US

‘Redneck!’: Ore. Bus Driver Fired for Flying Confederate Flag on Personal Truck

It has the words “redneck” emblazoned across it. And its owner, school bus driver Ken Webber, displays it proudly on his personal pick-up truck.  It‘s a symbol of states’ rights, he says. What is “it,” you ask? The confederate flag, of course:

Redneck!: Ore. Bus Driver Fired for Flying Confederate Flag on Personal Truck

But that’s not how his employers, the Phoenix-Talent school district, saw it: “The Phoenix-Talent school district said the flag violates their harassment policy, even though it’s displayed on his personal vehicle,” according to a news report.

Redneck!: Ore. Bus Driver Fired for Flying Confederate Flag on Personal Truck

Webber says he was fired for not removing the flag from his vehicle. Here is how Webber reported the incident on his Facebook page:

Well I guess i’ll update everyone on whats been going on. today I was called into the bus yards office where I was asked to remove the flag (I think y’all know the answer to that) so I got Fired!!! thats right I am now unemployed for standing up for my rights and what I believe.

Webber plans to take the school district to court for violating his first amendment rights. The AP reports:

An Oregon school bus driver fired after he refused to remove a Confederate battle flag flying from his pickup truck has enlisted the help of a conservative civil liberties group in hopes of getting his job back.

The Rutherford Institute of Charlottesville, Va., sent a letter Wednesday to First Student Bus Transportation Services demanding that Ken Webber of Medford, Ore., be reinstated. The institute says flying the flag is covered by his First Amendment right to free speech.

Watch the local news report about the brouhaha below:

Comments (174)

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  • CENFLA
    Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:33pm

    Born and raised there. You can’t get much more left coast than Oregon. Used to be a very conservative state. Then San Francisco moved in. No reason to go back.

    Report Post »  
  • Son_of_Liberty
    Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:29pm

    I could be mistaken but that looks more like the Naval Jack and not the flag of the Confederacy.

    Report Post » Son_of_Liberty  
    • GhostOfJefferson
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 3:40pm

      No, it’s the stars & bars.

      The English naval jack is combination of the Flag of Scotland and the Flag of England. The Confederate stars & bars *is* patterned after the Flag of Scotland in layout, however, the colors are not the same. The flag of Scotland (and the English jack) have a flue field with the overlaying white (and red for the English naval jack) cross, the stars & bars is a red field with overlaying white and blue cross, with stars.

      Report Post » GhostOfJefferson  
    • SouthernGentleman
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 9:36pm

      Many people, including many southerners and those claiming to be southern, mistake the Stars and Bars with the Confederate Naval Jack and Battle Flag. The flag he is flying is the Naval Jack. The Battle Flag, also known the Southern Cross, was like the Naval Jack but was square not rectangular. the Stars and Bars, the first official flag of the Confederacy, was similar to the Union flag. It had a blue square in the top left hand corner with a circle of 7 seven stars, representing the 7 original Confederate states. It also had two red stripes with a white stripe in between. this flag was later replaced with a white flag with the Southern Cross in the top left hand corner. Before the end of the War of Northern Agression, a red stripe was added to the flag so that it was not mistaken as a white flag of surrender.

      Many groups have used symbols while trying to push the agendas and have distorted and changed the publics opinion of the symbols. A few examples are the swastika used by the Nazis, the raindow used by the gay community, and the Southern Cross used by the KKK and numerous other hate groups.

      Report Post »  
  • aarondav
    Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:26pm

    Liberal fundamentalism at it again; fire anyone different from its politically correct orthodoxy. So weak in its viewpoint that it has to stifle all others….

    Report Post »  
  • catndahat
    Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:26pm

    First Amendment, take ‘em to court.

    Report Post » catndahat  
  • BurntHills
    Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:22pm

    Take the “REDNECK” off it and there is America’s battle flag against obama and his terrorists.

    Report Post » BurntHills  
    • tierrah
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 8:33pm

      I wanted to add my two cents worth to the conversation regarding the “traitorous” Southern Rebels of the Civil War. Most folks attribute the cause of the war to slavery and, indirectly, that is true. How many soldiers, Northern and Southern, rushed into war without a clue as to why they were fighting? The main reason for the war was economics. The sole income of the South was cotton and agriculture dependent upon manual labor as opposed to the manufacturing industry of the Northern states. The North “enforced” their will upon the South by demanding the eradication of slavery … you know, like having something crammed down your throat. The institution of slavery was abominable; but I think it necessarily would have been abolished as machinery slowly replaced the man power needed to plant and harvest crops. We Southerners take pride in being born and living our lives in the South – it is a heritage and a tradition for most of us. The rebel flag does NOT represent the Civil War to us – it represents a southern heritage! I resent always being referred to as a “redneck” simply because I hail from a Southern state. I detest most of the jokes told regarding hillbillies and dumb Southern folk. We are as literate and educated as the rest of the nation; however, we tend to live at a slower pace and in a gentler manner. As with all groups, there are exceptions. We also tend to adhere to social courtesies that are fast becoming a thing of the past. I am proud to be a Southerner and proud to be an American!! Thank y’all for giving me a minute to espouse my opinion.

      Report Post » tierrah  
    • educatedredneck
      Posted on March 11, 2011 at 4:19am

      There were so many Confederate Battle Flags flying in Viet Nam that the VC and NVA thought it was the US battle flag. They DID NOT like having to fight American units flying that flag.

      Report Post »  
    • educatedredneck
      Posted on March 11, 2011 at 4:25am

      A captured Confederate private was asked, “How many slaves do you own?” He replied,”None.” He was asked,”Then why are you fighting us?” He answered, “Cause you-uns is down heah.”

      Report Post »  
    • MyHeroisAllenWest
      Posted on March 11, 2011 at 9:35am

      tierrah,

      Great post, right on.

      Report Post » My Hero-Allen West-click my name  
  • BurntHills
    Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:21pm

    ONE THING IS FOR CERTAIN: this good ol’ boy would be among the first to grab his shotgun and jump in his truck to rush to DEFEND YOU ==another AMERICAN== no matter what color you are== in a fight against obama’s terrorists.

    Report Post » BurntHills  
    • DesertRose1960
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:32pm

      @Burnthills, No, I‘m pretty sure if he grabbed his gun he’d point it at me and accuse me of being a terrorist because I’m a Liberal. The Confederate flag was and is a symbol of rebel traitors to the United States of America. The Civil War was fought and won by Northerners 136 years ago. This flag is also associated with the Ku Klux Klan and all of its racist words and deeds. Oregon, sadly, has a history of Klan membership in the southern part of the state.

      Report Post » DesertRose1960  
    • Gonzo
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:59pm

      Sounds like DesertRose1960 wants his flag AND shotgun taken away Burnthills.

      Report Post » Gonzo  
    • OK, now what?
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 2:19pm

      I agree with Rose on this point. to an individual person, it might represent states rights, but, though they were possibly justified in what they tried to do, they were in fact traitors to the United States. I believe that, to most people, the symbolism of the Rebel colors DOES mean bigotry, racism, and hate.

      Mind you, I’m not calling this man a racist, or a bigot, or a hate-monger. To him, it may mean something very noble, with a clear picture of what the CSA wanted when they broke away, which, in my own opinion, was “Feds, stop telling me what to do!” However, to the people around him, including his emplyers, it might mean something totally different.

      I am a conservative by nature, but I understand that offensive things are totally subjective. What is no big deal to me, might be a HUGE DEAL to somebody else.

      Report Post »  
    • Stonewall_Jackson
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 4:56pm

      desertrose1960,

      I think it was 146 years ago. While not everyone allocates the flag a symbol of slavery and rebellion, some like the fact they are so called “county boys” and do not have political motives as such. Why is it OK for all other groups to wave their flags and you would most likely be the 1st to defend but let a confederate flag fly and all hell breaks loose. Being liberal you should know better that every one’s rights should be protected. You know all us conservatives are so dam intolerable of others LOL

      Click my name for what a real Patriot of this land feels. While having my ancestors blood flow from both sides of the civil war I understand it was part of our history and am not fearful of the flag understanding the real meaning it carried into battle.

