Oak High School In Morgan Hill, California is now ground zero for a free speech controversy after five students were told to turn their tee-shirts with American flags inside out and remove flag bandannas from their heads. The reason was that it was viewed as inappropriate on Cinco de Mayo day.
The students were sitting at an outside table when Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez confronted them about their tee-shirts.
Daniel Galli and his four friends refused to comply and were ordered to go to the principal’s office. They say that they were told that their tee-shirts would be appropriate on any other day, but it was viewed as insensitive on Cinco de Mayo.
The boys went home because they were told they would be suspended if they went back to class wearing the offensive shirts.
I find this whole story disturbing. Putting aside the overheated rhetoric from hard-right commentators, I do view this as a violation of the free speech rights of the students. Just as students should feel free to wear a Mexican flag tee-shirt on the Fourth of July, public schools are diverse in not only their demographics but their views. They are microcosms of society and we should be reinforcing speech rights, not teaching children to comply with the fluid and subjective views of authority figures. It is also not a good way to promote tolerance among different groups by telling some students that the American flag is insulting. There should be no conflict in wearing an American flag while celebrating Cinco de Mayo. The students are not accused of offensive speech or conduct beyond wearing the shirts. They may indeed have worn the flags out of some antagonism for the holiday, but, absent misconduct, the officials went too far in ordering them to change their shirts or leave school. It teaches the worst possible lesson to students (and future citizens) about the rights of speech and association.
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I think the fact that we have schools in this country that will allow flags from other countries to be used in any celebration that celebrates a different country is a disgrace to our own country and flag. If they are in America and living here, they must remember where they are. There are too many here that feel that certain territories or states should still be a part of Mexico. Such celebrations in schools only bring those feelings to light and invite trouble. No school should allow such celebrations that glorify another country’s flags.
We live in America and that is the only flag we should treat with celebration and honor in our schools. If they want to celebrate another flag, and want to live under that flag, then why come here If every person had a day to celebrate for the country of their origin, then there would be many countries celebrated. We are a melting pot. I myself am American Indian, English, Scottish, and Irish of which I am very proud but most of all I am an American first and foremost and I only fly that flag. Such celebrations should not be a distraction in our schools. It will only incite anger in some and will cause hostilities. (Schools are for learning, not recognizing other countries holidays and flags by having days at school to honor them) As you well know there are those who openly feel that certain parts of the U. S. should be under Mexican rule. Too many are here who still recognize Mexico as their country. I say the school is wrong to allow the celebration and should be doing things to bring the youth together as one body not divided them between countries. To be able to live in a free country has been an honor and privilege for me. Granted we have a few problems in Washington now but that is another blog.
James.
I’ll say this reaaaaaaallllll sllllloooooow.
Get.
Some.
Facts.
Present.
Evidence.
All you have is bullshit fed to you by Rush. You also mistake me for a partisan. You think I give a rat’s ass about the DNC or the RNC? They’re both criminal graft swilling organizations run by liars and sociopaths. I’d love nothing better than BOTH parties to go the way of the Whig. One party crashed the country into the ditch and the other one is setting it on fire. Screw ’em both.
And you can insult me all you want. People much better at it than you have tried. I usually make much hilarity when they try though. I’m real hard to insult. Especially by someone from the Rush Limpbaugh lunatic fringe (Rush Limpbaugh – Doing His Famous Joeseph Goebbels Impersonation Daily! Coming soon to Branson, MO.).
I think being a dittohead is a mental illness on par with delusion. And I don’t care what delusional people think of me. Which knocks out dittoheads and fundamentalists in one fell swoop.
So I got that going for me.
Which is nice.
So until you have evidence and can prove your idiotic propagandist bullshit?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6OoOhKM_yc&hl=en_US&fs=1&]
“Fight Back Now or we will lose our Country!!”
Why?!! Who’s taking it??!!
In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American…There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag… We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.’
Buddha,
Do you really believe that people who are on welfare vote heavily Republican? If you are that dumb, then maybe you need to move to another planet where one undiscovered person would agree with you.
This is America. You can wear an American Tee-Shirt any day of the year.
Asst. Principal Miguel Rodriguez should be fired for violating these student’s First Amendment Rights. I’m sure if kids had some sort of islamic tee-shirt on, nothing would have been said or done to them.
Wake Up People – Fight Back Now or we will lose our Country!!
James
Blouise:
I am not seeking to divide anything. What I said is a fact. Most people on welfare (entitlements) are democrats and that has always been well-known. Also, most draft-dodgers were and are still democrat today. Again, another fact. I was responding to comments made above. Yes, Rush is awesome.
================================================================
I knew it! … ‘nough said
Facts require proof.
Get some.
Or they are not facts.
They’re your Rush-fed opinion.
And who can take seriously the opinions of a guy who called for harsh drug sentences until HE was caught buying Oxy illegally. In which case a plea was in order. http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/rushletters1.html
Or who threatened/promised to move to Costa Rica if health care refrom was passed – despite the fact that Costa Rica has socialized medicine. And then didn’t keep his promise. http://www.examiner.com/x-6025-Culture–Events-Examiner~y2010m3d10-Rush-Limbaugh-threatens-to-move-to-Costa-Rica–a-universal-healthcare-country-video
Yeah, James. You get your “facts” from a real reputable source.
Blouise:
I am not seeking to divide anything. What I said is a fact. Most people on welfare (entitlements) are democrats and that has always been well-known. Also, most draft-dodgers were and are still democrat today. Again, another fact. I was responding to comments made above. Yes, Rush is awesome.
James,
” … Believe me there are more draft dodgers in the Democratic party than in the Republican Party. There are also more people taking our tax dollars from the Democratic party than in the Republican party. Republicans pay taxes and Democrats receive taxes as a general rule.”
===============================================================
So obviously an attempt to incite and to divide … are you a Rush fan?
Hey, the all caps really worked James.
It made you look more like a loon who’s never been in a fight and thinks a flag is something more than a piece of cloth. It’s a symbol of freedom – including the freedom to wear one or burn one. You’re sounding like the love child of Mr. Blackwell and a jingoist.
But you worship that multi-colored sheet all you want.
It makes all the sense of a cargo cult worshiping a crate.
Be less concerned with clothing and more concerned with the nature of freedom. Including the right to wear flags from the land of your ancestors. So unless you want to send every Irish blooded kid home who wears the orange, white and green on St. Paddy’s Day?
You’re simply advocating repressing the Free Speech rights of others because of your distorted nationalism and object fetish.
BUDDHA: ALSO, BOTH GROUPS WERE EXERCISING THEIR CONSTITUIONAL RIGHTS BUT ONE GROUP GOT SENT HOME. THERE WAS NO VIOLENCE AND THEREFORE NO JUSTIFICATION FOR SENDING THE STUDENTS HOME. THE PROBLEM I HAVE IS THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION STOOD UP FOR THOSE HOLDING UP A “MEXICAN” AND NOT AN “AMERICAN” FLAG. THOSE SAME KIDS KNOW IF AN AMERICAN GOES TO MEXICO AND DEMONSTRATES IN PUBLIC THE AMERICAN FLAG, THEY WILL GET INTO TROUBLE YET, THEY WANT TO DO THE SAME HERE AND WERE ANGRY THAT AMERICANS WERE WEARING AN AMERICAN FLAG IN AMERICA. FORGET THAT IT WAS CINCO DE MAYO BECAUSE THIS AMERICA NOT MEXICO!
Buddha,
The school should have sent the Mexcian flag children home before the American flag children. A view that most Americans ahare.
I never said that democrats are draft and tax dodgers. I said more of them are in the democratic party.
“get cut” from the Mud Hens for saying that. It is minor league Baseball fyi based in Toledo. I am sorry to defame the Tigers. mea culpa.
James,
Do you have any of those mushrooms to share. That must be a hell of a trip you are on. Your premise is Democrats are Draft and Tax Dodgers? Where is your information to back that up?
Did you get get from the Mud Hens for saying that?
Free speech issues aside, wrap yourself in the flag again and defend these boys rights to act like provocative assholes. A flag is a just a piece of cloth. My loyalty is to the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. They are the bedrock of this nation’s founding. The flag? You might as well pledge allegence to a bed sheet.
However . . .
Should they have been allowed to wear it? Sure. Just as the students of Mexican decent should have been allowed to wear Mexican flags. Or Canadian flags. Or the flag of Togo. Free speech is free speech. Say and wear what you will.
But if they fought because their macho posturing (from either and/or both sides) outweighed their common sense, everyone should have gone home. Freedom of Speech isn’t Freedom to Fight. Actions should have consequences, but preemptive repression shouldn’t be one of them. That’s PC run amok.
But if you think those hormone addled teen-aged boys were not trying to start a fight? You’ve never been in a fight, James. But please, try to tell us all how sacred a flag is though. Do you worship your toaster too? Well, knock yourself out. I’m going to worry about violations of citizens Constitutional Rights first and let the flag fend for itself. This country is based on the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. NOT the flag. Which I’m also perfectly free to burn. And I think I’ll go out back and do so right now. You gonna come kick my ass, James? Oooo. I’m going to wear and then burn it. Because I have the right to burn a flag – not just wear one. You have a right not to like it. But you don’t have the right to fight me because of it. Unless you just like contusions and an assault and battery charge to go with your jingoism. Otherwise, how about you not wearing flags or burning them and be happy with the sense of self-superiority it gives you and let others mind their own business and exercise of Constitutional rights. Like Free Speech. Which BOTH GROUPS were utilizing.
What’s next? I suppose you’ll want all those Irish to go home for flying Irish flags and wearing them on St. Patrick’s Day. Because that’s where your “logic” and flag worship lead.
Inanity.
Mike Spindell:
You are completely wrong. Those boys wore the American flag to make a statement that this is America. That is free speech. They were not inciting violence. The Mexican flag should have been the one that was sent home. Believe me there are more draft dodgers in the Democratic party than in the Republican Party. There are also more people taking our tax dollars from the Democratic party than in the Republican party. Republicans pay taxes and Democrats receive taxes as a general rule.