Jay Bennish being interviewed by various reporters in a screen shot from KCNC-TV in Denver.

Jay Bennish is a social studies, American history and political geography teacher at Overland High School in Aurora, Colorado. He joined the faculty in 2000. Image File history File links Jay_Bennish_interviewed_head. ... Image File history File links Jay_Bennish_interviewed_head. ... KCNC-TV is the CBS owned-and-operated television station (O&O) in Denver, Colorado. ... Social studies is a term used to describe the broad study of the various fields which involve past and current human behavior and interactions. ... Pre-Colonial America For details, see the main Pre-Colonial America article. ... Political geography is a field of human geography that is concerned with politics. ... // This school made headlines in 2006 when a lecture given by geography teacher Jay Bennish was recorded by a student, Sean Allen, and broadcasted on talk radio, inciting a nationwide controversy. ... Nickname: The Gateway to the Rockies Location of Aurora in Colorado County Arapahoe, Adams, Douglas  - Mayor Ed Tauer (R) Area    - City 369. ... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Area  Ranked 8th  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ...

On February 1, 2006, student Sean Allen recorded one of Bennish's lectures on his iRiver. Allen took his objections regarding Bennish's class to the media, and this developed into an international story. Sean Allen was an Aurora, Colorado, Overland High School student who secretly recorded and then publicly released a February 2, 2006 lecture by his high school social science teacher, Jay Bennish. ... Current iriver logo the iriver clix iriver (formerly iRiver) is a brand and division of ReignCom, manufacturer of digital audio players and other portable products. ...

The recorded class

After being prompted by students to talk about the State of the Union Address given by U.S. President George W. Bush the previous evening, Bennish suggested that Bush's tone was "eerily similar" to that of Adolf Hitler's speeches (in that both were very ethnocentric), and that capitalism was "at odds with human rights". 2003 State of the Union address given by U.S. President George W. Bush The State of the Union Address is an annual event in which the President of the United States reports on the status of the country, normally to a joint session of the U.S. Congress (the... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... Hitler redirects here. ... Ethnocentrism (Greek ethnos nation + -centrism) is a set of beliefs or practices based on the view that ones own group is the center of everything. ... Capitalism generally refers to an economic system in which the means of production are all or mostly privately[1][2] owned and operated for profit, and in which investments, distribution, income, production and pricing of goods and services are determined through the operation of a free market. ... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ...

Bennish also posed the question, "Who is probably the single most violent nation on planet Earth?", concurring with a student's response, "We [the United States] are". He encouraged students to consider how other nations might see the United States and its allies, suggesting that "to many Native Americans [the American] flag is no different from the Nazi flag," and that Palestinians see the Israelis as "the real terrorists". Speaking about the U.S. "war on drugs" in Colombia, he made a reductio ad absurdum argument suggesting that other countries might have reason to drop chemicals on U.S. tobacco fields "to destroy the tobacco plants that are killing millions and millions of people in their countries every year, and causing them billions of dollars in healthcare costs". Massive mark-ups for drugs, [http://www. ... Reductio ad absurdum (Latin: reduction to the absurd) also known as an apagogical argument, reductio ad impossibile, or proof by contradiction, is a type of logical argument where one assumes a claim for the sake of argument, derives an absurd or ridiculous outcome, and then concludes that the original assumption...

The recording ends with Bennish saying, "I'm not in any way implying that you should agree with me. I don't know if I'm even necessarily taking a position. But what I'm trying to get you to do is to think […] about these issues more in-depth, […] and not just to take things from the surface. I'm glad you asked all of your questions, 'cause they're all very good, legitimate questions, and hopefully that'll allow other people to think about those things, too."

Media reaction

Students protest Bennish's suspension.

