Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Student's Pro-Life T-shirt Is Equivalent to the Swastika Says School Principal
Thomas More Law Center ^ | 01/27/03 | Thomas More Law Center

Posted on 01/27/2003 1:28:48 PM PST by That Subliminal Kid

NEWS UPDATE

 

January 27, 2003

 

Student?s Pro-Life T-shirt Is Equivalent to the Swastika Says School Principal; Thomas More Law Center Enters Fray

 

ANN ARBOR, MI ? The mother of an honor student at Abington Junior High School in Pennsylvania was told by the principal that her son?s pro-life t-shirt was unacceptable school clothing because its message was the equivalent of the swastika.  The t-shirt displayed the messages, ?Abortion is Homicide.  You will not silence my message.  You will not mock my God.  You will stop killing my generation.  Rock for Life.?

 

This past November, the principal told the student to either cover the shirt or turn the shirt inside out.  After the student turned the shirt inside out, his mother contacted the principal and was told that the message was inappropriate to be displayed in school.  He said the shirt and message were the equivalent of a swastika being displayed on a shirt, which the principal would not allow in school.  The mother and son then contacted the Thomas More Law Center.

 

The Thomas More Law Center?s Associate Counsel Edward White sent a four-page demand letter to school officials explaining the student?s clearly established constitutional right to wear his pro-life clothing and demanding that the school take immediate action to provide written assurance that he will be permitted to wear his pro-life shirt to school.  The Law Center explained that the student?s speech did not cause any substantial and material disruptions to the workings of the school and that there was no legal basis on which to restrict his speech.  The Law Center also noted that the mother and son have the option of seeking relief in federal court should the school not change its decision.  The Law Center requested a response from the school officials by January 31, 2003.

 







PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Thomas More Law Center defends and promotes the religious freedom of Christians, time-honored family values, and the sanctity of human life through litigation, education, and related activities. The Center provides its services at no charge, and is dependent upon individual donations, foundations, and corporations for financial support. The IRS recognizes the Center as a 501(c)(3) organization and donations are tax deductible. You may contact the Thomas More Law Center at (734) 827-2001 or visit its website at

www.thomasmore.org .
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Thomas More Law Center is funded by the generous contributions of individuals, corporations, and foundations. To contribute online via our secure online transaction form, please visit:

http://www.thomasmore.org/index.cfm?location=9&subsectionid=2
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Please do not respond to this message. For all other inquiries, please visit our website at

www.thomasmore.org or call 734-827-2001.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
To automatically unsubscribe from this news service, please click the link below:

http://www.thomasmore.org/index.cfm?location=99&subsectionid=8&email=anderberg@softhome.net&task=Remove
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Copyright 2002 Thomas More Law Center.


TOPICS: Announcements; Breaking News; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Front Page News; News/Current Events; US: Michigan
KEYWORDS: abortion; abortionmills; annarbor; antireligion; babykilling; bigotry; christianbashing; education; firstammendment; freespeech; government; michigan; more; nazis; publicschool; racism; schools; snore; studentteeshirt; swastika; teeshirt; thomas; tshirt; wherestheoutrage; zerotolerance; zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 81-100101-120121-140 ... 161-162 next last
To: That Subliminal Kid
Re your #1

Why do all these replies to your post think this public school is so strange?

Government education in this country is dead..Please read... dead!

If people want their children to get an education...then do the following: Send your child to a good non-public school. No money you say Pure B.S......Give up your expensive vactions...forego the new car and drive your jalopy until the wheels fall of.....Dining out?.... Forget it

Bottom line...Save your child!!!!!


101 posted on 01/28/2003 5:03:15 AM PST by rmvh
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Eva
All religious observance is banned.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;

Hmmmmmm.

102 posted on 01/28/2003 5:11:23 AM PST by Teacher317
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: madg
When is harassment the "right reason?"

Ostracism, public shaming, and a good tongue-lashing have been a part of the justice system of virtually every culture ever to exist on the planet.

103 posted on 01/28/2003 5:15:48 AM PST by Teacher317
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 53 | View Replies]

To: texson66
I-65 is in Michigan?
104 posted on 01/28/2003 5:18:51 AM PST by Teacher317
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 66 | View Replies]

To: Notwithstanding; Bryan; madg
Why you would heap criticism on one organization that is pushing back against the legal inroads made by the liberal communist libertine hippies (by hijacking the judiciary) is beyond me.

Ummm…that’s because madg is a liberal homosexual activist troll from GLAAD or similar and the TMLC is on the hit list…along with the AFA, CWA, FRI, et al…

105 posted on 01/28/2003 5:25:56 AM PST by Clint N. Suhks
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 67 | View Replies]

To: madg
Government education in this country is dead!....please read... dead

Reason? to wit: Incompetent teachers, dumbed down curriculum, fear of political correctness by administrators, acceptance of those applauding and/or accepting sodomy as a reasonable lifestyle, the ACLU...to name a few.

Want to educate your child? Get them out of public "schooling" and put them into the best non-public (governmental) school available!

No money your say? A wimp response!... Forego that expensive vacation....drive your jalopy until the wheels fall off...no more expensive clothes or dining out....

Forget reformation of the Democratic party or the socialists such as Dachle, Clinton etc as these people have damaged our public school system beyond any sensible repair.

Bottom line...expend your energy instead to Save your child


106 posted on 01/28/2003 5:27:17 AM PST by rmvh
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 48 | View Replies]

To: xrp
Wish the Mom would have said, "I thought you baby killers LOVED the NAZI's?"
107 posted on 01/28/2003 5:35:10 AM PST by G Larry
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: That Subliminal Kid
Children do not deserve incarceration in governmental juvenile detention centers simply for committing the crime of being born.
108 posted on 01/28/2003 5:45:20 AM PST by Aquinasfan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: eccentric
Although I am 100% pro-life, I don't think public schools are the place for this issue to be forced onto students.

