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posted by chromas on Thursday August 23 2018, @08:48PM   Printer-friendly
from the I'm-working-for-NASA dept.

Would-be NASA intern loses gig after vulgar tweet to NASA alum Homer Hickam, reports say

A woman may have lost a highly coveted NASA internship following a profanity-laced back-and-forth with a user on Twitter. That user? Famed former NASA engineer and current space council adviser Homer Hickam.

The exchange, reportedly captured in screenshots that rocketed across social media, began when a user identified as Naomi H. (@NaomiH_official) made an announcement to the world: "Everyone shut the f--- up," she tweeted, Newsweek and Buzzfeed News report, citing images of since-removed tweets. "I got accepted for a NASA internship."

After a Twitter user notes Naomi's "language," Naomi replies with a sexually vulgar tweet not at all suitable for publication. "I'm working at NASA," Naomi concludes. The user Naomi told off is Homer Hickam, the former NASA engineer and inspiration of the 1999 film "October Sky," based on his memoir. "And I am on the National Space Council that oversees NASA," Hickam replies, referencing his appointment to the advisory group earlier this year.

[...] Hickam said he takes no offense at the 'f-word,' but sought to warn her that NASA might. And while Hickam did not seek to influence the internship and had no authority to do so, according to the post, use of the NASA hashtag later alerted the agency to the irreverent tweets.

[...] Hickam later wrote about the incident on his blog, saying he had nothing to do with her getting fired.

“I'm a Vietnam vet and not at all offended by the F-word. However, when I saw NASA and the word used together, it occurred to me that this young person might get in trouble if NASA saw it so I tweeted to her one word: "Language" and intended to leave it at that.

Soon, her friends took umbrage and said a lot of unkind things but long after I was gone as I immediately deleted my comments and blocked all concerned.

Later, I learned she had lost her offer for an internship with NASA. This I had nothing to do with nor could I since I do not hire and fire at the agency or have any say on employment whatsoever.

[...] Naomi eventually reached out and apologized to Hickam. After the conversation, Hickam had kind words to say about Naomi. He also said he would help her find a better position.

She reached out to me with an unnecessary apology which I heartily accepted and returned with my own. After talking to her, I am certain she deserves a position in the aerospace industry and I'm doing all I can to secure her one that will be better than she lost. I have also talked to the folks that had to do with her internship and made absolutely certain that there will be no black mark on her record.


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  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by ilPapa on Thursday August 23 2018, @09:39PM (5 children)

    by ilPapa (2366) on Thursday August 23 2018, @09:39PM (#725421) Journal

    Shouldn't that be free speech?

    No, you dumbfuck. Telling a member of your new employer's advisory council to "suck my dick and balls" is not protected speech. Or rather, it's protected, but you're not protected from the consequences.

    Why do people so misunderstand the contextual meaning of "free speech"?

    Plus, this particular doofus was a furry, so NASA probably dodged a bullet on this one.

    --
    You are still welcome on my lawn.
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @08:32AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @08:32AM (#725699)

    But that's not what was said.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @09:11AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @09:11AM (#725714)

    And the situation itself is different. You are all crazy in your 'Murrika a little bit.

  • (Score: 2) by urza9814 on Friday August 24 2018, @01:53PM (2 children)

    by urza9814 (3954) on Friday August 24 2018, @01:53PM (#725794) Journal

    If this was SpaceX, that would be true...but since NASA is a US federal agency it's not that simple. NASA can't fire you just because you said something that they disagree with, because they're required to comply with the First Amendment right to free speech.

    Of course, as soon as she starts mouthing off about being a NASA employee, it could be seen to cross the line between her own private speech and speech on behalf of the agency, and THAT is definitely something they can fire her over. So the real problem is where she said "I work for NASA". Remove that statement and there shouldn't be any issue, regardless of who she's saying it to.

    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by ilPapa on Friday August 24 2018, @03:34PM (1 child)

      by ilPapa (2366) on Friday August 24 2018, @03:34PM (#725850) Journal

      If this was SpaceX, that would be true...but since NASA is a US federal agency it's not that simple. NASA can't fire you just because you said something that they disagree with, because they're required to comply with the First Amendment right to free speech.

      Where did you get the idea that if you're a government employee, you can tell your boss to "suck my dick and balls" and not get fired?

      As I said, free speech and the First Amendment are very misunderstood around here.

      --
      You are still welcome on my lawn.
      • (Score: 2) by urza9814 on Friday August 24 2018, @03:48PM

        by urza9814 (3954) on Friday August 24 2018, @03:48PM (#725857) Journal

        Where did you get the idea that if you're a government employee, you can tell your boss to "suck my dick and balls" and not get fired?

        That's not what I said, and that's not really what happened in TFA either...so I don't see your point.

        Check Garcetti V. Ceballos -- if you are employed by the government, they are only allowed to use that to limit your speech if that speech is directly related to your job or duties within that job. If it's speech made on your own time, outside of your job, not related to your job, then they can't do a thing about it. So it's not the profanity that cost her the job, since she WAS doing that on her own time in her own home, it's the fact that she made that profanity represent NASA.