The recording was offered to a radio station (850 KOA) in Denver and to Virginia-based economist Walter E. Williams, who discussed it in his syndicated column. Other blogs picked up the story, and eventually Fox News and major newspapers covered the story. On Fox, Alan Colmes reported that "students walked out of classes […] after an audio tape was made public of […] Bennish ranting." In reality, the students were protesting in support of Bennish and against his suspension, and it was an MP3 recording, not a tape. Image File history File links Pro-Bennish_protest. ... Image File history File links Pro-Bennish_protest. ... KOA (850 AM), (NewsRadio 850 KOA) is a clear channel news/talk radio station serving the Denver, Colorado market. ... This article contains a trivia section. ... Walter E. Williams (born 1936) is an American economist. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Fox News Channel (FNC) is a United States-based cable and satellite news channel. ... Alan B. Colmes (b. ... MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, more commonly referred to as MP3, is an audio encoding format. ... Compact audio cassette Magnetic tape is a non-volatile storage medium consisting of a magnetic coating on a thin plastic strip. ...

As the controversy attracted national attention, Bennish was invited to appear on the NBC Today Show in New York City. In the interview with host Matt Lauer broadcasted on March 7, 2006, Bennish maintained that his lecture had been taken out of context and that he had expressed opposing viewpoints later on during the class, which Allen had not recorded. The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... Today, commonly referred to as The Today Show to avoid ambiguity, is an American morning news and talk show airing weekday mornings on the NBC television network. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Matt Lauer or Matthew Todd Lauer (December 30, 1957)[1] is an American television personality, best known as a co-host of NBCs The Today Show (since 1994)[1] after being a news anchor in New York [2] and a local talk-show host in Boston, Philadelphia, Providence, and...

Some journalists, blogwriters, and radio listeners chided Bennish for "indoctrinating" students rather than teaching geography. While the course syllabus reveals an intent to encourage critical thinking about "religion, human rights, notions of development and underdevelopment..." what some found offensive was that Bennish's commentary appeared to be outside of that context. Some believed his stated views to be anti-American.

Bennish argued he was only trying to give a different viewpoint.

Inaccuracies in the recorded lecture

In the recorded discussion Bennish made statements which were inaccurate as phrased:

• He said that the U.S. was the world's largest producer of cigarettes; in fact, China, India and Brazil now manufacture more cigarettes than the United States. It is true, however, that the U.S. is one of the largest cigarette producers.
• He stated that North Carolina is responsible for most of U.S. tobacco production, but the USDA estimates that the state contributes only 37% of national production. North Carolina does, however, produce more tobacco than any other state, so technically no single state would be responsible for most of the U.S. tobacco production.
• He stated that "the Israeli-Zionist movement" assassinated the British prime minister in Palestine. The closest individual fitting this description is Lord Moyne, Minister Resident for the Middle East, who was assassinated by Lehi in 1944, a few years before Israel came into existence. The incident would be more accurately described as "Jewish extremists assassinated the British minister responsible for Palestine".
• He claimed that the FBI had an office in the World Trade Center, which was not the case. However, the CIA, the Department of Defense and other U.S. government agencies did have offices there, and former FBI agent John P. O'Neill was the head of security at the Center.
• He claimed a recent Damadola airstrike (missile attack) against Al Qaeda in Pakistan resulted in the deaths of 75 people, none of whom were members of Al Qaeda. The official death count was 18, although some claim as many as 25 were killed, possibly including some who were known Al Qaeda members.

A cigarette will burn to ash on one end. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (901 km)  - % water 9. ... The U.S. Department of Agriculture, also called the Agriculture Department, or USDA, is a Cabinet department of the United States Federal Government. ... Zionism is a political movement that supports a homeland for the Jewish people in the Land of Israel, where Jewish nationhood is thought to have evolved somewhere between 1200 BCE and late Second Temple times,[1][2] and where Jewish kingdoms existed up to the 2nd century CE. Zionism is... It has been suggested that Selective assassination be merged into this article or section. ... Walter Edward Guinness, 1st Baron Moyne (29 March 1880 - 6 November 1944) was a British politician. ... Lehi emblem Lehi (IPA: , Hebrew acronym for Lohamei Herut Israel, Fighters for the Freedom of Israel, לחי - לוחמי חירות ישראל) was an armed underground Zionist faction in the Palestine Mandate that had as its goal the eviction of the British from Palestine to allow unrestricted immigration of Jews and the formation of a Jewish... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a federal criminal investigative, intelligence agency, and the primary investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... “WTC” redirects here. ... The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an American intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ... John ONeill John Patrick ONeill (February 6, 1952–September 11, 2001) was a top American anti-terrorism expert who worked as a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation until late 2001. ... On January 13, 2006 U.S. aircraft fired missiles into the Pakistani village of Damadola in the Bajaur tribal area, about 7 km (4. ... Map of major attacks attributed to al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (also al-Qaida or al-Qaida or al-Qaidah) (Arabic: ‎ , translation: The Base) is an international alliance of militant Sunni jihadist organizations. ...

