Kids Kicked out of School for Wearing American Flag Tshirts

[nuttylawprofessor]

Great! I'm glad you agree the kids did nothing wrong by wearing those shirts.

"Wrong" is an interesting word. I don't think that their actions fall squarely into right or wrong. They didn't do anything illegal. But they did do something foolish in order to provoke others. They were trying to disrupt the school and get a rise out of others. I can't classify those actions as wholly right or wholly wrong. People should get stirred up. Their should be speech. And most importantly, they need to be taught how to channel those thoughts and ideas appropriately.

 

[hentob]

They were trying to provoke debate and confrontation with students of MEXICAN heritage....

But they did do something foolish in order to provoke others.

By wearing an Old Navy shirt with the United States Flag on it It is FOOLISH to wear an American flag shirt in front of Mexicans in the USA?

Is that now a provocative thing to do in the USA

Do these Mexican-American students actually have the right to get angry because other students are wearing Old Glory? Are you really defending that?

Oh my goodness. What the heck is happening here?

 

[Luvchefmic]

Uh, folks, it's not about the fact that the kids wore the flag. They were trying to be provocative. They wanted to start a debate, and their use of the flag is repugnant to me. It was an open dare. It was the equivalent of a game of "I'm not touching you, I'm not touching you!" played by young children in the back of mom and dad's car. If they could have, I'm sure some of them would have preferred to wear shirts saying "Wetback go home!"

Anyone who doesn't think that the kids were trying to provoke the others is being deliberately obtuse.

I still wouldn't have punished the kids, but I would have pulled them aside to talk about their actions. I also would have assigned them a debate. If they want to exercise their right to free speech, fantastic. You'll be debating immigration issues in two weeks during school assembly.

They were trying to provoke debate and confrontation with students of MEXICAN heritage, celebrating their heritage. They played the race card.

Have to agree with moburg here.....seems like by writing what you did (re-Wetback) that YOU are the one trying to provoke........hardly comparable to wearing a shirt with Our Flag on it

 

[luvsJack]

They were trying to provoke debate and confrontation with students of MEXICAN heritage, celebrating their heritage. They played the race card.

How do you know this??

How do you know that they didn't just want to silently remind everyone that we are still in the USA or that they support the laws in Arizona?

As has been said, they have the right to wear the shirts plain and simple. The administration in that school cannot just decide someone's motive.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Scurvy, Dawn attacked first. At least be honest about that.

You honestly and truly believe that the kids were just being patriotic? Really? They weren't trying to send another message?

People send messages with their shirts everyday. The students wearing their heritage shirts on "their" day were sending a message. Was their message more important? Can there not be multiple messages on the same day? Can't everyone be proud??

I maintain the American flag in America should not be provocative. Ever.

 

[moburg]

"Wrong" is an interesting word. I don't think that their actions fall squarely into right or wrong. They didn't do anything illegal. But they did do something foolish in order to provoke others. They were trying to disrupt the school and get a rise out of others. I can't classify those actions as wholly right or wholly wrong. People should get stirred up. Their should be speech. And most importantly, they need to be taught how to channel those thoughts and ideas appropriately.

Again, you state quite emphatically to know their motives. Do you have a direct link with their brains?

You can speculate all you want, but you DO NOT know what their motives were.


And quite frankly, I don't care what their motives were. If it was a protest of sorts, they chose one that broke no laws nor school rules. Now, if they taunted or tried to incite violence, that is another thing, but I have not seen that reported anywhere thus far. The simple act of wearing a dress code approved t-shirt is not a taunt, nor is it an incitement to violence.

 

[Scurvy]

I still wouldn't have punished the kids, but I would have pulled them aside to talk about their actions. I also would have assigned them a debate. If they want to exercise their right to free speech, fantastic. You'll be debating immigration issues in two weeks during school assembly.

But the problem here is that assigning extra work to high school students is a form of punishment. You can't allow one group of students the right to exercise their freedom of speech by wearing the Mexican flag, and then assign another group of students extra work when they attempt to exercise their right to free speech by wearing the American flag. That's completely discriminatory.

And quite frankly, I don't care what their motives were. If it was a protest of sorts, they chose one that broke no laws nor school rules. Now, if they taunted or tried to incite violence, that is another thing, but I have not seen that reported anywhere thus far. The simple act of wearing a dress code approved t-shirt is not a taunt, nor is it an incitement to violence.

I agree.

