High school teacher guilty of insulting Christians

The Orange County Register ^ | 5/1/09 | SCOTT MARTINDALE

[OneVike]

A Mission Viejo high school history teacher violated the First Amendment by disparaging Christians during a classroom lecture, a federal judge ruled today.

James Corbett, a 20-year teacher at Capistrano Valley High School, was found guilty of referring to Creationism as “religious, superstitious nonsense” during a 2007 classroom lecture, denigrating his former Advanced Placement European history student, Chad Farnan.

[mkjessup]

'Turn the other cheek'. That gets you nothing.

My Grandfather used to tell my Dad (and by extension, me) that "You only have four cheeks to turn, and once you've turned them all, go kick the other guy's ass"

My fist, your face. The one thing they never expect. That's why they taunt. That's why they win. Loosen a few teeth and ask them again WTF they were trying to say. Someone has to carry the load.

I heartily endorse your approach. Viking2002? I want you backing me up should I find myself in that sort of confrontation.

[trumandogz]

But some classroom teacher will offend a Muslim and a prosecutor will cite this case.

[Blood of Tyrants]

By extension, the disparagement of one religion by a government employee is the same as endorsing another.

[Viking2002]

I got your back, bare knuckles and all.

[fr_freak]

This legitimizes the muslims’ and atheists’ complaints of being offended at every turn. I don’t like trolls like this teaching, but I dislike the precedent more.

I've got bad news for you - the precedent has been set already, long before this case. The Constitution is effectively dead, and is now merely a twisted justification for all of the abuses of government by the Left. Americans must regain control of the country before we can reassert the Constitution as it was intended, so we have to use the means available to us. Right now, that means using the same club that Leftists have been beating us with, because the old club - the literal interpretation of the Constitution - has been shattered into pulp.

[mkjessup]

Thanks FRiend, you know I was studying the picture of that joker, and I could be mistaken but I may have gone to school with him, he’s been referred to as a ‘20 year’ and ‘36 year’ “educator”, and I went to Belt Junior High School in Montgomery County Maryland with a James Corbett, and the Corbett I knew then was a disrespectful smart ass too. LOL

[Aggie Mama]

Most of your response has nothing to do with my post; however, I do agree with what you stated re: multiculturalism.

I live in an incredibly conservative part of Texas, yet even here, the tentacles of liberalism have reached the public schools. My kids came home with stories that made my hair stand on end (blatant global warming indoctrination, etc.) I wasn't willing to sit idly by and be overtaken, even though we have a great group of vocal, active parents.

I am a realist, not an idealist. There are too many hand-wringers on FR that write beautiful prose to lament the demise of the Republic and then do nothing to to turn the tide.

Which brings me back to the issue I took with your original post...

More evidence that if you williingly send your kids to public school, you are not a conservative.

My conservatism is evident in my actions in working to educate young minds to the beauty of this country's history.

[Yo-Yo]

I’m not wrong. Post #12 shows that there is an exception to the First Amendment as it pertains to speech in a classroom setting.

That does not equate to this teacher being found guilty of violating the First Amendmendment.

[Trailerpark Badass]

But some classroom teacher will offend a Muslim and a prosecutor will cite this case.

And no doubt, after some judge-shopping, this ruling will somehow be extended beyond the classroom.

of course the obvious solution is to remove all government employees from all of the "classrooms," but people are far too stupid to embrace that idea.

[Gene Eric]

>> And when a classroom teacher is prosecuted for offending a Muslim, you will welcome his conviction?

Offending or harassing? Would you just sit there and take it? Or would you fight back? You’re a kid stuck in the classroom. Would you have the courage to do anything at all?

“When you put on your Jesus glasses, you can’t see the truth.” - Corbett

[basil]

I’m sorry-—did someone suggest that?

[DAC21]

“The court ruled correctly, but the fact that someone like that is teaching in the first place says something about public education”

He is a dime a dozen.......and why we are on our way to demise.

[nobama08]

The muslims are already advancing their case. The Chritians need to catch up. I think it’s a great ruling. I’m tired of it being okay to bash Christians and our beliefs. I hope there will be more cases like this.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[nobama08]

Teachers already know it isn’t PC to insult muslims. I wouldn’t worry about it.

[bd476]

trumandogz wrote: Bad ruling."

Trumandogz, perhaps you did not read the article, perhaps you are being a contrarian, or perhaps you simply made a knee jerk reaction. Otherwise, your view that this was a bad ruling is not a comment one would expect to hear from a Conservative.

Here is part of the ruling from U.S. District Court Judge James Selna:

"Corbett states an unequivocal belief that Creationism is 'superstitious nonsense'...

...The court cannot discern a legitimate secular purpose in this statement, even when considered in context."

"To entertain an exception for conduct that might be characterized as isolated or de minimis undermines the basic right in issue: to be free of a government that directly expresses disapproval of religion."

Below are a few of the high school teacher's statements spoken to his class referencing one of his high school student's comments, a student who happened to be a Christian.

The statements were made by the taxpayer funded high school teacher in his classroom to all of his high school students, singling out the one Christian student.

"Conservatives don't want women to avoid pregnancies – that's interfering with God's work."

"When you pray for divine intervention, you're hoping that the spaghetti monster will help you get what you want."

"When you put on your Jesus glasses, you can't see the truth."

[SaraJohnson]

This is a flawed strategy. People, institutions and professions that use their classrooms to preach atheism as the state religion only stop when they fear losing big money.

This idiot could care less about the constitutional right to religious freedom; he is a bigot and zealot. He is not alone in the public school profession and school management does nothing about it. Whenever Christians sue for a violatoin of civil rights they should go for making it hurt and making the bigots afraid to mess with them again. That is the only way to stop them.

[Viking2002]

I was born and raised in Western Maryland, and lived in Montgomery Country and NoVA for 15 years. That smug little coward doesn't look familiar to me, but his party-line, lickspittle rants remind me of my Sociology prof in college. Same M.O. He'd start out the first five minutes of class referencing the textbook, then he'd spend the other hour+ going off on some Socialist/humanist/atheist tangent in an abstract, connect-the-dots way that terminated with a subject as far disconnected from the original topic as the moon is to epileptic earthworms. ROTFLMAO He eventually had to leave. He knocked up a coed 25 years his junior. And I knew her. She wasn't the most attractive prize at the carnival. I was a psychology major for two semesters, and I can tell you without the first hesitation: anyone who has tenure in a Humanities department - anywhere - is as crazy as a shithouse rat. We're talking Ward Churchill disturbed. They all need to be rounded up and herded onto reservations for the sake of saving and protecting Western Civilization As We Know It.

[trumandogz]

The problem here is that at some point in the near future a teacher who is Christian will be put on trial for offending a Jew, Muslim or atheist.

And when that is done, a prosecutor will cite this case.

[org.whodat]

It’s hard to say how this story will be abused by the other side.

I bet when you go to visit people you pass gas at the dinner table. Because you sure have rained on a lot of peoples parades here.

LOL