Our Flag Offends You? Don't Let The Border Gate Hit You In The.....

There seems to be growing trend in America where teachers, schools, school districts and even federal judges are putting self-imposed limits on First Amendment rights.

In 2010 there were a least two incidents (both in California) where public school students were instructed not to display the American flag, the symbol of our great nation, because it might offend other students, particularly those of Mexican descent.  Five student at a California high school wore American Flag t-shirts and bandannas to school on Cinco de Mayo – a traditional Mexican holiday.  The other students were not banned from wearing Mexican colors but the five boys were sent home for wearing American flag symbols and refusing to remove them or turn them inside out.

The school cited “safety concerns”, meaning they were afraid the five boys would be confronted by the Mexican students and violence would erupt.  But is that a legal reason to ban someone’s First Amendment rights? 

Cinco de Mayo is celebrated by many Americans of Mexican heritage as well as by Mexican nationals living, both legally and illegally, in the United States.  It is often celebrated by white Americans as well – a great excuse to eat Mexican food, drink Mexican beer and listen to Mariachi music.  Even as divided as this nation is right now I don’t think too many people in the country get upset about it.  Until they are told to respect the Mexican holiday and those who celebrate it at the cost of their own freedom of expression.

In this case the five students were obviously being rebellious and trying to make a point.  But were they legally authorized to wear the American flag on their shirt on that day?  According to a federal judge in probably the most liberal state in the union the answer is no.  That federal judge, in 2011, sided with the school not only in saying that safety concerns were a valid reason to deny the students the right to display the American flag on Cinco de Mayo but also that their “First Amendment rights were not violated.”  Huh?

So in this great United States of America a public school, funded by taxpayer dollars, can deny students the right to wear the symbol of our nation to school and it’s not a violation of their First Amendment rights?  And the school will bend over backward to make sure that no one who is celebrating a foreign holiday is offended?  You gotta love political correctness.

In another case, also in California, an elementary student was instructed to remove the American flag he flew on the back of his bike because it might offend other students.  Apparently the school had prevented students from bringing or wearing the Mexican flag on Cinco de Mayo (also a violation of First Amendment rights) and those students were asking why Cody Alicea was allowed to have the American flag on his bike.

Seems to me any good principal would have answered that question rather easily.  “First – it’s the symbol of our country and not of another country and second – his bike is parked outside, not in the classroom.”

As I said – I believe students of Mexican heritage (or any foreign heritage for that matter) have the right to display a reasonable form of representation of that heritage if they so desire – even in school.  That’s what free speech is all about.  That said – if you come here from another country or you identify with your country of heritage and the American flag is offensive to you – feel free to go to that country.  This is the United States of America.  The stars and stripes is our national symbol and we fly it proudly.  If you don’t like that the border is open – even if Obama and Janet Napolitano say otherwise.