I Won’t Dance, You Can’t Make Me: Up first is the story of a teacher who stood, or I should say refuse to stand, on her principals when she decided not to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Dianne Dunfry is a middle school teacher in Seabrook, NH, who filed a lawsuit in federal court stating that her “First Amendment Rights were violated.”. It is kind of ironic that such a story like this would happen in a State whose motto is “Live Free or Die.”
The Right of Dissent
Several students joined Ms. Dunfry by declining to participate in the morning custom. Ms. Dunfry has never stated why, after a decade of performing the Pledge, she decided not to partake any further. Ms. Dunfry’s is not only alleging that her First Amendment Rights are being violated, but that parents, school board members, and school administrators have been retaliating against her for her refusal.
The schools position is that Ms. Dunfry has other discipline problems unrelated to her First Amendment lawsuit. The teachers union is supporting Ms. Dunfry it what should prove to be a no win scenario for anyone.
Ms. Dunfry joins a long list of public officials, usually teachers such as Brian Bown (How Many Teachers Does it Take to Prove Political Dissent), who refuse to participate in events such as the Pledge or a moment of silence. Teachers are public representatives that fall under the mandate of public policy. That does not mean that they surrender rights guaranteed by the Constitution, however State and city governments establish policies, which teachers agree to adhere to as a condition of their employment. Considering Ms. Dunfry freely participated for over 10 years, is validation that she understood her roles a teacher. I am surprised that as an American History teacher, Ms. Dunfry forgot the most important part of the First Amendment, which can be found in the first sentence - “Congress Shall Make No Law…” I might be wrong, but I do not believe that the school policies for the Seabrook Middle School are drafted, approved and mandated by the Congress of the United States.
We are Moveon.org, We Can Do Whatever the Hell We Want!
Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine, got a lesson in hypocrisy this week at the hands of the keepers of public virtue, no other than Moveon.org.
Senator Collins is a moderate Republican that is well respected in Washington and in her home State of Maine. Senator Collin’s campaign produced a video meant to distance herself from the recent “General Betray Us” ad created by Moveon.org. Senator Collins placed the ad on google.com, like every other politician in America has done. That ad was removed by google.com at the request of Moveon.org.
Moveon.org Pollutes Politics
Moveon.org cited “copyright” violations because Moveon.org is trademarked, and Senator Collins campaign violated a google.com policy on trademark materials. Have you look at the material that Moveon.org has produced against politicians, Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, and numerous others. Each of these have copyrighted/trademark their materials, yet Moveon.org has taken the position that since they are “public figures,” than they are not protected. Yet why does that argument not apply to a Moveon.org, a “public pundit,” that has a huge public footprint?
Hey Moveon.org, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!”
Dust of the Mantle, And Move the Oscar Over:
Your 2007 Noble Peace Prize Winner is……….Albert Arnold Gore!
Like the Oscar Mr. Gore won earlier this year, the Nobel Prize means very little to anyone other that Mr. Gore’s supporters. The Nobel Prize long ago, like the Oscar, lost any merit when it became clear that it was nothing more than a “popularity contest.” Very seldom do the truly deserving ever get nominated, let alone win.
What was interesting about this story is that it happen on the same day that an English Court ruled against the movie “An Inconvenient Truth,” the same movie Mr. Gore won both the Oscar and the Nobel Prize for:
It Just Doesn't Hold Water
School administrators wanted to show “The Inconvenient Truth,” uncontested in public schools. The judge cited 9 distinct errors/misrepresentations that call into question the integrity of the movie.
Integrity matters very little to some people, as long as the "end justifies the means." The problem is the "means" is supported by propaganda that props up their issues, or attack their opponents.