FL Teacher: CHANGE = Come Help A Ni**er Get Elected
By Logan Murphy Friday Oct 03, 2008 6:00pm
A Marianna middle-school teacher has been suspended for 10 days without pay after he wrote a racially charged interpretation of a commonly used phrase in the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama.
While some parents and community activists were outraged by the actions of Greg Howard, Jackson County NAACP officials want to gather more facts before the group considers taking action. But some parents feel Howard should be fired.
Larry Moore, deputy superintendent for the Jackson County School District, said school officials determined Howard wrote an acronym with an explanation on a dry-erase board in his class Sept. 26 at Marianna Middle School.
It said, "C.H.A.N.G.E. — Come Help A (N-word) Get Elected." Read on...
While some parents and community activists were outraged by the actions of Greg Howard, Jackson County NAACP officials want to gather more facts before the group considers taking action. But some parents feel Howard should be fired.The article goes on to say that there were six black students in this idiot's class. If Howard truly did this, he should be fired and had better lawyer up. If the Jackson Co. School District hasn't lawyered up yet, they had better do so as well.
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I just had a douchegasm.
I've always thought that racism and anti-intellectualism are fundamental to the electoral process. With this guy we get a twofer.
There will be more of this stuff as Obama increases his lead.
your link doesn't work
A thorough investigation must be done to ascertain all the facts and if it is proven true that he did this he should be fired without pay or benefits and he should be blacklisted from ever teaching anywhere again. Period.
Next?
Just when I thought it couldn't get any uglier! I bet he is preaching those good old family values at home as well!
This is an outrage! He should be fired immediately and never be allowed near a school again. If this isn't abuse of civil rights I don't know what is. This man is sick.
not surprising to see...
This is just another example of the racism that we've allegedly 'transcended' in this country. Remember with Obama's candidacy came all the lofty rhetoric about him being a "post-racial" Black candidate? (Saying he's a Black candidate in and of itself contradicts the post-racial crap but that's beside the point.)
This country is STILL polarized and still plagued with bigotry and racism (racism being the result of collective bigotry that dehumanizes another ethnicity & impedes their social, economic & political empowerment). This guy's attitudes have been passed on to his children and the kids in his classroom. Some will reject it but others will embrace it right away and the viciousness will continue.
Imagine being a kid of African descent in that classroom when that was written up on the board. Think about that for a moment. A person in a position of ultimate authority in your life during those long hours at school, day after day, has just let you know in no uncertain terms that even a Harvard educated man (magna cum laude, no less), a constitutional scholar and a presidential nominee of the Democratic party is nothing more than a *racial epithet*.
Think of being a young kid and how desperately you wanted and needed to fit in, to not be someone who is pointed at or considered an aberration from what is considered the norm. Now you've learned that even in 2008, no matter how much education you have or how successful you are in your career, there are people like THAT (in positions of trusted authority) who will see your skin color and reduce you & your achievements down to one single, derogatory word.
If the left doesn't get it together and recognize that there is much to do regarding this issue (on the left side of the political spectrum as well as the right), then no one should act indignant or surprised that these things continue to happen or conclude that they are a rarity.
Yes, we have transcended racism to the point that polls indicate only 6% of the population are not voting for Obama solely because he is multi-racial. If Obama had those 6%, this election would be over. Instead, we're still biting our nails, hoping that there are no McBush years.
As a white man, I want to believe that I am not racist or sexist. I try not to be. But I was raised in a racist, sexist society and those characteristics had to have some impact on me. I only hope my daughters are less racist and sexist and their kids will be less so.
On the other hand, I don't think it is sexist to see Sarah Palin as totally unqualified for the office she is seeking.
neither is it racist for mccain to talk about who obama "hangs out with" but you don't see any the media clinging to the bad things about obama no only mccain as you monkeys listen to the news and not have a mind of your own and think for yourself, a usual idiot of course, so do the country a favor and think for yourself don't listen to the news watch the full speeches not the ones you see on the tv
Ayres, it has already been checked out by numerous media sources that Obama's relationship with him was completely unrelated to the bombings, and the fact that Ayres walks free also says something. His relationship with Rezko was seedy, but no more so than McCain's with Keating, so if you're going to play that game, Anonymous, lets be fair. Or no more so than Palin's with a church that eagerly awaits the Apocalypse and would like nothing more than to see all-out war in the Middle East. Just to think that this woman's finger may be on the button someday...
I'm really sick of people talking as if McCain is surely going to die before finishing his term and what his vp may or may not due. Most are afraid to say it but Obama has a greater chance of having a unfinshed term and then we got the same ol same ol Biden whose been there 30 years without accomplishing anything.
Grow up you damn idiot. Leave the freaking country
The fact that he is still working pisses me off. These right-wingers are getting desparate. You can smell the fear.
I suppose he could argue that it was being used in a positive context. . . like if a black guy was saying it to a black guy.
Unfortunately for him, that would still be really inappropriate.
Story's been dropped from Tallahassee.com website (??)
Unbelievable. His teaching days are over and getting a job at McD's is not guaranteed
2008, 2008, 2008, 2008...how many times can I say 2008. We ARE NOT living in the 50's and 60's! This is 2008. Racism has no place in our society. FUCKING NONE! Sorry for the language, but it pisses me off to read crap like this. Why are people so hateful over the color of a persons skin. I can understand it to a point from an 80 year old man(because of societies views when s/he was younger) but this guy? I grew up in Bayonne NJ. Racism was part of life. We fought with blacks, they fought with us. But I grew up and realized that skin color does not make the man. The fact that this man is teaching our children makes it even worse. What he thinks of blacks, triple that and that's his standings in this society. disgusting. This piece of crap has no place in working with children. Don't suspend him, fire him!
Take a look at the lead story on CNN.com;
Palin says Obama pals with 'terrorists'
I guess nothing is off limits to a desperate campaign?
Wouldn't be surprised if the guy in Florida has some formal connections to the Mcsame campaign? Not saying he does.............but questions remain???
Is that how you do it?????
McSame doesn't need to officially affiliate with people like this. They will say what they say for free. I am a teacher in Utah, and I have known a few of my colleague who--unfortunately--would not be above something like this. Our insanely right-wing representative from northern Utah, Rob Bishop, used to be a teacher. He makes Orrin Hatch look like Barney Frank.
NEW RULE!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j54Ae_bSz9w
Rene ala Carte @ 2:
Yep. More violence too. Expect a redneck revolt if Obama wins, only this time if the south wants to secede, I suggest you let them go. See how long their little redneck, theocratic plutocracy lasts. I guarantee they'll be a third world nation by the end of year one.
Is there an acronym for Some Teachers Chose Education Because It Looks Easy?
Anyone who has ever taught has met guys like this in their schools. He's a show-off and probably has attitude written all over him.
What a Moran! They should nukularize him for teaching his librul biases, doggonit.
If you remember the opening of Die Hard With a Vengeance (i.e. John McCalin in Harlem), THAT is what we need to do with this guy.
Marianna, in Jackson County. Way north Florida, near the Georgia line. Whites have trouble saying the N-word, and there are some up there who believe that Bush is about one step removed from The Blessed Risen Lawd Jeezus.
Doesn't surprise me a microscopic bit, and wouldn't surprise me if this proves to not be the first time he's done this.
Weird...
This piece of shit doesn't look like redneck racist at all. When I think of school teachers, this how I picture them, not someone like Jill Biden.
Damn.
Excuse me, "Whites have NO trouble ,,,"
Oh Billy @ 12:
Man you need to wake-up and smell the coffee. This crap is passed down father to son like a junk pick-up
So many christian repugs that I know refer to Obama as the n-word it is even close to acceptable but one thing I have done is weed out my christmas card list cause this election has caused me to not speak to a lot of people I should have stopped talking to a long time ago
him!
Human gargbage.
*
I live in Florida. People like this are a dime a dozen. I moved here 5 years a go and since then I have met more openly racists then I have in my entire tire life before. I was gigging the other day and a some hick wearing a white pride parade tee-shirt came strolling though like he owned the place. Freaks me out. I brought up the election to someone and they said, "I'm not voting for no ______". Florida is weird man. I wish we could revoke his right to vote. If you don't believe in the constitution do you have a right to vote?
Someone should start a collection.
Good
Riddance!
Extremist
Geek
Help
Obtain
Witless
Ass
Retard’s
Dismissal
JHR @ 13:
It's called desperation.
I've heard this halfassed attempt at a joke from others. its disgusting.
I hope the entire school board gets sued for this. despicable!
I've said it before, I'll say it again.
Republican = Racist
I've yet to see any evidence to the contrary.
BTW, Marianna, FL? Shit-hole redneck community of trailer-parks in the middle of the panhandle. It's like Alabama, but worse.
16 CujoInNC Says: What a Moran! They should nukularize him for teaching his librul biases, doggonit.
______________________________________________________________________________
That's offensive, think of all the Irish who might have Morans in their family background.
But seriously, he needs to be fired.
If it were an e-mail, or a website he wrote this on, even on a school computer, I might give him a break, but not teaching in a classroom.
What would really confuse this issue is if he assigned the class to read the classic book Huckleberry Finn.
If true, he should be fired immediately, but if he IS terminated, why should the school district "lawyer up"?
Depending on the circumstances (i.e. if there are legal considerations with the teachers union for firing him or something), the school should lawyer up because of how they handled this by not immediately firing him. Schools have a "zero tolerance" policy if your kid brings a dull pocket knife on the grounds or kisses his/her Kindergarten classmate. They have no problem expelling kids for ridiculous "infractions" of their policies. Teachers should certainly be held to at least as high a standard for teaching hate. Maybe the ten day suspension was to give them time to figure out their options, but the other punishments (writing apology letters, etc.) sure sound like the school board is treating this with a simple slap on the wrist.
24 Stash
Some take offense at the term retard.
Believe it or not, when I started school I was put in the retarded class, probably because the tests bored me, and/or I didn't understand their significance, and probably wanted to be home watching Slam-Bang theater with our host Icky Twirp.
This is tantamount to child abuse. I am sure there were African American children present.
How there can be any discussion on whether this man should retain a teaching job is beyond me. OH, I forgot, we're talking about Florida.
Oh Billy @ 25:
I read that story. Desperate is right. Also on the same page I read Fannie Mae is giving the house to Mrs Polk, 90 years old, who shot herself and is in critical condition when she was being evicted. If you haven't read about her, Dennis Kucinich mentioned her in his floor speech against the bailout to Wall Street.
Pete @ 21:
Not always. My father and brother were racist. I am not. It took my brother to work outside of our small town and work with blacks to realize that skin color does not make the man. Dad's gone but never changed. My father tried to pass on his racism but it didn't work. I share many traits with my father, such as his stubbornness, but his racist Italian views isn't one of them.
Of course it was years later as an adult they discovered I'm almost entirely right-brained, thus changing the way I process thoughts.
It was explained to me that while others were playing checkers, I was playing triple-boarded chess.
30 ysbaddaden
Sorry. I know better.
I have a disagreement with C & L and many others concerning the word nigger. It is an appalling term but should be shown in its entirety. Sure, we all know what "N-word" or "Ni**er" stands for but trying to dillute it softens the hatred behind it. I hope I do not offend anyone by my opinion and I welcome anyone's feedback on what I have written. Bigots like the one in this story need to be exposed without watering down his message. My opinion is very similar to a routine done by the late/great George Carlin. People get tricked into believing that the softening of language is a remedy.
Jo @ 32:
I read about it. It's just sad that it took a 90 year old woman willing to kill herself to forgive her mortgage. IF this wasn't in the major news they would have said to hell with her.
How is he not fired?
I'm not in US and A so I don't understand....
