Bad news for ORTA

From Duane Tron, March 3, 2008
Subject: Re: Can't distribute campaign literature at your friendly local RTA?

Dear Retirees,

I have some bad news for ORTA! Any member can independently pass out ANY and ALL campaign literature at ANY ORTA, RTA, or ANY other meeting they so choose! To prohibit the peaceful dissemination of ANY campaign literature, and or political literature at ANY meeting, and or event, violates a person's First Amendment Rights under the United States Constitution and constitutes censorship.

Who in the hell do they think they are? During recent years I have encountered some of the most ignorant people regarding Constitutional Law and issues, I can recall in my lifetime. No wonder some politicians are pushing to stop teaching social studies in the public schools. If you can control the minds of the people you can control the people. Ah! Now we know their true motives!

ORTA must believe they are the "thought" and "mind" police for ALL retirees. I remember some ridiculous lawyer standing up at an Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators Conference in Columbus, years ago and saying to us, "If you do this, if you do that, I guarantee you that you'll get sued!" I stood up and raised my hand and he smiled and asked me, "You have a question?" I responded, "No, I have a response! Hell, if I was afraid of getting sued I wouldn't even get up and get out bed and go to work everyday! In fact I wouldn't have even gone into teaching and coaching let alone become a school administrator!" Everyone laughed but I had hit an important point! The reason I was always an effective and competent school administrator is because I never run scared and I didn't go to work worrying about who might sue me. Like I said, "Heck this is America where any idiot or fool, can sue anyone for anything!"

Am I afraid of the leadership at ORTA? You must be kidding! They aren't even knowledgeable enough in legal matters to be able to tie my shoes. They can't legally prohibit any active or retired educator from passing out campaign literature at any meeting open to ALL retirees. In fact, they can't prohibit any person from doing same, regardless of who they are. As long as a person doesn't disrupt the meeting or deny others their right to be heard they don't have the authority to enact any such rule! These rights are protected under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. I learned this in my first Constitutional Law course that I took in college when I was studying to become an attorney. I decided to become a classroom teacher after I discovered how low people had to stoop in order to become a quote "SUCCESSFUL" lawyer in this country.

Let me explain law to you. How do you think Senator John Edwards became a multi- multi-millionaire attorney? You know, "Mr. Champion" of the little people? The same Senator Edwards who campaigned on how he was going to help the "little" people? Like most successful lawyers, he and his associates took 50% to 68% of every settlement they won in court and left the crumbs to be divided up among thousands of plaintiffs. And people want to know why I don't like lawyers! I sat in courtrooms for three years and observed and listened to some of the most incompetent trial lawyers, judges, prosecutors and other legal professionals you will find. And many of these same people go on record questioning the quality and dedication of classroom teachers. They file frivolous lawsuits against teachers, coaches, principals, and on and on so someone can make a sleazy buck.

I worked for a judge who was about as bright as a turd and I'm being kind. When I asked him once why we didn't bring parents into court and hold them accountable for the actions of underage children he looked at me and honest-to-God said, "That would violate the Constitutional Rights of the parents." Violate the Constitutional Rights of the parents??? I was raised under the impression that if we bring children into this world and are charged with raising them, it is our "DUTY" to make our children accountable for their behavior; therefore that makes parents accountable for the behavior of their children at home, in the community, and at school. Not according to this nitwit! Let me tell you what he told me in closed chambers one time. "If I had known what all was involved in being a juvenile and probate court judge I would have never run for the office. I had no idea what I was doing when it came to adjudicating juvenile offenders when I came into this job!" I wanted to tell him "And you still don't" but I would have been fired on the spot. And I quote under oath and will take a polygraph exam to this effect that every word is true. Makes you proud to work for the courts doesn't it??!!

Folks, give me a classroom teaching job any day! I want to go on record by pointing out that I listened to numerous attorneys for organizations like OSBA, OASSA, OAESA, OEA and other groups issue warnings of dire consequences for those of us who ignored their many pronouncements and warnings. Do you know how many times one or more of them promised me that I would be sued before I ended my public school service of 31 years? I can't begin to count! They all told me "One of these days you're going to get sued, and wait until you're sitting up on that stand and being grilled in a court of law. Then you'll understand what we're trying to tell you!" How many times did I get sued during my 31 years? NONE! NADA! Why not? It's called knowing the law and it's called using "common sense." You know? That ancient artifact of "America's Past" that has been lost and buried along the way from all of the tort attorneys and their frivolous lawsuits!

Let me tell you some of the things I did. I used to let religious groups use school facilities after school hours and I never endorsed them or promoted them in any way, shape, or form. I used to allow student groups to have permission to rally around the flagpole for prayer in the mornings before school took up. I never publicized the event, nor endorsed it in any way, or encouraged it, but I stood out of sight and monitored student conduct to make sure there weren't any problems. You know it's called The First Amendment! We had a Youth for Christ group that asked to use the facilities in the evenings after school hours and they filled out the paperwork and I approved it every time. We had teachers who met in religious share groups in classrooms before school hours and it wasn't any of my business. Athletes would come and ask if they could have prayer before games and I told them as long as the coach left the room and they didn't force anyone to participate. If it was student-sponsored and spontaneous, it was legal. I just never endorsed any such activities and left it up to the students. I had an ACLU idiot attorney tell me she was going to file against us for the morning prayer sessions around the flagpole and I told her to go ahead! I asked her how she could sue the school, or me, for allowing students to freely exercise their First Amendment rights on their own time and their own dime? She said they were engaging in prayer on school property with our permission and I asked, "so?" I told her we're not endorsing anything and not supporting it in any way apart from allowing free expression on their own time and NOT on school time. I asked her where the violation was occurring! She couldn't answer me! She walked out of my office and I never heard from her again! So! Sue ME!

One arrogant ACLU idiot told me once, "after all we're nation of laws, founded upon laws!" I asked him "whose laws, yours or mine?" He said "based on decisions rendered in courts of law." I asked him "which court, in what state, in what year, what jurisdiction, and what were the outcomes?" He said, "it depends!" I said "in other words if we base our behavior toward religion in public places on past court rulings you are ALL wrong! Based on history the courts have sided with organized religion in the overwhelming majority of cases heard since the inception of the Constitution." He tried and debate this point with a bunch of mindless dribble that met his progressive and secularist viewpoint and NOT case law based in history! Case Closed!

Go ahead and pass out campaign literature at RTA meetings and even ORTA gatherings if you want! What are they going to do, try and have you arrested? If they have you arrested then you CAN SUE them and you should retain some sleazy lawyer to represent you! You'll win this one!

Duane Tron St. Paris, OH

Legal Background and Vitae:
...Undergraduate Studies Leading toward a Degree in Law
...Served as a Congressional Intern on Capitol Hill
...Worked with a Juvenile Court for five years prosecuting juvenile
......offenders
...Commissioned as a Juvenile Probation Officer
...Served as Director of a Juvenile Boot Camp and Rehabilitative
......Program
...Served as an Adult Corrections Officer
...Commissioned as a Certified Fire Safety Inspector with The State of
......Ohio
...Commissioned as a Certified Fire Marshal with an area fire agency in
......Ohio
...Presently working for . . . . . . . . (unnamed)