An English teacher was suspended after tweeting that it is ‘awesome’ Rush Limbaugh is dying from cancer
A Wisconsin teacher has been suspended after tweeting that he hoped conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh suffers a painful death from cancer.
Travis Sarandos, an English teacher at the Milwaukee High School of the Arts, posted the tweet on Monday and was suspended two days later.
“Rush Limbaugh absolutely should have to suffer from cancer,” Sarandos wrote in the tweet. “It’s awesome that he’s dying, and hopefully it is as quick as it is painful.”
Sarandos did not respond to CNN’s request for comment. He has since deleted his Twitter account.
Limbaugh, the most prominent political radio host in the US, said Monday that he has been diagnosed with an advanced stage of lung cancer and has began treatment. He is a Republican party icon and a close ally of President Donald Trump.
“We are aware of Mr. Sarandos’ actions and can confirm that he was not speaking on behalf of any students or staff of Milwaukee High School of the Arts or Milwaukee Public Schools. The district is following policy and procedures related to personnel matters,” Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) spokeswoman Shahree Douglas told CNN.
“Mr. Sarandos has been placed on leave pending further investigation.”
Milwaukee Alderman Robert G. Donovan said in a statement on Wednesday that Sarandos’ comments “deserve discipline.”
“It would be easy enough to dismiss ill-written, juvenile nonsense like this were it not for his role in teaching our city’s young people,” Donovan said.
“He is supposed to be an example of the inclusive, tolerant, and respectful spirit of the Milwaukee Public schools. He is clearly nothing of the sort. And he did not make his remarks in private. He made them on one of the most public of platforms where any of his students could easily have seen them.”
Limbaugh recently awarded Medal of Freedom
The liberal watchdog Media Matters has tracked many of the racist, bigoted and conspiracy-driven comments Limbaugh has made his 31 years hosting “The Rush Limbaugh Show.”
Limbaugh has frequently referred to some feminists as “feminazis,” compared an adolescent Chelsea Clinton to a dog and said feminism “was established so as to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream.”
President Trump awarded Limbaugh the Medal of Freedom– the highest honor a civilian can receive — at the State of the Union Tuesday night.
Limbaugh, 69, now joins the ranks of a long list of entertainers, athletes, academics, activists and heads of state to receive the medal. The elite group includes Rosa Parks, a civil rights pioneer; Elie Wiesel, a Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor; and Mother Teresa, a Catholic saint.
The White House says the medal is bestowed to “individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of America, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”
The surprise award prompted some Democrats to yell “no” in the chamber and sparked internet outrage for such an honor — which is up to the President’s discretion — to be given to Limbaugh.
