School Bus Driver Fired Over Stem Cell Talk

[Champ]

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A school bus driver who chatted about stem cell research with her pupils was fired for inappropriate behavior, a local newspaper said on Thursday.

Stem cell research was a divisive issue in the November U.S. presidential election. Supporters say it may eventually help people with conditions such as Alzheimer's and cancer but opponents argue it would be unethical when it involves cloning human embryos or harvesting cells from embryos.

The Buffalo News said Julianne Thompson, 42, was fired from her job in Grand Island, New York after parents complained about her discussing the issue with pupils on Nov. 1 -- the day before the presidential election.

Thompson told the newspaper she had read an interview where movie director Mel Gibson said more than 20 years of embryonic stem cell research had not cured any diseases but more than 300,000 cures had been found with adult stem cells. She said she then shared the stated facts with the pupils, without offering her opinions.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=573&ncid=757&e=7&u=/nm/20041203/od_nm/life_stemcells_dc

[gWbush is Mabus]

1. 20 years of research

Mel is such a stupid fuck

[JHB]

4. If there's been 20 years of research on embryonic stem cells...

...why is there controversy in using them now?

Let's all see what Mel says, since obviously Hollywood Actors know everything about it (this week).

[Bill McBlueState]

2. weird

While I admire the work school bus drivers do, the most mine ever said was "SIT DOWN!!!!" "BE QUIET!!!!"

Nothing political ever came up.

[underpants]

5. You mean they didn't say things like:

"In the midst of all the misplaced outrage, is the story of the sad and disturbing success of a fraudulent social 'conscience' that devalues life in favor of demonstrably failed science, wasting billions of dollars in the process," she was quoted as saying.

[sui generis]

3. 300,000 CURES!!!!!! Wow.

That's w-a-y more cures than there are diseases.

I guess stem cell cures and voting have something in common - more votes than registered voters, more cures than diseases.

These people are so ignant - I'm sorry she lost her job but she really shoulda just kept her stupidity to herself.

[underpants]

6. Thomas Ramming

Education authorities in the town were not immediately available for comment but the paper quoted schools Superintendent Thomas Ramming as saying employees were not allowed to discuss political issues with students.

[Zuni]

7. I find it strange that a school bus driver and the students were actually

conversing

The only time my school bus driver talked to us is when someone was mooning cars behind us out that back window or when we were tossing things out the side windows.

[TlalocW]

8. In various communities

Especially in religious-nut land, people from religious institutions will get jobs like school bus driver to spread their agenda. A friend of mine who went to school in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma (suburb of Tulsa), was given a talking to by her bus driver because she looked at some guy in a convertible and jokingly made a fawning comment about how that guy was a god. My friend blew off the bus driver who then went to the principal and made up lies about my friend misbehaving on the bus and got her in trouble. The bus driver was a college student at Rhema University in Broken Arrow, which is crazier than Oral Roberts U. in Tulsa. They tend to piss everyone off for 11 months out of the year then try to make it up by turning their campus into an admittedl impressive Christmas light tour.

TlalocW

[Hand]

10. Rhema University... morans!

Check out their web site (briefly). Toward the lower right is a banner: "SPONSER A STUDENT" (sic)!

:dunce:

[TlalocW]

13. I'm not surprised

According to my friend, Rhema students, at least at one time, were notorious for bouncing checks, believing "God will provide." Plus like any religious/private university they get soaked, but they also get bilked by having to buy multiple books by the founder of the university, and these books are soft cover around 50 to 75 pages, and they cost $65.00 last time I ventured into their campus bookstore.

I'm sure ORU is pretty expensive too. The expense and the fact that they're encouraged to go out and prostelyze (sp?) and even begin a flock ties them to the area spiritually as well as financially (don't have money to move elsewhere), which is why there are so many churches in this area. Also keeps a good alumni donor base close by.

TlalocW

[BR_Parkway]

9. How can they listen to Hollywood while they bash Hollywood

if it's a progressive actor/actress - they are out of touch with the mainstream values that made this country great and what do they know, they are actors

if it's a RePuke, they are sages of wisdom

I am continually amazed that they never can see their hypocrisy.

[Squatch]

11. Free speech, alive and well.

[Bertha Venation]

12. *ring* Hello? ACLU? Yes, I need an attorney....

GO, JULIANNE!!