[Petition to have Paszkiewicz fired]

My question is this, Was this man a good teacher before this little spoiled brat,

I don't know what kind of ideal (to you, at least) theocracy you have in your head, but in this country, and this reality, to expect people to obey the law is not being "spoiled."

who spends too much time thinking how he can be the center of everyones attention,

Are you kidding me? Who exactly stepped over that line of controversy first? If the teacher didn't want to be the center of attention, he should have known his place. He may be a preacher too, but here he was at school. A public school. Not giving a sermon at a church. He brought it on himself, and I am glad that a student had the guts to stand up to him and to people like you to uphold the Constitution.

started this thing?" YES HE WAS AND YES HE IS." Just remember one thing, One nation, under GOD.

"under god" was only added in 1954, you moron. It's a modern addition, snuck in during the Red Scare when everyone was afraid of conspiracy theories about Communist spies being everywhere. It has nothing to do with the values this nation was actually founded on.

Did you know that the USA existed for nearly two centuries before that, or did you spend all your time thinking about God in your own history class?

Both of my children had this wonderful teacher and both are now in the educational field, so my vote goes to the man who taught my children.

Of course, this is a completely unbiased statement made by someone who has a clear understanding of both the First Amendment, and has in no way prejudged or leveled ad hominem attacks against the student who stood up for the Constitution, not to mention catching his teacher in an outright lie.

Just who do you think you're kidding?

Also remember this boy , if offended could have gotten up and walked out of that class anytime he wanted to

LOL, sounds like the "girls get raped because they wear skimpy clothes" type of logic. The _teacher_ is the one who did wrong (and illegal, at that). He had every right to stick up for himself, since he was right and the teacher was wrong.

, but instead he chose to make a mountain out of a mole hill.

The teacher deserves every bit of controversy he gets from his blatant contempt for the Establishment Clause. He brought it upon himself. I'm glad it was made into a "mountain." It serves him right to see what happens when he starts telling public school students, children he is supposed to be teaching history too, that they belong in hell.

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[Petition to have Paszkiewicz fired]

Get real! Your petition won't get a teacher fired. As far as I know the board has already made a decision. So, how about get a life, get busy and stop giving your opinion on an issue that you have no idea what is going on...The students in the classroom do not agree with Matthew, in fact they think he is an idiot. They are the best witness we have....by the way, you are from Texas, right? Yeah...A little bit too far from Kearny...Thanks for trying though, your concern for Kearny is really touching...BUT WE DON'T NEED IT!

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Anyone who thinks Matthew was an idiot in this circumstance needs all the help they can get, Kearnian or not.

[Petition to have Paszkiewicz fired]

See what happens when someone from outside Kearny tries to exchange ideas? Some idiot from Kearny threatens. Keep showing America what Kearny is like. They are still watching this board.

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Your generalization is no better. You know, 75% of the entire USA's population believes all this God nonsense, so it's not just Kearny, and on top of that, majority doesn't make right anyway, so how about you think a little before you express a sentiment right out of the fundamentalis mindset before you say something like that. You speak of Kearny the way fundies speak of "false cults" a.k.a. sects of Christianity they don't agree with. And that's within the same damned religion.

I have lived in Kearny for 20+ years, and I would like nothing more than to see that teacher canned at _least_. He only broke one of the fundamental laws of the entire country. Anything less would set a very bad precedent (actually, not having to face any criminal charges is already by itself too soft, in my opinion. He did break the law, after all). Besides, the admission of guilt is right there, where he denied saying the incriminating statements, before he was proven wrong. Caught red-handed.

If a teacher needn't even fear so much as losing his/her job for telling students, during class time mind you, of a particular religion that they belong in hell, what is going to stop any other teachers from fearlessly trampling on the separation of church and state in the future?

[KHS Teacher Controversy]

why is the town having problems with the best teacher to hit town in years!A PROUD AMERICAN IS 100 % RIGHT! the town has lost its way in the dark! and kearny IS IN ITS DARK DAYS! the very thing that our life and laws are made of is at risk!

All that shows is that you have a completely false idea of what exactly is "the very thing that our life and laws are made of."

when god is left out of teaching in school

things are just as they should be. When it comes to public school, at least. Church and state are to be separate, and public schools are part of the state. No one is forced into public schooling--enroll your kid(s) in private school or homeschool them if you don't like the fact that religion is _necessarily_ absent from public schooling, as per the Constiution of the United States of America.

the very way of life in the usa is at risk!

Nonsense. It is precisely because of kids like Matthew that the way of life in the USA is not at risk of being trampled over by religious zealots.

thats just what UBL WANTS! the town folk NEEDS TO WAKE UP AND ASK GOD TO FORGIVE THE STUPID DUMB THINGS SOME FOLK ARE SAYING!

As useless (and unnecessary) as such an action is, I fully support and encourage you and whoever else to do as much praying in your spare time as you want.

this is a good time for kearny to " repent" for pushing god out of schools

On the contrary--it is people like you trying to push your god into schools! Not only that, but I bet you're enough of a hypocrite to demand your religion be taught in public schools, but would be outraged if Islam was taught as well.

and every day life

Nonsense. No one is trying to take your god out of your everyday life. Religion is a personal thing--that is why separation of church and state exists. Public school is no place to promote one's personal beliefs. You're just going to have to deal with that. That kid was 100% in the right.

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[Congratulations, Kearney!]

From the front page: "The article is sure to renew interest on this heated issue and bring national attention to Kearny."

If you think this is the kind of attention you want, if you think you're going to be the host town of the next Scopes Trial, you're sorely mistaken, folks.

You're famous for having a public school teacher who believes a man once put dinosaurs on a boat to save them from a magic flood. And you're famous for agreeing with him.

Gosh, doesn't that make you swell up with pride? Think what it will do for tourism!

"Hey everybody, let's go check out Kearny! Maybe we can buy some local crafts while we're visiting. I hear they're on the brink of the Bronze Age, you know. Darling, don't these Kearny savages make the best stone implements?"

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Way to generalize an entire community based on the actions of one or more kooks. I pity you--you don't seem to realize you're taking a page out of the fundies' book with that kind of comment.

[A message of support for Matthew LaClair]

Adding my support for this kid--I graduated from KHS and am glad to see that there are people this age who don't put up with bullshit like that. More power to him--if there's ever an organized protest or something, someone let me know, because I want to be there.