Comments on: Student Atheist Hero of the Year

By: padlok

padlok — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 01:48:02 +0000

alright, i know this is old but i had to chime in. what i get out of nathan’s comments is that the kid, and maybe kids in general, should “stop snitchin’”. and that rather than seeking some authoritative backup the kid should have tried to handle this on his own. i usually am a big proponent of handling things yourself but that is a standard of behavior that best serves one amongst his peers. the young man’s teacher was not his peer but (ostensibly) an authority figure. i believe, my own disinclination towards snitching aside, that the kid’s chosen method of pursuing the matter was probably the best one for his circumstances as i understand them. nathan’s position regarding direct communication is valid for one kid dealing w/ another kid but it is grossly misplaced in this situation.
further i agree w/ obadiah this teacher should have been reamed over this. no tenure should protect a teacher from the consequences of such an abuse of his position. he should, imho, be removed from public school teaching altogether and if the jesuits want him let them have him.

By: nissimlevy

nissimlevy — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Thank you and congratulations, Matt!

By: suttsteve

suttsteve — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Someone should make a TV movie about that.

By: Rusty Shackleford

Rusty Shackleford — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Gee, it’s nice that a public high school will “grudgingly allow” speakers to talk about the First Fucking Amendment of the U.S. Fucking Constitution. Pardon my French.

By: alexatheist

alexatheist — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

This story is from NJ too. Let’s not forget that religious nutters are not relegated only to the South.

By: Nodster

Nodster — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Gee, Bill O'Reilly mysteriously failed to mention this story. But he certainly didn't hesitate to go ape shit last month when that good little Christian student taped his big bad atheist teacher who criticized Christianity during class.

Bill said he's going to come down hard on these evil "Secular Progressive" teachers in 2008. I won't hold my breath waiting for his "fair and balanced" coverage of this story.

By: jshanewhit

jshanewhit — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I heard about this about a month ago. The story goes on pretty long with the teacher refusing to believe he had commited these acts, he refuse to admit to his words even AFTER the tape was played back to him. He still called the kid a liar. The school then refused to even tell the teacher to stop. It took the lawsuit to get them to behave in a constitutional manner.
This is not a case of secularist whining, the teacher used the power granted by the state to intimidate citizens of the country. I fully believe the teacher has rights to believe as he wishes, he also has freedom of speech. But to use state power to do so is ILLEGAL by ALL interpretations of the first amendment. I am sure he had every oportunity to rant against the infidels in church, were it is legal and accepted. So I have no remorse for this teacher. I wish we could exile him, to Iran or some other theocracy where he could get proper god fearing treatment.

By: what

what — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Paszkiewicz is a baptist minister using a public school as a church. I wonder if Paszkiewicz has children in the public schools. I think we need a Pastafarian substitute teacher to do a little “lecturing” in the Kearny public school system and preferably to Paszkiewicz’s children.

By: BobC

BobC — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

This Kearny, New Jersey teacher knows nothing about science, he doesn't respect the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment, he's a liar, he's an asshat, and he was breaking the law. Let me guess. Is he a Christian?

"After Matt turned the tapes over to school officials, he became the target of harassment, of a death threat and of retaliation by school officials who treated him?not the teacher?as the problem!"

Of course the teacher is a Christian and of course the disgusting incompetent school officials are Christians. Certainly the death threat came from a Christian. These same Christian morons think only Christians are allowed in their mythical heaven. Christians are the most stupid asshats in the world.

The teacher was reprimanded? Why wasn't this dirtbag deported or at least fired?

This "dinosaurs were aboard Noah?s ark" stupidity makes me mad. There's a war against science going on in this country and it's time to fight back. It's no longer appropriate to respect anyone's idiotic religion. Religious people need to be relentlessly ridiculed until they learn they have to keep their pathetic stupidity in their church where it belongs.

By: what

what — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

It’s no longer appropriate to respect anyone’s idiotic religion.

Agreed. The world can no longer afford it.