Kansas teen won't apologize to governor's office for Twitter post

[NeoConsSuck]

Source: CNN

(CNN) -- A high school senior, who faces a Monday morning deadline to apologize to Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback for a disparaging tweet, has said she will not write the apology letter.

"I don't think I should write the letter, and I don't think it would be the best move for me," Emma Sullivan, 18, said late Sunday night. "At this time, I do not think an apology would be a sincere thing for me to do."

Sullivan said her parents and many of her peers support her decision.

The teen made national headlines last week for a tweet she said was intended just for her friends.



Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/28/us/kansas-high-schooler-tweet/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

---

Unlike the Democrats, who rush to issue apologies every time a Republican cries foul, this young lady has a backbone.

[willing dwarf]

1. Conservative = No Sense of Humor

Remarkable that the people who want to shrink gov't to the size it can be drowned in a bathtub, would have huge staffs of observers and informants insuring that no nasty words, no school yard humor and no damage be done to their titans.

What a bumptious fool Sam Brownback must be to have people so concerned about his image that they won't even laugh off school girl silliness.

One more example of the too tightly wrapped skittishness of the vigilant humorless right.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

18. "... huge staffs of observers and informants insuring that no nasty words,..."

I stumbled upon a yard sale on Saturday. In a box of pre-recorded VHS tapes for sale, I found a copy of a wonderful movie that I hadn't seen in years. I sat down and watched it again Saturday night.

Brazil

In the movie, the staff of observers and informants is called the Ministry of Information.

I highly recommend it, if you haven't seen it.

ETA: the version I bought is, according to the box, 2 hours and 11 minutes long; you'll also see this version described as 132 minutes long. It is not the 142-minute long version.

I once saw the version with the happy ending on TV. That ending changes the whole point of the movie.

[go west young man]

103. Great film and very relevant in the current USA.

[Pacifist Patriot]

2. Worse than no apology is an insincere apology. This is ridiculous, especially because

there is absolutely nothing to apologize for! Why do you need to be apologetic for a disparaging remark about a public official?

[Sportsguy]

3. That Is Ridiculous

Her principal must be a republiCON. No excuses. If it were me, I'd probably say if you think THAT'S disparaging, you'll really love my NEXT tweet you sonsabitches!

[Sarah Ibarruri]

17. LOL ME TOO! I don't like to be told what to do, particularly by evil a-holes nt

[RKP5637]

29. And they certainly are ... The Authoritarians. n/t

[Plucketeer]

49. She should write that she's sorry her principle was deficient

in that he didn't screen prospective attendees to insure they'd all be willing to lick Brownback's boots.

[donquijoterocket]

68. But

It seems to me that only conservatives and especially Republican conservatives have mastered the art of the non-apology apology. I think it's a congenital part of their pathology that normal people lack. She's much better off in the long and short run standing up,looking them in the eyes, and telling them to osculate her glutes.

[Plucketeer]

71. I agree 101%

If you missed it, I was being sarcastic. ;)

[Beartracks]

115. "osculate her glutes"

ROFL :rofl:

May I use that turn-of-phrase on t-shirts or something?

===================

[proud2BlibKansan]

73. Actually he's a registered Dem

Go figure.

[Hotler]

75. +1 n/t

[curiousdemo]

89. LOL!!!!!

Brownback is a right wing loon. Apology this Governor.

[GoCubsGo]

20. Not half as ridiculous as t he fact that they're making a federal case out of this.

Bickering with a teen-ager? Yeah, that's the kind of leader I'd want for my state--a guy who spends his time fighting with kids. What a manly man!

[RKP5637]

30. The guy is an absolute ass, all the time. Why people vote in jerks like this is far beyond us. And

they scream about the constitution all of the time, and they vote in people that don't give a damn about it ... It's propaganda at its best in KS. And he wonders why people leave KS to live in other states even if the job pays less. He's clueless.

Many people don't like authoritarian states. It's also one of the very few states that makes being gay a criminal act. In KS you could be jailed for being gay if not for the federal laws. And just recently they maintained the law on the books.

[jbpdx]

111. He's an idiot

And so is the principal at that high school. I graduated from Shawnee Mission East in the 70s. And of course there's no way I'd still live in Kansas.

