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consumer1 (Anonymous) says…

And?????

The_Original_Bob (Anonymous) says…

When I don't have anywhere to put something, I toss it in the trash as well. It's a good storage place that tends to be bottomless.

monkeyhawk (Anonymous) says…

An apple for that teacher.

just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (Anonymous) says…

Yes, we need more exhibitions of childish bigotry and xenophobia from our teachers.

Haiku_Cuckoo (Anonymous) says…

That teacher is no better than the Eurotrash that harass American tourists for having a US flag patch on their backpacks. Live and let live!

Ceallach (Anonymous) says…

“I said, ‘What’s the problem?”’ Camelo, speaking in Spanish, told The Times-News of Twin Falls.
_________
The article mentions that the boy was speaking in Spanish during this interview. Why would he do that?

Informed (Anonymous) says…

Ceallach says: “The article mentions that the boy was speaking in Spanish during this interview. Why would he do that?”

Because maybe it's his native language and it's easier for him to speak than English, especially when he's upset. No big deal. There are many people here in the US for whom English is not their native language. I don't see the problem that this boy spoke to a reporter in Spanish. Apparently the reporter also speaks Spanish. Do you have a problem with that as well?

As far as the flag being thrown in the trash, disprespecting ANY country's flag is just not a cool thing to do. In my home I display the flags of several of the Central American nations I've visited. No big deal.

jafs (Anonymous) says…

Although this was clearly not a good thing for the teacher to do, I think there may be a legitimate question here:

If folks from Mexico are so proud of their country, why are so many coming here, many illegally?

And, before I get jumped on for being racist, etc., other immigrant groups, many legal ones, don't seem to display their flags - when was the last time you saw a German, Irish, Italian, Russian, Hungarian, etc. flag flown proudly?

The reason most immigrants come here is because they feel they can have a better life here, and most are glad if/when they can, and feel grateful for the extra opportunities.

The current combination of huge amounts of illegal immigrants, many from Mexico, with a great deal of pride in their native country, is somehow a little odd to me.

Informed (Anonymous) says…

Um, jafs, I grew up back east and used to see Italian flags flown all the time. It was not and still isn't a problem for me. People are allowed to be proud of their heritage.

Other articles from other sources have much more info than the small amount JW used. One third of the students in that particular school are HIspanic, so the teacher should have been used to it.

b3 (Anonymous) says…

Last time I checked we were living in the U.S. not Mexico. So who cares.

Ceallach (Anonymous) says…

No, informed, I do not have a problem with it. If I did I would have said so. But I do wonder why the reporter included that line in what is a relatively small article, especially when it's obvious that the boy was ethnically harassed by the teacher, other students, or both.

Eride (Anonymous) says…

Probably because he doesn't know how to speak in English?

duplenty (Anonymous) says…

Man, the a$$holes are out in full force today.

beobachter (Anonymous) says…

the teacher's statement that he only took the flag because “white kids” might have hurt the 16-year-old, tells me all I need to know. The teacher is a racist and it seems there are an extreme amount of them posting here as well.

snap_pop_no_crackle (Anonymous) says…

Consider Obama's good buddy & his treatment of the American flag.
http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazi…

anxiousatheist (Anonymous) says…

You can treat the American flag anyway you want, it's America. If you don't think you can, you are not a very good American, maybe you could go to another country…

bd (Anonymous) says…

He is not a racist ,but a patriot!
America live(love) it , or leave it!

Informed (Anonymous) says…

Yes, ansxiousatheist, you CAN treat the flag any way you want. But, “SHOULD you?” is another story. I respect the flag of my country (America) and I also realize you have the right to do whatever you'd like with it, up to and including burning it. I won't deny you that right and will even defend your right to it. However, I know what that flag has cost.

bearded_gnome (Anonymous) says…

the boy spoke spanish for the interview,
perhaps he is part of the growing human wave invasion from mexico that *has no intension of assimilating into mainstream american culture?*

and, by the inclusion of this story, apparently some believe we must show more respect for the mexican flag than for the american flag!

***
Man, the a$$holes are out in full force today.
—dupeplenty

thanks, although I already knew that about you beo and boozo. but it is nice of you to hand a self-identifying label. very thoughtful of you.

***
jafs,
nicely done.

logicsound04 (Anonymous) says…

“If folks from Mexico are so proud of their country, why are so many coming here, many illegally?”

––––—

It's certainly not racist, but I'm having a hard time understanding how is this a valid or relevant question.

I was unaware that you are only allowed to be proud of your heritage if you lived in your home country.

When was the last time a teacher threw an Irish flag away on St. Patrick's day?

It seems like many of us have forgotten, but the United States is widely viewed as a land of opportunity and freedom. People come here to participate in the free market that conservatives are always touting by working in exchange for a paycheck. Apparently the freedom of the market does not apply to labor markets.

==================================

b_gomer,

Would you care to define exactly what constitutes “mainstream american culture”?

The diversity or our populace is one of the United States' defining characteristics. I would submit that assimilation is inherently UN-American.

jimincountry (Anonymous) says…

The term “meltingpot” was once upon a time a proud reference to the USA. Diversity is a bunch of liberal BS!

autie (Anonymous) says…

land of the free and home of the brave..As long as you speak as I do, think as I do. Why is it much of what I hear from Idaho is about intolerances and bigotry…Too much mountain air? Not enough O2? The teacher should be reprimanded; if not dismissed..

anxiousatheist (Anonymous) says…

“apparently some believe we must show more respect for the mexican flag than for the american flag!” - breaded_numb

Trashing the american flag is an expression of freedom, the highest form of freedom I might add. Trashing another country's flag is a sign of ignorance and xenophobia. I wish you could tell the difference…

lovenhaight (Anonymous) says…

Wow, you've really never seen people with Irish or German flags? Look around Lawrence…check front license plates. I see at least one Irish or German plate a day, I'm sure. You can be proud of your heritage and not live there…in fact, that is a fairly large part of being American. We have massive St. Paddy's celebrations, Oktoberfest, Heidefestivals (Swiss), and countless other events that celebrate the varied cultural heritages found in the US. Comments about Mexico in particular are obviously biased, as was the veiled comment regarding the language the boy was interviewed in. Perhaps he articulates well in Spanish and not as well in English…he was attempting to put his best foot forward in a news story that has gone national. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

staff04 (Anonymous) says…

Yes, speak English or get out:

http://z.about.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/…

http://www.newsince.com/wp-content/uploa…

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/day…

Confrontation (Anonymous) says…

So, if this boy can't speak English well, then maybe he can't understand it well, either.

Multidisciplinary (Anonymous) says…

lovenhaight..
You're correct. We are a state (KS) of under-exposure.
My whole childhood, I didn't experience people from other countries. The few children who did join our classrooms. their uncommon names and accents meant they would be treated horribly.
Celeste, Biergit, Ganis, Palij, those were just a few.
This one I guess middle eastern dark blonde, fought everyday due to injustice. I can't believe I can't think of her name. Gamzah? Gamseh? Thinking of her face, me now as an adult, she would have been beautiful, but the kids gave her hell.
All that, before we were introduced to the Ku prof/etc. kids of all countries in jr high/high school..by that time it was all cool.

tony88 (Anonymous) says…

“and, by the inclusion of this story, apparently some believe we must show more respect for the mexican flag than for the american flag!”

No. This story is about a teacher throwing a students flag away. This has nothing to do with the right to protest. The teacher discriminated based on ethnicity. That is illegal. Imagine a police officer pulling a truck over with a Mexican flag on it and removing and destroying the flag. Stay on point, folks.

Windlass (Anonymous) says…

So, is this more appropriate than the teachers who whore with the kids, or less appropriate? Something makes me think I'm not dumbed down enough for a thread like this.

tony88 (Anonymous) says…

windlass,
what does that have to do with anything at all?

Windlass (Anonymous) says…

Maybe the student told the teacher he didn't wanna have sex, and the teacher got mad.
If you disagree, then please go get all of those thousands of innocent teachers out of prison.

tony88 (Anonymous) says…

what does that have to do with anything? what in the world are you talking about?

Windlass (Anonymous) says…

What beats one Mexican flag, though, when billions of American flags are burned around the world, and in the U.S., every day?

Tony, did your teacher, by any remote chance, educate your brain so that you can at least think upon this reality?

tony88 (Anonymous) says…

what is your problem?

tony88 (Anonymous) says…

are teachers burning students' American flags? why haven't i heard that story?

Windlass (Anonymous) says…

what does that have to do with anything? what in the world are you talking about?
–––––––––––––––––-
Looks like a high school grad to me. Dumb as a freakin' rock.
–––––––––––––––—
Tony, did I just type one sentence or two? Take all the time you need.

tony88 (Anonymous) says…

neither one of those was a sentence.

Take_a_letter_Maria (Anonymous) says…

You all do realize that there is a large population of Nazi and survivalist groups located in the state of Idaho don't you?

The teacher could be a member of one of these groups, or he could just as easily been protecting - though in an “unusual” way - this kid from other kids who have been brought up in one of these groups and are intolerant of anyone that is not white.

drugcompton (Anonymous) says…

i always wanted to have sex with my spanish teacher

powershopper (Anonymous) says…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkanizati…

Considering it was a Mexican holiday does give some creedence to the kid choosing to bring his national flag to school. However, I believe some caution should be excercised when foreign flags are exploited in public forums, particularly public schools funded by American tax payers. This reminds me, to a certain degree, of incidents that occured during the massive immigration protests a few years back in which public schools in the South/South West flew the Mexican flag above the American flag. It seems to beg the question, where should the line be drawn?

Windlass (Anonymous) says…

The triple K are in the northeast corner of Kansas now. I knew that.

Idaho has always been a “mommy and daddy's house” for the 88's, and other prison escapee's.
_________________________________________
Kudos Tony! You are right.

tony88 (Anonymous) says…

don't patronize me, pal. i take it you need nappy time with your little attitude.

was_freashpowder (Anonymous) says…

I think that guy has a job opportunity at the lawrence Police Dept……

Windlass (Anonymous) says…

don't patronize me, pal. i take it you need nappy time with your little attitude.
––––––––––––––––––––
Because you got only one thing right for all of your trying?? Fret not, child, my attitude is thus adjusted…to one of laughter.

Windlass (Anonymous) says…

America live(love) it , or leave it!
–––––––––––––––––-
Like a sinking ship. Your invite is terribly delicious to many Americans. Plane tickets, please, one way.

tony88 (Anonymous) says…

I find it odd that i answered your question with civility, yet you have failed to even address any question i have asked of you. Thus, i'm not wasting any more time feeding the desperate trolls. Peace!

Windlass (Anonymous) says…

i always wanted to have sex with my spanish teacher

I always wanted to have sex with your spanish teacher, too.

Windlass (Anonymous) says…

Very adult of you, Tony, Peace be with you, too. Remember, don't go away mad, just go away.

Bossa_Nova (Anonymous) says…

hey everybody dont worry, the bigots aren't only in idaho and kansas. mexico has its share of bigots too. i used to live there and lost count of how many times i was refused entry to a restaurant or a bar for being a gringo, confronted by machista mexicans for being in public with a mexican woman, i even remember seeing the american flag being burned at the zocalo when the american soccer team beat the mexican soccer team and the people started chanting, “pinches gringos! pinches gringos!” (that was the day i feared for my life and had to insist i was canadian). oh and dont even dare tell them you're not catholic, that nearly warrants a public stoning. but at least i wasnt guatemalan or nauhuatl , those guys usually get the tar beat out of them for speaking indigenous languages in public. oh, and do your best to avoid the mexican cops. i cant remember how much mordida i was constantly paying during my stint in mexico to the patrulla everytime they pulled me over for having “suspicious license plates” and for “displaying signs of erratic and careless behavior” (aka, openly being a gringo). so dont worry my friends, its not just us gringos who are hateful and bigoted.

Informed (Anonymous) says…

Well, Bossa, your experience in Mexico is so opposite this gringo's experiences. I've been all over CA and never had those experiences. I'm sure it has a lot to do with attitude, but maybe that's just me. Of course, I've met many of the 'ugly Americans' on my journeys — gringos that would have been better off staying in the States if they expected everything to be just like it was 'at home'.

beatrice (Anonymous) says…

Wind: “What beats one Mexican flag, though, when billions of American flags are burned around the world, and in the U.S., every day?”

