Kansas Governor Upset over Teen's Tweet

Kansas Senior Emma Sullivan

Emma Sullivan learned far more about the issue of free speech than she anticipated.last week. The Shawnee Mission East senior, who participated in a Youth in Government program November 21st, tweeted from the back of a crowd of students listening to Brownback's greeting. "Just made mean comments at gov. brownback and told him he sucked, in person #heblowsalot." Evidently, Governor Sam Brownback's staff didn't find that acceptable.  Hus office monitors social media for content mentioning the governor's name and contacted Youth in Government when they found Sullivan's tweet.


The next day, Sullivan was summoned to the principal's office, but she had no idea why.  Principal Karl R. Krawitz informed her that she had embarrassed the school and must write a letter of apology to the governor by this morning and even provided her with a few talking points.  Sullivan protested, saying that she had made no such comments and was "joking around." 


Sullivan's nineteen-year-old sister Olivia Olivia Sullivan, a political science major at Wichita State University, said, "I think it is embarrassing to the governor and to the administration of the school and the school district to waste time and taxpayer money on something so petty.  And it’s discouraging to children when they are told they can’t speak their mind."  Ham on Wry agrees.  This kind of exaggerated response typifies the minutiae that dominates many politician's thoughts today.  If I lived in Kansas, I would protest the time, attention, and money spent on such a ridiculous effort.


Okay, perhaps Emma Sullivan made a mistake in tweeting some of the language in that comment, but the whole situation summons up thoughts of Big Brother watching our every move.  Our right to free speech allows hate mongers to express themselves.  Sullivan is a high school student who never got in trouble before this.  Her actions don't come close to the kind of frothing-at-the-mouth comments made by Obama haters.  Should we just arrest the entire population of the United States as a preemptive strike against any kind of possible disagreement? 


Ham on Wry considers this a classic case of "making a mountain out of a mole hill."  Sullivan has received volumes of support for refusing to write a letter of apology, and Ham on Wry suggests that Governor Brownback's office should apologize to her for creating a viral media event over something so small. I wonder if Dorothy would still repeat, "There's no place like home" while clicking the heels of her ruby red shoes together in referring to Kansas, if she witnessed this event.  


Just in, Governor Brownback has apologized has apologized to Emma Sullivan for his staff member's overreaction to her tweet, thus proving my point.  Now, it Krawitz's turn.