The pro-life message should be "forced onto" children everywhere because abortion is murder. No one has a problem "forcing" the anti-murder message onto children.

109 posted on 01/28/2003 5:52:20 AM PST by Aquinasfan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: Jeff Chandler
Don't you just love "Eduspeak"?

Thank you for posting that laughable "mission statement." Does anyone see it? There is no mission. None whatsoever.

The true purpose of a school follows from the true purpose of human life (to know, love and serve God in this life and to be happy forever with him in the next). The central purpose of a true education then is to aid a child in learning to know, love and serve God in this life and to be happy forever with him in the next.

110 posted on 01/28/2003 6:00:47 AM PST by Aquinasfan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 63 | View Replies]

To: Aquinasfan
"Thomas", your namesake, would admire you and your cause but its the wrong approach to concentrate on in order to win your popsitive and noble goal.....

Have a nice day.

111 posted on 01/28/2003 6:07:50 AM PST by rmvh
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 110 | View Replies]

To: Bryan; All
The Homosexual 'Playbook' - Part 2
112 posted on 01/28/2003 6:32:02 AM PST by EdReform (Mussel men rock! www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/829652/posts)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 100 | View Replies]

To: rwfromkansas
"...If a girl has an abortion, she should live with the consequences, including being reminded of it ..."

Maybe that's the issue. Someone at that school probably DID have an abortion(committed assissted murder) and the way to avoid any ugly reminders of the act was to jump on this kid and supress his right to free (and legal) expression.
113 posted on 01/28/2003 6:32:25 AM PST by NCC-1701
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 41 | View Replies]

To: madg
"Bad premise... parents don't pay full freight in public school.... that's "taxpayer" territory."

Please explain how this has anything to do with parents buying clothes (uniforms) for their children to wear to school.


"(There's a whole heck of a lot of us subsidizing education without much voice.)"

What does that have to do with children wearing uniforms to school?


"More importantly... you would be erecting a hurtle to equal treatment... something specifically disallowed."

How? If all children in the school are required to wear similar uniforms, they'd all be treated equally.

114 posted on 01/28/2003 7:01:46 AM PST by EdReform (Mussel men rock! www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/829652/posts)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 59 | View Replies]

To: madg; Alouette
"Bad premise... parents don't pay full freight in public school.... that's "taxpayer" territory. (There's a whole heck of a lot of us subsidizing education without much voice.)

More importantly... you would be erecting a hurtle to equal treatment... something specifically disallowed. "

Worse premise. The idea of uniforms, while problematic, can't be invalidated on that basis alone. You're confusing the left's sacred cow of disparate impact with equal treatment under law. The type of confusion, in some quarters, that allows homeless people to defecate on streets with little consequence, because to forbid it might inconvenience them.

See Sowell's The Quest for Cosmic Justice for a thorough treatment of the idea. A very interesting read.

115 posted on 01/28/2003 7:27:11 AM PST by Mr. Bungle
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 59 | View Replies]

To: Aquinasfan

The true purpose of a school follows from the true purpose of human life (to know, love and serve God in this life and to be happy forever with him in the next). The central purpose of a true education then is to aid a child in learning to know, love and serve God in this life and to be happy forever with him in the next.

You know that, and I know that, but you could never have that as a mission statement for a public school. The closest secular equivalant would be to help the students grow to their greatest human potential (which IS to know, love and serve God in this life and to be happy forever with him in the next!)


116 posted on 01/28/2003 7:55:56 AM PST by Jeff Chandler ( ; -)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 110 | View Replies]

To: Mr. Bungle
In the city of Detroit there are public schools where the students are required to wear uniforms. These are schools that have had instances of students getting beat up, stabbed or shot for some article of designer clothing.
117 posted on 01/28/2003 8:02:43 AM PST by Alouette
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 115 | View Replies]

To: Jeff Chandler
The closest secular equivalant would be to help the students grow to their greatest human potential

Or to simply achieve "happiness," in the sense that Aristotle would have used the term. Unfortunately, the phrase "greatest human potential" can mean just about anything these days.

118 posted on 01/28/2003 8:19:41 AM PST by Aquinasfan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 116 | View Replies]

To: madg
Indeed. Smells like a setup. Local schools here won't allow scarfs for girls, which I think is a bandana association with gangs. But it looks like girls also wouldn't be able to don hijab if Muslims were in the community.

Don't like statements, ads or pictures on kids' shirts that would start an argument in school, either on my side or against it. "In loco parentis"--if we can allow no discretion to school authorities, we shouldn't be surprised that they won't act with authority. Look at the "zero tolerance" nonsense. Because of lack of discretion and common sense, you can't send your kid to school with Pepto Bismol without fear of being arrested for drugs...

119 posted on 01/28/2003 8:38:35 AM PST by Mamzelle
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: blackdog
I know this is off topic, however, I wanted to reply to your post anyhoo. I really do no like the idea of uniforms. My school district is exploring the idea of having uniforms. Reason 128 why I am going ot homeschool. I am uptight conservative. I would hate someone telling me what I should wear, adnthank goodness I did not have it when I was a kid. Unless it is private school,I see it as a cop by parents and school officals out all around.
120 posted on 01/28/2003 8:58:34 AM PST by Diva Betsy Ross
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 81-100101-120121-140 ... 161-162 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson