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The shirt bears the image of a military sidearm and on the front pocket says “Volunteer Homeland Security.” On the back, over another image of the weapon, are the words “Special issue Resident Lifetime License — United States Terrorist Hunting Permit — Permit No. 91101 — Gun Owner — No Bag Limit.”
Officials at the Millersville school told him to turn his shirt inside out. When Miller refused, he got two days of detention. His parents, Donald and Tina Miller of Holtwood, have accused the Penn Manor School District in a lawsuit of violating their son’s First Amendment rights with a “vague Orwellian policy” that stifles both patriotism and free speech.
But an attorney for the school district said school must create a safe environment for students in the post-Columbine era, and bringing even the image of a gun to school violates the district’s policy. “There’s a much higher level of sensitivity these days,” Penn Manor attorney Kevin French said. “But it’s based on reality.”
Lets just go back to school uniforms, and be done with it, OK? I went to parochial school, wore a uniform, and I am just as maladjusted as anyone else.
As far as I’m concerned he shouldn’t be wearing a bullshit propaganda shirt like that anyway.
I don’t mind the image of a gun on the shirt.
But I do find this bullshit INTENSELY offensive…
The shirt bears the image of a military sidearm and on the front pocket says “Volunteer Homeland Security.” On the back, over another image of the weapon, are the words “Special issue Resident Lifetime License — United States Terrorist Hunting Permit — Permit No. 91101 — Gun Owner — No Bag Limit.”
Yeah, it’s awful how Freedom of Speech also applies to things you may disagree with.
Propaganda or not, if you’re offended, look elsewhere! If you’re offended from the radio, turn the dial! If you’re offended by a tv show, use your remote!
Grow up and respect others’ right to exercise their constitutional rights! You have a right to bitch and moan, but not to supress someone else’s right to do the same when it “offends” you. Another hippy treehuggin’ liberal whiner speaks out yet again!
So if the shirt had a reefer on it and said “smoke till you drop”, would that violate “Free Speech”? Would a hand with the middle finger up been ok? Where is the line drawn? I think perhaps the school and the parents both have valid arguements but in this case the school decides what is correct. They can always move. (maybe some inner city school is more lenient)
I went to a high school that had uniforms, and I preferred wearing it. I had a budget for cloths for a six month period, and I would buy my cheap Wally World school uniform then I had more money for my out of school cloths.
Kudos to the school district. How can you end the cycle of violence while allowing this?
Got busted once for having a shirt that said America fix it or f**k it.Spent 24 hours in jail. When I got released from jail “no charges ever filed” the f**K it had been blacked out. Ahh the heady days of youth.
Try wearing an American flag T-Shirt at Berkeley.
Sorry, but this has nothing to do with a First Amendment right!
The guy was not in the street, he was in a school, and thus has to respect the school’s rules. Point.
Of course, if he was taken into custody by the police for wearing this shirt in the street, that’d be different.
And what next: Won’t you be allowed to forbid your 10 years old child to wear provocative T-Shirts in your home because of his right for a free speech?
sweet people don’t take yourself so serious, same goes for this little incident. It’s ridiculous to now drag freedom of speech and patriotism into this. Tomorrow is another day and I’m sure it can do without the moaning and wining and with a bit more tolerance and acceptance of others blatant ignorance.
Schweet!
JeffJB
(Dutch) Living in South Africa
More proof that Guns & Roses will never be popular again.
btw, Are 14 year olds allowed the right of free speech? Or, are they minor, and wards of their parents, and therefore have rights held for them until adulthood?
If he were 18 and in college, I’d have no problem with the shirt, or a “legalize it” shirt. But, as a minor, I’m not sure most rights apply to him yet.
If that were the case im gonna hold up a bank with a drawing of a revolver on a post it note. Let’s see how far that will fly. Angus hit it right on the head. It’s because he’s a kid and they think he can be pushed around. Granted it’s a little rough taking it to court on an amendment issue, but at lease they aren’t just taking it and letting the school have it’s way with things. It’s the same with Cops who bully kids. The exact same.Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely
While working the counter of a public shop one of my co-workers, a wanna be gangbanger, came in one morning wearing a black T that had “True Love is a Woman that Satisfies” on the back was mexican woman on her hands and knees with a mexican guy doing her in the rear and a pitbull doing her in the mouth, the guy was doing a gang hand gesture and the dog had it’s tongue hanging out. When the manager came out he pooped his pants and the 2 cashier gals almost fainted. He was told to change or leave, he left bitching in mex all the way. Later the company/manager was served court papers! Haha, I’m thinking Donald Miller #3 (are #1 & #2 as stupid?), has a bright future!
Wow talk about a misleading headline.
#14. I thought of that too. 🙂
Although I like the shirt, schools should have uniforms. As a parent it makes things simple and cheaper.
Courts have ruled that a school may not prohibit the wearing of any clothing or other apparel with a contrary speech on it PROVIDED the message does not interfere with the peaceful running of the school or provoke controversy that interferes with the school’s purpose.
This shirt definitely sounds provocative with the use of visual images as well as the insinuation that the wearer has some type of special status. It could also be suggested that it might cause racial or ethnic insult. That should be grounds for the school to ask the kid to change.
The school does not have to wait for an incident to happen before they react. The school could rightly complain if a white kid wore a white sweatshirt with a pointed hood or a black kid had a shirt advocating open season on honkies. Both shirts would be considered provocative.
#5 – Grow up and respect others’ right to exercise their constitutional rights! You have a right to bitch and moan, but not to supress someone else’s right to do the same when it “offends” you. Another hippy treehuggin’ liberal whiner speaks out yet again!
Translation: We want to enjoy our constitutional right to blather whatever jingoistic bullshit our Neanderthal minds can dream up, but we don’t want to extend others the same courtesy when they see through our BS and want to call us on it.
School uniforms will go a long ways towards solving such BS, and other teen peer-pressure issues.
amen to school uniforms, my school had a clearly defined dress code and actually it made being original/expressive kind of a sport
“Try wearing an American flag T-Shirt at Berkeley.” — i guarantee the jerk who wrote this has never been to Berkeley.
but yeah, we liberals — sooooo horrible how we support the rights of free speech for everyone, we’re such jerks, i don’t know how we stand ourselves.
Why is this even on this website? This is not a “nanny” state incident. Children are not 18 (as defined in “children”) and DO NOT have freedom of speech. Schools are a nice mix of public and private property, you do not have freedom of speech at a school. Get over it.
Please stop publishing this anarchist B-S. Your Freedoms End When You Impede On Others.
#24 – Wow… It’s cool to see someone be so willingly wrong in so grand a way.
You are wrong. Those under 18 are not devoid of Constitutional rights. The notion that they are is a myth.
You would be correct to the shirt isn’t a free speech issue… but you’re just annoying for complaining that people are talking about free speech issues. Conversations drift. Deal with that.
I salute this young man and his family for fighting for our country and for standing up for thier rights. This t-shirt is not obscene or profane nor does it insult any race, religion or national origin (well maybe a terrorist or two,but then who cares about them,they certainly don’t csre about us). I feel that the schools in this country should honor patriotism not punish it.By the way, where can I purchase one of these shirts?
#26,
Typical comment from a bigot.
You can probably get one at your local KKK-Mart outlet. It will be on sale with a “White Light” special.
In my opinion, the child should not have been asked to turn his shirt inside out. Do you honestly think anything would be done if a student that is athiest asked a teacher that happend to be wearing a shirt bearing Jesus on a cross, to turn his shirt inside out. I didn’t think so. Terrorist do not care about anyone and most do not care about their own families. We should not care about them either and should take the shirt as a good laugh in and out of school. The shirt poses no harm to anyone besides terrorist and terrorist lovers!
It’s a shirt, get over it. If the words offend you the don’t read them, that shirt isn’t going to harm anyone. This is supposed to be the land of the free, the kid is merely expressing himself and his personal beliefs why should we punish him for that. If I see something that I find offensive on the television or radio I change the channel. Same go’s for a t-shirt, banner, advertisement or some racist idiot who is expressing their personal beliefs. Grow up and get over it.