Pubdate: Sun, 01 Apr 2007
Source: Wisconsin State Journal (WI)
Copyright: 2007 Madison Newspapers, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.madison.com/wsj/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/506
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n000/a060.html
Author: Nick Hall

WHY NO ARREST OF OFFENDING PRINCIPAL?

A student was "officially" excused from school along with his 
classmates. The student moved off the school grounds and onto a 
public access sidewalk. As I see this, the school was not formally in 
session (for that student at that time) and the student was not on 
school property when he was approached by the principal.

As a result, the student was not formally a student at the time. 
Thus, the school had no jurisdiction over the child at that time. 
This seems to be a no-brainer.

While we may not like what the student did, many of us have shed our 
blood everywhere from Guadalcanal to Omaha Beach protecting his right 
to be stupid.

The remaining question is what right did the principal have to move 
off of school property to attack a U.S. citizen acting on his own 
behalf, exercising his right to be stupid? Why has the principal not 
yet been arrested for prohibiting the individual's free speech? Why 
are law enforcement agencies looking the other way on this?

Who will be next, the retired man living in a nursing home expressing 
his opinion on the new Medicare program (as he thinks back to the 
companions he lost during the war)?

While we may not agree with the student's stupid, childish 
expression, we must defend his right to express it, no matter how 
dumb he may be.

Nick Hall, Oregon
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake