Step 1:
Emma Sullivan’s trip to Topeka with other high school students to learn about government taught her a few unexpected lessons...
... “Just made mean comments at gov. brownback and told him he sucked, in person #heblowsalot,” Sullivan [tweeted] from the back of the crowd.
Step 2:
Take yourself too seriously.
... a Brownback staffer had notified her school's principal about the tweet, and the principal told her she had to write an apology to the governor.
Step 3:
Look like a fool in front of a national audience.
... following the media attention, [Sullivan's] Twitter follower count has rocketed from 65 to more than 4,000.
Step 4:
Issue an apology and hope the whole thing goes away.
On Monday, the Governor’s office apologized.
"My staff overreacted to this tweet, and for that I apologize," he said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press. "Freedom of speech is among our most treasured freedoms."