Posted on 07/17/2008 7:35:51 AM PDT by ZGuy
Students attending a youth leadership conference were reprimanded by capitol security on July 10 for singing the National Anthem and God Bless America in the state capitol rotunda. The patriotic expression was apparently so egregious that state troopers were called in to the rotunda to rebuke the students.
As the students ended their singing, several armed troopers entered the rotunda along with capitol sergeants-at-arms. They confronted conference staff and informed them that such singing is prohibited in the state capitol without a permit from the Rules Committee.
Undeterred by their shocking treatment at the hands of government officials, the students have applied for a permit to sing this Saturday, when they will visit the capitol for a mock legislative session on the Assembly and Senate floors.
The forty-five young people from all across California were at the capitol to attend the City on the Hill Youth Leadership Conference, where they learn the legislative and political processes. After spending the day meeting with lawmakers and their staff, the youth aged 14-18, engaged in a spontaneous expression of passion for their country by singing the National Anthem and God Bless America. Tourists walking through the capitol stopped to listen to the singing and clapped enthusiastically.
Among the students attending the conference were two young people whose father was held in a Communist prison in Romania. Another student is a Russian immigrant.
"This was a ghastly overreaction to some students expressing their patriotism in the seat of government," stated Karen England, Executive Director of Capitol Resource Institute and director of the youth conference. "These young leaders have sacrificed a week of their summer to come learn about our government system and this is the 'welcome' they receive from the government."
"I am deeply saddened by the treatment these young patriots received at our state capitol," stated Meredith Turney, legislative liaison for Capitol Resource Family Impact and a graduate of City on the Hill. "This invaluable program equipped me with the tools I use every day in my job working with lawmakers. Unfortunately, these future leaders have seen first- hand how we are losing our liberties-including simply expressing our patriotism in public."
Despite their treatment, the City on the Hill students applied for a government permit to sing the National Anthem in the capitol rotunda on Saturday, July 12, at 1:15 p.m.
Further Proof that Californication should be removed as a US State and given to Mexico...
Who the heck are these thugs?
Those LEOs just donned SS armbands for that.
Kicking those kids out, they declared what they are: Nazis.
Where is the advertisement that singing of the National Anthem in the capitol is illegal/against the rules without a permit posted?
I guess these students are required to have psychic skills as well...
Something unrelated but in the same vein would be Red Barchetta.
Just make sure you are not on the time travel watch list.
"several armed troopers": well, cops carry guns. duh!
"rebuke" the students, and "confronted" conference staff.
for all we know, state police (who are probably detailed to the capitol on a daily basis) could have very respectfully approached the teahcers and very politely asked them to refrain from singing. what if there had been a legislative session in progress at the time or high-level meetings?
i'm just saying it COULD have gone down that way. flame away. but i find this article inflammatory.
This is outrageous. California has turned into a fascist state. There is no pride of country. The troopers undoubtedly are afraid that there will be offense taken at the singing of these songs. And they probably are right. The illegal immigrants from south of the border and Muslims probably seethe at the singing of these songs.
Where the armed troopers wearing jackboots?
BTTT
The state song of California is "I Love You California", words by Silverwood, music by Frankenstein.
You can look it up.
I thought so.
Maybe they should have sung the “Internationale” or “Deutschland, Deutschland über alles” (for the Governator).
Lucky the cops didn’t show up in SWAT gear.
Now if they’d got arrested for singing there, that would be REAL irony.
Not necessarily unfortunate.
On the contrary!! A great introduyctory lesson on one of the battles they are facing if they have any ideas about being active patriots as adults -- on what desperately needs fixing in government these days to get it back to what the Founding Fathers gave us.
To whom are you referring; the police, the Rules Commitee, or the kids?
It is most certainly not the kids to whom I am referring.
Since the Governator is Austrian, wouldn't "Land der Berge, Land am Strome" be more appropriate?
Or, I suppose Edelweiss would work as well (although that song never was an Austrian folk song, as many people believe. Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote both music & lyrics).
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