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5th Grader Suspended for Anti-Obama T-Shirt

myfoxcolorado.com — Aurora, Colorado - An 11-year-old in Aurora says his first amendment rights are being trampled after he was suspended for wearing a homemade shirt that reads "Obama is a terrorist's best friend."

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  • kebinusan, on 09/23/2008, -24/+45Pretty disgusting... and I am of course referring to another parent using their chidlren to try and make a political statement
    • animalwheeler, on 09/23/2008, -12/+22Just like all the women who use their DEAD children as examples to politically advance their "right to a choice" ?

      Or, I am sure you also are disgusted at the parents who send their kids to school in the "vote Obama" shirts, as well???


      Besides, look at the kids answers, he is using reasoning and awareness of his rights, not just 'regurgitating' daddy's answers.
      • TheNWO, on 09/23/2008, -2/+14I am disgusted by those "babies for Obama" shirts, animal. Parents don't need to indoctrinate their children. They are supposed to teach their kids basic moral values (think 10 commandments) and how to think, as opposed to teaching them what to think. It is wrong to indoctrinate your kid into a political ideology.
      • Minarchian, on 09/23/2008, -11/+6"It is wrong to indoctrinate your kid into a political ideology."

        So it's down to this.

        If you teach your kids about politics you are now "indoctrinating" them.

        You pseudo-cons are truly messed up.
      • TheNWO, on 09/23/2008, -2/+13What's wrong with teaching your kids core values, teaching them how to think critically, and letting them choose their own political ideology themselves when they come of age? Unlike you, I do not think that the best way to raise a kid is to train him or her like you would a dog.
      • dshPls, on 09/23/2008, -5/+9The shirts a little over the top though don't you think? I don't care about political t-shirts on kids, but this one is pretty vile and hurtful. That's not the point though, it's whether the kid has the right to wear the shirt. And from my experiences in school, the administration has no problem disobeying your freedoms.
      • animalwheeler, on 09/23/2008, -5/+4@ TheNWO:
        Teaching core/moral values?

        You exampled the 10 commandments, so you men things like:
        the sanctity of life?
        honoring your parents?
        patriotism of a country?
        the rights granted to us by our Founding Fathers?
        standing up for he believes in, instead of folding by the side and letting it pass?

        I am sure most people would agree these things above are great for kids to know, and be able to make informed decisions as the live their lives.
        But if there is one hint of something someone else does not agree with (abortion/homosexuality/etc), since they are kids they are now labeled "indoctrined". If the kid had sat there and spouted, "that's what my dad told me" or "it what my dad would have me do" I might question it. But his answers show a child who *is* using the brain in his head, to protect the things he has a right to have.
        He was showing his parents have taught him some core values, and also how to stand up for them.
      • rjwusa, on 09/24/2008, -4/+4"It is wrong to indoctrinate your kid into a political ideology."

        Then, who in their right mind would send their kid to public school. Oh, I forgot, that's 'edukashun' not indoctrination, right? Libtards tend to view the works through crap colored glasses.

        I hope the school district gets whipped in court and that the administrators of that school lose their jobs.
      • Spuy767, on 09/24/2008, -0/+4I'm gonna put it to a vote that we stop using the terms lib/right + tard.
      • Veriander, on 09/24/2008, -0/+2@Spuy767, agreed! It would be nice if Digg became a place where people shared thoughts and ideas instead of an ideological battleground.
    • Minarchian, on 09/23/2008, -10/+5"I am of course referring to another parent using their chidlren to try and make a political statement"

      It is the parents duty and responsibility to teach their children about their families' world-view, on politics or anything else.

