Ultimate Argument for School Choice

Via Drudge, from Canada, the most pleasantest and politest place on earth:

A suspended Toronto elementary school principal has pleaded guilty to throwing feces (excrement) on a child.

Maria Pantalone, 49, was charged with two counts of assault - one against that child and one against another - but only admitted to one of the charges today.

"I couldn't take it any more," she testified, in describing the provocative circumstances leading up to the incident last June 30….

More here.

Comments

[MP]

Stop. Just stop. Event as a ardent school choice supporter, I despise it when someone uses a cheap shot anecdotal event to argue their point.

[I. Self. Divine.]

Whoa. WTF. I have so many unanswered questions. What was it that she couldn't take anymore that led to the fecal toss? Whose shit was it? Was it animal shit? Was it her shit? Were these kids taking shits on the school steps, and she was merely returning it? These are the things I think about.

[spur]

Was it American shit -- if so that is a grave offense indeed.

If this had happened in a Catholic school would that be an arguement against Catholics?

And Canadians on the whole are still super-duper nice...

[Smappy]

Hear, hear. Let he who is without sin cast the first turd!

[sage]

Maybe she wasn't quite finished evolving.

[David]

Whoa. WTF. I have so many unanswered questions. What was it that she couldn't take anymore that led to the fecal toss? Whose shit was it? Was it animal shit? Was it her shit? Were these kids taking shits on the school steps, and she was merely returning it? These are the things I think about.

Yeah, the article leaves a lot to be desired. I want to know what the last straw was, and sick as it is, it's a better story if it was her shit so that's what I'll assume for now.

[Rich Ard]

I hope it wasn't the children's own feces, because you don't want a teacher who takes shit from little kids.

[Mr. Hanky]

Hy-dee hoooo, eh!

[Pro Libertate]

Sillies. Primate Regression Therapy is all the rage.

[mitch]

And what about all the yes-men who signed those letters of support? "Dear Sir or Madam, I hope that this uncharacteristic episode of assault with fecal matter will in no way blacken or besmirch the reputation of a stellar professional..."

[Fluffy]

What I find shocking is that she has been suspended with pay since last June 30th.

Throw shit at someone = 9 month paid vacation.

WOO HOO!

[mitch]

I Self Divine,

Here are at least a few answers:

http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_2796.aspx

[Warren]

This wouldn't have happened if pot were legal.

[Untermensch]

What does this have to do with school choice at all? How would school choice have affected this? Or is the argument that school choice would allow people to leave the school now? Even as a supporter of school choice, I have a hard time making any connection between this news and school choice. Talk about seeing things through your own set of lenses to jump from this story to anything to do with school choice at all...

[dagny]

The fact that she was suspended WITH PAY certainly means there's SOMETHING messed up going on here. Stupid teachers' unions.

[I. Self. Divine.]

But now Maria Pantalone is facing the kind of charges most people could never conceive of. The woman who runs Keele St. Elementary School is accused of throwing human feces at children.

So it WAS human feces...but to whom did it belong? For now, I am going to go with David and assume it was her own. It's more fun that way.

[I. Self. Divine.]

Jesus, guys. I'm pretty sure that the school of choice bit in the headline was meant to be a funny. Settle the fuck down.

[FinFangFoom]

They're recommending that she receive an "absolute discharge?" No criminal record? WTF?

[smacky]

I wonder if this woman is from Catalonia.

[j]

Whoa. I can't believe this shit.

I might as well just shut it down.

[LarryA]

Remembering my own two children and their friends at the feral age of 13-15, there were times...

[What a waste]

Her brother, who is facing an election test in November, is standing behind his sibling.

"it appears that some charges have been laid"

"resolve the issue"

Mayor David Miller is also backing the accused.

absolute discharge

[Brian24]

Untermensch, MP,

The school choice line is a joke. Get a sense of humor.

in describing the provocative circumstances leading up to the incident last June 30.

. . . and those would be? I can't believe the reporter wrote this line and then left us hanging. WHAT PROVOCATIVE CIRCUMSTANCES!?

[David]

From mitch's link, the incident happened June 30th and the poo-splattered kids don't attend her school. Maybe she was just emphatically telling those damn kids to stay off her lawn.

Still, no details about what set her off, and no word on whether the kids were picking corn out of their hair.

[Pro Libertate]

WHAT PROVOCATIVE CIRCUMSTANCES!?

No, I'm sorry--they are too provocative.

[Alan Vanneman]

Three brief points:

1) There is school choice in Toronto.

2) Neither of the news accounts give any details about what happened or what "allegedly" happened. It's quite possible that the kids' behavior was worse than the principal's, but the tendency these days is to think of kids more or less as angels. To be "mean" to a kid is an unforgivable sin.

