Posted on 06/19/2006 2:02:05 PM PDT by Indy Pendance
How is this different from what the Stalinists used to do?
And who still says that this is a "free" country?
Soooo cute
You know you're in trouble when they start with 'I'll keep this short'.
Zee meeneestry of Truth has written the speech you vill giff.
Yavol, mein Furher!
Shalom.
I thought this exact thought....
I have no trouble with that at all. People who attribute good to Satan are generally serious moonbats and never Valedictorians. And even if it happened, they'd be booed off the stage.
I DO have trouble with this:
"We're told students are required to submit their speeches in writing ahead of time and they're told if they deviate from the script at all, their microphones will be cut off."
If ever there was a fascist policy, this sounds like it. No offensive language or obscenities (or else the ACLU would be defending her...) rather just faith in her own religion--speaking for herself. Cutting microphones off because of God sounds more like Soviet era management, not America.
If she was told not to talk about it before she went up to speak, why did she do it? It's not an assault on free speech under those circumstances.
If some jerk actor is told not to make a politcal speech when accepting an award and his mic is turned off I think that is right. Same here.
It would be equally wrong to abridge free speech in the scenario you describe.
For laughs, one thing I always do at stuff like jury duty, large meetings at my old law firm, etc where there are a lot of people in a room or sitting at a large table. I walk in and go the the head of the table and announce 'I'm sure you're wondering why I called you all here, today..."
Everone in the room, of course, wonders exactly who the idiot in the front of the room is. Some laughter usually follows and then the room 'gets it' and laughs!
Never fails! Good icebreaker, too. :-)
A valedictory speech is an editorial earned by the best student in a class. The valedictorian can say whatever he/she wants to unless it violates public indecency laws. To think otherwise is evidence of how pathetic our society has become.
I've had two college graduations, both were brutal. The first, I was a single mom, got an engineer degree. My kids were 9, 11 and 12. It was a cermony for them, my family and friends who helped me acheive that. The second, my master's was a party. Actually, after were were told how bad blacks are treated, on mother's day, our group left the cermony and went to the bar. (we were respectful in the fact that we didn't leave during her speach), but the beach ball had a ton of fun during her speach.
So if she got up to ramble on about how "Bush lied" you'd be okay with it? She was told not to do it ..., she clearly can't follow instructions.
Would she have been told not to talk about the gay community, if she was gay? Would she been told not to talk about Allah? But mention God, it's like, get out the garlic.
"So, in effect, the Constitution is a limit on the FEDERAL government. Even the first amendment states quite clearly that CONGRESS shall make no law..."
Exactly. So when CONGRESS provides funding to public schools via grants to the States, CONGRESS has passed a law. That's fine, as you say, as long as there is no endorsement of religion involved. If there is religion involved, then CONGRESS would have erred by passing the law providing funding.
Since everyone attending a high-school graduation is aware that the Valedictorian speech would need to be vetted and approved, and that the school is a public one receiving funding from a law passed by CONGRESS, they had a reasonable expectation that there would be no religious sermonizing included.
This is just one more reason why the federal government should be very limited in what it provides funding for or makes other laws about. It is very easy for it to run afoul of the restrictions the Constitution places on the federal government.
#1) Thank you. The school has determined that my thoughts are not worthy to share with you, so I will not be giving my speech. (sits down)
#2) Thank you. I had a speech written. But in my speech I mention how I owe my success to G-d, and the school has determined I cannot tell you that. I mention in that speech that I am always thankful to G-d because His love is so great, but the school has determined I cannot tell you that. In that speech I say that .... therefore, I will not be giving my speech. (sits down)
Either one would have been fine with me.
Shalom.
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