YOU WANT LOYALTY? GET A DOG ... PREFERABLY ONE WITH A MATH DEGREE

[defrog]

ITEM: A Quaker math instructor who was fired by Cal State East Bay after she refused on religious grounds to sign a state loyalty oath has been reinstated.

To which I say: they actually have loyalty oaths in California?

Evidently they do:

The pledge was added to the state Constitution in 1952 at the height of anti-Communist hysteria and has remained a prerequisite for public employment ever since. All state, city, county, public school, community college and public university employees are required to sign the 86-word oath. Noncitizens are exempt.

Typically, new employees sign it as a matter of routine along with a stack of other required employment documents. Some public employees say they don't recall signing it.

Wow. In these post-McCarthy days, I thought you only had to sign loyalty oaths to attend Presidential appearances. Or work for Steely Dan.

Anyone know if other state civil service posts require these things?

Personally, I don’t know if I’d be comfortable signing one of those even if all I wanted to do was to insert the phrase “non-violently” for religious reasons. There’s something sinister about people who demand yr loyalty in writing – especially when it’s not clear who gets to decide what counts as loyal or disloyal behavior. I don’t like the idea of my employment or livelihood hanging on the whim of some dingbat who decides I’m being disloyal to America because I once made a Dubya joke or I refuse to refer to French fries as “Freedom Fries” or I voted Democrat or whatever.

This line from the teacher in question says it all:

"I just want to teach kids who hate math," she said. "That's all I want to do."

Add it up,

This is dF