This behavior in Maine, as sickening as it may be, is not limited to one northeastern state. The sad truth is that we have individuals in positions of influence over children forcing their beliefs upon young minds.

My advice for you teachers: If you are so upset and opposed to the U.S. position in Iraq...then leave. Obviously, you are extremely unhappy here in the U.S. Therefore, move to a repressive country and tell me all about it after two days when you come home, unable to live the type of life they live.

While I may not I want to see this country go to war since I have two sons who are of draft age. I fully agree if there are teachers out there harassing children of military parents they should use their AMERICAN rights, and move to another country! If the people in this country which was built on the basis of freedom, cannot stick together in times like this we may one day end up like the people currently living in Iraq and these other third world countries. I say these teachers should apologize to the families, and if the problem continues be fired!

Kudos to all of you here, Joe, for the good work. Keep it up, as always.

Hello. I'm from Wichita, Kansas. I am a consevative thinker but the more I here this kind of crap it pushes me more and more to be close minded when it comes to people on the left. I have been told that being a hispanic American that I should think a certain way. Teachers should teach and STOP indoctrinating our kids. My kids are 7 and 10 and I refuse to send them to public school for precisely that fact. When is the school board's of this country going to come to the defense of these kids and stop makinfg them feel like outsiders.

Thanks!!

How could they? These children are innocent. My father was in the military. I never had to go through this as a child. I don't understand how the teachers of today can think that they can get away with doing this. Your political views do NOT belong in the classroom. Get rid of this or get out of the classroom. You don't belong. If you don't like the war, move to France and hang with the other Anti-Americans.

Pretty disgraceful coming from someone who claims to be an educator. It makes me wonder how much of this is going on in other areas of the country. Just a thought>

Its ashame that people of this caliber are allowed to teach school. I remember when I attended school how great it was to say a prayer, to stand and pledge alligence to the flag. This country has become a country of complainer/winers and wimps....We as parents are going to have to put our foot down and take back America....These crooked politicians, pansy teachers, and the
Dr. Spocks of this world has to be knocked down a notch or two.......
God Bless America

As a left-leaning thinker and the child of an educator, these allegations are completely reprehensible. My mother, the teacher, is a mega-liberal, like to a sickening and silly point, but she would never bring up politics with her students. She is professional and ethical.

Mr. Armed Liberal said it best that there is certain moral arrogance here that says "even though my views are partisan, I know they are true and therefore I can teach them to children."

I am really curious as to why this outburst seems to be occurring in ME (obviously not only there but enough that it has been dubbed a Maine problem), since this is clearly an indication of the meanness, unprofessionalism and insensitivity of stupid individuals rather than an indictment of all teachers or liberals.

With that said, I have heard many different characterizatons of these incidences. Are we talking about teachers who teach in a biased manner, or are we talking about teachers who have singled out students and literally said "your parent is an unethical baby killer" or treated them unfairly? To be sure, both are way out of the boundaries of professionalism, decency and educational, and both would be terribly upsetting to these children. But I do think there is a big difference between the two (i.e. Cruel and evil, vs. stupid and insensitive).
Does anyone know the details or heard any specific stories? Thanks.

I'm with Nick (although not on the left-leaning thing ;)

I won't ask these teachers to leave the country, or do anything regarding their personal opinions about the war, but to use their position of authority to do something like this to a child in their care... well, frankly it just seems criminal. I'm not even concerned how they phrased their thoughts, or even if they accidentally made these children feel badly. As an educator, they're expected to know better and to be aware of how kids can be affected, or at least recognize it when it happens.

If anything, these teachers should have been very supportive of the students involved. Obviously they knew the parents had been deployed, and even a total moron would know that a kid is bound to be on edge given all the war talk in the news. In that kind of situation, even accidentally giving a child the impression that their parent was anything less than wonderful is, IMHO, criminal negligence on the part of the teacher. For a schmuck like me to screw up and say the wrong thing to a kid wouldn't be as bad, but a teacher has a special kind of authority over a child, and really ought to know better.

A letter I sent to the Governor after reading
about the situation in Maine.