      Report Post » My Hero-Allen West-click my name  
    • DesertRose1960
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 7:06pm

      @Stonewall, Yes, you are correct, my math was off. Your handle is the name of a traitor. People who take up arms against their country are traitors. My father’s family was eligible for Daughters of the American Revolution. I don’t know if any of them fought in the Civil War, I assume they did, probably out of Ohio or Illinois. My grandfather took gas in WWII. My father served as a Navy medic in the Pacific in WWII and on the front in Korea. My brother is named for a cousin who died at Iwo Jima, my father was the last member of the family to see him, two weeks before he died. My Jewish father-in-law was also a medic and hit the beaches in the first wave at Normandy and liberated one of the death camps, he served in Korea and Vietnam and ended his career in civil service. My husband and I are civil servants, we took the same oath of office as soldiers, and the Vice President. I spent ten years serving in a foreign country. The Confederate flag is a symbol of a lost and foolish cause. You can cloak it in all the noble verbage you want to, but it still comes down to wanting to keep slaves and to convincing poor, illiterate Whites that they’re better off with an economy based on the debasement of another human being. I don’t fear the Confederate flag, but I have no mystical attachment to it, either.

      Report Post » DesertRose1960  
    • dirtracer15
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 9:28pm

      Knowing all of these family members and their history, that have served so proudly for our great country,do you not remember the part that soldiers on both sides of the civil war are regarded as veterans to the same country and due the same reverence and respect, no different from each other? Why do you think that soldiers who fought on the side of the southern states were just wrong? What would you do if an army marched through your farm and took food from you and burned your neighbors house down because he fought? Wouldn’t you then take up arms with the militia and fight as well? Why is that considered wrong?

      Report Post »  
  • JUSTANOTHEROPINION
    Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:21pm

    I’m all for free speech however, if what they say is true and the wording in his contract forbids this and he is at work and on their property then I’m afraid that they have told him to take it down while on their property and he refused then I have to side with the bus company. Yes, I believe in the 1st amendment, however, if he signed a contract forbidding this then there really is no defense for him.

    Report Post »  
  • TPaine
    Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:20pm

    This man has the stones to give up his job rather than cave to the PC morons he worked for. And it’s about time that more of us did the same thing. How is it that the anarchist pukes can rally 6000 people to the WI capital and trash the place while the Tea Party acts like they’re at a tea party? It’s about time that the right starts acting boldly.

    Ken Webber, I salute you, brother!

    Report Post » TPaine  
  • Gonzo
    Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:20pm

    GIT-R-DONE ex bus driver!

    Report Post » Gonzo  
  • UH60L13
    Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:19pm

    I bet he could fly a Mexican flag and not be asked to remove it.

    Report Post » UH60L13  
  • flagbearer
    Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:19pm

    I am proud of my ancestors that fought under this flag. I am a member of UDC. It is as much a part of Southern/American heritage and history as is the American flag, which also flew over slave states. It has been demeaned and put into unfavorable light because of ignorance on the part of racist blacks. It is time we take back our right to fly it and display it with pride. I do not consider myself a redneck, nor were my ancestors. They were quite literate with college educations, something I bet not many of today’s so-called “elitists” can claim. I hope this man takes it to court.

    Report Post »  
  • DesertRose1960
    Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:19pm

    You only have this man’s assertion that he was fired only for having this flag and standing up for his beliefs. You don’t know what he was like on the job. Medford has been the scene of some really ugly racial stuff in the past. Perhaps they have policies in place against such displays. He wasn’t fired for having a Confederate flag, he was fired for insubordination for refusing to comply with his employer’s demand to remove the flag. I was nearly fired from the Catholic school that I taught at for having a Darwin fish on my car. I was told by the Principal that is was un-Christian and not something a Catholic school teacher should have. I complied, I retained my job. It was not a union environment and I did not have tenure. If the man was working in a non-union environment, his boss can fire him for having that flag, just like another state allowed a woman to be fired for refusing to remove a Democratic political sticker from her car. The First Amendment says that Government isn’t allowed to abridge your right to free speech, it doesn’t say anything about your employer.

