The student who taped the 20 minutes will probably not be going back to the high school. He has been on all the local right-wing radio talk shows today. The hosts can hardly contain their venom toward Mr. Bennish and are hailing the taper as a hero.
Colorado is a scary place these days. A real witch-hunt mentality, very reminiscent of McCarthyism, fueled by the religious far right, which is centered in Colorado Springs. The taper's dad said on one show he was really humbled when soldiers from Iraq emailed his son to say that what he was doing is what they are fighting for. Remarkable if true.
BTW, some time ago, another Colorado teacher, this one in grade school, was placed on leave and will be discharged for showing her class a part of a puppet version of Gounod's "Faust". She was apparently trying to show the students the different operatic voices. A small number of parents accused her of promoting devil worship. Apparently there was also anger that she had overseen a Christmas show in which some non(Christian)religious songs were sung.
I should note too that Colorado's governor appeared on the worst of the right-wing attack shows, that of "Gunny Bob" Newman, a crackpot and fascist-like nut if ever there was one, and applauded the student who turned Mr. Bennish in. Bush even mentioned the Bennish affair in a speech today.
Michael Yates