3) Try as I might, I couldn't think of a way to make a cheap joke about the Irish in this post. On the other hand, if the year were 1957 instead of 2007, and Sister Mary Ignatius threw shit on you, well, you damned well deserved it!

[Rhywun]

It's quite possible that the kids' behavior was worse than the principal's

Yup, and that's why they're not telling us the "provocative circumstances".

[M]

Bite me.

http://www.koin.com/Global/story.asp?S=6264309

[Qbryzan]

Maybe the kids were trying the old "flaming bag of poo", she caught them before they could light it, and flung the bag at them.

[I. Self. Divine.]

Qbryzan: Isn't that trick generally done with dog poo? The article specifies human feces. This is driving me crazy. I really want to know what those provacative circumstances were, and how exactly human poop came into play.

[mitch]

I Self Divine,

Maybe reason can finance a trip for you up there to do some first hand reporting.

[Penelope, Sheherezade, and O.]

I really want to know what those provacative circumstances were

They had told her a story and left out the important part.

[Qbryzan]

Isn't that trick generally done with dog poo?

Generally, but not everyone has a dog. However, everyone poops (I read it in a book!)

Or maybe they just do things differently in Canada.

[I. Self. Divine.]

Mitch, I would be happy to be Reason's fecal correspondent, if only those damn frigid poo-flinging apes would let me in their country.

[Soap Opera Housewife]

I don't see what the big deal is. Back in my day, this was standard procedure in my grade school. Young kids today have it easy. Why, I had to wade through a sea of raw sewage just to get to -- no wait, sorry I am thinking of the comments on Hit and Run.

[Lamar]

School choice? I'll take the brown feces, please...no wait, there's more educational nourishment in the poo-spray.

[kevrob]

Her brother, who is facing an election test in November, is standing behind his sibling.

Well, sure, it's safe there! Hizzoner Joey Pants doesn't want to get anymore on him than necessary.

Kevin

[The Wine Commonsewer]

I'm with Divine Self, that was absolutely the most meatless news story I've ever seen. We know nothing at all except she's copped to throwing crap at a couple of kids who were not students at her school. Bah.

[Safety Tip]

I just hope the students remembered to close their eyes.

[I. Self. Divine.]

I refuse to believe that in this day and age, no one caught either a picture or video of this on their phone.

[Today\'s Special is \"Spring F]

What the school didn't tell us was that this was the makings of that day's cafeteria lunch.

[Dr. Z]

I don't understand all the excitement. Where I come from, throwing excrement at a student is a common, accepted and effective method of maintaining discipline in the classroom.

It is also endorsed by the Lawgiver in the 13th scroll.

-- Dr. Zaius

[Dr. Zaius]

Oops, I just saw the thread above this one.

[Bee]

In a related link on that page, it looks like Tie Domi thought about throwing poo at his wee son's hockey coach. Or something.

It's an epidemic!

[Dr. Honorious]

It fecesrific!

[Obligatory]

Emily Bates: Mom said the school is closed today because it's flooded, and there's feces everywhere!

Susie Bates: What are feces?

Emily Bates: Baby mice.

Susie Bates: Aww.

[Kwix]

She flung human poo (her's, sombody else's) at two children (5yrs?, 15yrs?) and an undisclosed location under undisclosed circumstances. My what in depth reporting we have here. Bob Woodward it ain't.

[Pro Libertate]

Kwix,

You don't want to know.

[Brian Sorgatz]

She's one-upped Beavis and Butt-head. In one episode, they "strike shit," as my sister once said during her stoner days. But as far as I know, they never strike anyone with shit.

[Grand Chalupa]

I'm with Divine Self, that was absolutely the most meatless news story I've ever seen. We know nothing at all except she's copped to throwing crap at a couple of kids who were not students at her school. Bah.

And really its killing me. Think of the possibilities.

She went nuts, ran to the bathroom, found unflushed feces and threw it at the kids

She got mad, took a shit and decided to pick it up and throw it

She takes a shit in a bucket and dumps it on the kids head

The kid decides to be funny and drop a bag of shit in the halls, she picks it up and you know the rest

We need to know, damnit.

[Rodney King\'s cinematographer]

I think this happens all the time, only this once somebody got caught.

[M]

It's no longer production, but distribution, that's the problem: http://tinyurl.com/35n25e

[Lamar]

Pantalone was merely presenting her feces thesis.

[instafaggot]

At the risk of sounding humor-impaired, this does not relate to school choice at all. That was a cheap shot, worthy of the Drudge Report, I guess. Shame on you, Nick!

[Nike Dunk Shoes]

thanks