Teenager won't apologize to Kansas governor for tweet

[Listening]

Shawnee Mission East High School...the same High School that gave us Thomas Frank (What's the matter with Kansas ?).

I suspect someone on Brownback's staff needed some excitement and this was all they could muster.

SMEHS is loaded with rich kids BTW. All those people who want to be taxed more.

 

[Salt Jones]

I wonder if the Dems/libs in here who are outraged at the idea of an apology to a Republican governor would feel just as outraged if it were a Democratic governor. I think not.

You think wrong. What kind of stupid asshat complains about a tweet from a high school student? He's the governor and his staff run the state. The principal is even worse and I don't know the party affiliation of that dummy.

 

[Listening]

Does it bother anyone that her original tweet was a lie ?

Not that she should be punished....

It just makes her a liar....and a perfect candidate for this board (as a lefty, of course).

 

[Full-Auto]

Does it bother anyone that her original tweet was a lie ?

Not that she should be punished....

It just makes her a liar....and a perfect candidate for this board (as a lefty, of course).

As a terrorist I dont find supporting this type of discourse at all surprising.

 

[ladyliberal]

Does it bother anyone that her original tweet was a lie ?

Not that she should be punished....

It just makes her a liar....and a perfect candidate for this board (as a lefty, of course).

The answer to your question is "yes". Prior to your post, DaGoose and I criticized the student for lying. Actually, I only said that her statement was counterfactual, since I didn't want to get into a discussion of whether the student was lying or as she claimed "joking". In any event, what she said wasn't true and it could reasonably have been interpreted as a factual statement rather than as a joke, so I criticized her.

 

[Zoom]

I'm afraid I'll have to take the opposing view on this one.

Yes, a voter has the right to critisize a politician but there is a right way and wrong way to do that. First of all what she "tweeted" (whatever the hell that is) was a lie. She never openly spoke to him as she alluded to. Second, if she had that would have been enormously disrespectful. My daughters have been raised to respect their elders. And that girl should be able to express her opinion without telling some older than her that "You suck". I would have raised holy hell with either of my daughters had they done that and forced them to apologize.

Good for you and (personally) I am sorry for your children. Luckily this particular parent is far less stifling on her child and allows her to have an opinion.

The principle is the problem here (as well as that idiot she wrote about). He buckled, was trying to force this 18 year old to lie and say she was sorry. Sort of how you would according to your post.

I just thank god she has a great mother. I hope this republican is proud of himself going after that young lady and I am glad it is blowing up in his face. It seems there are not to many people like you and more like her mother. Luckily.

 

[Zoom]

I wonder if the Dems/libs in here who are outraged at the idea of an apology to a Republican governor would feel just as outraged if it were a Democratic governor. I think not.

You think wrong. What kind of stupid asshat complains about a tweet from a high school student? He's the governor and his staff run the state. The principal is even worse and I don't know the party affiliation of that dummy.

I agree with this wholeheartedly. If he was a dem, I would call him out. That is the difference between the left and right sometimes. We call out fools no matter what party they are affiliated with. The right defends the right no matter what. NO MATTER WHAT.

What kind of man in an elected office, goes after tweet's he does not like. I guess he showed her by going to her principle and tattling on her to her principle.

He is going to lose on this one and so are his defenders (which the right always does).

 

[Si modo]

I know that if I were speaking somewhere and I became aware of someone lying about what happened, I would say something to the people she represented, irrespective of whether it was a political event or not.

That's just me.

More to the point on this, the school is likely pressuring this kid to apologize because they do not want their educational program to have a black eye as lying in social media whenever they attend a political event. This might preclude them from being invited to future political events and hinder education.

So, I can completely understand why the principal does not want this kid to ruin future learning opportunities.

 

[Two Thumbs]

Republicans stifling free speech again? That is chilling. I agree w/ the parent:

“If she wants to tweet her opinion about Gov. Brownback, I say for her to go for it and I stand totally behind her.”

Read more: Teen tweeter won't apologize to Sam Brownback - Associated Press - POLITICO.com

Negged for lying.

Her free speech wasn't stifled.

 

[DaGoose]

I'm afraid I'll have to take the opposing view on this one.

Yes, a voter has the right to critisize a politician but there is a right way and wrong way to do that. First of all what she "tweeted" (whatever the hell that is) was a lie. She never openly spoke to him as she alluded to. Second, if she had that would have been enormously disrespectful. My daughters have been raised to respect their elders. And that girl should be able to express her opinion without telling some older than her that "You suck". I would have raised holy hell with either of my daughters had they done that and forced them to apologize.

Good for you and (personally) I am sorry for your children. Luckily this particular parent is far less stifling on her child and allows her to have an opinion.

The principle is the problem here (as well as that idiot she wrote about). He buckled, was trying to force this 18 year old to lie and say she was sorry. Sort of how you would according to your post.

