California Antifa Teacher caught by promoting political agenda

[SomeRandom]

I think Western historians, philosophers, thinkers, authors, and film producers have had an ongoing fascination with Hitler, and he's viewed by many (if not most) as the most evil person to have ever walked the face of the Earth. Some people have tried to find out what made him tick, but it's equally mystifying to examine the question of why so many people followed him to begin with.

I remember seeing films of Hitler ranting in German to roaring crowds of people cheering and waving Nazi flags, with the central idea that it was through the power of his oratory and some kind of charisma which mesmerized and almost hypnotized the German people into supporting him. To be sure, they were in a pretty bad situation at the time. They were still reeling from their loss in WW1, the economy was in a shambles, and the Soviet Union was being seen as a growing threat to the east. Considering how bonkers many Americans have gotten over communism, I can see how similar fears can be manifested in other countries, particularly those closer to the Evil Empire than ours.

I used to regard comparisons with certain leaders and Hitler as hyperbole. I think that’s because Hitler is treated as unconsciously evil in education (rightfully so, of course.) But once you really get into the nuances of WWII you start to realise that Hitler could easily happen again if you don’t learn from his rise in power properly.
Like The Trump campaign. On the surface his rise to power being similar to Hitler seems unreasonable and hyperbolic.
But then I re-examined Hitler’s rise to power and found stark similarities. Not that they’re the same just the same tactics and even similar rhetoric. An eye opener to be sure

 

[Kenny]

So, can I sue people who told me or various family members we were going to hell, as a child? I wouldn't mind, if you think I have a case, that is.

Was that in school? When they were suppose to be teaching you reading, writing and arithmetic?

 

[Kenny]

Heh, clearly you never met any of my teachers.

for the one year I had ins Spain, we feared the cane that could come on our heads.

 

[Kenny]

What would they prosecute him with?

Child endangerment by sending them for "extra credit" to rallies where Antifa brings violence? Would you be OK if the teacher did that to your child?

 

[Subduction Zone]

I don't know that this teacher has broken any laws, although whether he has violated district policy and grounds for termination, that would be up to the school district itself. I think he should still get some due process, though. He obviously has very strong, definite opinions, but that doesn't mean he's a bad teacher or that he would be unfair to any students who disagreed with him.

I think the whole message of the video was to create an impression in the eyes of viewers who are already predisposed towards thinking in right-wing terms. Their message was something like this: "Look, see? A high school teacher who's a member of antifa. He has a picture of Mao in his classroom and wears a commie t-shirt. And the school district has tolerated this, so they must be a bunch of dirty commies, too."

I don't like the video either, since there doesn't appear to be any visible evidence of wrongdoing, unless some rule violation involving the poster of Chairman Mao or the antifa flag in the classroom. I wouldn't know about that, but I've noticed a general narrative and trend of events which would indicate a full-scale attack on public education. People are going after schools left and right, whether it's over masks, vaccinations, CRT, evolution, or left-leaning teachers like this one.

Yes, the video itself is not enough to terminate him. But it did justify an investigation. I hope that he was not fired based solely on the video because that is not apt to hold up. In fact if they did only use the video then he may not be the bad teacher that the video tries to portray him as.

 

[SomeRandom]

for the one year I had ins Spain, we feared the cane that could come on our heads.

Oh my!!

 

[Watchmen]

Yeah right, Project Veritas has a long history of fake made up "news". Their motto is "there's a sucker born every minute"!

Wait. Are you suggesting the whole thing is made up? There was no such teacher. The video is fake. And Natomas Unified School District didn’t really have a board meeting and decide to fire the teacher, and the major networks are just repeating a fake story?

Is that what you believe?

 

[Stevicus]

Child endangerment by sending them for "extra credit" to rallies where Antifa brings violence? Would you be OK if the teacher did that to your child?

I think it would depend on the circumstances. I think he would want his students to go in with eyes open, warn them what might happen, what to do if it does, how to stay out of trouble. We're talking about high school age teenagers not small children.

Even without this teacher's guidance, many teens might be inclined to go out and protest on their own. Even a parent of such a teen might at least want them to be prepared and understand what they might be getting into.

In the video, he said the "extra credit" was if they wrote a report on their observations and impressions of the protest. It wasn't required that anyone become Antifa or that they join them in the protest. They could be just be observing from the sidelines and still get the extra credit.

 

[Watchmen]

On another note, I fully expect this teacher will sue the District for wrongful termination. Disgusting person!

