newsday.com: GRAND ISLAND, N.Y.—Just before her afternoon run, school bus driver Julianne Thompson was reading an interview with Mel Gibson, in which the actor spoke out against stem cell research.

When her elementary school passengers hopped aboard for the ride home, Thompson decided to share what was still fresh in her mind.

"I have a factoid for you," she told the 7- to 10-year-olds over the public address system.

Then Thompson told the students what she’d read _ that in 23 years, embryonic stem cell research hadn’t produced a single human cure.

She encouraged the students to tell their parents.

They did.

Thompson was fired a week later.

And now a word for your friendly neighborhood Superintendent:

Superintendent Thomas Ramming said personnel policy prevented him from discussing specifics of Thompson’s case, but that in general, employees are told that discussions of political or religious points of view should be confined to an appropriate setting, such as a classroom where different viewpoints can be presented.

What about talking Science and Scientific views?

I am failing to understand how saying that in 23 years, embryonic stem cell research hadn’t produced a single human cure is religious...sounds like Science to me.

Is she being singled out because she founded the Erie County chapter of a group called New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, which this statewide organization describes itself as a political lobbying group and resource center for the Christian community. Is that why this was labeled as religious rather than just a tiny statistical fact?

Here is her so called "religious" statement:

"It was very simple," she said, "(I told them) that we do this research, that we’ve spent 23 years and billions of dollars and we haven’t found a single cure."

I can see where someone would say the discussion might be political in nature, but when can a person just talk about something without someone wanting to snuff it out? Everything we say is political in some form.

And of course you can’t say anything without a different point of view pointed out on top of it...Oh wait except when its a point of view they agree with then its ok.

I learned that free speech is definitely not free," said Thompson, 42, a mother of four who worked for the district for 2 1/2 years.