Clamor erupts over Kansas teen's tweet about governor

Saturday, November 26, 2011

PRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kan. (AP) — A suburban Kansas City teen landed herself in trouble by tweeting a few "joking" words about Gov. Sam Brownback during a Statehouse fieldtrip.

The Kansas City Star (http://bit.ly/thyVCP) reported that it all started Monday during Brownback's greeting to young people who were in Topeka with the Youth in Government program.

Emma Sullivan, 18, thumbed from the back of the crowd, "Just made mean comments at gov. brownback and told him he sucked, in person (hash)heblowsalot." She actually made no such comment and described the tweet as "joking around."

But she soon learned that that Brownback's office monitors social media for postings containing the governor's name. Brownback's director of communication wasn't amused.

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

The tweet was passed along to the Youth in Government program. The resulting scolding she received at school that lasted nearly an hour. She said he 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.

The principal even suggested talking points to hit in the apology letter she was ordered to write.

Shawnee Mission East principal Karl R. Krawitz called the situation a disciplinary action.

"It is a school issue, a private issue, not a public matter," he said.

Sullivan, who plans to study psychology next year at the University of Arkansas, isn't balking at writing the letter of apology. But she isn't repentant either.

"I don't regret sending the tweet," she said. "It was harmless. It's not like I was really fired up about anything he said."

She said she wasn't a fan of Brownback before, and his staff's response to her tweet isn't making her or her friends converts.

"We all are liberal, and we are opposed to a lot of his views," she says. "I'm just an 18-year-old girl who knows what I believe, and I know what he believes, and we disagree. That is not going to change."

One of the reasons for the Topeka visit was to give students a chance to draft and debate a mock bill. But Sullivan took something altogether different from the experience: "Twitter has more impact than I thought."

"But I'm sure the governor gets a lot of hate mail on Twitter and Facebook, so I don't know why his office would pick on an 18-year-old high school girl just horsing around with her friends. I was shocked. I'm still shocked."

Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com

More like this story

hkchas 1 year, 6 months ago

Another TeaPublican supporting free speech unless it's about him ....

Graceful 1 year, 6 months ago

So you thinks it s fine to defend "Just made mean comments at gov. brownback and told him he s ucked, in person (hash)heblowsalot?" Even the NT's fitler doesn't accept one word

hkchas 1 year, 6 months ago

Comments about public figures are free speech. If they weren't , then Obama could have you fired from your job for the things you say about him, eh ?

Graceful 1 year, 5 months ago

She was supposed to be in a school function.

hkchas 1 year, 5 months ago

and ......

Graceful 1 year, 5 months ago

she wasn't paying attention. Then she was lying to her "followers" about what she did.

hkchas 1 year, 5 months ago

~LOL~ Not paying attention on a Field Trip ? Hang Her !

Graceful 1 year, 5 months ago

Why do you always go to the extreme? She was out of line. She was called on it. That should have been the end of it. But no, the leftists had to get involved due to their absolute hatred of anything conservative. They are out of control and need to be stopped.

bluesfan13 1 year, 5 months ago

Wait, what? The leftists had to get involved????

Isn't Governor Brownback a Republican? Wasn't his staff the ones who were headhunting over this?

tonto_goldberg 1 year, 6 months ago

She said "mutual respect" but I don't think it means what she seems to think it means. The word "mutual" is the problem. It means two-sided.

Gabrielle 1 year, 6 months ago

So Emma is going to study psychology hmmmmm.....wonder how she will reflect upon this experience.

tonto_goldberg 1 year, 6 months ago

A learning and growing experience would be a nice outcome. There are some things you might think about but should never talk about.

Gabrielle 1 year, 6 months ago

"Just made mean comments at gov. brownback and told him he s----d, in person (hash)heblowsalot." She actually made no such comment and described the tweet as "joking around."

Emma referred to her comments as mean. So, is 'mean' the same as 'negative'? And what is really negative? If one expresses their dissatisfaction about a person's actions - or a governmental leader's policies - why would that be called 'negative'? What REALLY makes a comment 'negative'?

