There was a response to the reporter in question posted on the schools website. Copy Pasta below:
Response to Al Jazeera
Dear Mr. Elizondo: I finished reading your blog about you visiting our community at a recent football game. I want to apologize to you if I came across as disrespectful. That certainly was not my intent and is definitely not how I want to represent my community. I do say this with all sincerity.
With that said, I do want to make a few comments about this situation and your blog. I was dealing with several situations in the few minutes prior to the start of the football game, my conversation with you being one. The most important situation was the fact that two of our elementary children had not arrived at their home. I can assure you that two kids missing is very stressful for an administrator.
Please allow me to respond to a few of your statements. I will write my responses in italics. “ 1.) He doesn’t introduce himself to me, that I recall.” I did introduce myself to you, as I do with all people I meet. 2.) But I am pretty sure he said: “I think it was damn rotten what they did.” You asked me a question about 9/11. I responded to your question. I did not use profanity in my response as indicated in the blog. I do not recall you writing any comments down and verifying them. 3.) He then hands me back my business card – a true sign of patronising disrespect. “I hate you so much and think so little of you; I don’t even want your dirty business card. Mr. Elizondo, how could one possibly get this response by me simply returning your business card? 4.) I am pretty sure he said, “I guess you can stay and watch the game if you want, if you wish.” I do not recall this statement. What I can tell you is this; I do not start sentences with “I guess you can.” This sounds to me like I was inviting you to stay for the game.
Now let me close with the following comments. I tried finding you after our other situations were resolved and talk with you more. Had the situation with the two elementary students not occurred, I would have found you before you apparently left. No one saw you leave, even those working at the entrance. I would not have changed my mind about allowing you to just drop by and interview people and film our students. We did not have prior notice and we certainly did not have time to verify who you were. Also, I would have asked you not to do those things at a public event, on public property and at a public school function. If you had done these, then the FERPA rights for our students would very well have been violated, especially for the students whose parents have signed papers not allowing the pictures of their children on the web. I do regret however, that you did not return to talk to me more, or “confront” me as you stated in your blog. I think we would have enjoyed a nice conversation.
Booker is a community that has accepted diversity for decades, including many different faiths. I am sitting here listening to the music from our annual “Fiesta Night” that celebrates the unification of the many cultures that make up our community.
Michael Lee
But I know I would never give someone back their business card ever because that's just down right rude, also kind of hard to get a hold of someone if you give their card back so... there's that.
Yeah, I saw that. I particularly love his last paragraph: "I love MINORITEEZ like you MEXICANZ LOL. And some of my BESTEST FRENZ are black!"
Also notable: The school is modifying the website to break the links on the AJ site. Each time they correct a link to, say, the principal's page or the super's picture page? The school switches it so it 404s.
That I hadn't heard and is just a smidgen more damning and to be fair, it is Texas Fiesta Night might actually be the only multi-cultural anything they have ;p
Well, hell, take a look at his "different faiths" crack in that same last paragraph.
Might as well say "The Guardian? But them filthy limeys is Ang-lick-kan and JEEZUS wants us to kill 'em afore they kills us!"
His "covering my ass" letter is just showing his ass more. And, since they're a NEWS organisation devoted to REPORTING, Al Jazeera is letting him, in his own words, without comment, without spin.
He probably knows a jew or two, they're a different faith from christian ^_^ At least, he didn't claim to be friends with a muslim so he's cool with the a-rabs, or vice versa.
It is fun watching someone damn themselves more by trying to defend their actions to bad nothing will happen to him and no one will learn anything.
as a parent of a child in an american school, his response has some merit. By law, they are not allowed to have a journalist wandering around the school taking pictures without the parents being notified. I have a legal right to say No to pictures of my daughter in a paper, as a minor. Without knowing how many kids at that school did not have paperwork giving permission for their image to be used, you have to err on the side of caution.
that would explain the refusal of the request to video. However it does nothing for refusing to let him stay and interview adults. being able to justify bigotry after the fact does not negate the bigotry which caused the response.
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theweaselking
(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-06 06:55 pm (UTC)Response to Al Jazeera
Dear Mr. Elizondo: I finished reading your blog about you visiting our community at a recent football game. I want to apologize to you if I came across as disrespectful. That certainly was not my intent and is definitely not how I want to represent my community. I do say this with all sincerity.
With that said, I do want to make a few comments about this situation and your blog. I was dealing with several situations in the few minutes prior to the start of the football game, my conversation with you being one. The most important situation was the fact that two of our elementary children had not arrived at their home. I can assure you that two kids missing is very stressful for an administrator.
Please allow me to respond to a few of your statements. I will write my responses in italics. “ 1.) He doesn’t introduce himself to me, that I recall.” I did introduce myself to you, as I do with all people I meet. 2.) But I am pretty sure he said: “I think it was damn rotten what they did.” You asked me a question about 9/11. I responded to your question. I did not use profanity in my response as indicated in the blog. I do not recall you writing any comments down and verifying them. 3.) He then hands me back my business card – a true sign of patronising disrespect. “I hate you so much and think so little of you; I don’t even want your dirty business card. Mr. Elizondo, how could one possibly get this response by me simply returning your business card? 4.) I am pretty sure he said, “I guess you can stay and watch the game if you want, if you wish.” I do not recall this statement. What I can tell you is this; I do not start sentences with “I guess you can.” This sounds to me like I was inviting you to stay for the game.
Now let me close with the following comments. I tried finding you after our other situations were resolved and talk with you more. Had the situation with the two elementary students not occurred, I would have found you before you apparently left. No one saw you leave, even those working at the entrance. I would not have changed my mind about allowing you to just drop by and interview people and film our students. We did not have prior notice and we certainly did not have time to verify who you were. Also, I would have asked you not to do those things at a public event, on public property and at a public school function. If you had done these, then the FERPA rights for our students would very well have been violated, especially for the students whose parents have signed papers not allowing the pictures of their children on the web. I do regret however, that you did not return to talk to me more, or “confront” me as you stated in your blog. I think we would have enjoyed a nice conversation.
Booker is a community that has accepted diversity for decades, including many different faiths. I am sitting here listening to the music from our annual “Fiesta Night” that celebrates the unification of the many cultures that make up our community.
Michael Lee
But I know I would never give someone back their business card ever because that's just down right rude, also kind of hard to get a hold of someone if you give their card back so... there's that.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-06 07:20 pm (UTC)Also notable: The school is modifying the website to break the links on the AJ site. Each time they correct a link to, say, the principal's page or the super's picture page? The school switches it so it 404s.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-06 07:20 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-06 07:25 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-06 07:41 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-06 07:45 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-06 07:53 pm (UTC)Might as well say "The Guardian? But them filthy limeys is Ang-lick-kan and JEEZUS wants us to kill 'em afore they kills us!"
His "covering my ass" letter is just showing his ass more. And, since they're a NEWS organisation devoted to REPORTING, Al Jazeera is letting him, in his own words, without comment, without spin.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-06 08:39 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-06 09:05 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-06 10:31 pm (UTC)It is fun watching someone damn themselves more by trying to defend their actions to bad nothing will happen to him and no one will learn anything.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-06 10:58 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-06 11:47 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-07 03:28 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-15 03:22 am (UTC)