JUDGE SAYS SCHOOL CAN CENSOR FLAG

This ruling came down last November, but this kind of left wingnut insanity needs to kept at the forefront as much as possible, especially since this is election year.

In May 2010, three students at Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill, California wore American flag t-shirts on the mostly American Cinco-de-Mayo holiday.  The students were told by the assistant principal, who just so happened by sheer coincidence to be Hispanic, to turn their shirts wrong side out or take them off.  The students refused stating it would be disrespectful to the American flag.  This same assistant principal then sent the students to the office where he lectured them about Cinco-de-Mayo and that their shirts might offend Hispanic students on their day.  THEIR day???

Lawsuits were filed, and U. S. District Court Judge James Ware ruled the school could censor the U. S. flag in the name of "school safety".  Kind of sounds like the reasoning the Federal government uses to violate our Constitutional rights as a matter of routine, especially those who are not exactly enamored with the Obama administration's policies.  The judge continued that the school in no way infringed on the students' First Amendment rights.  Really?

All of this over a pseudo-Mexican holiday that actually is not a Mexican holiday.  It's not observed nationally there, and is only celebrated in some local areas.  Contrary to popular belief, it is not Mexican Independence Day.  That's in September (SOURCE).

On the next Cinco de Mayo celebration at Live Oak High School, I wonder if the took the American flag off the pole out front, under the guise of "school safety."  

This reminds me of an old saying that was coined in the '60's that I will use a little poetic license and change one word:  "Will the last American leaving California please bring the flag?"

(SOURCE)

(SOURCE)

http://www.reagancoalition.com/articles/2012/20120301007-american-flag.html

THAT PESKY FIRST AMENDMENT THING AGAIN!

Student Wins Free Speech Case in Federal Court

by Katie Walker : Aug 17, 2010 : American Life League
http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/9248014686.html

"We are so grateful to Tiffany for her courage in the face of injustice."

Washington, DC)—American Life League celebrated a free speech victory after a federal court entered a judgment this past Thursday that a California elementary school and three school officials violated the First, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights of a sixth-grade student who participated in ALL's National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day (NPLTD) in 2008.

School officials barred Tiffany Amador from wearing her American Life League T-shirt at McSwain Union Elementary School in Merced, California. NPLTD (now a week-long event) was organized to increase awareness of the personhood of the child in the womb and the tragedy of abortion.

"So often, pro-life students learn that free speech is a constitutional right that, in practice at least, doesn't apply to them," said Judie Brown, president of American Life League. "For too long, pro-abortion demagogues have had a stranglehold on the country's educational institutions and have sought to stifle dissenting opinions—by force, if necessary, as seen in this case. We are so grateful to Tiffany for her courage in the face of injustice—both the bloody injustice of abortion and the tyrannical injustice of government institutions violating free speech rights."

The shirt featured the word "ABORTION" over a series of panels, two of which depicted pictures of a developing preborn child and the third filled in with black. The caption read, "Growing...growing...gone."

According to William J. Becker Jr. of the Becker Law Firm, representing Amador, the school claimed the images were "disruptive" because of their "graphic nature" but could not explain what made them so graphic that they would have caused any disruption, much less a substantial one, which the U.S. Supreme Court has held is a requirement for a school infringing upon a student's expressive rights.

In addition to claiming that her First Amendment right of expression was violated, Amador, who has since graduated from the eighth grade, alleged in the lawsuit that her Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure was violated when the school's secretary forcefully pulled her into the principal's office because of her shirt.

"Public school employees work for the government," Becker said. "Any time a school official uses physical force to suppress non-disruptive student expression; the government has gone way too far in enforcing its own political views."

Did you notice something? This elementary school girl was "forcefully pulled into the principal's office because of her shirt." So-called adults "forcefully pulling" a young girl who was not being physically disruptive. This shows just how angry the liberal left becomes when someone other than leftists express a viewpoint protected by the First Amendment. What's more, the U. S. Supreme Court had already ruled that a school could not infringe on a student's right to freedom of expression unless it caused a substantial disruption. The school violated many of Amador's rights, and I think they knew it at the time. School officials at the very least should have known anyway.