Mr. Governor,

While I am not a resident of your great state, I felt that I must take time and communicate to you my feelings regarding the treatment of the children of military parents, of which I am sure you are aware. As a two time U.S Marine Viet Nam veteran , the recent news stories of the verbal abuse and harassment of the children of military parents by the school teachers in your state horrified, sickened and saddened me beyond description . It brought back the horrible memories of the way Viet Nam veterans and those related to them were treated during that war. I am most distressed that a teacher would take advantage of position, power and influence in the classroom to further their personal agenda or beliefs against a position taken by the President of the United States in a time of war. To me these actions give aid and comfort to our enemy and as such, could be considered treason. The negative impact on these children, children who have already had to part with one or both parents and may never see them alive again; who have their parents ridiculed and denigrated in school by the child’s teachers, add sorrow upon sorrow, and will be something that will affect them now and throughout their lives. If a teacher has a personal belief that differs from a policy of the United States of America, that teacher should pursue it on their own time and in their own way, but never as a representative of either state or federal government. It amazes me that supposedly well educated teachers do not recognize this on their own, or are so self indulgent and callous that they do not care.

Mr. Governor, you have an opportunity now to redress this wrong. Please, I ask only this of you: declare loud and strong, in the schools and in public, a “hero’s” day for all those parents who have, or will, serve their country in this war because that’s what they truly are…… heroes.

.

This is now the time to stand behind our service men and women because they stand in front of us.

Respectfully,

Roger Guran

*See this link*

Even "isolated" incidents are too many in my opinion, but perhaps the scope of this conduct is lesser than we've been led to believe.

no, see this link

Phillip, that story doesn't provide any information different than what's been brought up before.

Joe,
Thanks for all of the information. You're the best.

The most sickening things I've read today are reports from the AP and an article in the Boston Globe that play down the severity of the comments. They make it sound as if the complaints were filed merely because of the anti-war sentiment of the teachers. If they were merely expressing some mild disagreement on war with Iraq, then why were some of these kids coming home in tears? I'm disgusted with anyone who will attempt to play this down or characterize it as a witch hunt.

This is to be expected from the public "education" system, in which true education has always been secondary to indoctrination. Everything is a political football and coersion is the order of the day - that's why it's compulsory "education". Roman Catholics have known this since pre-Civil War times when nativist bigots like Horace Mann tried to ram their religion down immigrants' throats in public schools. That's why they have parochial schools.

My husband spent 20 years in the military, and when overseas, all he heard from people was "Yankee go Home". He was also stationed in the state of Maine in the mid 50's .. There were people there then, who actually put signs in their yards that said "Airmen and Dogs Keep Off the Lawn"! I see that things have not changed up there!( And I guess we retired military do not need to go on any vacations in these places that condone this sort of thing! ) These teachers should be fired on the spot for these remarks to any young children! They sound like the same people that want to take God out of everything, so that children won't even know who HE is! This country and all of us Christians and Military better stand up and start getting these things changed now! Count us in on any support you have here! We agree, that is why they have Christian Schools and also more people who are Home-schooling their own children. God Bless America and the Military men and women, the best in the World!

What a nasty way to treat children!! My heart goes out to those little kids. Their military parents are going to save our bacon!!. I live in Michigan and in the 16 years my two kids have been in public school, they have been subjected to liberalism and America-bashing on a daily basis. In middle school my kids were taught in a comprehensive six-week program that they suffered from "Affluenza". They had to consume on occasion, a third world diet of rice and green-tinted water(to simulate pollution)while a chosen few classmates had a normal American diet. They were taught that they -and thus their families-didn't deserve to have what they own. My kids, never quiet, told the powers-that-be the history of our family. Our history includes American Revolutionary minutemen, sea captains, copper miners, Holocaust survivors, farmers, small business owners and coupon clippers. Our family earned by sweat and perseverance every damn thing we own. This year my youngest has American Government in high school. Her instructor made a chart of the political spectrum. Under conservatives he listed Hitler, the KKK and the Republican party. On the liberal side he could only think of the Democrat party. We have always used these situations as a springboard for discussion with the kids. We try to maintain an open-minded home and present both sides for debate but lately it is more difficult to objectively represent the liberal side of America and the world. Sandy

To Whom It May Concern:

A statement made by an MEA Representative, as quoted from an article on FOXNews.com, dated Thursday, February 27, 2003 by Liza Porteus:

"I'd say a miniscule minority seems to have hit some kind of public nerve and is bouncing across Web pages and chat rooms in the United States," said MEA spokesman Keith Harvie. "It's a bit astounding to think that some comments which, I should note, have only been alleged and haven't been proved or demonstrated, are causing such a ruckus."

