Schools are not allowed to limit free speech.
So, now the left is trying to limit speech by suspending fifth graders? Really? Daxx Dalton, an 11-year-old living in Colorado, wore a homemade anti-Obama shirt. The shirt had Obama with a veto sign and read: “Obama: A Terrorist's Best Friend.” The shirt was made especially for patriotism day, where all students were encouraged to wear red, white, and blue.…
Article comments
— go to most recent comments26 - RJ Elliott
"Thank goodness my kids went to schools where there was a uniform. It took the guesswork out of being politically incorrect."
Yup. I support school uniforms (although naturally I was opposed the idea when I was actually going to school...).
27 - RJ Elliott
"I think sometimes you are very young in your approach."
Well, that would be because she's very young. (Good guess!)
Hell, I'm frankly impressed that a 17-year old high school student is taking time out of her day to think - and to write - about these issues. The fact that she's wrong (in my opinion) does not take away from the fact that she's engaged in the important issues of the day.
We need more young people like her, as opposed to the masses of mindless sheeple who merely parrot whatever the MSM tells them is the "correct" viewpoint on a particular topic.
28 - pleasexcusetheinterruption
Personally, I could care less if kids dress slutty or whatever. Doesn't bother me. I'm against school uniforms. They are dumb. I'm sorry.
School dress code isn't enforced well at my school.
Everything I've learned tells me this is a limit on free speech.
That's all,
Maddy
Maddy,
It is a limit on free speech but what we're saying is you and the rest of the world have limited free speech thousands of times before based on the same principle being used here - it's disruptive of someone else's right to learn. Your school may not enforce the dress code strictly, but surely you must have heard of dozens of times a student's expression is limited because it's disruptive. Why weren't you outraged then? And doesn't your article present an argument against ALL forms of dress codes in school?
29 - Cannonshop
PETI, you don't have a "Right To Learn". (at least, I can't find it in the founding documents at Federal, or state, level). You have a "RESPONSIBILITY" to Learn, and schools have a responsibility to teach- but that doesn't mean either student, or teacher, carries through in their responsibilities. The Schools have the obligation to provide a structured environment to attempt to carry out their responsibilities to the students, and are often granted the right to create that environment. (not always. Much of what's wrong in public schools today comes from lawsuits that attack the school's authority to impose rules, witness the popularity of suits attacking the Pledge of Allegiance.)
Ideally, schools should not be about political indoctrination, however... I'm related to two examples of why that's not so in real life, and see them often enough to know it's not just an act to screw with uncle's mind.
30 - Dave Nalle
An eleven-year-old who he thinks he is above the rules is what's ridiculous and so is this article. Daxx, Maddy, and editor Dave Nalle have proven they obviously don't understand freedom of speech or the First Amendment.
Woah, EB. How am I to blame for publishing this article? Whether free speech is a legitimate issue in schools or not, we do try to practice it here on BC, and Maddy has as much right as any other writer here to have her opinion, which she has expressed cogently, published for others to discuss.
I don't have to agree with her to agree that she has the right to express herself here, and I often publish things which I don't agree with and do it happily.
In this case I think she raises an absolutely valid issue and one which in which I think both sides have strong arguments.
I think the administration position as represented by Heloise's earlier comment is reprehensible. But it will teach kids the vital early lesson that those in power will take away your rights for their convenience. It's probably one of the few lessons these kids will remember from their time in public school.
Heloise and the administrators at the school in question also demonstrate how bankrupt they are as educators, that they took this relatively innocuous t-shirt and chose to react the way that they did when they could have reacted by using it as an educational opportunity as several others have suggested. It's a sad commentary on the institutional rigidity of our educational system that they cannot respond to a situation like this in some more creative way.
Dave
31 - Dave Nalle
Come to think of it, I find the school's sponsorship of a 'patriot day' where kids wear red white and blue in some sort of hollow patriotic ritual to be almost as offensive as suppressing the wearing of this t-shirt.
Dave
32 - Arch Conservative
I'd bet a year's salary that every person at that school who had a hand in making the decision to suspend this kid is going to vote for Obama this November.