If you have children in school, and if at any time you believe the school is infringing on your child's Constitutional rights, then do some research and find out. Do not just take their word for it. Schools, just like any other governmental entity, oftentimes depend on the public's lack of knowledge to run roughshod over our rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

THE TRAMPLING OF FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS

This isn't surprising, but still needs to continually exposed. It seems the liberal activist judges in this country need to be made to take high school civics. I have posted numerous times before about the abuses of the judiciary and Federal government in denying Christians First Amendment rights.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, OR PROHIBITING THE FREE EXERCISE THEREOF; OR ABRIDGING THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Rather plain English, very easy to understand? Definitely. But not to Federal district judge Paul D. Borman or the City of Dearborn, Michigan. Pastor George Saieg, a Sudanese Christian who immigrated to the United States to escape the violent and murderous persecution of Christians in the Sudan, was threatened with arrest by Dearborn Police for passing out Christian literature to Muslims outside of the Arab Festival there in 2009 which was in violation of an anti-First Amendment city ordnance prohibiting the passing out of literature within five city blocks of an event. Pastor Saieg has been passing out literature for years in Dearborn without any incident or interference from the government until now.

After a year of litigation, Judge Borman, a Clinton nominee (of course), sided with the city. Upon appeal, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnatti, Ohio issued a TEMPORARY ORDER stating Pastor Saieg could pass out his literature at this year's Arab Festival held in June 2010. The Court of Appeals included a statement from Elrod vs. Burns (427 U.S. 347, 373, [1976] that said the loss of a First Amendment right, "for even minimal periods of time, unquestionably constitutes irreparable injury." That was June 17, 2010.

The very next day, four Christian missionaries were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct anyway for distributing copies of the Gospel of John in English and Arabic. The video camera that was recording the incident was confiscated and as far as I know has not been returned. Below is a video showing part of this incident, and the fact police arrived in force THREE MINUTES after the arrival of the missionaries AFTER the appellate court's temporary injunction against Dearborn's ordnance.

An interesting note here. Dearborn Police Chief Ron Haddad has been appointed to the Homeland Security Advisory Council. The Council provides advice and recommendations to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Neopolitan herself. As you may remember, the Department of Homeland Security under Neopolitan's leadership criminalized conservatives, Christians, Tea Party participants, and anyone who opposes the Obama administration's policies.

An examination of those serving on the Homeland Security Advisory Council reveals ties to the ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA (ISNA) and to the SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER, a far left-wing organization. Here is a fellow blogger who writes GATES OF VIENNA who researched each of the members of this Council. Click HERE to view the article. Judging from this line-up, I wonder what the real qualifications are to serve on this panel.

With every American Communist Liberties Union lawsuit, with every city or county ordnance or state law restricting freedom of speech, expression, and religion, no matter how trivial it may seem on the surface, is just another step in the process of losing these rights that are fundamental to the preservation of what freedoms we have left.

As the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals said, "The loss of a First Amendment right, for even minimal periods of time, unquestionably constitutes irreparable injury."

INTOLERANCE OF CHRISTIANITY (AND THE DOUBLE STANDARD) CONTINUES

Here is a story from FOX NEWS RADIO that my sister-in-law posted on her Facebook page. I of course was interested as it was concerning an attempt at suppression of the religious freedom guaranteed by the First Amendment. Interestingly enough, it happened in North Carolina, where U.S. House Representative Bob Etheridge is from. As you may recall from an earlier post of mine, he is the one who physically assaulted a college student doing a class project that dared question Etheridge's position on the Obama agenda. North Carolina voters, you have got some real pieces of work there, just Remember in November.

