“When You’re Holding a Hammer” composer, Bryan Glover lost his job as an assistant athletic coach at a Tennessee middle school. Americans can become more truthfully acquainted with the American public school system by following this story.
I know the entanglements of the public school system well. There aren’t many differences among them from coast to coast, except some schools are far more dangerous than others. A few decades ago when I was a tenured high school teacher in Minneapolis, a respected study claimed the most dishonest people among the professions are those in the public education industry. Attorneys had slipped to second place. Perhaps I shall share some stories of ’eduator’ deceit in future blogs…..They are countless…….And that was a far more civil and tolerant time than these days of Leftwing political correctness.
Let’s follow the story, the best we can, of Bryan Glover, a Tea Party hero, in my view…..and a young American hero, also thus far, in my view. Our country still has good young people…..we must not forget that.
The following report comes from Technology, written by Mark Whittington:
“A football coach at the Grassland Middle School in Tennessee wrote a satirical song titled “If You’re Holding a Hammer Everything Looks Like a Nail http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfH46DTAkxo
and sent a link to it to everyone in his personal e-mail address book, including parents of students.
The song is a dig against the Obama administration and its various policies. Unfortunately, some of the parents who received the e-mail with the link took things amiss and complained to the school. According to the One News Now site:
“‘An hour-and-a-half after sending out the e-mail, I got the phone call from the head coach saying that he had had complaints from parents; he was told to fire me,’ the former coach accounts.
“He notes that he was surprised by the allegations against him.
“‘When the coach first called me, he said his phone was blown up with parents saying that I was being politically incorrect — quote, unquote — if you will, and that some of them were even reading into racial overtones in the song,’ Glover explains.
“But he points out that the lyrics make no direct or indirect reference to race.”
To paraphrase Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit fame, they told me that if I voted for John McCain, people would be fired for writing songs ridiculing the government, and they were right!
Mind, a case could be made that Coach Bryan Glover erred by not taking into account that some of the people he sent the link to might be offended, something that would get back to the school. In this age of Obama, Americans are so polarized that sometimes families deem it prudent not to discuss politics at the dinner table.
Even so, Coach Glover would seem to, at best, be in line for a gentle reprimand behind closed doors and a promise to be more circumspect and not lose his job summarily, without recourse or a hearing. One might observe that teachers and coaches accused of molesting their charges are granted more due process than Coach Glover was for just sending a link to a satirical song.
Click below for a news report regarding Coach Glover’s firing:
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6a7_1282646783
Filed under: American Culture, Arts and Entertainment, Barack Obama, Education, National Politics
