Posted on 06/19/2006 11:55:57 AM PDT by Jay777
The valedictorian of Foothill High, Brittany McComb, decided to share her faith voluntarily at her graduation cermony. However, before she could get to the part that meant the most to her, Christ, her microphone went dead. Her speech was in no way endorsed by her school, however the school directly participated in censoring her free speech.
The First Amendment:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
The judicial branch has extended the meaning of this amendment to any government body, not just Congress. However, I still don’t understand how so many ignore the part that says ” or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” This is exactly what the school did to this young girl, prohibited the free exercize of her religious expression.
From the Review Journal we learn: The decision to cut short McComb’s commencement speech Thursday at The Orleans drew jeers from the nearly 400 graduates and their families that went on for several minutes.
However, Clark County School District officials and an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union said Friday that cutting McComb’s mic was the right call. Graduation ceremonies are school-sponsored events, a stance supported by federal court rulings, and as such may include religious references but not proselytizing, they said.
(Excerpt) Read more at stoptheaclu.com ...
"... ACLU is the most dangerous organization in America today".
And, fortunately, soon to be the dumbest, as it seems.
There seems to be an assumption among the past couple of generations of Americans that they shall have no experience which they have not prescribed or chosen in advance--that every experience must conform to their prescriptions for reality.
I can think of no other time in which this would be regarded as a "right." You have no such right. You just don't want it to happen.
I am myself Christian, but I also am often embarrassed by those people who feel that every public gathering is an excuse to evangelize, and to do it clumsily, blurting it out as if, now that they have an audience, they are compelled to proselytize. But it would never enter my mind to translate my embarrassment into a "right" to be free from it. It might be better for me just to develop a thicker skin--or a little more tolerance.
Do the words "public nuisance" ring?
Ummm...are you talking about yourself or the student?
She can say whatever the H-E-double toothpicks she wants as long as it isn't immoral nor obscene! She's the valedictorian. She earned her place at the rostrum. Because she was going to share her faith, she was silenced. That is wrong in these United States!
How long until students are handed their speeches by school administrators and told what they will say?
So are the scores of people who booed the fact that her speech was cut short willing to step up and start standing up to the ACLU?
So if she had started talking about how her faith in Mohammed and Islamic discipline had helped her and they cut her mike off, would you still be so outraged?
The ACLU would have croaked had they been at the graduation my family attended a couple of weeks ago then. Because GOD was not only 'mentioned' he was PRAISED & THANKED by each and every student ON THEIR OWN who had a part in the ceremony. It was a public high school which would have made it ten times worse for the anti-American, anti-family and anti-religous ACLU. They can STUFF IT where the sun doesn't shine.
Yep, I remember when I was in high school we had a prayer before a football game. Now it's called a inspirational poem. First time I heard that it shocked me. Years later, nothing shocks me.
Funny thing is when liberals get shouted down, they moan about it for a long time and never move on.
ACLU is a terrorist orgqanization. I am no fan of the IRS, but I hope they get audited, like the NAACP.
Most school principals are ex-coaches, They actually think that lawyers know what the law is.
There is not a doubt in my mind that if she had said lesbianism was her guiding star and Lucifer her inspiration, she would not have been short of microphones. No one would have dared to muffle THAT kind of speech.
Once again, the school district and the ACLU have totally distorted the concept of PROSTELYZING.
If the valedictorian was asking or encouraging fellow students to switch to her religion, then that would be PROSTELYZING.
If she was simply telling the audience what was important in her life, AS SHE WAS, then she was simply giving a good valedictorian speech.
Why do these public school elitists hate Christianity so.
My guess this would be the ACLUs stance if some pulled the plug on Freerepublic.com as well! What a bunch of A-holes.
You could say that about any speech. There is always somebody objecting to something. Let's just do away with the entire First Amendment and we won't have to worry about these petty impositions anymore.
Note that I said "inappropriate", not "illegal". Deliberately offending people who have assembled to witness a special occasion such a child's or grandchild's high school graduation shouldn't be subjected to obnoxious rants of any type -- whether it's somebody hollering at them that they'll burn in hell if they don't "accept Jesus" or that American servicepeople in Iraq are "murdering children", or whatever. And I think schools should be allowed to impose some appropriateness standards on student speeches -- if not, then why not allow speeches that are obscene or "immoral" though still falling within protected speech parameters? On what legal basis does a school prohibit a raunchy "How I lost my virginity" speech, but allow a proselytizing religious speech?
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