follow,..
brought to you by a
Mr. David Horowitz – Republican Opera-tive
CLICK LINK: The Horowitz "Blueprint"
Fascist boot-jacks stomp any/all/every progressive
voice/thought/discussion into the dirt/dust.
"Free Speach" – will not be tolerated if it speaks to the opposition.
More,…..
David Horowitz
http://www.counterpunch.org/nimmo1031.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Horowitz
David Horowitz: Think exactly the way I think or die
Horror-witz is the real threat. He wants to stifle any dissent whatsoever. We must be getting under his skin. When will these progandists be seen for what they are? They are the real America-haters. "Stop free thought, stop free speech, stop thinking for yourself and just believe what I say. I’ll do the thinking for you." Screw him! Lyin’ son of a bitch.
God’s Angel – Reverend Pat Robinson,…
Speaks to the issues David Horowitz,…
Young Republicans – target Progressive Professors,
intolerance of any Liberal thought,..
expand Fascist thought.
Horowitz new book,..
"The Professors"
The thumbprint of approval by rev.-robinson.
Pat Robinson hawks Horowitz Book : Video LINK:
God’s Angel – Reverend Pat Robertson,…
Speaks to the issues David Horowitz,…
Young Republicans – target Progressive Professors,
intolerance of any Liberal thought,..
expand Fascist thought.
Horowitz new book,..
"The Professors"
The thumbprint of approval by rev.pat robertson./
700 Club.
The blueprint for propaganda of more Fascism on America’s college campuses.
Pat Robertson hawks Horowitz Book : Video LINK:
Very good site. You are doing great job. Please Keep it up… .!
Red Star posted to college professors doors
if too progressive in speech/thought,..
Called "RED Scare" brought to you by,..
The Young College Republicans
"Red Scare" – by Young Fascists
Operation "Red Scare" brought to a college campus
by Young College Republicans,..
Find a professor who thinks/speaks progressive ideas,.. tag their office door with a red star,..
commie,.. (you get it ),.. Joe McCarthyism as
practiced in the halls of higher learning by fascists.
Storm troopers,.. brown shirts and jack boots for
David Horowitz.
Operation "Red Scare" – by Young Fascists
Operation "Red Scare" brought to a college campus
by Young College Republicans,..
Find a professor who thinks/speaks progressive ideas,.. tag their office door with a red star,..
commie,.. (you get it ),.. Joe McCarthyism as
practiced in the halls of higher learning by fascists.
Storm troopers,.. brown shirts and jack boots for
David Horowitz.
Operation "Red Scare" – by Young Fascists