Comments on: What Are These Teachers Trying to Hide?

By: james

james — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 23:52:32 +0000

Fingerprinting innocent people to put in a criminal database is not a background check. It is a preemptive measure, as bogus as this war we are in. This is a greater threat to our kids and their kids than any pedophile. Once our freedoms are gone, the govt. will have their way with all of us.

By: uncle sam

uncle sam — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 14:59:34 +0000

Dear Adam:

Don’t take it personally, but it is not about what the people of Austin want. It is all about conserving our civil liberties. No civil right has ever required the blessing, sanction, or approval of anyone – including you. It is an end unto itself. It is simply a RIGHT. If you don’t understand that, then do not be a teacher in the Free United States Of America. They don’t want people like you.

Dearest Glenna:

Keep your powder dry.

By: Glenna

Glenna — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:46:40 +0000

I miss the good ole days when conservatives supported the Bill of Rights. Robbie, the fingerprints go into the FBI data base.
It’s hard to get more FEDERAL GOVERNMENT than the FBI.
So, that fact alone makes this fingerprinting of innocent people in violation of the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution.

I wish you weak conservatives would stop kowtowing to everything big business tells you to do, it makes it hard on the rest of us. Thank
God we still have the Second Amendment, I suspect we will all need automatic weapons before all is said and done.

By: adam

adam — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:43:44 +0000

“What is the probable cause that any one of those teachers is a pedophile?” what does it matter? probable cause isn’t a requirement of a background screening for employment. i’ve already told you it’s one of 2 allowable preconditions to reasonable searches. i thought it was implied that this was a search by a government sanctioned law enforcement agency, but as robbie just brought up, maybe you missed that.
“a choice between your pension and your privacy is hardly uncoerced”
when did americans acquire a reasonable expectation of privacy in the context of employment and criminal history .
a choice between the well being of children and not offending teachers’ misinformed perceived boundaries is not a choice at all.

uncle sam,
i appreciate that you want to protect the rights of citizens; me too. your police state assesment is a bit harsh though. if you feel your being abused by the government after some fingerprinting, then don’t be a teacher in austin. they don’t want people like you.

By: Robbie Cooper

Robbie Cooper — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 21:57:39 +0000

You also spelled “indiscretion” and “consequence” incorrectly. But I don’t care as much about spelling and grammar as I do coherent thought.

And once again, you don’t have a right to not be fingerprinted as a condition of employment.

Sadly, you’re understanding of the 4th Amendment is somewhat lacking.

First of all, fingerprinting ALL teachers to ensure that they are not felons or convicted sex offenders is not unreasonable.

Secondly,

“The amendment applies only to governmental actors; it does not guarantee to people the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures conducted by private citizens or organizations. The Bill of Rights only restricts the power of the federal government”

By: uncle sam

uncle sam — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 21:12:47 +0000

This blog needs a good spell check. I spelled “surveillance” wrong. We can monitor teachers, but damn we canâ€™t even monitor my spelling adequately. Needn’t worry. I am not a teacher.

By: Uncle Sam

Uncle Sam — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 20:42:58 +0000

Quit with the “What are you hiding.” I am hiding nothing and I am a conservative. America is conservative and what is conserves is the first 10 amendments of the US Constitution. I doubt any teacher begrudges a search for a sexual predator. But the AISD has already told teachers is that if they discover anything that was not reported (say for example a youthful indescretion like a DWI), they could suffer an adverse consequense. What does that have to do with sexual predation? Nothing. This is where government abuses it’s good citizenry. But in a larger sense, there are other concerns already touched upon.
Instead of securing the boarder, usher in the suvelience society. Instead locking up or killing the child molester, violate the citizens 4th amendment civil rights (and I don’t care what that damn supreme courts interpretation is). The 4th amendment is written very simply and clearly. If you are so stupid to have bought into this idea that a 15 or 20 year teacher needs fingerprinted, then the digital police state already here. You have embraced big brother and the superpaternalistic survielence society.

By: marc

marc — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 17:33:45 +0000

Don’t you guys get the point of we have to suffer and jump thru hoops and have the gov all up in our private affairs when these child abusers should not be allowed back into society….THAT is the point here, the fundamental underlying point no one seems to be commenting on. If we lived in a sane world these people would be put to death or in jail for life…Normal people then would not have to be treated like criminals or sheep to be hearded and controlled. More government intrusion is NEVER the answer. It will only lead to more and more and more. How do people not see this.?? With california now wanting to control the temp in your house, where does this gov intrusion stop??? Fingerprinting every person is not the answer. It is putting these sick people away, never to return, Not making us all suffer and jump thru hoops because we have weak leaders who have NO will to do the hard work of protecting us by eliminating these people from our society. All this back and forth on someones beleives or what they think the teachers are hiding is crazy. Lets do the hard work of eliminating SICK people from out society. Another example of how we as a people can’t see the forest from the trees.