[zonkers]

36. DING. DING. DING. Morons. Morons. Morons.

[DallasNE]

84. Obviously The Principal Has Never Listened To Glenn Beck

Or Rush Limbaugh. What they say on a daily basis is far more ugly than what Sullivan said in he tweet to friends. The Principal is as far out of bounds as is Gov. Brownback's office. Big brother is alive and well in Kansas.

[closeupready]

4. Way to go, Emma. Stand your ground.

:woohoo:

[ejbr]

5. How can she apology when he proved her right? n/t

[tomm2thumbs]

6. I'm sure some colleges are looking at her MORE for this rather than less

Leadership in the face of overwhelming odds and pressure is a good thing to look for in a potential student.

Good for her!

[RKP5637]

31. Yep, she is definitely not a lamb or a lemming like many. She thinks for

herself and does not cower when some jerks try to put her down for her innocent remark.

[NewJeffCT]

41. Didn't the principal say

that he was going to report her to all the colleges she applied to?

[LiberalFighter]

74. Those colleges should tell him that he is black balled from their campus.

[leftyohiolib]

7. should put her in charge of the party

she should give the kind of apology "i'm sorry youre such a butt-plug"

[christx30]

61. I was thinking that

a more sincere apology would be along the lines of, "I'm truly sorry that the people of this state have voted you in as governor. I believe that it was a mistake. Thank you for proving me right."

[Vinca]

8. At least Emma gets the concept of freedom of speech.

[baldguy]

9. If Brownback had any sense of honor, duty or propriaty then he'd apologize to her.

[tomm2thumbs]

10. Senator Brownback stomped an ant too close to the nest

and now the ant colony is swarming around his gangly, sanctimonious legs

Mind them crabs, ya little ants

[RKP5637]

33. Even republicans are pissed off about what he did. n/t

[UnrepentantLiberal]

11. Good for her.

And good for her parents. Never back down to a jackass.

[The Wizard]

12. Lest any doubt remains

Brownback is a douche bag, a really big douche bag. Governor Sam Brownback Mountain: Today's douche bag of the day.

[proud2BlibKansan]

13. heblowsalot

[Sarah Ibarruri]

14. You go, EMMA! I'm so glad. nt

[guitar man]

15. Good for her

She's an adult of voting age, she's got the right to say anything she wants about him.

The last thing we need to be teaching our young people is to bow down to authority.

[GoCubsGo]

16. Thin-skinned ninny. What the hell is wrong with him?

He's spending his time fighting with a high school student who said he sucks? Are you kidding me? People like him have no business in any elected office.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

19. We need to start tweeting derogatory comments about Brownback the a-hole nt

[Yon_Yonson]

21. Atta a girl Emma ~ SOLIDARITY

[meow2u3]

22. Good for you! SULLIVAN FOR CONGRESS IN 2018

I would like to thank Emma Sullivan for standing up to abusive authority and refusing to apologize for exercising her 1st Amendment right to speak out against the government, in the true spirit of freedom of speech intended by the Founding Fathers. This young lady is a real patriot and deserves a medal, not school discipline because Brownback decided to rat on her to the principal. Granted, her form of expression is immature, BTA, she's only 18, barely an adult legally and an adolescent physically and emotionally.

I'd like to see Sullivan run for Congress in 2018. She'll be 25 then, old enough to serve and ought to teach us a lesson in the Constitution that too many Americans are forgetting.

[chervilant]

27. Well, now...

"...her form of expression is immature..." But, NOT dissimilar from the rhetoric we hear constantly from FAUX and most of our other co-opted M$M.

[AsahinaKimi]

23. Right on...

"I hope that the governor realizes the power of the people and how people can make things happen," she said. "I also hope he will spend his time doing more productive things."

[graywarrior]

24. Good! She shouldn't be bullied into doing anything.

[COLGATE4]

25. Good for her! The law is clear that she has no obligation whatsoever

to "apologize".

[Ian David]

26. "I am sorry if I offended Mr. Brownback's fragile sensibilities...

... I am also sorry that he blows so much."

[MurrayDelph]

35. How's this one?

I am sorry Gov Brownback’s ego is so fragile that even while decrying the state of the economy, he needs paid staff pick to on little girls.

[Ian David]

45. That works! n/t

[RKP5637]

28. Good!!! n/t

[MarkCharles]

32. Good for her! She's a brave young woman. Brownback is Republican scum.

And to think a Governor of a state is wasting staff time on this stuff with public taxpayer funding.

What a disgrace he is for his thin skin!

[Irishonly]

34. Good For Her n/t

[on point]

37. No, HE should apologize instead!!

[CRK7376]

38. Good for her!

Well done young lady, hopefully your Principal will not get stupid and go after you for embarrassing his school by demeaning a Gov, especially one so well loved by all who call Kansas home....

[buddysmellgood]

39. She should ask him to resign. What an ass. Damage control?

I'll bet he wishes he had kept his pie hole shut. BWAHAHAHA

[KurtNYC]

40. Excellent

and she keeps firing as they foolishly keep this thing alive -- hopes he will "spend his time doing more productive things."

:yourock:

[krispos42]

42. I'd tell him to go attack the source of the controversy... thin-skinned Brownback

And the brownnosing asskissing staffer.

[dotymed]

43. Emma made a comment stating that she told brownback

what she was really thinking, actually she did not say anything to brownback. She is a young lady who ( I feel sure) had no idea what this silly remark would balloon in to.

Amazingly, a "mature" public official inadvertently gave her, "her 15 minutes" of international fame because he is a bully and obviously not too smart. He did however, show the world what he is. Having tax-payer paid employees searching public forums to prevent freedom of speech is Fascism. The idiot has really stirred up a nest of negative publicity because a girl had the audacity to tweet a negative comment about him. It sounds like a Nixon paranoid response from the thought police.

Obviously, brownback is a brown-shirt and a great example of elitism in America. He must think he is a dictator who has the right to control the thoughts and words of everyone, including a H.S. student. What an idiot. Do they call him boss-hog?

This incident surely informs his constituents of what type of person he is. This has to make him un-electable when his term is up. Surely, no one would vote for a self-proven Fascist who bullies children.

[Blacksheep214]

44. This is just too easy

Keith and MSNBC will be all over this today.

Talk about your outrage issue!

Now if Brownback is so terrified about threats posted, think how the womens health care providers feel every day!

Nice to have our money to waste, huh?

[Glaisne]

46. Brownback does suck

So good for her!

[AlbertCat]

52. Brownback does suck

Really. It's not like she told a lie or anything.


Prove her wrong, Brownbackside....

[truebrit71]

47. Good for her...why should she have to apologize for her opinions?

...

[AtheistCrusader]

48. "I'm sorry to see you're offended by the truth"

There's your apology for you. With my blessings.

[Hubert Flottz]

50. Should be Sammy Grayback?

Snip...

Soldiers in the Civil War gave the body louse numerous names: bluebellies, rebels, tigers, Bragg's body-guard, zouaves, graybacks, and vermin. They were so common that it would have been unusual for a soldier not to harbor vermin. Lice had no allegiance to any flag, nor did they discriminate on the basis of rank. It was recorded that an orderly of a company officer picked 52 graybacks from the shirt of his chief at one sitting (Billings 1887). Although soldiers felt disgraced when they first became infested, this feeling soon diminished as their situation became universal among their comrades. Many soldiers came to "a state of pleasant unconcern," one even declaring he could not sleep soundly unless he "had a few graybacks gnawing on him" (Wiley 1994).

http://entomology.montana.edu/historybug/civilwar2/lousy.htm

Blood sucking parasite = Ratpublican!

[AlbertCat]

51. Good for her.

She as nothing to apologize for.... and she learned a valuable lesson:

Adults can be more childish than children. Even ones at the "top" and in charge.

[JJW]

53. Sounds like Kansas needs Hitler Youth Camps

to better restrict and command high school students.

[patrice]

55. That won't be necessary. Have you read any of the ALEC legislation targeted at youth?

:grr:

[patrice]

54. Supercilious sanctimonious SUBSIDY-Sam shows management by vindictive gossip

is apparently SOP in his administration.

