Posted on 12/12/2001 10:01:21 AM PST by truth4all
Katie Sierra was suspended for wearing anti-war T-shirts in high school and trying to organize an anarchist club to protest the war. We are "free" to express any and all opinions as long as they support the government's agenda. Parts of a local newspaper article are below followed by an interview with Katie by www.infoshop.org. Gavin
Student can't wear anti-war clothing to Sissonville High
By Eric Eyre
Click Here
"Students at Sissonville High School no longer feel safe," said school system attorney Jim Withrow. "Without question, it has disrupted the educational process."
(Gavin. Contrary opinions are a threat to other pupils.)
Sierra's attorney blamed Mann for the turmoil at Sissonville, saying he overreacted and "took those bellows and flamed the fires."
"He wanted her shirts out of there," Forman said. "He wants her opinions out of there. If truth be known, he probably wants her out of there."
End article quote.
First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.
Pastor Martin Niemöller
Please visit my nonprofit website.
Exposing the Cancer Indu$try.
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Thank you. Gavin.
KATIE SIERRA
www.infoshop.org Click Here
Katie Sierra is a 15-year-old anarchist who lives in Sissonville, West Virginia. She recently made international news after her high school suspended her for wearing a t-shirt critical of the war in Afghanistan, as well as for her efforts in organizing a student anarchy club at the school. Her legal protest of the school's decision was turned down by the courts. There is an international effort to support her and her fight against the school.
Infoshop.org: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Katie Sierra: Let's see..my name is Katie. I am a former student from Sissonville High School. I'm a 15-year-old 10th grader. In my spare time I go to shows, read, and write poetry.
Infoshop: Why did you get suspended from your high school?
KS: I was suspended for wearing a t-shirt that spoke of political views. Also, for having possession of the flyers in my purse.
Infoshop: What did your T-shirt say?
KS: Well, there's more than one. The one I got suspended for said "Racism, Sexism, Homophobia..I'm so proud of the people in the land of the so called "Free". Then the next week after my principal allowed me to wear them again...and then made me take it off again said "When I saw the dead and dying Afghani children on TV, I felt a newly recovered sense of national security. God Bless America."
Infoshop: What happened in court?
KS: Besides staring at Mr. Mann's strange comb-over and missing thumb lol. I didn't win. I don't really know why. At least everything I said was factual, but everything Mann said was opinion or hearsay.
Infoshop: Are you appealing the judge's decision?
KS: Yes, we'll be going to court uhhh...Jan. 25. State Supreme turned it down...but I'm not giving up!
How do you feel about the authorities telling you that you have no rights?
KS: It makes me feel like total crap. I mean I think it's crazy. Everyone else in that school can say how they feel towards certain things, unless you have something no one agrees with. I just don't think that is fair. If I could go back to school for a day. I think I'd probably. wear duck tape over my mouth with "I have no rights" printed on the front. lol I think that might be quite humorous.
Why did you decide to start an anarchy club? Are other students interested in joining it?
KS: I think we were pretty much a group already. I mean I know we were a group. At the time we didn't have a name. And there isn't anything for us to join at SHS. So I was thinking since we are all interesting in Anarchy and whatnot things it would be a good idea. I read about it on Infoshop...that's how the idea popped into my head. Yeah, there was about 15-20 people who wanted to join.
If your club existed, what kind of projects would the club be working on?
KS: It was mostly for us to learn and discuss things. We had somewhat started a zine--it isn't really finished. We were going to work in some soup kitchens on the weekend. Just a lot of different things. Have people come speak. Possibly a Food not Bombs group.
Tell us about the zine you were working on?
KS: It was going to be called the Anny. There was four of us working on it. We were only going to print no more than 30 copies of it. Honestly, we didn't want anyone besides people in our uhh "freak/punk" to know about it. It was going to be about things that happen in our school, city, state, country, world...blah blah blah and how we felt. The 1st copy was never finished so I'm sure there would have been more.
When and how did you first become interested in radical politics?
KS: I don't really know. I mean I think I've always been pretty interested. It might have been my friends. Most of them are older than me and I guess I just learned a lot from them.
What's your opinion on the current war?
KS: As like any war I think it's wrong. I don't believe in fighting and last time I checked war is included. I don't know or have an answer for the war, but I do know that killing people is not right. I think our country is just to lazy to think of another solution.
What kinds of things are your classmates saying about the war?
KS: See they don't even know what their talking about most of the time. Most of the things they say are just cruel about how they want to kill out the whole country. And how they are supporters of bombing. How they should stop sending food packets out there.
Now that your mother has pulled you out of school, what kind of things are you studying at home? KS: History, English, Career, and Science. It's quite funny to now know and realize how much bull crap they're feeding you in schools lol.
