Revised: Sedition Acts On Books in NC? - Only for Obama

Added 5/21/12
A link with a video recording of the teachers rant is below. The camera does not show the teacher but the tone, manner, and severity of the teacher's voice is unbelievable. I had though that the text in the post was bad enough, but relying on only the words verses actually hearing them is like seeing a movie version of War and Peace and skipping the book:

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/politics/2012-election/video-teacher-fights-student-over-president-obama?utm_source=OV+Newsletter+List+2&utm_campaign=d4d2f5d216-OV_Newsletter_May_215_21_2012&utm_medium=email

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http://www.theblaze.com/stories/n-c-teacher-tells-student-he-could-be-arrested-for-talking-badly-about-obama/

This is a classic-

It appears that a teacher in North Carolina is under the impression that the Sedition Acts, a subject that for so long was almost the only thing that we were taught about John Adams' Presidency, are still on the books.

The teacher had brought up the story about Romney's alleged bullying of a fellow student many years ago:

"A couple of students relayed the story about Obama admitting that he bullied someone when he was younger. And that seemed to light the fuse on his teacher’s anger. A couple of the students exchanged words with the angry teacher."

The teacher affected to believe that, although anything disparaging may be said about someone who is a Presidential Candidate, no such thing may occur if he in fact wins the Office:

“Stop! Stop! Because there’s no comparison. He’s running for president. Obama is the president.”

As one student attempted to argue for a fair, two-sided debate on the history of the candidates, he was shouted down and talked over by the teacher. She continued:

“You got [ I wonder is she was ever an English teacher] to realize, this man is wanting to be what Obama is. [ Does anyone want to be what Obama is?] There’s no comparison.” 

Once again, the students pressed for equal discussion of the histories of both men, with one saying:

“If you’re gonna talk trash about one side, you gotta talk trash about the other.”

The teacher just seemed to dig her heels in deeper and press her defense of Obama telling the defiant teen:"

Something tells me that it was not so much the fact that unflattering comments were being made about the President as much as what particular President one had in mind:

“You will not disrespect the president of the United States in this classroom.”

Again the student persisted and invoked his First Amendment right."

“I’ll say what I want.”

The still unidentified teacher read the student her rules…her Obama rules.

“Not about him, you won’t!' "

"The back and forth continued and the most strident of the two students reminded his teacher that President Bush was constantly treated to negative statements about him while he was in office:

“Whenever Bush was president, everybody talked sh-t about him.”

To which the teacher responded:"

Now we see when it is OK to speak in a derogatory fashion about a President as long as that President is not Obama:

“Because he was sh-tty.' "

There followed a boldfaced lie which seemed to imply that the Sedition Acts were still in force:

"The social studies educator went on for a full minute with more ranting, saying that people were arrested for saying derogatory things about President Bush. [No such thing occurred] The student correctly reminded the teacher that opinions are protected, but you cannot be arrested unless you threaten the president."

We are in a culture of social and political censorship. It is bad enough when political commentators and a few brave and honest journalists are being targeted, but it is an even greater moral crime when it happens at a grass-roots level. When an authority figure such as a teacher abuses her position to silence youthful critics of the current Goofball-in-Chief, we are pretty much at rock-bottom. In this case, it seems that the students were not even going out of their way to critique Obama rather than simply citing an example that indicates that Romney, if he did in fact do it, was not the only guy in the Presidential race who has bullied someone.

These brave students are to be commended for their actions. I hope that their parents are as proud of them as I am.