from the new west blog: citizen rights
Protecting Teachers Who Protect Free Speech
"Teachers losing their jobs for refusing to censor their students' news reporting is a real and pervasive problem, and it is going on all too commonly in America's schools.”
By Jill Kuraitis, 10-13-08
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California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a law last week which will protect journalism teachers against retaliation when they defend their students’ rights to free speech.
“While this law makes the workplace safer for teachers, the real beneficiaries are California’s students, who no longer must fear that honest reporting on school events will get their favorite teacher fired,” Student Press Law Center Executive Director Frank D. LoMonte said in a press release. “Governor Schwarzenegger and the California legislature should be commended for sending a message to school officials—in California and across the nation—that teachers are not to be used as pawns to intimidate kids into avoiding legitimate topics of discussion.”
No longer will public school or college instructors face possible firing, suspension, discipline, reassignment, transfer or other forms of retaliation when they defend a student’s right to report the news as freely as any reporter under the First Amendment.
“Teachers losing their jobs for refusing to censor their students’ news reporting is a real and pervasive problem, and it is going on all too commonly in America’s schools,” LoMonte said.
The bill was sponsored by state Sen. Leland Yee, who told of a school newspaper adviser fired from that post for refusing to kill an editorial criticizing random searches on campus. Yee said the teacher also lost his job as basketball coach and announcer for the football games. In Southern California’s conservative Orange County, a principal admitted that a newspaper advisor was reassigned because of student editorials.
Yee released this statement: “Allowing a school administration to censor in any way is contrary to the democratic process and the ability of a student newspaper to serve as the watchdog and bring sunshine to the actions of school administrators.”
20th century Sen. William E. Borah, “the lion of Idaho” famously said, “If the press is not free, if speech is not independent and untrammeled, if the mind is shackled or made impotent through fear, it makes no difference under what form of government you live, you are a subject and not a citizen.”
President-elect Barack Obama delivered a speech today, January 8, 2009. Obama discussed the current economic crisis and urged Congress to act quickly in passing a stimulus bill, warning that the recession could become
(Video + Transcript)
Infrastructure? What is he thinking? The US has some of the best infrastructure in the world. Anyone who has traveled can see that. Only Europe has better... and not ALL of Europe. Not only that, but there are 250,000 people out of work on Wall Street, and Obama is going to hand them all a shovel? ...NONSENS !
A prank targeting Google has resulted in a 9/11 related symbol query of ? ¦¦ become on of today’s largest search terms.
The symbols, showing a plane flying into the World Trade Center have been searched for tens of thousands of times or more, placing the search term for several hours in the top 10 searched for terms in the United States.
At the time of writing it ranked at 13. Who is running the prank is unclear at this time, although we have a few ideas where it might be coming from.
Open
classic option for Google :)
Madonna’s crotch area gets its share of the spotlight, and it probably catches our attention way too much. Kind of like… now: these mesmerizing leaked outtakes from Madonna’s Hard Candy shoot, which involved fishnets, what are probably thongs, lace-up boots, and what D-Listed lovingly refers to as “granny nip.” Be sure to stare at the lumps hanging over the itty-bitty thong strings. It’s very omg.
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:) Good on her, I think all the bashing that goes on about her is sexist and ageist, and I hope she continues to do whatever she wants to, despite her age.
Ustream.tv has launched their first iPhone application right in time for the Obama Inauguration.
The Ustream iPhone Viewing Application is WiFi only at this stage, allegedly “to ensure the highest quality broadcast,” and gives full access to Ustream.tv shows...
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it is a good app for iphone, but the app will not work on my first generation iPod touch. If it’s wi-fi only:(