Another story about our courageous public school principals, who are on the front lines of the battle to protect the two things that make our country great, multiculturalism and political correctness. Apparently hate-filled, homophobic, jingoist, racist bigots had the temerity to wear clothing or patches that pictured...the American flag!!!!! One can only shudder at the deep hurt felt by hispanic children forced to view the symbol of the hated oppressor, the same oppressor which forcibly seized mexican land only yesterday and now treats the rightful owners of that land as...illegals. *********************** Schools Ban Patriotic Clothes, Flags School Officials Say Move Is Temporary POSTED: 10:24 am PDT April 3, 2006 UPDATED: 10:05 am PDT April 5, 2006 SAN DIEGO -- In the wake of last week's immigration-reform protests, one school district is taking drastic measures, banning all symbols of patriotism, both U.S. and Mexican. Beginning Monday, the Oceanside Unified School District is banning all flags and patriotic clothing. According to school officials, some students are using the garments and flags to taunt classmates. Some critics of the move are calling it a violation of free speech protections guaranteed by the Constitution. The American Civil Liberties Union points to the landmark Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines. In that case, school officials attempted to stop students who were protesting the Viet Nam War from wearing black armbands. "The school has to be able to show a strong likelihood that there is going to material and substantial disruption of school, and if they donât meet that standard, then they can't censor student speech," said Kevin Neenan of the ACLU. School officials in Oceanside now say that flags -- whether they are U.S. or Mexican or any other country's -- have now become a divider on campuses, saying that some students are using them to taunt other students Keith Brentlinger displays the U.S. flag outside Hatter, Williams and Purdy, his Oceanside business. "To me, it's everything," said Brentlinger "I mean, like I said -- we truly live in the greatest country in the world." Brentlinger said he was shocked on Tuesday when marching immigration-reform protesters tore down the flag outside his business. "Some of them just grabbed the flag, and pulled it off its aluminum pole, and it got ripped," said Brentlinger. Brentlinger told NBC 7/39 that he put up a new flag the next day. "Some protesters drove up in their car and snagged the flag from our building and took off," said Brentlinger. "I was extremely, extremely upset. I mean, it was just ... insulting is the word." School officials are saying that the ban is just temporary and that they were just trying to prevent violence. They would not say how long the ban would be in effect.
I used to be against that flag burning amendment. Restricts free speech, the right to protest ect... I hope the GOP resurrects it now and includes the crime of tearing down an American flag as well.
When a country needs symbols to hold it together, and reactionary types try to implement such external controls, you can bet that such a country is actually coming apart at the seams.....
Actually, on clothing they would be symbols of a symbol. Twice removed. The problem with a flag burning law is that a flag can't practically be exactly defined. I've seen pics of groups burning a flag that slightly resembles ours, but maybe has only 9 stars and 6 stripes. It aint "the flag", never has been, never will be, Nevertheless they are getting their point across. Probably be smarter to deal with the causes of dissent, then its endless manifestations. "For every thousand hacking at the branches there is but one chopping at the root."
think from a principal's pov - probably been grinding it out for 20 years to get to principal, eyeing a municipal pension with health coverage and 30 yrs. of cruising around in an RV. think that guy is going to all of a sudden take a stand for the first amendment? risk "adminstrative leave," lawsuits, etc. if he lets kids do anything that might let him even remotely be blamed if some morons start a riot? easier to toe the line, let someone else take the heat.
I see the problem is that people identify current leadership with the country, rather than a country that has the flexibility of different political parties in power. That's the beauty, that leadership can change, so any particular leadership doesn't represent America necessarily, but rather is representative of the last election. Yes, we are stuck with Bush, even though the polls reflect the dissatisfaction with his policy and programs at present. One can certainly hate the leadership, as republicans thoroughly hated Clinton, but I don't for a moment believe they hated America any more than current hatred of Bush by his critics and hatred of his policies are necessarily genuinely unpatriotic or a reflective of hatred of America. Americans love America, and America is much bigger than any one political party or one particular administration. Of course, when the republicans are in power, anyone who doesn't fall in line with their position is considered by them as hating America and unpatriotic. Such is the nature of totalitarian thinkers who are opposed to anything but lock step government, and are fearful of any kind of dissent....
SOME republicans hate(d) clinton i'm a republican. i certainly don't. i kinda like the guy. similarly, some dems hate bush. but plenty don't the flag issue is absurd. to actually ban the wearing of the US flag in a US PUBLIC school is patently absurd. the flag doesn't represent george bush, bill clinton, cynthia mckinney, or whatever. it represents the very nation that the SCHOOL IS IN if wearing a US flag on your clothes is "taunting" someone, then that someone needs to get a life.
More than SOME republicans hated Clinton. The majority of republicans hated Clinton, as evidence by the vote for his impeachment by republicans in the house and senate..... Most democrats may not hate Bush personally, but the majority sure hate his policies and practices.....
"More than SOME republicans hated Clinton. The majority of republicans hated Clinton, as evidence by the vote for his impeachment by republicans in the house and senate....." this does not logically follow it does not follow that voting for impeachment = hate it follows that in many cases, the decision was made politically - iow a dem is more likely to impeach a repub, and a repub a dem in general, because ideology will color one's perception of objective evidence. but this is not a good argument. that's like saying every juror that votes for conviction (and you need all 12 to get one) "HATE" the defendant that is patently absurd "Most democrats may not hate Bush personally, but the majority sure hate his policies and practices....." that is probably true, but again you have no evidence. i said something that is undeniably true. MANY repubs do not hate clinton. i can back this with myself, and many other repubs i have spoken to. it's commonsensical and verifiable your first statement is not even a logical argument (in fact, it is not deductively valid, nor is it sound), and your second is just an unfounded assertion whether or not it happens to be true. some people (certainly not all) in either party are more objective than others when it comes to voting for impeachment, but i think )and many legal authorities agree - lib or conservative) that there was a case to be made for impeachment.
I really can't understand how a school district can legally ban the country's flag. If the mere sight of it causes some students to act inappropriately, the discipline those students. Since when is the American flag treated as equivalent to any foreign flag? The Supreme Court case which gave administrators the right to ban disruptive symbols dealt with anti-war symbols, not the country's flag.