 

[Magic Mom]

Maybe the school didnt what to wait to see if a fight broke out. They just wanted to nip it in the bud. It doesnt it matter, in my opinion I know what those boys really were up to and they too.

If they were only concerned about potential fights, then they would have also told the children wearing Mexican flags and makeup to change. But they didn't.

 

[nuttylawprofessor]

But the problem here is that assigning extra work to high school students is a form of punishment. You can't allow one group of students the right to exercise their freedom of speech by wearing the Mexican flag, and then assign another group of students extra work when they attempt to exercise their right to free speech by wearing the American flag. That's completely discriminatory.

Oh, the students complaining about the kids with the American flags would be part of the debate as well. Equal opportunity for all to express their points of view backed by logic and facts.

 

[Luvchefmic]

Well I am so glad that the majority of the posters here are Flag waving USA Loving citizens that are willing to stand up for what is right....It makes me feel like my USMC family is still working for the country we love....as for me I am stepping away so that my blood pressure can come down abit Glenn Beck is on in a hour ......will check in later if the thread is still here




God Bless & Save Us All

 

[saradela]

Stop. Stop. Stop. Let's back it up a bit.

If the mothers had done THEIR job (including teaching their children values so they would not sell drugs/kill others) then we would not be having this problem.

I hate the whole "Let's blame others for what we have brought into this world"

If you know you cannot raise a child properly, then don't have a child. If you know you have to work 14+ hours a day and that your children will be joining "Drug families" for companionship, don't have a flock of children.

Sadly as it sounds, that is the way it is. Their are so poor, that they dont care much about anything , just to have something to feed their children. No time for teaching anything. That is why is education so important. SO IMPORTANT. I have a maid. She has 5 children. She is a living in maid. So who is taking care of her children. They are, the big one, takes care of the others. My maid goes on Sundays to visit them. TO VISIT. I couldnt do that, but like her, there are Millions in Mexico. And she is lucky, she has a job. A well paid job ( by the standard). I asked her why she got so many kids, and her repond is that they will work and help them survive!!!
Education....is the key.

 

[nuttylawprofessor]

Well I am so glad that the majority of the posters here are Flag waving USA Loving citizens that are willing to stand up for what is right....It makes me feel like my USMC family is still working for the country we love....as for me I am stepping away so that my blood pressure can come down abit Glenn Beck is on in a hour ......will check in later if the thread is still here




God Bless & Save Us All

Thank you. I'm a flag-waving, proud American who fully believes in free speech. I'm a person who can recognize kids being cheeky. I'm also an educator that wants to teach those cheeky kids a better, more productive way of forming and expressing those ideas.

 

[Mkrop]

Maybe they were making a statement, just like the kids wearing Mexican flags were making a statement. Do you really think that they were wearing those flags to say "woohoo it's Cinco de Mayo!" or could they have been making a statement about the recent AZ laws? As long as that was all that happened and no rules were broken, both "sides" should be allowed to make their own statement.

I agree how do we know that the Mexican Amercian students' intents were not to be provocative. They may or may not have been just celebrating Cinco De Mayo, they may have been trying to send their own message.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Maybe they were making a statement, just like the kids wearing Mexican flags were making a statement. Do you really think that they were wearing those flags to say "woohoo it's Cinco de Mayo!" or could they have been making a statement about the recent AZ laws? As long as that was all that happened and no rules were broken, both "sides" should be allowed to make their own statement.

Hmmm...that brings up an interesting point. Was Cinco de Mayo as widely celebrated last year by this student population?

I would say that if it could be shown that many more students this year than last year wore the flags, the they are just as complicit in "making statements".

But sadly, we'll probably never know nor do we really need to.

 

[bored]

I was kinda surprised to read this happening in the US until I read it was California in the San Francisco area. Nothing surprise me out of an area that continually re-elects a certain representative.

 

[Scurvy]

Oh, the students complaining about the kids with the American flags would be part of the debate as well. Equal opportunity for all to express their points of view backed by logic and facts.

That's definitely more reasonable, but I would still be upset if I were the parent of one of the American flag wearing boys. I'd also be upset if my child wore a Mexican flag but did not participate in any protest and they were made to debate. The way it seems from the article, there were basically three groups of kids involved in this. There are the Mexican-American kids who just wore things to represent Mexico on Cinco de Mayo. There's the group of kids who wore American flags on Cinco de Mayo. And then there's the group of kids who protested those who wore American flags. There's no reason the Mexican flag wearers should be punished or be made to debate. There's definitely reason for the Protesters to participate in your debate. But to me, the American flag wearers are more like the Mexican flag wearers than they are like the protesters. If they only wore the flag clothing, then they should be treated just like everyone else who only wore clothing that represented a country, which means no action should be taken. If they did anything else to stir up trouble, or if they protested the people who wore Mexican flags, then it seems reasonable to make them participate in your debate. It just seems completely unreasonable to me for one group of people to be treated differently than another if the only obvious difference between them is the flag they chose to wear.

 

[nuttylawprofessor]

That's definitely more reasonable, but I would still be upset if I were the parent of one of the American flag wearing boys. I'd also be upset if my child wore a Mexican flag but did not participate in any protest and they were made to debate. The way it seems from the article, there were basically three groups of kids involved in this. There are the Mexican-American kids who just wore things to represent Mexico on Cinco de Mayo. There's the group of kids who wore American flags on Cinco de Mayo. And then there's the group of kids who protested those who wore American flags. There's no reason the Mexican flag wearers should be punished or be made to debate. There's definitely reason for the Protesters to participate in your debate. But to me, the American flag wearers are more like the Mexican flag wearers than they are like the protesters. If they only wore the flag clothing, then they should be treated just like everyone else who only wore clothing that represented a country, which means no action should be taken. If they did anything else to stir up trouble, or if they protested the people who wore Mexican flags, then it seems reasonable to make them participate in your debate. It just seems completely unreasonable to me for one group of people to be treated differently than another if the only obvious difference between them is the flag they chose to wear.

Ultimately, in my little solution, everyone participates. The protesters on both sides are the debaters. Everyone else gets to watch the debate at assembly. And learn how to listen. Respectfully. Of course in "Perfect" we have semi-weekly assemblies, fully funded education systems, and teachers allowed to move beyond the material tested through scantrons.

 

[Geoff_M]

Uh, folks, it's not about the fact that the kids wore the flag. They were trying to be provocative. They wanted to start a debate, and their use of the flag is repugnant to me. It was an open dare.

Let's accept the notion that the "Old Glory" wearing students chose their apparel that day as a means to make a silent statement about "immigration" on the date of a major Mexican holiday. OK, fair enough. Now close your eyes and try and envision this scenario:

Say July 4th happened to fall within the school year and on that day a few members of the La Raza student club opted to wear green, white, and red as a silent protest against what they see as the United States' illegal annexation of what historically belonged to Mexico. Can you picture the principal ordering this hypothetical group to change their clothing? I can't... and I don't think others would either.

But you're right that at the heart of the matter the principal's primary concern was likely the fear of disruption and/or violence because of the 5 students wearing the US flag on May 5th. However, this too is sad commentary. More and more groups are learning that all they need to do is use violence, or create the common notion in the community that they will be prone to engage in violence, under the banner of their sensibilities being offended or their cultural norms being "disrespected" and the offending views or actions will be censored and/or silenced.

 

[hentob]

Now close your eyes and try and envision this scenario:

Say July 4th happened to fall within the school year and on that day a few members of the La Raza student club opted to wear green, white, and red as a silent protest against what they see as the United States' illegal annexation of what historically belonged to Mexico. Can you picture the principal ordering this hypothetical group to change their clothing? I can't... and I don't think others would either.

The more I am thinking about these kids and their American flag shirts….Honestly, if they wore the shirts out of spite—GOOD FOR THEM!

How dare you come to MY country, and tell ME I can’t wear MY flag on your special little day

What if I don’t care about Cinco de Mayo? And, really. I don’t It was nice that Corona drafts were only a dollar, but other than that, well, I really don’t care.

What if I am a bit angry that you DARE to think that MY flag in MY country should be tucked away for even one minute

It may not be politically correct, it may not sound educated—But I am so sick of this nonsense

So, if those boys _did_ wear the flag out of spite, good for them. Maybe they are tired of being pushed around by people that want to hang the Mexican flag above the USA flag

Don't EVER tell an American that the cannot wear THEIR country's flag.

 

[hentob]

I'm a person who can recognize kids being cheeky. I'm also an educator that wants to teach those cheeky kids a better, more productive way of forming and expressing those ideas.

If it is the case, I am glad those kids were being "cheeky".

Somebody DARED to tell them to tuck away THEIR flag

They WERE productive. As an educator, I hope they grow up and take back their country. Because, the way I look at it, we are losing it.