33 - Lisa Solod Warren
Well, then, Maddy, you haven't learned enough.
This is NOT a free speech issue. AND you opened your piece by blaming the LEFT. Which was disingenuous of you. As if it were censorship by them.
If the school rules aren't enforced acros the board, then THAT is the issue you should be writing about.
And whether or not it bothers you if kids dress slutty or not is not the issue here or not.
Ie., what bothers you is not the issue.
Do some more work. Talk to the administration. Find out what issues were at work for them. Don't just report on a report. Dig. That is what being a journalist is about.
Don't let your own prejudices, or what you think you know get in the way of that is really the issue here.
34 - Cindy D
Lisa,
I'm thinking about what you said. I obviously hate the message on the shirt. That can't weigh on my opinion though.
As a teacher, if I saw such a reprehensible slogan on a shirt, I would have used it to open a discussion about free speech.
I see you trying to teach Maddy something about this. That's good. However, her school had the opportunity to do this very thing. Instead they taught her that if you have power you can simply force other people to do what you think is right.
Maddy has learned enough about what our country is supposed to stand for to actually believe she has rights. She hasn't yet been jaded by the repeated experience that the "utopian" image she has been fed doesn't hold up in the real world. It's just a ruse to put tears in her eyes when someone plays the star spangled banner.
The shirt is not allowed because it is said to be a distraction. The question is, what is more of a distraction, the kid wearing the shirt or the brouhaha caused by the school's handling of the situation?
These are not grade school children. They are young adults who are soon going to be expected to live among adults in the "land of the free". I wonder how they will do that without having had any actual experience with democracy.
35 - david Black
"Don't let your own prejudices, or what you think you know get in the way of that is really the issue here."
Prejudices, my ass, the nitwits on the left have Bush bashed for the last eight years, call him a chimp, a nazi, whatever, and you've never offered one word of rebuke, you or anyone else on the left.
You people are just as vile and vicious as those on the right you point fingers at.
Why do I know this? I only have to read your holy scriptures at the HuffPo and the dailykos.
If a kid had shown up at their school with a caricature of Bush as a chimp you'd be laughing your ass off, but because the target this time is your Black Messiah, you get your knickers in a twist.
Further proof that libs are among the biggest frauds on the planet.
36 - david Black
"Come to think of it, I find the school's sponsorship of a 'patriot day' where kids wear red white and blue in some sort of hollow patriotic ritual to be almost as offensive as suppressing the wearing of this t-shirt."
Not a very conservative view, there, Dave.
Nationalism is a cornerstone of conservatism.
37 - Cindy D
Oops, so bad of me. Okay. Well. 5th grade. I guess they ARE grade school children. I have been thinking the boy was Maddy's peer.
I would still discuss the shirt. I'm not sure about letting him wear it. "I'm not sure" would mean: it would depend on the circumstances. I hate saying that.
I in no way would miss the opportunity for discussion though. I wonder how an opportunity for real learning, in real life, presents itself, yet administrators see this as a distraction. Children are quite reasonable when allowed to be. It is deplorable that schools never inspire this.
38 - Lisa Solod Warren
The Constitution applies to those on the left and the right.
Maddy made assumptions based on Fox news reports.
She didn't do her homework.
39 - Clavos
Maddy, your article is clearly labeled as an Opinion piece.
As such, you are (as I'm sure you know) under no obligation to present anything more than the opinion you are promulgating.
Of course, if you do so clumsily, your piece will be attacked and possibly refuted by those who disagree.
Your article is an editorial. If you want the thoughts you express in it to convince your readership to come around to your way of thinking, then you must present your arguments in a convincing fashion.
There is no requirement in editorial writing to be balanced, or even to present opposing viewpoints, except as, in your judgment, they bolster your own point. Just remember that, if your argument isn't strong enough, those who disagree will find the weaknesses and exploit them to refute your point.
But you already knew that.
40 - Mark Saleski
i've never agreed with school rules about things like this, mostly because it seems like the enforcement causes more disruption than the supposed problem item in question.
for me, the saddest part of this story is that an 11 yr old kid wants to wear such a shirt, or that his parent (more likely) put him up to it.
41 - Ruvy
Welcome to Israel, Maddy. The kinds of shit you see the "left" doing in your country is exactly whgat they do here. A kid wearing a shirt thaq says "no Arabs - no terror" or "Kahane was right" will be arrested as fast as a cop or Shabaknik sees him. And he will be held without bail as a national security threat!
The problem is that it is not the "left" that is the problem in your country - it is a core elite that thinks that kids like you are not equal to them, and that they have the right to decide what is good and bad for you (and your elders as well).
Your freedom is rapidly eroding, and you are unfortunate to see it with your own eyes. I'll tell you what my mother told me when I saw Kennedy killed.
"I hope you do not see more of this in your lifetime."
42 - Marlowe
Maddy...
First off Maddy... GO STEELERS! Of course we won't discuss their pathetic display against Philly last week...
There are times when the question arises - legitimately, over First Amendment rights for minors. This isn't one of them.
Let's step completely away from first, the issue of a school child wearing the shirt and just look at the message of the shirt itself: OBAMA: A TERRORIST'S BEST FRIEND. This accusation is just short of being liable. In essence it IS saying, OBAMA SUPPORTS TERRORISTS WHO WISH TO KILL AMERICANS AND DESTROY THE U.S. GOVERNMENT.
Which is essentially saying OBAMA IS GUILTY OF HIGH TREASON. Let's see what our Constitution (which is, after all, at the heart of this discussion) says about this matter of treason:
"Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. (Article III, Sec., 3)
Now, let's see what the U.S. Code says about the punishment for treason:
S 2381. Treason
Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.
That's a lot to accuse someone of.. A lot of facts that would have to be sifted through to ascertain this, isn't it? Sounds like accusing someone, essentially of TREASON is a serious matter, isn't it?
And we're supposed to think that a 12 year old came to these conclusions on their own?
Let's stop being disingenuous. There's no "issue" of Free Speech here. This is a pathetic set up by parents who should be publicly mocked for shamelessly using their child as a political shill. There's the real crime.
Of course, dad, a Republican - goes running to FOX News cries foul. Four networks available to him and he runs to FOX. I suppose its because that was the first news station he found in the Yellow Pages...
Perhaps we should save First Amendment discourse for real circumstances where it's been honestly threatened.
It is a sad day when parents feel perfectly fine with using their children in this manner.
What a disgusting example of prejudice, racism, blatant public lies... All with children thrust out into the public eye...
Reminds me of Palestinian parents thrusting their children toward Israeli soldiers, especially while the cameras of the Western press are running, to see if they can provoke an attack and subsequent international incident.
Of course we condemn the Palestinian parents that do this... But its OK for American moms and dads to use their children is such a manner.
There's no issue of First Amendment "rights" being trampled here. Just school administrators recognizing a child has been used by parents that should be publicly chastised.
Marlowe
43 - Joanne Huspek
"None of this has anything to do with political incorrectness, Joanne."
I don't know about that, Lisa. I know plenty of teachers who are aghast at the thought of anything in their hallowed classrooms that is contrary to what they (the teachers) personally believe. They are loathe to introduce the "other" side for consideration. This is in any school situation, from private to public, lower ed to college.
Sure my kids attended parochial school (my choice, not theirs), but they were wise enough to pipe up when they didn't agree with teachers. In fact, my son is an atheist and brought up that point of view during religion class regularly. Having a consistent uniform policy went a long way in that it was one less thing to worry about. But that was my aim, and other parents are free to do what they wish.
Back in my day, our new principal during our senior year wanted to ban sandals, because of his religious convictions. It didn't last long.
I forgot the controversy about "Bong Hits for Jesus." Not appropriate in the Catholic school setting (simply because of the uniform code) but I wouldn't have banned it or prevented my children from wearing it after school.
Clav is right; this is an OPINION. Maddy is young, but not too young to voice hers.
44 - Dave Nalle
"Come to think of it, I find the school's sponsorship of a 'patriot day' where kids wear red white and blue in some sort of hollow patriotic ritual to be almost as offensive as suppressing the wearing of this t-shirt."
Not a very conservative view, there, Dave.
Nationalism is a cornerstone of conservatism.
Bull, David. Nationalism and conservatism are completely separate ideas. Forced patriotism is as meaningless as forced religion, and as Roger Williams said, they both "stink in God's nostrils".
Dave
45 - David Black
"OBAMA: A TERRORIST'S BEST FRIEND."
A statement grounded in truth. Martin Luther Kennedy is on record as saying he would sit down and conference with that smelly midget that runs Iran.
You don't conference with terrorists. You annihilate them.
46 - Lisa Solod Warren
Clav is right that Maddy is expressing an opinion, but did anyone read the piece? She is expressing an opinion based on a story she saw on Fox news. She did not witness the event, she did not use more than one source, she did not interview anyone, she did no research on her own, she did not ask a Constitutional scholar to explain whether this is a free speech issue, she did not check with the school to find out what the rules were.
She merely reported on a report.
That is what Fox news does all the time, which is not, to my way of thinking, good opinion writing.
And, Joanne, that is what Clav, I think, (and please correct me, Clav, if I am wrong) was alluding to.
Sure, anyone can HAVE an opinon, but it's easier to shoot dcown a weak, unsupported one. Which is why I pointed out how young she is. She doesn't understand the basics about writing a strong opinion piece. And which is why so many people took exception to her free speech "argument."
Ruvy and Joanne are wrong: it isn't about oppression or left or right.
Even Mark S. (my friend) is wrong. So what if you don't LIKE the rules. Rules are rules. If kids don't like them, get up a petition to have them changed and have reasons for it. But don't just decide to flaunt them.
Marlowe and those who understand freedom of speech and what it means and what the tee shirt's message meant get it.
I tried to explain all that but Maddy doesn't seem to want to hear it. If she did, her next opinion pieces would be stronger.
Maddy has a right to think Obama is an idiot and if her school allows it to wear a tshirt supporting McCain. But if she wants to be a credible journalist (she is studying journalism) she would do well to broaden her scope to include reading newspapers from other political viewpoints in order to better hone her own.
47 - Arch Conservative
"Rules are rules?"
Yeah right. More like "in academia rules are selectively enforced based on one's political leanings."
There's this story, the one from UMASS Amherst where credit was being given to students who campaigned for Obama and countless other examples of those who are of the left leaning political persuasion being given favorable treatment in our schools.
Our colleges and universities have become nothing but leftist indoctrination camps and now this practice is making it's way down to our high schools and grade scools.
It's true and anyone that insists on denying it is either doing so because they themselves are a leftist and see it as normal or has is completely ignorant of the situation.
48 - pleasexcusetheinterruption
Yeah right. More like "in academia rules are selectively enforced based on one's political leanings."
There's this story, the one from UMASS Amherst where credit was being given to students who campaigned for Obama and countless other examples of those who are of the left leaning political persuasion being given favorable treatment in our schools.
Our colleges and universities have become nothing but leftist indoctrination camps and now this practice is making it's way down to our high schools and grade scools.
It's true and anyone that insists on denying it is either doing so because they themselves are a leftist and see it as normal or has is completely ignorant of the situation.
You obviously have not been to an American University recently. The students are far more liberal/biased than the faculty.
49 - pleasexcusetheinterruption
Professors usually end up arguing against the liberal tendencies of their students.
50 - David Black
"You obviously have not been to an American University recently. The students are far more liberal/biased than the faculty."
Not true at larger Catholic universities.
Archcon is essentially right. I recall a poll of university professors done in the last ten ot so years. I believe it was done by the Pew Foundation. It found that 87% of university faculty members voted Democrat.
That's as lib as you can get.
But libs never like to admit how much of an influence they wield. Hell, most of them think of themselves as centrists, that's how deluded they are.
51 - Dave Nalle
In my 25 years in academia my observation was that most professors were far to the left of the mainstream of the Democratic party. There were almost no conservative professors of any kind, except those who were Jesuits or ex-Jesuits. By far the rest were hardcore marxists.
Dave
52 - Matthew T. Sussman
90 percent of A&S professors, perhaps, are Democrat.
To which I say: so the hell what? Most learning in college is done independently. Nobody listens to lectures anyways. And most of the profs I had in classes like political science and history made their biases known but kept them in great check.
53 - David Black
"Bull, David. Nationalism and conservatism are completely separate ideas. Forced patriotism is as meaningless as forced religion, and as Roger Williams said, they both "stink in God's nostrils"."
We "force," as you put it, kids to adopt habits that make them proper citizens.
That's part of how kids are taught. It's simply march or die.
No one's forced me to be a nationalist. I just see that it's the right way to think.
One should always think their country is better than all others.
If not, then you sound like a self-hating lib.
54 - Lisa Solod Warren
You obviously have not been to a university in the south.... many of them have huge numbers, majorities of, conservative students, and professors of both stripes.
Please don't generalize, folks.
And professors grew more liberal with the late Sixties, which has been, what 40 years? Before that, professors were generally quite conservative, as was the country. You all act like this has been going on for years.
With the change in politics came more "liberal" in the best, dictionary, sense of the word.
For Arch, in particular, this was a bad thing. For many students, it opened up new worlds and made them think. After all thinking is what a liberal (in the true, dictionary sense of the word) education is all about, which is why one goes to university (as opposed to a trade school) in the first place.
On reads a wide variety of texts, thinks, writes, and comes to a wide variety of conclusions.
If a student really believes a professor is out to get him because of his political beliefs, he has recourse.
Please read the article about Obama as a professor in the education section of the Sunday Times last week. He was, by all accounts, the right kind of professor: one who accepted any argument, as long as it was WELL argued and supported.
So many of you are so wedded to your own political agendas that you insist black is white, sometimes. Arch is a perfect example of that. He is sure everyone who doesn't think like he does is out to get him.
Arch, grammar schools have dress codes. They are usually enforced. That kid broke the dress code rule. Don't make it bigger than it is.
55 - Dave Nalle
Lisa, my observations were based on universities in the south more than anywhere else. Of my 10 years as a student and 20 years teaching college, I did 4 undergrad years in Pennsylvania and 1 year abroad in the UK and the rest was all in Texas at two different schools. And trust me, there's little difference between the marxists dominating the faculties in Texas vs. anywhere else. If your views are more conservative you learn to work around it. I got through committees in graduate schools with marxist majorities, but they were nice folks in other ways and we more or less kept politics out of it.
Maybe at more rural schools things are different. Lord knows what goes on at Texas A&I or Angelo State, but they're out of the mainstream of academic culture as well.
So many of you are so wedded to your own political agendas that you insist black is white, sometimes.
Lisa, based on what I've read from you, especially some of your comments, this observation applies as much to you as it does to Archie.
Dave
56 - David Black
I remember a professor declaring to my class that the purpose of a university education was to go out and make a better world for others.
I raised my hand and asked him "why?"
He told me that we all had "moral obligations."
I asked him where that was regulation was stated and what lawmakers drafted it.
He said it was based in our "collective cultural history" going back to biblical times.
To which I said, "I have, as an American, the freedom to decide what my 'moral obligations' are."
Profs have been ramming their collectivist tripe down students' throats for years, instead of simply teaching them how to get a great job that earns lots of money.
57 - El Bicho
"How am I to blame for publishing this article?"
Because "Freedom of speech is the first amendment" is not correct and you let it through.
58 - Dave Nalle
So, you're somehow holding me accountable for Maddy's stylistic choice to not include the word 'in' in that sentence? I don't see that the omission of that one word which would make the sentence more technically accurate is unacceptable, and the sentence remains grammatically correct and reasonably factually accurate. You should, perhaps, take up her choice of interpretations on that amendment with her, not me.
Dave
59 - Lee Richards
#56: "I asked him where that regulation was stated..."
Maybe he was thinking of some of the basic purposes of our government as stated in the Preamble.
60 - david Black
"Maybe he was thinking of some of the basic purposes of our government as stated in the Preamble."
Please cite the part of the preamble of the Constitution where it says I have a personal and moral obligation to be my brother's keeper.
What it really says that I approve of Constitutional powers given to my government to take care of that kind of thing for me, if they so choose.
The then, the Constitution is rife pie-in-the-sky folderol that has little relevance to the realities of living in the 21st century. It's a convoluted piece of writing that looks great on parchment but at times it seems to me so horribly dated.
Our founding fathers didn't anticipate Islamo-fascists flying jets into skyscrapers on suicide missions, for example.
61 - Dave Nalle
"promote the general Welfare"
Dave
62 - CallmeMaddy
Lisa #46:
With all due respect, you are way out of line telling me to read more papers. I did read much more of the issue. I google searched it; however, all the information cited was included on Fox News, where I originally heard about the story.
And obviously I do want to hear it, because I am reading every single comment instead of doing my Psych homework, right? And I love Psych. If you think I don't want to hear it, then why post in the first place.
And you have no idea how much liberal proganda I am forced to listen to. Let's start with my gov class where I have the entire class spewing liberal stupidity. Yeah, Sicko isn't liberal and the War in Iraq is the same thing as the Vietnam. All about oil.
Give me a break. You don't know me, so you can't say I don't read enough newspapers, because you spimply don't know. That just makes you sound, well, shallow.
Ok. I think that's it.
Maddy
63 - Arch Conservative
Lisa [personal attack deleted]
College campuses are for the most part dominated by leftist faculty and administrators who impose their own leftist beliefs on the students and do all that they can to silence and ridicule any thought that is at all right of center.
It's a FACT. You can deny it all day long but it is the reality of our higher education system. You're the one with a ploitical bias and that's why you cannot see it. To you everything to the left is centrist.
64 - pleasexcusetheinterruption
With all due respect, you are way out of line telling me to read more papers. I did read much more of the issue. I google searched it; however, all the information cited was included on Fox News, where I originally heard about the story.
Maddy - she didn't see you don't read enough. She said you didn't do enough research for this piece. I agree. You have the facts here but none of your supporting opinion is backed up by any kind of cogent argument about the first amendment. Your opinion would have been made much stronger by backing it up or arguing against the the legal history of the first amendment. As of yet, you have failed to address any of the surrounding case history. As Lisa said, you have just given your personal reaction to a report.
65 - pleasexcusetheinterruption
And you have no idea how much liberal proganda I am forced to listen to. Let's start with my gov class where I have the entire class spewing liberal stupidity. Yeah, Sicko isn't liberal and the War in Iraq is the same thing as the Vietnam. All about oil.
I completely understand. I go to a very liberal school myself. The only thing I hate more than conservative opinions is uninformed liberal opinions. Don't overreact. If you really do have the correct opinion, you should be able to present a good counter-argument and if you're really good you will completely embarrass the other student with your knowledge. It's probably hard in HS because of all the social pressure..
Give me a break. You don't know me, so you can't say I don't read enough newspapers, because you spimply don't know. That just makes you sound, well, shallow.
It's not that you don't read it's just you didn't draw on any outside knowledge for this particular piece. I would love to see an argument against the many historical legal restrictions that have been placed on free speech by the Supreme Court. I guess you have a right to present just the facts of the FOX article, and your reaction, but your reaction would be much more persuasive if it took into account all the other ways in which free speech has been limited, especially in schools.
And obviously I do want to hear it, because I am reading every single comment instead of doing my Psych homework, right? And I love Psych.
HW is never an excuse for BC!!!!!! ;)
66 - pleasexcusetheinterruption
Not true at larger Catholic universities.
Archcon is essentially right. I recall a poll of university professors done in the last ten ot so years. I believe it was done by the Pew Foundation. It found that 87% of university faculty members voted Democrat.
That's as lib as you can get.
But libs never like to admit how much of an influence they wield. Hell, most of them think of themselves as centrists, that's how deluded they are.
Just because they vote with the more liberal party doesn't mean they teach it. And I would wager an even higher percent of college students vote Democratic at least at some schools!
67 - Zedd
As a mom of kids that are school age and a person who read the Code of Conduct that they pass out every year, kids are not allowed to wear t-shirts with political, religious, offensive or controversial messages.
If you know kids, you know that they are not as civil as most adults. It's difficult keeping the schools orderly without some kid walking around saying something that is intentionally inflammatory.