What lessons have you learned from this, that you'd like to share with teenagers in similar situations?
KS: I've learned that this country is crap...actually I already knew that. I've learned that school systems are crap. Wait! I knew that too. I guess I've learned that this country and school systems are more crappy than ever and they suck. I guess I've also learned not to give up. And to stand up for what you believe in no matter what it is. It's okay to think differently, its normal. Don't let anyone run over you because of your beliefs.
Dang, that's cold!
Of course, could a fifteen year-old gotten so filled up with such rot without mom's help? Well, it's always possible, I guess.
Thats authority -- power really, rooted in violence, or the threat of violence. a goal of anarchism (in the same utopianistic fashion that perfect competition is a goal capitalism) is the eradication of concentrations of power, or of unjustified concentrations of power. you're point's been made. and its been addressed -- again you're mistaking freedom for chaos. Would you say the same thing about the United States -- for sure one of the freer societies in the world -- that it is a "law of the jungle". that it has lead to a situation where its "gimme your lunch money or die geek boy"? (Actually this last one is a bad example, as schools are quite a bit like that), that it has lead, in effect, to tyranny?
Ono!
'Unjustified' by what standard of justice under anarchy? If it's anarchy, who's gonna decide what that standard of justice is?
you're point's been made. and its been addressed -- again you're mistaking freedom for chaos. Would you say the same thing about the United States -- for sure one of the freer societies in the world -- that it is a "law of the jungle"?
Of course not, the US isn't anarchy. That's what that dopey little girl is upset about.
I will make her my comfort-girl when I become the Maximum Leader of her dreamy anarchic country.
This country is in the mess it is because of liberal/moral relativists like yourself applaud idiocy and plain cockeyed thinking.
You don't applaud errant thought - you try to educate it. Failing that - you treat it with derision.
Are justified concentrations of power just naturally apparent to all -- or does the sheriff of Anarchy County decide?
Why people would, relating to each other based on principles i've already explained. usually consensus is used, otherwise voting.
Of course not, the US isn't anarchy. That's what that dopey little girl is upset about.
right. but lets say the US is the freest society. the question for an anarchist then, is how to increase freedoms, and prevent tyrannies. you pick and choose your battles and then we have greater freedoms. The founding fathers increased the freedoms of the time and challenged systems of authority that they found oppressive or unjustified, and that has not led to tyranny. You seem to assume that increasing freedoms today, and challenging current systems of authority would. Do you now see the point? Its not a question of absolutes -- "we are in total anarchy / we are in total tyranny" -- its easy and almost useless to discuss based on those. But of incremental, marginal changes.
As the husband of a teacher, I'd like to point out it's not the teachers, it's the system.
1)It's a system that does not allow the teachers/principals to dole out punishment as needed, because it would "harm their fragile little minds and backsides" and get the school districts sued for child abuse.
2)It's the system that forces teachers to teach kids how to take and pass tests, not the actual subject matter, because if the kids don't pass the tests the districts lose money and the staff can loose their jobs.
3)It's the system that takes a large part of class time away from the teachers for the teaching of actual subjects and instead they have to teach kids how to pick a), b), c), or d) and how to guess at the right answers.
4)It's a system that forces teachers to deal with students who don't even speak English and massive amounts of money is spent to teach kinds in Spanish rather than put them in English-intensive classes where they will quickly learn English
5)It's a system that believes almost every child should be allowed into the next grade, whether the kid should be or not (we are talking people making it to Jr. High who should still be in 3rd or 4th grade).
6)It's a system that believes that every child deserves an A because otherwise it would harm their "self-image" (I'm exaggering a bit, but my wife has had parents call up asking for As for their kids to make their kids feel better)
7)It's a system geared not towards educating, but more towards making kids feel good about themselves
8)It's a system geared towards making the kids grow up unhealthy - recess has been cut down to nothing in many schools and the cafeterias serve junk food, and kids don't have to do as much PE as they used to.
9)It's a system gearded towards turning out little druggies. Rather than throw them out on playgrounds in the morning and afternoon like they used to, they instead drug them up with Ritalin/etc. so they sit there like mindless little zombies.
I've been around a lot of teachers, and there is a high turnover rate because teachers get so tired of not being able to teach the way they were 20 or 30 years ago. This is in Texas, I don't know about other states. Teachers get quite angry at the fact that they have little control of the classrooms - everything is handled at a higher level, and so they have to deal with students that 20 years ago would have been kicked out of the system or held back until they learned.
When does freedom of speech start and end?
Some people here believe that they have this unique right to define this little bit of the Constitution the way they see fit, and not the way it's written.
But then it's no longer anarchy, because rules have been established. Self-governing is still governing.
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