The few, the proud, the dismissed

• 5 named as O.C. teachers of the year (OC Reg, Thursday)

At about 11 a.m., Saddleback College math lecturer Lawrence Perez made a special trip to school after President Todd Burnett called him in to his office.

He didn't have a class, and so the special meeting was a little troubling.

“A lot of things were going through my mind. I didn’t know what was going on,” said Perez.

His concern melted into joy. Perez said he had no idea the prizes were chosen in spring, not October when the annual celebration is held.

“I'm only as good as this institution," said Perez, a 10-year teacher. "Students are the ones who directly deserve all the credit for all my success."

Then, in tromped the entourage, announcing he was one of the teachers of the year.

The five winners were chosen from more than 60 finalists selected by individual school districts. A panel of county officials picked the five winners after interviewing all the finalists.

• Documentary purports to rip GOP's closet doors (San Francisco Chronicle)

California GOP Rep. David Dreier and a number of other politicians are the unwilling stars of a controversial new documentary with an explosive premise--it's time to blow open the closet door on prominent politicians who have hidden their homosexuality while actively working against gay causes.

The film "Outrage," which opens today at the Embarcadero Center Cinema in San Francisco, presents interviews and documentation charging that a number of prominent legislators--including Dreier, the U.S. representative from San Dimas (Los Angeles County), GOP Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and former Democratic New York Mayor Ed Koch--have remained closeted while publicly opposing legislation on issues such as same-sex marriage, HIV/AIDS funding, and gays in the military.

Kirby Dick, the film's director, told The Chronicle on Thursday that "it's not only the right thing to do, it's the responsibility of journalists and filmmakers to report on hypocrisy wherever they see it.

• Cal State Fullerton names outstanding professor (OC Register)

During his 34 years on campus, [Professor Mohinder] Grewal has contributed to the development of the space-based positioning, navigation and timing systems used in common global positioning technology. He has written three books on the subject, and he holds two patents with a third patent application pending for algorithms related to global positioning and navigation.

"It's so nice to be appreciated, and have the university recognize my writings," Grewal, 65, said. "My books have brought the university a good name both internationally and nationally."

• Soldier told he'll be let go after saying he's gay (OC Register)

He wanted to go back to Iraq.

Instead, Dan Choi, an openly gay combat veteran from Tustin, received different marching orders: "pack up your stuff and go home."

That’s how he described the words printed on the "withdrawal" letter that arrived days ago to his address. In a televised interview Friday on CNN's "American Morning," Choi, who's being dismissed for violating the military's "don’t ask, don’t tell policy," said the mail hit like "a big slap in the face."
...
Choi grew up in Tustin and attended the selective military academy West Point, where he learned to speak Arabic. That rare linguistic skill paid off during an extended tour in Iraq, where he attained the rank of first lieutenant, he said.

He ended his overseas service in 2008 and joined the New York Army National Guard, a reserve military force. Then came the letter, which charged him with negatively affecting "the good order and discipline" of the guard.
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On Thursday, Choi addressed the fallout of his decision to out himself on MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show," where last month he first publicly said the words “I am gay." After the announcement, he said, fellow guardsman eased his concerns.

Lt. Choi speaks