Archive 2005-02-28: Patriotism - Our soldiers wear "Gang colors"

I thought I would have trouble topping the Valentine's Bear as an insult to crazy people rant -- but I was wrong. Back to politics, our kids, and our basic freedoms! Worry about this one -- it's programming the next generation with 1984 Double Speak.

When is enough enough???

When is this crack down at schools a violation of civil -- and human rights?

When is "zero tolerance" a means to abridge justice and due process, and our Constitutional Rights?!?

When is political correctness so incorrect, it tramples on basic freedoms?

Now, even showing patriotic colors, and supporting the troops is considered "Gang" behavior!! (even when the school says they have NO gang problems!) While we might not want our troops there, we need to support THEM (we should have ousted the leadership that put them there!) -- but this article takes the cake.

It's the "Enough Bullshit" rant post valentines day, and it really needs to be highlighted. It should get you as angry as it gets me! What right does the school have to prevent the wearing of our NATIONAL colors? Is the US Flag now a "gang" symbol?

As reported 2/17/05 in the Times Union, by staff writer Michele Morgan Bolton, Colorful Beads Lead to Court: a Schenectady school district has banned a student from wearing a hand-made red,white and blue necklace she made over Christmas, as a symbol of the troops -- and her relatives -- over seas -- fighting and dying.

Here is a quote from the article, which sums up the situation. Note the fact there is NO GANG PROBLEM at the school:

The beads, which Raven Furbert got as a string-it-yourself Christmas gift, symbolize love of country and respect for soldiers serving in Iraq, according to the lawsuit her mother, Katie Grzywna, filed in U.S. District Court in Albany.

Among those soldiers is her uncle, J. Barnes, who is a member of the Army National Guard's 42nd Rainbow Division, and three other relatives. Barnes shipped out to Kuwait in October, and went on active duty in Iraq the first week in January.

Raven, 12, made the necklace over the Christmas vacation and wore it on her first day back to school on Jan. 4. She said it was to commemorate Barnes' move into a danger zone and that it is her way of trying to protect him.

She said she can't understand what the big deal is. "I just want to wear them for my uncle," she said. "I'll be really glad when this is all over."

Schenectady school officials immediately banned her from displaying her unique neckwear in a belief such "gang-related" jewelry violates policy, court papers alleged.

Raven was threatened with suspension if she continued to wear the beads.

"I still don't see anything wrong with this," her mother said of the case that has created a stir. It was featured last week on the Fox News Channel program "Hannity & Colmes."

"(School officials) even said on that program that they do not have a gang problem in the Schenectady school district," she said.

Now, it gets weirder:

"As of today's date, the wearing of the red, white and blue beaded necklace made by a 12-year-old to show support for soldiers dying to protect this country's freedom is still forbidden ... under penalty of suspension from school," said Bob Keach, a lawyer who specializes in civil and constitutional rights violations cases, in court papers.

Jeff Janiszewski, Board of Education president, said in a posting on the Schenectady schools' Web site:
Board of Ed
Mont Pleasant School

"We would never want to stop a student from expressing their patriotism, support for U.S. troops or their love for the American flag or America in our schools.

"This student simply decided to choose one of the very few forms of expressing patriotism that goes against our carefully considered rules."

--- even though the Mont Pleasant dress code does not mention beaded jewelry as a banned item!

At their Van Corlear school, a note on the website says:

The school has adopted a soldier through Homefront Hugs, a non-profit organization where “no soldier is ever forgotten.” Students have promised to send two care packages and three letters each month to the soldier until he comes home. Students have been collecting items such as cameras, bug spray, playing cards and food items since Christmas for the soldier to make his time away from home a little bit easier.

So, the school district can support the soldiers, just not with red white and blue?

I could not find the quotes on the websites, but there is no search either. The policies page is HERE

Also, what's with the Positive Behavioral Intervention Services stuff??, This sounds like 1984 programming to me!

There is so much happy horse shit (as we used to say) on that website, it's a wonder that anyone in the district has any time to TEACH!!

I'm seeing that with my own kids. All these special programs, and feel-good "modules" have taken away from what the kids are really in school to do -- LEARN. Too many special agendas, and the website I just visited from this article is SCARY! No wonder our kids are depressed, and killing themselves and others! If you had to put up with all this bullshit, some of which is contradictory, and has nothing to do with education, you'd be ready to blow -- or "go postal." It's the same situation that created the "going postal" explosions -- total utter frustration with stupid rules and flat out stupidity, and NO WAY to get away from it, or have it stop.

We are doing this to our kids!

Do you remember the situation in NYC when the first of the Grumman buses hit the streets? The little flashing sign on the front kept saying "have a nice day" and after awhile, it was making people ANGRY. Think about it. Do you want some flashing sign "programming" how you should feel?

Have you looked at your YOUR school's and school districts "agendas" lately?