    Report Post » DesertRose1960  
    • GhostOfJefferson
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:26pm

      I’d normally agree with what you just said. However, technically speaking, his employer *is* the government.

      Bit of a sticky wicket, 1st amendment wise.

      End of the day though, there are bigger fish to fry right now than some guy with a “Redneck!” flag on his truck, for me to concern myself with.

      Report Post » GhostOfJefferson  
    • DesertRose1960
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:40pm

      @Ghost, No, his employer is a private company that provides contract bus services, not the government. Many school districts have privatized their school bus service. If he was a school district employee, the letter on his behalf would have gone to Jackson County, Phoenix-Talent District 4, if I’m not mistaken.

      So, tell me, would the bigger fish to fry include the loss of employee rights? You know, that’s why unions were invented, to protect workers.

      Report Post » DesertRose1960  
    • broker0101
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:52pm

      DESERT, Great analogy, since that Bigger Fish has, indeed, been Fried in WI. OH and FL are soon to follow. You need to research the definition of the word “rights”. You are obviously confused, as you’ve misused it completely in your use of the term “employee rights”. The public school teachers of WI are about to get a crash course in vocabulary as it pertains to that term. Like most liberals, you are too smart by half – or less.

      Report Post » broker0101  
    • GhostOfJefferson
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:58pm

      @Rose,

      “No, his employer is a private company that provides contract bus services, not the government. Many school districts have privatized their school bus service. If he was a school district employee, the letter on his behalf would have gone to Jackson County, Phoenix-Talent District 4, if I’m not mistaken.”

      Ah, I see, well then, I agree with your assessment. Nobody has the “right” to freedom of speech on somebody else’s property.

      “So, tell me, would the bigger fish to fry include the loss of employee rights? You know, that’s why unions were invented, to protect workers.”

      No. There is no such thing as “employee rights” outside of what you privately negotiate between your employer and yourself, which are contingent and can be re-negotiated. I’m about as anti-government employee union as a person can get. Sorry. :)

      In any event, good to see we have some common ground otherwise. Slainte.

      Report Post » GhostOfJefferson  
    • Dale
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 2:29pm

      Broker, I’m interested in your offer. How do I contact you?

      Report Post » Dale  
    • Islesfordian
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 5:54pm

      Desert, there might be a problem with your distinction between the school system and the transportation company. If the school system is the sole or even primary employer of this company it make them the effective employer of this driver. At least, that is how the federal entanglement principle works. If you take state money you play be state rules.

      Report Post » Islesfordian  
    • DallyWama
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 6:36pm

      You have no clue about employment law. There is no veracity in pretty much your whole post. Either research employment law/go to law school or stfu.

      On topic: Many states, such as California, have laws that protect LEGAL off-duty behaviour. Let me spell it out for the tards that cant comprehend that. Jane the secretary works for Joe the dentist. Jane wants to make extra cash so she moonlights as a stripper on weekends. Joe wants to fire Jane because he thinks a stripper will denigrate his respectable business. Joe fires Jane. Jane sues and wins. However, if Jane were a prostitute he would win.

      Employers can’t have arbitrary employment policies. If Wal-Mart allows Akbar Allah to wear an Islam button on his lapel they cant forbid Katie Kristian from wearing her Jesus saves button.

      Also, in the Catholic example above, the law is slightly different. Private religious institutions can hire and fire based on theology (or violation thereof). Likewise, applies to private clubs that exclude certain groups.