      Do you honestly think it's up to government to instill what government considers to be the correct way to think?
    • ConanMayerFan, on 09/23/2008, -3/+4that's stupid.... what's a little kid know about politics? half the "'young adults" don't even know why they're voting for the canididate. The little kid is influenced by his parents, so this is just stupid
      • rjwusa, on 09/24/2008, -2/+4So, you're saying that a fifth grader is ignorant or stupid? When I was in the fifth grade, Jimmy Carter was running for president. I knew fully well that he was a democrat and that he was manipulating the minds of his numb-skull supporters by using a t-shirt and bumper stickers with his image on them, while in long hair and wearing a beard. The caption said; J.C. can save us! I knew in the fifth grade that Jimmy Carter was absurd then, and I am sure in today's information age, a fifth grader today is capable of, and well aware that Obama is absurd today. Don't sell this kid short. He may not have an in depth grasp of politics, but he may have a good idea of conservative core values and who does and does not represent them. The only young adults I know of who know absolutely nothing about politics are the liberal children or liberal adults. They tend to take after their libtard parents in ignorance.
      • caederus, on 09/24/2008, -1/+2This spring my 5 year old liked 2 candidates: Barack Obama, and Mike Huckabee. I could see him wearing a t-shirt for either one, because of all the candidates they had the funniest names.
  • CTRaiderThe1st, on 09/23/2008, -9/+31Schools consistently try the "it's a disruption" excuse. Most of the time it doesn't work.
    http://www.uscourts.gov/outreach/topics/firstamend ...
    • 5celery, on 09/23/2008, -5/+11Yeah - what could be distracting about terrorist threat T-Shirts? Liberal baby killing Obamabots, the lot of 'em.
    • AriaStar, on 09/23/2008, -1/+9The school made this a disruption, not the kid. Their fault.
      • sbader, on 09/23/2008, -2/+4Well the t-shirt could have caused fights amongst the students, and then that would have been disruptive to the learning environment. The article really only states the boy and his father's side of the argument.
      • SpankkBankk, on 09/23/2008, -2/+2Sbader hes in 5th grade.... not too many political 5th graders out there that would start fights...
      • sbader, on 09/23/2008, -0/+3Well if a 5th grader is political enough to wear a political shirt to school then it stands to reason that there is probably another 5th grader out there who is political with an opposite view.
      • CTRaiderThe1st, on 09/23/2008, -1/+1@sbader, The key here is COULD have (from your 1st post above). I'm sure teachers are not qualified to determine thought crime. Now if the teacher observed a heated discussion between this student and another they should watch out for signs that it could escalate and stop it. If none of that happens then there are no rules broken.
      • sbader, on 09/23/2008, -0/+3Which just further illustrates the point that we don't know what really happened cause we only heard one side of the story.
  • Minarchian, on 09/23/2008, -14/+39"Paperwork submitted by the school district says Daxx Dalton was not suspended for wearing the shirt, but for willful disobedience and defiance."

    Here's a great example of Orwellian doublespeak.

    He refused to give up his Right to freedom of expression and the school knows they have no legal authority to thwart that. So, instead of saying they didn't like the shirt, which they can't say, they say he was disobedient in not taking it off. The ignorance boggles the mind, these are teachers ya know.

    My first thought is "what are these people teaching the kids in this school?". To be good little Obamaranians?
    • ThinkOutTheBox, on 09/23/2008, -2/+5Yea pretty much not necessarily Obamaranians, but to be uneducated workers not thinkers.

      To quote John D. Rockefeller who's idea it was to set up the NEA(National Education Association):

      "I don't want a nation of thinkers, I want a nation of workers"

      So in the article when the kids father said that the school is filled with liberal loons he's right.
      • Minarchian, on 09/23/2008, -2/+4Thanks for the quote.

        It's like George Carlins:

        "They don't want critical thinkers. They want people who are just smart enough to run the machines and do their jobs, but not smart enough to ask critical questions"

        How many times have you heard someone say that schools are for creating a good work force? The mention of it turns my stomach.
  • TheNWO, on 09/23/2008, -14/+17As much as I agree with the sentiment, that shirt was indecent. Weren't many of the same people complaining about this shirt complaining about coed naked shirts 10 years ago? The school did the right thing by asking the kid to take off the shirt, turn it inside out, or face suspension.
    • KJeffV, on 09/23/2008, -0/+4I believe the fault goes deeper than this: WHY in the wide, wide world o' sports are we even considering ANY politicizing in grade-school? 5th graders should deeply involved in US history, basic civics, heavy math in prep f/algebra & geometry, quick-reading/comprehension skills, etc IN PREPARATION FOR a time to arrive shortly when they will be old enough & interested enough to form a responsible opinion. Wanna build their rhetoric/logic/thinking skills? Hold a "mock" election—in hindsight, of course—f/any mid-19th C PotUS election . . . along w/the appro, homemade T-shirt, if desired. Doesn't THAT satisfy all the requirements f/an interesting & involving class project?

      Put uniforms on`em and you'll get rid of this prob. Next, go back to educational basics as mentioned. Of course, parents will influence their offspring at home—on many issues. This is as it should be, but leave it at home until students have built up enough of a knowledge base that anyone in the universe would be willing to hear them on issues such as these. On a personal note, I blame pubic [not a typo] "education."
      • Coven, on 09/23/2008, -0/+6Jeff, for once you and I are in complete agreement. Well said.
      • KJeffV, on 09/23/2008, -0/+6Why . . . I'm almost speechless. Thank you.

        Is this "the end of the internets?"
      • Coven, on 09/23/2008, -0/+5Fire and brimstone coming down from the sky! Rivers and seas boiling! Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes! The dead rising from the grave! Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together - MASS HYSTERIA!
      • novaculus, on 09/23/2008, -0/+4A pig just flew by my window.
    • dshPls, on 09/23/2008, -6/+6If it was an atheist parent putting an atheist message on their child's shirt this douchebag dad would be singing a different toon. Even better, a pro-abortion shirt, I'm sure he'd be first in line defending 1st amendment rights then.
  • grendel, on 09/23/2008, -13/+8Let's send out kids to school with this shirt.
    "McCain doesn't care about Black People."

    Freedom of speech right?
    • Minarchian, on 09/23/2008, -2/+11Why not?

      Freedom of speech is not just for speech you agree with.

      But in this particular school my hunch tells me they would get a high grade in their civics class for doing that shirt.
    • anelajett, on 09/23/2008, -2/+9Grendel, who cares if a kid goes > school with a "McCain doesn't care about Black People" tee??

      That (and a lot worse) has already been broadcast on national TV with no reprisals - - worse, the left salivate at commentary like this.

      A teeshirt worn by 1 school kid seems pretty tame when you think about it those terms, regardless what the statement is.
    • ThinkOutTheBox, on 09/23/2008, -1/+2That is right Freedom of Speech is freedom of speech, but if the person gets their face kicked in because of what they said then it's your fault.
      • MrFurious2k, on 09/24/2008, -1/+1I'm sorry, but just because they said something you disagreed with does not provide license to "kick them in the face" and then declare it was "their fault". I understood what you were trying to say in that a person should be free to speak, but also free to suffer the repercussions of that speech. However, let's be clear that violence is not an acceptable form of retaliation. We are talking about children here.
    • PolishLogic, on 09/23/2008, -1/+1Right.
  • Jashobeam5, on 09/23/2008, -15/+36If the shirt had insulted Bush or a shirt proclaiming big corporations to be killing the earth the kid probably would have been given an A for civic duty. Is there no end to the hypocrisy of the left? They believe in protesting in any manner decent or otherwise unless someone is protesting something they are for.
    • TheNWO, on 09/23/2008, -11/+10What the hell are you rambling on about? The right would've been up in arms and you do not know whether that school would punish a kid for a similar shirt against Republicans. The article provides no such example. I have seen example after example of kids from both sides wearing offensive t-shirts to school being punished after refusing to turn them inside out, and each time whichever side that kid is on goes ***** over freedom of speech.

      You can argue that the kid is being forced to go to this school I guess, but there really has to be standards of decency in schools. Haven't conservatives been pushing for decency?
    • dshPls, on 09/23/2008, -5/+3This hypocrisy you speak of is all concocted in your theoretical kingdom, it has no merit to the argument.
    • DeskFlyer, on 09/24/2008, -1/+3http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Midwest/02/19/antibush. ...
    • borninda818, on 09/24/2008, -1/+3RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE!!!
  • USNavyBlue, on 09/23/2008, -19/+12First off - the shirt was inappropriate. However, the school could have called the parents to bring him another one. But NO - they suspended this child. For what? Incorrect political views?