Here's another Acronym:
G-Douchebag.
R-Douchebag.
E-Douchebag.
G-Douchebag.
H-Douchebag.
O-Douchebag.
W-Douchebag.
A-Douchebag.
R-Douchebag.
D-Douchebag.
Does that make my point clear enuff for right wingnuts and Jackoffson Trustees?
Knowing that I spend a lot of time on the internet reading blogs and that I am an Obama supporter, my neighbor walked over to my place last week to tell me this meaning of Change in the Obama campaign. I have resisted sharing this with anyone until now so as not to contribute to the idiocy. But now that this has happened let me share with you my response to him. I replied, "So that's why the McCain Campaign stole the Change meme for their campaign, they know who the best person for the job is."
Hey, Sarah Palin, is this guy a Joe Six-Pack too?
This is simply tragic. Hearing that it was written on a chalkboard where there were African-American students present is doubly tragic. And completely, thoroughly moronic.
I agree...fire his a@@.
Racist+Moron=Fired
This is why I disagree with those who say that the right or conservatism is dead in this country. As long as there are idiots like this around the right will always survive. This guy is the right's base. And this guy is a teacher, sheesh.
I think it sounds better this way:
Good
Riddance!
Extremist
Geek
Help
Obtain
Witless
Ass
Reprobate's
Dismissal
Hope I don't offend any reprobates. ;)
Come Help A Ni**er Get Elected...
It seems an imbecilic bigot has helped to do just that. That you, you f**king moron. Oh, and BTW Obama is polyracial, like a lot of us. Learn to deal with it.
Oh Billy @ 36:
There are going to be a lot of Mrs. Polks whose story never makes it to the newspapers. They will be the forgotten ones. When Obama is President I sure hope he can do something to help people stay in their homes. He's going to have his hands full.
*Fire* the right wing conservative Log Cabin self hating homo man-bitch!
You should not asterisk out "nigger".
"If President Kennedy got on television and said, 'Tonight I'd like to introduce the niggers in my cabinet,' and he yelled 'niggerniggerniggerniggernigger' at every nigger he saw... till nigger didn't mean anything any more... you'd never make any four-year-old nigger cry when he came home from school." - Lenny Bruce
Let's make nigger a worthless word. I hope I don't get censored for posting this.
I'm a kike. I should know.
Although you may have good intentions, you've crossed a line into ridiculousness.
1. Lenny Bruce may have been a brilliant comedian ahead of his time, but he wasn't a sociologist or psychologist with any real insight into the issue of how THAT word affects people or its history.
2. If you choose to describe yourself with a negative word like that, good luck. But you cannot insist that others take the route you've chosen as though you know what is best, because you don't.
3. Did you ever wonder WHY no other racial epithet has been embraced by the group towards which it was hurled (like the one you've chosen for yourself) and repeated ad nauseam in an effort to "disempower" its effect? Did you ever wonder why women don't simply embrace the "c" word and take away it's power to objectify them?
4. There is no need to travel BACK IN TIME to find the right attitude to deal with the usage of the word. It was ALREADY acceptable during the 18th & 19th centuries. It was just a fact of life for my forebearers that THAT was what you were going to be called and they blithely referred to others like them with the same term.
5. Since traveling back in time to find an enlightened stance against racial epithets is ruled out... how about we all just grow the hell up!
Clearly the word is controversial and not even the targeted ethnicity agrees with its usage as slang or a 'term of endearment' (it makes me sick to even have to type that). So, recognize that there are stark & highly- emotional differences of opinion about it and steer clear of it.
Some may call it PC, but we grown ups call it being considerate!!
This is local ish to me.
I've had to stop reading the paper online because they are comments after the end of very article. Which is normally not a problem, except for all the racist crap in the comments. It's bad enough reading the responses to the Letters to the Editor and the one guy who refers to Obama as B. Hussein Obama in every comment.
As for people in the comments call this guy a racist redneck, well I'm not sure if he's a redneck. As for people saying he doesn't look racist -- well, there's no big sign. There are plenty of people who are well educated and "normal" looking and racist,.
Great education these parents are paying for!
Hall Monitor
DetentionSlip.org
Mike @ 29:
The district probably has an attorney - most do in this litigous world. I'm sure the suggestion that the district lawyer up is in anticipation of the moron using the usual, "it was taken out of context."
The district and state may need to use lawyers to dot the i's and cross the t's when he is terminated and his certification revoked. There's no sense in giving him the chance for a big lawsuit because his rights were violated.
Goyische kup.
P.D. @ 8:
And it smells like... victory :D
Charlie @ 11:
I guess talk radio is his only option, then.
unrepentanat expat @ 42:
I can't remember a time in my entire life when people of all skin shades haven't helped to color my world-- with love, I mean.
This bastard needs to know what it feels like to have no colors in his life.
Nothing.
here's a link to the story. the one in the post brings you to a page "story not found" (or something to that effect.)
http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008810030329
Yikes! It's Rush Limbaugh in larval form!
Yup, the sentiment is rampant in N Florida, just as the article implies.
As great a problem as racism though is the lack of any good school teaches here. The school districts don’t have the money to pay anybody, so they’ll take in anybody that shows up to class, including this clown. If you wish to rail against racism – great! – But don’t forget that these people are in front of rooms full of middle-school students and shouldn’t be. Throw in some outrage for “No Student Left” for good measure.
This started out as a text message foward... But it was funny because it was being sent amongst people my age demo... not to mention my same race (black)... But for a middle aged white guy to actually BEGIN to think this would be acceptable is completely fucking idiotic.
46 hall monitor Says: Great education these parents are paying for!
Hall Monitor
_________________________________________________________
For a second there I thought you said Heil Monitor.
Time to get my trifocals checked.
I live in Tallahassee. When this story came out a few days ago, you should have seen all of this racist idiot's fellow racist idiots defending him on tallahassee.com. They were all whining about free speech and political correctness, yada yada yada. Sickening.
I've lived in Kentucky and Texas, but the Florida panhandle is by far the most backward and redneck of all three of those places.
You're angered by this bigot? Wait until you read blog-posts from other bigots who invoke "free speech" as a defence for this disgusting low-like. They have only begun the attack. They never die, they only hide and lurk and wait. They are the ones who designed and operated extermination camps during WWII.
Another link to story by Detroid Free Press:
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081004/NEWS07/81004035...
41 Stash
Is there any such thing as a reprobate court?
Good thing you didn't say reprostate, most of us guys wouldn't be able to sit comfortably then.
JHR @ 13:
Todd Palin was, until a few years back, a member of the secessionist extreme-right Alaska Independence Party. Considering that left-wing terrorism is virtually non-existant in the U.S., while right-wing terrorism continues to be a threat (McVeigh, Rudolph, Kopp), Sarah Palin should be careful of what she says. The AIP are a group of federal government hating crazies who were founded and run for years by a guy named Joe Vogler. Vogler was murdered 15 years ago in an arms deal gone bad involving his attempted sale of plastic explosives to another loony. His body was buried in Canada, because he refused to be buried on land which flew the American flag
Barrack Obama may know former terrorist Bill Ayers, but it's not like he's MARRIED to him or something.
ohmywattashock
I say strip him of his credentials and bar him from working with children anywhere, ever again.
I looked this up last night. This is the school spokesperson. Send emails here:
laurie.hamilton@jcsb.org
Web page
http://do3.jcsb.org/schools/MMS/index.htm
lissen up, everybody, for McCain/Palin to denounce this shit.
c'mon, lissen up.
c'mon, everybody, lissen up. I'm sure he'll say something any minute now.
John?
John??
hm.
guess not.
i got an idea: why don't we start a movement for Florida to secede?
Even leaving out the obvious inflammatory racial aspect, this is a man who is not qualified to be a teacher. Because he wrote Come Help A Ni**er Get Elected (although I rather doubt he used any asterisks in that little ditty)?
No. Sorry, that's not why.
He should be fired because he was stupid enough to write Come Help A Ni**er Get Elected on a whiteboard. What the hell was he thinking? Did he chortle up his sleeve, silly enough to think he'd get away with it? STUPID!
We don't need stupid teachers. They have nothing of any value to teach our kids. Racist teachers are an unfortunate fact of life. Smart ones keep their prejudices to themselves, not much we can do about that.
But for godsake, let's at least get rid of the stupid ones, please.
The teacher should be FIRED! There is no excuse for it and should he be reinstated it sends the wrong message. So much of the time it feels like 2 steps forward and one-and-a-half steps back. It's amazing the hatred and ignorance that is still prevalent in many places.
he's a maverick!
A 10 day suspension? That's it? His actions are almost as bad as if he had screwed a 16 year old female student.
The only suspension that guy...I'm not going to say it to avoid being censured.
Im waiting for BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT.... time for this fool to-->
MEET THE PARENTS
Should be an interesting discussion
Here in Colorado we have a close Senate race between Bob Schaffer (R) and Mark Udall (D). Bob Schaffer's son had on his Facebook page a ton of racist material and images defending the act of slavery. You can view a saved copy of the page here: www.schafferfamilyvalues.com
Please send the link around. The Colorado Senate seat is a close race and Mark Udall can win it, giving us 1 more seat in the Senate. Bob Schaffer is nothing but a disgusting racist neocon and he teaches those values to his kids. He is representative of what the Republican party has become.
http://www.schafferfamilyvalues.com/ Racist Facebook page of the son of Bob Schaffer who wants to win a seat in the US Senate from Colorado this November.
Thanks, I just emailed the principal and insisted this man must be fired otherwise the school would always be considered to harbor and teach racism.
gayle.westbrook@jcsb.org
http://do3.jcsb.org/schools/MMS/faculty_staff...
I think it will show more maturity and careful thought if people will wait to see what an investigation discloses about why the teacher wrote what he did on his classroom blackboard. I can think of many valid reasons for such a statement to be shown to students that do not brand the instructor as a racist. It is not sufficient to convict the man of racism to simply show that he wrote the remark. Beyond that, racism is not a crime in the United States, it is common practice. The teacher must be shown to have taken some racially motivated action that harms a student before he can be disciplined.
First imagine what it says about our society that this person felt his action was in any way acceptable by the rest of us. If half the country thinks McCain/Palin are acceptable after 8 years of Bush/Cheney, we're obviously close to tanking as a society now - it obviously won't take much to push us comepletely over the edge.
Now imagine what this country will become if McCain/Palin gets elected...
Someone should break this racist's jaw. I volunteer my myself.
(I couldn't read the article, and didn't read every post....but....)
Is it possible this teacher was showing his class how low this election has gotten?
A colleague of mine, who is black, received this as a text message on his phone from a anonymous source. This teacher didn't create this "joke". Maybe he was just letting his students know that the climate out there is getting nasty? Had anyone considered that?
Where the hell are ADL and SPLC? Crap, I always forget: they're job is to foment, create, and continue this type of thing, not stop it.
Our great friends.
Sad, very sad. Unfortunately, he's a school teacher who has influence over young people. Shameful. And he's not the only one who has his head stuck up his ass. People like him who complains about black people and now here's a good american who is HALF WHITE and inspiring young people in all colors to exercise their rights as americans and pay attention to our world and politics, he cannot see the good of Obama and has to inject his own ugliness into it. I wonder how much benefit he has gotten from that WHITE guy in the White House for the past eight years.
All the folks who are prejudice against people of different colors, I wonder how many of them have actually been hurt by them. If anything, it's the other way around. Ignorance, that is what holding our country back.
This happened in God Country? I am SHOCKED!
Every news outlet on the planet is basicaly retelling this joke. I never heard it, and never would have heard it, if The Orlando Sentinel hadn't plastered it all over the front page.
The indignation would b