Kids blasted for wearing American Flag shirts on Cinco De Ma

[Category 5]

This is the stupidest thing I've ever read.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nationa ... _mayo.html

[brunota2003]

As an American Soldier, I am very highly disappointed. Since when did it become illegal (or unethical) to wear clothes with the United States flags on them...in the U.S.? The fact they were told to turn those shirts inside out offends me!

[Category 5]

If people were that offended, not to sound insensitive, but leave. Go to Mexico.

[HURAKAN]

Some people are very touchy. Very stupid in my opinion. It violates the 1st Amendment. It shouldn't offend people if you wear the American flag any day of the year. I don't like people wearing the Ché t-shirts but that's their choice and I respect that. To me Ché is like Osama Bin Laden but most people don't know Cuban history and I have to live with that.

[SETXWXLADY]

So they were offended??? Disrespected?? By the American flag?? With all due respect what the Hell are they doing here? If this country offends you LEAVE! I better stop here. Before I get in trouble. That is ridiculous!

[Aquawind]

Just get the #$%^ outta our country you weak minded or agenda pushing terrorist!

[vbhoutex]

The best comment I can leave without having to suspend myself is DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED!!!!
Sandy, the Che tshirts have always been offensive to me also. Good post Sandy.

[StormingB81]

The best comment I can leave without having to suspend myself is DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED!!!!
Sandy, the Che tshirts have always been offensive to me also. Good post Sandy.

i wrote something and thought about it saw yours and just going to put agreed

[brunota2003]

New update to the article:

Tensions are rising at a California high school where five students were sent home for wearing American flag T-shirts on Cinco de Mayo.

More than 200 Hispanic students reportedly skipped class on Thursday and marched to school district headquarters while chanting "we want respect" and "si se puedes" -- "yes we can" -- the Morgan Hill Times reported.

"We did this to support the Latino/Hispanic community," Francine Roa, a 2005 Live Oak High School graduate, told the newspaper.

At least six Morgan Hill police vehicles traveled alongside the students, many of whom carried Mexican flags. No arrests were made related to the march, the newspaper reported.

Police have been told to be on alert for gang-related retaliation against the boys, according to Ken Jones, whose stepson, Daniel Galli, was one of the students who refused to turn their T-shirts inside-out when asked by a vice principal on Wednesday.
related links

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California Students Sent Home for Wearing U.S. Flags on Cinco de Mayo

"We just want this whole thing to die down," Jones told FoxNews.com. "We're not trying to keep these flames firing."

The five teens -- Galli, Austin Carvalho, Matt Dariano, Dominic Maciel and Clayton Howard -- were sitting at a table outside Live Oak High School Wednesday morning when Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez asked two of them to remove their American flag bandannas, one of the boys' parents told FoxNews.com. The youths complied, but were asked to accompany Rodriguez to the principal's office.

The students were then told they must turn their T-shirts inside-out or be sent home, though it would not be considered a suspension. Rodriguez told the students he did not want any fights to break out between Mexican-American students celebrating their heritage and those wearing American flags, the parent said.

But Jones said the preemptive action was unnecessary, and that Rodriguez "overstepped his bounds."

"The issue was, there was nothing going on," Jones told Fox News on Friday. "There was no sense of violence at all amongst the students, there was no conversation, there was no bullying.

"We just feel like the vice principal overstepped his bounds. He jumped in too quickly. We can understand he might be concerned something would happen, but there was no indication that was going to happen at all."

Officials at the high school, a 1,300-student institution in Santa Clara County, near San Jose, have not returned several messages seeking comment.

As of late Thursday, Jones said the five boys' parents have no plans to sue the school or Morgan Hill Unified School District, which has characterized the incident as "extremely unfortunate" and is conducting an ongoing investigation. Several attorneys have contacted the families offering to represent them pro bono, Jones said.

"We're keeping an open mind," he said. "We want to stand up for our First Amendment rights."

He said the families are seeking an apology from school officials and want the students' unexcused absences for leaving school to be expunged.

Galli said he frequently wears the American flag T-shirt to school and that he wasn't trying to incite any tension. Asked if he wore the shirt to make a statement related to the ongoing immigration debate, Galli said, "No, it had absolutely nothing to do with that."

District officials, meanwhile, sent a voicemail message in English and Spanish to all parents late Thursday.

"The Morgan Hill Unified School District does not prohibit nor do we discourage wearing patriotic clothing," the message from Superintendent Wesley Smith said. "The incident on May 5 at Live Oak High School is extremely unfortunate. While campus safety is our primary concern and administrators made decisions yesterday in an attempt to ensure campus safety, students should not, and will not, be disciplined for wearing patriotic clothing. This situation and our response are under review."

Asked if the district will be taking any steps to quell rising tensions at the school, a district official told FoxNews.com in an e-mail, "Our focus for [Thursday] was student safety. Students are safe and administrators are continuing to work through the investigation."

Eugene Volokh, a professor of law at UCLA, said the students are protected under California Education Code 48950, which prohibits schools from enforcing a rule subjecting a high school student to disciplinary sanctions solely on the basis of conduct that, when engaged outside of campus, is protected by the First Amendment.

If the school could point to previous incidents sparked by students who wore garments with American flags, they could argue that the flag is likely to lead to "substantial disruption," Volokh said.

"If, for example, there had been fights over similar things at past events, if there had been specific threats made. But if [school officials] just say, 'Well, we think it might be offensive to people,' that's generally speaking not enough."

Volokh said the students and their parents likely have a winning case on their hands if they decide to take the matter to court.

"Oh yes, it's almost open and shut," he said.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/05/07/te ... flag-flap/

[Ad Novoxium]

So the Denver school board suspends a group of Mexican students for draping the Mexican flags on themselves while California students wearing American flag shirts and bandannas have to take them off...

...HUH?!? Not to be nebby, but how does this make sense?

[gtalum]

On the bright side, the school board seems to have made the right decision in coming down against the principal in question.

This story really doesn't make any sense. Among other reasons, Mexican people as a rule don't even celebrate Cinco de Mayo. It's a minor holiday in one region of Mexico blown out of proportion by Americans to gin up (no pun intended) alcohol sales at bars.

[bvigal]

The best comment I can leave without having to suspend myself is DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED!!!!
Sandy, the Che tshirts have always been offensive to me also. Good post Sandy.

<---- Ditto!

I'm offended that some people, demonstrating allegiance to a different country from where they reside, are offended at our national emblem, on ANY DAY! Go "home" if it bothers you!!!

[Pburgh]

vbhoutex wrote:
The best comment I can leave without having to suspend myself is DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED!!!!
<---- Ditto!
bvigal wrote:
I'm offended that some people, demonstrating allegiance to a different country from where they reside, are offended at our national emblem, on ANY DAY! Go "home" if it bothers you!!!


I couldn't have said it any better.

This is the United States of America. Definitely go home if it bothers you.

[Ptarmigan]

Some people just need to get a life. If you don't like the American flag, than too bad.

[Ptarmigan]

On the bright side, the school board seems to have made the right decision in coming down against the principal in question.

This story really doesn't make any sense. Among other reasons, Mexican people as a rule don't even celebrate Cinco de Mayo. It's a minor holiday in one region of Mexico blown out of proportion by Americans to gin up (no pun intended) alcohol sales at bars.

Cinco de Mayo is only a big deal in the Mexican province of Puebla and not by much.

[LilGrimmy]

Wow...
I don't even have anything else to say to that

[arkess7]

Not even gona comment!

[southerngale]

Agree with David, bvigal, Karan, etc. Geesh!

[streetsoldier]

I threw a jar of Hellmann's in the river, to celebrate the day..."Sinko the Mayo".

[bvigal]

I threw a jar of Hellmann's in the river, to celebrate the day..."Sinko the Mayo".

funny!