Mississippi students told not to say Obama's name

[damndude]

A controversy has erupted at a Mississippi junior high school over allegations that a bus driver and a coach threatened students with punishment for saying Barack Obama's name.

The incidents became public when outraged parents called the studios of WAPT news in Pearl, Miss. Some said their children were threatened by a bus driver with being written up and taken to the principal's office, others that their children were told by a girls' basketball coach they would be suspended.

Reginald Simpson, a student at Pearl Junior High, explained that when students on the bus started saying, "Obama is our president," the bus driver told them she didn't want to hear his name. One kid said, "This is history woman," and according to Simpson, "She pulled over and kicked me and the kid off the bus." They were left waiting at the high school and later taken to their own school.

"They feel like they afraid to say who our president is, cause they afraid they going to be in trouble," Reginald's mother Canishia told WAPT. "We teach our kids not to be racist, and here it is going on. I just feel hurt by it."

The Simpson family is black. However, another mother whose son was on the bus and who also plans to confront school officials about the incident is white. "This is what the whole election was about," Venus Neagu told WAPT. "It was supporting someone. And now that they've done it and they're on the school bus, now they're getting consequences for it."

School officials reviewed video from the bus and promised that no students would be punished. The superintendent released a statement saying, "It appears that some persons, out of disappointment and disillusionment with the election may have been so frustrated that they said something inappropriate to students. We have taken appropriate steps with the bus driver and the coach."
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Students_asked_not_to_say_Obamas_1107.html

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Sabriel]

2. President, um, You-Know-Who

Great, so Obama's the equivalent of Voldemort?

[madaboutharry]

3. The bus driver is a MORAN!

What an idiot.

[darius15]

4. Why is the Deep South so backwards thinking? And its not gonna change.

White voters overall backed McCain 88-11. Young whites (18-29) backed McCain 81-18.

God help them.

[SunDrop23]

17. Maybe they can secede again. (nt)

[Chulanowa]

5. What, do they think Obama is Voldemort?

[Voice for Peace]

11. yeah! he who must not be named

[TheDonkey]

18. well this is the south.

[Bluzmann57]

6. Some of the most fun I ever had in my life was in Mississippi

I partied like crazy with some African-American Blues people who wanted nothing more than to be treated as equals and play Da Blues. They did the latter superbly. These people were some of the finest human beings I have ever had the pleasure of meeting and had not one bigoted bone in their bodies. Pity some people can't see past skin color like these people did, even though they were financially poor. They were, however, rich in character. And that counts for more than anything.

[provis99]

7. yeah, Mississippi was always a paradox

Best music in the country; great atmosphere and interesting culture, very friendly people; had some of my best (but also most frustrating years there); unfortunately, the racial attitudes of the vast majority of whites there are primitive at best.

[Danger Mouse]

8. We will fight this. We will fight the hate no matter where it rears its ugly head.

The good part of all of this, is that now it will come to the surface and perish in the light.

[DeepBlueDem]

9. Im not surprised its Pearl, MS

Pearl has a long history of racist behavior, one of my ex-girlfriends graduated from Pearl High School after she transferred from California. It was the worst experience of her life. She told me that the minorities are treated like outsiders. She had an incident when she was talking to an AA male and female during lunch, students were whispering, giving her hate looks, and was even called a ****** lover. It was the worst senior year of her life. She didn't make any (white) friends at school because she doesn't have a bias bone in her body and plus shes' liberal. In addition, Pearl is a ultra conservative-town outside of Jackson where people are ignorant. That town is a progressive/liberals worst nightmare.

[RagAss]

10. Dumbfuckistan South !!!!...what else is new?

[Zomby Woof]

12. Knee-jerk south-bashing

The last acceptable bigotry on DU.

Consider that the western states of Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho, and midwestern states like Oklahoma, all voted for Republicans in much more overwhelming numbers than the southern states.

Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida are major states of the south, and they did right by us. The inane south-bashing on this site is beyond old. So much for open-minded and tolerant "liberals".

[RagAss]

13. psssst...I live here.

[PretzelWarrior]

15. I make fun of Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming too. Buncha Mormons

who are bigoted and WHITE. Just like the racists down south who can't stand being RULED by a black man. Deal with it, Jr. Sample.

[Chulanowa]

16. Well, maybe if people in the south would stop doing dumb shit...

Speaking as someone originally from Mobile AL, I can freely say that the "deep south" - Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida - are always doing something dumb. Yes, I'm glad Florida went for Obama, now maybe they'll want to take Jesus out of the biology books and the Klan flag off I-4. Maybe Alabama will stop electing anti-choice dixiecrats and not prosecute a govorner for not belonging to the Republican party... See where I'm going here? Now hey, I'm glad we have lots of southerners on DU - but I don't think most of you would be here if you were happy with the conditions of your states.

[BattyDem]

14. What should they call him? President That One?

:eyes: :grr: