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| Students Sent Home From CA High School For Wearing American Flags On Cinco de Mayo |
| 2010-05-06 |
| Five male students were asked to leave Live Oak High School this morning because they were wearing American flag T-shirts on Cinco de Mayo. Officials at the school could not be reached for comment, but one student said administrators called the T-shirts "incendiary." "They said we were starting a fight, we were fuel to the fire," said Matt Dariano, a sophomore. The five teens were sitting at a table outside during their brunch break around 10:10 a.m. when Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez asked two boys to take off their American flag bandannas that they were wearing on their heads. In the same conversation, student Dominic Maciel said, Rodriguez told the group to "walk with him to the office." Dariano called his mother Diana, who spread the word to the other parents and all arrived soon after to have a conference with Rodriguez and Principal Nick Boden. Maciel said they were told they must turn their T-shirts inside-out or be sent home. Maciel said they were told it wouldn't be considered a suspension but Rodriguez did not want any fights to break out among Mexican students and the group showing their American pride. The boys said they thought turning the American flag inside-out was disrespectful, so all went home. Dariano said Rodriguez indicated to him that while other students were wearing American flags, the group of five was "the easiest target to cause trouble." "We were not going to start a fight. We wanted to show our pride," Dariano said. "In light of all of this, there are people with painted flags in red, green and white and yet the boys can't wear the American flag," Diana said. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose |
| #29 Hard to accept and/or believe that we have gotten to this point. Really? That we're even having this conversation is unf***ingbelievable to me. We need to get the Pledge of Alligence back in vogue and show respect to our country at every game, show, event and especially our schools. This isn't okay, to stop Americans from wearing with pride shirts with the flag emblem on them, to not incite violence from students that may dislike them is very wrong. It's backward, those that would incite the violence need to be disciplined, not the students wearing the flag emblems. Any school official that endorses this mindset needs to be severely reprimanded for these wrongful actions immediately, and this shouldn't be tolerated. Now to impliment this action. We need to make alot of changes and now. Remind me again; so there are citizens that are angered by citizens wearing American icons? Oh yeah right, they must not be citizens. We need to wear with pride our alligence to our country!!! |
| Posted by: Jan 2010-05-06 22:47 |
| #28 well, a simpler solution is to repeal the Great Society and the War on Poverty that Lyndon Johnson foisted upon the nation. We fought the war on poverty and won. This is the only country where the biggest problem afflicting the "poor" is obesity. If you eliminate welfare it would greatly reduce the attractiveness of this country to illegals. Further, if the Government were really serious about cracking down on illegals, it would require proof that anyone wiring money outside the country had the legal right to be in the country. Instead everybody, even the post office, gets a piece of the remittance trade. |
| Posted by: rwv 2010-05-06 20:23 |
| #27 Changing the conversation doesn't help. Even when the citizens dare to speak the truth, to call BS, to heap scorn on the fibs n fairytales and to point out the blindingly obvious, you still have stonewalling by the political class. The public opposes amnesty/open borders by a huge margin, and it doesn't matter to the political class, who are determined to force us to swallow, yet again (remember 1986?), 12 million unskilled illiterates imported from Mexico, without a vote, without anything resembling an honest or intelligent discussion of the issue. To them it's not even a topic for debate, and it will never be put to a vote. They-- BOTH parties, with few exceptions-- are determined to pander to the latino/lefty illegal-symp vote, the national interest be damned. You can tell by the way elected officials calmly, smilingly and patronizingly dismiss out of hand any suggestion of border control or enforcement or deportation. The clear sub-message is, These ideas are nuts, beyond the pale, nonstarters that only a crank would entertain! The ONLY solution-- and it's a longshot at best-- is a political realignment around a third party that will defend our borders and the integrity of our public finances. There is utterly no hope so long as tweedledum and tweedledee monopolize the national debate. |
| Posted by: lex 2010-05-06 17:14 |