Billions? Really? Every day? That is more than one flag a week burned by every man, woman and child alive! That is a whole lot of flag burning! Are you sure there are even “billions” of American flags in existence?

Apparently, we could stop global warming if we just made American flags out of inflammable material.

I'm trying to figure out which is worse, the action, or the teacher's lame excuses? Like that flag, I hope the teacher also gets canned. People this stupid shouldn't be put in front of impressionable children.

And remember: God Bless America … And Nowhere Else!

EXks (Anonymous) says…

Hey, here's what legendary country & western singer
Darlene McBride has to say

http://youtube.com/watch?v=oqZaQKskP-A

Windlass (Anonymous) says…

Bea -
yep, yep, and ok maybe I reached, then yep again.

I still plead my case to fly on outta here, and I would renounce my citizenship as soon as my plane touches the tarmac of foreign soil. I will never look back nor come back. Really.

Windlass (Anonymous) says…

The United States is the biggest lie and the biggest bowl of s*** on earth. Just read your own headlines and news stories every day. They NEVER say anything good about you.

Take_a_letter_Maria (Anonymous) says…

Well Informed, I ran into a similar situation as Bossa and I was “home”. My then girlfriend and I went to visit her parents in San Antonio. One evening, just walking in her neighborhood with her, I got jumped by a carload of young hispanic men because I was out with one of “their” women. I didn't even have an opportunity to be an ugly American or anything else. Lucky for me her pops came out swinging a baseball bat or it could have been even worse than the broken ribs I received.

Bossa_Nova (Anonymous) says…

hey informed i said mexico not CA. there's a big difference you know. you shouldnt generalize all paises latinos as being the same. and as for my attitude, i have no idea as to what that has to do with constantly being pulled over by la chota and not being allowed entrance in public places without even saying a word to the guy at the door. and what does attitude have to do with me and my girl minding our own business and a bunch of mexican rednecks yelling obscenities at both of us. if you were as informed as you think you are and you would know that mexico is just as bigoted, racist and nationalistic as america's bible belt

Windlass (Anonymous) says…

Yeah, baseball bats are an old favorite in the US. It was never enough to just break ribs, however. Today we demand the right to use machine guns on our neighbors, family, and friends. We're real effin' smart. Work at funerals all day. But the upside is…the stuff makes money.

Go America! The world gets up in the morning just to look and see whether or not God has wiped you off the world map, yet.

Windlass (Anonymous) says…

Nothin' but pussies.

Bossa_Nova (Anonymous) says…

oh and by the way, i'm not one of those gringos who expects everything to be the same as back home and who only goes to the american colonies like cancun and vallarta. i actually lived in mexico for many years and i got to know all the aspects of the culture (the good and the bad) and i do speak spanish and dont have a problem with communicating in mexico. while in mexico i gladly took the position that “i am here in this country and its my responsibility to learn the language and understand and respect their culture”. trust me this isnt a matter of attitude, rather someone who has had a lot of experiences, good and bad, and who is capable of admitting that its not just us gringos who are bad and that everybody you meet overseas wants to hold your hand and sing kumbaya with you because youre an american. trust me amigo, there's plenty of hatred in mexico for the gringo y los guatemaltecos, los indios, extranjeros, maricones, sudacas, bolillos, etc. just as hatred is alive and well in america.

autie (Anonymous) says…

I would have to say, it is rare I see any comments threaded so incoherently and didn't seem to have any common theme than those of Windlass in this one. So are you leaving America because we suck or because you don't like Mexicans or because you're a pussy? So many post, so many thoughts and none of it adds to any real sense. You never did answer any of Tony88's questions..just went on a new tirade. Maybe you are an Idaho native? From one of the “compounds”?

autie (Anonymous) says…

Amigos, donde es el amor para nos hombres?