 

[Stevicus]

I used to regard comparisons with certain leaders and Hitler as hyperbole. I think that’s because Hitler is treated as unconsciously evil in education (rightfully so, of course.) But once you really get into the nuances of WWII you start to realise that Hitler could easily happen again if you don’t learn from his rise in power properly.
Like The Trump campaign. On the surface his rise to power being similar to Hitler seems unreasonable and hyperbolic.
But then I re-examined Hitler’s rise to power and found stark similarities. Not that they’re the same just the same tactics and even similar rhetoric. An eye opener to be sure

I never really thought the comparisons of Trump to Hitler ever really made any sense. Not that that's any credit to Trump, but the state of affairs in America in 2016 was far different than Germany in 1932-33, as well as a completely different government, different political traditions, and a much different history. The fact that Trump is no longer in power is a testament to these very significant differences between then and now.

Looking back over some of the lessons of history, I think one of the more effective ways of fighting extremism and totalitarianism is to deal with problems before they reach a point of desperation and chaos. That was the case in Russia before the Bolsheviks took over, as well as in Germany before Hitler took over, and in China before Mao took over. Governments which leave large segments of the population to just languish and suffer tend to be unpopular and can find themselves replaced by a different government rather quickly.

I don't think conditions are near as extreme in America as in the historical examples I mentioned, but it is something we should be watchful and wary about. An economic downturn or a significant rise in poverty should be far more disconcerting than the character defects and moral deficiencies of U.S. politicians, which I would never deny.

 

[Kenny]

I think it would depend on the circumstances. I think he would want his students to go in with eyes open, warn them what might happen, what to do if it does, how to stay out of trouble. We're talking about high school age teenagers not small children.

If you listen to his rant.... it had nothing to do with "eyes open", it had nothing to do with "warn them", but to get them to participate. - so I wouldn't agree.

 

[Stevicus]

Yes, the video itself is not enough to terminate him. But it did justify an investigation. I hope that he was not fired based solely on the video because that is not apt to hold up. In fact if they did only use the video then he may not be the bad teacher that the video tries to portray him as.

I was looking at the video in another newslink posted upthread (Natomas Unified Taking Steps To Fire Teacher With Antifa Flag In Classroom – CBS Sacramento (cbslocal.com)), and the parents seem pretty incensed and are blaming the entire district.

It doesn't appear that they've officially fired him yet, but that they're just taking the steps to do so. I don't know how it works, if he's allowed a hearing or what the actual process entails. They said the “teacher violated the district’s political action guidelines," although that seems kind of vague.

 

[Watchmen]

Yes, the video itself is not enough to terminate him. But it did justify an investigation. I hope that he was not fired based solely on the video because that is not apt to hold up. In fact if they did only use the video then he may not be the bad teacher that the video tries to portray him as.

Makes me wonder if you even watched the video.

 

[Stevicus]

If you listen to his rant.... it had nothing to do with "eyes open", it had nothing to do with "warn them", but to get them to participate. - so I wouldn't agree.

I don't think a two-minute clip from a video really would prove that one way or another. I don't know exactly what he tells his students in the classroom or how he presents his offer of extra credit. You asked what if it was my child, so that's what I would expect a responsible teacher to do.

I would still say your point about "child endangerment" might be a bit of a stretch, at least as far as bringing criminal charges against him. They'd certainly have to have more evidence than just a two-minute video clip where there were no children present.

 

[Kenny]

I don't think a two-minute clip from a video really would prove that one way or another. I don't know exactly what he tells his students in the classroom or how he presents his offer of extra credit. You asked what if it was my child, so that's what I would expect a responsible teacher to do.

I would still say your point about "child endangerment" might be a bit of a stretch, at least as far as bringing criminal charges against him. They'd certainly have to have more evidence than just a two-minute video clip where there were no children present.

In that the teacher is fired... I think that says it all, We will have to wait and see if anything else transpires.

 

[Subduction Zone]

Makes me wonder if you even watched the video.

Enough of it until I got tired of the dishonest editing. What makes you think that I did not watch it? Do you understand how what they are doing is terribly dishonest? Even if they are not lying it makes them look like liars when they edit in that way.

 

[Subduction Zone]

I was looking at the video in another newslink posted upthread (Natomas Unified Taking Steps To Fire Teacher With Antifa Flag In Classroom – CBS Sacramento (cbslocal.com)), and the parents seem pretty incensed and are blaming the entire district.

