School suspends boy for anti-Obama shirt

School suspends boy for anti-Obama shirt

news.ninemsn.com.au

An 11-year-old boy has been suspended from school for wearing an anti-Barack Obama shirt declaring the Democrat presidential nominee as a "terrorist's best friend".

(visit the link for the full news article)

Some how I think mommy and daddy had something to do with this so why is the kid being suspended?

news.ninemsn.com.au
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 23/9/08 by WatchNLearn]

reply to post by WatchNLearn


What? You don't think an 11 year old is so concerned about the upcoming election that he would wear such a shirt to help McCain win?

I think there is probably a lot about this story that we aren't privy to.

Well, I can't say I don't like the shirt.

Honestly though, I can't defend the kid in this case. Sure we have free speech and everything (which I'm sure is what the parents are arguing), but the fact remains there are certain things you can't do in certain places.

This kid is at school to learn, not to entice political bickering or fighting amongst students. The kid may not have known better, but the parents should have.

Let him wear the shirt outside of school though.

Man his rights were trampled.
Children can be brutally honest.
Since when was the truth unpatriotic?
Quadafi wants him elected, Syria wants him elected, Iran wants him elected, Chavez wants him elected. The truth hurts.

Elementary schools are not grounds for free speech. School's rules trump Constitutional rights. You can't just wear anything you want and do anything you want in an Elementary school and claim it's ok to do so because the constitution protects you.

If this were the case, teachers would be teaching things to your children that geared towards their political views, from pre-k on.

reply to post by SectionEight


What rights?

Please tell us what kind of rights are available to us at an Elementary school.

Originally posted by DJMessiah
Elementary schools are not grounds for free speech. School's rules trump Constitutional rights. You can't just wear anything you want and do anything you want in an Elementary school and claim it's ok to do so because the constitution protects you.

If this were the case, teachers would be teaching things to your children that geared towards their political views, from pre-k on.

Where have you been? Teachers have been indoctrinating our children since the 60's! "From pre-k on" no less.

You don't think half of Americans think socialism is a great idea by accident, do you? Of course not! These poor kids have been robbed of their proud heritage and shame and guilt have replaced it.

Most teachers are to blame for the vitriol exhibitted in todays political process, IMO. Disagreement will not be tolerated.

reply to post by DJMessiah

Students do not, the Court tells us in Tinker vs. Des Moines, "shed their constitutional rights when they enter the schoolhouse door."

www.law.umkc.edu...


Basically the school would have to prove it disrupted normal class or promoted something illegal. In this case the school had a special day for purposely wearing red white and blue and is encouraging a unique symbol of personal patriotism. They are on the wrong side of the law on this one.



[edit on 23-9-2008 by SectionEight]

Originally posted by DJMessiah
Elementary schools are not grounds for free speech. School's rules trump Constitutional rights. You can't just wear anything you want and do anything you want in an Elementary school and claim it's ok to do so because the constitution protects you.

That's true. But why was the shirt unacceptable? Was it outside of the school's dress code? The school isn't talking. IMO, they have to have a better reason than "It made me uncomfortable"...

To this boy, perhaps that's the most patriotic thing he could think of. There is no profanity, no nakedness, it's not too short and his boxers aren't showing... I'd be asking what exactly about the shirt goes against school code.

If it said, "Obama - A Terrorist's Worst Enemy" or "John McCain can't use a Computer", would there be a problem? Did the school tell them it had to be a "positive" message?

I'm an Obama supporter, but if this was my boy, I'd be asking some questions.

Originally posted by DJMessiah
Please tell us what kind of rights are available to us at an Elementary school.

Given that's true (schools ban rights), people should have a right to refuse to go to school. Yet, we're kind of forced to send them along to learn how to be sheep.

School's are very very sensitive places. Far too sensitive... Most teachers are just as gagged, if not more so, than the students they teach. Gagged by needing a pay cheque each month.

Anyway, let's hope the kid is ok.

This looks like the Dad using his child as a political tool for his own agenda. The kid is a child and wearing a shirt accusing Obama of being a terrorists is totally wrong at school. I'm not an Obama supporter but if my kid wore a shirt like that to school they would be in worse trouble from me than a suspension. Freedom of speech doesn't mean you can say anything at anytime, anywhere. The dad should be suspended from his child for a day and taken out behind the tool shed for a lesson in parenting. We as members have freedom of speech but we can't say anything we want here on ATS. I guess we can say it but be ready to suffer the consequences.

