1. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #242802 by LeeLeeOne on September 4, 2008 at 1:26 pm

If no one else has done it - BS gets listed as a troll from me - and perhaps a move to the "alternate thread" to boot?

2. Ayaan Hirsi Ali & The Big Ideas Forum

Comment #239503 by LeeLeeOne on August 29, 2008 at 6:50 pm

I am one who is very grateful to RD.net for posting this video. I found it to be quite challenging as well as educational. All voices should be heard, whether we like hearing them or not. If we stick our heads in front of TV's, radios, and computer screens to hear and watch only what we agreed with or felt comfortable with, would any of us learn anything? That is emotionally immature and ill advised; unless of course you willfully wish to become the exact replica of the very people you do not wish to be seen nor heard from on this site. Now stick your fingers in your ears and say "I can't hear you! I can't hear you! I can't hear you." Asking RD.net to not post such events is censorship.

(edited for typo/clarity)

3. Kamikaze bacteria illustrate evolution of co-operation

Comment #235629 by LeeLeeOne on August 23, 2008 at 10:06 am

Josh: Please move Morales to the "alternate threads" at least. Ok? It is quite frustrating to "scroll filter" this wanker's comments. Thank you.

4. The Afterlife for Scientologists

Comment #229457 by LeeLeeOne on August 13, 2008 at 4:02 pm

All religion throughout history - the original birth place of "The Onion."

5. Richard Dawkins slaps creationists into the primordial soup

Comment #217473 by LeeLeeOne on July 24, 2008 at 11:30 am

Decius, I have never threatened nor am threatening. I chose this avatar simply because it was a cucumber (I am a vegetarian) that had grown through the chain-link fence. The growth pattern, position, and color were interesting; my artistic side. Nothing more, I assure you.

6. Richard Dawkins slaps creationists into the primordial soup

Comment #217455 by LeeLeeOne on July 24, 2008 at 11:18 am

Thank you, Al!
The children granted (whether biological or sociological, i.e., otherwise) will be shown that I may have a sense of humor after all!

7. Richard Dawkins slaps creationists into the primordial soup

Comment #217445 by LeeLeeOne on July 24, 2008 at 11:02 am

Michell:
You are correct. I am not looking very hard. The "valley girl talk", i.e., usage of the word "like" just struck a particular cord at this moment. I apologize. I respect the opinions proffered in your posts. This single word closed my eyes, albeit temporarily.

Al:
You have no idea what a full-fledged "bi" since age 12 has had to endure. ;)

EDIT: I cannot believe I said "cord" instead of "chord". Please grant my apology. I am sorry.

8. Richard Dawkins slaps creationists into the primordial soup

Comment #217435 by LeeLeeOne on July 24, 2008 at 10:51 am

#217418 by Mitchell Gilks:
"Well stars within..."

should be perhaps

Well, stars within...

and also
"The cloest star to us is like 4 light..."

should be perhaps

"With the exception of the sun, the closest star to us is 4 (plus) light.."

(too much anal, right?)

9. Muslims outraged at police advert featuring cute puppy sitting in policeman's hat

Comment #203799 by LeeLeeOne on July 3, 2008 at 4:07 pm

For those more familiar with the "Daily Mail", is this not on the same level as the US "National Enquirer" is? Perhaps even as "People" ...

feel free to add to this list

10. Richard Dawkins on Doctor Who

Comment #201568 by LeeLeeOne on June 29, 2008 at 8:11 pm

This brief moment on Dr. Who by Prof. Dawkins (aka - Richard) is 6.9 out of 7 perfect! Thank you Prof. Dawkins. With the "15 seconds of fame" on Doctor Who, it just punctuated your lecture at Harvard with Dr. Pinker.

11. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #197905 by LeeLeeOne on June 22, 2008 at 9:31 pm

While I do love a good discussion, I find it frustrating that so many use the central topics of discussion as a channel for something that would best fit the "chat" or "PM" resources of RichardDawkins.net ... we are talking bandwidth as well as servers

12. Gay brains structured like those of the opposite sex

Comment #195438 by LeeLeeOne on June 18, 2008 at 8:17 am

Bonzai and Goldy: Thanks for the responses - you are keeping my sense of humor going (no matter how sick anyone says it is).

born-again-atheist: Do you hear the crickets?

;)

13. Gay brains structured like those of the opposite sex

Comment #195151 by LeeLeeOne on June 17, 2008 at 7:57 pm

Cartomancer, or perhaps anyone: Please give me some insight to the following.

