12 Responses to “Morning Links”

1. #1 |  Chris in AL |  November 10th, 2008 at 10:11 am

   I lived in MS for many years, so the Puckett, MS story doesn’t surprise me.

   Unfortunately, I live in Winfield, AL now and the other day my 12 year old’s 7th grade geography teacher said to the class – “If any of you kids ever had it in your mind to kill a president, I’d go kill that Obama.”

   Of course, this is same public school system that taught the students that coal is NOT formed after millions of years and heat and pressure because the Earth is not millions of years old. And stars are not formed from the gravitational collapse of gigantic clouds of gas and dust…God just makes them.

   Luckily my kid is far more learned than any of his teachers and he just comes home and says, “Guess what those ‘tards said today!”

      +2
2. #2 |  Boyd Durkin |  November 10th, 2008 at 10:21 am

   Haliburton just reminded me of a patent I hold on how to patent the process of patenting the process of patent trolling.

      +2
3. #3 |  Radley Balko |  November 10th, 2008 at 10:50 am

   Chris in AL:

   Do you think any of your son’s classmates would confirm what the teacher said about Obama?

   That deserves some press, some public shaming, and in a just world, a firing.

      +5
4. #4 |  zero |  November 10th, 2008 at 10:59 am

   That’s odd… I don’t remember Lou Gherig constantly falling down and clutching his shin…

      +6
5. #5 |  Chris in AL |  November 10th, 2008 at 11:15 am

   Truthfully, finding another kid in the class that actually disagreed with the sentiment would be difficult. Finding one whose parents would let them back this story for the purpose of getting a popular teacher fired would be impossible.

   Besides, I would be risking the virtual certainty of my kid getting physically harmed. I just live here. He has to grow up here. I can’t mess that up over just another redneck, which are a dime a dozen around here.

      +2
6. #6 |  Radley Balko |  November 10th, 2008 at 11:23 am

   Chris –

   Completely understandable.

   But unfortunate that someone like that is teaching.

      +0
7. #7 |  Ganja Blue |  November 10th, 2008 at 12:09 pm

   I like the question “Why is… Marijuana illegal.” So I’m not the only one that has this question. Especially since, speaking of Lou Gerigh’s disease, the symptoms of ALS can be treated with cannabis. Until you’ve watched a love one slowly succumb to the disease and die by choking on their own saliva you’ll never know how horrific ALS can be.

      +1
8. #8 |  Matches |  November 10th, 2008 at 2:59 pm

   I enjoyed the last Google suggestion the best. Yes, I am relieved to know that I am not a golem.

      +0
9. #9 |  Lee |  November 10th, 2008 at 3:51 pm

   But unfortunate that someone like that is teaching.

   Radley, you have to be consistent with your statements. You of all people know that people make false statements for usually nefarious motives, sometimes sheer boredom, sometimes due to craziness. You need to temper your statements with “this should be investigated, if it turns out it’s true based on some empirical evidence, then the teacher should be fired.”

   1 or more people claiming someone said something doesn’t make it true, and to call for that person’s firing based solely on hearsay is dangerous.The teacher saying “kill Obama” is what someone claims someone said. Even if you have 10 someones say that teacher said it, that doesn’t make it true.

      +0
10. #10 |  John Jenkins |  November 10th, 2008 at 3:56 pm

    Zero wins the thread.

       +0
11. #11 |  Mike Healy |  November 10th, 2008 at 4:01 pm

    Anyone that thinks wimmin don’t fart hasn’t met my wife.

    And why *does* Flavor Flav wear a clock?

       +0
12. #12 |  Rationalitate |  November 10th, 2008 at 10:37 pm

    @Lee:

    I believe that’s why he asked if there was anyone else in the class to corroborate it.

    @Radley:

    Thanks a lot for the link – my blog got more traffic today than it does in most months!

       +0

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