PASTOR YANKED FROM CAPITOL OVER “JESUS” PRAYER

by Todd Starnes

A North Carolina pastor was relieved of his duties as an honorary chaplain of the state house of representatives after he closed a prayer by invoking the name of Jesus.

JOIN FOX’S NEWS RADIO’S TODD STARNES ON FACEBOOK!

“I got fired,” said Ron Baity, pastor of Berean Baptist Church in Winston-Salem. He had been invited to lead prayer for an entire week but his tenure was cut short when he refused to remove the name Jesus from his invocation.

Baity’s troubles began during the week of May 31. He said a House clerk asked to see his prayer. The invocation including prayers for our military, state lawmakers and a petition to God asking him to bless North Carolina.”

“When I handed it to the lady, I watched her eyes and they immediately went right to the bottom of the page and the word Jesus,” he told FOX News Radio. “She said ‘We would prefer that you not use the name Jesus. We have some people here that can be offended.’”

When Baity protested, she brought the matter to the attention of HOUSE SPEAKER JOE HACKNEY.

“I told her I was highly offended when she asked me not to pray in the name of Jesus because that does constitute my faith,” Baity said. “My faith requires that I pray in His name. The Bible is very clear.”

When the clerk returned, Baity said he was told that he would be allowed to deliver the day’s prayer – but after that – his services would no longer be needed.

Hackney, a Democrat, and House Republican Leader Paul Stam released a joint statement to FOX News Radio:

“It has been our practice in the North Carolina House of Representatives for many years to request, but not require, that our guest chaplains deliver a nonsectarian prayer. This is intended as a show of respect for all the religions practiced by the members of the House and the people we represent.”

“In this instance, we allowed Pastor Baity to deliver his prayer, without interference, even though it was sectarian in nature. Nonetheless, we will review our procedures and guidelines concerning guest chaplains, and we will make sure we abide by applicable constitutional procedures. The House will adjourn within the next few days, but the results of this review will be publicly available whenever it is complete.”

Baity said he’s not happy with the way he was treated.

“When the state tells you how to pray, that you cannot use the name of Jesus – that’s mandating a state religion,” he said. “They talk about not offending other people but at the same time, if they are telling me how to pray – that’s the very thing our forefathers left England for.”

The Christian Law Association helped Baity draft a letter asking for an apology and an opportunity to return to the state capitol and finish his tenure.

“The First Amendment promises all Americans the free exercise of their religion, which includes the right to pray as their faith requires, even when they are invited to open state legislative sessions with prayer,” attorney David Gibbs told WXII-TV. “We trust that the North Carolina House of Representatives will realize its mistake and will offer Pastor Baity another opportunity to pray without requiring him to use a prayer that is mandated by government.”

Baity said he is still stunned by what happened.

“You would expect this somewhere else – Cuba, Saudi Arabia,” he told FOX News Radio. “You would never anticipate this happening in the United States of America.”

In a word – the pastor said – the decision is “anti-Christian.”

Todd Starnes is a FOX News Radio reporter and author.

First off, "we allowed Paster Baity to deliver his prayer without interference . . ." Speaker Hackney, you had no choice. Refer to the FIRST AMENDMENT, you know that pesky one up top there that guarantees EVERYONE freedom of speech, expression, and religion?

"We will review our procedures and guidelines concerning guest chaplains, and we will make sure we abide by applicable constitutional procedures." With all due respect, Mr. Hackney, I doubt that. If you did, then there would have been no problem to start with and the clerk that started it would have been sent U.S. Constitution class 101. Of course, we all know how this "review" of "procedures" will go. Especially considering that Mr. Hackney is big buddies with none other than . . . Barack Obama.

You can bet your bottom dollar that if this were an Islamic Imam rather than a Christian minister, there would have been absolutely nothing said about his closing the prayer in the name of Allah with no regard for who it offended. This is just another outstanding example of the "tolerance" the left constantly preaches. The liberals' definition of tolerance for all religions in reality is tolerate all religions except those which believe the Bible.