| Oct 4 @ 6:42 PM |
An informal poll
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kjac
Posts: 8,163
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After listening to a fellow MD member defend the actions of John Freshwater, I'm curious as to where the rest of you stand on what happened. Do you too believe he was justified in his actions?
I'm not really looking for support or dissent on this. I'm just curious as to what the majority thinks.
Here's the story
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| Oct 4 @ 6:51 PM |
An informal poll |
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alivenwell351
Posts: 3,023
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He no more has a right to push his brand of "free speech" in the public school forum than would a teacher have a "free speech" right to push abortion in a parochial school...
Bottom line...when you're working for the man, you abide by the man's rules. Should you chose not to, you get whatever you brought down on yourself.
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| Oct 4 @ 7:09 PM |
An informal poll
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Deborah551
Posts: 1,015
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No teacher has any right teaching his/her religious opinions to students. If he disagreed with evolution, he was still obligated to teach it and maybe tell the students that he wasn't 100% convinced it was true.He could have told them that i if they wanted to hear why he disagreedwith evolution, he could give them information on his own time.
Sounds like he just wants to line his pockets with a lot of money he thinks he'll win in a lawsuit.
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| Oct 4 @ 7:09 PM |
An informal poll |
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kattsmeow
Posts: 22,628
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No he was not.
Church, should be taught in church.
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| Oct 4 @ 7:16 PM |
An informal poll
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kjac
Posts: 8,163
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I was referring more to the torture of the child than the other offenses, but that's my fault. I should have been clearer.
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| Oct 4 @ 7:18 PM |
An informal poll |
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kattsmeow
Posts: 22,628
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he should be prosecuted and get it for child abuse.
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| Oct 4 @ 8:16 PM |
An informal poll
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Angel54214
Posts: 18,199
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I agree with Katt. The teacher has cost that community a lot of money, as well as the abusives he has made on those kids. He's been teaching for 21 years and 11 of those years have been numerous amount of complaints against him. It's time for him to compensate damages and spend some time in prison to teach him something.
Here's another good media article by wordpress...
http://cafephilos.wordpress.com/2008/06/20/the-firing-of-john-freshwater/
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| Oct 4 @ 8:55 PM |
An informal poll |
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LanceVarden7
Posts: 1,092
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The board announced last June that it intended to fire Freshwater for preaching his Christian beliefs about how the world began, discrediting evolution and deviating from the required science curriculum. An investigation initiated by the board found that Freshwater used a high-voltage lab tool to burn crosses into the arms of students and that he told them gays were sinners. If those allegations are true (which chouldn't be hard to prove) then he should, to say the least, go to jail forever. To say the most, I have absolutly no problem with him being executed.
He is one sick SOB. Anyone burns a cross ito one of my kid's arms and he would be a dead SOB.
The thing to remember is, he is not a SSOB because he claims to be a Christian. He would be a SSOB if he were an athiest Muslim, or any other religion.
If I were to serve on the jury, I would vote death penalty, if it was available.
To my mind, claiming Christianity makes his crimes all the more heinous.
And... he has the gall to sue because his rights were violated? He can sue the devil when he arrives in hell. My vote is, send the lad along as quickly as possible.
OK, I will get off my soapbox.
People working evil under the guise of Christianity is a passionate subject for me. This is one of the most nefarious I have heard in a long time.
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| Oct 4 @ 9:23 PM |
An informal poll
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Angel54214
Posts: 18,199
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He is an SOB because he also abuses the word of God for his own action of works and not the works that the word of God gives.
Capital Punishment is Federal and through the state of Ohio, to put a man to death outside of the Federal death regulations, would be a Federal offense committed by the state Ohio. The state court would determine the indictments and decide if the case goes to the Supreme Court for violations of Federal offenses.
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| Oct 4 @ 9:35 PM |
An informal poll |
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LanceVarden7
Posts: 1,092
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The cross burning photo
John Freshwater Cross Burning
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| Oct 4 @ 9:40 PM |
An informal poll
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LanceVarden7
Posts: 1,092
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John Freshwater speaks on Youtube
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| Oct 4 @ 9:55 PM |
An informal poll |
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Jankia
Posts: 11,900
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What that teacher did isnt right but aside from the stupid remarks that the guy should be executed....he should be removed as a teacher and a police investigation into child abuse. The school board itself should be the ones getting filed on for knowing about and letting this crap go on for 11 years.
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| Oct 4 @ 10:15 PM |
An informal poll
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alivenwell351
Posts: 3,023
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Ohio does have the death penalty, but even for this, it's extreme. Besides, the executioners here seem to have trouble finding veins a lot!!
A bunch of prison time would be appropriate. Let some of his new friends burn a bunch of jailhouse tats all over him. Then they can all go take a shower together...and inmate Freshwater can be the official soap bender-over-picker-upper...
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| Oct 4 @ 10:45 PM |
An informal poll |
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Angel54214
Posts: 18,199
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It seems that Freshwater isn't the only teacher that used the Tesla coil devise in that school on the students...
