Ben Bernake called it right when he said “There are no atheists in foxholes and no ideologues in financial crises.” Irmo High School principal Eddie Walker is calling a mulligan on his plan to resign in protest of his school establishing a gay-straight alliance. The State reports that:
Lexington-Richland 5 interim superintendent Herbert Berg received a letter from Walker this week “indicating his desire to remain at Irmo High School,” district spokesman Buddy Price said Thursday.
Like other employees, Walker’s contract will be up for renewal in the spring, Price said.
In May, Walker wrote a letter to the school community stating his strong disagreement with the formation of a gay-straight club at the school. His letter indicated he believed the club would be somewhat sexual in nature and that, given his religious beliefs, he couldn’t lead a school that conflicted with the idea of an abstinence-based education.
Of course, that was before the Global Financial End Times overwhelmed his fears that supporting a bunch of gay and straight teens talking about how they can keep their school from becoming another hate crime or suicide statistic would bring about all the things he read would happen in the Left Behind series. After all, the Biblical Apocalypse is sort of cool, with its demons and Tribulation Forces running about; whereas the actual thing turns out to just involve a lot of sitting on your ass waiting for an unemployment check to come.
Walker’s change of heart came just at the right time. Today’s news that the unemployment rate is up to 6.7% means that while Principal Walker will, assuming the Superintendent allows him to keep his job, be forced to support his school’s Gay-Straight Alliance, he’ll be spared, at least for a while, from joining the hordes of wandering hobo principals that will shortly be roaming across the plains and valleys of our country, handing out detentions to random passerby and calling for pep rallies that nobody will ever attend.
Unless of course, Irmo decides to accept its homophobic high school principal’s resignation and hire someone who will support all his students equally, which is what they should do– and that’s a bit of advice you can take to the bank.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
The Milkman
And now we finally see the limit of the evangelical commitment to their so-called “biblical principles”… it’s apparently great to be committed to right-wing religious fascism, as long as all the hardship is endured by someone else.
Pussy.
Joe Moag
Great post!
Dick Mills
Well, here’s to hoping that they have already been looking for and have found a replacement for the bastard who thought that sticking his head up his ass would make a difference! When he first made his comments, I remarked that those South Carolinian Principals can sure be Drama Queens! But most drama queens probably have much more back bone than he does.
ChicagoJimmy
Why would he be worried? Couldn’t he just pray for a new job and get one? Especially since he would have left his old one for such a biblically justifiable reason. Maybe his faith isn’t strong enough?
RichardR
Japhy, you are on an editorial roll today. ‘Twould be great if the school board says, “no thanks.”
Sorry for your sadness about your church. My feeling is if they ain’t agin me I ain’t agin them. The Episcopal Church is to be commended for its progressive stance on so many issues, including ours, and I thank those among its faithful who oppose the fundamendalists.
blake
It’s fair to say that the principal put the school in a bad light and hurt students. From an employers’ perspective, retaining this man does not make sense. What is to stop him from doing something else that might embarrass the school?
Moreover, keeping the man on staff also opens the school up to potential lawsuits if his stance translates into how he treats staff and students: Would he ignore harassment of GLBT and GLBT-friendly staff and students? Would he discriminate against the aforementioned persons?
Maybe he has some friends on the school board who will fight for him. Otherwise, I can’t imagine a school board keeping someone who resigned like this. It’s just not good business.
CitizenGeek
Again with the whole Wonkette copycat thing present in the headline. Sigh, give it a rest, Queerty.
BobP
Another spineless “religious” blowhard. I think he should be fired just for his lack of integrity. He’s supposed to be the leader/head of a school full of impressionable teen agers. They deserve better.
Puddy Katz
He must agree to be tea-bagged in order to hold on to his job! Only right, there has to be consequences!
Glenn I
I believe so strongly in my religion that I will rip away your rights on the basis of it. But I don’t want to have to look for another job so let’s just stop calling each other bigots and let me keep my health insurance?
reversion
“Ben Bernake called it right when he said ‘There are no atheists in foxholes’.
Well fuck you, too.
Bruno
@CitizenGeek:
Watch out, or some fundies might see your comment and report to their “news sources” that the left is infighting.
alan brickman
“christains like that” are always about the money..
panasonicyouth
@CitizenGeek If every site read like Wonkette, I would subscribe to the whole internet. God bless that site.
But whatever. This headline works for the story. Meh.
RonnieTJ
Я охренела………круто +10
osocubano
God is not love, God is money.
niles
Come one, Walker, McDonalds is always hiring assistant managers. Don’t be an evangelical sissy boy.
M Shane
The inpression that I get of his possition is not that it is one of sexual absenance, but of censorship of talking about sex at all (he could be so deluded as to believe that not talking about it would prevent it). This means that all the kids get an equal chance to suffer.
E.g., girls getting pregnant and not knowing why! Saying noting about HIV and growing up in wonderment of who you are sexually (which is a good deal of who you are then.
This guy needs to be tarred and feathered: sure souldnt be in charge of anyone.
Roland Basque
The heavens were displeased with the sons of Arabia because of their proclivity towards homosexuality.The Arabs abuse women and beat them .They do not like women they only seek intimacy with other arab men.The practice of homosexuality was introduced to Arabia by Irish “wild geese”.The arabs took up this custom with great glee and even neglected their camels to bestow their affections on other Arabic males.Little is known about the original Irish practicioners of this custom other then they went on to the countries of England and Scotland for a lengthy sojourn.Now the Arabs perform puerile acts of violence to disguise their rampant homosexuality but without the desired results.The world is aware of the fact that homosexuality is a way of life in Arabia.
Pugs
@osocubano: Sad but true. Your comment reminded me of Jesus being pissed at the money counters in the temple. I wonder how he’d feel about today’s temple money lovers?
http://www.ComeTogetherGiftBaskets.com
Brian
I think he should take his detention pad and bull-horn, and hit the road. If he can’t support his students, he can hop a train out of town.