Last month, a teacher in Florida was temporarily reassigned to a non-student contact position because of something he wrote on Facebook.  “I’m watching the news, eating dinner when the story about New York okaying same-sex unions came on and I almost threw up.  And now they showed two guys kissing after their announcement.  If they want to call it a union, go ahead.  But don’t insult a man and woman’s marriage by throwing it in the same cesspool of whatever.  God will not be mocked.  When did this sin become acceptable?”

Well, according to the Lake County school district, 2010 Teach of the Year, Jerry Buell, because of that posting on FB, violated the code of special ethics which calls for all educators to value the “worth and dignity of every person.”  Fortunately, he was reinstated, after the situation drew national attention, with both the ACLU and the Liberty Council backing Buell’s right to speak his mind.

But why was Mr. Buell put in this position in the first place? There was absolutely no evidence that Mr. Buell treated his homosexual students any differently.  He said he posted his comment on his time, on his computer, in his house.  Okay, I haven’t read the entire “ethics code” mentioned by the school district, but how can his posting about two guys kissing violate any teacher’s ethics?

Having sexual contact with a student, yes.  Altering students’ tests as some Atlanta teachers did, yes.  Bullying a student because he’s a homosexual, yes.  But Mr. Buell did none of these things.

He simply disagreed with the legalization of same-sex marriage.  He had an exemplary record and never showed any bias towards any student for any reason.  He did nothing to devalue the worth and dignity of any person.

Yet, some students and homosexual activists found Buell’s opinions “disturbing” and one former student went so far as to say it was “hateful language.”

Being “disturbed” because someone opposes homosexual marriage is laughable.

Slavery.  Now that’s disturbing.    The current state of our economy.  That’s very disturbing.  Child abuse.  That’s even more disturbing.  The killing of 54 million babies killed in this country by abortion is beyond disturbing.  Expressing your religious views about homosexuality should not be disturbing to anyone.

Thinking Mr. Buell’s posting is “hate speech” is ludicrous.

On the record so far, President Obama opposes homosexual marriage.  Should he not be President of all the citizens, including homosexuals, in this country?  Using the same rationale as the school district initially used in relegating Mr. Buell to non-student contact, shouldn’t Mr. Obama only be allowed to be President of heterosexuals?  Why have I not heard anyone call the President’s stance on same-sex marriage “hate speech” or him a “homophobe?”

When I’m called a racist by a self-proclaimed socialist because I support the Tea Party, I don’t go around whimpering and whining and accusing her of hate speech.  I simply clicked a key and “unfriended” her on FB.  Why remain “friends” with someone on FB when they think you’re a racist?

The sight of people wanting freedom being gunned down in the streets of Iran or in Tiananmen Square is “disturbing.”  People having to drink from separate water fountains and not being allowed to sit anywhere they want on a bus because of the color of their skin is “racist.”  A homosexual being murdered because of his sexual preference is “homophobic.”  Believing in lower taxes and smaller government is not racist.

What came to mind while I was writing this was the old idiom from my childhood, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” A great lesson to be learned by those who get their feelings hurt every time someone disagrees with them.

Verbally disagreeing with homosexual marriage is not “hateful” and should not be disturbing.  It’s called “free speech.”

I don’t get how we’ve gotten so thin-skinned in this country, but if you do, God bless you.