'Bong hits' ruling sides with district {WITH PICTURES}

Juneau Empire | June 26, 2007 | GREG SKINNER

[skeptoid]

..SNIP...

Doug Mertz, the Juneau attorney who argued the case of former student Joseph Frederick, said the court allowed a free-speech issue to be turned into a drug debate.
"This is an extremely dangerous precedent," Mertz said. "This is the first time a subject matter is outside the protection of the First Amendment."

Mertz said he and Frederick would confer about a final option, referring the case to the Alaska Supreme Court.

[skeptoid]

The attorney thinks it's not over yet!

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THE PERP

Joseph Frederick

THE LAWYER

Brian Wallace / Juneau Empire
Taken down: Doug Mertz, attorney for former Juneau-Douglas High School student
Joseph Frederick, stands Monday next to his client's "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" banner.
In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Juneau School District
was within its rights to suppress the banner.

THE HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

Deborah Morse

THE ACTUAL CRIME!

Photo Courtesy of Clay Good Source of controversy: Juneau-Douglas High School students hold a "Bong Hit 4 Jesus" banner across from the school in 2002 during the Olympic Torch relay through Juneau.

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Read or leave comments at the Juneau Empire VOXBOX

[rlmorel]

Hm. Call me old fashioned, but I do not think kids at school should have unlimited free speech rights. Just my opinion.

Just as kids should not be free to do anything they like.

[Shimmer128]

Oh please. if my son participated in this, i’d grab him by the hair of the head, just a little pinch of it, so it would sting, and march him around, while i talked to him.
What a pretentious, self important little jerk he is.

[skeptoid]

The banner was not displayed on school property. I heard it was just across the street.

[skeptoid]

As 'rhombus' posted on this subject yesterday:

YOU DON'T NEGOTIATE WITH TERROISTS OR TEENAGERS.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Yes, but it was a “school sponsored event” where they were taken out to the street to watch the olympic torch go by. I guess they were allowed to make banners to be held up as the torch passed.

[cjohnson1]

I respect this principal for standing up to this “young man”. She is probably catching all sorts of grief... We should send her notes of encouragement for her willingness to stand up in spite of public criticism.

[theDentist]

It was across the street. Somehow the SCOTUS has determined that because all the kids across the street were students of the school, that they had transported themselves to the school zone, and were standing across the street with the banner facing school property and deliberately attracting attention to it (and themselves) then they were at a school function and subject to the school rules.

[Phantom Lord]

I read that this kid has had some run ins with the law regarding MJ possession. But no, he wasn’t promoting drug use.

[cjohnson1]

“Oh please. if my son participated in this, i’d grab him by the hair of the head, just a little pinch of it, so it would sting, and march him around, while i talked to him. “.

THANK YOU!! That’s what’s wrong with kids these days… there’s not enough discipline anymore! My son is 23 years old and 6’2” , I’m a 5’ 4”, 47 year old woman and I’d still knock the living you know what out of him if he were to do something like this! But that’s why my son wouldn’t do something like this.

[buffyt]

Did you know that many people in many countries smoke TOBACCO in a bong? WE do! We got a chocolate coconut tobacco and we put lime juice in the water and it tastes like dessert. Makes it much COOLER to the throat.

[buffyt]

I am 56.... Like the boy who MOONED his teacher, bared his butt to do it, and was sent to a different school and his parents SUED TO GET HIM BACK INTO THAT SCHOOL. If I had done THAT in high school - 1960s - I would still be unable to SIT DOWN due to the beating I would have gotten. Like the old song Silence is Golden, but my ears still ring...
I think I would still be singing
But my REAR STILL STINGS!!!!!!

[Always Right]

Let me get this staight, Liberal justices believe that signs promoting illegal activity is protected Free Speech but political ads are not Free Speech??????

[skeptoid]

So-o-o.... they were actually escorted or directed to go across the street by school staff (to view this ‘very special event’)?

[skeptoid]

It does seem to be so.

[Mr. Lucky]

What, do you find that confusing?

[theDentist]

They likely met at that spot or at the school and stepped across the street.

[Sgt_Schultze]

How do we know the yout wasn’t making a statement about the illegal Mexican drug trade (Hey-zeus)?

[swain_forkbeard]

Do you not think pretentious, self-important little jerks ought to be protected by the First Ammendment? Who gets to decide who is a pretentious, self-important little jerk?

[SampleMan]

It was during school hours, while they were “at” school. A child on a field trip is still “at” school.