Kids in school don't have free speech. They cant curse at their teachers and generally freely express their views about things. School would be chaotic.
I like the fact that you wrote this piece because you are young and I hope you keep it up. I think your personal views will change with time.
My response wasn't to you but the adults who commented.
68 - Zedd
Dave,
Is this your daughter?
69 - pleasexcusetheinterruption
To which I said, "I have, as an American, the freedom to decide what my 'moral obligations' are."
Profs have been ramming their collectivist tripe down students' throats for years, instead of simply teaching them how to get a great job that earns lots of money.
Actually you don't. You can't decide that not murdering is not a moral obligation. And even so, you only have a legitimate complaint if when you wrote a well argued paper and had your grade reduced for having different conclusions than the Professor. I have never seen that happen in 2 years of college.
70 - Dave Nalle
Nope. She only writes about fashion and design and she writes fiction. Well, I guess political t-shirts sort of fall in that category, but it's not her. Her one and only BC article is on picking jeans. Right now she's up in her room working on some sort of collaborative fiction project.
Dave
71 - pleasexcusetheinterruption
College campuses are for the most part dominated by leftist faculty and administrators who impose their own leftist beliefs on the students and do all that they can to silence and ridicule any thought that is at all right of center.
It's a FACT. You can deny it all day long but it is the reality of our higher education system. You're the one with a ploitical bias and that's why you cannot see it. To you everything to the left is centrist.
Completely off base here Arch. I had a professor last year who laughed a few kids out of the room for arguing Bush should be impeached (which is a fairly mainstream view among the left).
And actually college do a lot to foster counter viewpoints. Obviously they can't help what kind of person comes to the school. But on my campus at least, the college republicans group is more vocal the the college democrats group. The administration stood up for the Republicans to post images around campus depicting a series of pictures of terrorist attacks committed by Muslims against America. Some students objected that it was spreading hate for Muslims (not one of the 10 or so attacks was committed by a non-Muslim) but the administration stood by the College Republican's right to post the posters on campus. Needless to say, many were vandalized by the liberal student body which contains many Muslims.
The college newspaper contains one column by a republican and one by a democrat, although most of the other op-eds people write in on politics are by liberals.
The most important speaker to visit my college during my time here was Chief Justice John Roberts. The administration was clearly opposed to the protesting which occurred because it was disruptive. Roberts was a brilliant speaker by the way. We also had Bill Clinton I guess but I'm not sure he's as important these days..
My political science professor right now is exceedingly careful to give objective analysis. He refuses to vote or participate in politics to reduce his allegiance to any one candidate. He has angered some of my liberal friends with a centrist interpretation of events. And he has mocked both parties and all past presidents exceedingly. He told the class on the first day that any student who can reveal any bias in his teaching will receive an automatic A.
I could keep going...
72 - Zedd
Good for her. You must be proud.
73 - pleasexcusetheinterruption
Is that an insult? A little harsh don't ya think?
74 - david Black
"promote the general Welfare"
Uh, Dave, that's not my personal responsibility, never has been, never will. You can't tell me otherwise.
Unfortunately, it's been misconstrued by hand wringing bleeding heart lib pols to mean pissing away money on the decrepit underclasses who aren't intelligent enough to prosper by their own wits.
Are you sure you're a conservative, Dave?
Really, how much of a conservative could one be if a bunch of handwringing bleeding heart libs finds that person acceptable to talk to?
75 - pleasexcusetheinterruption
"promote the general Welfare"
Uh, Dave, that's not my personal responsibility, never has been, never will. You can't tell me otherwise.
Unfortunately, it's been misconstrued by hand wringing bleeding heart lib pols to mean pissing away money on the decrepit underclasses who aren't intelligent enough to prosper by their own wits.
Are you sure you're a conservative, Dave?
Really, how much of a conservative could one be if a bunch of handwringing bleeding heart libs finds that person acceptable to talk to?
Actually, I would call promoting the general welfare a highly nationalistic ideology.
Dave never said you have to give handouts. But it is the govt's responsibility to pursue the policy which is best for America as a whole. That might not extend far beyond signing free trade deals, or it might extend as far as redistributing wealth, depending on your economic theory.