Okay... so, without equivocation, I do not support the overthrow of the American form of government. Even though it was founding father Thomas Jefferson who said "a little rebellion now and then is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government," I think the ideals of our system are sound. I could possibly go for some regime change, but no full-blown revolution. So, that's my official stance. That being said, I was looking through the Tennessee Code Annotated today (the big book of Tennessee laws and policies), and was shocked to find this clause regarding teachers and the "advocacy of revolution."
49-5-202. Advocacy of revolution. —
(a) No person who advocates the overthrow of the American form of government or who is a member of a political party subscribing to a political faith which advocates the overthrow of the American form of government shall be employed on either a temporary or permanent basis in any school in this state financed in whole or in part with public funds.
(b) Any person who violates this section commits a Class C misdemeanor and shall also forfeit office.
I don't have to support an overthrow of the government to be worried by this. Thankfully, no one ever reads the TCA. This also kind of relates to a great story I heard on Morning Edition this morning... http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89803687
To give you a teaser for the story, it mentions a former Brittish minister of information who said (and I paraphrase) "If we're not careful, we will sleepwalk our way into a surveillance society."
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