I saw this video over the weekend, but I didn't know the man's name or his profession. I was hoping that he was a union thug bused in from Chicago, not a Wisconsin public school teacher.
Unfortunately, the crazed lunatic screaming "FOX lies" is, in fact, working for Wisconsin taxpayers.
I heard Mark Belling identify him this afternoon - Fred Levenhagen.
Here's a photo of Fred Levenhagen when he's not acting like a raving maniac:
Here's Fred Levenhagen chanting, screaming, his infamous "FOX lies":
Fred Levenhagen, an eighth grade teacher for the Lake Country School District, Hartland, Wisconsin, went absolutely nuts on national TV.
He embarrassed himself and his fellow teachers.
He acted like a goon, a foaming at the mouth buffoon, completely out of control. His lack of civility was so extreme that it was sort of funny. His behavior was the stuff of a Saturday Night Live sketch.
Of course, Fred Levenhagen's actions aren't funny at all. This guy teaches our children.
To say that protesters in Madison are generally peaceful and well behaved may be true, but Fred Levenhagen is a perfect example of those behaving in an extremely inappropriate manner, totally UNCIVIL disobedience. Saul Alinsky would be proud.
The way Fred Levenhagen treated FOX reporter Jeff Flock set a horrible example for his students. He's lost all moral authority when it comes to instructing children to treat each other with respect.
Fred Levenhagen is a disgrace. His "FOX lies" chant will live in Internet infamy.
Congratulations, Fred Levenhagen. You're on YouTube.
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More on Fred Levenhagen, public employee:
In the 2009/2010 school year, Fred Levenhagen made $94,937 in salary and benefits.
No lie!
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I believe FOX 6 did show a portion of this video. However, after airing it, anchor Brad Hicks reminded viewers that FOX 6 is not affiliated with the FOX News Channel. If his remarks weren't in response to this video, Hicks did make the comments in response to some other protesters attacking the credibility of the FOX News Channel.
It was sort of weird, kind of like Hicks didn't want to be associated with anything related to the FOX News hated by guys like Fred Levenhagen.
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In a related matter--
Last week, I received a relatively lengthy e-mail from Emily A. Kastelic.
She explained her position supporting the protesters in a relatively reasonable fashion, but then she ended with this:
I think you need to stop letting Fox News tell you what to think and try doing it on your own. I know it will be hard to clear the fog of their thorough brainwashing, but if you can you might be amazed to see how incredibly wrong you are.
That's a line the Leftists never fail to use - "you're brainwashed by FOX News."
It's so insulting.
I think for myself. A union doesn't think for me and tell me what to do.
14 comments:
You are all wrong! He has every right to voice his opinion and you know what, Fox is saying a whole bunch of conservative
(reactionary) crap. He stuck up for the truth unlike you ball-less foaming mouth baboons.
<3 people who like their country
It's too bad none of you know what you're talking about or who he is. Maybe because you weren't in his AMAZING government class like I was. He was my favorite teacher I have ever had in my life. You all see one video clip of him and assume you know his personality exactly. He has every right in the world to voice his opion. 1st amendment: Freedom of Speech (learned that in his class actually ;) yep...thats what I thought). You also can not say that he is a foaming at the mouth raving luniatic baboon or whatever it is that you called him. If that's how you're judging him from this video clip then from this blog that you have posted I'm going to say that you're a: Know-it-all who judges a book by its cover and doesn't care about anyone but yourself. How'd that make you feel? Pretty crappy? Yeah that's what I thought. You think he can't read this? He can and he probably is feeling terrible about what he did because of people like you when he should be feeling proud that he stook up for something he believes in. Teacher tell us one of the greatest rights of the people are our first amendment rights: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of petition, freedom of protest, freedom of religion, etc. Wouldn't it be hypocritical of them if he DIDN'T go to protest and fight for what he believes in? Or if any teacher didn't? And what does this tell you about his teacher credentials? NOTHING!!!! You can't tell what type of teacher he is from this 30 second video clip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO ALL OF YOU NEED TO SHUT UP BECAUSE YOU DONT KNOW ANY OF THE STORY!!!!!!!!! He didn't take a sick day he took a personal day!!!!! whered you get that lie from? Fox news? you can do what ever you want on a PERSONAL day!!!!! I'm proud of him for using his personal day on this protest!!!!! And fox does lie! They lean to the right side of the spectrum and try to sway peoples opion to pass the budget cut bill! So maybe you can go tell all your little friends now that he did NOTHING wrong and was simply excersising his first amendment rights as an American Citizen and is Still one of the best teacher at one of the best schools in its district LAKE COUNTRY! Thank you and have a great. Go ahead and pass the word on Fred Levenhagen is a HERO not a foaming a the mouth baboon. And if you still think your right why don't you just go talk to fox news. They'll agree with you
Country lovers--
I never said Fred Levenhagen didn't have the right to voice his opinion.
He did express himself, loud and clear, on national TV.
Unfortunately, he voiced his opinion in an extremely poor manner.
