Pubdate: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 Source: Sidelines, The (TN Edu) Copyright: 2007 Middle Tennessee State University Contact: http://www.mtsusidelines.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2861 Author: Christin Pepple IMMATURITY NOT PROTECTED SPEECH On Monday, June 25, the Supreme Court ruled against Joseph Frederick in his freedom of speech case that has been active for five years. Frederick posted a banner in 2002 that read "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" at a school-sponsored event. He refused to take it down when asked and the principal of the school suspended him for 10 days. Frederick sued and the case landed in the Supreme Courts lap. Frederick sputtered and raged about how his rights were infringed for posting a harmless banner that was meant as a joke. He later even admitted that he did it to purposefully provoke his principal. Frederick was completely aware of the Zero Tolerance policy his school enforced regarding drug paraphernalia, which included his banner promoting bong hits. Yet, he thought his rights were stolen from him. How this kid was ever taken seriously, the world will never know. He was not crusading for legalization of marijuana or for State versus Church separation or anything of even the most minor importance. No, this idiot just slapped some meaningless words on a poster board to get attention and the Supreme Court had to waste its time confirming what all of us already knew: that this is not a case of freedom of speech infringement. If every disgruntled child with a Sharpie marker and a piece of paper scribbled nonsense and then demanded freedom from oppression because of being censored, we would be up to our ears in court cases. I take direct issue with this man-child who used freedom of speech as a faA ade to get his face on camera. There are so many important issues and cases that never make it to the Supreme Court. There are people in this country who are truly oppressed and denied rights. Gleefully insulting banners do not count in this category, surprise, surprise. Yet this kid has the gall to go ballistic about a juvenile stunt that was clearly not of great importance to him and sue his school system. What a contribution to the legal system this imbecile has made! The Supreme Court ruled that his rights were not denied to him because he broke a rule that he was aware the school enforced. He was baiting a hungry alligator and then sued the alligator when his leg was bitten off; what a genuine hero. Censorship is a sin. It is a crime and its victims are innumerable. This arrogant man was not censored. There is a major difference between crying wolf and actually seeing one. He was not oppressed or beaten to a bloody pulp in his attempts to defend his honor and perhaps save the honor of those to come. All he accomplished was to give more ammunition to the opposition who threaten liberal freedoms like being able to speak and write and live without fear of retribution. He is a poster boy for the parties who believe that students should be kept in a box where there is no original though or ability to express oneself. He just added a few more bits and pieces to the arguments that students are agitators and thoughtless, mindless, rabble-rousers who crusade for meaningless campaigns just for the sake of having something to crusade about. So thank you, Joseph Frederick. Thanks for enforcing the opinion that high school students have no valuable thoughts. Thanks for taking tax payer money to fund your boredom and your ignorance. Thanks for taking a big, steaming dump on those of the American people who actually battle with censorship. Thanks for indulging yourself and for enforcing more students to be oppressed like you never were. Thanks for nothing Joseph Frederick. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek