Thanks to Talk Left, I read about THIS latest episode of stupidity and intolerance:
LAKEWOOD — A seventh-grade geography teacher at Carmody Middle School was suspended with pay today when he refused to take down three foreign flags on display in his classroom.
Eric Hamlin said the flags of China, Mexico and the United Nations were relevant to the unit on the fundamentals of geography he teaches during the first six weeks of the semester. He’s used the same display for most of the nine years he’s taught in Jefferson County, Hamlin said.
The foreign flags are in addition to the standard U.S. flag found in all classrooms.
Hamlin said principal John Schalk escorted him from the building Thursday before classes began. He was handed a letter saying the matter is under investigation and warning him to remain off school property.
Jeffco Public Schools spokeswoman Lynn Setzer said Schalk believed Hamlin was in violation of a state law on display of foreign flags on public property.
Schalk interprets the law as allowing foreign flags as part of a specific lesson, but not for the duration of the six-week unit.
Hamlin has more than 50 flags that he uses during the course of the year. He asks students to consider the symbolism different countries put on their flags, such as the stars and stripes on the U.S. flag.
Pretty threatening line-up there. Can you feel your American soul being sucked out and destroyed just gazing upon them? We might as well just wall ourselves off, if the world is this threatening to us. Sure hope the children have learned their lesson … the world is scary, and it’s better if you know nothing about it.
Unfrickenbelievable.
In a follow up interview in the Rocky Mountain News, Mr. Hamlin says:
“Since flags are symbols of a nation and the people who live in that nation, if a flag of a foreign nation in a geography class can’t be displayed, and only the U.S. flag can be displayed, we’re sending the message that America is number one, everything else is below that,” Hamlin said.
Well, exactly sir, don’t you GET it? We’re the best, number one, and they all hate us for our freedom, and because our flag is cooler. The principle hides behind some mealy-mouthed procedural point:
Setzer said Schalk believed Hamlin was in violation of a state law barring display of foreign flags on public property.
Schalk interprets the law as allowing display of foreign flags as part of a specific lesson, but not for the duration of a six-week unit, Setzer said.
Superintendent Cindy Stevenson said Hamlin could have removed the flags, then appealed the principal’s decision to higher administrators. By refusing to remove the flags, Hamlin was insubordinate, Stevenson said.
“He defied a direct, reasonable request from a principal. That’s what’s at issue here,” Stevenson said.
Direct, maybe, but I don’t think “reasonable” is a word that applies to that request. It turns out that he gave in and took down the flags the morning they escorted him out, but the principle apparently needed to demonstrate his authoratay to drive the point home. As for the idiotic jingoistic law this thing was based on:
The 2002 law bars the display of foreign flags on state buildings. Among the exceptions are foreign flags used as “part of a temporary display of any instructional or historical materials not permanently affixed or attached to any part of the buildings or grounds . . ..”
Mark Silverstein, the legal director of the Colorado chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said that exception would appear to cover Hamlin’s display.
Hamlin said he’s begun drafting a written request for ACLU representation.
“We’ll read the letter and decide what action, if any, to take,” Silverstein said.
Hamlin has more than 50 flags that he uses during the course of the year.
No wonder there are so many idiotic fundie churches in Lakewood, CO … the soil there seems ripe with bullshit, enabling stupidity to grow and flourish.
but, I can NOT believe this one!
Without a doubt, the article that you linked to is the most asinine thing that I have ever read. A display of the flags of different countries is basic geography! Wouldn’t suprise me in the least if someone, somewhere gets the idea of displaying the Diebold corporate logo in classrooms.
WTF????
The world is flat.
Nothing to see over there on the other side. Move along, move along.
Blech. Just blech. We’re living in an age where learning about other cultures and traditions is anathema, speaking more than American English is considered traitorous and buses are being sectioned off again (hat tip to Arcturus for the linkage).
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – the political class has poisoned the well. It is going to be a long time before all the toxins are exorcised.
I frankly think we’re headed toward civil unrest and violent campaigns pursued by racists on the right. The Republicans seem to be actively encouraging it.
I think your right about how it is being encouraged. But, the thing is, the economy has tanked and there are too many pissed off people who will feel that they have nothing to lose. It’s going to be ugly.
More ammo that these people truly embrace ignorance.
I suppose it’s no coincidence that such a high number of American children are geographically illiterate. Pretty soon those big maps of the world will be banned because they show countries outside of the US.
reminds me of one of my favorite films “Pleasantville”.
More red madness. But is the UN flag that of a foreign country? The international headquarters do stand about 40 or so miles south of casa boran. Last time I checked, that spot was US soil.
are you kidding? Jew York is as foreign as it gets …
until they want to use us to fan the patriotic flames of occupation… we went from Sodom to the ‘ground zero’ of freedom overnight.
As long as our government – and, frankly, a lot of progressives – write off whole areas of the country; as long as entire cultural groups are written off, we are going to see more of this kind of thing.
The Colorado lege is becoming like the Texas legislature, in which there is minute by minute micromanagement of what must and must not be taught in schools.
In this case, however, the idiocy is on the part of the principal. Having taught school, I can’t help thinking that the reaction to the flag display had a lot to do with the fact that the principal was brand new, and had no prior experience as a principal. First year as an administrator, some really come on like little dictators.
This is one of those stories you just don’t know whether to laugh or cry about—I know just looking at the flags here has made me want to go out and migrate to China or Mexico-damn my eyes anyway for looking at those unAmerican flags. Is there a 12 step program for the pervasive and pernicious influence of flags of other countries..and by the way how dare other countries even have flags, after all the only good flag is the good old freedom loving french fry hating american flag. No other flags need apply.
Geography?…We don’t need no stinkin geography!
be really careful … I hear prolonged exposure makes you crave baby flesh.
especially those freakish huge American flags that some people now have in their front yards……kinda like the quarter pounder of flags. Does wearing garlic around the neck protect you against these monster flags?
Monster flags= the last refuge of a scoundrel. Or bush having to have half dozen flags behind him at press conferences to make sure we get how patriotic he is…cuz one just ain’t good enough. And I guess that explains also bush’s craving for baby flesh from war, war and more war which kills civilians-many children and babies.