Why are there so many - read MAJORITY - of discussions that are "black-white", i.e., straight-straight and gay-gay or lesbian-lesbian, but there is little, if any, discussion regarding those of us who are bigendered, bisexual, bioriented, or whatever term for those of us of a "bi" nature?

So many "bi" feel and experience bias, hate, prejudice, and blatant-bigotry from BOTH ends of the spectrum.

And for those who don't get it: from both ENDS of the spectrum - from the "straight" and as well as from the "gay."

Cartomancer, I am finding myself in the position you were before and at age 22; but I am well over 40?!

14. George W Bush meets Pope amid claims he might convert to Catholicism

Comment #193570 by LeeLeeOne on June 15, 2008 at 8:26 pm

#23 Count von Count

Ahhh, you may indeed understand

Judy Garland ...
There's no place like home.
There's no place like home.
There's no place like home.
There's no place....

ohmmmmmm

15. Richard Dawkins lecture at ASU's Tempe Campus

Comment #192494 by LeeLeeOne on June 13, 2008 at 7:51 am

Cartomancer,

Happy 25th birthday!

And, knowing full well I will sound like I am "worshiping", but I seriously wish you would write a book.

16. We happy hooligans

Comment #185790 by LeeLeeOne on May 28, 2008 at 2:31 pm

Ahhh.... THIS is why I love rd.net! My newest t-shirt logo - Enough already! You can only flog a horse to death once.

I print my own logos on my own very cheaply recycled t-shirts. It's actually quite a lot of fun!

It gets my neighbors chatting.

17. Richard Dawkins lecture at ASU's Tempe Campus

Comment #183787 by LeeLeeOne on May 22, 2008 at 8:19 pm

Kristopher: You are a very very poor historian, please do your research before you post.

Those "converts to catholicism" were not converts, they were enslaved you twit!

http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761576758_12/Mexico.html

Colonial Mexico

The Spaniards were well aware of the political importance of the Aztec capital, and they decided to raze the city and build their Spanish city on the same site. The Spaniards set about establishing a governing bureaucracy, known as the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and expanded the reach of Spanish power north and south of the Valley of Mexico. Colonists were brought over from Spain, and the city became the principal European metropolis in the Americas. Mexico City has been the political and economic center of Mexico ever since.

Church

A defining characteristic of colonial Mexico was the position and power of the Roman Catholic Church. Catholic missionaries entered the country with the Spanish conquerors and immediately began working to convert Native Americans to Christianity. The church became enormously wealthy. In 1859 church holdings were nationalized.

The church played an important role in transferring Spanish culture and civilization to Mexico. Missionaries set up hospitals, monasteries, and schools in urban areas, and they established missions on the frontiers. They helped to expand and solidify Spanish control over the indigenous peoples of colonial Mexico, introducing Spanish culture and language to the Native Americans as they attempted to convert them to Christianity. The missionaries also became important intermediaries in conflicts between Native Americans, colonial settlers, and royal officials.

The Spanish Inquisition, a judicial institution established in Europe during the Middle Ages, was formally established in New Spain in 1571. The Inquisition enforced Catholic doctrine. It identified, tried, and sentenced religious hereticsâ€"people who held beliefs or opinions that disagreed with official church doctrine. The Inquisition also banned books that the church considered to be heretical.

The Spanish monarchy controlled the church through the device of the Patronato Real, or royal patronage, which gave the king the ability to select clerics and collect tithes. A tithe was a donation, equivalent to one-tenth of a person's income, that Catholics were expected to give to the church for its support. Even papal bulls, or decrees, had to be approved by the king before they could be sent to the Americas.

Overall, the Catholic Church affected virtually every aspect of life in colonial Mexico. Social servicesâ€"including education, hospital care, and assistance for the elderly, the poor, or the mentally disturbedâ€"were offered primarily by the church rather than the colonial government or private operations. The church provided loans for some business ventures and kept records of births, deaths, and marriages. Priests taught in primary and secondary schools, as well as in universities, and they frequently counseled colonial officials on government matters.

18. Richard Dawkins Responds to Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

Comment #183510 by LeeLeeOne on May 22, 2008 at 7:43 am

epeeist: (and anna and al r.) For humor sake, anna's size and weight (or al's or your size and weight for that matter), has absolutely no bearing on (respective) posts. The density of the points proffered is much greater in relation to any physicality. Damn, reading RD.net is so much better than sitting in any stuffy classroom!