He didn't hurt FOX at all. He hurt himself.
Student--
I don't assume I know every aspect of Fred Levenhagen's personality.
I assume that when he's in his classroom, working for taxpayers like me, he doesn't just shout, "FOX LIES!"
He exercised his right to free speech. I'm exercising mine. (This is a great country, isn't it?)
In my opinion, Levenhagen looked like a complete nut, totally unhinged.
While I certainly believe that public employees have the right to protest, some tactics are more effective than others.
What Fred Levenhagen did on TV for the world to see couldn't have been more ineffective. He hurt himself and he hurt his cause.
I don't know what Fred Levenhagen is like teaching in the classroom, but he taught his students some terrible lessons when he appeared on TV shouting down the reporter - Don't respect others. Don't behave in a civil manner. Be a thug.
That's not cool.
I'm not passing judgment on his classroom behavior. I'm commenting on what he did on TV.
If Fred Levehagen is truly feeling terrible about what he did and he regrets the image of Wisconsin public school teachers that he presented to the nation and the world by screaming "FOX LIES," perhaps he should issue an apology for his childish behavior.
Wait a minute. A protester yelled? And chanted? At a rally? What is the world coming to?
Fred Levenhagen's televised meltdown was not simply chanting at a protest.
He was in the reporter's face on live TV completely out of control.
Fred Levenhagen had the reporter's attention. He had the opportunity to speak rationally to him. Instead, Fred Levenhagen chose to make a fool of himself.
"Fred Levenhagen's televised meltdown was not simply chanting at a protest."
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chant
Chant:
2: to recite something in a monotonous repetitive tone
Nope. Looks like chanting at a protest was exactly what he was doing.
"He was in the reporter's face"
Watch the video again. He stands in exactly the same place the entire video. The reporter gets closer and asks him for a comment. He keeps chanting instead. If by "in the reporter's face" you mean that the reporter's face got closer to him as he approached him for a comment, you may be technically right, but it's a stretch.
"on live TV completely out of control. Fred Levenhagen had the reporter's attention. He had the opportunity to speak rationally to him. Instead, Fred Levenhagen chose to make a fool of himself."
Pure opinion. Of course he's "out of control" and "making a fool out of himself" to you! You disagree with him! I hope you're not one of those people that complains about liberals or the media being unfair to tea party protesters, since now with the tables turned, you're doing exactly the same thing.
The semantics are silly. Have fun playing with words. That doesn't change anything.
What matters is the impression people get when watching that video.
Levenhagen comes off horribly, IN MY OPINION.
See, that's what I give here -- my opinion.
I just watched the video again.
"FOX LIES FOX LIES FOX LIES FOX LIES FOX LIES FOX LIES FOX LIES..."
Oh, my God. Fred Levenhagen has to have regrets about what he chose to do with the cameras rolling.
If he stands by his behavior, then he is one scary guy.
In my opinion, Levenhagen is a man exercising his First Amendment, the same right that was exercised at Tea Party rallies last year.
His methods weren't eloquent- if they were, the camera wouldn't have focused in on him. He knew how to get attention, and how to further what he feels is a just cause.
Maybe Fox doesn't lie, per se. Maybe they just string together facts in ludicrous sequences (Beck), try to convince viewers that the moon was formed by divine intervention (O'Reilly), or use grossly exaggerated hyperbole to get their messages across to viewers.
Maybe everything they cover is factual. It's what they don't cover that makes them liars. It's how they deliver their message-- as if any opposing viewpoint couldn't possibly be valid. It's throwing around terms like war (On Christmas) and nanny state that makes them incredible.
I hardly believe if you were in his position you would go on T.V. and aplogize. I think that he's too scared to be an american citizen and voice his opion cuz he'll get ripped on by people like you...I just feel bad that everyone is making snap judgements about a great teacher and person. I'm positive you knew him and just talked to him in normal conversttion in your everyday life you'd feel bad about everything you said about him above.
I think you hit the nail on the head, Mary. It is your opinion. Considering the fact that you are opposed to the protest itself, and presumably the message of "Fox Lies", your impression of the guy was guaranteed to be negative from the start. My impression as someone sympathetic to his cause was obviously different. I thought he was funny, perhaps even a little bit clever. The opinion of his student is that he's awesome. If there's any chance that he regrets what he did, it's only because conservative bloggers like you are distributing his contact info, and people who are actually "scary" are leaving him unpleasant messages on his answering machine. All for the crime of voicing his opinion.
And yes I will continue to use the English language correctly, or as you put it "playing with words". When you say someone "wasn't merely chanting" when all he did was chant, and when you try to claim that a guy gets in a reporter's face when he stays put throughout the entire video, don't be surprised when people call you out for being wrong. It's not semantics, it's being right. If all you have to offer is opinion and falsehood, you must not be a very good blogger.
We have a difference of opinion when it comes to Fred Levenhagen.
"I thought he was funny, perhaps even a little bit clever."
By what standard was his rant "clever"?
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