"First and foremost, I want to thank God for making all of this possible."
Had he thanked Aller it would have been okay.
That’s not new. Happened to me in 1969. I was the salutatorian speaker. Was threatened that if I didn’t change two lines of my speech I wouldn’t be allowed to speak.
I changed it
This young man refused to be a shill for leftist indoctrination! GOOD FOR HIM!
“Wright’s speech was longer and more personal, with references to his religious faith, his family, and his memories from school.”
This is a segment from the actual article and lets the reader know there were things said in the speech that were not identified in the article. We don’t know what he said.
We do know he was directed to use the speech he was given during rehearsals. We don’t know why. But he made the choice to challenge authority and force a showdown. The only reference to why his speech was not unacceptable was handed out by an unknown source, supposedly at the school. We do not know if he pulled anything out of the speech he wrote in an effort to meet part way as it is possible some of the material that was in the speech was unacceptable. The readers do not have a copy of the speech he wrote, only part of what he said.
This is not a challenge to free speech. That could have been handled differently. This was a challenge of authority between a student and the school. And within that scenario, they have reason to punish. Although they could have come up with something a little less dramatic like take away his class president’s position as being a leader is apparently not within his perception.
They gave him his diploma. And a, probably, sarcastic apology. But he was also wrong for doing what he did.
rwood
Just don't try than once you join the Navy. Apples and oranges...
Just mail me my diploma.