Shame on the Associated Press – The Truth About John Freshwater, A Deserving Teacher

[ypostelnik]

This is an incredible story about the extent of media bias, the atrocious spin of the AP and how far they'll go to malign those they disagree with, as well as the nature of how far some very militant atheists will go.

I can't post links as I'm new but the story is on Canada Free Press at the top of their "media bias" section. The teacher certainly needs our help.

Shame on the Associated Press – The Truth About John Freshwater, A Deserving Teacher of the Year

A detailed account of the character assassination leveled by the Associated Press against an Ohio teacher.

www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/3817

 

[ACougar]

Here's a good link to the story:

http://iarnuocon.newsvine.com/_news/2008/06/19/1590824-culture-war-john-freshwater-martyr-du-jour

 

[CaDan]

http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/3817

Blah blah blah . . . creationists oppressed . . . blah blah blah

 

[Harpuia]

http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/3817

Shame on Canada Free Press. Don't get me wrong, my views on the "militant atheists" have changed dramatically the last several months. I see them as nothing more than cheap dirty evangelicals for the other side, but the original counterparts will always try to make matters worse. Look at how they automatically seem to give this guy the benefit of the doubt just because he's a Christian and other teachers tend to like him.

Yeah, news for you all, right-wing Christians in general start out as nice guys... I know this for a fact. But they get REAL sneaky in a hurry if they know you don't agree with them. I had to live like that for four years of my life, and I hate seeing other people having to go through the same, while everyone thinks that they're crazy because.. you know... Christians can't POSSIBLY do these things. That teacher couldn't have POSSIBLY burned those kids in the arm.

Turn it around, were it a Muslim teacher and he had been accused of a horrendous act on the kids, even so much as whacking the Qur'an on their head, the CFP would ask for their head.

 

[ypostelnik]

Just look at the facts of the case and leave ideology out of it. He conducted the same experiment he'd done for over a decade with no complaints, on a group of students, none of which complained except for the parents who didn't like his teachings of creationism. That's no reason for the AP to portray him as one would portray an axe murderer.

 

[ACougar]

I wouldn't want my child in a madrasa learning religion from extremists there.. and I certainly don't want my child learning religion from a religious extremist science teacher who can't tell the differance between religion and science.

Just look at the facts of the case and leave ideology out of it. He conducted the same experiment he'd done for over a decade with no complaints, on a group of students, none of which complained except for the parents who didn't like his teachings of creationism. That's no reason for the AP to portray him as one would portray an axe murderer.

 

[ypostelnik]

a) First and foremost - That's not a reason to falsely portray him as a "cross brander."
b) Scientific proponents of creationism generally win debates with evolutionists. There is much to study on the issue and logic actually tends to side with the creationists if you look into it. See creation wiki for one. It's important to know both sides.

 

[ypostelnik]

Btw Harpuia,

If it were a Muslim teacher who was so falsely and ridiculously accused, if the article by the AP said he was branding crescents into the arms of students but none seemed to mind except one and he'd done this for years, I'd have written an equally rigorous column against the AP's blatant falsifications and malicious character attacks. No matter what side one's on or what religion, what the AP did is scandalous and this teacher deserves better than that, anyone does.

Shame on Canada Free Press. Don't get me wrong, my views on the "militant atheists" have changed dramatically the last several months. I see them as nothing more than cheap dirty evangelicals for the other side, but the original counterparts will always try to make matters worse. Look at how they automatically seem to give this guy the benefit of the doubt just because he's a Christian and other teachers tend to like him.

Yeah, news for you all, right-wing Christians in general start out as nice guys... I know this for a fact. But they get REAL sneaky in a hurry if they know you don't agree with them. I had to live like that for four years of my life, and I hate seeing other people having to go through the same, while everyone thinks that they're crazy because.. you know... Christians can't POSSIBLY do these things. That teacher couldn't have POSSIBLY burned those kids in the arm.

Turn it around, were it a Muslim teacher and he had been accused of a horrendous act on the kids, even so much as whacking the Qur'an on their head, the CFP would ask for their head.

 

[ACougar]

I'm a creationist myself, I simply understand that creationism is based on religion and evolution is based on science. One should be taught in religion class and the other is science class.

a) First and foremost - That's not a reason to falsely portray him as a "cross brander."
b) Scientific proponents of creationism generally win debates with evolutionists. There is much to study on the issue and logic actually tends to side with the creationists if you look into it. See creation wiki for one. It's important to know both sides.

 

[Harpuia]

Btw Harpuia,

If it were a Muslim teacher who was so falsely and ridiculously accused, if the article by the AP said he was branding crescents into the arms of students but none seemed to mind except one and he'd done this for years, I'd have written an equally rigorous column against the AP's blatant falsifications and malicious character attacks. No matter what side one's on or what religion, what the AP did is scandalous and this teacher deserves better than that, anyone does.

Would the CFP? I SINCERELY doubt it. I ain't speaking about you man, I'm only talking about the CFP and the way they minimize anything this guy does, and treat him as some sort of martyr to the Christian faith. Were he any other religion, they would've hung his toes out to dry on just the THOUGHT of the things he's being accused of.

To accuse the AP of a perverse agenda when their agenda is equally as perverse tells me they're nothing short of hypocritical.

 

[imind]

b) Scientific proponents of creationism generally win debates with evolutionists. There is much to study on the issue and logic actually tends to side with the creationists if you look into it. See creation wiki for one. It's important to know both sides.

HHaaaaaaaahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahah!! rofls.

 

[CaDan]

a) First and foremost - That's not a reason to falsely portray him as a "cross brander."
b) Scientific proponents of creationism generally win debates with evolutionists. There is much to study on the issue and logic actually tends to side with the creationists if you look into it. See creation wiki for one. It's important to know both sides.

Don't make me go get Jet Black. Or Oolon. Or nyj.

 

[CaDan]

So, are you the author of the linked article? The names certainly match. You wouldn't be trying to increase those page hits, would you? 'Cause that might not be a very nice thing to do.

 

[Harpuia]

a) First and foremost - That's not a reason to falsely portray him as a "cross brander."
b) Scientific proponents of creationism generally win debates with evolutionists. There is much to study on the issue and logic actually tends to side with the creationists if you look into it. See creation wiki for one. It's important to know both sides.

Being a Theistic Evolutionist (with some beliefs in creationist aspects, sorta a down-the-middle kind of person), I can tell you that the logic actually tends to follow the Golden Rule when it comes to political issues:

He who has the gold makes the rules.

Which is why we're still having C&E debates in classrooms.

 

[Dracil]

a) First and foremost - That's not a reason to falsely portray him as a "cross brander."
b) Scientific proponents of creationism generally win debates with evolutionists. There is much to study on the issue and logic actually tends to side with the creationists if you look into it. See creation wiki for one. It's important to know both sides.

ROFL. The problem is those don't exist.

See you in the Creationism forum. Don't run away and give excuses now.

So, are you the author of the linked article? The names certainly match. You wouldn't be trying to increase those page hits, would you? 'Cause that might not be a very nice thing to do.

Good catch!

 

[Illuminatus]

HHaaaaaaaahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahah!! rofls.

Well put.

 

[ypostelnik]

No prob. I'm the guy who wrote the column for CFP and did the research. The AP bias here was really shocking. The reporter did what a lot of reporters do and made hey, insinuating and twisting questions to get the sensational answers she wanted, etc. But the AP editors did nothing to put the article in any balance and proceeded with a direct hit piece on this individual.

Btw Right after 9-11 I was writing for sianews.com (when Justin Heiser still owned/operated it). My column was "remember the patriotic Arab-Americans" as we were all a little scared of innocents being hurt. I think that President Bush's quick reaction to the problem was what helped soothe tensions here at home and I'm very glad that nothing happened along those lines. But at the time one had been attacked and the problems they faced were very real.

Would the CFP? I SINCERELY doubt it. I ain't speaking about you man, I'm only talking about the CFP and the way they minimize anything this guy does, and treat him as some sort of martyr to the Christian faith. Were he any other religion, they would've hung his toes out to dry on just the THOUGHT of the things he's being accused of.

To accuse the AP of a perverse agenda when their agenda is equally as perverse tells me they're nothing short of hypocritical.

 

[ypostelnik]

So, are you the author of the linked article? The names certainly match. You wouldn't be trying to increase those page hits, would you? 'Cause that might not be a very nice thing to do.

I'm not trying to up their readership and I'm not a paid columnist. I run the Myth Debunker blog and gave them permission to print my columns as they're the only real conservative voice in Canada, where I don't live, but where I was born. My goal here was to bring the story of John Freshwater to a religious forum in the hopes that some would help him. I didn't realize that the forum is generally quite liberal, I thought only the earth sciences one was like that. You're all free to your opinions. I just think you should give this guy a chance. Even if you disagree with him, what the AP did to him and the lies they insinuated were shameful, though not uncommon. We all need to stand up against that.

 

[DeathMagus]

And in the eyes of these radicals John Freshwater had committed the ultimate “sin.” He told his class that there are two theories to the coming about of the universe, and encouraged them to study up on both and to think for themselves.

Creationists have never presented a theory, given the scientific definition of the word "theory." They have presented an untestable, unfalsifiable hypothesis, which is utterly worthless in the realm of science.

The AP didn’t go into the merits of either side of the creation vs. evolution debate. That would have forced them to highlight that creationists do have a scientific case, a stronger one than most people know.

Absolute rubbish. Their entire argument can be summed as "Evolution can't explain X via argument from ignorance, therefore hypothesis Y must be true via false dichotomy."


In conclusion:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrjwaqZfjIY&feature=related

 

[CaDan]

I'm not trying to up their readership and I'm not a paid columnist. I run the Myth Debunker blog and gave them permission to print my columns as they're the only real conservative voice in Canada, where I don't live, but where I was born. My goal here was to bring the story of John Freshwater to a religious forum in the hopes that some would help him. I didn't realize that the forum is generally quite liberal, I thought only the earth sciences one was like that. You're all free to your opinions. I just think you should give this guy a chance. Even if you disagree with him, what the AP did to him and the lies they insinuated were shameful, though not uncommon. We all need to stand up against that.

You start your piece with a false dichotomy in the first sentence: "There’s a fine line between media bias and an all out smear campaign." You set up the polemic so that the choice is between bias and a smear campaign and there are no other choices. Bravo! Excellent propaganda skills! I congratulate you on your clever use of fallacious reasoning!