Jefferson County geometry teacher uses wrong example to teach angles --- assassination of President

[Judi Lynn]

Source: The Birmingham News

Jefferson County geometry teacher uses wrong example to teach angles --- assassination of President Barack Obama
By Marie Leech -- The Birmingham News
May 18, 2010, 6:30AM
and Carol Robinson --- The Birmingham News



A Jefferson County teacher picked the wrong example when he used as­sassinating President Bar­ack Obama as a way to teach angles to his geome­try students.


Someone alerted autho­rities and the Corner High School math teacher was questioned by the Secret Service, but was not taken into custody or charged with any crime.



"We did not find a credible threat," said Roy Sex­ton, special agent in charge of Birmingham's Secret Service office. "As far as the Secret Service is concerned, we looked into it, we talked to the gentleman and we have closed our investigation."

Sexton said he generally doesn't discuss threat cases, but confirmed his of­fice investigated the inci­dent. No federal charges followed the probe.



The teacher was appar­ently teaching his geometry students about parallel lines and angles, officials said. He used the example of where to stand and aim if shooting Obama.

Read more: http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/05/jefferson_county_geometry_teac.html

[Journeyman]

1. Idiot. "Donald Duck in Mathmagic Land" would have accomplished the same and been entertaining . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYia02Dk8Nc


Edit:

For an added benefit, the kids would have learned how to shoot billiards better.

And despite the Music Man's admonition, teaching kids to play pool better wouldn't have resulted in near as much trouble as speculating on the proper angles to become the next "Jackal" for a day. Though the math teaher did succeed in becoming a jackass for a time.

[daleo]

2. A mathematical analysis of the JFK assassination might make sense

There may be some lessons to be learned about math and history in that one. But this Obama hypothetical seems like a strange and provocative choice.

[CLANG]

3. You beat me - I was just about to post this

[JDPriestly]

4. Having gone to school in Alabama, I would say that the Secret Service is very wrong.

This was a threat. The teacher fooled the Secret Service with this southern charm. Fools 'ya every time. That's exactly how the good ole boys work. Exactly. It's all done with a smile.

[stubtoe]

5. Teaching kids how to assassinate the president.

How is this OK??

[pundaint]

6. My first thought was that is just so far beyond acceptable, then, as I was typing

a response I kept thinking, what if his target was bankers? I couldn't get up the same outrage, but the act would be just as wrong. Therefore, I've lost my standing for outrage. The teacher and I still need some work.

[cosmicone]

7. Teaching kids to assassinate ANYONE is wrong. n/t

[Cybergata]

8. Just imagine . . .

what would have happened if the target had been Bush. The FBI would have arrested him in class and drug him down to their main office in handcuffs. They did that to a woman working at the V.A. Hospital (in Albuquerque, N.M.) who wrote a letter to the editor of the Newspaper on a V.A. computer and called for the impeachment of Bush.

It doesn't matter who was the target, any teacher using assassination as an example in my school district would be reprimanded or suspended.

[jaksavage]

9. Fire this ass

he has no business teaching school.

[Paladin]

10. Fire Him. Right Now. (n/t)