And justice for all?

To the editor:
    What most concerns me in the Kirsten Albair case and its aftermath is the glaring absence of two concepts — justice and truth — in the published letters of her assailants, as well as the cavernous silence of those who condemned her.  On September 10, Pam Knoll wrote, "We should stick by these young adults" [the students who testified against Mrs. Albair, not the students who testified on her behalf] even though their various testimonies have raised many questions about consistency and veracity. Ms. Knoll also wrote that Mrs. Albair's [unspecified] "offbeat or inappropriate comments upset a lot of students in the school." Really? I wonder, then, why those and other students aren't in the principal's office complaining about the sometimes "offbeat," often vile and certainly inappropriate language they hear from their peers each and every day in the cafeteria and in the corridors at Caribou High School. Perhaps they are simply not upset enough.
    Actually, there is something extremely healthy about being upset. It is, after all, fundamental to change. For several weeks, many teachers at Caribou High School have worn black ribbons every day and black clothing on Fridays because they are upset and because they know that they must actively support an important cause. Believing that Mrs. Albair is a victim of a great injustice, the change they seek is her restitution, and their own. They know that if their voices are silenced, they are also susceptible to the same rough "justice."
    I wish more students and their parents were aware of what happened during the hearing that led to Mrs. Albair's dismissal and of those machinations leading to the State Department's decision to revoke her teaching credentials. If they were, they would be and should be very upset, indeed. I also wish more of them would get upset about a number of things that impact their lives every day, not the least of which is the country club mentality at CHS, which has led to a de-emphasis of arts education and serious scholarship and plummeting scores in reading and writing. Have they forgotten that a rigorous curriculum and a serious approach to academics are vital to success in the world at large? Have they forgotten that gifted educators are becoming rare commodities in public education?
    Oh, yes, our students and their parents should be upset and angry because when Kirsten Albair was fired, they lost a valuable educator, one victimized by a ruthless administration determined to destroy her. In fact, they should be outraged because a miscarriage of justice visited upon one of us could happen to any one of us, young or old, student or teacher, neighbor or stranger, friend or foe.
    Have we become, I wonder, a community of empty creeds and promises? If the same kind of justice visited upon Kirsten Albair were applied to ourselves or to our sons and daughters would we feel well served? Would we then return to our workplaces and, when it was required or expected, place our hands over our hearts and recite the Pledge of Allegiance (a mandatory morning exercise in high schools across the state of Maine). If so, when we reached those familiar words, "and liberty and justice for all," how could we utter them without choking … or … crying?