Students Kicked Off Campus for Wearing American Flag Tees

[Flint]

Originally Posted by piercehawkeye45

Yes it did.




Depends on the situation. We have no idea who these kids are or how they act. I am probably biased, but I have a feeling these kids are like the kids at my school who drove around with a Confederate flag on their car during Martin Luther King Day.....in Wisconsin.

If these kids just happened to wear a shirt or bandanna with the American flag on it, then the school should have handled it better.

If the kids wore it as a big fuck you to the Mexican American population, which I am assuming it was, then I completely agree with the school's decision. It isn't ideal, but putting myself in their place, I would rather force someone to change their shirt then deal with some race related fights, which I know happen at other places.

Even when people are dicks, you can't take action against them unless they actually do something wrong. This is a cornerstone of a free, law-abiding society. Once you open things up to the vagaries of spur-of-the-moment "feelings" and opinions, you accept that next time they could be coming for YOU if they don't like your attitude about something. That's not America.

[piercehawkeye45]

Originally Posted by Flint

Even when people are dicks, you can't take action against them unless they actually do something wrong. This is a cornerstone of a free, law-abiding society. Once you open things up to the vagaries of spur-of-the-moment "feelings" and opinions, you accept that next time they could be coming for YOU if they don't like your attitude about something. That's not America.

This is where we disagree. I am not defending the school just because I disagree with the actions of those students. I am not offended by their actions just as I was not offended when students from my school drove around with a Confederate flag on their car during Martin Luther King Day. It is about preventing something bigger from happening.

I do know places where an act such of this would have resorted in violence and could have brought other students into this as well. There are stupid racist who will do something to "make a statement" and there are stupid people who will use violence to "shut them up". If school's can avoid those situations, within reason, then I agree with the avoidance strategy.

I don't know if this school is such a place. If it is not, then yes, it is a stretch of political correctness. If it is, then I back the school's decision to attempt to avoid violence from breaking out in their school.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by piercehawkeye45

Yes it did.




Depends on the situation. We have no idea who these kids are or how they act. I am probably biased, but I have a feeling these kids are like the kids at my school who drove around with a Confederate flag on their car during Martin Luther King Day.....in Wisconsin.

If these kids just happened to wear a shirt or bandanna with the American flag on it, then the school should have handled it better.

If the kids wore it as a big fuck you to the Mexican American population, which I am assuming it was, then I completely agree with the school's decision. It isn't ideal, but putting myself in their place, I would rather force someone to change their shirt then deal with some race related fights, which I know happen at other places.

None of that matters and none of that should have played into a decision by the powers that be to ban students of their First Amendment Rights. Fuck who ever disagrees with them. Isn't that the new norm?

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

None of that matters and none of that should have played into a decision by the powers that be to ban students of their First Amendment Rights. Fuck who ever disagrees with them. Isn't that the new norm?

First Amendment rights?

Another over reaction, IMO.

Minors have never had absolute First Amendment rights, particularly in a school environment.

[classicman]

Since thats the new rule, I pronounce on the 4th of July all "hyphenated-Americans" cannot wear, nor show the pride of the country from which they came... All flags must be taken down and all apparel, toilet paper, buttons bumper stickers ect. must be removed or covered for the entire day. But remember thats racist.
Yes I am taking this point to an extreme, but is there really a difference?

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Well it's high time these fuckers decide whether they are mexicans or Americans.
Oh, and no hyphenated bullshit, get off the fucking fence.

Bravo!

[glatt]

Originally Posted by piercehawkeye45

they are using "American pride" as their defense.

And yet they are disrespecting the flag by wearing it as clothing.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by glatt

And yet they are disrespecting the flag by wearing it as clothing.

The bandanas may have been a violation of the National Flag Act, but I have not seen pictures of them so until we do we can't really say if that was "disrespecting" of the flag in a more legal sense.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by piercehawkeye45

These kids were looking for attention and they got it. It was an act of defiance and they are using "American pride" as their defense. Typical.

Puts the school district in a catch 22 as well. Its probably a very touchy issue there and any action, or lack of action, taken by the school would most likely blow back up in their face.

So what? The action they did take was inappropriate. I hope the kids sue the school for kicking them off campus.

This is only the latest of political correctness gone wrong in the US...

[xoxoxoBruce]

Especially when the school says it would have been OK on any other day.

[classicman]

How bout this one? Is this a violation or is just his spelling?

[glatt]

You tell me.

"No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform. However, a flag patch may be affixed to the uniform of military personnel, firemen, policemen, and members of patriotic organizations."
36 USC 10 §176(j)

"The flag should never be fastened, displayed, used, or stored in such a manner as to permit it to be easily torn, soiled, or damaged in any way."
36 USC 10 §176 (e)

"The flag should never be used as wearing apparel..."
36 USC 10 §176 (d)

I'm not a flag waving rah rah kind of guy, but if these people pretend to be, then they should follow the rules.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by glatt

You tell me.

"No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform. However, a flag patch may be affixed to the uniform of military personnel, firemen, policemen, and members of patriotic organizations."
36 USC 10 §176(j)

"The flag should never be fastened, displayed, used, or stored in such a manner as to permit it to be easily torn, soiled, or damaged in any way."
36 USC 10 §176 (e)

"The flag should never be used as wearing apparel..."
36 USC 10 §176 (d)

I'm not a flag waving rah rah kind of guy, but if these people pretend to be, then they should follow the rules.

"The Flag" means a real flag made and printed to be a flag, not a picture of the flag printed on T-shirts or otherwise.

[jinx]

One could argue that a bandana or t-shirt printed with a flag design is not "The flag".

I don't care either way myself... but I think the school fucked up.

[classicman]

Jinx beat me to it.
They were not wearing the flag - they were wearing T-shirts. Totally different issue.
What if they were using pencils with the flag on them in class? How about wearing a tie, a pin, socks, glasses... the list is virtually endless.

[glatt]

What is "a flag?"

You can get into the whole legal definition, but the bottom line is that the flag is a symbol of our country. These guys wore these shirts for the symbolic reasons. They meant for them to be flags.