RedwoodCoast (Anonymous) says…

What about flying the Confederate flag in the South? Is that worse than a Mexican flag?

lovenhaight (Anonymous) says…

The Confederate flag is a whole different story, the two are not comparable. I say that as a Mississippi native. Mexico exists, the CSA does not. The Confederate battle flag was taken by a bunch of hate groups and turned into something that it wasn't, the Mexican flag was not. There isn't the same level of conflicted emotion regarding the Mexican flag. Comparing the two is in no way relevant or correct.

RedwoodCoast (Anonymous) says…

Some on this thread have supported the teacher's actions:

“Last time I checked we were living in the U.S. not Mexico. So who cares.”

“He is not a racist ,but a patriot!
America live(love) it , or leave it!”

“However, I believe some caution should be excercised when foreign flags are exploited in public forums, particularly public schools funded by American tax payers.”

So the common theme here seems to be equating the flying/display of any flag other than the United States flag (probably excluding state flags) with being unpatriotic or un-American. And I would think that flying the flag of a former country that was in military opposition to the United States of America would be especially improper to fly. I guess I just see it as both relevant and correct. You are from the South, so maybe you have a different view of it. I had ancestors who were wounded fighting for the Union during the Civil War, so I guess I'm kind of biased.

RedwoodCoast (Anonymous) says…

Oh yeah, I hate having afterthoughts, but here's one:

Was any land in the United States ever owned by any other countries? Maybe Spain? France? Mexico?

I guess what I'm saying is that you can't really be against flags of other countries yet be someone who condones the Confederate flag. It just seems like the same thing to me.

lovenhaight (Anonymous) says…

RedwoodCoast:

Our opinions on the Civil War may be different, I agree. I had numerous ancestors who fought for the Confederacy, some were wounded, some were not, one was in the POW camp in Ohio and was severely brutalized. NONE of my ancestors owned slaves, they were all farmers and the men were called to fight without regard to whatever the rich slaveowners believed in. Compare it to the present situation, I don't support the Iraq War but I still support my friends in the military, and I would hope that people don't peg me as an imperialist 100 years from now just because I lived in these times. I know no one mentioned that, but slavery is always an undercurrent in conversations regarding the South. Anyway.

I do agree with what you just said, I just think we were reading things differently. The posts I've responded to previously said things that basically implied that they have no problem with people of European heritage flying the flags of their forefathers, but they do have a problem with the fact that a Mexican thought he could fly his home country's flag. I would guess that those people who are so up in arms over a Mexican flag are also the same who quietly condone the men in the pointy white hats who have taken the Confederate flag and made it a symbol of hate…

jaketh (Anonymous) says…

Salsa is the number 1 condiment in the US. Either you start eating more ketchup or deal with it.

lucky_man (Anonymous) says…

Don't be so hard on Mexicans and Mexico. Mexicans can come here, and I'm thinking about moving there more every day. After November 4 2008, it may seem even better.

The US is in it's final years. If Obama is prez, it most assuredly is the beginning of the end, I guarantee you.

RedwoodCoast (Anonymous) says…

lovenhaight: That's cool that you know about your ancestors. It sounds like we both had ancestors who got themselves captured. My great-great grandfather got sent to some prison on an island somewhere. From what I understand, they were rarely given food. There are stories passed down from him about guys physically fighting over something as inconsequential as an ear of corn.

But I think we're on the same side with the topic of the thread.

denak (Anonymous) says…

The teacher lost a valuable opportunity to teach all those “white kids” a history lesson about Cinco de Mayo and the Battle of Puebla.

He handled the situation badly and I don't believe for a moment that he threw the flag in the trash because it was the only place to put it. That is a bunch of crock.

I have friends who are of Mexican descent. Some of American born, some are naturalized and some are here legally on different types of visas. For the first two groups, all of them are proud to be American as well as being Mexican.
Both cultures add a richeness to their lives and contrary to what some believe, they are not torn between where their loyalities lie. Their loyalties lie with the U.S.
My friend Guadelupe because a U.S. citizen last year. She is very excited about being able to vote for the first time in November.

This teacher was short sighted and mean spirited and I think it is alarming and disheartening to think we have teachers like him in our school system.

Dena

jonas (Anonymous) says…

Windlass (Anonymous) says…

“What beats one Mexican flag, though, wh