No Conversating

Kevin Francois is a seventeen year old boy whose father was killed when he was five years old. His mother has been sent to serve in Iraq. She gave Kevin a cell phone so she could call him when whe was able to. She is in a war zone and this is the first time kevin has been separated from her.

So we have a troubled boy with a dead father and a mother who could be killed at any time in the service of America.

The school has rules about when cell phones can be used. Apparently this would be for band members to call their, for debate club members to call their parents, for chorus members to call their parents, for football team members to call their parents after practice to come and get them.

Kevins mother can't come get him...she is in Iraq.

Here is what Assistant Principal Alfred Parham said:

"They're not supposed to use them for conversating back and forth during school because if they were allowed to do that, they could be text messaging each other for test questions."

Sgt. 1st Class Monique Bates called her son, Kevin, at 12:30 p.m. Lunch time. So the reason Mr. Parham gave for not allowing phone calls was essentially bogus. Sure, there was a rule. Kevin broke it by answering a call from his mother. There is virtually no one who would not have answered that call.

Kevin went outside the school building to talk to his mother. A teacher saw Francois on the phone and told him to get off...Would you have done that?

Neither did Kevin, although he did tell the teacher:

"This is my mom in Iraq. I'm not about to hang up on my mom."

The teacher then physically tried to take the phone from Kevin. He tried to keep talking to his Mom but when the teacher grabbed the phone it hung up on her. Dejected, Kevin went with the teacher to the office where he promptly gave up his phone.

At 12:37 Kevins mom tried to call her son back but had to leave a message...She did not know what had happened and thought he had hung up on her and was refusing to answer her...she left a message on his voice mail...scolding Kevin!

Assistant Principal Parham said that Kevin got out of control.

"Now being that his mother is in Iraq, we're not trying to cause her any undue hardship; he was suspended for 10 days."

Ask yourself what would have happened if the teacher had simply let Kevin finish talking to his mother? Sure there was a rule being violated...but what harm was there actually? Kevin's problems stem from his being upset not his rule breaking. He was upset by the teacher physically trying to stop his contact with his Mom. Somewhere in Kevin's mind was the thought that this could be the last time he ever talks with her. She could die. That is in my mind also and you are a hard hearted unfeeling human being if you don't think so, too!

I am on Kevin's side in all this. The school says he was defiant and refused to leave the Principal's office. REeused to leave as his phone was ringing...his mom was trying to reach him...they wouldn't give it back or let him talk to his Mom...They have rules!

Rules that are convenient for the Football team and the band...

America is supposed to have rules to, as a country. Kevin's Mom was sent away because the President of the United States lied. Here is what he told us:

"Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised."

The 9-11 commission lied to us also. Here is what they said:

"After a thorough review, the Commission found no indication that the Intelligence Community distorted the evidence regarding Iraq's weapons."

A secret memo documenting a meeting with Tony Blair and George Bush has come to light and it says very plainly that President Bush was going to war in Iraq and, (let me quote this for you):

"...the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy."

George Bush was lying to us and Kevins Mom was going to go to Iraq and maybe be killed like 1500 of her countrymen, for a lie. We have a rule against the President doing things like this. If we follow the rules, we have to Impeach George W. Bush.

But we aren't going to follow those rules.

But we only follow the rules when we can lord it all over a scared, upset, 17 year old kid who just wants to talk to his Mom.

Happy Mother's Day, Monique.

Happy Mother's Day Kevin.

America Loves you both.

And for all the Principals and Assistant Principals and the Teacher at Spencer High School in Columbus, Georgia who demonstrated beyond all reasonable doubt that the thought process is offiially dead in American Schools?

If there is a Hell, may it be reserved for folks like you!

And by the way, Mr. Assistant Principal of Spencer High School Alfred Parham...

"Conversating" isn't a word, you moron!



Peace,

Steve



Kevin's Story