Ideological Ignoramus
This is a dangerous precedent for suppression of free speech:
One of the unique and powerful political concepts enshrined in the Constitution, and upheld by numerous courts, is the right to openly criticize and satirize political leaders. If we start abridging that right, we're setting out on a path that leads directly to totalitarianism. This is not a case of shouting fire in a crowded theater; this is legitimate and protected political activism, whether you agree with the students' politics or not, (which I don't). The principal who had these posters removed is wrong, plain and simple. Judging from his comments of record and subsequent responses he is also an idiot, but that's a fairly common malady in public school administrators.
As to the charge that the posters "promoted smoking," that's too stupid to even merit commentary.
Posters that depicted President Bush with a Groucho Marx-style mustache and cigar were ordered torn down at a high school after a student complained.
Principal Kenny Lee ordered 100 posters removed from the campus of El Camino Real High School in the Woodland Hills area last week on grounds that they promoted smoking and "endorsing one ideology over another."
One of the unique and powerful political concepts enshrined in the Constitution, and upheld by numerous courts, is the right to openly criticize and satirize political leaders. If we start abridging that right, we're setting out on a path that leads directly to totalitarianism. This is not a case of shouting fire in a crowded theater; this is legitimate and protected political activism, whether you agree with the students' politics or not, (which I don't). The principal who had these posters removed is wrong, plain and simple. Judging from his comments of record and subsequent responses he is also an idiot, but that's a fairly common malady in public school administrators.
As to the charge that the posters "promoted smoking," that's too stupid to even merit commentary.
posted by Jar(egg)head at 09:59
1 Comments:
The story states that "one student was very upset". What ever happened to "You can please some of the people some of the time etc." If they think it's okay to stop what your doing or thinking because it has made someone upset what message do they think there sending to these students.
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