      Report Post »  
    • DesertRose1960
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 7:45pm

      @Broker, From Wikipedia: “Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people, according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical theory. Rights are of essential importance in such disciplines as law and ethics, especially theories of justice and deontology.
      Rights are often considered fundamental to civilization, being regarded as established pillars of society and culture, and the history of social conflicts can be found in the history of each right and its development. The connection between rights and struggle cannot be overstated — rights are not as much granted or endowed as they are fought for and claimed, and the essence of struggles past and ancient are encoded in the spirit of current concepts of rights and their modern formulations.” I know what rights are. Do you? Do you think that once these rights are stripped from public employees, private employees will be better off? Your cheering over this isn’t in your own best interest, and you don’t even know it.

      However, the man was told by his employer to do something and he refused. He wasn’t fired for his Confederate flag, he was fired for refusing to remove it from a vehicle on company property. He refused to remove something that his employer had policies against. And we don‘t know what his behavior was like at work beyond thinking he’s entitled to be insubordinate. His employer, a nationally known contract company, has policies that he violated. And no, the employee of a private company is not a state employee by association. Contractor privity is very feudal. The contractor of my contractor is not my contractor.

      Report Post » DesertRose1960  
  • heavyduty
    Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:18pm

    I see dollar signs in his future. Let’s all fly the flag then we can break the UNIONS.

    Report Post »  
  • RightPolitically
    Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:16pm

    It‘s called FREE SPEECH and they’re not having any of that in Oregon. I hope he sues THE ARSE OFF OF liberal Oregon and wins BIG!

    Report Post » RightPolitically  
  • TSUNAMI-22
    Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:16pm

    I bet if he flew a flag depicting the crescent and star that everything would be just peachy-keen.

    Report Post »  
    • Gonzo
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:25pm

      Or the hammer & sickle, or the New Black Panther Party symbol.

      Report Post » Gonzo  
  • JoeyBagaDonuts
    Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:16pm

    If he had a Mexican flag hanging off his truck and was wearing a Mao hat and a Che T-shirt he probably would have won school bus driver of the year.

    I hope he sues and wins a bundle of cash.

    Report Post »  
    • RightPolitically
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:19pm

      Wow, your comment could not be truer or more troubling. Yes, he’d become school bus driver of the decade in LEFTIST OREGON!

      RightPolitically  
    • sweetnsalty
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:26pm

      Your right it is pretty disgusting.

      Report Post » sweetnsalty  
  • brntout
    Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:15pm

    Now you can’t even display your heritage proudly.Wait I can’t even fly a flag of the U.S. without some association telling me i have to take it down!

    Report Post »  
  • maxedout
    Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:14pm

    How people are appointed or elected to positions of authority to be able to do this to someone, is waaaay beyond me. They are the ones who should be summarily fired for their lack of common sense, or being part of the PC crowd. Freakin’ liberals. It’s not like he was flying it out the bus window…..although maybe he should have!

    Report Post » maxedout  
  • Shellback
    Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:14pm

    As much as I can’t stand the ACLU, they would agree with him on this. Ka-Ching $$$$$.

    Report Post » Shellback  
  • Islesfordian
    Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:14pm

    This seems a clear cut action of 1st ammendment suppression by an instrument of the State.

    Where is the ACLU? Let’s keep an eye on this.

    Report Post » Islesfordian  
    • newrepublic7
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:44pm

      ACLU is in it communist stronghold. They only report to duty from Ten Commandments issues and NAMBLA.

      Don’t hold your breath, they‘re not your friend and won’t fight for YOUR civil Liberty.

      Report Post » newrepublic7  
  • BurntHills
    Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:12pm

    NEVER be ashamed of the Confederate flag. hundreds of thousands of Americans died for it and under it, who did NOT EVER own slaves but did not want the Wealthy Northern Elite to tell them what to do.

    Report Post » BurntHills  
    • sweetnsalty
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:25pm

      Amen

      Report Post » sweetnsalty  
    • Navy Gentleman
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:48pm

      I second that motion!

      Report Post » Navy Gentleman  
    • commonsenseguy
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 2:12pm

      well said,

      Report Post »  
    • S_Malc13
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 4:14pm

      A history lesson with facts? Can you do that? And oh man, am I a northerner.

      Report Post » S_Malc13  
    • AR_OR_AK
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 11:52pm

      I just find it amusing that alot of the gripes the South had in the 1850-60′s are the same gripes that are going on today. (States rights, big govmint, oppressive govmint, right to be left alone, right to leave the Union if the Union isn’t working for everyone) What took so long? And the Yanks call us slow-witted? LONG LIVE DIXIE!!!

      Report Post »  
  • TERMLIMITSNOW
    Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:11pm

    Hahahaahaha

    Report Post » TERMLIMITSNOW  
    • Toastery
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 6:01pm

      Driver should sue the school district. Then he would have his flag and lots of their money. What does this school district think it is?

      Report Post » Toastery  
  • DonnaA
    Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:11pm

    Like it or not, its still part of American history, and this man’s right to free speech is being violated. Muslims can spread antiAmerican hate, but he can’t be proud of his American heritage.

    Report Post »  
    • brntout
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:19pm

      Maybe he should fly it at half-mast for it truely is a sad day when when you get fired for you’re right to freely express your rights.

      Report Post »  
    • mill
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:51pm

      Heck, Muslims could pee on the American flag and the liberals…aka Obamas goons…would say

      “OOOHHHHH ain’t that cute!, do it again!!! “

       
  • redneck
    Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:11pm

    I want my flag back

    Report Post » redneck  
  • Dale
    Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:11pm

    The Peoples’ Republic of Oregon.

    Report Post » Dale  
    • grandmaof5
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:19pm

      I’m not much for suing but, considering the source, I hope he wins. In FL there are actually Confederate stores and flags fly all over the place. So?

      Report Post »  
    • pajamash
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:44pm

      Where is his union?

      Report Post »  
    • bjornskis
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:47pm

      now if he displays a communist flag or rainbow flag that would be OK right it‘s on his own truck right or wrong it’s on his own private truck even worse if he flew an american flag

      Report Post »  
    • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:54pm

      @Grandmaof5

      I have to agree with you, in Fl the confederate flag is flying in many places and we still have freedom of expression in the land, for now. So I hope he does indeed sue, and if evidence supports his claims that he will be awarded recompensation for his lost wages and damages.

      Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • APatriotFirst
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:57pm

      Everyone in Oregon should drive outside this bus company with a redneck flag to show support.

      Report Post »  
    • watchtheotherhand
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:57pm

      Will PPMAN and JZS……….stay consistent and stand up for this man’s 1st amendment rights as they did on the Al Jazeera story??? We will wait and see.

      Report Post » SLEAZYHIPPOs ILLEGITIMATE OFFSPRING  
    • godlovinmom
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 1:59pm

      some of us in Oregon still believe in freedom of speech…its on the guys personal truck …its not like he put it on the school bus…this is portland coming down here and throwing their wieght around…I hope this dude fights it and wins..

      Report Post » godlovinmom  
    • coryf076
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 2:03pm

      This is where I live….it’s a shame too, liberals have run this police state for years. Long Live Dixie!!!

      Report Post »  
    • Timsincali
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 2:15pm

      GOD Bless this man… he is fighting the good fight and to hell with the sick communist liberal ba$tards!

      Report Post »  
    • booger71
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 2:32pm

      The South is rising again

      Report Post » booger71  
    • SomaliVet
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 2:42pm

      @Dale. Oh Dale if you only knew. I love my state of Oregon, but since the 70′s when the Cali libs started migrating up here, it’s gone to hell in a hand basket. We got a retread gov, who, when he left office last time said the state was Ungovornable. And the city of Portland or as we like to call it here, “Havana” on the Willamette (river) is what controls it all, thats where all the loony lefties are.

      Report Post »  
    • ginsberg
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 2:42pm

      For all you people saying this is a freedom of speach issue you are dead wrong…employers have standards of behaviour that employees are expected to follow. Im sure this man was asked to take the flag down before he was fired. Also the confederate flag is absolutely a racist symbol, anyone who pretends otherwise needs to “study history” as your intrepid leader glenny boy would say.

       
    • ginsberg
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 2:44pm

      Freedom of speech that is.

      Report Post »  
    • SomaliVet
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 2:49pm

      Oh Ginsberg, how wrong you are. The confederacy despite what your socialist teachers taught you was not about slavery. That was a componet yes, but the main reason for the war was states rights. Read your history and I don’t mean a textbook from a LIBERAL arts collage.

      Report Post »  
    • Dale
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 2:57pm

      SomaliVet;

      Spent my Freshmen year at OSU (Oregon State Universiy). I know.

      Report Post » Dale  
    • ginsberg
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 2:58pm

      Somlivet are you kidding me? Slavery was a small part of southern history? Unlike you I wont forget people like john brown who were willing to die for the small issue of freedom for slaves. If you think millions of people being deprived of freedom for their entire lives can just be whitewashed drom history and the flag that flew over it all reclaimed as a symbol of states rights you are dead wrong. I wont forget what the confederate flag stood for for all those decades.

       
    • Dale
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 3:01pm

      Ruth (ginsberg);

      How would anyone know that a particular pickup truck belonged to a school driver? Companies have dress, grooming codes – yes, and I agree if you decide to work for them you follow the standards; that said – he drives his truck on his own time. Who are you or anyone else to tell him he does not have the right to fly his flag? The first amendment was not written to protect speech we like – it was written to protect speech we do not like. Get a grip, read a book, and come back when you can articulate a reasonable argument.

      Report Post » Dale  
    • ginsberg
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 3:32pm

      Dale, since you failed to grasp this simple point, ill repeat it. Employers have every right to fire employees for public actions that occur outside the workplace. This man did not display the flag in his home, he displayed it in public. The school has every right to fire him, as the confederate flag is a well known symbol of racism. If he had a swastika on his truck what would you say then?

       
    • fertlmind
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 3:57pm

      free speech only works one way if you are a liberal

      Report Post » fertlmind  
    • TXPilot
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 4:09pm

      Here, many people still salute and respect the Stars and Bars, and I guess its appropriate to see it displayed, since we will probably be having another Civil War in this country soon.

      Report Post » TXPilot  
    • watchtheotherhand
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 4:39pm

      Hey GINSBERG….. I’m no lawyer but according to the ACLU you are wrong in this case since Oregon bus drivers I believe are state employees (may someone please correct me if I am wrong)g……..

      Government employees: Federal, state and local government workers are protected by the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments, which prohibit the government from depriving any person of “life, liberty or property” without due process of law. These employees are considered to have a property interest in their jobs, and the right to due process places significant restrictions on arbitrary dismissals unrelated to job performance. Some additional protection is provided by federal, state and local civil service laws.

      Report Post » SLEAZYHIPPOs ILLEGITIMATE OFFSPRING  
    • ginsberg
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 5:00pm

      Watchtheotherhand…he was not the victim of an arbitrary firing. It sounds as if he was asked to remove the flag before he was fired…and even if he wasnt he still did something that the school obviously considers a fireable action. He has every right to protest his termination, even take his case to the courts.

      Report Post »  
    • watchtheotherhand
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 5:17pm

      GINSBERG………….“unrelated to job performance” is the key as the ACLU website states fairly clearly. They have successfully helped state employees get jobs back for things they posted on Facebook in their own time because of this law. This firing was unrelated to his job performance so I think he may have a case. Will the ACLU help him? I guess we will have to wait and see.

