Bus driver who flipped off Bush fights for job

[KingYaba]

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/290866_bushfinger02.html
"An Issaquah School District bus driver fired for flipping off President Bush while on the clock claims she was wrongfully terminated.

The 43-year-old bus driver's union has filed a grievance on her behalf, according to union representative Larry Meeks. He declined to say more about the grievance.

The complaint came from Congressman Dave Reichert, who was traveling with Bush in June to a Medina fundraiser. The motorcade passed several school buses on a freeway ramp and students waved at the president, who waved back. Bush was enjoying himself until the bus driver's finger gesture caught his eye, according to the King County Journal.

Reichert recently told the story to a veterans' group in Orting, the Journal reported.

The driver was fired in September after an investigation.

School district spokeswoman Sara Niegowski told the Journal that the gesture was "not at all appropriate modeling for students on the bus."

I love stories like this. :) What do you think? Wrongfully terminated?

It's an old story, I know... just stumbled upon it.

[hulugu]

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/290866_bushfinger02.html


I love stories like this. :) What do you think? Wrongfully terminated?

It's an old story, I know... just stumbled upon it.

Wrongfully terminated. While I agree that she was being a poor example for the children, this just strikes me as an excuse, rather than the reason to fire her.
Furthermore, it's interesting that the article mentions that Bush noticed the gesture. Apparently, Bush is such a thin-skinned jerk that he had someone fired from their job because they offended his delicate sensibility.

But, then this comes from my very jaundiced eye regarding the man.

[BoyBach]

Surely the driver deserves a pay rise. Or maybe a promotion.

[PlaceofDis]

wrongfully terminated.

if it wasn't the president. they would be repremanded first, i doubt this qualifies and termination as a first offence.

[Dont Hurt Me]

King George, your either with us or you are helping the terrorists. She must be a terrorist insurgent and wants to cut n run.:D clearly her bird was a WMD. Imagine this president and say a congress thats 75% republican? think he would declare himself King?

[obeygiant]

yeah, i'd fire her.

School bus drivers shouldnt flip off anyone, including the president.

end of story

[iJaz]

Surely the driver deserves a pay rise. Or maybe a promotion.

I was thinking a medal would be appropriate when I read it, but a pay rise or a promotion would do fine.

[Dont Hurt Me]

yeah, i'd fire her.

School bus drivers shouldnt flip off anyone, including the president.

end of story
No you got it all wrong Giant keeper, if anyone should be flipped off its this president. You dont take a nation to war then say oops no WMDs, but whats worse is wanting to stay the course. Bus driver deserves a medal.:)

[Sdashiki]

No you got it all wrong Giant keeper, if anyone should be flipped off its this president. You dont take a nation to war then say oops no WMDs, but whats worse is wanting to stay the course. Bus driver deserves a medal.:)

if the kids couldnt see it, no harm no foul.

bus drivers are responsible for all the children they drive so long as they are on the bus. part of that is being mature and curteous.

if he chose to make the gesture, thats fine, but was doing it WHERE and WHEN he did it, ok? I am not sure.


personally, my hat is off to this person.

[clevin]

its a disaster if president of US couldn't get a people fired, considering he can throw anybody in prison forever. :p

[Dont Hurt Me]

its a disaster if president of US couldn't get a people fired, considering he can throw anybody in prison forever. :pand without trial you forgot to add, he's been holding people for 4 years now. Freedom & Liberty & Justice are now just spin words if you ask me.

[PlaceofDis]

the reason i don't blame the bus driver for being upset witht he president:

yes, the war, but for this particular example...

your job is to cart these kids around, but the president is in town, and you can't get where you're going because everything has to shut down for the president to pass through. it really annoys me when the president is here in chicago and the entrance ramps to the expressways are blocked off so he can drive through. i'm sure the motorcade had the streets blocked off on their route and the bus driver couldn't get to where they needed to go. its a bit frustrating, no? and unneccissary.

[bousozoku]

Termination is too much, but there is no reason to act inappropriately on the job.

However, I'd be surprised if the president really noticed. It's more likely that the SS saw what she did.

[FFTT]

In my day the whole bus load of kids would have mooned the SOB :D

[solvs]

It was definitely inappropriate behavior in front of the kids, and not a great way to express your frustration... but firing seems a bit extreme. Unless this wasn't the first time, if this was some kind of repeated problem and the straw that broke the camels back vs. a first time offense, I can't see where they have the legal ground to do such a thing for such a small incident. If it was Clinton, why do I have a feeling we'd all just be having a laugh?

[MACDRIVE]

Moral of the story: Don't flip off Bush while on the clock? :confused:

[poppe]

Simple:

Children saw and complained? ---> Fire her

No Children saw and Bush complained ---> Fire Him

[Superdrive]

yeah, i'd fire her.

School bus drivers shouldnt flip off anyone, including the president.

end of story
Exactly! Well said.

No you got it all wrong Giant keeper, if anyone should be flipped off its this president.

Wrong! Regardless of your views, as skewed as they may or may not be, the President is the President of this nation and deserves to be respected as such. I doubt such a gesture would be tolerated in any other country, the driver should at least be glad they got that far.

[poppe]

Exactly! Well said.



Wrong! Regardless of your views, as skewed as they may or may not be, the President is the President of this nation and deserves to be respected as such. I doubt such a gesture would be tolerated in any other country, the driver should at least be glad they got that far.

While I'll I aggree with your first reply the second one is totally incorrect. To say that becuase other countries wouldn't allow it so we shouldn't either goes exactly against all American principles.

Yes he is the president, but it does not mean he deserves respect from anyone that doesn't want to give it to him. It also does not mean they have the right to go number 2 on his face or something...

Maybe I am taking your example wrong, but it kinda seems to not fit here. Sounds like freedom of speech to me or freedom of gesture to me.

Now I'm not saying she didn't deserve it because I think she totaly did! If she would have done that to anyone else say a local grandma driving by, and grandma complained there be consequences! and rightly so. It just doesn't seem to fit to say Oh cause other countries don't tolerate it Then America should not either.

[iJaz]

Exactly! Well said.



Wrong! Regardless of your views, as skewed as they may or may not be, the President is the President of this nation and deserves to be respected as such. I doubt such a gesture would be tolerated in any other country, the driver should at least be glad they got that far.

Bah, I think that in any western european country it would have been a non-issue.

[solvs]

Regardless of your views, as skewed as they may or may not be, the President is the President of this nation and deserves to be respected as such. I doubt such a gesture would be tolerated in any other country, the driver should at least be glad they got that far.

That's completely against everything America stands for. We fought so we could speak out against our leadership, because they work for us, not the other way around. Respect is earned, not forced upon.

I can think of a couple of countries where you wouldn't be allowed to show your disapproval of your leadership no matter what, and I can't say I'd want to live in any of them or turn us into anything like that.

[MACDRIVE]

I say flip off the president and burn the damn flag! :mad:

Wow.... I've come along way since joining MacRumors. :eek:

[Dont Hurt Me]

What this all boils down to is this President after swearing to defend our CONSTITUTION, and OUR BORDERS has done the opposite. After removing all respect for our Nation with his Iraq thingy, having our troops in harms way for no WMDs he has in essence removed all respect for the Office of the President,all respect for this Nation of ours. He deserves the Bird and deserves to be thrown out of office along with his entire staff and VP. Bin Laden did 911.

But I know Republicans are still more upset about Clintons stupid affair then they are about a president who's decisions has led to the deaths of thousands,400 billion $$$ and counting, his attacks on the Geneva Convention,our Constitution, and his ignoring the mexican invasion for corporate greed. You want respect you must earn it.

[it5five]

Exactly! Well said.



Wrong! Regardless of your views, as skewed as they may or may not be, the President is the President of this nation and deserves to be respected as such. I doubt such a gesture would be tolerated in any other country, the driver should at least be glad they got that far.

I have absolutely no respect for Bush, because he has no respect for anybody but himself. Like other people had said, if this had happened anywhere in Western Europe, it wouldn't have even made it to the news.

[yg17]

Wrong! Regardless of your views, as skewed as they may or may not be, the President is the President of this nation and deserves to be respected as such. I doubt such a gesture would be tolerated in any other country, the driver should at least be glad they got that far.

People have to earn my respect, they don't gain it automatically. The president is the same way, and not once in his 6 years in office has he earned my respect. And people who don't have my respect are likely to see rude gestures from me.


Over the summer, I almost had a chance to flip off the president, I was at a meeting on a street he'd be driving down. But the meeting let out early so we wouldn't have to worry about traffic. Otherwise, had I seen his motorcade, I would have flipped him off :D

[hulugu]

Exactly! Well said.



Wrong! Regardless of your views, as skewed as they may or may not be, the President is the President of this nation and deserves to be respected as such. I doubt such a gesture would be tolerated in any other country, the driver should at least be glad they got that far.

First, when did the United States of America pay any attention to what happens in 'other countries?' In France (the favored Conservative bugaboo) this may be tolerated, but in Iran someone may beat you and then execute you in a public square. Which reaction should we have? Does it matter?
I don't think so, precisely because we're a Constitutional Republic, which uses the Bill of Rights to help define important ideas, such as freedom of speech.

Second, is the office more or less important than the Constitution? Does George Bush's eagle eye and hurt feelings trump a document upon which this country was founded?
Personally, considering the procribed limitations of the office enumerated in the Constitution, the First Ammendment wins. With this in mind, I would say that the bus driver's gesture, rude as it was, should be protected.

I'd like to say that this is yet another example of Bush ignoring the Constitution when he sees fit, but I doubt he had such a plan in mind. I'm sure it was a personal reaction.

But, here's the thing, the First Ammendment is there, in part, to protect the people from an official's personal reactions. We are allowed to give offense, we are allowed to call our leaders buffons and idiots. And, we shouldn't lose our job because of it.

[Ugg]

Bah, I think that in any western european country it would have been a non-issue.

Or eastern european country. Have you seen the news in Hungary or Poland or Slovakia lately? Lots of prez haters there and lots worse than just flipping the sob off.

Methinks superdrive has no idea of what happens outside the borders of the US and probably doesn't care enough to find out.

[aquajet]

Well obviously that picture of Bush hit a nerve with somebody.

This president has a long history of giving people the finger as well, quite literally, having been captured on tape numerous times. Should he be fired as well?

[poppe]

The real question is this: Did she get fired because he tattled or because a student/employee saw.

Do I think she need to get punishment Yes! But thats because she was on the job. If she took a number 2 on his picture on the day she was off then more power to her or anyone else that speaks out for what they believe in (whether I agree or not)

[AP_piano295]

If she would have been fired for flipping anyone random shmo off than yes she should have been fired.

If she was fired because she flicked of the president, and not some random shmo than the termination was unjust.

To me this rings of a punishment that doesnt fit the crime.

[Music_Producer]

Wrong! Regardless of your views, as skewed as they may or may not be, the President is the President of this nation and deserves to be respected as such. I doubt such a gesture would be tolerated in any other country, the driver should at least be glad they got that far.

WHAT? Do you have any bloody clue that a President is not your father? He represents this country.. and has a responsibility to better the lives of all its citizens. The current president is doing a bull ***** job .. he doesn't deserve any respect.

So if your boss demotes you.. makes your office life a living nightmare.. you'll still respect him because he's the boss? Or will you quit? :rolleyes: