Young Daughter of Soldier Abused by Obama Supporting Teacher

November 6, 2008 in General, War News

This is disgusting. An Obama supporting teacher in Asheville, North Carolina, is caught on tape ridiculing the young daughter of a soldier stationed in Iraq.

Updated with response of school superintendent

Update 2 with Parent’s response

Fire the biatch NOW!

Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin

UPDATE: School Superintendent William C. Harrison responds:

Michelle Malkin stays on top of the story with this update.

She points to a report here:

The Cumberland County school system is investigating the actions of a former Asheville teacher criticized for “belittling” a student who voiced support for presidential candidate John McCain.

But the parents of that student, and the student herself, said Friday that teacher Diantha Harris did nothing wrong.

“She is usually messing around,” said Cathy Thompson, who was in Harris’ fifth-grade class in May when a Swedish film crew visited for a documentary on American politics. “When she said that, I knew she was messing around.”

I’m calling BS on this. The student does not want to be an outcast so she is shrugging the incident off as a joke because to do otherwise will make her very unpopular at the school. Look at the video tape and see if it looks as if the student thinks it is a joke at the time.

…

After a discussion with one student supporting Barack Obama because of his plan to end the war in Iraq, Harris turns to Cathy Thompson and asks her to speak up about her choice because her father is in the military

Cathy is shown biting her lip and looking upset. She remained silent.

“It’s a senseless war,” Harris says in the film. “And by the way, Cathy, the person you are picking for president said that our troops will stay in Iraq for another 100 years if they need to.”

Thompson still didn’t respond.

“So that means your daddy is going to be in the military for another hundred years,” she tells the child.

Yeah, jab that knife into the little girl’s heart, Ms. Harris, and twist it a bit.

…

Cathy Thompson said Friday she wasn’t upset at the time. Her parents, Angela Moore and Army Staff Sgt. Robert Thompson, also said they weren’t mad at the teacher.

Moore said her daughter never mentioned feeling as if she was being picked on.

Angela, welcome to the world of child psychology… Of course she isn’t going to say anything. Saying something would just prolong the agony and increase the ostracism at school. There is no benefit to her to tell you a thing, and a great many ways in which it could cause more bad things to happen to her.

“Mrs. Harris is always active with the children like that,” Moore said. “I have sat in her class when my Cathy was a student, and she was very active with the children. She tries to get them involved with everything.”

Robert Thompson said when he first watched the clip Friday, he understood why some would see it as Harris trying to change his daughter’s mind.

But after hearing Harris’ side and talking with his daughter, he now thinks Harris is “getting a rough deal.”

…

The Thompson family, along with other parents who visited Harris at her home in Fayetteville, said they don’t want Harris punished.

“There should be no repercussions at all,” Thompson said. “There was no harm done to anybody.”

I do not agree. Harm was done to your daughter even if you choose not to acknowledge that fact, but, more importantly, harm will be done to countless future children of our military men and women who might be subjected to this type of abuse in the future.

The film maker, Folke Ryden, said the comment about the child’s father staying in the military for 100 years was a joke.

Sorry Folke, that did not look like a joke to me. The only ones laughing were the other students, not the little girl who was the object of the derision.

This story was originally reported at The Tundra Tabloids which follows up with more coverage here.

Their take on Ms. Harris’ responses is here:

Harris is free falling in a downward spiral of denial and face saving. The Fayetteville article which mentions the Tundra Tabloids as the first to get the story, quotes Diantha Harris who claims that:

“She blamed the controversy on McCain supporters still smarting from their defeat this week. “If John McCain had won, nothing would be said about this video, doctored or undoctored,” said Harris, who is a registered Democrat“

Again, BS, Ms. Harris. We would be complaining about this type of treatment of the children of our soldiers regardless of who won the election.