Posted on 04/02/2006 5:35:52 PM PDT by Former Military Chick
HESPERIA — While thousands of Hispanic students spent the week facing suspension for walking out of class, now Caucasian students around the country are being handed the same penalty for waving the American flag.
Flaunting the American flag is precisely what 13-year-old Cameron Miles did at Ranchero Middle School on Friday.
Wearing two shirts, one with the American flag, school officials said he removed the one displaying his patriotism and began waving it at a group of Hispanic students on campus.
“His friends began to hoist him on their shoulders so he could be more predominately displayed when the proctor asked him to give her the shirt,” district spokeswoman Debbie Baker said. “She explained that he can’t incite an already sensitive situation and he told her, ‘This is bullshit’ and ran.”
Baker and the boy’s mother, Denise Schroeder, said he received a one-day suspension not for wearing the shirt, but for defiance of direction given by a staff member and using profanity.
But that’s all they agree on.
Schroeder said she was never told by school officials her son had removed his patriotic shirt. She said he was told the shirt needed to be confiscated because him simply wearing it on campus could incite violence.
“My son just wanted to show his classmates that he had pride for his country. Why is this a symbol that incites violence but the Mexican flag is not? “Schroeder asked. “My brother is in the Navy. We’ve been wearing patriotic shirts for years. Ranchero’s colors are even red and white. Where are we going to draw the line with what they can and cannot wear?”
Baker added that if it was a Hispanic student waving the Mexican flag at students to cause a problem, school officials would have taken the same action.
“We still live in America and should be proud of the flag that represents our country. But using it as a symbol to incite violence cannot be tolerated,” Baker said.
To some, HR 4377 is becoming secondary to controversy over displays of the American and Mexican flags.
“I saw people I know from school waving the Mexican flag. If they’re so proud of that country they should go back there. But this is where they want to be., America. That’s the flag they need to be flaunting. How backwards is that?” asked 17 year-old Mike Brown of Victorville.
At a high school in Pico Rivera a student hung the American flag upside in protest. The California flag was stolen and replaced by a Mexican flag, which the protesters hung above the American flag according to reports by the Associated Press.
Another report states that on Monday a Jurupa Valley High School senior started organizing a pro-America rally. The event would include the waving of the American flag to help demonstrate support for HR 4377 bill.
The organizer, 17-year-old Josh Denhalter, was suspended March 30, for handing out some 300 fliers to promote the rally.
In Colorado, students from Skyline High School walked out of class Friday mor ning to protest the school administration's new policy banning the carrying or wearing of American and Mexican flags. According to reports from the Rocky Mountain News, most of the 100 students were protesting that American flags were included in the ban. The ban likely will be short-lived, Principal Tom Stumpf stated.
Also on Friday, 17-year old David Guzman of Victorville left his job at the Victor Valley Mall and discovered all his patriotic flags and ribbons once proudly displayed on his car were stolen and the car’s antennae was broken in half where a small U.S. flag hung just hours earlier.
“I don’t know who did it or why. But I’ve had them on my car since 9/11 and it wasn’t until now that anyone messed with them. I’m Mexican. All of this is embarrassing to me and my family,” Guzman said of the nationwide protests. “I don’t want people looking at me or my sister like we’re one of those idiots protesting for a getout-of-jail-free card.”
Guzman said many in his family have reached the boiling point and he would march in a pro-HR 4377 protest if one were organized in a legal manner.
“I think there’s a lot of us who just want to be able to have a voice, too,” Guzman said. “These protesters don’t speak for all Mexicans. I want people to understand that.”
Talk is cheap.
Hypothetical talk is cheaper yet. In fact people should be paid to have to listen to it.
Thank you. That helped me to know that the pledge is still being taught.
Maybe it's the teachers who need to learn it and recite it even more than the students!
They got a lousy website and no email but here's the phone number: 760-244-4411
Almond Joy, a little bit nuttier.
The Mexicans were waving Mexican flags. That was no problem for the school administration.
And stop giving orders to your fellow Freepers. It's a terrible display of arrogance.
There was a thread that had a pic of an Ameican girl of Mexican heritage wearing a US flag. She looked like she was about to get lynched.
I blame the government for allowing them in this country in the first place. Revolution is the solution???
That was really all that needs to be said.
Those that are incited to violence by the sight of OUR flag are the enemy of this nation.
Any way we could lend support to these kids? If a lawsuit is filed, we should pass the hat around here.
I talked with my daughter who lives in the liberal state of Washington. I asked her about my granddaughter reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in schools. She said they stopped saying it this year.
Yes they do! I never saw the quote you posted. If possible maybe it could have a thread of it's own so it would get ultimate exposure.
thanks...
If they ban Mexican flag shirts it will probably be held to be within their power to prevent substantial disruptions of the school...like in the Confederate flag shirt fights in recent years.
Uh.. well let's see.. the kid is learning that it's ok to be racist?
The hispanics I'm sure he was waving at were probably Americans.
Quite a judgement call from someone who wasn't there.
It's soooooooooooooooo arrogant to tell someone to actually read an article before they post about it.
But it's not to call me nutty.
Wow..
By the way there is no where in the article that says that hispanic students at that particular school were waving Mexican flags.
It appears it is you with the arrgoance problem.
And, what, pray tell, is wrong with "flaunting" the American Flag??? Especially, when illegals are waving and flaunting the Mexican flag all over the place?
Ummm, there's no evidence in this story that anybody was waving the Mexican flag at this school. It sounds to me like the kid was trying to rile up Hispanics, disobeyed an administrator or teacher's order, and then cussed at the adult. If my kid did that he'd be a in a ton of trouble.
"The Mexicans were waving Mexican flags. That was no problem for the school administration."
Read the story. One kid says he saw some Mexican kids that he knew were from his school waving the Mexican flag, but that was away from school. The kids were NOT waving a Mexican flag at school.
It hasn't stopped at the high school where I work, and, in addition to the Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. flag, we say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Texas flag.
BTW, the kids in my classes know better than to attempt disrespect during either of these times by sitting or standing verrrrry slowly.
:-)
bump
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