19. Kenya mob reportedly burns 11 'witches'

Comment #183500 by LeeLeeOne on May 22, 2008 at 7:30 am

Okay, let me get this straight.

1. Witches and warlocks are powerful beings and are a threat to the community outside.
2. The community outside of the witches and warlocks are afraid of those who have these powers.
3. The community outside of such have the ability to exterminate powerful witches and warlocks.

Does not that make the community outside of such be automatically granted the status of powerful beings, i.e., witches and warlocks, as they had the "power" to exterminate their alleged foe, their self-proclaimed powerful witches and warlocks?

As such, by their own rules, should not themselves be exterminated?

Talk about circular reasoning and a calling for another mass suicide.

Ignorance is again the prevailing determinative factor in extermination. How pathetic.

20. Richard Dawkins Responds to Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

Comment #183296 by LeeLeeOne on May 21, 2008 at 7:04 pm

MaxD, I do not believe this person to be a "faker." There are many subtleties in their "conversations" that beg otherwise.

Brian E., Yes. You are correct. Not to stress either way. For benefit of exposure to such, the conversation does bring out much on a multitude of points; information to be dissected and garnered.

21. Richard Dawkins Responds to Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

Comment #183290 by LeeLeeOne on May 21, 2008 at 6:48 pm

Brian E.: I have to seriously disagree. Well rehearsed in looking for "signs and symptoms" including degradation of thought processes. Look over "clear's" posts in order, look at the responses when this person's been challenged. There are definite responses of persecution/paranoia.

22. Richard Dawkins Responds to Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

Comment #183284 by LeeLeeOne on May 21, 2008 at 6:35 pm

For anyone who is interested regarding "clearlymindless", not necessarily "wooter" but damned close if not the one in the same... using the standard DSM-IV diagnoses list, this poster has some serious and obviously undertreated or nontreated problems. If you notice how his posts immediately decompensate after being challenged (and personally challenged, meaning ego-challenge), this is the first heads up. (knowing anyone cannot make a serious diagnosis(es) over the Internet)

Class... class... any one have an Axis I, 1. diagnosis yet? (hint: schizophrenia disorder, schizoaffective disorder)

There are 2., 3., and probably 4. levels for this poster under Axis I.

Class... class... any one have an Axis II, 1. diagnosis yet? (hint: paranoid personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder).

We do not have clearlymindless' physical examination so, Axis III is not possible.

Axis IV anyone? What was this person borne into? What did this person have to endure? What currently does this person have to endure?

Axis V anyone? Since we have no idea of this person's actual functioning in society, I am taking a stab and guessing perhaps this person's Global Assessment of Function (GAF) of 40-50? (based on the fact that this person can utilize a computer and comprehend written words regardless of or in spite of their Axis I).

23. 3QD interviews Richard Dawkins

Comment #180382 by LeeLeeOne on May 14, 2008 at 6:09 pm

More people should be paying attention to this interview, the background "noises" included. It's probably one of the most 'honest' interviews that Prof. Dawkins has given. The questions asked were not a repetition of previous interviews. This is, IMHO, one of he most exciting interviews of Dr. Dawkins' wealth of information he proffers.

24. 'Spiritual' dentist fined $10,000

Comment #180324 by LeeLeeOne on May 14, 2008 at 3:19 pm

I find this article of particular interest in that I literally just came back from my dentist where I had my gums scraped off ---- I mean my teeth cleaned. Ouch! Both in mouth and in pocketbook ouch!

Don't even try for a second to tell me most dentists do not rake in the $$$$! My dentist was chatting with the builder he had in the chair 2 cubicles down from where I was getting tortured, I mean my teeth cleaned. My dentist was chatting about the wonderful new Slate roof he had installed at his lake-side "cabin", which happens to be more than thrice the size of my own 3-bedroom home (not including the 2 boat docks and the dual boat house).

No dentist will take, in this city, any Medicaid-dependent patient. So many in our area usually do not attend dental care. Most indigent dental care is taken care of by an ER visit turned hospital stay for an abscess or malnutrition. The oral surgeons treat these people because they cannot legally turn them away as by this time, they usually are sick enough that the dental problem becomes literally life-threatening. The Medicaid program then gets stuck paying for treatment after the fact instead of preventative care. What a sick system!

25. The Neural Buddhists

Comment #179841 by LeeLeeOne on May 13, 2008 at 9:19 pm

WTF?