I wore far more offensive things in school around that age and was never suspended. Most of the time I never really knew what the things I would say and do and wear meant. I just loved the reactions of the "offended." Occasionally I would get hauled into the principals office and once in a while my parents would be there but once inside we all just talked about what I had done/said/worn why I had done it and what I thought the reactions to what I had done/said/wore meant. We hit a brick wall when I would try to convey the overall uselessness of "offense" and and feeling "offended" by any and all things and they would try to convince me that as arbitrary and worthless the reaction of "offense" it is it has value because the "offended" feel it does. I went to a private school for the first 7 years of my education. Once I got to public school I had even more fun. Nowhere is there a more impotent and worthless staff/faculty/administration structure than at government school. They're overall uselessness makes arrest/suspension/expulsion and "zero tolerance" type nonsense their only recourse in nearly all situations. Dialog and genuine education is impossible in the government schools.

So much time and resources wasted being "offended."

Sorry to burst the bubble but no type of clothing with derogatory remarks, obscene, propaganda or else are never allow in grade, junior or high schools that I am aware off.

So this nothing more than sensationalism cause by mommy and daddy from a very ignorant point of view.

It doesn't stop the child from wearing his "free speech" T-shirt any where else that can be allowed.

[edit on 23-9-2008 by marg6043]

First thing people say is parents

But you know... at the same age I had a shirt that said:

NUKE NEW JERSEY

I wrote it myself, no idea why, some stupid thing in the paper about Jersey wanting the Statue of Liberty and it pissed me off

My parents didn't advocate the sensless destruction of a few Million New Jerseyans over a statue...

I did

I was also just 11

and no one suspended me because they knew that

Those of you defending the school's actions really freak me out.

Did any of you even read the story?

How dare the child comply with the school's instructions in a manner they did not expect:

Daxx Dalton, a Year Five student at Aurora Elementary School in Colorado, wore the shirt to school on a day where students were asked to wear something red, white and blue to show their patriotism for the United States.

Bloviate all you want about political messages being inappropriate in school. It just so happens that in this case *THAT* is precisely what the school wanted from these children-- just not this boy's version of political (patriotic) speech.



Nice. Tax dollars providing a real world lesson on the suppression of political speech. Someone should give those educators a medal.

I'm surprised the boy wasn't tasered and chained to a desk in the principal's office.

Patriotism indeed.....



[edit on 23-9-2008 by loam]

Originally posted by Solarskye
Freedom of speech doesn't mean you can say anything at anytime, anywhere.

How do you define the word 'freedom' if there are conditions attached? Freedom of speech should be exactly that - freedom of speech. However, schools disallow freedom of speech for staff and students alike.

The dad should be suspended from his child for a day and taken out behind the tool shed for a lesson in parenting.

That's your opinion. Perhaps, as a Father, he is showing his kid the power of free speech. Other people might think that he's teaching his son a far more important lesson than school ever could.

We as members have freedom of speech but we can't say anything we want here on ATS. I guess we can say it but be ready to suffer the consequences.

We don't have free speech on ATS. We sign in as members and agree to abide by terms and conditions - that's not freedom of speech. We have moderators who act appropriately to uphold the terms and conditions. True freedom of speech on ATS would not require moderators and the site would quickly degenerate into a cesspool.

If I were this kids parents, I'd be contacting a lawyer and a t-shirt company. This has the potential to be a million dollar overnight sensation.

Originally posted by SectionEight
Man his rights were trampled.
Children can be brutally honest.
Since when was the truth unpatriotic?
Quadafi wants him elected, Syria wants him elected, Iran wants him elected, Chavez wants him elected. The truth hurts.

yeah, i guess in your world we should just bomb the crap out of these countries and send in troops. america certainly doesn't want to look like a bunch of sissy's, right? you know... with all that radical, liberal, intellectual, wussy, diplomacy type of stuff.

[edit on 23-9-2008 by jimmyx]

So, If my child went to school with a shirt that says, "Republicans, Home of Child Molesters" would you approve that?