Emma Sullivan vs. Gov. Sam Brownback

Shawnee Mission East High School took some students to Topeka to see up close and personal how State Government worked.

One of the students, Emma Sullivan, was not impressed. She tweeted about the experience.

“Just made mean comments at gov. brownback and told him he sucked, in person #heblowsalot,” Sullivan thumbed from the back of the crowd.

“Joking around,” Sullivan says of the incident.

Brownback’s director of communication wasn’t amused when the tweet was spotted during the routine daily monitoring of comments on Twitter and Facebook mentioning the governor’s name.

“That wasn’t respectful,” responded Sherriene Jones-Sontag. “In order to really have a constructive dialogue, there has to be mutual respect.”

Brownback’s brief speech to the students encouraged them to “be active in their government, community and public service,” Jones-Sontag says.

The tweet was the only one brought to her attention that day, she says, and it was passed along to the Youth in Government program, which organized the students’ visit to the capital.

“It was important for the organization to be aware of the comments their students were making.” Jones-Sontag says. “It’s also important for students to recognize the power of social media, how lasting it is. It is on the Internet.”

Sullivan says things developed quickly: She landed in the principal’s office for a scolding that lasted nearly an hour. She says she was told the “not so nice” comments had embarrassed her school and the district and that “damage control” with the governor’s office was the next step. So Shawnee Mission East is forcing her to write an apology to the governor’s office, with the principal even giving her talking points to hit"

This is complete and utter Right Wing, authoritarian bullshit.

They claim to want small, unobtrusive government.

But here we have a teenage high school student, on a field trip to the State Capitol, who is being encouraged to participate in the political process.

When she takes the lesson to heart and exercises her right of Free Speech to voice her opinion, it is intercepted by the Office of the Governor of Kansas who reports her to the Principal of her High School as a dangerous subversive who needs to be disciplined.

Sam Brownback is the most narrow minded, hate filled, hypocritical, divisive politician to emerge in Kansas politics since Phil Kline.

And he is so terrified of a high school senior's judgment that "he sucks" that he orders his staff to report the student to her Principal and demands an apology?

Fuck you Sam Brownback!

I really, REALLY hope that Mitt Romney wins the Republican Primary and chooses Sam Brownback as his VP running mate.

Because nothing would guarantee Barack Obama another 4 years than a Romney/Brownback ticket.

I can see their campaign slogan now. "We'll shove a Bible up your ass and a Book of Mormon down your throat! Take it and like it, bitches!"

Every time a Republican fucktard opens their mouth to say something or takes any action they reinforce what everyone knows.

They are ignorant, intolerant, idiots who, under no circumstances, can be allowed to hold positions of power at any level.