There was a GOP congresswoman who had “joked” that Hillary Clinton should be assassinated so that the GOP could “get it over with”…(her 2008 bid for the White House)…yet TRY to find that on any search engine NOW!!!
COULD certain *Reich*-wingers have revealed the whereabouts of Mr Bennish’s parents to the blogoshpere??? Having inhaled the fumes from the NYC *Reichstag* fires as I walked the streets of downtown Manhattan almost half a decade ago…I put nothing pass y’all.

EminemsRevenge on March 8, 2006 at 3:23 pm

That teacher looks like a dirty hippie. The only thing missing in that photo of him are squiggly stink lines permeating from his head.

Concerned Conservative on March 8, 2006 at 4:31 pm

NeoCon allies desert Bush over Iraq: http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article350092.ece

InplainviewMonitor on March 8, 2006 at 8:46 pm

Debbie,
The real issue is not what happened in a classroom in Colorado but rather how the right-wing blogosphere and media have over-reacted to what they think might have happened.
With your comment above, you have played your part in this “shoot the messenger first, ask questions later” scenario.
I have read the transcripts and listened to the recording. I’ve only heard Mr Bennish doing his job, and doing it well. He was urging students to use critical thinking; something which you, your government and some of your countrymen have demonstrated is severely lacking.
As an oft-times supporter of all that is good in America, I urge you to not squander what is left of your country’s good-will.
http://mike.brisgeek.com/2006/03/05/teacher-jay-bennish-american-hero
– MikeFitz, from Australia

MikeFitz on March 9, 2006 at 7:48 am

Bennish brings back memories of my government
“teacher”-who I still wanna beat up.Government was required to graduate-and I got stuck with a “Bennish” with similar “Bush/Hitler” commentary-then about Nixon-along with well-founded rumors that he was sleeping with some of his female students.As far as teaching kids “how to think”-I’m still not very passionate about politics-but believe,just based on informal shmoozing experimentation that Bush=Hitler type rhetoric is 99% linked to liberals.

jaywilton on March 9, 2006 at 9:33 am

Deb, I do truly enjoy reading your blog, however, please in the future include some sort of warning about the moonbat photos that accompany the post. When your not expecting it, a moonbat photo can be a horrible shock,,,,,,.

Swamp Rabbit on March 9, 2006 at 11:23 am

This teacher simply was not performing his job. He should lose his job basaed on his poor performance, not the smoke and mirrors “free speech” issue. The comments he was making were not related to the topic he was hired to teach. What were the lesson objectives for this class? That is what I want to see.

Crimsonfisted on March 9, 2006 at 11:58 am

MikeFitz
The fact that you are from Australia may excuse your lack of knowledge on our pathetic education system, the way classrooms are setup in the USA. Sean Allen was enrolled in a Geography class not Political Science or Marxist Philosophy.
Teachers are supposed to teach the subject matter not present their personal political opinions.We have a problem in the USA with teachers that think they have a right to indoctrinate students in their classes with their Marxist views rather than teach reading, writing, and arithmetic or in this case geography.
Bennish did not assign the kids to study Bush’s state of the union speech previous to the class that was taped, he was outraged with Bush’s speech and thought he could use his classroom to convince the kids he was right.
He was not urging critical thinking but indoctrinating the kids to his Marxist philosophy.

ScottyDog on March 9, 2006 at 12:01 pm

Good point by ScottyDog. Also, here’s a tip to MikeFitz–
It is stupefyingly arrogant and egotistical to tell someone what the “real issue” is. At best, this is your take on what you would like to be discussed, or how you would like the discussion to be framed.
Many people will immediately go deaf after hearing the words, “The real issue is…”
Next time, offer your opinion without this sophomoric verbal cosmetic.
Oh, yeah, it should be mentioned that this phrase is almost always used by people on the Left, who feel themselves to be so much smarter than the rest of us.

Red Ryder on March 9, 2006 at 1:19 pm

The “I was only teaching the students to think” fallback position is right out of the NEA/AFT/AAUP handbook, and has been around for over 40 years. During the Vietnam War, my Pitt English prof often spent 90% of a 3-hour class bashing the war. When he got started, I knew there was no turning him back, so went home.
Mr. Bennish, similarly, used 2400 or so words bashing everything about America for the past 300 years, then “made up” for them with around 90 words on how student Allen’s questions were good. The weight of the evidence is against Mr. Bennish’s claim of playing devil’s advocate to “teach them to think.”
And when one looks at how Ward Churchill has been pampered by Colorado educationalists, it’s apparent that a lot is rotten in the state.
Don’t expect Mr. Bennish to be fired, though, for the school district would have to spend tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees to do so. The most sanction he will get is a transfer to another school building where he can foist off his biases on different students. But having learned his lesson, he will, naturally, ban iPods from those classes.

Bachbone on March 9, 2006 at 2:55 pm

Critical thinking is vital. However, we must also remember how impressionable young adults are. Keep things in perspective and use your better judgement, then this becomes an easy topic to understand.
Raymond B
http://www.voteswagon.com

raymondb.voteswagon.com on March 9, 2006 at 7:04 pm

Red Ryder,
Thanks for the tip. Yes, I’m new at this game.
“…stupefyingly arrogant and egotistical…” Ouch! You can have your knife back now. But you are quite right. I should have said “The issue as seen by someone outside America, who cannot tell his wingnut from his moonbat, is…”
I agree with RaymondB, students are impressionable. But from where I stand on the other end of the planet, something about the American environment (not just classrooms, but TV, movies, society, everything) is giving them all the same “impression”. That is, they, and now a couple of generations of their elders are generally incapable of seeing an opinion from another person/culture’s point of view. I was kind of hoping that there are more teachers like Jay Bennish to provide some balance.
And finally, to clarify any mis-conception that poeple might gain from the implication in your last sentence that I might be a “Leftie”:
1. Firstly, I am a proud Australian. I am proud of the relationship between the US and Australia. I fully supported the deployment of Australian troops to Afghanistan to defeat the Taliban and hunt down Osama. I fully supported the deployment of Australian troops to Iraq to topple Saddam and halt the production of WMDs. I am proud of my own military service as a cavalry troop leader decades ago. I am not a Jihadi.
2. Secondly, I have many dear friends who are Americans. I do not support those who would harm America.
3. Thirdly, my business and my livelihood are built on services which depend on sales of the products of a major US corporation. I am far from a Communist.

MikeFitz on March 9, 2006 at 8:22 pm

I’m not looking for some stupid hippie to give “balance.” It’s not his job to preach and indoctrinate, it’s his job to teach.
These pinkos can’t have it both ways. They’ve shut out all mention of religion in schools, so where is the “balance” there? How about if a teacher invites a preacher or rabbi to speak? Or, how about balancing out the teaching of evolution with teaching intelligent design? Yeah, I’m sure the commie symp libs would applaud the “balance.”

The_Man on March 9, 2006 at 11:41 pm

The_Man, Great Ideas!
Yes, students should be exposed to proponents of intelligent design as well as (and not instead of) evolution.
I also like your idea that teachers (and school boards and education departments) should invite preachers, rabbis, imams and Buddhist monks and others into the classrooms to expose students to as wide a range of views as possible.

MikeFitz on March 10, 2006 at 2:31 am

MikeFitz–
You speak of balance. The problem is that while Bennish might be a bit extreme, overall he portrays the Hard-Left mindset that completely dominates American academia.
Thus, for “balance” reasons, he SHOULD be shut up!
Saying that, this is high school, and his primary job is to teach academics.
Critical thinking is nice, but given that most of these kids are functionally illiterate as graduates, his priorities are way out of whack.

Red Ryder on March 10, 2006 at 10:32 am

Red Ryder,
Obviously you and are going to disagree on some things, but maybe not all.
As an outsider, I don’t see any effects of this “Hard-Left mindset that completely dominates American academia”. What I do see is an unfortunate, insular national mindset.
If ever you need me to play my part in setting up another “coalition of the willing”, you are making it damn hard.

MikeFitz on March 10, 2006 at 6:30 pm

MikeFitz–
At this point, there is not a lot more to discuss.
Assuming that you are serious when you say that you don’t see the Hard-Left mindset that completely dominates American academia, you are either ignorant in the extreme, or your powers of self-delusion are beyond measure.
This is like me trying to convince someone that the Earth is not flat.
I’m not sure what any of this has to do with an insular national mindset, either. Apparently you interpreted Bennish’s remarks as being merely anti-Bush.
In fact, they were profoundly anti-American. Still, he has all freedoms to say what he wishes, but his geography classroom is not the forum.
Finally, your silly defense of Bennish, coupled with your effeminate threat (to no one in particular) of being less than willing to be in the next coalition of the willing betrays where you really stand.
As it is, I thought that once your own Aussies were killed by Islamo-terrorists, that was enough reason to be in the coalition.
Excuse me if I did not reckon with your FEELINGS.

Red Ryder on March 11, 2006 at 10:39 am

Red Ryder,
It’s *because* Aussies were killed by Islamo-terrorists (Aussies died too on 9/11 and in Bali) that we really want to get to the bottom of this problem.
This is one problem where fighting fire with fire just isn’t working. We need to get to the seat of the flame and cut off the fuel supply.
And the seat of this flame is “what makes Islamo-terrorists think?”
Can you see where I am coming from now?

MikeFitz on March 11, 2006 at 8:39 pm

MikeFitz–
As to “what makes Islamo-terrorists think?”
In a word hatred. But, it has little to do with America. They were hating before America. They were hating Christians in Europe, and before Europe, they were hating Christians in N. Africa, Hindus in India, Buddhists in SE Asia, and they were always hating Jews.
Fundamentally, the source of the hatred, as is the source of much hatred, is deep down they know they are wrong, but if they kill you, they are temporarily not reminded of it. And, they will keep killing, since that is pure escapism, in that they don’t have to look into the mirror at their pathetic selves.
Try all you want to win hearts and minds. It hasn’t worked since the 8th century, but maybe you have the magic bullet.
Or maybe you don’t appreciate that there really IS objective good and evil.
There ARE two things on our side, though…
Modern technology, and modern thought patterns which are actually starting to make some turn away from this religion.
And, we have better weapons, so we can mostly kill them before they try to kill us.
Cutting off the fuel supply would mean mass conversions out of Islam, but since evangelization is essentially illegal in every Muslim country–good luck.
We even make it worse by allowing them to have virtual Sharia as immigrants.
Working against us, also, is the puerile notion that intolerance is the worst possible sin.
My personal feeling is that it will end up with the West as victors, but at substantial cost.

Red Ryder on March 12, 2006 at 10:50 am

G’day Red Ryder,
Well at least you are thinking. But can you think of another cause of their “hatred”? I can.
Have another think. I’ll be back in 24 hrs to discuss.
Hint: the answer is not back in the 8th century.

MikeFitz on March 12, 2006 at 9:36 pm

MikeFitz–
As shocking as this may seem, I don’t care why they hate us.
And, even if I did know, what difference would it make? They also kill their own, who aren’t radical enough.
But, then, for people who don’t want to accept that objective good and evil actually do exist, endless masturbatory discourse will fill the bill.
Therefore, please consider this thread closed.

Red Ryder on March 13, 2006 at 11:14 am

Thread closed; mind closed; insular national mindset firmly in place.

MikeFitz on March 13, 2006 at 4:53 pm