The American Flag Is 'Offensive' in Schools Now

American Thinker ^ | May 16, 2011 | Selwyn Duke

[Paladins Prayer]

Increasingly, it seems that the American flag is joining toy guns and dodgeball on the banned-from-school list. And the latest story on this front involves The Butterfield Elementary in Orange, Massachusetts, where a teacher told an eleven-year-old boy that he may not hang his depiction of Old Glory because it might "offend" another student.

The boy, Frankie Girard, had drawn the picture in art class but then found that his teacher didn't share his patriotism. Says his father, John, "He was denied hanging the flag up. And he asked if he could just even hang it on his desk, and he was told no. He could take the picture that he drew and take it home and be proud of it there."

I guess patriotism has joined piety as a "private matter." (Leftists tend to confuse closets with shelves. Everything that should be in the former, they display; everything that should be on the latter, they hide.)

[Paladins Prayer]

I like the way this author holds the liberals' feet to the fire later in the piece.

[No Socialist]

I guess they don’t want “American” tax dollars to pay for their schools, their salaries, their health insurance, and their fat pensions either.

[napscoordinator]

Wow. This story has been going all week. Next time teacher, just smack him when he is not doing his work and drawing a picture instead. lol. Sorry but this story is so distorted in so many ways.

[flowerplough]

“Resolved, that we will in no circumstances fight for King and Country.” -1933, the Oxford Student Union, Oxford College, Oxford, England

[ExTexasRedhead]

Liberal Amerikan schools??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C1IV00LLDQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5Va0b0tL1M&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ojxtz-9vSr8&feature=related

[NEW YORKCITYGOPMAN]

They hate America so much, but they want all the third world immigrants to come to this terrible land.

Yet, I confess: I may not be as patriotic as I used to be. My conservatism, and I am generally conservative on most key issues, has always been based on my love of country.

I am not doing too well right now, personally, but I still love this land and I know things can still get better for me here, MORE than anywhere in the world.

But sometimes I look at some of the people who are in this country, the ones the liberals just love, and I do say to myself, This is NOT my country anymore.

[NEMDF]

I agree. It is out of control. Seems like one version of the story last week was that the problem was, the kid had drawn the flag while he was supposed to be doing some other work. If so, then he’s lucky the teacher didn’t take the picture away from him and tear it up in his face.

[mdel747]

[whattajoke]

While the piece was a fun read, this story is stupid. The kid was goofing off and drawing instead of doing whatever work he was supposed to be doing.

[sten]

the kid was in an ART class.

i guess they’re only allowed to draw ‘approved’ pictures now

if he was drawing descriptions of fisting, as per the lessons taught via the state funded FISTGATE program, i’m sure the teacher would have been fine with it

[TheOldLady]

We wish it grew there

[LibsRJerks]

Oh, no — they LOVE American taxpayer dollars ...they’ll take those anyday.

The worst sort of human beings on the planet ..those that live in a country, take advantage of all it has to offer, live well on the backs of its patriots, yet spit on its symbolism, it’s ideals, and trash it verbally every chance they get. I don’t understand how anyone can be this vile.

[Don W]

Did you actually READ that article, or did you quit when you got to the excuses the principal was making up along the way?

A**holes like this teacher and principal are why I hated art class with every inch of my being when I was in school.

The only class I hated more was P.E. With every ounce of my 135 lbs.

[taxcontrol]

What is NOT being said is that according to the principal, the boy was drawing at a time when he should have been doing something else.

If that is the case. If the boy was in fact drawing when he should have been doing something else, then moral hazzard applies here. The boy should not be rewarded or encouraged to disobey the teacher (not working on the assigned task).

[Paladins Prayer]

You folks need to read the article. The boy was in ART class, so it’s not surprising that he would be drawing something. So I think it’s likely that what the administrator said is just a cop-out.

Anyway, the author also pointed out that if the kid broke rules, you punish the kid, not the flag. You don’t say that he can’t display the flag because it’s ‘offensive.’

[stevie_d_64]

How ‘bout a nice Parent/Teacher conference???

“Nice” being rather vague...

[doug from upland]

Orange Elementary School DistrictMay 6, 2011 ... Superintendent of Schools. Orange Elementary School District. 131 West Main Street. Orange, Massachusetts 01364. 978-544-6763 ...
www.Orange-elem.org/ - Cached - Similar 131 W Main St # 1-G, Orange
(978) 544-3450

[Fred Hayek]

Art - now if he drew a portrait of Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Kim Il Sung, Ho Chi Minh, or a revolutionary holding a red flag with the perquisite slogans, that would be OK.

[doug from upland]

Page to give support

http://www.facebook.com/pages/I-Support-Frankie-Girard-and-The-US-FLAG/213380445352480

[whattajoke]

So he was in art class. As much as I hated art class, I distinctly recall plenty of days where we had various different assignments beyond, “draw whatever you want and then ask to hang it up.” I stand by my assertion: this argument is stupid. It took me an Internet-eternity (40 seconds) to find the original news story about this, as this has clogged a ton of blogs recently.

So it’s a kid-said/teacher-said thing, regarding the “offensive” part. To get all worked up and posting the school’s contact information (didn’t we get in trouble doing that with some Cleveland reporter a few weeks ago?) is jumping the gun in my mind.

And look at the video at the story. The father’s flag is adorned with a motorcycle and that sort of offends me (and is egregiously against the US Flag code.) And the kid’s drawing is woefully incorrect, missing several stripes and stars. That offends me.

I’m kidding of course and I didn’t want to get into the argument.