| #26 Not just the media... But the Education system as well all the way from Kindergarden to post-graduate. Johnny can't read - because those who are charged with teaching him are too busy filling his mind with bullsh*t and cream of crap. How many classrooms in the past month do you think 'discussed' ( as in teacher preached ) how 'evil' the Arizona laws were? |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2010-05-06 15:18 |
| #25 So the proper response is to destroy the media? It seems it is the only response left to their arrogance and lack of accountability. I like that sentiment. |
| Posted by: No I am the other Beldar 2010-05-06 15:16 |
| #24 lex, At the heart of the problem lies the media. The medium does control the message, and the media have long since fallen to the Left, on your side of the Atlantic as it has mine. No one should ever underestimate the power of propaganda, and it's the media that pushes the political culture we have of constantly BS, of fibs n fairytales, of near-total intellectual dishonesty on issue after issue. The Left can't defend itself against the truth, but by controlling the media it can deny the truth until enough people believe the lies. It's testament to their influence that the left-wing media even manage to persuade people that there is a right-wing threat from the likes of Fox. Laughably absurd, yet pushed so persistently that a great many people believe it. Without the protective shield provided by the media, left-wing politicians wouldn't survive a generation. The media is at war with civilisation. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2010-05-06 14:48 |
| #23 Is anything, I mean anything at all, headed in the right direction in this country? I hear you. I was never pessimistic about this country's future before the last 12 months-- not during the Carter era, not during the declinist rage days/LA riots/recession of '91-92, not after 9/11. But now I'm increasingly of the belief that we are headed into a period of turmoil, economic contraction, and political incompetence that will leave my young children facing nothing but bad options when they leave school. The main cause? This pervasive, ironclad, bulletproof US political culture we have of BS, of fibs n fairytales, of near-total intellectual dishonesty on issue after issue-- our Mexico debacle, our pensions debacle, our imported oil debacle, the capture of our regulatory apparatus by crony bankers etc. I complained today to my local city councilman's office-- she's the Asst Mayor and head of all budgeting proposals for the city-- about a persistent crime problem in our part of town that's associated with illegal immigrant kids with rap sheets as long as your arm. I was told that there's absolutely no chance of deportation, that the city refuses to enforce the laws re illegal immigration ("it's not our responsibility"), that they proudly resist any movement at all toward Arizona's approach, and that the police presence-- already woefully inadequate, and consisting mainly of dopey kids recruited as rookie cops-- in our city will likely be cut back significantly anyway. This is political failure at all levels-- a national government that refuses to secure the border, a state government that is in the pocket of corrupt union hacks voting themselves pensions of $250,000/yr or more, and a local government that proudly shelters illegal immigrant criminals. And nothing, nothing at all, will change in the next decade because neither party gives a damn about challenging the status quo or telling truth to the Mexico lobby in this country. This is decadence. This is precisely what causes great nations to become banana republics. /rant |
| Posted by: lex 2010-05-06 14:32 |
| #22 Is anything, I mean anything at all, headed in the right direction in this country? We're screwed! |
| Posted by: Jefferson 2010-05-06 13:09 |
| #21 So what does it have to do with citizens of the United States? It's a good reason to drink beer and margaritas. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2010-05-06 11:57 |
| #20 poor babies, I guess the Mexicans shouldnt have attacked Texas way back when. Then they wouldnt have forced us to take Mexico City. As it turns out, they're lucky to still have ANY land left to call Mexico. |
| Posted by: 746 2010-05-06 11:49 |
| #19 Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "fifth of May") is a holiday held on May 5 that commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza SeguÃn.[2][3] It is celebrated primarily in the state of Puebla and in the United States. This is about a battle fought on foreign soil by two armies, neither of which were US forces. It's only a state, not national, holiday even in Mexico. So what does it have to do with citizens of the United States? ....other than another left wing program of power through division. Obviously, the assistant principal doesn't grasp 'inclusiveness' if it involves excluding. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2010-05-06 11:34 |
| #18 Nearly every Friday evening the FDIC has its weekly "Cinco de Banco" event. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2010-05-06 11:05 |