I would submit to you that this kind of callous disregard for what is actually occurring creates an atmosphere in which the behavior is not only allowed to flourish, but encouraged to do so. Mr. Harvie's blatant attempt to whitewash the severity of these incidents is tantamount to condoning them.

To say that stories of this kind of treatment of children by teachers have "hit some kind of public nerve", and to further state that he finds it "astounding to think that some comments.........are causing such a ruckus." is the epitome of ignorance concerning children's emotional and psychological welfare. Exactly where did Mr. Harvie receive his training and experience in dealing with children and emotional upheavals such as family separation in time of impending war?!?!

I have served 11 years in our military and raised three children during that time. Had any of my children's teachers expressed views such as those of some of Maine's teachers, and especially those of Mr. Harvie, I would have personally scheduled a meeting with those individuals to discuss the implications of their actions.

Perhaps Maine Education Commissioner J. Duke Abanese should consider such a meeting with Mr. Harvie?

Sincerely,

JCDisci213@yahoo.com

I wish people would make this much fuss about the hundreds of kids abused by their parents today. I think these dozen kids will survive the alleged "taunting."

Brian...

Firstoff - you despicable fool, if its coming from the teachers, its not "taunting". Your attempt to spin the issue with word games is noted.

Secondly - In general child abuse is not tolerated and whitewashed by school officials. And when it is, people of all political persuasions most CERTAINLY do make a stink.

Why don't you take your completely pulled-out-of-your-butt insinuation that the commenters here are unconcerned with other kinds of abuse, type it out, then cram it in your ears. Don't worry if you damage them: you aren't using them anyway.

Brian,
Plenty of people make a big enough fuss about child abuse. Even better, it's against the law. This, by comparison, is a something of a timely issue and a matter of people who are supposed to be professionals misusing their position. Of course these kids will survive these tauntings - the same thing happened to me in the fourth grade, and I did. But that doesn't mean it didn't hurt really bad at the time or that we shouldn't do everything in our power to see that it doesn't happen again, certainly not without consequence.

Emily,

The problem I have with this issue is that none of these alleged "tauntings" have been verified and what a "taunting" refers to is not clear. The only account I have read is that some teacher(s) voiced to their class that the war was bad and that anyone fighting it was "immoral." (Paraphrased) That could be construed as taunting by most and it is something that teachers should not say. What if it came from another student? What then? What if the teachers who allegedly said this did not do so during class? Isn't that their right?

This has been blown up into a Federal case by the conservative media and corresponding warbloggers. All of this attention over something that is minor in comparison to other children I think is a fair comparison. If Ryan above and those who share similar emotionally based reasoning skills were given the authority they might want to seek out and "Otherwise deal with" these teacher(s). That kind of "outrage" motivation is an affliction that invests all quarters of American society, in my opinion, and pointing out where it goes overboard I think is a fair and worth while point to make.

Brian

Brian, just think if these had been children of "gay" parents or parents of a "minority". There already would've been marches and protests all over the place, and these teachers maybe would've been put on a "leave of absence" by now. Or if children of the Hollywood movie stars who demonstrate against the war had been insulted by teachers who don't believe in this can you imagine what Hollywood would do to these teachers? I guarentee you they would not be teaching much longer. The military children deserve the same respect. I know what I'm talking about we were a military family for 25 yrs, husband one tour in Viet Nam and our two children were military kids from K-12 until they went to college. Had that happened to our kids I'd not have bothered with going on FOX and e-mails. I'd have had a "one on one" meeting with that teacher, then I'd have gone to the JAG office and reported it, call the Department of Education to report it,and then I would have called FOX to let the rest of the nation know how "wonderful and sensitive" some of these teachers are. This has got nothing to do with "right wing, left wing" we are talking about 7 yr old children no matter how an adult, and especially a teacher feels about Iraq, war, our president etc. LEAVE OUR CHILDREN OUT OF IT, and if they have to make a remark to another teacher then they should make sure none of the children are in reach for their conversation to be overheard.

