According to Atlanta-based news network 11 Alive, a school in Fulton County, Georgia fired a substitute teacher after he engaged in an "expletive-laced, racist rant" against former President Barack Obama while a class was in session.
The teacher, who has not been identified and appears to be of Middle Eastern descent, blamed Obama for drone strikes saying the former President "bombed the sh*t out of my country."
The teacher's statements were caught on video and prompted the principal of Centennial High School, where the incident took place, to send a letter to parents pledging the administration "will continue to have an expectation of positivity and kindness for all those that enter our school."
You can hear some of what was said in the news coverage below.
The incident proved so controversial it caught the attention of the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
In a statement, Gerald Griggs, the first vice president of the NAACP's Atlanta chapter, said it was "very disturbing" to hear the language the teacher uttered in a classroom.
He added:
“School is not the place to have that kind of vitriol conversation with young people. That’s why we’re concerned, and the definite racist overtones that were coming out were very, very concerning.”
“No generation of young people should be subjected to a hostile environment where they’re made to feel unsafe and uncomfortable."
“We understand that they’ve taken swift action, and we believe that was appropriate, but we still are concerned that that level of political rhetoric that is damaging was being used in the school in front of young people."
Many have criticized the teacher and applauded the school's move.
School is not a place for hate speech and personal political rants.https://www.rawstory.com/fulton-county-teacher-racist-rant-video/\u00a0\u2026— MJupiter (@MJupiter) 1650560229
He should be charged \n\nGeorgia substitute teacher fired after he's caught raging at Obama in obscenity-laced ranthttps://www.rawstory.com/fulton-county-teacher-racist-rant-video/\u00a0\u2026— Alder Wood (@Alder Wood) 1650555241
I guess his next time at the dais will be for his Heterodox Academy lecturehttps://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/centennial-high-school-substitute-teacher-viral-video-racist-rant/85-7d6853ec-d19c-43a4-9b7a-e116a51abae2\u00a0\u2026— David Leheny (@David Leheny) 1650617887
https://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/2022/04/georgia-substitute-teacher-fired-after-hes-caught-raging-at-obama-in-obscenity-laced-rant/\u00a0\u2026 Keep this trending and its about time they get justice— Larry Woolfolk (@Larry Woolfolk) 1650563162
How did he get hired?https://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/2022/04/georgia-substitute-teacher-fired-after-hes-caught-raging-at-obama-in-obscenity-laced-rant/\u00a0\u2026— Gay Civil Rights (@Gay Civil Rights) 1650555891
Predicting extremist #Republicans will defend this as protected 1st amendment just like they claim owning a machine gun is protected by 2nd amendment.\n\nSchools and school boards are being overrun with home schoolers.— Donald's Drunk Accountant (@Donald's Drunk Accountant) 1650557413
I\u2019m guessing a full-time teaching job is not in his future.— Sharon Olive\u270d\ufe0f (@Sharon Olive\u270d\ufe0f) 1650555016
Isn't it a bit late in the game to ranting over someone two administrations back?— Lee Grupsmith-Pedersen\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@Lee Grupsmith-Pedersen\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1650554580
Good on the swift action.— T. Mashburn \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddea (@T. Mashburn \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddea) 1650578688
However, concerns about drone strikes are not entirely unfounded.
Former President Obama inherited the United States lethal strikes program from former President George W. Bush, who'd expanded it during the "War on Terror," and ordered 542 drone strikes while in office, according to data compiled by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), which noted Obama ordered his first two just days after entering office in 2009, strikes that killed as many 20 civilians in Waziristan, Pakistan.
CFR points out Obama left the White House in 2016 "after having vastly expanding and normalizing the use of armed drones for counterterrorism and close air support operations in non-battlefield settings—namely Yemen, Pakistan, and Somalia."
Former President Donald Trump's drone strikes accelerated at a faster pace, according to data reviewed by The Chicago Sun-Times, reporting he authorized more than 180 drone strikes in Yemen in just two years. Additionally, American air and artillery strikes in Iraq and Syria saw a twofold increase in the number of casualties on Trump's watch.
Drone strikes have declined dramatically under President Joe Biden's administration, which has set up a new system requiring White House approval for strikes that occur outside of active war zones, a requirement that is now in place throughout the military apparatus, particularly since the end of the war in Afghanistan.
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