Teacher suspended for Bush-Hitler comparison

This story made me laugh**:

"At least 150 High School students in the Denver, Colorado have walked out of class to protest administrators' decision to put a teacher on leave while they investigate remarks he made about President Bush during class, including that some people compare Bush to Adolf Hitler."

It was on News 24. There was all these students demonstrating, some with tape over their mouths. This represents censorship, you see. Gagged for telling the Truth, man.

Now hear this: only a child thinks it is the teacher's vocation to tell the Truth. You're not there to tell the Truth, you don't know the Truth, you are there to initiate the pupil into the general conversation of mankind, nothing more, nothing less. Of course you give your opinion but I've listened to the tape of what he said, and I know what I heard. He broke one of the Rules: you do not get to preach - ever. If you do, you've failed your vocation. We've all done it* (no we haven't - see footnote below) but most of us have the sense to realise it's wrong and practically all of us avoid the delusion that this is somehow our job.

I hope this story is picked up and we get some very funny stories about oppression and free speech and hypocrisy and stuff. Yeah, bring it on. Do you think surfer-dude who thinks Bush is, like, really heavy man - bit like Hitler, should be able to say whatever he believes to be true? So it follows you believe that I should be able to say whatever I damn well please to my classes. If you believe this, you have a mental age of about 17.

You're going bald - get a haircut, you idiot.

He's a Geography teacher, ok? He should have been teaching them about volcanos or continental drift or where your arse is from your elbow or something.

Update: Here's the full recording. Wow, the bits on ABC were rubbish compared to this. Listen to the whole thing - it's so much more entertaining than I originally thought. Thanks to Anon in the comments.

*In light of the taped evidence, please allow me to withdraw that statement. I was talking about the very occasional remark made that you realise subsequently was unprofessional. Don't worry about your children: can I assure you I've never done anything that comes even close to being as mental as this ever - and I don't know anyone who has.

Update #2: **As presented on News 24, which I was watching at an ungodly hour earlier today, it was quite funny but I wasn't trying to trivialise a serious issue. Ok, I was but I'd go completely ape-shit if I learned my son was being taught in such a manner. (Not that he's at school yet, mind - but you know what I mean?) Fellow professionals be warned: I fully intend to be Parent from Hell when the boy goes to school.