Barb,

1. How do you know that kids who protest the war have not been harassed by teachers? I would surmise they have. Why is it not in the press? There are many reasons, but most likely, it is not a story that would gin up viewers to cable news or listeners to talk radio.

2. Children of parents who are minorities or disliked for what ever reason have been harassed for centuries. It is wrong, it is wrong in this situation. The issue is that why is this news? Why are people having a cow? Why is this an issue worthy of JAG? There has still be little if any reporting of what was allegedly said to these kids.

3. The biggest problem I feel is that in underlying tone from this "outrage" is that it must be those "damn anti-American liberal teachers." Now, I have not heard anyone say this, but I would bet it is being thought by some. That makes this story political, not an issue of importance, worthy of people's emotional support.

I think Brian makes a fair point. Specifically, that this issue is politically charge by some people out there.

I think we can all agree that the thought of teachers harrassing students and/or bad-mouthing their parents form political, racial or military involvement reasons is absolutely disgusting.
But there are some people who, it's safe to say, have jumped on this story with extra tenacity and enthusiasm given the fact that military families are the victims (Rush Limbaugh certainly comes to mind).

Barbara you too make a fair point, that if the 'group' being victimized was different there would be a different reaction, but this merely illustrates Brian's point (i.e. politics is at play here).

Let's play it out, teachers harrass students of gay parents in (insert traditionally conservative state here) and Jesse Jackson organizes a march.
What does Rush Limbaugh say then if there was the same lack of details as surrounding this case?

Again we're just talking about some people, but that some is likely a large number who see this as directly related to their stance on war with Iraq and patriotism and all that stuff. Are they quick to condemn or are they concerned and saddened but withholding full judgement until things become more clear?

I received the following in response to an e-mail I sent to Maine on this subject:

Thank you for your message. I, and the entire staff at the Maine Department of Education share your concern on this issue.

Let me provide you with some updated information that will help to clarify this situation. The reports of insensitive comments or actions by school personnel were shared with Maine National Guard personnel by the affected families. The families and National Guard have agreed that each family will make their own decision on how to address this issue, including whether the
family will share the details of the incidents with their local school officials or with the Department of Education. At this point, the
Department has not received any information on the details of these incidents from the families. If we do, please be assured that I will
immediately address the situation with the appropriate local school officials.

Earlier this week, after the Department of Education had received information that insensitive comments may have occurred, I immediately communicated with all schools in Maine to reinforce with them the need: to
create and maintain a supportive climate that is sensitive to all children and their families, especially in these unsettled times; to provide balanced information in classrooms and other settings; and to encourage school counselors to acknowledge the emotional and physical needs and concerns of children and families involved with the Armed Forces.

Since Maine schools have received this letter, we have not heard of any further incidents of insensitive comments or actions in our schools.

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and concerns on this issue.

Sincerely,

J. Duke Albanese
Commissioner of Education

Joe, It has been several days now, we all did vent our anger, some of us very passionately, and rightfully so, but now I ask what is next? I ask the parents of the military kids what are you going to do now? Please don't let this go to sleep. The military and retired military as well as civilian people supported you, and felt for your kids don't let the Department of Education or whoever intimidate you should that be the case. Stand up and take action. There are actually people out there I'm sure you know about it who are doubting you, get to the bottom of this and show these people that it really did happen. Don't let the teachers union intimidate you, unions can be dealt with too. I'm not saying that you're "intimidated" I'm just making a statement. Believe me I know that soldiers don't get intimidated that easy. America needs you, and people like teachers better not insult your children.

Related story:

*"(03-04) 18:11 PST LOS ANGELES (AP)*

High school and college students throughout the state were planning to walk out of classes Wednesday -- some with their teachers' approval -- as part of a nationwide protest against a U.S.-led war with Iraq."

You bet your ass people are responding to this as a political issue. We all know it's part of a larger pattern.

Now, now Mr. Phelan be nice don't you know you should not use the "a" word on the net??

Barbara -
Whoops! Sorry.

Mr. Phelan: Apology accepted! :) :)