    This attitude of BO supporters and their ilk seems to be getting worse everyday - they threaten, bully, racially intimidate anyone who "criticizes" the brown "Messiah". You think its bad now? Imagine if BO makes the White House? Criticize the brown Messiah and have federal domestic Terrorist Charges to be brought on you and you will end up in a Federal prison for "hate speech" that is if his angry racist supporters don't lynch you first!
    • btschul, on 09/24/2008, -0/+4How was the shirt inappropriate?
      • USNavyBlue, on 09/24/2008, -2/+2Because it does display "political views" which the schools should be focusing on the 3 R's not politics. Again I understand the hypocrisy in the public schools, the teachers don't really give a rats ass about the education they receive. Instead it is the NEA Union and their teachers that keep the environment in public schools political. That is the irony of it all. That is why my child is NOT in a public indoctrination center in the first place.

        However, like I said he should NOT have been suspended over it. And if he had the same shirt with McCain written on it instead of NoObama than the same rules should still apply - call the parents and have them bring a new shirt in - but DON'T suspend the child. That is just stupid.
      • btschul, on 09/24/2008, -0/+4Political views are not inappropriate.
  • michael43, on 09/23/2008, -21/+30Reminds me of the TV show "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?" . Evidently, obamanites are not.
    • DCMacHead, on 09/23/2008, -4/+13Looking forward to seeing how smart Obama is without his teleprompter on Friday.
      • btschul, on 09/24/2008, -2/+10We already know - "I've been in, ummm 57 states states, so far. They won't let me go to Hawaii and Alaska."
  • DuggDowner, on 09/23/2008, -16/+10Good riddance. Elementary school is not the place for political debates. Of course all these rightards cry now, but if the kid had been wearing an anti-Palin shirt they'd be leading the lynch mobs.
    • PuterPrsn, on 09/23/2008, -5/+11What happened to "sent home to change"? Why suspension?
      • sbader, on 09/23/2008, -1/+6he was given the opportunity to turn the shirt inside out or change it.
    • vexingmodstwo, on 09/23/2008, -2/+8DuggDowner says this while probably being one of those kids with a Che t-shirt in kindergarten.
      • DuggDowner, on 09/23/2008, -9/+2Vex says this while wearing women's clothes in his parents' basement.
  • linuxdad, on 09/23/2008, -15/+21The problem is that Obama has been endorsed by Hezbolah, Qaddafi, and Iranian clerics. Qaddafi has supposedly denounced terrorism, but the others are very well entrenched in the vile Mohammad (HBUH) type deeds. The tee-shirt should of read "Obama Endorsed by Terrorists" then that would of been 100% true.
    • DCMacHead, on 09/23/2008, -0/+2Interesting Qaddafi article:

      http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6192630.stm
    • btschul, on 09/24/2008, -2/+5Actually, it is entirely accurate. Obama is good friends with Bill Ayer, a man who bombed the pentagon.
      • gwayo, on 09/24/2008, -2/+3Um, no. We have gone over this over and over. "Entirely accurate" seems to refer to your news source of choice. Hamas has said clearly that they see McCain and Obama and Bush as the same. Not sure that's a complement. Why do you guys just parrot the same stuff you read on WorldNetDaily over and over?
      • btschul, on 09/24/2008, -0/+2You confirmed that my news source is entirely accurate? Thanks. And yes, the statement "Obama; A Terrorists best friend" is entirely accurate because he is friends with an actual terrorist. William Ayers (sorry for the misspelling in the first comment). William Ayers has bombed government buildings. And Obama is friends with him. Therefore, Obama is friends with terrorists (The "s" on the end of terrorists is accurate because Ayers wife is also a terrorist). In case that was too complicated for you (I know you have a lot of Obama's empty campaign slogans taking up most of the room in your head), I'll put it into a simple equation for you:

        Obama = friends with William Ayers
        William Ayers = Terrorist
        Therefore:
        Obama = friends with terrorist.

        Get it?
  • PuterPrsn, on 09/23/2008, -7/+12OK. In what way was this shirt "interrupting the learning environment"?