"If you survey the literature (and I'd recommend books by Newberg, Daniel J. Siegel, Michael S. Gazzaniga, Jonathan Haidt, Antonio Damasio and Marc D. Hauser if you want to get up to speed), you can see that certain beliefs will spread into the wider discussion."

.... if you want to get up to speed ....

Just how condescending does a person have to be to actually be able to submit such bilge and have said bilge published?

NYT - no surprise there.

26. Richard Dawkins discusses Einstein's new letters

Comment #179779 by LeeLeeOne on May 13, 2008 at 5:58 pm

#9 matt_shute 07

very wise indeed you are

(yoda speak - sorry - cheesey but it's sincere)

27. Was the new finger a 'natural' miracle?

Comment #174578 by LeeLeeOne on May 2, 2008 at 7:28 pm

If this article is supposed to be a push for science, it falls flat on its face.

No miracle here - just natural regeneration.

Lost the tip of my long finger in a screen door mishap. Grew back just fine with sensible care. And yes, I do have touch sensation in the tip. My embroidery needles remind me frequently.

28. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #174577 by LeeLeeOne on May 2, 2008 at 7:22 pm

retro: Your comments are offensive to say the least but they are also a tad bigoted (all persons on this planet should look exactly alike - teeth included?). Most importantly, nothing you said is relevant to the discussion. Cease and desist order has been issued.

29. Does science make belief in God obsolete?

Comment #173129 by LeeLeeOne on April 30, 2008 at 12:02 pm

The original question: Does science make belief in God obsolete?

Answer: Yes.

30. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #169744 by LeeLeeOne on April 26, 2008 at 5:04 pm

Comment #169739 by Cartomancer on April 26, 2008 at 4:48 pm

My grandmum topped her bread pudding with finely crushed pecans mixed with raw sugar sprinkled on the top before baking to give it a bit of a crunchy top. But she did not use croissants.

Thanks for the idea!

31. Rep. Davis: The Worst Person in the World

Comment #158306 by LeeLeeOne on April 10, 2008 at 10:08 am

Davis hits Keith Olbermann's Worst Person in the World list again!

Thank you to RD and Quill, PZ, and their readership for the responsive deluge of phone calls, letters, and E-mails to Ms. Davis, and bringing this representative's behavior to light.

32. Rep. Davis: The Worst Person in the World

Comment #157586 by LeeLeeOne on April 9, 2008 at 9:57 am

Windweaver, I second the comment about your article being excellent. Reading it, I felt all of the human emotions; from disgust, to realization, to tears, to empowerment and energy. Thank you for your article.

33. Rep. Davis: The Worst Person in the World

Comment #157251 by LeeLeeOne on April 8, 2008 at 7:11 pm

Swish!

Ahhh, those short but albeit important words Worst Person in the World - Thank you Keith Oberman!

Excellent, just excellent.

BTW: PZ has a link on some guy named Scalzi. This Scalzi is one sick puppy....

EDIT: I was listening to the short segment and he was talking about Bill Orraally ... thank you for pointing this out. (sorry - eek)

34. Get out of here, atheists!

Comment #156536 by LeeLeeOne on April 7, 2008 at 7:12 pm

People don't surprise me these days. I got called an atheist beeeeaach (bitch) when walking to my car. har har har. (Guess they spotted my FSM window stickers and my OUT campaign t-shirt, which as we all know secretly means we are here on this planet to corrupt and pillage.) The passenger then threw their cup of Coke and ice from McDonald's at my feet spraying my pants, shoes, and car. yuk yuk yuk. Such wasteful little twats - throwing away a perfectly good Coke and then littering to boot!

BTW: Sent my EM to the National Democratic Party Headquarters. Thanks diocletian for the link! Thanks Prof. Dawkins for the suggestion.

35. John Templeton: God's sugar daddy

Comment #149085 by LeeLeeOne on March 25, 2008 at 5:21 am

Dr. Benway and Irate:

Succinct and minimalistic. Perfect! Once again, education is not shown in the 'volume' of words proffered.

Fewer selective spoken words which are insightfully chosen and placed forces one to seek and self-educate.

36. US military accused of harboring fundamentalism

Comment #127932 by LeeLeeOne on February 15, 2008 at 6:32 pm

Just listen,

please, just listen

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/02082008/watch.html

37. Debate between Richard Dawkins and Madeline Bunting

Comment #127049 by LeeLeeOne on February 14, 2008 at 7:53 pm

Loopey.... loopey?! .... LOOPEY?!!

Sorry to everyone, esp to Prof. Richard Dawkins and anyone who follows this site...

Ms. Madeline Bunting totally lost any and all respect from me as to anyone of any credibility when she proclaimed that anyone contrary to her reasoning as being loopey. What does she mean by that?

WTF?!

I could listen no further...

38. Murder plot against Danish cartoonist

Comment #126287 by LeeLeeOne on February 12, 2008 at 9:42 pm

Jaster, if you have not read fully the current Humanist manifesto, much less agree with any of them, why would you claim yourself to be a humanist?

Why not just ____________ (you fill in the blank).

39. Murder plot against Danish cartoonist

Comment #126266 by LeeLeeOne on February 12, 2008 at 8:33 pm

Oh, but jaster, I DO know you, from the venom in your reply.

BTW: Which one of you replied?

The honed, polished, and perfected military?

Or the Humanist you claim to be?

You should read the Humanist Manifesto III. There is no mention of any level of acceptable torture.

40. Murder plot against Danish cartoonist

Comment #126235 by LeeLeeOne on February 12, 2008 at 6:09 pm

jaster - by your thinking, you justify your ability to reconcile the deplorable with the "tide of our days" simply by "serving my country and doing two tours."

This is how leaders, people, citizens, nations, countries, nationalities, races, etc., collectively or individually "justify" or "legitimize" inhumane action.

You personally stated you would stop torture at a level that is not defined in current legal documents, Geneva conventions, agreements, contracts, etc.

Why must anyone accept or tolerate any form of torture, defined or not, documented or not?

Jaster, you claim to be an atheist. However, I beg to differ. You have a 'god' of sorts in your heart and soul. It is that of nationalism and patriotism - bottom line, you define the worth of a human being by the borders within which they live or are born into. You state you served your country by doing two tours of the middle east, but have you ever bothered to ask yourself - did you serve humanity?

Torture, is torture, is torture, is torture, is torture... no matter what name you place upon it.

To sacrifice the many for the lives of the few? To sacrifice the few for the lives of the many?

You would choose torture, for you 'may' get worthwhile information? - sacrifice the few (the life of the tortured as well as the sanity of those who carry it out) for the mere possibility it would positively affect the lives of an unrealized many?

Perhaps you also would choose capital punishment - yes, you will get your finality; who cares if a few innocent are sacrificed in your search for 'justice.'

Your thinking, jaster, is part of brainwashing militarism. Do not discount me because you may feel I may have not 'served' personally for the country in which I live. You have no idea what the meaning of servitude is. My 'serving' goes much deeper and more heart wrenching that mere service. It started in World War II and has gone through every decade and every military action since.

War is war, torture is torture, inhumanity is inhumanity - no matter how one tries to justify their actions in the end.

Please don't cloak your justification for torture with the ribbons upon your chest for military service while beating your drum that claims you feel you are an atheist.

41. Biology teacher fired for referring to Bible

Comment #124175 by LeeLeeOne on February 8, 2008 at 3:19 pm

Thank you Bonzai! Thank you Steve! I am a born, recognized, accepted, and cherished "BI", which makes me fortunate and unfortunate on many fronts.

It is difficult for me to vocalize my contempt for those who disguise their bigotry with claims of tolerance.

You have done well.

42. Christopher Hitchens Debates Timothy Jackson

Comment #122630 by LeeLeeOne on February 5, 2008 at 5:26 pm

Hitchens' humor... priceless!

43. Some non-Christians feel left out of election

Comment #122089 by LeeLeeOne on February 4, 2008 at 4:10 pm

Do we vote for the lesser of many evils? do we vote with our gut? do we vote for whomever? do we vote for whatever who gives a rip?

do we vote?

Yes - as a US citizen, and with ample time to make our initial decisions we should and must vote, because we are given this opportunity!

When the final day comes in November, do we vote?

Yes, because whether we feel our individual vote will influence the final outcome, flawed or not, US citizens eligible to vote for US elections can exercise their constitutional right to vote, regardless of predicted outcome.

The bottom line - did you even TRY to make a difference?

44. Happy Birthday Josh Timonen!

Comment #119595 by LeeLeeOne on January 31, 2008 at 5:19 pm

Josh,
Lá breithe shona duit!

Thanks for your work on this site, my daily fix next to my cuppa'!

45. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers

Comment #118445 by LeeLeeOne on January 30, 2008 at 5:04 pm

Blackballs: come on, your mistress/mastress must have taught you better begging that this!

46. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers

Comment #118441 by LeeLeeOne on January 30, 2008 at 5:01 pm

MarkG & Goldy!

