If I Had A Hammer...

[digginfool]

A middle school football coach wrote this song and published it on Youtube.



Now watch what happens when you exercise your right of free speech.



Gotta get those hammers back, folks!   

[AintSkeered]

If I Only Had a Brain exercised arrogance, not his rights, to email the video to the parents of his students. And, he used the school's email address to do his so-called freedom of speech.

[digginfool]

If I Only Had a Brain exercised arrogance, not his rights, to email the video to the parents of his students. And, he used the school's email address to do his so-called freedom of speech.

He used his own email address to send the link out.  The school is investigation whether his source of the email addresses were school records or not.  Without knowing the content of the school's contract with the teacher, you can't state whether it is a firing offense (therefor, whether or not he was using his brains) to contact student's parents for anything other than official school business.  I highly doubt that this is anything other than a fascist move on the school administrator's part.

[AintSkeered]

You may very well be correct about those fascists. But, if an employee emailed customers and those customers complained, how many businesses would sacrifice their business to protect an employee's free political speech?

[digginfool]

Who complained?  The same one or two parents that complain because half a dozen students have bible study while on campus and a teacher happened to sit in.  I would venture that the majority of the parents were not offended but instead, a couple of self-righteous jackasses that just want to hear themselves squeal made a fuss over it.  School is not a business that gains and loses customers; attendance is compulsory.  The offense, unless specifically addressed in the teacher's contract, is hardly a firing offense.  It's not like the guy sent pornography out to his mailing list.  I find it most interesting that the head of the school board states he cannot re-instate the teacher; only the school's principal can do that.  I use the term fascist because clearly, in this particular school's environment, the principal is the dictator and he forcibly suppressed opposing political views by firing the teacher.  It meant enough to the local media to make a story of it. 

[AintSkeered]

Sorry Dig, I doubt most people want their kid's coach sending them unsolicited political opinions via email, no matter what side of the equation they're on. For example, I doubt that coach would like for some ethnic or gay-rights group to solicit him via his email.

[digginfool]

Sorry Dig, I doubt most people want their kid's coach sending them unsolicited political opinions via email, no matter what side of the equation they're on. For example, I doubt that coach would like for some ethnic or gay-rights group to solicit him via his email.

That may be true, particularly since Tennessee is right-leaning in all but the major urban areas, which makes my case so much more relevant; except for the principal and maybe a couple parents, I seriously doubt anybody complained.  Most were probably saying "Daggum!  Lookie here, Ma!  I know that guy!!"   

[buythisatvstuff]

While I agree with what his song said, I wouldn't like it sent to me unsolicited. IF (we don't know so it's if) he used school email to send it, or used the school as the source to get the addresses he sent it to, then he should have been fired. However, I believe that if this was a left leaning song there would be no such investigation nor scandal and he surely would not have been fired, but at most told to not use school resources for such endeavors in the future. Look at the school kids in school taught and performing pro- obama songs - they don't get anyone fired. and I'm sure many have experienced the political ramblings of professors in college, and teachers push their political agenda in schools. I was recently in a public high school that had posters that were anti Iraq war and they were not taken down or criticized.
If he misused school information or resources he should be fired, with that said, it should be the same on both sides, not just anti Republican/conservative. But there (again) is where the hypocrisy lies since dems scream and shout when it's Reps, but smile and laugh when it's for them.

[digginfool]

While I agree with what his song said, I wouldn't like it sent to me unsolicited. IF (we don't know so it's if) he used school email to send it, or used the school as the source to get the addresses he sent it to, then he should have been fired. However, I believe that if this was a left leaning song there would be no such investigation nor scandal and he surely would not have been fired, but at most told to not use school resources for such endeavors in the future. Look at the school kids in school taught and performing pro- obama songs - they don't get anyone fired. and I'm sure many have experienced the political ramblings of professors in college, and teachers push their political agenda in schools. I was recently in a public high school that had posters that were anti Iraq war and they were not taken down or criticized.
If he misused school information or resources he should be fired, with that said, it should be the same on both sides, not just anti Republican/conservative. But there (again) is where the hypocrisy lies since dems scream and shout when it's Reps, but smile and laugh when it's for them.

He should only be fired if it was clear in his contract that the use of email addresses obtained through school records cannot be used for private purposes and only then.  You do hit on a valid point and that is if it is inconsistent with school policy to spread a political message then why haven't the teachers involved in the indoctrination incidents been similarly reprimanded and summarily fired?  Those incidents were not isolated; my children came home during the 2008 elections and told us that their teachers had told the students to make sure their parents voted for Obama.  That is acceptable and this is not?  I take far more offense to the indoctrination of my children than I do with somebody sending me unwanted email that I can delete in an instant.  Trying to undue the attempted indoctrination of my children to a particular political agenda takes a tremendous amount of time and effort.

[AintSkeered]

If he's a teacher, in good standing(whatever that means), firing him is counter-productive. His performance can be managed by having him apologize and spend a certain amount of hours "unduing his political indoctrination of other people's children". Those, who didn't like his email, could have replied such to him and asked him to cease further communication. Then, if he persisted, they could email him the link to Pink Pistols.org, for example. 

[digginfool]

If he's a teacher, in good standing(whatever that means), firing him is counter-productive. His performance can be managed by having him apologize and spend a certain amount of hours "unduing his political indoctrination of other people's children". Those, who didn't like his email, could have replied such to him and asked him to cease further communication. Then, if he persisted, they could email him the link to Pink Pistols.org, for example. 

My point exactly.  It is clearly an overly zealous response to a political view that opposes the principal's.  It is an entirely disproportionate response to the 'crime.'