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Highschool bans Patriotic shirts after threats

Highschool bans Patriotic shirts after threats

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by: Okiedokie Active Indicator LED Icon 11 OP 
~ 10 years ago   Mar 1, '14 7:22am  
shine.yahoo.com/pare nting/court-okays-hi gh-school-ban-americ an-flag-t-17290 a case that pits individual rights against kids' safety, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Thursday that it was appropriate for school officials to ban students at a San Jose, California, area high school from wearing American flag T-shirts on Cinco de Mayo.
The May 5th holiday, popular in the United States but largely
unrecognized in Mexico, commemorates the 1862 Battle of Puebla and
celebrates Mexican culture, heritage, and pride. The ruling stems from a controversial incident in 2010
when five students were told by administrators at Live Oak High School
(which has a history of racial tension and gang violence) to either turn
their American flag T-shirts inside out or go home. In a unanimous
decision, the court cited two instances where students had been
threatened with violence for wearing the flag. In 2009, some students of
Mexican descent told an assistant principal they would "f--- up" other
kids who were chanting "USA" around a flag they had hung from a tree on
the school campus. The next year, students wearing the flag tees were warned by text messages and phone calls
that gang members would come to the school and beat them up. Because
only shirts with the American flag were targeted, school officials
didn't ban shirts bearing images of other countries' flags, including
the Mexican flag. In response to the ban, a group of parents sued the
district, alleging violation of the teens' First Amendment rights. The
school district has not responded to Yahoo Shine's request for comment.
 
The court pointed out that under previous law, it is indeed legal to restrict high school students' free speech because of safety concerns. The Live Oak dress code also states,
"The school has the right to request that any student dressing
inappropriately for school will change into other clothes, be sent home
to change, and/or be subject to disciplinary action." Writing for the
panel of three judges, 9th Circuit Judge M. Margaret McKeown stated,
"Our role is not to second-guess the decision to have a Cinco de Mayo
celebration or the precautions put in place to avoid violence. ... [The
events] made it reasonable for school officials to proceed as though the
threat of a potentially violent disturbance was real." However, some
parents are still threatening to take the case all the way to the
Supreme Court. "This is the United States of America," Kendall Jones,
whose son was one of the students banned from wearing a shirt depicting
the American flag, told the San Jose Mercury News. "The idea that it's offensive to wear patriotic clothing … regardless of what day it is, is unconscionable to me."
School clothing bans have become common across the country in recent years, as administrators have cracked down on everything from leggings to NRA T-shirts to UGGS. Last year a Michigan school told middle-schoolers who were wearing T-shirts
memorializing a friend who had died from leukemia to change tops or
cover up the friend's name printed on the shirt (administrators later
apologized and reversed their decision). Not surprisingly, the American
flag T-shirt case is particularly controversial and has strong
supporters on both sides of the issue.
The court ruling appears to be on firm ground because of legal precedent, but blogging about the case, Eugene Volokh,
a professor of law at UCLA and specialist in free speech, says it's
about far more than T-shirts and that there are some serious issues at
stake. "This is a classic 'heckler's veto' — thugs threatening to attack
the speaker, and government officials suppressing the speech to prevent
such violence," he wrote. "The school taught its students a simple
lesson: If you dislike speech and want it suppressed, then you can get
what you want by threatening violence against the speakers." However,
after the decision, school district superintendent Steve Betando said he
felt "relieved." From his point of view in the trenches of a challenged
school, the court gave administrators the power to avert potential harm
to their students. 4951
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topcat Active Indicator LED Icon 12
~ 10 years ago   Mar 1, '14 7:50am  
God forbid they ban mexican flag shirts on a Mexican holiday at an American school. So, regular kids have to change to placate gang members?!? Welcome to Libtardia. 4951
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jax Active Indicator LED Icon 16
~ 10 years ago   Mar 1, '14 7:52am  
"You ain't seen nothing yet" as they say!
 
4951
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calliecat Active Indicator LED Icon 10
~ 10 years ago   Mar 1, '14 10:16am  
Freedom of speech has been taken away especially with this current administration!  Emoticon 4951
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CBP210 Active Indicator LED Icon 10
~ 10 years ago   Mar 1, '14 10:26am  
I am from this area and the Mexican gang situation is not a joke as they are known for ruthless violence not just towards gangs but others well. I do not agree with the Court decision and would be proud to display my American flag over their Mexican flag but be prepared for a fight as they will fight. 4951
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fcabanski Active Indicator LED Icon 16
~ 10 years ago   Mar 1, '14 2:47pm  
Violent creeps make threats, so the school takes freedoms away from the potential victims.Home school looks better every day. 4951
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CBP210 Active Indicator LED Icon 10
~ 10 years ago   Mar 1, '14 3:06pm  
Violent creeps make threats, so the school takes freedoms away from the potential victims.Home school looks better every day.
 
@fcabanski: This is typical California politics as this area in question is 50% Mexican population which a good quarter of them are illegals. They control most parts of the City and County council along with the school system so I am not surprised they would come to this conclusion. I was glad to get out as fast as I can because I got tired of paying huge taxes to support this corrupt system.
4951
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Ray Active Indicator LED Icon 17
~ 10 years ago   Mar 1, '14 4:04pm  
F&(^^(&   those Mexkin sobsI would wear mine JUST to **** em off. 4951
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nikkiole Active Indicator LED Icon 1
~ 10 years ago   Mar 1, '14 6:54pm  
Emoticon 4951
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fcabanski Active Indicator LED Icon 16
~ 10 years ago   Mar 2, '14 12:00am  
Love the shocked face over someone not backing down to thugs.Can you spare a moment of shock for the people who made the threats?  Are you even a little shocked at the gang bangers who would attack someone in America for wearing an American flag shirt?  Are you even a little shocked that it's OK to display Mexican colors and symbols in America, but not OK to display American colors and symbols? 4951
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jax Active Indicator LED Icon 16
~ 10 years ago   Mar 2, '14 8:43am  
C'mon man...we's gots ta make everyone else feel good brutha. If that means taking away our own freedoms and giving it to others, that's what we gotta do.
 
Ok, that's the liberal way of thinking.
 
4951
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EddyFree Active Indicator LED Icon 10
~ 10 years ago   Mar 2, '14 1:14pm  
This is nothing more than a sad example of a mockey being made of the whole concept of "free speech"...Here you have a group of obviously wayward youths simply trying to instigate a conflict while hiding behind the flag...The worst part about it is all the "grown-up" "supporters" encouraging this behavior instead of seeing it for what it really is...Meanwhile, all over the world there are instances of people truly being silenced by their governments, such as North Korea...This is what the protection of "free speech" is all about..."Free speech" never was meant to be an all encompassing entitlement to disrespect others, provoke, encourage, or incite violence...The day people encourage it to be used as such is the day we'll start to lose it... 4951
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Wooderson Active Indicator LED Icon 17
~ 10 years ago   Mar 2, '14 1:47pm  
God forbid they ban mexican flag shirts on a Mexican holiday at an American school. So, regular kids have to change to placate gang members?!? Welcome to Libtardia.
 
@topcat:  Hahahahhaa!! Awesome!
4951
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CBP210 Active Indicator LED Icon 10
~ 10 years ago   Mar 2, '14 1:59pm  
This is nothing more than a sad example of a mockey being made of the whole concept of "free speech"...Here you have a group of obviously wayward youths simply trying to instigate a conflict while hiding behind the flag...The worst part about it is all the "grown-up" "supporters" encouraging this behavior instead of seeing it for what it really is...Meanwhile, all over the world there are instances of people truly being silenced by their governments, such as North Korea...This is what the protection of "free speech" is all about..."Free speech" never was meant to be an all encompassing entitlement to disrespect others, provoke, encourage, or incite violence...The day people encourage it to be used as such is the day we'll start to lose it...
 
@EddyFree: How is being patriotic a sad example. I like wearing my American flag shirt and NRA shirt and my Keep Texas Armed shirts and I will continue to wear it and fight for my rights.
4951
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topcat Active Indicator LED Icon 12
~ 10 years ago   Mar 2, '14 4:08pm  
This is nothing more than a sad example of a mockey being made of the whole concept of "free speech"...Here you have a group of obviously wayward youths simply trying to instigate a conflict while hiding behind the flag...The worst part about it is all the "grown-up" "supporters" encouraging this behavior instead of seeing it for what it really is...Meanwhile, all over the world there are instances of people truly being silenced by their governments, such as North Korea...This is what the protection of "free speech" is all about..."Free speech" never was meant to be an all encompassing entitlement to disrespect others, provoke, encourage, or incite violence...The day people encourage it to be used as such is the day we'll start to lose it...
 
@EddyFree: I don't see it that way. I see it as our young people taking a stand against the fact that the reverence of a Mexican holiday is taking precedence over our kids' rights to express their patriotism.  Yeah, it will incite anger in the gang members. That's not anyone's problem but theirs.  If Cinco de Mayo means so much to them, let them go back to Mexico and smack a few piñatas. They are in the USA now. USA: Land of the Free and Home of the Brave. Not land of the whipped and home of the weak.  I served this country, and will continue to serve it by standing up for It's ideals.  We need to send the message to society that the future generation of Americans aren't going to bend over and take it from immigrants who expect to be treated as the Guest of Honor at the American table.  God Bless America!!!
4951
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mgw300e Active Indicator LED Icon 11
~ 10 years ago   Mar 2, '14 4:14pm  

- - - - - - - -
>> This is nothing more than a sad example of a mockey being made of the whole concept of "free speech"...Here you have a group of obviously wayward youths simply trying to instigate a conflict while hiding behind the flag...The worst part about it is all the "grown-up" "supporters" encouraging this behavior instead of seeing it for what it really is...Meanwhile, all over the world there are instances of people truly being silenced by their governments, such as North Korea...This is what the protection of "free speech" is all about..."Free speech" never was meant to be an all encompassing entitlement to disrespect others, provoke, encourage, or incite violence...The day people encourage it to be used as such is the day we'll start to lose it...
 
@EddyFree: I don't see it that way. I see it as our young people taking a stand against the fact that the reverence of a Mexican holiday is taking precedence over our kids' rights to express their patriotism.  Yeah, it will incite anger in the gang members. That's not anyone's problem but theirs.  If Cinco de Mayo means so much to them, let them go back to Mexico and smack a few piñatas. They are in the USA now. USA: Land of the Free and Home of the Brave. Not land of the whipped and home of the weak.  I served this country, and will continue to serve it by standing up for It's ideals.  We need to send the message to society that the future generation of Americans aren't going to bend over and take it from immigrants who expect to be treated as the Guest of Honor at the American table.  God Bless America!!!
 
@topcat for president!
 
4951
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