How else could anyone involved in this attack upon Emma have thought what they were doing is acceptable behavior?

[EC]

56. This girl is old enough to vote.

I think Sam had better just shut up before he loses more votes. Better yet, keep acting like a two year old that doesn't like something and pout and stamp your feet - maybe you'll be out of office soon enough and won't have to put up with someone not liking you. It's part of the job asshole. Grin and bare it.

[qb]

57. A tweet from an 18-y-o student makes national headlines?

:crazy:

:yourock: Emma for standing your ground! If the crybaby conservatives pursue this any further, they will look foolisher and foolisher.

[zbdent]

60. The (allegedly) "liberally-biased media" has to make anti-Rs' homes and names

available for (and this would be them being nice) discrediting ...

prior to them attacking the anti-Rs' houses, families, credit ratings, livelihoods, etc.

[JEB]

58. She should THANK

the idiot Brownback for making such a big deal and so many people reading and agreeing with her tweet. If he wasn't such an insecure chickenshit the tweet would have faded nearly unnoticed. Thanks for being such an idiot.

[evilhime]

59. Pols say worse

about other politicians with no consequences. It's absurd and an abuse of power to try to make a teen apologize for exercising her first amendment right of free speech. What are we teaching by making her apologize other than abuse of power?

[jobycom]

62. What's with the last line?

The post would have been better if you'd made it about Emma Sullivan's courage and the outrage of the attempts to oppress her.

[tpsbmam]

63. Just to be sure we get one in.....#brownbackblowsalot! Go Emma,

I see great things in your future based on your independent thinking and your steely nerve!


:hug: :applause: :applause: :applause:

[sarcasmo]

64. Good for her.

Brownback




SUCKS!

[Sivafae]

65. It's not like she called him, "Uppity."

[L. Coyote]

66. FIRE high school principal Karl Krawitz for abuse of her right to free speech!

[kath]

83. Second that. The fascist principal needs to go.

[christx30]

67. I have to ask a question

and I might get in trouble for this, but it needs to be asked...
Do republicans actually want to govern? I mean.. they are bad at public relations to a degree that is almost criminal.
Teenager speaks out at meeting. And it's over. She doesn't think anything is going to happen with it. As far as she knows it's over. There might be a blurb in a state or local paper, but that's it.
But he tries his "Damage Control" stuff and it explodes nationally. Now people everywhere are talking about it. I mean, I can't find anything about it on freerepublic. I guess there's no way they can spin it to make their guy look good. But CNN has cover story on it.
It's hilarious how bad they are at this kind of thing. It's like being in a tense face off with someone that doesn't know how to shoot anything except for his own foot. You might miss as badly as to graze his shoulder, but he's got 5 bullets in his foot and after a while you just want to call it off because you kind of feel bad for him.

[av8rdave]

70. She didn't even speak out at a meeting, if I understand the story correctly

She tweeted some friends, and Brownback's jack-booted Gestapo thugs ferreted it out.

Brownback - what a scumbag.

[patrice]

79. I'll probably never get hired in this state again. nt

[truthisfreedom]

86. That's correct. She was joking in Twitter about having told Brownback that he sucked.

The facts are these:

1] She did see and hear Brownback in person.
2] She tweeted that she said he sucked to his face, but in fact she remained silent in his presence.
3] She was called into the Principal's office after Brownback's staff discovered the tweet.
4] She refused to write a letter of apology because she says it would be insincere, since she does believe he sucks.

Little more needs to be said about the matter. Brownback has f*cked himself.

[christx30]

90. That makes it even worse for them

If they think they can force people to apologize for what they say in a private conversation... Wow.
Everyone needs to stand shoulder to shoulder with Emma. This isn't just a PR thing. This is a line that they are trying to cross. It's the very defination of the First Amendment. The closest thing she should say in apology is "I'm sorry you're our governor."

[blackspade]

69. This is seriously a news story?

Are Brownback's staffers this stupid?

Political hacks like Brownback can lie and steal from the public at will with no consequences, and a teen has to apologize for saying he sucks?

If I were her, my response would be 'Fuck Off'.

On further thought, perhaps we should have teenage girls all over the country insult republicons, show them for the political cowards that they are.

[zbdent]

110. "Are Brownback's staffers this stupid?" ...no. But they sure as HELL are

willing to go "police state" to suppress any dissent ...

[KamaAina]

72. I wouldn't apologize to Brownshirt either

or is it Throwback?

[Fokker Trip]

76. Perhaps he saw the story about the Indonesia fellow who allegedly texted

Texted an Insult or two about the Indonesian King and is now going to be in prison for 20 years. A Repuke dream come true.

[av8rdave]

77. My email to the governor

Dear Governor:

Are you serious? Complaining to a school principal about a student's tweet you don't like?

If memory serves, you were one of the President wannabes who doesn't believe in evolution.

I'll see Emma Sullivan's "you suck" and raise. You not only suck, you're an idiot.

Sincerely Yours,

sig

[LiberalFighter]

78. I wonder if it could be consider stalking on Brownback"s part?

I would push it as stalking real hard.

[rurallib]

80. Brownback and the principal should both apologize to Emma and

the people of Kansas for inappropriate use of power. Criticism comes with the office. The whole system is set up so that those in power answer to the people.
Brownback should congratulate the young lady on speaking up and urge all to do so.
There is a huge lesson here. I am hoping that Brownback is man enough to learn it from an 18 year old.

[getting old in mke]

101. Apparently

He has apologized, generically, and pointed out freedom of speech is important.

I'm a little shocked.

[Enrique]

81. did Brownback think it was a secret?

no one knew he sucked until Emma tweeted the obvious?

[femrap]

82. She really put the

Truth to him. Brownback looks like a widdle boy pitching a temper tantrum.

Good for Emma!

[Phlem]

85. +1000

Way to go!

You can not apologize to these sacks of shit. It's a sign of weakness. The R's deserve no mercy!

-p

[ChadwickHenryWard]

87. Isn't publically stating one's opinion of a public figure protected by the First Amendment?

[truthisfreedom]

88. The internet is a series of tubes.

Begin with this premise and you can understand why Gov Brownback's staff thought it would be a good idea to get this student punished for exercising her right to free speech.

These neanderthals have no idea what they're doing.

[snort]

91. Sam Blowsalot Brownback

Nice

[aquart]

92. She's 18??? He went after a VOTER?

[Duval]

93. Good for her!

Don't Republicans respect "honesty"?? Oh,that's right; we need to explain what it means.:shrug: :hi: :kick: :grouphug:

[demigoddess]

94. Good for her!!!

I cannot believe that freedom of POLITICAL SPEECH has fallen so far that it is only allowed against democrats, ......

I forgot. republicans. enough said.

[McCamy Taylor]

95. Apparently Brownback's staff never heard the phrase "You can't buy publicity like that."

If they had ignored the twitter, they would have saved themselves lots of grief.

They had better pray that the principle forgets about it---otherwise the damage with only get worse. However, principles are a law unto themselves---at least until the ACLU takes it to the courts.

[99th_Monkey]

96. It makes me SO happy that her parents have her back. Bless that whole family. nt

[Islandlife]

97. The Principal requested the apology, not the senator

The principal should be at the center of this controversy, not the girl.

[JoePhilly]

109. Brownback is GOVERNOR, and it was his staff that contacted the principle.

So the Governor's staff, wasted tax payers dollars, to contact a principle, because an 18 year old girl said he sucked.

That's the GOP vision of "governing".

[Islandlife]

117. The princiPAL should NOT have infringed on the girls 1st amendment rights

[SemperEadem]

119. Sherriene Jones-Sontag, who placed the call to the Youth in Government organization,

should not have attempted to use intimidation and threat tactics on something that should have been chalked up to teenage shennanigans.

The person at the Youth in Government organization should not have placed the call to the principal--they should have known that an 18 yr old, who is old enough to vote, has a constitutionally protected right of free speech. Of all the people in this scenario, an organization that deals with government issues should be up on that.

The principal is certainly culpable, but there are others who are just as culpable as he is, namely, the two entities I mentioned above.

Jones-Sontag attempted to intimidate Emma Sullivan through the thinly veiled threat of impacting her college career before the girl even graduated high school by contacting a school agency with the purpose of punishing the girl for what she said. She attempted to sic school officials on Sullivan.

