Student opposition to civil unions disrupts SWHS

Journal Inquirer ^ | 04/16/05 | Candace Taylor

[Jeff Chandler]

Well, isn't that special?

[CondorFlight]

I thought free speech also extended to schools, and to those who oppose PC.

If not, I guess we should paint yellow lines around ours schools and pass out a notice, "free speech prohibited
if it offends the left".

[GW and Twins Pawpaw]

Isn't it ironic that those who have their feelings assualted never seem to be able to grasp that they assault others' feelings. Oh, the guilt! Oh, the HUMANITY!!




sarcasm off...

[Libertina]

I don't think it is a good idea to have ANY tee-shirts with slogans. But, if the left can wear them, then the right gets the same freedom. And boy how the liberals hate it when the right starts speaking up! LOL Even the kids are sick of all this PC nonsense.

[highlander_UW]

It's interesting that simply the exposure to 4 students wearing tee shirts with sentiments they don't agree with could cause many students to become emotionally distraught. To understand their plight better I decided to look up "distraught" in the dictionary. This is what Merriam Webster Online dictionary provides as it's only 2 definitions:

1 : agitated with doubt or mental conflict

2 : INSANE

So upon reading these tee shirts other students became troubled with doubt (presumably of their own views), faced with a mental conflict or just plain insane.

Wow, those are some powerful tee shirts...or some very flimsy people viewing them.

[GeekDejure]

other students became "emotionally distraught"
=======

Oh no... please say it isn't so...

Good grief, this is America!

"emotionally distraughtness" is absolutely positively prohibited to ever occur in the land of the Free and the home of the Brave...

I am now so "emotionally distraught" over this entire situation... I think I'm gonna maybe kinda sorta pass out !!! ;-))

[Bear_Slayer]

I didn't feel safe at this school today

Do you think the sraight boys feel safe with the homos checking them out in the locker or bathroom?

I guarantee that Christians should not feel safe if liberals wield more power in government.

[Bear_Slayer]

the law protects students' freedom of speech, as long as that speech doesn't disrupt the educational process.

Anyone could disrupt the school by complain that any free speech is offensive. Hetero sexuals need to screech about everything to frustrate them.

[L98Fiero]

"I didn't feel safe at this school today"

Notice, it wasn't "I wasn't safe at school today", it's "I didn't feel safe at school today", regardless of a lack of threat. Crux of the problem.

[APFel]

...Steven Vendetta...

Outstanding.

APf

[Bear_Slayer]

One time I drank to much. I felt like I was gonna die.

It didn't happen.

I don't put alot of stock in feelings. Mine or anyone elses. They add spice to life, but I wouldn't make any decisions on them.

[GeekDejure]

Hetero sexuals need to screech about everything to frustrate them.
=======

Ya know... that's another thing that irritates me these days... being called a Hetero sexual...

Next thing they'll be calling me is a Homo sapian !!!

Dammit... I'M A MAN... and I'm damned proud of it !!! ;-))

[Enterprise]

"Vendetta said the impetus for the T-shirts came earlier in the week, when students at the high school took part in the annual Day of Silence, a project orchestrated by the national Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network. On the Day of Silence, students across the country do not speak, as a reminder of the discrimination and harassment experienced by homosexuals.

Students at the high school also wore signs showing their support for legislation that would recognize civil unions for same-sex couples in Connecticut, Vendetta said.

Vendetta is correct. Some students decided to take part in a day of silence, which was orchestrated by a NATIONAL organization, pushing an agenda. Thus, it was NATIONAL effort, involving public schools throughout the nation on an issue of NATIONAL interest and some students supported that agenda. Ok, so be it. However, other students then exercised their right to free speech in opposition to a NATIONAL agenda being promoted in public schools supportive of a lifestyle and practices with which they didn't agree, and someone got “offended.”

Also to be considered, was support from some students for “legislation” recognizing same sex unions. Fine. But once one side supports “legislation,” they are advocating a political act, and once it becomes “political” it also becomes a free speech issue, and those opposing a political act have an inherent First Amendment right of free speech in their opposition, and they cannot arbitrarily be silenced because others are “offended.”

Finally, if there were disruptions, it wasn’t being caused by Vendetta or Shinfield, it was caused by students who were being “intolerant” of their views. It is the students who were being “intolerant” who should have been sent home.

[pleasedontzotme]

"School is supposed to be a safe zone for everyone," he said. "It's crossing the line when you target other people."

Sorry. School isn't a safe zone for everyone to feel warm and fuzzy. Read Tinker v. Des Moines, 393 US 503 (1969.) Students do not shed their free speech rights at the schoolhouse gate. (Unless the speech is truly disruptive; then schools have an interest in maintaining order.

As one of the few Democrats in decent standing on this forum, one of the things I disagree the most with the left on is the belief that we have a right not to be offended. We don't. Free speech "zones" are redundant; the entire country is a free speech zone.

Grow up, for goodness sake.

I would like to know what was on those shirts, and whether it was an actual disturbance to lessons.

[Bear_Slayer]

No offense meant. I suppose I should have said, "We." As in, "We need to screech about everything, to show them how stupid liberals look."

[OhioAttorney]

Here's a link to the Tinker case for anyone who's interested.

I've been surprised at the number of people on this forum who think the Constitution doesn't protect 'minors'. Glad to see someone knows better.

[ItsOurTimeNow]

Free speech for thee, but not for me?

[HostileTerritory]

Conversely, there's the Hazelwood decision, which gave school officials broad powers to censor school newspapers. Anyone who's attended a public school in the last 20 years knows that free speech rights are heavily regulated when you cross the threshold.

http://teacher.scholastic.com/researchtools/articlearchives/civics/usgovt/judic/hazstupr.htm

[OhioAttorney]

True, but not because the Constitution doesn't protect 'minors'; their being 'minors' has nothing to do with it. Students' Constitutional rights are simply subject to a higher degree of regulation in school because of the school's need to maintain an environment conducive to education.