      Report Post » SLEAZYHIPPOs ILLEGITIMATE OFFSPRING  
    • Large Eagle
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 5:55pm

      This brings a new meaning to the constant fear of the swine – Let the hogs loose

      Report Post »  
    • Sam the Casual Movie Guy
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 6:02pm

      I’m proud of Florida. It’s one of the few states that actually protects its Southern heritage:

      Fla. Stat. 256.10 reads:
      256.10 Mutilation of or disrespect for CONFEDERATE flags or replicas.—No person shall publicly mutilate, deface, defile, defy, trample upon, or by word or act cast contempt upon the flags of the Confederacy, or replicas thereof, for crass or commercial purposes; provided however nothing contained herein shall be construed to prevent or prohibit the use of such flags for decorative or patriotic purposes.

      See also Fla. Stat. 256.051:
      256.051 Improper use or mutilation of state or Confederate flag or emblem prohibited.—
      (1) It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to copy, print, publish, or otherwise use the flag or state emblem of Florida, or the flag or emblem of the Confederate States, or any flag or emblem used by the Confederate States or the military or naval forces of the Confederate States at any time within the years 1860 to 1865, both inclusive, for the purpose of advertising, selling, or promoting the sale of any article of merchandise whatever within this state.
      (2) It shall also be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to mutilate, deface, defile, or contemptuously abuse the flag or emblem of Florida or the flag or emblem of the Confederate States by any act whatever.
      (3) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the use of any flag, standard, color, shield, ensign, or other insignia of Florida or of the Confederate States for decorative or patriotic purposes.

      Available at the Florida Senate Website, http://www.flasenate.gov.

      Report Post » Sam the Casual Movie Guy  
    • pajamash
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 7:15pm

      “For all you people saying this is a freedom of speach issue you are dead wrong…employers have standards of behaviour that employees are expected to follow.”

      Well Ginsberg, here in Minnesota people have ice houses they use for fishing during the winter. A court case a few years ago tested wether a Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officer could go into said structure. The court system said no. The person had the same rights as in their home.

      http://www.startribune.com/sports/outdoors/83977767.html

      I think this man should fight this. His truck is private property. He is not doing anything illegal. The ice houses are parked on lakes which are public land yet the house owners are afforded rights on that public area. Likewise, I believe, a person should have rights regarding their private property (i.e. vehicle) even if they are parked on an employers property.

      The idea that the Southern flag is seen as a racist symbol on some fronts can not be denied. It does not change the fact that it is a symbol of speach to many. What symbol is more heinous than the Natzi flag yet the Neo Natzi’s won a court case to parade, waving the Natzi flag, in Skokie, Illinois back in the 70′s.

      Either we are four freedom of speach or against it. As much as I dislike the what the Westboro Baptists do to our fallen soldiers at their funerals, I stand with the supreme court in their decision that the protesters do have a right to their free speach.

      Report Post »  
    • Intellectual Honesty
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 9:25pm

      What if it was an Islamic crescent flag with the word “Sharia!” emblazoned on it?

      Of course this is a rhetorical question, the percentage of regulars on this board that would be going to bat for this man’s 1st amendment rights could be counted on one hand.

      And no I won‘t be impressed if I’m “proven” wrong by six of you replying to the contrary…so don’t waste your time.

      Report Post » Intellectual Honesty  
    • Jethro212
      Posted on March 10, 2011 at 9:59pm

      I wasted 8 years of my life in that hell hole known as Oregon. Democratic People’s Republic of Oregon.

      Seriously people, watch a few episodes of Portlandia and you will see Eugene and Portland, that show is not fiction, that is what those morons are like.

      Report Post »  
    • banjarmon
      Posted on March 12, 2011 at 11:36pm

      If people can deface the US flag and call it freedom of speech, This man should be able to fly whatever he wants on his personal truck. I may not agree, but FLY IT.

      Report Post » banjarmon  
    • Chet Hempstead
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 4:56am

      Pajamassh –The truck is his personal property, but when he drives it to work and parks it in a lot owned by the city it becomes an issue of behavior in the workplace. Whether you work for the government or a private company, free speech in the workplace is never absolute. You can’t insult the boss, you can’t insult the customers, and if you work for the city, you can’t insult the public or offend them unnecessarily.

      Report Post »  
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