    In our school district, the parents have spoken: NO shirts without collars, NO shirts without sleeves, shirts must be tucked in, and be plain colors. That takes care of just about any problems - we have no political shirts, no "naked lady" shirts, no music band shirts of any type, no bared bellies, no spaghetti straps, tank tops, etc. There's nothing anyone can complain about (except, of course, the kids complain about their "freedom of dress"). We also don't have much in the way of fighting over someone's opinion of rock bands, emo bands, rappers, political leanings, worries about early letchers, etc. The parents love it.
  • linuxdad, on 09/23/2008, -17/+24I just emailed the principle of the school: kskeller@aps.k12.co.us

    The tee-shirt should of read "Terrorists endorse Obama" since they actually do.
    A List of his Supporters:

    [1] Daniel Ortega has endorsed Obama.[4]

    [2] Obama paid staffers display Che Guevara face on flags.[5] I thought Che was a Marxist?

    source: http://rycksrationalizations.blogtownhall.com/2008 ...

    [3] Fidel Castro endorses Clinton/Obama ticket[6]

    [4] Barack is a good friend of William Ayers, bomber, radical activist and member of theWeatherman “"I don't regret setting bombs" and "I feel we didn't do enough"[7]

    [5] North Korea endorses Obama.[8]

    [6] Hamas endorses Obama.[9]

    [7] Hezbollah endorses Obama.[10]

    [8] Iran endorses Obama. [11]
  • Timborako, on 09/23/2008, -12/+3Would people have the same opinion of the situation if instead an obama supporter's kid was suspended for wearing a "McCain: a terrorists best friend" shirt? Probably not. You probably wouldn't think twice about not defending his "freedom of speech."

    I agree with kebinusan that primary school, 5th grade for god's sake, is not a place for political statements, especially when they are inflammatory and invoke ideas of terrorist. Its really disgusting that parents, both conservative and liberal there's a lot of blame to go around, try to use their kids as vehicles for their own views. Kids in general have been proven to side with whatever political party their parents are part of, so its not really the kid's "speech" any way. Yeah it looks like he made the shirt, but who gave him the statement, "Obama = terrorist?"
    • wishninja, on 09/23/2008, -2/+1straw man
    • btschul, on 09/24/2008, -2/+1A shirt that said "McCain: a terrorists best friend", it would be libel.

      McCain's terrorist friends/supporters:
      *cricket noise

      Obama's Terrorist supporters/friends:

      Daniel Ortega

      Fidel Castro

      William Ayers

      North Korea

      Hamas

      Hezbollah

      Iran

      Free speech doesn't apply to libel.
  • Cosmo96, on 09/23/2008, -9/+3Though I agree with what the shirt says, elementary school should not be the place for any politics.

    A child I know of was told by her 5th grade teacher that Gov. Palin shouldn't be running because she has a baby with Down syndrome
  • anelajett, on 09/23/2008, -9/+3Many of you have seen / worn pot leaf teeshirts (or other offensive tees sold online or at oceanside boardwalk stores); 'most' school officials don't consider these tees offensive. Nor does Hollyweird consider their leftist drivel, broadcast daily on national tv, offensive (i.e. President Bush hates black people).

    Why then, does (1) school kid who wears an anti-Obama tee get reprimanded?

    Is it free speech or not?

    Before answering, consider budget-strapped school systems shelling out thousands of dollars over frivolous lawsuits. Offensive tees CAN be a form of blackmail - - give me money or suffer bad publicity. Let's not set a dangerous precedent here.
    • wishninja, on 09/23/2008, -1/+2You think they allow kids to wear pot leaf tee shirts to high school? What school is that I want to send my kid to that school.
      • anelajett, on 09/24/2008, -1/+1wishninja, you obviously lack basic comprehension skills...let me SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU:

        at some point in time (over the years), numerous school kids have worn offensive teeshirts > school (be it a pot leaf, a caution sign with stick figures having sex, xyz band sucks dick, whatever); the majority of those kids are never reprimanded by school officials. therefore, a kid wearing a political anti-obama tee should not be reprimanded either. 'offensive' is subjective and we the people, have the right to free speech.

        also, there are MANY who do things like this on purpose, just to say their civil liberties were violated, so they can bring a bogus lawsuit against the state (a con game for $$).

        get it now idiot...btw, have your parents ask for a refund on that college education, ok?
      • wishninja, on 09/24/2008, -1/+1Every school I have ever been in would indeed be "reprimanded" in a heartbeat for wearing a pot leaf tee shirt.