What this has done is expose blowsalot's office staff as a waste hole of taxpayer money, where they have nothing better to do with taxpayer money than to do name searches on Twitter to find out how they will intimidate criticism of the governor.

Let's extrapolate this further: let's say that the school district decided to side with blowsalot... let's say that the principal wrung an apology out of the girl by holding her final grades hostage. What was to stop Jones-Sontag--or anyone's office lackey--from going after the employer of a 40 yr old man, if he said something unflattering about the governor? Where does this line of intimidation and threat stop? This "say something not nice and we'll make you pay for it" strategy needs to be strangled in its crib. This is the pricise reason why our government's consitution says that the state cannot infringe upon a citizen's right to free speech. The governor is the head of his state--clearly, his staff doesn't understand that they aren't a private company... ...yet.

[JoePhilly]

121. The principle was being a good little GOP foot soldier.

[Islandlife]

118. But thanks for the correction, my mistake

But I still think that ultimately no one should have chastised her. The problem is that some think they have the right to limit a persons free speech.

[MayHamm]

98. Emma now has over 10,000 followers.

10,159 to be exact. What a fine 15 minutes of fame for her.

[JJW]

99. Here I think she is too kind

because Brownback should be sent to the Hague for crimes against humanity trial along with his leader Bush & Cheney.

Here Gov Brownback is just too stupid to realize he receive far better than he deserved from her or if he sucks comment came from any citizen of a civilized world.

[JohnnyRingo]

100. No one would know if Brownback's people hadn't complained.

Even though they say "there's no such thing as bad publicity for movie stars and politicians", now we all know what a crybaby weenie Sam Brownback is by going after "the mean girl" for her Twitter post.

[Botany]

102. Rule # 1 don't pick a fight w/ the internet; google .....

.... Santorum if you don't believe me.

I hope Gov. Brownback enjoys his new nom de guerre

#heblowsalot.

BTW why the hell was the Governor's staff spending time over a some teen's tweet?



Ms. Emma.

[patrice]

104. Why?Because that's where they do their HR Management, including whatever sockpuppets they pull the

strings on.

[patrice]

105. P.S. Some people say you can get fired in this state for what you say on FaceBook. nt

[man4allcats]

106. Principal Karl Krawitz should resign.

If he has no better understanding of U.S. government and the principles upon which it is founded than he demonstrated in this incident, he certainly shouldn't be involved in education.

[Richardo]

107. ****And here we go: "Kansas governor apologizes for 'overreaction' to teen's disparaging tweet"****

http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/28/us/kansas-high-schooler-tweet/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

:patriot: Emma!!! :party:

[Old and In the Way]

112. Governor Blowback.

This little power play to feed his ego sure boomeranged. Such a petty reaction to a little negative tweet and escalating into a full blown retreat with major PR damage. Well played Governor Blowback!

[Chisox08]

108. I apologize to Sen Brownback ......

for the truth hurting his little feelings. I apologize for the fact that you are one of the biggest douche nozzles in the country. I apologize for you now knowing your head from your asshole. And I apologize that you are a USDA Grade A 100% asshole.

[dflprincess]

113. The young woman won't back down?

Most Democratic office holders should take lessons from her.

[DissedByBush]

114. Note the real title -- the governor apologized

This post is really some very selective editing. In fact, the real article starts "(CNN) -- Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback apologized," not "(CNN) -- A high school senior"

But to the point, looks like Brownback's handlers told him silencing a high school kid does not play well in the news. Public embarrassment can even keep the neocons somewhat in check apparently.

Now, what to do with that principal who told her she had to apologize...

[SemperEadem]

120. at the time this was first posted, the governor hadn't made an apology

Sullivan stated that she wouldn't apologize before blowsalot made his apology to her.

[awoke_in_2003]

116. good...

If you are big enough to run for public office, you are big enough to be insulted and handle it like an adult.

[Grown2Hate]

122. The key word here... DEADLINE. What the FUCK? What happens if she doesn't

apologize before then? Sleazeback can take his deadline and shove it up his fascist ass.