I looooooveeeeee AMERICA!!!

[Sircnay]

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/ne....html

(Monmouth Junction-WABC, October 3, 2004) — You might say it is a symbol of the Great American Divide, a teacher putting up a picture of President Bush in the classroom. Some say it is partisanship while others say it is patriotism.

Rita Bianco, Parent: "Children should know their president and their first lady!"

Parents expressing outrage after a teacher is kicked out of her public school for hanging a picture of President Bush next to pictures of other presidents in her classroom.

Shiba Pillai-Diaz, Teacher: "It happened on a small bulletin board near the American flag and also with a poster of the Declaration of Independence."

This is Crossroads South Middle School in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey. On Thursday, there was a back-to-school night for parents of students. Veteran English teacher Shiba Pillai-Diaz says she was shocked when three parents confronted her. The three, insisting the teacher either add John Kerry's photo to the montage of presidents or remove the Bush photo. When Pillai-Diaz refused, she says the school's vice-principal threatened her job which is an act that has parents here fuming.

Paula Sjolund, Parent: "She didn't do anything wrong, and I think that it should have stayed up there."

Pillai-Diaz ultimately removed the entire bulletin board and says School Principal Jim Warfel told her she disrupted the school with her "inflammatory politics". She says he then ordered her out of the building. While she says she is a Bush supporter in her personal life, Pillai-Diaz says she keeps politics out of the classroom.

Shiba Pillai-Diaz, Teacher: "There was no political intent, nor was there any political content in that photograph nor on the bulletin board."

School officials would not talk on camera but insist nobody here has been fired. To that, Ms. Pillai-Diaz asks what does it mean then when your boss asks you to hand over the keys and kicks you out of the building? She also says she is not sure if she'll be returning to school tomorrow.

[TachyonS14]

Wow, that is so stupid. Just because they may not like bush, doesn't mean that he was never president. Like it or not, he is our current president so putting his picture on the wall with other presidents is not wrong.

[clown1983]

what is wrong with americans any more does everything someone does have to be offensive to someone else next thing you will here about is someone getting sued for voting for bush and the neighbor finding out about it

[w1ngzer0]

yar. I agree. The only thing that school shouldn't have is religion though. To much trouble with it in classrooms.

[Jesda]

And of course while teachers preach Kerryism, no one complains. Why? Because he supports the NEA, that butt**** evil teachers' union that works hard every day to lobby congress and destroy public education.

Any remote threat to the NEA, according to selfish half-*** educators, is a threat to their livelihood. And the union even has an influence on curriculum.

[StrangeLove]

Why not just take it down an avoid all the hassle? She has the right to have it on the wall, but why not just take it down to avoid the conflict?

[Altiman94]

that is retarded. If I were that teacher I'd be pissed.

[xyster]

Why not just take it down an avoid all the hassle? She has the right to have it on the wall, but why not just take it down to avoid the conflict?

Because he's the president, and his picture belongs with the other presidents. You can't back down in a situation like that, just to avoid conflict. Though, after seeing your sig pic, I see where you'd get that kind of idea. (commence flaming)

Kerry is not, and hopefully never will be the president, so his picture doesn't belong there.

[Jesda]

An often important thing for a child to know is who the president and vice president are and were. I recall most of my classrooms in grade school having pictures of the current or all previous presidents. Its historically and politically accurate and relevant.

[AZhitman]

xyster is right.

"Why not just take it down to avoid the conflict"?

That's like asking a flag-burner to stop their protest and "avoid any conflict".

That's like telling Dr. King not to march on Birmingham, to "avoid the conflict".

Or telling Rosa Parks to give up her damn seat just to "avoid conflict".

Or telling the original settlers to just pay their taxes to the Crown and "avoid the conflict".

Because this is America. Because someday, someone may not like something YOU do, but we will defend your right to do it.

My classroom had a pic of ALL presidents, from Washington to Ford.

People need to quit being such crybabies. Or else move to a country where you HAVE to have a picture (or a shrine) of the dictator in every room of your house or you'll be executed.

[navysnail]

in my history class, we have a picture of every president from washington to bush, i dont see why they shouldnt too?

do they think she was putting that picture up to try to sway votes? who is gona sway, they cant vote!

[StrangeLove]

When something is that trivial (keyword: trivial) why make such a big deal out of it? (I should of said trivial in the first post)

*IMPORTANT* DO NOT OVERLOOKFrom what I read, bush's picture was not in a group of other president's pictures. If it was on some sort of presidential timeline then that would be ok. So that arguement is void.^IMPORTANT^ DO NOT OVERLOOK

The parents took the seperated picture as a form of adverstisment. Naturally in these times of conflict people would get upset, especially when it involves this extremely controversial president.

[Bruno240]

its simple bush is our president.

Even if it was a thingy saying vote for bush. Then why not sure your neighbor for having a sign in there front yard.

She has every right to put Bush up there because....

1. HE IS OUR PRESIDENT!!!2. They has the right to free speech.

the country has too many cry babies and if things dont go there way they have to make a big deal out of nothing untill everyone suffers from it.

[StrangeLove]

Admendment to my post above:

"Parents expressing outrage after a teacher is kicked out of her public school for hanging a picture of President Bush next to pictures of other presidents in her classroom.

Shiba Pillai-Diaz, Teacher: "It happened on a small bulletin board near the American flag and also with a poster of the Declaration of Independence.""

I'm not confused, those 2 statesments conflict each other...

Also:

"2. They has the right to free speech."

Both sides have free speech, not just one...

(I have adopted a new approach to talking to people, don't be confrontive, I forgot about that for a moment... no more post here)

[AZhitman]

No reason to back out, it was unclear from the story, and pills, your assesment that those 2 statements are in conflict IS correct.

My perception was that the picture was "collaged" with other pics of past Presidents.

A bus seat is trivial also.

But one woman's refusal to bow to the "status quo" and give it up changed a nation.

And Bush is by no means "controversial", in the grander forum of history. Several before him have been FAR more so.

Bottom line, is posting a picture of our President, EVEN if it was alone in the room, is perfectly appropriate, regardless of your political leanings.

Carry on.

[stray]

ok, I hate Bush, and I despise a lot of the things hes done.

BUT, hes our president, and theres no deleteing this period from history. even if you hate the guy, you have to acknowledge that he was and is president, and that his term of office is a period in ouer history that kids will need to learn about.

Simple.

now if she had put up a vote for bush poster (or a vote for nader, kerry, or whoever else poster) that wouldve been wrong. thats not teaching, thats pushing your political and social beliefs on someone else.

Much as i hate to say it, his picture belongs on the wall sure as washington's does.

[gabossie]

Political stances aside, this is bull****. I'm not a fan of George Bush, but he IS OUR PRESIDENT and as such, has a place on the wall with the rest of them. If this was separated, and just a picture of him by himself, fine, he's still our president and there is no reason why he shouldn't be up there. If she put up a picture of Kerry and none of Bush, I could see people getting upset as that's showing partisanship.

[The Mic]

the teacher found a loophole!!!!, that evil bu$h supporter!!!! grrrr rawwrrrr grrrrr /sarcasm

[Drift Machine]

xyster is right.My classroom had a pic of ALL presidents, from Washington to Ford.

Heheh...I wasn't even alive while Ford was president.

But yeah being asked to take down a picture of Bush is just stupid, even my most liberal of teachers had a picture of Bush on the wall.

[Rex]

Boy this went awry quickly.

Read as many times as you want, but a teacher had a picture of the current (or any former) President hanging in a classroom, assuming it wasn't a "Vote for??" from the current campaign it should have been veiwed as a reflection of our nations history. NOw it might not belong in art class regardless, but this wasn't art.

[Axel Grungy]

i hate how "politcally correct" this country is getting. we cant really do anything these days without "offending" some *******. its not like shes saying GO VOTE FOR BUSH, the teacher was just stating the fact that BUSH IS PRESIDENT!! a fact is a fact.

[Sircnay]

And it wouldn't have mattered if it had a big sign that said, "VOTE FOR BUSH OR I'LL COME AND SLIT YOUR THROATS WHILE YOU SLEEP!!!!!" or somethign along those lines. Those are kids, they can't vote. So why get so pissy in the first place? Even if you did brainwash the kids with whatever side, it's not like they can do anything.

[Mr1der]

so we all blame really stupid liberals right?

this is the dumbest thing I've heard in a while...(like 4 hours)

[StrangeLove]

Hmmm we need a visual in this thread... I think the board was set up like this...

[AZhitman]

Looks innocuous enough.

Although I think the Declaration and the flag should NOT be partially covered by ANYONE'S picture.

[Nismo_Freak]

Looks innocuous enough.

Although I think the Declaration and the flag should NOT be partially covered by ANYONE'S picture.

Although the flag is kinda continued in the pic lol.

Either way ... sounds like a bunch of liberals whining about reality and the teacher getting the blame. What a crock of ****

BTW, Greg ... are you sure that was Ford and not Adams

[StrangeLove]

I'll make a revised version... I didn't even think of the picture covering the flag meaning anything, I just thought it looked better than having all the things seperated.