Aftermath

Bennish being interviewed by various reporters.

Bennish was placed on administrative leave by the Cherry Creek School District, whose policy requires teachers to present varying viewpoints when tackling controversial subjects. Bennish hired ACLU lawyer David Lane to represent him, and Lane contended that Bennish's First Amendment right to freedom of speech was being jeopardized. Some legal scholars contend that the First Amendment is not protected in a high school setting. When asked in an interview with host Peter Boyles on the Denver radio station KHOW to explain his personal views, Bennish declined and he would not comment on his party affiliation. He also declined an interview with KOA talk radio host Mike Rosen, although Lane encouraged such a dialogue.[1] Image File history File links Jay_Bennish_interviewed_below. ... Image File history File links Jay_Bennish_interviewed_below. ... The American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, is a non_governmental organization devoted to defending civil rights and civil liberties in the United States. ... David Lane (January 4, 1954 -) is an attorney in Denver, Colorado with the firm of Miller, Lane, Kilmer, & Griesen LLP. He is a member of the American Civil Liberties Union, and previously defended Ward Churchill. ... The Bill of Rights in the National Archives The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is a part of the United States Bill of Rights. ... KOA (850 AM), (NewsRadio 850 KOA) is a clear channel news/talk radio station serving the Denver, Colorado market. ...

Bennish's father, who lives in Bennish's hometown of Beverly Hills, Michigan, revealed to the media that he had received at least a dozen death threats. [2] Bennish himself and Allen also received threats, but no party involved was attacked as a result of the controversy. Beverly Hills is a village located in Oakland County, Michigan, United States. ...

On March 10, 2006, the Cherry Creek School District announced that it would reinstate Bennish; he returned to Overland the following Monday. Cherry Creek Schools Superintendent Monte Moses said that "Bennish doesn't deserve to be praised, nor does he deserve to be fired" and that "Jay Bennish has promise as a teacher, but his practice and deportment need growth and refinement." [3]

Bennish's lawyer said that the teacher would alter his style, "giving both sides more contemporaneously. When he gives the yin, [he'll] give the yang right then and there — don't wait a day, don't wait an hour, don't wait a week. Put it all out at the same time." [4]

Upon returning to the classroom, Bennish conducted a discussion on the controversy and explained the nature of his future classes, which would focus less on classroom discussion and more on textbook-based assignments. Students lamented the change; Leia Schiavone commented: "It's a lot more fun to learn from Mr. Bennish from his lectures than from the textbook. The textbook doesn't have everything that's going on in the world. We're not going to be learning as much." [5]

External links

• Official summary of the course (in PDF format)
• Transcript of part of the lecture provided by the Cherry Creek School District (contains errors)
• Full transcript of recording (unofficial but accurate)
• Teacher on leave after comments (Rocky Mountain News)
• Audio files of the Jay Bennish recording aired on The Rush Limbaugh Show along with commentary by Rush Limbaugh
  • Audio Link Rush Babies Fight Back Against Liberal Teachers
  • Audio Link Idiot Teacher Justifies 9/11 Attacks
• Unofficial transcript of Jay Bennish interview with Matt Lauer on the Today Show
• Students come to Bennish's defense
• Pro-Bennish blog
• Anti-Bennish blog
• Articles relating to Jay Bennish at Media Matters for America
• The Democratic Educator’s Vocation: Teaching How To Think, Not What To Think - Commentary by Leo Casey
• Court filing by Bennish against the Cherry Creek School District for prior restraint of his right to talk to the media
• Teacher Disciplined for Expressing Political Viewpoints in Colorado Classroom Commentary from the National Coalition Against Censorship