Saturday, June 21, 2008

Burning, Brandishing & Burying John Freshwater

I have received a number of comments about the “burning” or the “branding” of the middle school student brought to light by the child’s parents. These parents are the plaintiffs in a civil rights lawsuit filed a week ago against the school board, the superintendent, the principal and John Freshwater.

Here is a sample of the comments received:

"I wonder how you'd like it if a teacher started carving pentagrams in students' arms with a razor blade. Just exercising first amendment rights...right?" --- Anonymous


" you sir are an idiot, get all the facts before you go praising a child abuser which is so very "christian." --- Gillian

"I can't believe you support burning a child's arm. He also is stated in the report that he lied. Is that a Christian thing to do?" --- Anonymous


"What is the matter with you? He assaulted students by BURNING a cross into their arms that remained there for weeks. Are you just ignoring that part of the story? The man has gone completely insane.Don't treat people like they're idiots, you aren't doing conservatives any favors by saying the only thing he is guilty of is being a christian. We all know he burned kids with an electric device, trying to throw the story by making him the victim is embarrassing." --- Anonymous


I will address those comments at the end of this article. This is just one of the issues or accusations that the press, the school board and school officials have used to cloud the real issue. That is what we will touch on first.

BURNING JOHN FRESHWATER

But first, we must not forget that the whole controversy started with Mr. Freshwater's refusal to remove his Bible from the top of his classroom desk when told to do so by his principal. This caused such a stir in the community and among the students and some parents that I think the school board was caught off guard with their pants down.

Then the cowardly school board started almost immediately to add charges to Mr. Freshwater's case. “This case is much more than the Bible on the desk,” they claimed. Yes, that is true, it was about a man who dared to stand as a Christian for his God-ordained right to practice is Christianity outside a so-called sanctioned sanctuary.

The "burning" incident, or example, is simply a exaggerated diversionary tactic to deflect from the real issue - the right of Mr. Freshwater to keep his personal Bible on his desk and his God-given right to practice his faith.

The school board using its taxpayer financed surrogates, HR On-Call, Inc. (the investigators) conducted a shameful sham of an investigation. The investigators combed through his personnel file and past "incidents” where he may have offended the disgruntled personalities or fragile sensibilities of some peers, parents or secular humanist priests and the liberal slanted press to build up a case against this Christian man. All stops were pulled out. The attack went forward. Anyone who had ever had a problem or confrontation with Mr. Freshwater was given center stage. The result and the objective was to portray Freshwater as wild, out-of-control, even physically abusive lunatic. The press and politicos in Ohio used the same tactic and hack job on Ken Blackwell who also dared to bring his Christianity to the political arena. It worked then, it worked now.

Case in point, it was very interesting and revealing that the 15-page investigators report was apparently leaked (provided) to the Columbus Dispatch prior to the special school board meeting that determined the fate of Mr.
Freshwater. I saw and read the report on Thursday evening. It was posted at 6:04 PM on
www.Dispatch.com in the article by the strikingly unfair and unbalanced journalist, Ms. Alayna DeMartini. In other words, the underhanded school board released the report to the equally loathsome press and to a public eager to eat the pabulum put in front of them. Most probably the report was not provided to Mr. Freshwater before Jane or Joe Public were able to peruse its gory details. Talking about a hit piece! Nice work Alayna, you and the despicable Dispatch burned John Freshwater real good.

Well, they have done an excellent job to date in destroying the good character and lifetime of work of this admirable man. He is not the person the press paints. He is not a perfect man, but he is a Christian who lives out his faith. That is the essence of the matter.

“Keep your religion (faith) to yourself and in your stained class cathedrals, but don't you dare bring it to school, to work, to the ballgame, to the public square,” I guess that is the lesson those who burned and those who support the burning of Mr. Freshwater want the rest of us to learn. I thank God I for one am a slow learner . . .
I could imagine that something similar was told to saints like Joan of Arc in the day.


BURNING THE CHILDREN

This may shock you, but Tesla coils are used to demonstrate electric current. They are often used in classroom as a teaching tool in science class . . . Read the Mount Vernon News article, "Tesla coils used to show electric current" for a further explanation of how the this harmless device is used. In the article a Kenyon College professor explains that the device is relatively harmless.

THE PRESS FANS THE FLAME

The press (aka, the biased liberal media) is making this guy out to some sort of a monster, which he is not. He was the 2007 Teacher of the Year recipient and a 21 year veteran of the Mount Vernon City Schools. He was well loved by his students. However, Ike Gitmo, the left will attack anything that might get in the way of their agenda, political ideology or pet cause.


13 comments:

  1. This whole issue wouldn't be an issue if the government hadn't gotten involved in education in the first place. Its wrong to force taxpayers to support a program which indoctrinates children into any belief system, whether it be Christianity or evolution or whatever. If you want to help to put a stop to this nonsense, sign the proclamation at:

    www.schoolandstate.org

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous4:56 PM

    Every teacher, even the greatest, can be accused of something. Even the greatest, have made miscues, usually harmless, that can be made to look terrible by using a slanted context.

    That said, it is nearly impossible to fire a bad teacher and that includes REALLY bad ones--especially if the school district is unionized.

    This school system needed something to take the spotlight off the Bible issue.

    Greg's post explained the matter quite well.

    I speak with the authority of a retired educator (35 years) including four years as a principal.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous7:51 PM

    He burnt kids arms. Enough said.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous7:58 PM

    You are not correct. The parents complained in December. After 4 months the school did nothing, they parents sent a letter. The school then asked John to remove items. He chose not to remove the Bible. He held a press conference. After almost a week the school board then released a press release and explained what was going on. Then the investigation, then the verdict.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous5:52 PM

    I completely agree with Mr. Freshwater's actions. His secret plan is to keep humanity advancing, and prevent it from going back to the dark ages.

    He seems to understand that not everyone can spend their life creating vaccines, curing cancer (have you seen the survival rates for childhood cancers? Many cancers that were a death sentence 15 years ago can now be cured in 90% of the cases), improving crops, you know, all those activities that require a good understanding of evolution.

    By making his students science illiterate, he assures a supply of fast food cooks, house painters, bus drivers and all the other people needed to keep things moving. And by making them unthinking Christians, he makes sure they will be happy with their humble lives.

    Thank you Mr. Freshwater, and God bless you.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous11:03 PM

    Well there are a number of problems with your arguments. First off, while the discussion from the Kenyon College prof discussed a Tesla Coil, which is what people were assuming he used, as that is common in science classrooms. However, according to published reports, that is not what John Freshwater used. He used a device that specifically stated in the manufacturer's instructions that it should not come into contact with skin.

    Secondly, this has really never had anything to do with his personal bible, but more to do with years and years of his flouting the rules. My son had him for a few days two years ago. I couldn't understand why he was discussing Mr. Freshwater, as he wasn't his teacher. However, Mr. Freshwater refused to teach evolution, and so switched with another teacher for a few days so she could teach it for him. Instead of being okay with that accommodation, which is far more than most of us would have had, he spent the two days with my son's class teaching his anti-evolution perspective.

    I'm sorry, you cannot make this man who simply flouted his contract year after year, just daring someone to take him on, to be a victim. This is his doing, and frankly, I suspect it is intentional for publicity and lawsuits, on his part.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm with the Anons as well as eddie geffen here. Mr Jaye, do you really think that Freshwater's activities "burst on the scene" just earlier this spring? A report from five years ago at a site called answersingenesis.org details a complaint against Freshwater by a former student as well as an actual proposal made to the school district by Freshwater, all of this dealing with his wanting to teach "creation science" Specifically, he was called to a meeting over the complaint which dealt with his teaching of "flaws in evolutionary theory" (as AIG puts it) to his eight grade science class.

    As this report indicates, John Freshwater was already agitating and challenging the public school curriculum regarding science, or rather being complained about for doing so as early as May 2003. Since 2003 this man has been an 'activist teacher' causing as much trouble as he could and butting up against the rules of the school district employing him with the sole purpose of finally gaining attention on a national scale, something which the more extremist movement within Fundamentalist Christianity (Christian Theocrats, I'd rather they be called) all seem to want to do. To bring these matters to a level where they can make it into the courts and challenge our laws. This guy is no different than Ward Churchill IMHO, teaching views and opinions that are offensive (though each man is on a thoroughly different "side" in the "culture wars", obviously) to captive audiences while being on the taxpayers' payroll.

    And let's not forget, this guy agitated for at least 5 years and then finally had to brand students' arms with crosses to get the national attention he sought. A rather desperate move there it would seem to me.

    You say a counter-suit would be a "test case" in terms of returning to Christians rights they have in your opinion "been stripped of"? I see this as nothing more than an attempt by an "activist teacher" (rather than your "activist judges" claim) to bully his way into just such a lawsuit with hope to set a dangerous precedent for all of us. The "rights of Christians stripped away"? What about the rights of the students being told that evolutionary biology is wrong as well as homosexuality based on a sola Scriptura interpretation of The Bible? Our children have rights as well, rights to not be evangelized to in their science classes!

    And yes, I AM a Christian, and as far as I'm concerned, people like John Freshwater do nothing but attempt to make the rest of us Believers look like idiots to the rest of the U.S. Though from a comment I found by a student (though I've not yet confirmed it), Mr Freshwater appears to be one of these "true/real Christians" who considers Roman Catholics to not be Christian at all, so good riddance to bad rubbish as far as I'm concerned.

    Oh, and as you seem to be familiar with CAIR, I'll add that I consider this case to be no different than the drama that became "the flying Imams" case, not to mention my feelings that it is nothing different than Ward Churchill, another "activist teacher" with whom I strongly disagree.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Amazing! There is much more to the inappropriate behavior of Freshwater than you pretend. It's amazing how much certain Christians appear to want to ignore his long record of inappropriate behavior. I'm curious what the motivation is for defiantly defending such inappropriate behavior, even using such false "spinning" of the issues with misrepresentation. I suspect it has something to do with an overzealous promotion of personal religious beliefs by some Christians.

    It is certainly NOT the case that Freshwater is being fired merely for failing to remove a personal Bible from his own desk, and anyone who pretends that that is what this is all based on simply shows by example one aspect of the misrepresentation that some Christians will engage in for the purpose of promoting their religious agenda.

    Freshwater has a long (documented) record of inappropriate behavior going back several years, and what is surprising, actually, is that neither the school administration nor the district school board has done anything about it until now.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous10:10 PM

    I suspect Mr. Freshwater has punched his ticket onto the rubber-chicken circuit speaking about his oppression to creationist's audiences for the rest of his life. Good for him.

    If my kids were in that school, I'd be pretty chapped at the teacher teaching a 5,000 year old Earth and Adam and Eve. I guess I'm one of those "disgruntled pesonalities or fragile sensibilities" that would object that I want my kids learning science.

    I'd have no problem with the Bible on the desk, though.

    /s/ Cletus

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous10:58 PM

    Anonymous is wrong. The device Freshwater used was indeed a packaged Tesla coil.

    Furthermore, it had far from enough current capacity to do any harm.

    The HR study showed the investigators used it on themselves and caused just a reddening which went away in a day.

    The boy's parents admitted one reason their son had discomfort is that he put (sports?) equipment over the area the very same day, irritating it.

    The same science demo had been done with both Freshwater and student volunteers for years with no complaints. The marking b.s. is just a trumped-up charge to get rid of an annoying religious guy.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous6:28 AM

    Lex wrote, "And let's not forget, this guy agitated for at least 5 years and then finally had to brand students' arms with crosses to get the national attention he sought. A rather desperate move there it would seem to me."

    Lex, you've got the details wrong. As I said above, the Tesla coil demo had been done for years, and it got the kids interested and excited and they volunteered.

    The marking wasn't dangerous and wasn't forced and had been part of the class for 11 (21?) years.

    If parents are uncomfortable, then stop the particular demo. It's not essential to the material.

    But don't crucify the teacher on false grounds. If he's to be criticised, then criticise him for teaching religion in school, but leave the Tesla coil out of it.

    Debate the honest issue (religion in school) without bogus charges against him.

    Teach the kids honesty, not subterfuge.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous7:44 AM

    I aggree whole-heartedly with the school principal above who stated, "Every teacher, even the greatest, can be accused of something. Even the greatest, have made miscues, usually harmless, that can be made to look terrible by using a slanted context."

    I think it's a riot that I'm an atheist defending a creationist - and that all the hate-filled secuarists are insisting on various boards that I must be a "fundie". [I belong to a local secular humanist organisation, for Pete's sake.]

    Both sides are going over-board. Frehswater should have obeyed the clear informal will of his bosses, the school board, to keep creationism/ID out of the classroom. He should also not have denigrated Catholics at the FCA meeting.

    But the secularists are being unreasonable, too. They shouldn't be out to crush Freshwater, nor should fake branding charges be made up.

    Even the Bible on the desk is harmless. Many hotels have a Bible. I ignore it (or glance at it as literature) and am no worse for the wear. By middle school most kids will have seen a Bible, and so even the atheists among them won't be traumatised.

    This didn't belong in the courts. The school board and the teacher should have compromised.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous11:43 PM

    Athiest you are wrong. The mark was made and DID last a couple of weeks. Anyone who says other wise is not telling the truth. The investigators only held the device on the flesh for a second. The mark on the arm obviously took longer than a second. The other kids in the class also agreed that this happened. Read the report. Also Mr Freshwater admitted he did it. He just called it an "x".

    ReplyDelete