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Teacher in Hot Water Over 'Satirical' Slap at Republicans and Christians

By Jim Brown
February 20, 2003

(AgapePress) - Iowa school officials are contemplating whether to take disciplinary action against a Des Moines teacher who distributed a list of inflammatory comments about Republicans and Christians.

More than 20 students at Central Academy in Des Moines have received a list called "Rules for Being a Good Republican." The material was circulated by government teacher Paul Mann, and included statements such as "You love Jesus and Jesus loves you, and you are certain he shares your hate for AIDS victims, homosexuals, labor unions, and Hillary Clinton."

In addition, the material stated that Republicans embrace pollution for the sake of profit and believe women cannot be trusted to make decisions about their body.

Mann, the former head of the Des Moines Teachers Union, claims the list was political satire and he has done nothing wrong -- but Jim Hawkins with Professional Educators of Iowa does not buy that argument.

"It was truly an insult to the Christian community as well as an insult to the Republican Party itself," Hawkins says. "I think it was very wise that this came forward [because] I have a real concern. Is this the only thing here? What else is going on out there that is political hate?"

Hawkins says before any disciplinary action is taken, there should be an investigation into whether similar incidents have occurred in Mann's classroom. He also believes there should be a consistent policy to deal with teachers who are not objective in the classroom.

"We have a great problem in our schools -- and that is the problem of respect. We don’t have to agree with people, but we can respect why they have a viewpoint," he says. "We can accept them with that viewpoint and then, in the proper place, change their viewpoint.

"The school system is not a place to promote a certain type of politics; actually, it's against the law to promote a certain type of politics or religion within the school."

Mann's actions have even angered some liberals. The Gay and Lesbian Resource Center calls the list "hate speech."

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