School students sent home for refusing to take off American flag T-shirts on Cinco de Mayo

Students should also be taught that the law is the law and when you break the law there is a price to pay.

I personally disagree with the sentiment - "the law is the law". It's the equivalent of saying "You'll do it because I said so." Saying it's "simply the law" is insufficient argument. If a law is truly just, asking for its justification is never unreasonable and rightly encouraged. Only laws that are unjust are typically made "safe" from question.

It is the only way they remain law. Laws with good justification are their own protection and aren't likely questioned often.

Mexican immigrants, legal Mexican immigrants, should have equal rights. And we do live in America.

There is, of course, freedom of expression, but there is no such "freedom to create a hostile environment" - at school or otherwise. Their behavior was juvenile and disruptive to a learning environment.

If a student is clearly and deliberately being disruptive to the educational environment, then yes, I would send them home if I have to send every single one of them. I'm with you on not making this more than it is but, it seems clear from the article these students intended and provoked a disruption over and above the mere wearing of red, white and blue. There was behavior in addition to the mere wearing of t-shirts, etc.

Let's also not make this a lesser deal than it is.

no, mexican kids should be in mexico. if they don't love america, take their illegal asses back home to mexico.

If America isn't about the peaceful expression of whatever values one happens to have while allowing others the liberty to peacefully do the same, then there is no "America" and what is left is The Land of Dog Eat Dog. It matters little to me where the kids are from or what culture they love more. If they peacefully respect the liberties of those around them then they deserve the same peaceful respect. Citizenship is secondary and, between you and me, such a respectful attitude deserves citizenship. If, however, you are technically a citizen but cannot or will not peacefully respect the liberties of those around you, you are no american. You are, instead, a brute gloating about your perceived privilege or entitlement and deserve no citizenship.

Yeah, tell that to the anchor babies, word for word.

"Anchor babies"?

when non citizens illegally cross the border and then give birth in the USA, their child is used as an anchor, who cannot be deported, yet.

it's not a foreign holiday. it's an american holiday.

It's not an American holiday. It's an excuse to drink beer like St. Patrick's and Super Bowl Sunday. Doesn't make it a holiday.

They were sent home because they wore the clothing and because they were disrupting the school day.

the thing about it, is the only place in mexico that celebrates it as a holiday is the puebla valley area, it's not a national holiday. that's what apparently no one understands

It's an excuse to drink beer, what's wrong with that?

Yes, it makes little sense for Americans to celebrate a military victory that has nothing at all to do with them. That's why it's clear the reason for Cinco de Mayo in America is simply a marketing strategy to fill that long gap of celebrations between Easter and July 4th or perhaps an invented "drinking holiday" between St. Patrick's Day and July 4th. The date's placement is key to understanding it.

It's a commercial celebration. Nothing more.

I enjoy being PC, yet I believe that these kids are allowed to wear their USA shirts. What say you to that?

You and I seem to be at odds on many issues, yet I agree with you here, and you're still insulting political correctness. Perhaps you don't know who your enemy is.

You or the likes of your creed also haven't had conflict with the English for over 300 years...the Arizona BS is effecting the lives of Latinos NOW...

Nothing is wrong with wearing the shirts...its a problem when they open their mouths and begin instigating shit.

Only the illegal ones.

Then they (illegals) should move back to Mexico and take back their country. Imagine the movement 20 million ppl would have on the Mexican establishment.

Funny that an individual is only identified as "oversensitive" when another or others are being undersensitive jerks. Neither school nor anywhere else for that matter is the place to create a hostile environment. That is a misuse of freedom of speech.

There is no "freedom to incite a riot".

Indeed. "Freedom of speech" isn't "freedom to create a hostile environment".

The flag is simply a relic. Nothing more, nothing less...it doesn't have magical powers. There is nothing different between an American who salutes is and another American who barely notices it.

amen

Then no one should be offended by it.

If the students were merely wearing american colors to express american pride it probably would have gone unnoticed or at quietly respected. As I read the story, they went further than simply wearing the "flag". Their additional riotous behavior seems to be what invoked their removal from the school.

But the way I read it, persons weren't offended by the flag but rather by the confrontational behavior of the students wearing it. Having been to quite a few other countries, some cultures see the American flag as a symbol of hostility because, well, many Americans are confrontational assholes. Being an american, I believe I know them pretty well and many of them offend even me.

I can't speak to the motives of the students, I have no idea. You mean some other countries don't like the US? What a shocker! So what. The French are assholes too, doesn't seem to bother them. Who is the Super Power here anyway? Yeah, they hate us, until they need us, of course.

"Who is the superpower here anyway?" - Really?

"Yeah, we're both assholes but, we're the assholes with the bigger stick." If being an asshole with a bigger stick is enough for you, well, that's plainly a waste of potential.

hey what's up jammer, long time no see!

you never could resist replying.

Bravo

Go pick a PM, let us know how that's working.

Pretty high and mighty for someone who lives under a hollow monarchy, you English prick.

and i'm guessing you're nettle's sock puppet?

i see you've discovered internet cafes. good job. it was getting boring around here.

so irrelevant, you felt the need to comment?

yes, they work so well, their country is prosperous and so amazing they decided to share their great skills with ours. go drink some tea.

Well, it's not a matter of can't raise the colors but rather ought not raise the colors if you do it with a thumb to the nose and a sneer at "non-americans". In that particular case, they are not your colors.

excuse me? did you NOT pass history class?! california, nevada, arizona, texas, utah, new mexico, and parts of colorado and oklahoma were all once part of mexico. mexico used to be more than twice as big as it is today. look it up if you don't believe me, and think before you comment!

lol, is that the best you can do?

Yeah, and then Spain sold it to us. There's your history.

i'm not voting my own comments up; don't get mad at me because no one's kissing your ass...

and by the way, i'm very proud to be an american, but i don't use that fact to be an asshole the way you and those kids seem to do...

it is what it is... don't try to deny it is all i was referring to.

who said they did anything wrong? being patriotic is fine as long as you don't use that patriotism to harrass others. so what else do YOU have?

...and by the way i don't need nor do i want anyone to be kissing my ass. and unlike you, i don't take pride in having a holier-than-thou attitude.

I have some English friends that would argue that point, seeing as they invented the language. In any case, whatever state they're from they can speak in the state they're in, I've been from Boston to San Francisco, never had a problem yet. Who cares anyway, people in Louisiana still speak French, people in Pennsylvania still speak German, they all still fly the American flag.

lol, i didn't know that cabs spoke english; i always thought people did... silly me O_o

i never said wearing the flag was terrible; once again putting words in my mouth...

I don't do reality TV, but the majority in America speak english. If they went to Brazil the majority would speak portuguese. Maybe America is more bilingual than some would have us believe, which is not a bad thing.

Heh. That IS funny. We speak "state". +^d

Are yuz talkin about one a them fedoras,....or asking me about my cholesterol levels ?
Yep,....we speak state. Texas of course has the proudest tongue,....and probably the biggest mouth. Philly,....Philly just needs to be punched. Er,....but sorry,....I think we were talking about Mexicans.

Spain didn't really buy Mexico, now did they...so the US buys stolen property...when they aren't stealing it themselves.

there's 365 days in a year and they chose cinco do mayo to wear those "patriotic" shirts?! c'mon, its obvious what they were trying to do (and why they were doing it) and what they were trying say'; shame on ANYONE who says otherwise. just sad; why do some americans choose to flaunt their "patriotism" in the face of others? okay, you're proud to be an american, we get it! and that person that talked about 'reverse racism' is just plain stupid; there is NO SUCH THING as 'reverse racism'!! racism is racism regardless of the skin color or ethnicity of the racist person in question.

nobody said it was a law... stay on the subject!

being patriotic is one thing, using that patriotism to be hurtful is another.

it can be harmful if you are using the flag to intimidate, bully, and harrass people. patriotism shouldn't be used as a 'weapon', so to speak. any flag or symbol can be harmful if used in this way, the way those kids chose to use it on cinco de mayo. plain and simple.

you're trying to put words in my mouth; and just because you lack the mental capacity to understand what i've clearly said doesn't mean i'm being vague.

lol, clearly there is no use trying to talk to an idiot. have a nice day...

... but before i leave, i'll leave you with a quote, "its better to keep your mouth closed and let people assume you are a fool, then it is to open your mouth and prove them right."- emma dobson

simple comment from a simple minded person... peace!

What they were flaunting wasn't patriotism but rather undeserved and divisive privilege or entitlement. The flag is supposed to symbolize our highest American values - mutually-guaranteed respect for individual rights, liberties and equal justice. It was NOT intended to symbolize hostile nationalistic tribal arrogance.

These students wearing american colors do so without respect for them. As a veteran, I once looked at them with honor and wore them proudly when I had the chance. For me, they were once the reminder they were intended to be of values worth having, worth living, worth defending, worth passing to new generations. Because they've long been co-opted by hostile arrogant brutes as demonstrated by these students, I no longer honor them and will not own or wear them again.

or drugs or alcohol! god forbid those naive high school students find out about those!!!!