A dissenting student hounded for his views

By Valerie Richardson
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Tim Bueler recently received some unusual advice: His principal and a campus police officer suggested that he stay home from his California high school for a few days.
They feared for his safety because Tim, the founder of Rancho Cotate High School's new Conservative Club, said he had received threats from other students after writing an article for the club newsletter calling for a crackdown on illegal immigration.
The 17-year-old junior says that stance inspired threats from which teachers have refused to protect him. Some faculty members even started a public campaign against his group, which seeks to promote "the pillars of the Bible, patriotism and conservative beliefs as balance to the mostly liberal viewpoints of teachers," according to its newsletter, "The Conservative Agenda."
In a telephone interview, Tim said he's been threatened at least three times by Hispanic students who call him "white boy" and "racist." One boy said he was going to "find someone" to beat up Tim.
In two of those instances, Tim said two faculty members stood by and did nothing to help him. Most recently, Tim said, he was confronted by a dozen Hispanic boys, who blocked him from walking down the hallway.
"They said, 'You're a racist,' and I said, 'Are you guys going to let me through?' " Tim said. "So I ducked into a classroom and told the teacher what was happening, and said, 'Can you help me?' And she said, 'No. Get out of here.' "
Earlier, he said he was eating lunch in a classroom when about seven Hispanic students surrounded him. Worried for Tim's safety, his father, Dennis Bueler, said he asked for help from a teacher who was also in the room.
"The teacher told him, 'When you say things like that, you've got to expect that things like this are going to happen. Why don't you go out the back door?' " Mr. Bueler said in recounting the incident.
Tim said teachers have also joined in the name-calling. One called Tim a Nazi, while another described the club as "a bunch of bigots." In a parody of the newsletter, biology teacher Mark Alton called on students to "take a stand against the neoconservative wing-nuts who call themselves Americans."
Tim thought about leaving the school, located in Rohnert Park about an hour north of San Francisco, and then made his decision: No way.
"They said, 'It's in your best interest not to go to school,' " Tim said. "I said, 'Well, why? What have I done wrong?' "
The club has invited students to call its "liberal assault hot line" to report whether they've been "verbally assaulted for being conservative."
With about 50 members, the club has hosted speakers from the Eagle Forum and National Rifle Association.
Forty school staff members signed a letter to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat calling on the Conservative Club to back up its accusations that students are being indoctrinated.
"They've made all these sweeping statements about liberal teachers warping the curriculum, but as a science teacher, I'd like to see some evidence," said Mr. Alton, who co-authored the letter.
Mr. Alton said he was also disturbed by Tim's article on illegal immigration, which says, "Liberals welcome every Muhammad, Jamul and Jose who wishes to leave his Third World state and come to America."
"No one at the high school opposes the formation of the Conservative Club," Mr. Alton said. "What bothers me is the extreme views that border on racism or homophobia, the negative tone, and the hot line that calls teachers 'traitors.' "
Tim admitted that his zeal sometimes gets the best of him. He apologized for the "Muhammad" remark, saying, "I made a mistake, but I'm not racist." Club adviser Bernadette Tucker stepped down after Tim printed the newsletter without allowing her to edit it first.
Rancho Cotate Principal Mitchell Carter and district officials did not return several phone calls.
Mr. Bueler said he's ready to bring in lawyers if the school cannot protect his son. "The police don't think they were real threats, but I disagree. He shouldn't have to be threatened every day," the father said.

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20031229-105705-1963r.htm

Sounds like typical California Liberal rhetoric to me. Especially that which I'd expect in the BA.

yep, the sky is still blue, and people in CA are still fawked in the head.

Ahhhh the irony of it all..... 1st ammendment only applies to liberals in CA still.

A student being hounded for not going along with the crowd? Say it ain't so!!!!:p

I know I will be called harsh for this, but if I were god for a day, I'd just give the kid a gun and let him shoot anyone who blocks his way in the hallway.

He has his head on straight, I trust his judgement

Hispanic students who call him "white boy" and "racist."

Correct me if I'm wrong but, doesn't that make them racists :confused:

Originally posted by Cabin Boy
Hispanic students who call him "white boy" and "racist."

Correct me if I'm wrong but, doesn't that make them racists :confused:

no because they arnt white :rolleyes:

Good for him, he needs to keep doing what he is doing. He is obviously pissing off people and maybe people will see the double standard. I doubt it but I respect people who stand up for their beliefs.

Hero.

Maybe we should start a flood of angry e-mails to the local paper and to the school admin..............

If we pack enough explosives in their fault lines.... do you think we could split california off from the rest of the country. :flipoff2:

Originally posted by Malltero
If we pack enough explosives in their fault lines.... do you think we could split california off from the rest of the country. :flipoff2:
no, but if they were properly placed, you could crush most of them with the buildings....

God forbid anyone try to live by the law. He said illegal imigration, not immigration or work visas. We have the same problem here in my home town in IN. Too many illegals make the trip and when they cause trouble the legals say we are stereotyping. Yet they will not help crack down on the illegals. Everyone is racisct and will protect whomever they see as most like them, especially if they are a minority.

my opinion:
Just have to live with it and ensure that you are educated and so are all of your family members. In the end that is all that seperates us from the rest of the world and if you want to enjoy your life style, education is the way.

INtj

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/local/news/22rancho_a1.html

Tempers flare over Rancho Cotate club

Officials hope winter break cools fires after conservative group's leader is threatened

December 22, 2003

By ROBERT DIGITALE THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

The winter break comes none too soon for Rohnert Park's Rancho Cotate High, where the school's new Conservative Club has gone from debating controversial issues to becoming one.


During the last week of school the club president said he twice received threats of physical violence from some students -- prompting the principal to suggest without success that the 17-year-old junior stay home for the rest of the week.


Forty of the school's faculty, meanwhile, signed a letter objecting to the actions of the club, including a flier the club produced urging students to "take a stand against the liberal traitors who call themselves teachers."


Club members, who number about 50 and meet once a week, counter that the educators are belittling them before other students and said two teachers failed to take action when their club leader was threatened -- an allegation the school principal rejected.


The club's faculty adviser, necessary for any campus club to continue, recently stepped down from that position after the club president distributed a newsletter without her authorization. That has placed the club's status in limbo.


All of which drew a simple response from students looking from the outside in on the controversy surrounding their school:

"We're tired of it," student body President Vanessa Nordin said.


The club, which may be unique among high schools on the North Coast, began this fall at the 2,000-student school after a group of students called for a forum to offer a balance to what they said were teacher opinions voiced from a liberal perspective.


At first Nordin (and others) said she admired the courage of students who wanted a club to express different views on campus. But she and five other student leaders said Friday the club's president, Tim Buehler, has repeatedly provoked controversy.


Buehler acknowledged he is provocative but denied his club promotes hate, as some students and teachers have suggested.


He said many of the school's teachers "simply don't want us here" and he likened his strategy in dealing with opponents to that of talk radio host Michael Savage, who has built a career on attacking liberals with vitriolic speech.


"We make it fun and we make it interesting and people want to come back," Buehler said.


With outside speakers from the National Rifle Association and the Eagle Forum, the club quickly drew attention, both from supporters and from opponents. But exactly what everyone is learning from the controversy is itself a matter of debate.


Teachers insist the club has accused them without any evidence of instruction that is biased against conservative views. And they objected to the club flier that urged students to report to a "conservative hot line" any "un-American comments" by teachers.


"To me that harkens back to McCarthyism," said business and computer teacher Trudy Nye.


Science teacher Mark Alton agreed and asked, "Who gets to decide if someone is a traitor or not?"


The club's members are equally insistent that teachers, whether consciously or not, are presenting a liberal world view and are using their role as instructors to criticize President Bush and other conservative leaders. They also said that during class time some teachers have belittled Buehler or other club members.


"My history teacher bashes on Tim," said club member Clay Curreri, a junior.


Gabby McGrath, a senior and a student government leader, said she has heard comments from a teacher that "weren't appropriate" about the club's members. But she and other student leaders said the club's participants are naive if they think they can say outrageous things and not provoke a response from teachers and students.


Senior class Vice President Jason Wang said students considered it denigrating when Buehler's newsletter included an article saying that "liberals welcome every Muhammad, Jamul and Jose who wishes to leave his third-world state and come to America -- mostly illegally -- to rip off our health care system, balkanize our language and destroy our political system."


This week Buehler said he was twice threatened by groups of students angry about the article, which dealt with illegal immigration. He said on each occasion he went to teachers for help but received none.


Last week, some of the 50 members of the club met with Principal Mitchell Carter to discuss concerns about the two incidents and the teacher responses. Carter later said he had investigated and found no evidence of inappropriate action by teachers.


"We take our students' well-being very seriously," Carter said. He said he earlier had suggested that Buehler stay home the remainder of the week in order to "let things settle down." Buehler declined.


The same day a San Bruno group, the European/American Issues Forum, said it had filed a formal complaint on Buehler's behalf with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, alleging the school was failing "to eliminate a hostile environment" against the club president.


For now the school is dark, beginning a two-week holiday break. But no one thinks the controversy will go away.


Under school rules, the club can't resume meetings until it finds another adviser. But Buehler insists the club will survive, even if it does so off campus.


Amanda Clarke, the club's vice president, acknowledged that "Tim's slogans can be a little outrageous." But she said the club has a worthwhile goal and she hopes eventually students with different views will be able to discuss their opinions in a respectful manner.


"I think people just need to calm down," Clarke said.


THE CLUB

The Conservative Club has about 50 members at the 2,000-student school.


It began this fall after some students called for a forum to balance what they perceived as the teachers' liberal bias.

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Dump Senator Boxer! (http://www.crowley-offroad.com/dump_senator_boxer.htm)

Rancho Cotate High School
5450 Snyder Lane
Rohnert Park, California 94928

PHONE: (707) 792 - 4750
FAX: (707) 792 - 4758

Mitchell Carter, Principal
mitchell_carter@crpusd.sonoma.edu

:nuke:

Originally posted by Crowdog
"liberals welcome every Muhammad, Jamul and Jose who wishes to leave his third-world state and come to America -- mostly illegally -- to rip off our health care system, balkanize our language and destroy our political system."


Hmmmmm....... That statment shouldn't fly with some PBB members.



:laughing: