You know, the only thing worse than the bias made in this article by showing only the negative comments is the bias of the comment section ITSELF.
I don't know how many of you have tried to comment on the article, but when you click "submit" it informs you that it's being held and is waiting for approval. The Birmingham News reporters will all claim this is to filter out profanity, but I have the feeling they are weeding out any comments that make good points against them.
I left several comments and replies for the article two days ago and they're still being held "waiting for approval." Now, I could be wrong. The person in charge of filtering the comments may only be able to approve of a couple of posts per day due to their miserable reading speed. The person in charge may not have to approve of any posts during the weekends. However, there are numerous programs that could be written into the html by a 5 year old that can scan for profanity and censor or reject the post. I don't see much reason for a person to be in charge of filtering it at all (unless they really are filtering for content).
The title of this post should be changed from "What you're saying:" to "What we want you to say:"...
KeepCoach - 14 years ago
"C CLARK" This wouldn't happen to be the same C. Clark that works for bham news is it? He's one of the reporters writing all this trash along with Joe Kennedy!!! Who can REALLY trust anything a reporter says anyways? Mr. Harrison is a great person and amazing teacher. This is absolutely nothing to be fired over. Get real! What if every single person incuding yourself was treated like this when they had a lack of better words on something. We'd all be in trouble. KEEP COACH HARRISON!
Greg Greensworth - 14 years ago
Thank you for speaking up. The media is twisting this story to sound as negative as possible to gain more readers.
If you haven't noticed, the question asked, "Should the teacher be fired?"
The only options provided are either 1. yes, fire him, assassination as an example is not acceptable or 2. no, don't fire him, it was just bad judgment.
Where is the option for people who think SOME punishment is in order but no to fire him. Where is the option for people who don't think there was anything wrong with what he said to begin with?
Brian - 14 years ago
The mainstream media is leaving parts out. It was a STUDENT not the teacher who brought it up, and he said shoot off ear, not kill. This is still not right but it is not what the media says it is. I'm from Corner and know exactly what happened.
Greg Greensworth - 14 years ago
Am I the only one who noticed that every one of the comments listed were strongly critical of the teacher? Where is the balanced view? It is plain to see that the Birmingham News is doing everything it can to get this teacher fired, or, at the very least, sway the public mindset to that conclusion.
And Clifford Clark, you need to be institutionalized. While all of the stories concerning this situation are strongly biased, none of them have even hinted at this teacher trying to brainwash students into presidential assassination. Get a grip. Hysterical, conspiracy theorists, such as yourself, are much more dangerous than ANY teacher with a poorly chosen analogy.
Doug Doyle - 14 years ago
Mr. Clark , You should learn the facts before you post. Martin Luthur King, Jr. was shot and KILLED in Memphis, Tennessee, NOT Birmingham, Alabama. Mr. John Kennedy was killed in Dallas, Texas, again NOT Birmingham,Alabama. The four girls killed at the 16th Street Baptist Church took place in BIRMINGHAM, Alabama. So one out of three of your post appear to be a bias of YOUR opinion. NOT fact. Do you hate Birmingham so much that you must try to change facts and History? If so, maybe the next teacher willl use you as a possible target. The only this came out is due to the one BLACK student that told his mommy, and she tried to make it a racial issue. Apparently this was not the intent of the teacher, but a use to get the attention of the students. He should not be fired as you suggest, but refrain from using a black as an example. There was no intent at a racial comment but the student wasn't awake enought to hear that it was an example. The teacher made a mistake, what is your reason?
Wild Bill - 14 years ago
From the comments above, C Clark is obviously the "fringe", and is the mostly likely to actually commit a heinous out-of-control crime. Bryant seems to be rather intellectually collected, and cool. As both Brian & Bryant claim to know the actual teacher, they cut through to complete hysterical confabulations of poor C Clark. Chris Matthews has said similar remarks about Bush/Chaney on network TV, and got a pass! Don't fire our teachers. Be real.
(And by the way, our Secret Service, FBI, Homeland Security, and military, drill, rehearse, and geometrically analyze possible [presidential] assassination regularly. Keeps us safe.)
Bryant - 14 years ago
I had this man as a teacher. He was one of the best teachers I ever had. He is a good man and is not trying to convince students that they should go and assassinate Obama. So he made a mistake big deal that's no reason for him to be fired. He tries to keep his lectures interesting he just used a bad analogy but that is no reason for him to be fired.
Clifford Clark - 14 years ago
Only ONE comment so far? This teacher is trying to influence young, hormone-filled brains to consider the assassination of President Obama, not geometric angles as he claims. He must be fired for such an outrageous affront to standards of teaching and civil discourse. Would he be fired if he had used the trajectory of James Earl Ray's bullet in the BIRMINGHAM assassination of Martin Luther King jr.? Or the angle of fire from Lee Harvey Oswald's rifle when he murdered President Kennedy after lying in wait in the Texas School Book Depository? Or maybe best of all, what if he had told his students to calculate---geometrically, of course---the blast angle and trajectory of the debris and bodies of the four little girls killed in the bombing ASSASSINATIONS that blasted the 16th Street Baptist Church in the 60's? Again---in BIRMINGHAM! He must be named, and he MUST be fired!
Brian - 14 years ago
I know this teacher and his family. He's spent the last years of his life trying to help make a difference. He slipped up. He shouldn't be fired though.
Older Than Dirt - 14 years ago
Give him a break.... every on is ready to jump.
Who amoung you have not made a stupid statement.
You know, the only thing worse than the bias made in this article by showing only the negative comments is the bias of the comment section ITSELF.
I don't know how many of you have tried to comment on the article, but when you click "submit" it informs you that it's being held and is waiting for approval. The Birmingham News reporters will all claim this is to filter out profanity, but I have the feeling they are weeding out any comments that make good points against them.
I left several comments and replies for the article two days ago and they're still being held "waiting for approval." Now, I could be wrong. The person in charge of filtering the comments may only be able to approve of a couple of posts per day due to their miserable reading speed. The person in charge may not have to approve of any posts during the weekends. However, there are numerous programs that could be written into the html by a 5 year old that can scan for profanity and censor or reject the post. I don't see much reason for a person to be in charge of filtering it at all (unless they really are filtering for content).
The title of this post should be changed from "What you're saying:" to "What we want you to say:"...
"C CLARK" This wouldn't happen to be the same C. Clark that works for bham news is it? He's one of the reporters writing all this trash along with Joe Kennedy!!! Who can REALLY trust anything a reporter says anyways? Mr. Harrison is a great person and amazing teacher. This is absolutely nothing to be fired over. Get real! What if every single person incuding yourself was treated like this when they had a lack of better words on something. We'd all be in trouble. KEEP COACH HARRISON!
Thank you for speaking up. The media is twisting this story to sound as negative as possible to gain more readers.
If you haven't noticed, the question asked, "Should the teacher be fired?"
The only options provided are either 1. yes, fire him, assassination as an example is not acceptable or 2. no, don't fire him, it was just bad judgment.
Where is the option for people who think SOME punishment is in order but no to fire him. Where is the option for people who don't think there was anything wrong with what he said to begin with?
The mainstream media is leaving parts out. It was a STUDENT not the teacher who brought it up, and he said shoot off ear, not kill. This is still not right but it is not what the media says it is. I'm from Corner and know exactly what happened.
Am I the only one who noticed that every one of the comments listed were strongly critical of the teacher? Where is the balanced view? It is plain to see that the Birmingham News is doing everything it can to get this teacher fired, or, at the very least, sway the public mindset to that conclusion.
And Clifford Clark, you need to be institutionalized. While all of the stories concerning this situation are strongly biased, none of them have even hinted at this teacher trying to brainwash students into presidential assassination. Get a grip. Hysterical, conspiracy theorists, such as yourself, are much more dangerous than ANY teacher with a poorly chosen analogy.
Mr. Clark , You should learn the facts before you post. Martin Luthur King, Jr. was shot and KILLED in Memphis, Tennessee, NOT Birmingham, Alabama. Mr. John Kennedy was killed in Dallas, Texas, again NOT Birmingham,Alabama. The four girls killed at the 16th Street Baptist Church took place in BIRMINGHAM, Alabama. So one out of three of your post appear to be a bias of YOUR opinion. NOT fact. Do you hate Birmingham so much that you must try to change facts and History? If so, maybe the next teacher willl use you as a possible target. The only this came out is due to the one BLACK student that told his mommy, and she tried to make it a racial issue. Apparently this was not the intent of the teacher, but a use to get the attention of the students. He should not be fired as you suggest, but refrain from using a black as an example. There was no intent at a racial comment but the student wasn't awake enought to hear that it was an example. The teacher made a mistake, what is your reason?
From the comments above, C Clark is obviously the "fringe", and is the mostly likely to actually commit a heinous out-of-control crime. Bryant seems to be rather intellectually collected, and cool. As both Brian & Bryant claim to know the actual teacher, they cut through to complete hysterical confabulations of poor C Clark. Chris Matthews has said similar remarks about Bush/Chaney on network TV, and got a pass! Don't fire our teachers. Be real.
(And by the way, our Secret Service, FBI, Homeland Security, and military, drill, rehearse, and geometrically analyze possible [presidential] assassination regularly. Keeps us safe.)
I had this man as a teacher. He was one of the best teachers I ever had. He is a good man and is not trying to convince students that they should go and assassinate Obama. So he made a mistake big deal that's no reason for him to be fired. He tries to keep his lectures interesting he just used a bad analogy but that is no reason for him to be fired.
Only ONE comment so far? This teacher is trying to influence young, hormone-filled brains to consider the assassination of President Obama, not geometric angles as he claims. He must be fired for such an outrageous affront to standards of teaching and civil discourse. Would he be fired if he had used the trajectory of James Earl Ray's bullet in the BIRMINGHAM assassination of Martin Luther King jr.? Or the angle of fire from Lee Harvey Oswald's rifle when he murdered President Kennedy after lying in wait in the Texas School Book Depository? Or maybe best of all, what if he had told his students to calculate---geometrically, of course---the blast angle and trajectory of the debris and bodies of the four little girls killed in the bombing ASSASSINATIONS that blasted the 16th Street Baptist Church in the 60's? Again---in BIRMINGHAM! He must be named, and he MUST be fired!
I know this teacher and his family. He's spent the last years of his life trying to help make a difference. He slipped up. He shouldn't be fired though.
Give him a break.... every on is ready to jump.
Who amoung you have not made a stupid statement.