Friday, November 30, 2007
Biloxi Teacher Bombs in Guys and Dolls Lesson
WASHINGTON, November 30 -A Biloxi, Mississippi school teacher was arrested and charged with "defamation of character" for allowing her class to name a George W. Bush doll "Dopey."
The teacher, Dora DeBlonde, asked her elementary school class to name the doll. None of the children, according to DeBlonde, recognized the stuffed toy as the president. But they came up with names like "Shmuck" and "Nazi" and finally, after a vote marred by contested ballots, agreed on "Dopey," she said.
"The doll must have had a subliminal affect on my students," said DeBlonde. "They could have named it 'Curious George' after the comical monkey but considered more derogatory names instead."
DeBlonde could face an indeterminate sentence at the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center if she is labeled a "suspected terrorist" by the Justice Department. According to her attorney, Alberto Prevaracato, who was not permitted to meet with his client, DeBlonde could face a wide variety of punitive actions short of torture or shipped to Sudan for further questioning.
"Fortunately, our government doesn't torture prisoners even if they are considered terrorists," said Prevaracato. "And the Sudanese would give a shit only if she named the doll Muhammad."
DeBlonde was whisked out of her elementary school classroom by two unidentified soldiers wearing brown shirts and no identification, according to James Earl Ray Elementary School Principal Bubba Lynch. He reported that DeBlonde was immediately suspended and will not be welcomed back to the school regardless of the judicial outcome.
"She showed disrespect to the President of the United States," said Lynch. "If she ever came back to Biloxi I wouldn't be surprised if she was tarred and feathered and a noose hung in front of her house," he added.
"Other teachers at the school who requested anonymity reported that DeBlonde was using the doll as a way to encourage her students to write. Each child was allowed to take the doll home for a weekend and to write an short essay about the doll's activities. The strategy failed, according to the teachers, because most of the essays contained only one sentence. "The doll is stupid and didn't do squat," was a typical report.
Attorney Prevaracato said he was hoping the government would allow DeBlonde to be judged by her peers. But he was concerned that his client couldn't get a fair trial in Mississippi. "Folks here rank Republicans way up there with Jesus and John Wilkes Booth. The best we could hope for is a hung jury," he said.
The teacher, Dora DeBlonde, asked her elementary school class to name the doll. None of the children, according to DeBlonde, recognized the stuffed toy as the president. But they came up with names like "Shmuck" and "Nazi" and finally, after a vote marred by contested ballots, agreed on "Dopey," she said.
"The doll must have had a subliminal affect on my students," said DeBlonde. "They could have named it 'Curious George' after the comical monkey but considered more derogatory names instead."
DeBlonde could face an indeterminate sentence at the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center if she is labeled a "suspected terrorist" by the Justice Department. According to her attorney, Alberto Prevaracato, who was not permitted to meet with his client, DeBlonde could face a wide variety of punitive actions short of torture or shipped to Sudan for further questioning.
"Fortunately, our government doesn't torture prisoners even if they are considered terrorists," said Prevaracato. "And the Sudanese would give a shit only if she named the doll Muhammad."
DeBlonde was whisked out of her elementary school classroom by two unidentified soldiers wearing brown shirts and no identification, according to James Earl Ray Elementary School Principal Bubba Lynch. He reported that DeBlonde was immediately suspended and will not be welcomed back to the school regardless of the judicial outcome.
"She showed disrespect to the President of the United States," said Lynch. "If she ever came back to Biloxi I wouldn't be surprised if she was tarred and feathered and a noose hung in front of her house," he added.
"Other teachers at the school who requested anonymity reported that DeBlonde was using the doll as a way to encourage her students to write. Each child was allowed to take the doll home for a weekend and to write an short essay about the doll's activities. The strategy failed, according to the teachers, because most of the essays contained only one sentence. "The doll is stupid and didn't do squat," was a typical report.
Attorney Prevaracato said he was hoping the government would allow DeBlonde to be judged by her peers. But he was concerned that his client couldn't get a fair trial in Mississippi. "Folks here rank Republicans way up there with Jesus and John Wilkes Booth. The best we could hope for is a hung jury," he said.
