KTLA: Man Fired for Wearing Bush Sweatshirt at Obama Rally (Actually USS Bush Sweatshirt)

[nonniey]

Wow the Political Correctness Snafu's just keep coming this week. This story is being poorly reported as even this headline shows. The Shirt and Hat actually say USS George H.W. Bush yet it gets reported that he is wearing a Bush sweatshirt (Implying it is about the former President as opposed to the ship).


"Duane Hammond says it's what got him fired. Hammond is a union stagehand who was part of the crew that built the platform for the Obama event on campus.

He came to work early this morning wearing clothing that says "George H. W. Bush". Hammond's son is in the Navy, currently serving on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. George H. W. Bush.
...
Hammond says he was not trying to make a political statement. He says he got the sweatshirt and hat during a visit to the aircraft carrier on Family Day. The back of his sweatshirt has a large drawing of the ship.
...

That didn't go over well with his union supervisor. Hammond says he was told to take off the sweatshirt, or he would have to go home.

He refused. They told him he was fired from the job......"


http://blogs.ktla.com/news_custom_er...ama-rally.html

[AsburySkinsFan]

Always more to these things than the blogs present.

[nonniey]

Always more to these things than the blogs present.

KTLA: Is one of the local LA news Stations not a Blog (Although I suspect the Blogs and political sites will soon sieze upon it).

[twa]

Oh I can assure you the Mil-blogs will

[jnhay]

In the video, the guy says he was told to go home, not that he was fired. I wonder if what the article says is accurate.

[Predicto]

KTLA: Is one of the local LA news Stations not a Blog (Although I suspect the Blogs and political sites will soon sieze upon it).

No, it is still a blog. A blog hosted by a news station website, but still the same unvetted sort of information. Kind of like FoxNation, where pretty much anyone can post anything they want.

Anyhow, let's see what develops before our politically correct sensors go into overdrive. Could be true, could be nonsense, probably is something in between.

[nonniey]

No, it is still a blog. A blog hosted by a news station website, but still the same unvetted sort of information. Kind of like FoxNation, where pretty much anyone can post anything they want.

Anyhow, let's see what develops before our politically correct sensors go into overdrive. Could be true, could be nonsense, probably is something in between.

OK thanks for that correction. I guess I should keep that in mind in the future when I see local stations reports.

[Jumbo]

This is a general grouse, and not at all personal to nonniey as a poster, I'm just using this item as an example since it's such a common occurrence in our media and national social discourse:

But while it's just another pipe-dream, I can't help but consider that what would really count for something is when the right-fixated and the left-fixated stop running into extended depth with (posting/calling/blogging/whatever) stupid little stories like this about "the other side" and quit creating and perpetuating the very stupidity they pretend to decry, when in truth it's always just a little game of neener-neener no matter how denied that may be by every such participant.

[twa]

.....and world peace.

[Jumbo]

.....and world peace.

...pot in every chicken...

at least in Cali

[Destino]

I've never had the type of job, and corresponding relationship with management, where wearing the wrong shirt would get me instantly fired. Then again if my boss asked me to change my shirt I'd probably do so. Sucks to lose a job over something like this.

BTW - I'm not sure this is political correctness. Kind of bad form for any worker at a rally for party A to come wearing a shirt bearing the name of famous guy from party B even if it is a ship. People that see the name don't know the back story they just see a guy that looks like he's being a smart ass.

[twa]

It will be interesting to get the other side
[YOUTUBE]RH-Gh4hw6wA[/YOUTUBE]

[Bang]

If he's employed by the government, which I would assume he is at least indirectly since he's putting up a soundstage for the political rally..
and if he's fired because of his perfectly legal t shirt slogan,, could that be construed as a form of punishment that is government related, and thus a direct violation of his first amendment rights?

Seems to me he can wear any T-shirt he wants, so long as it's not obscene or breaking any laws or pre-described dress codes. If the president or his staff don't like it, they can, as they say, lump it. The man has the right to express himself peacefully.

~Bang

[twa]

well from a update on the 'blog'



James Wright, a business representative from IATSE Local 33, says the union is still investigating what happened.

"If he was sent home because of the sweatshirt, he will be paid for the day," he said.

***UPDATE: Duane Hammond says union officials called him this afternoon to apologize for the incident. He say they are "bending over backwards" to make it up to him.

[Barney B]

For anyone who hasn't worked in show business, it's important to understand what is meant by a "job".

Union stagehands are freelance workers. They get hired by a production company to work a particular "show" (the show in this case being a rally which lasts less than a single day), and after the conclusion of the show, they're between jobs until hired again.

Since this rally was a one-day event, this guy would've been hired, at most, for several days, including setup and teardown.

Another point worth mentioning is how easy it is to get "fired" from a show, as this story illustrates. If you come in late even one day, you're liable to find that you're "not needed" the next day.

But to come to work at an Obama event in a shirt that makes you look, even at first glance, like a Bush supporter, is at best a rookie mistake, and at worst, deliberately provoking. You can be sure that none of the other stagehands were surprised when he was fired.

That said, he should still be paid for the day.