15 YR Old Suspended for Anti-War T-Shirt

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."

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

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Thank you. Gavin.

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.

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.

KS: I was suspended for wearing a t-shirt that spoke of political views. Also, for having possession of the flyers in my purse.

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."

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.

KS: Yes, we'll be going to court uhhh...Jan. 25. State Supreme turned it down...but I'm not giving up!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I have a solution Brand new RED, WHITE and BLUE school uniforms!!!!!NO PROBLEM!!!! I bet her commie mom would just love that.

The Hitler Youth were required to wear uniforms, the Communist Youths (or whatever the Soviet version was) wore uniforms. Your totally right, her mom would love it. Would remind her of the good old USSR.

I definitely draw the line at a middle-aged man with a beer belly wearing a t-shirt with a "Johnson" motif.

I draw the line at middle-aged men with beer bellies wearing t-shirts in the first place ;-)

I think your right though. I was thinking about this last night, all these people making a big deal are just feeding her ego and giving her the attention she probably craves. She wears a plain old shirt, nobody says anything. She wears an anti-war shirt, everybody goes batty and she's in the limelight. I'm thinking now that maybe she's quite intelligent and is playing a lot of people for fools.

I will concede that she could plead the fifth ammendment. However, pleading the fifth is not without political cost. When Oliver North took the fifth, he lost credibility with many people becuse it reinforced the view that he was defying Congress and thereby trying to undermine the constitutional balance of powers.

From our point of view as adults she is not much of a threat because her cause is unpopular and her propaganda consists of stupid cliches. However, for the sake of intellectual honesty, she should answer my questions on the premise that her cause has some chance of succeeding. What does she want?, and why does she consider this outcome tolerable?. If she wants to say that she is no threat because she is impotent then let her make that argument.

Obviously, freedom isn't for those who abuse it by saying unpopular things.

Sheesh! What a bunch of liberty-lovers on this thread.

Read more carefully. I think most of the posts point her out for being a complete idiot. Further, this isn't someone on a free speech kick. This is a troublemaker who is looking for some reason for publicity. Others have already pointed out her self contridictory position of being an anarchist and wanting to establish an anarchist club. She's either stupid or disingenuous.

She can wear and say whatever she wants. I doubt many here really dispute this. But there is nothing wrong with putting her to her proof. If she is going to go to court, she's not in high school anymore; she's in the big leagues. Let's see if she can take what she can dish out.

I think most of the posts point her out for being a complete idiot. Further, this isn't someone on a free speech kick.

I totally agree, I think she is an idiot (unless she's playing the adults by deliberately trying to get attention).

But I also think that even though it isn't really a free speech issue as much as it's a school policy issue, she does have a right to speak her mind.

I also think she can say/do whatever she wants as long as it's not infringing on anybody else's rights and is within the laws of her community. She may have nutty views, but we all know people, either here on FR or elsewhere that have just as nutty views. It's the point at where she acts upon those views where it becomes a matter of public interest.

I still don't think she should be "educated" to think properly. That just smacks of the Hitler Youth or the USSR.

The political objective of an antiwar movement is to undermine morale, create a fifth column of sympathisers behind enemy(from their point of view) lines and if possible foment insurrection causing the diversion of resouces from fighting the war to law enforcement.
I just knew posters on FreeRepublic who were against Clinton's Kosovo war were a bunch of traitors.

The question she should be forced to answer is
Any statement that starts out with this, about someone who is in no way accused of a criminal act, is frightening. I hope you don't mean this literally.

Serbia did not attack the United States. Al Quaeda/Taliban did. To oppose a war of intervention such as Vietnam or Kosovo is different than opposing a war of self defense. Opposing a military action by the U.S.A. is not a purely benign act. It has political consequences. Honest people should be willing to confront the consequences of their political agendas if such agendas are successful. She has not committed a crime. However she has initiated legal action against the school. During the course of such legal action she can be cross examined. If she takes the fifth, refer to post 143. None of my questions were unreasonable. If she can't answer them it is her loss.

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