Court: School can ban American flag shirts on Cinco de Mayo

[✖Ice✖]

A federal court judge ruled that officials at a California high school had a legal right to send home students wearing shirts showing the American flag on Cinco de Mayo because there was a reasonable fear that the images could lead to violence.

Chief U.S. District Judge James Ware of San Francisco ruled last week that it was not a violation of the freedom of speech for students at Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill to be ordered to turn their shirts with the American flag inside out or go home on May 5, 2010, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.Two students were sent home.

Ware cited past clashes between Mexican-American and Anglo students over clothing on the holiday, which is a celebration of Mexican heritage and in Mexico commemorates a Mexican army victory over the French in 1862. (It is not Mexican Independence Day.)




http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...Z0HN_blog.html




What in hell American flag banned in America? Really?!!

[FlyingTrue]

The ruling is definitely total lunacy.

[BDF]

So... it's again some idiots, who happen to be ethnically part-Mexican (I think) who find the American flag offensive? Is that where this issue sprung up from?

I have nothing against other nationalities, but if they come to your country, and think find your country's flag offensive, then they should get the fuck out if they don't like it. If they're going to go as far as perhaps inciting or directly taking part in violence, then they should be deported, or if they can't be, then given damn hard punishments from the court.

It's pure arrogance going to someone else's country and then expecting everyone there to somehow evolve around you. I'm not the type to wear the British flag everywhere, I don't particularly care, although I have maybe one or two T-shirts. If a foreigner on the street took offence, god, why the fuck would I care? If he'd go as far as to provoke me over it by complaining, I think I'd tell him to go back to his country, seriously... if I was annoyed enough I might even provoke him back with some racist comment to see if in response he'd give me a good enough reason for me to smack him.

I just hate those kind. Lol... if you don't like the American flag, then don't fucking go to America and then moan about it.

The court upholding this is just as stupid. Any foreign kids throwing fits over the display of an American flag at school should be punished. If there's bullying over it... suspension straight away, and if there's violence, then expulsion. No bullshit. Racial and ethnic tolerance goes both ways.

[Ibanez]

Ware also rejected the students’ claim of discrimination. The judge wrote that while the students wearing the shirts with American flags had told a school official that they knew they might be in danger but wanted to keep the shirts on anyway, there was no evidence that youths who wore clothing with Mexican flag colors were in danger.

And then the school would get in trouble when the students are hurt. I think it's pretty justified. The bigger problem is the fact that they have to do this in the first place. The US isn't much of a melting pot these days. Americans are the only people who freely have a very sharp love/hate relationship with their own country.

[TigerTank77]

Then it's only fair that we get to ban Mexican flags on February 2nd to mark our victory in the Mexican/American war.

No?

Okay, how about you don't protect the students threatening kids wearing american t-shirts in an american school system IN AMERICA, by banning said t-shirts on a holiday that has nothing to do with our country.

So fucking stupid. Anyone who thinks this is a justified policy needs to pull their head out of their ass.

[Ibanez]

Originally Posted by TigerTank77

Okay, how about you don't protect the students threatening kids wearing american t-shirts in an american school system IN AMERICA, by banning said t-shirts on a holiday that has nothing to do with our country.

Except they are protecting the kids by banning the shirts. If students are saying they're putting themselves in harms way by wearing the flag, then the school is going to take steps to make sure they're not. Save for constant police security, a school with an "ethnically charged atmosphere" simply isn't going to be able to protect every single student in a situation like this. This is stopping an incident before it inevitably starts.

Thanks to how racially sensitive the US is, banning Cinco de Mayo celebrations would garner a lot more flak from the media, regardless of whether it's the reason for the potential violence. In the end, the principals job is to protect the students and the school, not uphold patriotism.

But that's 'disrespecting' the flag, so don't let my logic get in the way.

[~Mr. Self Destruct~]

Oh dear, lunacy has prevailed.

[.TJ.]

Then they should allow them to attack the people wearing the shirts. Then later charge them with two felonies and lock them up.

P.C. 422.7 – Commission of a crime for the purpose of interfering with another’s exercise of civil rights.

P.C. 422.75 – Penalty for felony committed because of victim’s race, color, religion, nationality, country of origin, ancestry, disability or sexual orientation shall be enhanced one, two or three years in prison, if the person acts alone; and 2, 3 or 4 years if the person commits the act with another.

[Guile]

I will wear my shirt, in the most audacious way possible, such as this one...

[Pelios]

I find this whole thing funny for many reasons...
First here in México Cinco de Mayo is not celebrated as much as they do in the USA, yes it’s a holiday but it’s more of a regional one than a national one. Primarily in the state of Puebla, where the holiday is called El Dia de la Batalla de Puebla (The Day of the Battle of Puebla)
I personally don’t find that they as something “big” if they want to go out of their way and wear a USA flag shirt.. let them. Will they look like fools? Maybe. Will it cause more conflict? Sure. But if it was up to me I personally wouldn’t care since that day means nothing to me any many more Mexicans.