        There is no way in hell a judge would ever hear a case where a school is being sued for a student wearing an offensive shirt.

        There in no possible way that there are people out there gaining money off of wearing wearing offensive shirts to school.

        You have zero examples to back up such a claim. Because this scenario only exists in whatever juvenile world you exist in.

        Get therapy physco.
      • anelajett, on 09/25/2008, -1/+1"No way in hell a judge would ever hear a case..."
        "No possible way ppl gain $$ wearing offensive shirts..."

        Zero examples? Keep showing your ignorance on this thread, ok - -

        * 2004 student awarded $30,000 lawsuit against NYC
        http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/04/03/025302. ...

        * 2007 A federal appeals court listened to arguments today to determine whether or not a high school student will be allowed to wear the banned anti-gay t-shirt ‘Be Happy, Not Gay’
        http://www.banshirts.com/suspended-t-shirt/be-gay- ...

        * 2008 The federal district judge ruled in the past that Harper’s freedom of speech are not protected when at school.
        http://www.banshirts.com/suspended-t-shirt/student ...

        * 2008 ACLU files brief in U.S. District Court on behalf of Naperville student
        http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2008/02/20/news ...

        * 2004 Lyons has supported himself by filing frivolous lawsuits for years. For example, parents in the neo-Confederate movement are told to send their children>school wearing tees from Dixie Outfitters that depict black people picking cotton in front of a big Confederate flag. When, as foreseen, the students are disciplined, Lyons shows up to file a lawsuit claiming they have been discriminated against.
        http://silverrights.blogspot.com/2004_02_22_silver ...









  • IVillageIdiot, on 09/23/2008, -8/+9One more reason Homeschooling should be employed on a massive scale....
    • keymanjim3, on 09/23/2008, -4/+8That would make the teaches unions obsolete.
      Then who would indoctrinate our children?
    • niradg, on 09/23/2008, -3/+4Spoken like a true village idiot. I guess basic deceny is too hard for Republicans to follow, so you have to retreat from society. And then pesky things like scientific facts and logic get in the way of what Republicans want to teach their children. Seriously, do you people realize how utterly crazy, maladjusted and just plain stupid you sound?
    • zephyear, on 09/23/2008, -2/+3ah yes, because we need more children shielded from any opposing viewpoints
      • IVillageIdiot, on 09/24/2008, -4/+3Opposing views point like.....
        Socialism is Ok, it just hasn't been tried by the "correct" society, yet...

        like....
        "Give me four years to teach the children, and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted." --Vladimir Ilich Lenin

        like....
        "Destroy the family, you destroy the country." --Vladimir Ilich Lenin

        like....
        "Our program necessarily includes the propaganda of atheism." --Vladimir Ilich Lenin

        like....
        "The press should be not only a collective propagandist and a collective agitator, but also a collective organizer of the masses." --Vladimir Ilich Lenin

        like.....
        "When a revolutionary party has not the support of a majority either among the vanguard of the revolutionary class or among the rural population, there can be no question of a rising. A rising must have not only the majority, but must have the incoming revolutionary tide over the whole country, the complete moral and political bankruptcy of the old regime--and a deep-seated sense of insecurity among all these irresolute elements." --Vladimir Ilich Lenin

        like.....
        "Cause the registration of all firearms on some pretext, with the view of confiscating them and leaving the population defenseless." --Vladimir Ilich Lenin


        Thanks... Comrade... but we're all out of toilet paper today... you'll have to go somewhere else....


