POLITICS: School Orders Boy to Cover Tee Shirt

A thirteen year old boy was ordered to cover up a tee shirt with the words, "The Real Terrorist Is In The White House," written in black on the front, and "End the Tyranny" written on the back. The boy feels he has the right to freedom of speech. The school has warned him he will be suspended if he continues to wear the shirt.





This is the third case, of which I'm aware, of a tee shirt slogan being considered a crime. The other two resulted in actual arrests.
More and more, we see the curtailing of the right of free speech. The America that is so proudly proclaimed as the most shining example of freedom and democracy, is beginning to resemble a pre-war Germany.
Perhaps the boy should wear a brown shirt. Perhaps all students should wear brown shirts with stars and stripes on the sleeve. I'm sure the school wouldn't object to brown shirts.

Related News Links:
www.cnn.com
www.veteransforpeace.org

[edit on 21-11-2004 by billybob]

This happens all the time, and is hardly new. Schools always have dress codes like this right or wrong. I actually sued my school for going into my locker without my permission, but it was "public" property, even though my personal things were in them. This is just how school's are. Be glad there isn't a dress code like most countries, then everyone would really bitch.

The kid has the right to wear the T-shirt. It's not like he's got something pornographic or violent on it. Peaceful statement of his views. If you don't like it, go live in a country besides America. Freedom of speech > all.

Sadly the kid is screwed, he can't wear what he wants to school, because they hold all the cards. The shirt will be construed as 'disruptive to the educational process' which is a loose catch all allowing the school to force him to either conform or be ejected at his own expense. He may as well just bite the bullet and quit wearing the shirt, as he can't and wont win this battle, few ever do.

[edit on 22-11-2004 by alternateheaven]

"This happens all the time, and is hardly new. Schools always have dress codes like this right or wrong."

The kid researched the school dress code and found that he did not violate any code, nor are thier any code saying he could not wear the shirt. He also brought it to the principal's attention.

he confronted the principal with a copy of the school dress code in hand.

Thier was no curse words, no threats, no deragatory remarks on that shirt. He broke no school codes. I fully support him, his shirt and his mother for standing by him.

Finally, a true patriot who is not afraid to stand up to what he believes in.

Only have one thing to say.
Let freedom ring....
Can't hear a thing! Wake up America.

The supreme court has already ruled that "kids" do not have rights under our constitution. 1st amendment does not apply here. Ask Elion Gonzales about his right to be free when Reno sent in the storm troopers to give him back to Castro. Anything anti-america is OK though isn't it.

Originally posted by alternateheaven
The shirt will be construed as 'disruptive to the educational process' which is a loose catch all allowing the school to force him to either conform or be ejected at his own expense.

This happened a few times where I went to school. Once, a friend of mine decided to wear jeans that he had cut into vertical strips up to the knees. It was clearly not in violtaion of the school's dress code, but he was forced to change his pants after the administrator saw him.

There weren't any hard and fast rules as to what was disruptive and what wasn't, so the kids usually lost the battle.

I could agree with all of you �he has rights� group but I won't. The boy needs to find another school- a private one where his parents get the privilege of paying for their son's stupidity.

Public schools are to educate. Offensive political and religious statements don't have a place in public schools. Like gang-ware and �colors� schools have agenda different from providing a speech platform for some spoiled kid.

Whether this kid likes it or not the President is the leader of the nation. This type of baloney is like someone wearing a T-shirt that says �women are lesser than men� or �white people suck.� While many might consider this true it most likely would be offensive to some.

The school has the duty, which is way above some obscure right, to provide an environment for all its students- the kid gets expelled for being stupid.

OK, I thought the Constitution read;
We the people, not we the adults.

Considering the time of the penning of the Constitution the authors probably regarded children much in the same way as women, hence the lack of sufferage until a later ammendment. The kid has the 'right to free speech' up to the point that his parents send him to his room for being a brat, and thats about it.

Of course the kid should consider himself fortunate that hes learning his lesson about bending to the will of society in the confines of a school office and not at the end of a night stick out in the streets during a protest.

I remember what I was doing and thinking about when I was 13 years old - and it sure wasn't politics, unless it came wrapped around the bosom of Mrs. Sanchez. our lusty math teacher.

I think the kid's parents should leave their politics at home, not send it to the boy's school. What I mean is, I doubt this was the kid's first choice of wardrobe.

This is america, everyone has the right to free speech. Gonzalas was not an american citizen so the constitution did not apply to him. Bad argument. Anyone out thier that thinks that this kid did not have a right to wear that shirt is wrong. This is not a dictatorship. It seems everyone is playing right into the TYranical hands of the administration. No wonder they get away with everything. No wonder, becouse all you sheeple let them and support what they do 100% without questioning. That my friends is un-american and un-constitutional.