I just thank god she has a great mother. I hope this republican is proud of himself going after that young lady and I am glad it is blowing up in his face. It seems there are not to many people like you and more like her mother. Luckily.

You misunderstood my post. Everything I posted was premised upon if the girl actually did what she alluded to doing.

Had one of my daughters (when they were 18) actually walked up to the Governor of our state and said, "You suck" then I would have made them apologize.

But the mother of that girl was right too since the girl was simply making up a story.

 

[DaGoose]

Does it bother anyone that her original tweet was a lie ?

Not that she should be punished....

It just makes her a liar....and a perfect candidate for this board (as a lefty, of course).

I mentioned it in post #5.

 

[Chris]

Brownback got bitch slapped by a high school girl.

Ouch!

 

[DaGoose]

I'm afraid I'll have to take the opposing view on this one.

Yes, a voter has the right to critisize a politician but there is a right way and wrong way to do that. First of all what she "tweeted" (whatever the hell that is) was a lie. She never openly spoke to him as she alluded to. Second, if she had that would have been enormously disrespectful. My daughters have been raised to respect their elders. And that girl should be able to express her opinion without telling some older than her that "You suck". I would have raised holy hell with either of my daughters had they done that and forced them to apologize.

And I would have raised holy hell if my kid backed down. She owes no apology and I wish the principal would try to discipline her for her tweet. Respect is earned, not given due to age.

I never said she owed an apology. All she did was lie about something in a "tweet".

Had she done what she said, and she was my daughter, she would be apologizing. There are better ways to express opinions without telling someone that "You suck".

Doing something like that only shows stupidity and ignorance.

 

[jgarden]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Kansas teenager who wrote a disparaging tweet about Gov. Sam Brownback said Sunday that she is rejecting her high school principal’s demand for a written apology.

Emma Sullivan, 18, of the Kansas City suburb of Fairway, said she isn’t sorry and doesn’t think such a letter would be sincere.

The Shawnee Mission East senior was taking part in a Youth in Government program last week in Topeka, Kan., when she sent out a tweet from the back of a crowd of students listening to Brownback’s greeting. From her cellphone, she thumbed: “Just made mean comments at gov. brownback,” and then specified what the comments were.

She actually made no such comment and said she was “just joking with friends.” But Brownback’s office, which monitors social media for postings containing the governor’s name, saw Sullivan’s post and contacted the Youth in Government program.

Sullivan received a scolding at school and was ordered to send Brownback an apology letter. She said Prinicipal Karl R. Krawitz even suggested talking points for the letter she was supposed to turn in Monday.

The situation exploded after Sullivan’s older sister contacted the media. Since then, Sullivan’s following on Twitter has grown to about 3,000 people, up from about 65 before the tweet. She said she thinks the tweet has helped “open up dialogue” about free speech in social media..

Sullivan said she disagrees with Brownback politically, particularly his decision to veto the Kansas Arts Commission’s entire budget, which eliminated the state’s arts funding. Brownback has argued arts programs can flourish with private dollars and that state funds should go to core government functions, such as education and social services.

“I think it would be interesting to have a dialogue with him,” she said. “I don’t know if he would do it or not though. And I don’t know that he would listen to what I have to say.”

Sherriene Jones-Sontag, the governor’s spokeswoman, told The Star previously that Sullivan’s message wasn’t respectful and that it takes mutual respect to “really have a constructive dialogue.” Brownback’s office didn’t return calls or emails Sunday from the AP.

Teen tweeter won't apologize to Sam Brownback - Associated Press - POLITICO.com

Unless Kansas is somehow exempt from America's current economic problems, doesn't Brownback and his staff have better things to do with their time than having the State Tweet Police censure a teenager for tweeting to her friends?

 

[Lakhota]

I salute this young lady!

 

[Lakhota]

Kansas School Unconstitutionally Disciplines Student For Criticizing Gov. Sam Brownback | ThinkProgress

 

[editec]

Principal Karl R. Krawitz has overstepped his authority.

Now it is time for him to apologise to that student, and time for him to do it publically, too --before the student body.

Let me guess...was this guy a football coach before he became principle?

 

[jgarden]

Hasn't anyone in the governor's office ever heard about the 1st Amendment?

They are blatantly exploiting the fact that this young woman happens to go to school and that public education is under the control of the state.

Brownback's office is acting as if the 1st Amendment doesn't extend to students enrolled in a public school - and in this case, a student who is also old enough to vote.

If she or her fellow students were now to tweet that they do not intend to vote for Brownback in the next election, would her prinicipal get another "friendly" visit from the Kansas Tweet Police?

 

[Si modo]

Kansas School Unconstitutionally Disciplines Student For Criticizing Gov. Sam Brownback | ThinkProgress

I wonder how much of anything a school does is 'unconstitutional'.

But, you wouldn't as your defer your thinking to others. If you're going to do that, you should make sure they are saying somthing other than nonsense.

 

[Luissa]

Why does the governor even care?