Recently, Kansas high schooler Emma Sullivan traveled to Topeka to see a speech from Governor Sam Brownback at a Youth in Government event (which sounds tight, by the way).
Pictured: Governor Brownback
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Because she isn't a fan, Sullivan posted a tweet during the event that read "Just made mean comments at gov. brownback and told him he sucked, in person #heblowsalot." It's weird because she didn't actually make mean comments to his face, but whatever, teenagers tweet like that. The story here is that Governor Brownback's staff found the tweet and got in contact the Youth in Government program. After this, the school apparently demanded the 18 year old Sullivan write a formal apology to the Governor of the state of Kansas.
Pictured: Governor Brownback (metaphor)
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I get that a lot of times people misunderstand freedom of speech ("You can't get mad at me for being racist at a Burger King! It's called freedom of speech!"), but a school district forcing a student to write an apology for something she posted on Twitter is obviously a violation. So Sullivan rightly refused to write the apology. And when the story blew up, public opinion forced the Governor of the state of Kansas to apologize to the 18 year old girl who said he blows on Twitter.
Pictured: Governor Brownback (additional metaphor)
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In a written statement, Brownback said that his staff overreacted to the tweet and that "Freedom of speech is among our most treasured freedoms." Then he began to cry as red, white, and blue fireworks went off behind him and promised to spend his evening Skyping with the troops.
Pictured: Governor Brownback (intended metaphor)
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Appearing on Kansas City's NBC Action News, Sullivan said that she "doesn't agree with a majority of the things that he's trying to pass, or... not letting pass" and many sources are reporting that one of those things is Brownback's decision to eliminate all state funding for the arts and completely dismantling the Kansas Art Commission. And boy does it make sense to not agree with that. Governor Brownback decided that 689,000 dollars, a total of 0.005 percent of the state's budget, was too much to teach art to some children.
Pictured: Governor Brownback (apt metaphor)
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The take away for Governor Brownback and his staff in all of this should be that if you'd prefer people not tweet that you blow a lot, then don't do things that blow. A lot.
So what do we think? Should Emma Sullivan have written an apology? Or should Governor Brownback's staff spend less time on Twitter? Give us your thoughts in the comments!
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