Brickbat: Waving Goodbye
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice says an entire class of correctional officer cadets, some 30 people, will be fired after they posed for a class photo giving a Nazi salute. A report found the class began using the salute as a sign of respect for someone identified as "Inspector Byrd." Byrd told investigators she was unaware of the "historical or racial implications of the gesture" and reported it was "simply a greeting," But others contradicted that, including a secretary who says Byrd told her the students use the salute "because I'm a hard-ass like Hitler" and instructed her to caption the picture "Hail Byrd." Two corrections academy staff members have also been fired and the report calls for the termination or suspension of additional staff members who were aware of the photo and did not report it.