And is it really just about comments about politicians? Listen to yourself - hchs. I wonder How DO you reflect on your negative comments about fellow posters here on this forum, and how WOULD you if your comments were taken to your boss?

In addition to Emma's mean comments, she really didn't say these things to the governor - i wonder what she will learn about herself if she continues with her plans to study psychology. Will the University of Arkansas still accept her? or will she land a job with a major network as a result? lol - seems the world is quite forgiving.

However - this software program is not - I copied my first entry from the acticle's text and had to remove some letters from the s--d word....'Watch your mouth! The words "s---d" are not allowed here.....lol.....

tonto_goldberg 1 year, 6 months ago

Petunia, I think you are expecting too much of the kid and too little of the Jayhawk governor.

The kid's comments were rude and unacceptable and should not have been made publicly; she may have believed that a twitter account is like bathroom gossip. If she learned otherwise, that's a good thing for her. If not, she is going to have a rough life. Basic diplomacy is required in any kind of real-world setting.

The governor's response to a rude comment was excessive, and it was supported by the so-called Youth In Government program and her school. A public official is expected to deal with negative comments, heckling, and even pointed insults in a more preofessional way. He dealt with this situation as if someone called him names on the grade school playground.

Finally, I am not going to make the obvious joke about the University of Arkansas accepting that kid. I will not engage in a hog-calling contest. I am not going to make the obvious comment on which network woould be most consistent with the kid's current attitude.

tonto_goldberg 1 year, 6 months ago

Two people should get fired over this. The governor's director of communications for turning a minor controversy into a worldwide media frenzy, and the school principal for demanding a very specific letter of apology which the governor does not want or need. Both have demonstrated the consequences of spectacular incompetence, augmented by arrogance.

The only thing wrong with Kansas is having to cross it to get to somewhere better.

asb 1 year, 5 months ago

The principal is an innocent dupe and should be ignored rather than fired. The last thing we need is to fire a PR staffer who can make Cracker Sam look this foolish: promotion should be considered. Sam Brownback is a blunt instrument with little soul who rides the name of Jesus to every election. This girl may be silly, but Cracker Sam is sinister, and what the girl tweets has no business in the sights of the sponsor, the school, or Brownback's office. And remember, "You Lie!!" was a perfectly acceptable shriek from the cracker right in the US congress . . .

Gabrielle 1 year, 6 months ago

Okay - just to be sure I have this straight, Tonto: I am expecting too much from Emma and too little from the governor ... and you think two people should get fired over this? Please tell me you are joking! okay - maybe that is expecting too much.....

tonto_goldberg 1 year, 5 months ago

Petunia, think about the differences between what happened here and what should have happened. Several people failed. The student bears primary responsibility for what she did, but it was a minor thing that could have been resolved quietly and quickly.

There was a student who should have been taught about discretion and diplomacy somewhere along the way. Those things don't come naturally to everyone. Want to guess who should have done that? Parents? Scool? Church? I know that some kids seem immune to such teaching, but it didn't end there.

Someone selected that student to go on that trip, and the ground rules for an event like that are normally discussed - and clarified - before the bus leaves the school parking lot. Who should have done that?

After the tweets were issued, the governor's director of communication took a back-door punitive approach to the event. Her job was to make the governor look good and keep him looking good in the media. Instead she turned a minor incident into a world-wide media event. She made the governor seem like a bully with a thin skin. That is what I meant by a spectacular failure.

The governor is a highly succeessful politician and a much better man than that even if you disagree with his policies. I am certain he's been called a lot worse names and survived without the help of a so-called communications director.

The school principal forgot that his primary job is to educate kids. It is not to curry political favor at the expense of a student who did something rude. School officials do not have a good record when it comes to freedom of speech, so I will reconsider my opinion that he should get fired - he's just another hack doing what most school principals would have done. Some times when you try to make nice it makes things worse. This was one of those times.

Now, do you get it?

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