Forum Non-Republicans: Does this story....

[Insula Dei]

...make you hope that Chris Christie will develop an unpleasant rash and be hit in the head by a pumpkin?

http://blog.nj.com/njv_bob_braun/2010/11/braun_heroic_nj_teacher_was_sa.html

[dead0man]

"I felt like I was raped,’’....really.....really?  You said sh**t you shouldn't have said.  Stuff that was true (about the unions, not the "n-word" stuff..I don't know if that's true or not...she seems to think it's true but she isn't coming across as the most trustworthy of persons right now).  Nobody put words in your mouth (as far as we know..and if they had, I'm sure this article would have mentioned it).  And now you're embarrassed because the true sh**t you said has come out and it's negative to your union.  Yes, the guy is a douche.  Yes, the guy he works for is a super douche. 

But raped?  No.

...as for the OP.  No, I don't wish that.

[pbrower2a]

...make you hope that Chris Christie will develop an unpleasant rash and be hit in the head by a pumpkin?

http://blog.nj.com/njv_bob_braun/2010/11/braun_heroic_nj_teacher_was_sa.html

Good people do not use thug tactics to achieve their objectives. They can sacrifice their own personal gain, indulgence, and ambitions for what is true and right.

Difficult to fire a tenured teacher? It should be. Tenure exists so that teachers cannot be fired for anything other than misconduct. They shouldn't be squeezed for political contributions or pressured to make political endorsements. Think of what mischief is possible if teachers are obliged to be political hacks as a term of employment.  It's best that teachers not be allowed to wear political buttons in a classroom and not harangue on behalf of candidates or on initiatives and referenda. Academic freedom might hardly exist in the rigid world of elementary teaching, but it is necessary in high-school.

It takes time to achieve tenure -- time in which one clearly shows competence and dedication... or doesn't.


O'Keefe is a political thug devoid of any decency.

[Brittain33]

Well, she wasn't just embarrassed. She's now been suspended and is probably persona non grata among her colleagues in a career she obviously loves and was good at. Her life has been destroyed by this thug.

[dead0man]

Well, because of sh**t she said to the thug.

[Brittain33]

Well, because of sh**t she said to the thug.

...while drunk, in a personal setting. Would you say you've never said something in private that would make your life hell if it were put on the Internet and the governor used you as an example to destroy your friends?

[memphis]

Well, because of sh**t she said to the thug.

Should we never be able to trash our jobs on our own time? We'd all be out of work. Aren't there laws against audiotaping somebody without getting prior consent? I hope they throw dude in jail.

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

I've wanted Chris Christie to be hit in the head by a pumpkin long before I read about this story.

[Yelnoc]

And Chris Christie has officially lost any chance of gaining my support.  What a thug....

[pbrower2a]

Well, because of sh**t she said to the thug.

Should we never be able to trash our jobs on our own time? We'd all be out of work. Aren't there laws against audiotaping somebody without getting prior consent? I hope they throw dude in jail.

That is the point. We must not live in fear of becoming a scapegoat for political causes. Blackmail earns almost-universal condemnation because people have an inherent right to privacy in a free society.

O'Keefe is a political thug, and I am surprised that someone can have the arrogance to act as he did. I am surprised that he has any right to political activity beyond voting and displaying a bumper sticker or a yard sign. He seems to think that he has well-placed political angels who can rescue him from the consequences of some outrage.  

[dead0man]

Well, because of sh**t she said to the thug.

...while drunk, in a personal setting. Would you say you've never said something in private that would make your life hell if it were put on the Internet and the governor used you as an example to destroy your friends?

Probably...but it would still be my own damn fault wouldn't it?

Well, because of sh**t she said to the thug.

Should we never be able to trash our jobs on our own time? We'd all be out of work. Aren't there laws against audiotaping somebody without getting prior consent? I hope they throw dude in jail.

They are probably legally ok because it was done in a public place.  Granted, not very ethical.

[Bull Moose Base]

When I started reading that story, I thought it would turn out Christie had been driving the van toward those kids.

http://www.mainjustice.com/2009/09/04/driving-wrong-way-christie-wasnt-ticketed-for-hitting-motorcyclist/

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

Well, she wasn't just embarrassed. She's now been suspended and is probably persona non grata among her colleagues in a career she obviously loves and was good at. Her life has been destroyed by this thug.

She said some pretty stupid stuff.  She's to blame for opening her mouth...

[DrScholl]

Chris Christie is scum. I sincerely hope he loses his re-election and fades into obscurity. He's exactly what is wrong with politics and government.

[Capitan Zapp Brannigan]

Chris Christie is nothing more than a bully. I really wish the Dems would stand up to him more here, but they lack the spine.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Well, she wasn't just embarrassed. She's now been suspended and is probably persona non grata among her colleagues in a career she obviously loves and was good at. Her life has been destroyed by this thug.

She said some pretty stupid stuff.  She's to blame for opening her mouth...

In the way that, in the future, you would be to blame for typing on your keyboard?

[dead0man]

Well, she wasn't just embarrassed. She's now been suspended and is probably persona non grata among her colleagues in a career she obviously loves and was good at. Her life has been destroyed by this thug.

She said some pretty stupid stuff.  She's to blame for opening her mouth...

In the way that, in the future, you would be to blame for typing on your keyboard?

Yes, exactly like that.  If he says something stupid he is responsible for it.  This may be shocking to some people, but words have meanings.  When you say them (or type them) you are responsible for them and must face the consequences to them if you say something that could piss off somebody that holds some level of power over you.  Whether that be your union, your constituents, your friends and loved ones, your boss, etc.  It doesn't matter if you're drunk or if you didn't know they would come back to haunt you.  Individuals are, and should be, responsible for their actions.

[dmmidmi]

Using these tactics to attempt to really destroy those "horrible" teacher's unions--and to put a veteran special education teacher in the middle of it--puts the journalist, his boss, and Gov. Christie on a whole new level of douchebaggery. Seriously. That poor lady loves her job, and it seems that she's good at it. If I were a teacher in New Jersey, I'd be a little worried.

[Brittain33]

Yes, exactly like that.  If he says something stupid he is responsible for it.  This may be shocking to some people, but words have meanings.  When you say them (or type them) you are responsible for them and must face the consequences to them if you say something that could piss off somebody that holds some level of power over you.  Whether that be your union, your constituents, your friends and loved ones, your boss, etc.  It doesn't matter if you're drunk or if you didn't know they would come back to haunt you.  Individuals are, and should be, responsible for their actions.

Society has certain conventions and it's pretty normal for a non-public person to think that if they're meeting someone in a bar and talking with them, they aren't being videotaped for the purpose of helping a governor win a political dispute. There should be a normal presumption of privacy or else lots of our social conventions fall apart. Maybe you can say "there's nothing to be done about it" but I think it's quite wrong to say there's nothing wrong with what this thug did to this woman, who was just an ordinary teacher when he met her, and whose life has been destroyed. It's absolutely revolting.

[dead0man]

Yes, the guy is a douche.  Yes, it is an unethical thing to do.  Yes, it is probably "wrong" (though probably not illegal).  But don't the people that put her on administrative leave (or whatever) share some responsibility(if she said nothing that was wrong)?  Doesn't the person that said the things share some of the responsibility (assuming what she said was "wrong" enough to get fired for)?

I don't really know everything the woman said.  I'm not a big fan of Christie.  I don't really care a bit about this particular issue.  I'm just saying people are responsible for the things they do and say whether they think they are being recorded or not.  And it's awfully hard for me to feel much sympathy for a person that plays the "I feel like I was raped" card when nothing at all like "rape" happened.  If she was being honest when she said whatever she said then let the chips fall where they may.  If she was lying in the hopes of getting laid, screw her.  Fake people suck.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

The real question is why isn't O’Keefe doing hard time in prison?

[Zarn]

Do any of you have any idea what the consequences could be for a teacher who is conservative or libertarian in the state of NJ (even if they are an SS teacher that teaches all sides)? The unions run everything. Intimidation is always key.

The previous event in the 90s has nothing to do with union control.

[Brittain33]

Do any of you have any idea what the consequences could be for a teacher who is conservative or libertarian in the state of NJ (even if they are an SS teacher that teaches all sides)? The unions run everything. Intimidation is always key.

The previous event in the 90s has nothing to do with union control.

I have immediate family members who were conservative teachers in NJ, as long as they paid their dues to the unions as legally required, no one cared. Why should they?

[Zarn]

Do any of you have any idea what the consequences could be for a teacher who is conservative or libertarian in the state of NJ (even if they are an SS teacher that teaches all sides)? The unions run everything. Intimidation is always key.

The previous event in the 90s has nothing to do with union control.

I have immediate family members who were conservative teachers in NJ, as long as they paid their dues to the unions as legally required, no one cared. Why should they?

Because now the Republicans have a governor...

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

Well, she wasn't just embarrassed. She's now been suspended and is probably persona non grata among her colleagues in a career she obviously loves and was good at. Her life has been destroyed by this thug.

She said some pretty stupid stuff.  She's to blame for opening her mouth...

In the way that, in the future, you would be to blame for typing on your keyboard?

Yes.