| #17 I'm thinking; in support of Bambi's "immigration policy" someone should have worn a "Cinco de Quatro" shirt. |
| Posted by: WolfDog 2010-05-06 11:02 |
| #16 Time to start burning Mexican flags. |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2010-05-06 10:15 |
| #15 "I think they should apologize cause it is a Mexican Heritage Day." Hold the bus here folks. It’s not that the American flag itself is offesnsive. There were plenty of American Flags waving in the Cinco de Mayo parades. It’s only “offensive” when anglos do it. Embrace Multiiculturism! |
| Posted by: DepotGuy 2010-05-06 10:06 |
| #14 my response to the principal would've been..."and why would my wearing the official flag of this country in a U.S. public school be cause for a safety concern?" That's the root problem these administrators need to fix. |
| Posted by: Broadhead6 2010-05-06 08:54 |
| #13 From: BayArea But to many Mexican American students at Live Oak, this was a big deal. They say they were offended by the five boys and others for wearing American colors on a Mexican holiday. "I think they should apologize cause it is a Mexican Heritage Day," Annicia Nunez, a Live Oak High student, said. "We don't deserve to be get disrespected like that. We wouldn't do that on Fourth of July." I think its time for Annicia to go back to Mexico. And I wonder what her immigration status is. As for an apology, the boys and their families say, "fat chance." You mean the someone actually asked them to apologize for wearing the US flag on US Soil? "I'm not going to apologize. I did nothing wrong," Galli said. "I went along with my normal day. I might have worn an American flag, but I'm an American and I'm proud to be an American." |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2010-05-06 08:48 |
| #12 i think he did the right thing, its better to deal with being called racist, than dealing with a hate crime, and somebody's death because you didnt do anything to prevent it. The rational extension of that line of thought is that everyone should be locked up or locked down to prevent the possibility of a crime. The ultimate police state. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2010-05-06 08:24 |
| #11 We celebrated Cinco de Mayo by going to a nice little Italian restaurant. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2010-05-06 08:15 |
| #10 Sovereignty relinquished. At this point the other 49 states are simply providing foreign aid. The new reality. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-05-06 07:56 |
| #9 I couldn't be more disgusted. |
| Posted by: Keeney 2010-05-06 07:25 |
| #8 Funny, I don't recall anybody throwing someone wearing an American flag out of a St. Patty's Day parade. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2010-05-06 07:13 |
| #7 Did they send the kids with Mexican flags home too? I didn't think so. |
| Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2010-05-06 06:59 |
| #6 Why do I think it would have been okey-dokey with Mr Rodriguez if the kids burned the flag instead of wearing it on their shirts? |
| Posted by: Cornsilk Blondie 2010-05-06 06:12 |
| #5 That argument is way too liberal, mac. |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-05-06 06:07 |
| #4 i think he did the right thing, its better to deal with being called racist, than dealing with a hate crime, and somebody's death because you didnt do anything to prevent it. |
| Posted by: mac 2010-05-06 03:56 |
| #3 "The district does not concur with the Live Oak High School administration's interpretation of either board or district policy related to these actions." Neither does that rag called The Constitution that too many folks have decided to use as a doormat. |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-05-06 02:45 |
| #2 Apparently 'moose caught an earlier version of the story. Datelined 2:11pm, the online story is heavily pro- kids' speech and pro-US, with a quote indicating that the school district supports the kids' showing the American flag: Five Live Oak High School students' First Amendment rights were challenged this morning when they were asked to leave school because they donned American flag T-shirts on Cinco de Mayo. Officials at the school chose not to comment on the situation, but one student said an official called the T-shirts incendiary." "They said we were starting a fight, we were fuel to the fire," said sophomore Matt Dariano. The Morgan Hill Unified School District issued this statement: "In an attempt to foster a spirit of cultural awareness and maintain a safe and supportive school environment, the Live Oak High School administration took certain actions earlier today. The district does not concur with the Live Oak High School administration's interpretation of either board or district policy related to these actions."" |
| Posted by: lex 2010-05-06 01:26 |
| #1 words fail me.... |
| Posted by: abu do you love 2010-05-06 00:31 |