It doesn't appear that they've officially fired him yet, but that they're just taking the steps to do so. I don't know how it works, if he's allowed a hearing or what the actual process entails. They said the “teacher violated the district’s political action guidelines," although that seems kind of vague.

It takes a lot to fire a teacher. Guilty or not they are often removed from duty but still paid. Teachers have a very strong union. That is one reason why bad teachers are so hard to get rid of. I have not read the link yet, but he is probably on paid leave. Or the equivalent of it.

Okay, I checked out your link and it appears that I was correct:

"The district said the evidence gathered so far shows the “teacher violated the district’s political action guidelines.” All signage and posters have reportedly been removed from the classroom and the district said it believes the best course to rebuild the learning environment is a fresh start."

I do not think that they are using the obviously slanted video as evidence. It is worthless for that. For the Christians here I can quote the Bible at least 12 different times saying "There is no God". It is more than that actually and some are very hard to find. In fact I can probably use one quote and no one will be able to find it. Does that mean that the Bible refutes the existence of God? Of course not since all of the quotes I would use would be taken out of context. If you talk with someone long enough and guide the conversation a bit one can get all sorts of quotes that taken out of context would cause a misleading conclusion. That is why the district has to ignore the video when it comes to evidence one can use against the teacher.

If one is fine with accepting the video then by the same standard one has to be fine with quoting the Bible out of context to refute the Bible. Honesty in investigation is a must.

Now back to the link. I disagreed with the parent that said "Communism has no part in our school system". That is the Ostrich Defense against an idea that one does not like. Pure communism tends to fail for the same reasons that pure capitalism fails. People are far from perfect and some will abuse a system given a chance. What they should teach is the history of communism and socialism so that they know what it is. Instead of making socialism a scare word they should be taught how many of the programs that no sane person would get rid of are socialistic.

 

[SomeRandom]

I never really thought the comparisons of Trump to Hitler ever really made any sense. Not that that's any credit to Trump, but the state of affairs in America in 2016 was far different than Germany in 1932-33, as well as a completely different government, different political traditions, and a much different history. The fact that Trump is no longer in power is a testament to these very significant differences between then and now.

Looking back over some of the lessons of history, I think one of the more effective ways of fighting extremism and totalitarianism is to deal with problems before they reach a point of desperation and chaos. That was the case in Russia before the Bolsheviks took over, as well as in Germany before Hitler took over, and in China before Mao took over. Governments which leave large segments of the population to just languish and suffer tend to be unpopular and can find themselves replaced by a different government rather quickly.

I don't think conditions are near as extreme in America as in the historical examples I mentioned, but it is something we should be watchful and wary about. An economic downturn or a significant rise in poverty should be far more disconcerting than the character defects and moral deficiencies of U.S. politicians, which I would never deny.

I agree with you. The conditions were no where near similar. But the rhetoric and the same sort of cult of personality was. I don’t personally think the Donald is the next Hitler. But his tactics were eerily reminiscent, even if accidentally, of Hitler’s.

I think vigilance and real world solutions can help to avoid such issues in the future. But I am concerned about the apparent rise of Neo Nazis in many countries right now. Even the US

 

[Subduction Zone]

I agree with you. The conditions were no where near similar. But the rhetoric and the same sort of cult of personality was. I don’t personally think the Donald is the next Hitler. But his tactics were eerily reminiscent, even if accidentally, of Hitler’s.

I think vigilance and real world solutions can help to avoid such issues in the future. But I am concerned about the apparent rise of Neo Nazis in many countries right now. Even the US

The more one learns about Donald the scarier he becomes. Luckily this was not Nazi Germany and top officials remained true to the Constitution. He pressured his onw Justice Department to declare the election fraudulent, but they wre not having it:

Trump Pressed Justice Dept. to Declare Election Results Corrupt, Notes Show

President Donald J. Trump pressed top Justice Department officials late last year to declare that the election was corrupt even though they had found no instances of widespread fraud, so he and his allies in Congress could use the assertion to try to overturn the results, according to new documents provided to lawmakers.

“Just say that the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me” and to congressional allies, Mr. Donoghue wrote in summarizing Mr. Trump’s response.

We could have been the "Fourth Reich" here.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

On another note, I fully expect this teacher will sue the District for wrongful termination. Disgusting person!

You're calling him disgusting for something you assume he'll do that he hasn't?