=^0

^^ tee hee hee snicker

O my!

I wonder if vox and blackballs are one of her "regulars"?

47. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers

Comment #118415 by LeeLeeOne on January 30, 2008 at 4:41 pm

""I'll pop back when people have read the book - I will be interested in SOME of your comments.""

See.... told you so!

one, two, three, four ---- the other troll's coming

48. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers

Comment #118410 by LeeLeeOne on January 30, 2008 at 4:37 pm

Regarding commented #212 on this thread: I know I have seen this before, just can't find it. It was used last year. Same framework of saying "one of your own" (i.e. "popular" atheist) has agreed that such-and-such book is great. Asks that Prof. Dawkins, Sam Harris, Chris Hitchens, and Dr. Dennett read their book and then dares them to find fault with it. Gets into chatty, petty, ignorant, evasive, vague arguments. Then they disappear into nothing and have another troll pounce in trying to push everyone's buttons into reading their book.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzap!

49. A Letter From Hell

Comment #116069 by LeeLeeOne on January 25, 2008 at 12:47 pm

Dec 11, 2007 - 08:50:50 CST
By SARA KINCAID
Bismarck Tribune
A Simle Middle School teacher has been suspended without pay after parents complained about a video he showed in a class.

Superintendent Paul Johnson outlined the investigation and discipline at the Bismarck School Board meeting Monday.

Teacher Michael Nider will be on unpaid leave starting today until Jan. 1. He showed a video called "A Letter from Hell" that he had found on Godtube.com in his fourth period eighth-grade health class Wednesday. It was not shown in any other classes.

In addition to the unpaid leave, Nider also must take a sensitivity training class by May 30. A letter of reprimand is part of his personnel file, and if he violates the school policy again, he will be fired. A new teacher will be assigned to the fourth period eighth-grade health class.

This is the first time in the four years Nider has taught with the district that he has been disciplined, and he has had good evaluations. He has taught 20 years prior to coming to the Bismarck district. Two messages were left Monday night on an answering machine at Nider's home. He did not attend Monday night's meeting.

Parents Steve and Hannah Balaban heard about the video from their daughter, who was in Nider's class. They sent a letter of complaint to the teacher, principal, school board, superintendent and other community members, because of their concerns about its religious content. Their daughter was told it was to teach about the dangers of drunken driving, Steve Balaban said.

"I would like to thank the board for addressing this," Steve Balaban said. "I'm not here to discuss taking down Christmas trees or to tell other people which religion is right or wrong."

In addition to Steve Balaban, two other people spoke about the video during public comment. United Tribes Technical College teacher Brian Palecek said he liked the outcome but still had some concerns.

"The results of his actions have caused unnecessary divisions among students and staff," he said.

The video is about a boy who dies and writes a letter from hell to a friend and asks him why he didn't share Jesus with him. The boy died in a drunken driving accident. A disclaimer at the beginning of the video said it is meant to help teens share Christ with their friends. The video can be viewed at the bottom of the page.

Nider was disciplined for violating school district policy on selection of instructional materials. The policy gives guidelines on age, religion, ethnicity and gender, among other things to consider when selecting material. The video also needed to meet the supplemental material policy. The policy addresses how to select books, movies and other material for class. He violated this policy because the video was not relevant to the course content and he also needed to seek permission from the principal before showing the video in class and did not do that, Johnson said.

The district started responding to the Balabans' concerns about the video Thursday after board member Dan Kuntz contacted Johnson, who in turn contacted Simle Principal Russ Riehl. Nider was put on administrative leave that afternoon.

"I would like to extend our apologies to you (the Balabans), your daughter, the entire health class," Kuntz said. "It (the video) is offensive to anyone."

He continued to say that he felt the video was a violation of Title IX, which provides a safe learning environment for students.

The Balabans have received apologies from the superintendent and the principal, and Nider will be writing letters of apology to parents, their daughter and the class.

The board accepted Johnson's report on the investigation. No vote was taken, and no one spoke of behalf of Nider.

(Reach reporter Sara Kincaid at 250-8251 or sara.kincaid.) @bismarcktribune.com

50. Heath Ledger Death: Baptist Group To Protest At Memorial

Comment #116059 by LeeLeeOne on January 25, 2008 at 12:33 pm

Does anyone remember the day way back when the word "fag" meant you were talking about a hand-rolled cigarette? (or does this mean I am waaaay tooo old for this website?! =0