Kids Kicked out of School for Wearing American Flag Tshirts

[pweyl36]

Are they not Americans? Why would the American flag make Americans angry?

You think it would be right to wear the conferate flag on dr martin luther king day?

 

[AshleyW]

You think it would be right to wear the conferate flag on dr martin luther king day?

Um.. that would be different. We live in the United States of America, so it is appropriate to wear the American flag. As far as I'm aware, unless something has changed in the last 145 years, no one lives in the Confederate States of America anymore.

 

[LunchladyDoris]

Silly, naive me. And I thought that all of those who enter our country legally and illegally want to become American citizens. I didn't realize that they wanted to bring Mexico here.

DawnCT, can I ask what nationality you are?

Are Irish people allowed to celebrate St.Patrick's Day here?

What about Oktoberfest?

Does an American have to forgo their ethnicity to become an American citizen? I thought this country was a salad of many cultures and ethnicities that allows a person to celebrate their heritage without fear but still also being proud of being from this country.

 

[natcat117]

If they were trying to start something wearing the shirts on September 16th would have been more effective. This is such a non-issue.

It's funny. It was my non-Mexican friend who reminded me it was Cinco de Mayo.

 

[Magic Mom]

You think it would be right to wear the conferate flag on dr martin luther king day?

Apples and oranges.

The American flag is not at odds with the celebration of Cinco de Mayo as the confederate flag is at odds with the ideals and celebration of MLK.

 

[saradela]

What i belive is that this kids were wearing the american flag in a challenging behavior and probably the principal who is always there knew about it. He is there day after day, so he knows best. I think they were provoking the other kids the mexican-americans. Its like , there is a girl who you know, she doesnt like you, and the day you get married, she goes to the church in a wedding gown, and sits in the front row, making the statment that she has the right to wear that gown when she pleases. So its legal, but is a form of harrasing, and definitely a way to make the party go away. The bad part here, is that insted of unite all the americans,(both parts are), they distroy the fraternity that has to be there. Life is tough, you dont want a divided country, much less divided soldiers. They are kids and are celebrating 1 day, just one day of the whole year, celebrating heritage, and i bet, that if they have to choose a side, it will be the american, they were born there. Plus, this ariozona law isnt helping.

 

[doxdogy]

You think it would be right to wear the conferate flag on dr martin luther king day?

You are comparing apples to oranges. The confederate flag (to a majority of citizens in this country) is a symbol of hatred. The American flag is the symbol of our country. The flag represents the freedoms in this country that we hold near and dear to our hearts. It is also the same flag men and women have died defending and will continue to defend in war.

 

[pweyl36]

Maybe there should be debate.

Cinco de Mayo should be recognized and be celebrated, but it should never, ever trump American patriotism.

When you are born a citizen or take the oath of citizenship, you become an American citizen. Nothing is more important, nothing.

If you are an American Citizen, or are living in this country reaping the benefits of jobs, education and health care, then whatever country was your past is just that - your past.

Nobody wants people to forget where they came from and stop celebrating their heritage. But it cannot come at the expense of asking citizens of this country to pledge allegiance to another country, even for a single day.

Come on these boys did this to start trouble, what teen boys go around with their friends a dicide to were the same things? They were acting like smart a**. We all know this.

 

[DawnCt1]

You think it would be right to wear the conferate flag on dr martin luther king day?

The Confederate flag is not the flag of our nation. As far as I know, the American flag flies over every school in the country. Did they take it down on May 5th?

 

[DawnCt1]

DawnCT, can I ask what nationality you are?

Are Irish people allowed to celebrate St.Patrick's Day here?

What about Oktoberfest?

Does an American have to forgo their ethnicity to become an American citizen? I thought this country was a salad of many cultures and ethnicities that allows a person to celebrate their heritage without fear but still also being proud of being from this country.

Actually we aren't a 'SALAD'. We are a melting pot. I am English, Irish, Dutch and French and DH is Italian, Irish and Swedish. We celebrate St. Patrick's Day, Oktoberfest, cook corned beef and cabbage, and enjoy German wine, BUT we don't subordinate our flag to do that. The American flag flies higher than any other flag when properly displayed and we do not take it down to celebrate any other ethnic day.

 

[HunnyPots]

Well, if you want to get technical about it, no one should ever be wearing the American flag. Section 8d of the U.S. Flag Code states that the flag should never be worn as apparel. Just sayin'...

 

[pweyl36]

How is it RACISM to wear an American flag. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the failure of the French invasion and it is not even celebrated in Mexico! This is the United States. We should be celebrating our flag.

Not the flag. You really dont think that they just woke up that morning and said " hey lets go out and by flag shirts and a flag bandana."

 

[robinb]

You are comparing apples to oranges. The confederate flag (to a majority of citizens in this country) is a symbol of hatred. The American flag is the symbol of our country. The flag represents the freedoms in this country that we hold near and dear to our hearts. It is also the same flag men and women have died defending and will continue to defend in war.

No, it's more like Red Delicious and Granny Smith. Someone would wear a confederate flag shirt to a MLK Day rally to stir up trouble. Those boys wore the American flag shirts to their school on 5/5 to stir up trouble. Luckily, the principal was enough on the ball to step in before trouble found them.

 

[DawnCt1]

Not the flag. You really dont think that they just woke up that morning and said " hey lets go out and by flag shirts and a flag bandana."

What if they didn't? If they weren't directly provocative, mean, disrespectful, rude or bullying, and they were in compliance with the school dress code that is in effect every other school day of the year, the principal was wrong to make them change or go home.

 

[LunchladyDoris]

Actually we aren't a 'SALAD'. We are a melting pot. I am English, Irish, Dutch and French and DH is Italian, Irish and Swedish. We celebrate St. Patrick's Day, Oktoberfest, cook corned beef and cabbage, and enjoy German wine, BUT we don't subordinate our flag to do that. The American flag flies higher than any other flag when properly displayed and we do not take it down to celebrate any other ethnic day.

Why should it be a melting bowl where everyone is a homogonized mixture of Americana?People can not only live amongst one another but also keep their heritage due to the fact that everyone else's culture is distinct. To be an American does not mean that a person has to give up what unique heritage they have as this country allows people to preserve their cultures as well as being a community within this country and making the U.S. great.

I didn't see nor hear that the American flag was taken down on the 5th at the school. I think this is yet another assumption.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

if they were, in fact, trying to stir up trouble or show disrespect towards those celebrating Cinco de Mayo, then I feel this is a disrespectful use of our flag and NOT in ANY way patriotism. This is clearly a misuse of our flag and everything it stands for. Pride is one thing; hubris is another.

just by simply wearing the Flag - they are not automatically showing patriotism, this goes to intent - I'm not sure theirs was benign or positive.

 

[Mickey's Minion]

You think it would be right to wear the conferate flag on dr martin luther king day?

That is completely different. Your example bears absolutely no relevance to the discussion and the display of the official flag of the United States of America.

The confederate flag is not the flag of this country.

 

[Scurvy]

Come on these boys did this to start trouble, what teen boys go around with their friends a dicide to were the same things? They were acting like smart a**. We all know this.

What?! No, of course we don't all know they were doing it to start trouble. That's ridiculous. Maybe they were doing it to make a statement. Probably they were, in fact. But since when does making a statement equal starting trouble?

They were not defying the dress code of the school. It does not matter why they wore the shirts; there was no rule against it. We don't know how they were acting. I haven't seen any reports about their behavior at school that day, have you? Did I just miss it in the article? Were they behaving badly in some way? Do you have knowledge of something they did that was actually against school rules? How do you know what their intention was - do you know these kids?

Simply wearing a shirt which is permitted under the dress code shouldn't start any trouble. If the simple action of wearing a shirt with an American flag on it starts trouble at a school, that says much more about the reactions by the other students than it does about the people wearing the shirts.

 

[Scurvy]

Apples and oranges.

The American flag is not at odds with the celebration of Cinco de Mayo as the confederate flag is at odds with the ideals and celebration of MLK.

Well said!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

The courts have ruled time and time again that students in school have no rights.

Students have rights. They don't have certain rights--but as long as the school played the national anthem or said the pledge that morning and as long as the school on govt property had US flags present....their going to have a hard time defending their position of harrassment of young men who opted to wear a shirt with the US flag on it on a day that isn't a holiday, but rather an observance.