Once again, we see liberals' weird understanding of the First Amendment in action. They feel free to censor anything they object to, on grounds that it might provoke other students. That gives the thugs a veto right over everybody else's speech. Of course, it wouldn't occur to school administrators to punish black goons. Far better to kick the white kids out of their own graduation over a parking lot flag display. I also liked the description by the "Executive Director of Community Relations" of the most revered symbol of Southern culture. No bias there. ******************************** Flag flap: confederate flag controversy keeps students from attending commencement They say they're just "good ol' boys" who, like the song goes, were "never meaning no harm." But three Bloomington Kennedy seniors were not allowed to attend their commencement Wednesday night after bringing a Confederate flag to school on Tuesday. "We're all big fans of the Dukes of Hazard," said Dan Fredin, who was suspended, along with Joe Snyder and Justin Thompson. "It's just us showing we have our own style and we aren't going to conform to whatever anyone else thinks." School officials say at least one of the students waved and carried the flag in the parking lot. The boys argue they never took the flags off their trucks, but they admit they brought them to the school. Officials asked the students to remove the flags. Eventually, all three students were suspended for three days -- which, in this case, included graduation. Officials say a Student Code of Conduct prohibits behavior that may provoke or offend other students. "We are very clear that the Confederate flag is a symbol of hatred, bigotry and racism," said Rick Kaufman, the Executive Director of Community Relations at Bloomington Kennedy High School. "It's truly unfortunate that the bad decision they made will prevent them from walking across the stage in graduation," Kaufman said adding that the school has dealt with students bringing confederate flags to school before. But the students argue the punishment doesn't fit the crime. They say they show the flag as a sign of rebellion, not racism. "The confederate army was in rebellion to the U.S. Army who were about money and power," Fredin said. "We never took it as racial or anything like that." Meantime, the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota said the students would likely not have a case in court. "If the authorities can make the claim that the presence of the flag can reasonably disrupt the educational process than they can censor it," said Charles Samuelson with the ACLU of Minnesota. The three students will still receive their diplomas. Already they have plans for next year, which for two of them, includes serving in the U.S. military.
Ok, I agree that the Stars & Bars can also be used in a benign, non-racist way (like the Dukes of Hazard), and the punishment seems a bit harsh. However, this: <i>"We are very clear that the Confederate flag is a symbol of hatred, bigotry and racism," said Rick Kaufman, the Executive Director of Community Relations at Bloomington Kennedy High School.</i> ...is how many (probably most) people <b><i>do</b></i> in fact interpret that particular symbol. That's not a stretch at all, considering the fact that Americans generally believe the (incorrect) version of history stating that the Confederacy was only created out of the southerners' desire to continue abusing their African-American slaves. I mean, it's in pretty bad taste to drive around with a big 'ol swastika on your car, and then try to justify the act by pointing out that the symbol can also be used in a benign manner (especially is Asia). Symbolism is in the eye of the beholder, and most blacks probably see the Stars & Bars to mean roughly the same thing as a white pointy hood or a burning cross.
If the First Amendment means anything, it means that speech that is offensive to someone is never the less protected. You don't need protection for speech that is widely accepted. The basic rule of the First Amendment, as interpreted by the courts, is that the govenment should use the least restrictive means possible when it comes to regulating speech. That means in practice that you protect those uttering unpopular speech rather than censor them. Otherwise, you end up with a society where those who are willing to resort to violence control what can be said in the public square.
The Confederate flag was the banner of those states who willingly fought against the government of the United States, fought to dissolve the Union...not with words, but with guns, killing United States soldiers. Theirs was an act of treason against the United States of America, in some sense much worse than the owning of slaves. Their attack was on the very fiber of the Union and our republic, not simply an attempt to defend economic benefits of slavery. How funny that the republicans want to call those who recently stood against the Iraq war "traitors" because of their speaking against the war, with the extremist right wingers stating those who opposed the war were disloyal to America because they opposed Bush...yet now they want to defend those who now want to fly the flag of those who betrayed the US Constitution, rebelled against the United States of America simply as exercising "free speech." No, breaking away from the Union of States was not a matter of free speech, it was a military bloody rebellion against the US government and the killing of hundreds of thousands of American soldiers, certainly a criminal act by any measure. We are not talking about a foreign power threatening the United States, we are talking about a military rebellion against the US constitution by a domestic tribe of southerners. As is usually the case, the south and the sons of the south and their defenders are wrong, then and now. It is high time those right wingers who now wave the flag and speak of patriotism once and for all crush this glorification of the criminal activities of those who wanted to destroy our Union. During a time of war (something that is the mantra of the right wing), during a time of war when American soldiers are fighting a war for the United States of America, for our Union, and to celebrate those who fought against our Union by standing against the US government as part of a rebellion against it...is as unpatriotic and treasonous as it can get. Yes, you will see the two faced extremist right wingers like Coulter, Limbaugh, and of course AAA defend the flying of the Confederate flag as "free speech" but these were the same scumbags who wanted to silence anyone who speaks out against the war in Iraq. Slimebag right wingers defending flying the Confederate flag which represents a criminal armed revolt against the Union, simply scum...
The Black soldiers who served in the Confederate Army are the real forgotten men http://www.civilwarhistory.com/slavetrade/blacksoldiersCSA.htm --------------------------------- "We are very clear that the Confederate flag is a symbol of hatred, bigotry and racism," Wonder why a black man would fight for that?
Public need to know that there is new group of people, who work for the New World Order elites, which call them selfâs Liberals, but they are false Libs. Their job is to destroy good image of Liberals. He called it infiltration http://video.google.com/videoplay?d...ennedy+speech&ei=dp5ISOmxAo-e-QG8kNSjDA&hl=en
Fighting to keep a way of life. Some slaves had a relative comfortable lifestyle. Room and board ,other slaves doing the dirty work. Of course freedom is priceless....but look at the Chinese, USSR, North Korea....Many are willing to fight and die defending those systems.
They have no microchips http://video.google.com/videoplay?d...ip+population&ei=MqJISNWBN46M_AHXyJSeDA&hl=en
Ok, I have to agree with that. Waving racist symbols around in public is detestable, ignorant, collectivist, and backwards... <b>but not illegal</b>, according to the U.S. Constitution. Now that I think about it, regarding the argument that; 'Flying that flag in public is highly likely to incite severe violence, which is why it needs to be banned'... This is a completely meritless and unconstitutional claim. While showing off that type of symbol can indeed lead to violence, what about the legality of going up to people in the street and telling them you just fucked their mother last night? That would be no less offensive, but just because it's not on the political correctness hit list, no one has tried to ban that yet. Bottom line: IMO, It's an ugly racist symbol (to most people), but it's also Constitutionally protected Free Speech.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080605..._checkpoint;_ylt=AuIo5yxLh09r3WnXp7zikU5G2ocA Do you want to go home every day and prove that you live at your house?"