This is NOT about "freedom of speech"!
Published Thu, Nov 2 2006 5:37 PM
Technorati Tags: News and Politics
An Issaquah School District bus driver fired for flipping off President Bush while on the clock claims she was wrongfully terminated.
Source: Bus driver who flipped off Bush fights for job
The fired bus driver filed a union grievance last month for wrongful termination. She has declined to be identified or interviewed.
Chris Dugovich, a spokesman for the Washington State Council of County and City Employees, said it wants the district to re-evaluate its decision.
"There's only one individual who saw this and it happens to be the president of the United States," Dugovich said. "We're interested in saving her employment."
Source: The Seattle Times: Local News: Issaquah bus driver appeals firing for "flipping off" President Bush
The District’s Director of Transportation was informed of the incident by her staff on the same day, and she began an investigation that ultimately ended in the driver’s termination.
"This was part of a pattern of behavior with this particular bus driver, not an isolated incident," Barry said.
...
Barry reiterated that the decision to terminate the employee was not motivated by any political reason.
"If the bus driver had made the gesture to a driver who cut her off on a local road, we would have taken the same action," Barry said.
Source: Issaquah School District - News release
There could have been quite a few motivations for the driver to flip off the motorcade. Especially out here on the left coast. Based on the school district news release, it could have been road rage after waiting for the motorcade to pass by. There's a lot of people that flip others off on the roads out here, and a lot of inconsiderate drivers that I'd like to flip off from time to time.
It could have been politically motivated "hate speech" (hate gestures?) on the driver's part. The Lord knows people out here on the left coast suffer from "Bush Derangement Syndrome" altogether too much. Obscene gestures are part of what passes for "reasoned political discourse" out here.
Whatever the "excuse", it was a stupid thing for the driver to do, and I stand by the Issaquah School District on this one. Even if the driver was engaging in "free speech", this sets a bad example for school children, and it reflects poorly on the school district. Considering that this was part of a pattern of behavior this decision should stand.
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