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April 06, 2006
Schools Ban Patriotic Clothes, Flags
LONGMONT, Colo. - Dozens of high school students protested a temporary school policy forbidding students from displaying the U.S. flag.
Student Dustin Carlson told Denver station KCNC-TV that he was suspended for two days.
"I'm getting suspended for it and personally I think that's uncalled for," he said. "If this country means freedom, then why can't we fly our own flag? It's ridiculous."
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 don’t meet that standard, then they can't censor student speech," said Kevin Neenan of the ACLU.Keith Brentlinger displays the U.S. flag outside Hatter, Williams and Purdy, his Oceanside business.
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.
Wild Thing's comment........
I suppose next week then there will be lots of Che Guevara shirts on campus! I will let our Flag speak for herself.
Please Click
the Ragged Old Flag to hear
Johnny Cash recite
The Ragged Old Flag
I walked through a county courthouse square On a park bench, an old man was sittin there.
I said, "Your old court house is kinda run down,
He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town".
I said, "Your old flag pole is leaned a little bit,
And thatÌs a ragged old flag you got hanging on it".
He said, "Have a seat", and I sat down,
"is this the first time you've been to our little town"
I said, "I think it is"
He said, "I donÌt like to brag,
but weÌre kinda proud of
that ragged old Flag.
"You see, we got a little hole in that flag there,
When Washington took it across the Delaware,
And it got a bad rip in New Orleans,
with Packingham and Jackson tugging at it's seams.
And it almost fell at the Alamo
beside the Texas flag,
But she waved on though.
She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville,
And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill.
There was Robert E. Lee, Beauregard and Bragg,
And the south wind blew hard on
that ragged old Flag"
On Flanders Field in World War I,
She got a big hole from a Bertha Gun.
She turned blood red in World War II.
She hung limp and low a time or two.
She was in Korea and Vietnam,
She went where she was sent by her Uncle Sam.
She waved from our ships upon the briny foam,
And now they've about quit waving her back here at home.
In her own good land here she's been abused,
She's been burned, dishonored, denied and refused,
And the government for which she stands
Is scandalized throughout out the land.
And she's getting thread bare, and she's wearing thin,
But sheÌs in good shape, for the shape sheÌs in.
'Cause she's been through the fire before
and I believe she can take a whole lot more.
So we raise her up every morning
We take her down every night,
We don't let her touch the ground,
And we fold her up right.
On second thought
I DO like to brag
Cause I'm might PROUD
of that Ragged Old Flag
Posted by Wild Thing at April 6, 2006 12:47 AM
Comments
Wait just a minute here. Where did free speech and the 1st Amendment go. Political correctness has precedence over the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Colorado? I think not. Prevent violence and disruption of the school environment. I think not, since protests against the ban has disrupted the school's environment. If violent behavior surface's, the solution is to punish the offender(s), not those that are peacefully exercising their constitutional rights.
WT, great crop of the Pearl Harbor poster and the Flag still standing in NY. Both fit perfectly with the poem. Thanks.
Posted by: RightToCarry at April 6, 2006 05:24 AM
We definitely don’t want to offend any Illegal Aliens that came here in the middle of the night. Last I knew, this was still the United States of America.
Can you imagine American students in a foreign country, bruning that countries flag, and the authorities of that country banning their own flag from its schools? It wouldn’t happen, unless maybe it was France.
I don’t want to be an alarmist, but now is the time to buy guns and plenty of ammo.
Posted by: BobF at April 6, 2006 07:46 AM
Hi RTC I agree with you....." Where did free speech and the 1st Amendment go."
Thank you RTC for your input on this.
Posted by: Wild Thing at April 6, 2006 09:58 AM
Bob I agree and this whole thing breaks my heart besides making me soooo furious!
Thank you for commenting on this.
Posted by: Wild Thing at April 6, 2006 10:01 AM
