A few thoughts on freedom of speech...
First off, Governor Sam Brownback, you need to hear this. You're a big boy. Stop your whining. And Karl Krawitz, you're an educator. Shame on you, You should know better than to abuse your position.
I say this because I read in the news this morning about Emma Sullivan, a student at Shawnee Mission High School who exercised her First Amendment right to speak her mind about Kansas Governor Sam Brownback in a public forum. She evidently doesn't like him.
Last I checked, not liking a politician's views and saying something about it out loud was not illegal or against any school policy (though that may be changing). but evidently, Governor Brownback pays his staff to sift through social media to see what Kansans say about him. Which, in and of itself, is an innovative way for him to listen to his constituents. Something I think any elected official needs to do. But it's what his office DID with the information gleaned from that practice and the response from Shawnee Mission High School principal Karl Krawitz that I find odious.
Rather than address the issue himself, or, better yet, laugh it off like a mature person, his staff decided that they needed to report this to Shawnee Mission's principal. So, I have to wonder, how much time (and time being money, how many taxpayer dollars) did they just spend looking for one girl's name and the high school she went to? All so that they could tattle to the principal that 18 year old Emma Sullivan said that she said mean things to the Governor.
And what does the principal do? First, he makes like he's having to do "damage control". Oh, poor me! You made fun of the governor and now he's mad! Unless I kiss his ass and make YOU kiss his ass by writing an apology letter, bad things might happen! Look, Karl, if your governor can't take a joke, you need to either grow a pair (reading the First Amendment might also help with that) or get another job, because your job is to be the advocate for those kids first, not bend over backwards to appease a thin-skinned politician.
Second, he SUGGESTED that Emma remove the "offending tweet" and (get this) if she DIDN'T write the apology letter, he was going to add a disciplinary action to her transcripts which would affect her chances to attend the college of her choice.
Here's the irony that the supposed adults here didn't get when they were trying to cow Emma.
One: There is a controversy, and it IS making both your high school and the governor's office look like a bunch of authoritarian bullies, but it wasn't caused by the tweet that would have been read by all of 60 people. The controversy and shame that is being heaped upon your school and your state is being caused by the so-called adults here. As Gov. Brownback's office and Mr Krawitz were lecturing Emma on how she was representing her school on that trip, they were in the process of doing a worse job of embarrassing the state and the school. Thanks to these people, Kansas is all over the national news. Way to act like grownups there.
Two: As pointed out by one of the "adults" here, social media has a lot of impact. What they did will be on the internet forever. And because of what they did, Emma Sullivan is now a national figure, and a champion of First Amendment rights. Because of how they reacted, searching for "Brownback" on Twitter now brings up an ever growing list of disparaging tweets regarding the Kansas governor. Had they left this alone, Emma SUllivan's remark would have been read by about 60 people, and maybe a few would have laughed at it and then gone on to read with more interest about her Twilight movie marathon, and completely forgotten about it.
But, because the governor's office thinks that showing him disrespect is such a big issue, and because a high school principal had to threaten Emma SUllivan with disciplinary action over a tweet, both men have lost a lot more respect (and rightfully so) than they did from a single posted comment from a teenager on a high school trip.
What takes the cake for me is Principal Krawitz statement that this is a private issue, not a public one. To you sir, I say this.
No, it isn't. This stopped being private the SECOND you stood up for tyranny and censorship by holding a girl's transcript hostage to force her to write an apology letter to an elected official because she disagreed with him publicly. You are a poor example for any kid to follow. This needs to be public, so that the reprehensible way you represent your school can be seen.
I say this because I read in the news this morning about Emma Sullivan, a student at Shawnee Mission High School who exercised her First Amendment right to speak her mind about Kansas Governor Sam Brownback in a public forum. She evidently doesn't like him.
Last I checked, not liking a politician's views and saying something about it out loud was not illegal or against any school policy (though that may be changing). but evidently, Governor Brownback pays his staff to sift through social media to see what Kansans say about him. Which, in and of itself, is an innovative way for him to listen to his constituents. Something I think any elected official needs to do. But it's what his office DID with the information gleaned from that practice and the response from Shawnee Mission High School principal Karl Krawitz that I find odious.
Rather than address the issue himself, or, better yet, laugh it off like a mature person, his staff decided that they needed to report this to Shawnee Mission's principal. So, I have to wonder, how much time (and time being money, how many taxpayer dollars) did they just spend looking for one girl's name and the high school she went to? All so that they could tattle to the principal that 18 year old Emma Sullivan said that she said mean things to the Governor.
And what does the principal do? First, he makes like he's having to do "damage control". Oh, poor me! You made fun of the governor and now he's mad! Unless I kiss his ass and make YOU kiss his ass by writing an apology letter, bad things might happen! Look, Karl, if your governor can't take a joke, you need to either grow a pair (reading the First Amendment might also help with that) or get another job, because your job is to be the advocate for those kids first, not bend over backwards to appease a thin-skinned politician.
Second, he SUGGESTED that Emma remove the "offending tweet" and (get this) if she DIDN'T write the apology letter, he was going to add a disciplinary action to her transcripts which would affect her chances to attend the college of her choice.
Here's the irony that the supposed adults here didn't get when they were trying to cow Emma.
One: There is a controversy, and it IS making both your high school and the governor's office look like a bunch of authoritarian bullies, but it wasn't caused by the tweet that would have been read by all of 60 people. The controversy and shame that is being heaped upon your school and your state is being caused by the so-called adults here. As Gov. Brownback's office and Mr Krawitz were lecturing Emma on how she was representing her school on that trip, they were in the process of doing a worse job of embarrassing the state and the school. Thanks to these people, Kansas is all over the national news. Way to act like grownups there.
Two: As pointed out by one of the "adults" here, social media has a lot of impact. What they did will be on the internet forever. And because of what they did, Emma Sullivan is now a national figure, and a champion of First Amendment rights. Because of how they reacted, searching for "Brownback" on Twitter now brings up an ever growing list of disparaging tweets regarding the Kansas governor. Had they left this alone, Emma SUllivan's remark would have been read by about 60 people, and maybe a few would have laughed at it and then gone on to read with more interest about her Twilight movie marathon, and completely forgotten about it.
But, because the governor's office thinks that showing him disrespect is such a big issue, and because a high school principal had to threaten Emma SUllivan with disciplinary action over a tweet, both men have lost a lot more respect (and rightfully so) than they did from a single posted comment from a teenager on a high school trip.
What takes the cake for me is Principal Krawitz statement that this is a private issue, not a public one. To you sir, I say this.
No, it isn't. This stopped being private the SECOND you stood up for tyranny and censorship by holding a girl's transcript hostage to force her to write an apology letter to an elected official because she disagreed with him publicly. You are a poor example for any kid to follow. This needs to be public, so that the reprehensible way you represent your school can be seen.