Teacher's colleague zapped kids, too
A sixth-grade science teacher at Mount Vernon Middle School testified today that John Freshwater wasn't the only teacher who brought a Bible to class at the public school and used an electric lab tool to zap students' arms.
Freshwater is accused of burning a student with an electric lab instrument and of teaching religion in his eighth-grade science classes. The school board has said it wants to fire him, but the district must hold a hearing first under state law.
At a continuation of the hearing yesterday, sixth-grade science teacher Dino D'Ettorre, 51, testified that students had lined up in his class to feel a high-voltage, static-electricity zap from an instrument called a Tesla coil. He said he did it "to get them excited about science."
"I told the kids it may or may not leave a mark on the arm. ... Sometimes it would; sometimes it would not," D'Ettorre said. He said he'd never heard of a mark lasting for more than a few hours.
The family of one of Freshwater's students has sued the district and Freshwater, saying that the teacher burned a cross shape on their son's arm with the device. The mark was painful and lasted more than a day, they said. Freshwater says he did not burn the boy.
D'Ettorre also testified that he brings a Bible to class and that he had told as many as 60 students during school that they can reach heaven "by giving your souls to the Lord."
However, D'Ettorre said he hasn't preached in class for three years, after he attended a seminar on religion in the classroom.
D'Ettorre was the first witness called by Freshwater's attorney to defend the teacher. D'Ettorre is not facing discipline from the school district, but he said he was nervous about testifying because he is afraid he might lose his job.
Freshwater's daughter, Jordan, 15, also testified on his behalf. In tears for a few minutes of her testimony, she said classmates and friends admired her father and would yell "I love science!" when they saw him around town.
She said her father frequently used the Tesla coil on students with no harmful effects and that he and D'Ettorre had used it on her. When D'Ettorre used it on her in sixth grade, he ran it along her arm for about five seconds, she said, and "it didn't really hurt; it kind of tickled."
Freshwater once used the device on her brother's broken leg "to help stimulate it," she said.
Jordan described her father as an "out-of-the-box kind of person who likes to venture."
"He makes things different; he makes things fun and adventurous," she said.
Freshwater's attorney, R. Kelly Hamilton, has said that the school district's independent report, conducted by HR On Call, is flawed because it doesn't include testimony from Jordan Freshwater, D'Ettorre or others who can vouch for his client. http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/01/14/freshwater.html?sid=101
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| Oct 4 @ 10:49 PM |
An informal poll
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kjac
Posts: 8,163
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So he didn't do it until he got caught, then he did it but it was no big deal.
The reasonings of a psychopath and his desperate lawyers. 
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| Oct 4 @ 11:22 PM |
An informal poll |
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LanceVarden7
Posts: 1,092
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What that teacher did isnt right but aside from the stupid remarks that the guy should be executed  Don't forget my gold membership.
OK, the cross burning was just an inflamatory thing raised to hang this guy.
I have friends who had the rabbit ears versions you used to see in old sci-fi movies.
Unfortunately, as often with propoganda, it elicits an emotional response.
This guy is being painted as a bible waving crazy who burns crosses into kids, which is untrue. (Someone should buy him a gold for lying against him) Abusing kids is a sensitive issue, and erupts very quickly.
Having read more, and being calmer, I don't have a problem with this guy and think he is ok. I think having a bible on a desk is no big deal, if he wants to read it on his lunch break or something. As long as he is not teaching from it. He should have been smarted and just stuck in his desk to keep it out of view.
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| Oct 4 @ 11:27 PM |
An informal poll
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kjac
Posts: 8,163
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I invited the only person on MD willing to defend this man to this thread. Apparently she declined.
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| Oct 5 @ 2:13 AM |
An informal poll |
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SweetNapaGuy
Posts: 8,496
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Leaving aside his proselytizing, he BRANDED kids???
And he thinks he shouldn't be fired?!?!
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| Oct 5 @ 2:30 AM |
An informal poll
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MrPaul
Posts: 1,633
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This guy is being painted as a bible waving crazy who burns crosses into kids, which is untrue. (Someone should buy him a gold for lying against him) Abusing kids is a sensitive issue, and erupts very quickly.
Having read more, and being calmer, I don't have a problem with this guy and think he is ok. I think having a bible on a desk is no big deal, if he wants to read it on his lunch break or something. As long as he is not teaching from it. He should have been smarted and just stuck in his desk to keep it out of view.   Sounds like a bunch of made up BS to me. I think he pissed off the wrong person so now there is a witch hunt going on.  Happens all the time in our screwed up legal system  
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| Oct 5 @ 2:53 AM |
An informal poll |
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SweetNapaGuy
Posts: 8,496
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Sounds like a bunch of made up BS to me.
Maybe. The religion portion (i.e., whether he had his bible on his desk or not) shouldn't have been the issue. Proselytizing was a problem, if it was happening. Teaching "creation science" has been legally banned on school time (i.e., he could easily have taught it after hours to any student wanting to learn and with parental permission).
However, there is THIS nasty little bit:
An investigation initiated by the board found that Freshwater used a high-voltage lab tool to burn crosses into the arms of students
I'm sure that we're all in agreement: teachers are NOT allowed to torture students. Yes?
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