Kansas Birther Faces The Music!!! (Or, Nationally Emblematic???)

Well, more correctly it looks like the Kansas Birther, also known as Joe the Birther, isn’t going to be facing the music anymore, at least not the music from the K-State Marching Band. Here is a brief excerpt from The Collegian:

Montgomery, communications coordinator for the College of Veterinary Medicine, withdrew his objection Friday after himself and his acquaintances were subject to what he called “animosity and intimidation,” according to the New York Daily News. Montgomery’s objection argued that Obama’s father was not a citizen at the time of his son’s birth, rendering Obama ineligible to be president.

Ralph C. Richardson, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Montgomery’s superior, stated that he had become aware of the objection last week, but declined further comment on the issue.

Montgomery was also the announcer for the K-State Marching Band, a position that he no longer holds.

“Everyone has their opinions, but sometimes you have to be careful with what you say,” said Frank Tracz, director of the band and professor of music. “There is a lot of negativity brought along by this situation, and we decided it was best if he no longer did our announcing.”

http://www.kstatecollegian.com/2012/09/18/obama-to-remain-on-ballot-after-board-drops-k-state-faculty-members-objection/

This situation is troubling.  Joe the Birther is clearly an idiot, and not someone that I am fond of.  He had various online personae, and he would travel around the Internet spreading idiocy and stupidly sophistic arguments like Johnny Appleseed on meth dropping pips.  He and I tangled up several times. I wrote at least four Internet Articles here about his stupidly argued theories.  So in one respect, watching him flounder around on the national stage in his brief Gong Show Moment was very enjoyable.

But, on the other hand, he is also a human being with a family, and a life outside of Birtherism.  Should he have been fired from his announcing position for exercising his First Amendment right to make an idiot out of himself??? I have to say “No!”  One can find a good excuse to let him go because the announcing position is more of an entertainment related job. The K State Marching Band is entitled to have a voice that doesn’t alienate half of the state or more.

Legally speaking, it is probably proper to can him from this job for the same reason you would fire him if he lost his voice and had to speak some through one of those little electric things you see on the “Cigarettes Did This To Me” commercials.  He can’t effectively do that job anymore.  One could only imagine the catcalls and jeers if he announced, “The Kansas State Marching Band will now perform The Horse”. with the mildest being, “And what are you, the Horse’s A$$???” The band does not deserve that.

But all that being said, would anyone support firing him, if Joe the Birther was a moon landing denier?  Or more to the point, a 9-11 Truther, who thought Bush planned the plane hijackings to justify a war in Iraq and publicly filed FOIA requests and put out youtube videos? This is a problem that Americans are going to have to face more often in the coming years because the Internet and social media can magnify our visibility so radically.

Recently, some clownish twit put out video of his idiotic self driving through a Chick Fil A restaurant lane and chewing out some kid working the window. His company fired him, and most of America thought he had it coming for being a smug, self-important jerk. But Joe the Birther works for a governmental related entity.  His job is tied in some way to Kansas State University, either directly or through some foundation or non-profit, I am not sure which. The above article states he was fired by the Band Director and professor, Frank Tracz.

I think the band, and the university would have been better served by enduring the boos for a few weeks and striking a blow for Freedom of Speech. Remember, what goes around, comes around.  Today’s Chick Fil A in Chicago, is tomorrow’s Ben and Jerry’s in Birmingham. And today’s Joe the Birther, is tomorrow’s:

_______________________
(Fill in the blank.)

Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter

Note 1. The National Emblem March. This is probably the best American march ever written. There are, however, some very rude lyrics floating around that have been sung for over a hundred years, concerning a certain Monkey who wrapped his tail around the flagpole, and from thence to various other locations. This is a most excellent and listenable version of the music:

Note 2. Emblematic:

em·blem·at·ic
adjective /ˌembləˈmatik/

Serving as a symbol of a particular quality or concept; symbolic
- this case is emblematic of a larger problem

Note 3:  The Horse. Every marching band in the Universe plays this song. It was an instrumental song, but here is a version with words. It starts about 3:20 into the video, in case you are not interested in the history of the song: