For those of you who think, "Why bother" when appeals are made to email support for a person or cause, check this out - it's a case in point.
There was a flap over on the FreeRepublic board when some self-styled liberal agitator who worked for the state government shot off his mouth to an individual and then posted his letter.
The problem was, the idiot did it on company time, leaving a cyber trail back to the South Carolina DOT.
The message board posted a call to email the
agency in protest. Italics/CAPS mine.
"Styer's words came back to haunt him when the web page host saw the e-mail was from a state government office, posted it on the page and encouraged readers to contact the governor's office. The office received FOUR e-mails that were forwarded to DOT Director Betty Mabry, says Morton Brilliant, spokesman for Hodges."
STORY
Politics Can Be Dangerous for State Employees
State government employees can take a lesson from Ken Styer about personal internet use while on the job. It cost him his.
The Department of Transportation moved to fire Styer, an archaeologist in the Environmental Managment Division, in response to a political brouhaha that reached all the way to the office of Gov. Jim Hodges. But on Tuesday department administrators, at Styer's request, allowed him to resign providing he sign a waiver agreeing not to sue the deparment or talk to news media about his case.
Styer insists he is not a “whiner” and doesn't want to violate his agreement or upset the DOT. “I have a daughter to think about,” he says. And he says his recent Free Times coverage of the liberal United Citizens Party was not brought up to him during the uproar.
Previous to Styer signing the waiver Free Times asked him about the matter.
“I argue with right-wingers on web pages,” says Styer, a self-described office liberal. “Internet use is, you know, rampant in every office.”
But he got more than he bargained for when on his lunch break recently he sent an e-mail to the host of a political web page. The e-mail reads in part, “Had a blast kicking your ignorant white trash ass around, you feable excuse for a forum. Your mindless followers have once again proven to be no match for an intellectual ... I'll use the name of a famous GOP for my next mission to show you and your buddies to be the impotent morons you are -- placed on earth to entertain thinking people as you twist in your stupidity.”
Styer's words came back to haunt him when the web page host saw the e-mail was from a state government office, posted it on the page and encouraged readers to contact the governor's office. The office received four e-mails that were forwarded to DOT Director Betty Mabry, says Morton Brilliant, spokesman for Hodges. The e-mails label Styer's message a hateful and inappropriate action for a state government employee while working.
The next morning Styer says his supervisor, Blanche Sproul, called him into her office and told him he would probably lose his job for violating department policy that prohibits personal internet use while working. But, he says, it was only later that day he became aware of the policy when a memorandum was circulated informing workers about it and requiring their signature.
Styer says his office had a lively atmosphere of political dicussion and that many employees use the internet for such things as buying and selling stocks during work hours.
Neither Sproul nor DOT Human Resources Director Jack Swails would comment. “It's a personnel issue and we simply can't comment on that,” Swails said.
Styer, who works part time as a chef, says that as part of a recent employment evaluation he had been recommended for permanent hire at DOT. “It's a very weird thing,” he says. “But right now I'm looking for a job.”
-- Eric Kenneth Ward
There was a flap over on the FreeRepublic board when some self-styled liberal agitator who worked for the state government shot off his mouth to an individual and then posted his letter.
The problem was, the idiot did it on company time, leaving a cyber trail back to the South Carolina DOT.
The message board posted a call to email the
agency in protest. Italics/CAPS mine.
"Styer's words came back to haunt him when the web page host saw the e-mail was from a state government office, posted it on the page and encouraged readers to contact the governor's office. The office received FOUR e-mails that were forwarded to DOT Director Betty Mabry, says Morton Brilliant, spokesman for Hodges."
STORY
Politics Can Be Dangerous for State Employees
State government employees can take a lesson from Ken Styer about personal internet use while on the job. It cost him his.
The Department of Transportation moved to fire Styer, an archaeologist in the Environmental Managment Division, in response to a political brouhaha that reached all the way to the office of Gov. Jim Hodges. But on Tuesday department administrators, at Styer's request, allowed him to resign providing he sign a waiver agreeing not to sue the deparment or talk to news media about his case.
Styer insists he is not a “whiner” and doesn't want to violate his agreement or upset the DOT. “I have a daughter to think about,” he says. And he says his recent Free Times coverage of the liberal United Citizens Party was not brought up to him during the uproar.
Previous to Styer signing the waiver Free Times asked him about the matter.
“I argue with right-wingers on web pages,” says Styer, a self-described office liberal. “Internet use is, you know, rampant in every office.”
But he got more than he bargained for when on his lunch break recently he sent an e-mail to the host of a political web page. The e-mail reads in part, “Had a blast kicking your ignorant white trash ass around, you feable excuse for a forum. Your mindless followers have once again proven to be no match for an intellectual ... I'll use the name of a famous GOP for my next mission to show you and your buddies to be the impotent morons you are -- placed on earth to entertain thinking people as you twist in your stupidity.”
Styer's words came back to haunt him when the web page host saw the e-mail was from a state government office, posted it on the page and encouraged readers to contact the governor's office. The office received four e-mails that were forwarded to DOT Director Betty Mabry, says Morton Brilliant, spokesman for Hodges. The e-mails label Styer's message a hateful and inappropriate action for a state government employee while working.
The next morning Styer says his supervisor, Blanche Sproul, called him into her office and told him he would probably lose his job for violating department policy that prohibits personal internet use while working. But, he says, it was only later that day he became aware of the policy when a memorandum was circulated informing workers about it and requiring their signature.
Styer says his office had a lively atmosphere of political dicussion and that many employees use the internet for such things as buying and selling stocks during work hours.
Neither Sproul nor DOT Human Resources Director Jack Swails would comment. “It's a personnel issue and we simply can't comment on that,” Swails said.
Styer, who works part time as a chef, says that as part of a recent employment evaluation he had been recommended for permanent hire at DOT. “It's a very weird thing,” he says. “But right now I'm looking for a job.”
-- Eric Kenneth Ward