JOSEPH JOYNER, St. JOHNS COUNTY SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT, FIRST AMENDMENT VIOLATOR
Ed Hall, brilliant cartoonist fired by bozos at St. Augustine WRecKord and St. Johns County Schools
PHIL McDANIEL (a/k/a "PHIL THE SHILL") Erstwhile Arts Council Chair, FIRST AMENDMENT VIOLATOR
DEREK MAY, St. Augustine Record Publisher
See below. How can any self-respecting "journalist" write for the WrecKord, which refuses to discuss and refuses to apologize for its wrongful firing of brilliant cartoonist Ed Hall?
It has been nearly six months Since School Superintendent JOSEPH JOYNER and his haughty henchmen -- including millionaire Republican PHIL McDANIEL -- succeeded beyond their wildest wet dreams in pressuring spineless St. Augustine WrecKord Publisher DEREK MAY into firing the cartoonist, Ed Hall.
Did it make McDANIEL, JOYNER and MAY so happy to violate a political cartoonists' artistic freedoms? Apparently not.
They frown most of the time.
At least it appears they're always frowning when photographed or seen in public.
Ite always frowning, unless they're smugly violating the First Amendment, as JOYNER has now done repeatedly with his Webster School Establishment Clause violations and stupid statements to the press (e.g., about parents with brains having "their own agenda."
Did firing the cartoonist Ed Hall make them wise? Nope, not by the hair on your chinny-chin-chin?
What did it make them then? Smirking turkey society members in good standing -- members of what Martin Sheen's West Wing character (President Jed Bartlet) would call the "Ingorant Tightass Society." (ITS)
The St. Augustine WRecKord's OpEd page is now a dull place, with only uncontroersial McGregor cartoons.
The "Ignorant Tightass Society" (ITS) acts like it has triumphed, except that the WrecKord's sales are down (who wants a newspaper that fires cartoonists.
MORRIS COMMUNICATIONS' St. Augustine Record and Jacksonville Times-Union provide 34% of the worldwide corporate profits for MORRIS COMMUNICATIONS. Sadly, the WrecKord is being run into the ground by DEREK MAY, a non-journalist publisher (an IT person by training).
DEREK MAY is so insecure in his skin that he writes stupid e-mails about who he won't talk to people who send him critical e-mails and send copies to others). In labor law, we call that "concerted protected activity, Boy, and we're proud of it.
Evidently the country clubbin', table-tennis playin' WRecKord Publisher DEREK MAY reckons he has "special rights" to inflict censorship and to ignore criticism. Is he that ill-bred and ill-mannered, having married into a publishing empire that wasted one million dollars on a bogus antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour, while refusing to litigate the simplest of Open Records lawsuits to obtain documents from local government agencies?
Now the ITS can only hope that every single reporter for the St. Augustine WRecKord will show his/her fawning obeisance to sacred cows, whatever would make a dull Republican happy.
The ITS reminds me of the story about the saintly lady in a small town, who supposedly could say something nice about everybody. Asked by her new minister to say something nice about the Devil, she thought a minute, then said, "Well, he's no slouch."
Gee, Ed. I could have told you about Joyner's tactics years ago. I was a teacher at Bartram Trail High and had taught for 30.5 years before retiring. I started a teaching blog which was mostly positive about the school system and school. When I posted an article that was critical about the administration Joyner called the principal Brennan Asplen. Brennan called me into his office and told me not to "air the school's dirty laundry". Though I only had excellent evaluations the pressure continued and I finally retired. Even now after being retired a year the retribution continues. Suddenly none of my former coworkers/friends at Bartram will return my emails or calls. I have heard a rumor that Asplen called them in and told them in private that talking to me would be detrimental to their job security. Whether this is true or not I don't know but it would explain the sudden cutting off of my former friends. How petty and vindictive would someone have to be to do this? I have my suspicions that Joyner is behind the pressure and that this is his warped way of striking back at me for daring to make him and Asplen look bad by telling the truth. Now I am retired and I have no reservations in telling all of the dirty secrets of the school system's dealings. I have nothing to lose now.
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