© ReutersA US Marine in the Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Pending a successful appeal, Gregory Salcido, a Pico Rivera City council member and teacher, will not be allowed to return to his position at the school. It comes after the California school board voted unanimously on Tuesday to oust Salcido for comments he made to students about the US military last January, reports the Los Angeles Times.
In a secretly-recorded video on January 26, Salcido reportedly described US military personnel as the "lowest of our low" in terms of intelligence. He also joked about previous military campaigns and the US armed forces' inability to "beat the Vietnamese" during the infamous land war in Asia.
"We have all these freaking night vision goggles and stuff, and we can't freaking control these dudes wearing robes and chanclas [sandals] because we have a bunch of dumb s**ts over there," Salcido said at the time. "Think about the people who you know are over there. Your stupid uncle Louis or whatever, dumbs**ts."
"They're not like high level bankers, they're not academic people, they're not intellectual people - they are the lowest of our low. Not morally, I'm not saying they make bad moral decisions [but] they're not talented people," he can be heard saying.
"The data is in, we don't have a good military. We haven't been able to beat these people wearing robes and chanclas for 15 years. We couldn't beat the Vietnamese, they're a bunch of people this freaking big, throwing rice at us. We haven't been able to beat anyone since World War II."
Salcido later apologized for his comments but doubled down on his suggestion that "those who aren't stellar students usually find the military a better option."
Board of Education President Aurora Villon informed the public of the decision to a round of applause. She had earlier spoke of the El Rancho Unified School District as being "swamped with controversy" after Salcido's comments became public.
"The superintendent has recommended disciplinary action including termination of the employment based on the investigation. The board of trustees has voted to take action as recommended," Villon said. "His [Salcido] comments do not reflect what we stand for, who we are. The classroom should never be a place where students feel that they are picked at, bullied, intimidated."
RT.com has contacted Salcido for comment.
Comment: Salicido's gripe with the military and its soldiers doesn't appear to have much do to with waging illegal wars fought for the 'dumbs**ts' in office who are blindly driven by an unhinged desire to maintain US hegemony and a need to prop up the dysfunctional welfare state. Instead he turns his ire toward kids who are manipulated into serving. There's nothing inherently wrong with military service in and of itself. But under a pathocracy everything is turned upside down serving the worst aspects of a country, and this includes the work of academics and bankers as well. That said, it is also clear that the American educational system is becoming more and more resistant to merely discussing controversial views by the day. Say something offensive, and your career is finished!