Tim Blair

The professor didn't kick higher through lack of experience. Hanging around with Democratic academics, she probably never met a man with balls before...

If you delete the word "knee", I'd say the apology was spot on.

Now how would the story have ended had he kicked her back? "GOP partisan political operative lashes out at university profesor - surpressing her free speech."

"I acted entirely inappropriately by kicking you, giving vent to a thoughtless knee-jerk political reaction that should never have happened," she wrote. "Before the incident, I did not know you and that you are a Fort Lewis student."

So, if she had known he was a student, she would have restrained herself?

God knows how many times I wanted to kick students, but universities will flat out fire you for far less abuse of a student than that, and the stain will follow you throughout academia. Somehow, I think Ms. Spero's apology rings a little hollow.

My experience of "progressives" is that they're perfectly OK with resorting to physical violence against people they disagree with... if they think they can get away with it. Usually that means attacking women and kids at our rallies. And usually they're wrong.

They also like to show their courage pragmatically, like the guy who put his little daughter on his shoulders and followed us around throwing Hitler salutes.

I tell ya, I'd vote for Bush just because it would be too embarrassing to admit I'm with these people.

That idiot professor should be at least suspended and by rights fired.

Physical violence by 'anti-war progressive' and rabid feminist types is not the least bit surprising, given all the 'peoples revolution' twaddle that they peddle. It also explain the attraction that they have to domination, S+M, role reversal, and the rest of that depersonalized thrill seeking with people in masks. It all about depersonalizing someone and harming them for a thrill.

If a teacher had physically laid into a student for wearing a "Vote #1 John Kerry" t-shirt, I imagine there would have been a mob, complete with lit torches, baying hounds, & instructor Speros may well have been in the vanguard, calling for heaven only knows what wrath to be brought to the culprit.

Uh, where I live that's not a "knee-jerk reaction," that's assault and battery.

I would have called the cops and pressed charges.

These clowns will continue to resort to violence until enough of them see the inside of a jail to get a clue.

Agree with you Barbara Skolaut, & it may not be over yet Barbara Skolaut, I imagine that if victim Mark O'Donnell chooses to make a complaint to police, that part-time instructor Maria Speros would be in very serious trouble.
While I may not agree with lots of t-shirts, I don't consider wearing one, (no matter how tastelessly decorated) as an offence punishable by bovver boy methods. The law sees it the same way. No matter what the t-shirt, or who is the attacker, I know what would be the verdict were I to be on the jury, even if I had to keep the other 11 people there for 3 months of arguing!

He did file a complaint with the police. Don't know where it is in the process or whether charges will be filed.

If a complaint is made to police, they are obliged to investigate. If police investigations reveal sufficient evidence then charges will be laid. (that is how it works here) Presumably there are piles of eyewitnesses, like LOTS of investigations, it is amazing just how many witnesses suffer amnesia when it comes to the crunch. If a case is to make it to court, it usually requires some surveillance camera footage or other NON-HUMAN evidence.

Please!!! Kick me! Give me the chance to unload on you. I live for the day I can swing freely on some lefty fuck who oversteps their bounds. I want to make them swallow teeth, I live for the day, my rage simmers under my peaceful female appearance. Give me the chance to tear into you, I'm furious and ready to spill blood. Please, kick me you worthless fuck...

yeah right "steve " that happens every day round my swingen town

yeah right "steve " that happens every day round my swingen town

cops have more urgent stuff to do than chase lefty kerry asswipes around town palpably f@@@@@@ but politically real

That sweatshirtwould have been more up to the minute had it supported the insurgents who are the winners at the time of writing. Still time for the sibilant saurian to make up ground though.

First of all the student Mark O'Donnell was invading the professor's space. Second of all it had nothing to do with his lousy republican shirt which says "join us now or work for us later." The student waited four days to complain to the police after contacting the Republican National Committee. This is the true story. She is an honest and good teacher. He invaded her personal space and kicked him out of the way. Do not post without a cause and at first it had nothing to do with that stupid republican shirt.

Regards,
Michael
Fort Lewis College Student

Well Micheal if you feel kicking a student reguardless of your stand point is acceptable, then you should be removed from campus as will this so called "great teacher".

Her s[ace was breached. Her natural reactgion to be scared it to protect herself. Kicking was not the best of responses but he was being obnoxious that night. Both were in the wrong but all the news paints her to be the bad guy. Thanks for all you time.

Sorry for the mispelling. She was having her space breached. She was not happy bcause he was all up in her face and was being obnoxious. Her natrual reaction was to protect herself. This is all. Both were wrong. However, the picture paints her to be the bad guy. Noone is in the right. Thanks for you time! Dont forget get out and vote!

First of all, lets get our facts straight. The sweater didn't say “work for us now. . .or work for us later,” it said, “JOIN us now. . .or work for us later.” Hence the joke, hence the humor. The misrepresented phrase just makes the FLC College Republicans look like arogant corporate elitists instead of just arogant bastards. If the Associated Press had bothered to read the article that appeared in the Durango Hearald they would have known the correct phrasing. But no, I guess doing a little research is too hard for them and for everyone else who has ran with this story like it was a marathon. Second of all the student should have accepted the appology of the professor, seeing as he was bumping into her personal space and nothing more than pride was attacked (on both sides). There was no need for her to “resign” midway into the semester. Reprimand and appology is enough - don't you think it's about time we superceed our litigious pettiness? Yes, the professor’s actions were juvenille, but how many of us can cast a stone when we have the same personal desires to knock a liberal or conservative flat for flaunting their rhetoric? It's ridiculous that a local minor incident can make such a splash on our major news media, and even more so, since they cannot even bother to report the correct phrasing that started the entire ordeal!