You should all be ashamed of yourselves. This is America. THIS IS AMERICA. THE LAND OF THE FREE.

Lol, I can see how this is going to go already. Bucking the system all the time is quite un-wise. Imagine how it could affect this kid if say ten years from now they ask him about why he was expelled from school? This may be America, but we all know its not so free, and we have to accept that fact, because in the end irregardless of any fantasies or some armed revolt or massive overthrow, we simply cannot and will not change anything. Its better to just make the change and get on with your life, as we only have a short while to get what we want to accomplish done.

cities have had obscenity ordinances in effect since the beginning of time where it is a crime to speak curse words on the street, spit on sidewalks, etc. no one follows them, so they think it's something new when someone enforces it. a student at a school has no more rights on the premises than a criminal in a prison, as it should be. i pay for him to be there and to get a free education, he better respect that. he can where the shirt anywhere else in the world that he wants, but my guess is, he WANTS to wear it to school to be controversial, yet safe, rather than wearing it out in the world where he may be challenged on the content and the context of the shirt's print.

Ok I suppose I will roll over and let them do what ever the h&%l they want. What they want me to jump up and down on one foot? Ok how high. They want me to jump from a bridge? Ok, which bridge?

I'm sorry I am un-willing to take your attitude towords this. School is suppose to teach a person to be a person, an individual. I am unwilling to accept that it is suppose to teach a person to be a mindless drone like all of you(that will probably get me a warn but I do not care).

He probably does wear that shirt around and not just to school. You people never made statements in school? You probably came from the middle class sheltered lifestyles and you feel obliged to push your ideologies onto everyone else. But guess what, some of us are still real americans and will stand up against this tyranny whether it gets us killed or not.

ATS turned into every other forum on the net. This place used to be a bastion of free speech. Now it is just another place for the fasciest to spread thier word. Hail bush.

Here in the U.K its pretty much the same thing. We have a Public Order Act 1986. Section 5
- A person is guilty of an offence if he/she displays any writing, sign or other visible representation which is threatening, abusive or insulting...within the sight of a person likely to be caused harrassment, alarm or distress (which may extend to a third party).

In other words it might not be offensive to Mr Bush or anyone in the White house , but it may offend Mr Peters across the road.

Tom

Free speech, free speech so the rant goes.

The kid is in school paid for by tax dollars. Therefore what society decrees as acceptable is the rules. Don't like it then PAY to go to a private school that not only allows but encourages -freedom of expression-. There you go, pay for someone to baby-sit your brat. That's a novel idea isn't it?

The school should sue the parents for waisting tax dollars on repeat incidences. This is nothing more than pure unadulterated stupidity to expect public schools to be forced to accept someone's visual statements under the guise of free speech.

How about a T-shirt that says:
Hitler was misunderstood,
Ted Bundy had a troubled childhood,
9-11 taught everyone to stay out of tall buildings,
My parents are tax cheats,

Free speech is one thing, a public school is something else. What is the purpose of school anyway- to teach civil disobedience?

Public school folks- don't like it go private and say whatever your pocket-book can afford.

Theres a difference between making a statement and wasting your breath. Trying to make a statement to people in school is like a rock concert for deaf people. Believe me I have a large pool of venom for many of the systems of our society that seems to breed ignorance, but I don't go shouting it from the roof tops because it does no good. Remeber this, nobody can take away your defiance if its in your head, when you open your mouth they can remove that head. I will admit in HS I worked my butt off to undermine out control-freak of a principal; know what I accomplished with my acts? Not a damn thing! I spent more time trying to make him suffer than I did on my studying, and my grades reflected it.

Yeah, basically, I agree that this is not an "OMG FREE SPEECH!" issue. The kid wore the shirt and is making his point, apparently making the news, and that's great, HOWEVER, the school can and should stop him from wearing the shirt.

As someone said above, it is also a "free speech" exercise to wear a shirt that says "Hitler was misunderstood," but the school doesn't want to draw a line that separates slogans that are acceptable and those that are not - nor should they have to. The school has the RESPONSIBILITY to maintain order in the school and if a kid wears this shirt, it might provoke another kid to wear a shirt with an opposing viewpoint and before you know it the school is divided into different camps of violent students.

Anyways, the school must take steps to ensure that order is preserved and if this means pre-emptorily striking down a controversial shirt, then so damn be it.

In my day, I was forced to turn a shirt or two inside out, and I did. I didn't make the news and I didn't complain any more than a single groan or grumble. Students are asked to turn shirts inside out EVERY SINGLE DAMN DAY IN AMERICA and it doesn't make the news.

Zip

[edit on 22-11-2004 by Zipdot]