    • Kizilbash, on 09/24/2008, -2/+1I'm sure the Chinese agree. More homeschooling in the US. Less competition.
  • Wolfanoz, on 09/23/2008, -0/+2I used to be all for those New Kids Suck shirts back in the day. Kids and their politics, sheesh.
  • BadgerDigger, on 09/23/2008, -8/+17Where is the ACLU? Oh, wait, they are for Obama so I don't expect them to be anywhere near that city/state.
    • wishninja, on 09/23/2008, -1/+1they already got shot down by the conservative court on this one. If your not allowed to have a bong hits for Jesus sign after school then what makes you think you can have a shirt like this?
  • pjr12345, on 09/23/2008, -4/+8Part of me wants to cheer on this kid and his dad. However, part of me wants the politicization of schools to end. Given the liberal indoctrination attempts occurring daily at schools throughout the nation, I am going with the first part.
  • theshovler, on 09/23/2008, -9/+6Loving the Digg Hippos hard at work today. Obama is a terrorists best friend. Just ask a terrorist whom they would rather have in office.

    Get ready folks for Barak Obama Day. Where we celebrate the Nations first black president. ugg... I am paying for so many damn holidays and handouts already no wonder corporations are moving over seas.
  • human22, on 09/23/2008, -6/+6I am truly surprised to read over and over in your comments that you believe it was OK for this child to wear such a shirt. And that you would applaud the father for allowing his child to be insubordinate toward his teachers and school officials. My parents would certainly never have allowed that kind of behavior.
    • _jinx_, on 09/23/2008, -3/+4you speak truth,

      this isn't even about the shirt anymore but about the fact that an 11 year old 5th grader is wearing a t-shirt preaching something he knows nothing about. these are elementary school children not high school or college students.
      • Sonan, on 09/24/2008, -0/+1Thumbs up x 10!
        Unfortunately though, I could only click it once.
    • niradg, on 09/23/2008, -4/+1When you don't have logic or reason on your side, you need to indoctrinate kids early.
      • IVillageIdiot, on 09/24/2008, -2/+3And that's why you have a Teachers Union and curriculum generated by left-wing nutjobs appointed to the Department of Education ready to go on day one, so no one notices what's happening and a bunch of logicless, assumption driven fools will buy into anything you might want to teach them as early as possible...

        Like teaching 5 year old "proper sex education".....
  • jd33, on 09/23/2008, -4/+11Bottom Line:

    A good father would not let his 5th grade kid wear a shirt like that to school, no matter who's side you're on.
    • niradg, on 09/23/2008, -4/+7As you can see from most of the comments here, clearly most Republicans are not good fathers. No decent person would find this appropriate.
      • Panzwhore, on 09/24/2008, -4/+3Hey *****,
        "Most republicans are not good fathers."
        I know my fair share of republican fathers and they did a damn good job of raising their children. So next time you are going to say something stupid, just keep it to yourself.
      • iceman0113, on 09/24/2008, -2/+4@Panzwhore

        You should keep it to yourself. I mean the first words you typed were "Hey *****." Bet your Dad's proud of raising a rude kid.
      • Sonan, on 09/24/2008, -2/+2I hate to generalize, but iceman0113 does have a good point. It's rare to find republicans who aren't easily fired up and confrontational. Or have names like Panzwhore.
  • wishninja, on 09/23/2008, -5/+2Sleep now in the fire rightists.
  • rebotfc, on 09/23/2008, -6/+8if the child had sincerely held beliefs that lead him to think that Obama was a friend of terrorism then, although I reject that conclusion entirely, the person should be able to express those beliefs.

    HOWEVER... it is patently obvious that this kid knows nothing about the meaning on the shirt, what the ramifications are, or what evidence it is based on. In short, the kid has been made to wear it by their parents. This is despicable. There is no great difference between what these parents have done and what scum like the Westboro Baptist Church do with their "God Hates Fags" signage.

    This is not about freedom of speech it is about recklessly endangering a child, by parents who want to cause disruption and offence on purpose. The school was right.




  • zephyear, on 09/23/2008, -3/+8i love how he's ***** claiming free speech and rights. in a public school when you're a minor you don't have those because turns out in the 60s conservatives didn't like teen hippies wearing anti war shirts

  • PolishLogic, on 09/23/2008, -2/+2It doesn't surprise me. During the time building up to, and during Gulf War I was a senior in high school, and we weren't allowed to wear anything that might be construed as any sort of pro or anti sentiment. This extended to anything bearing the American flag.
  • osko2052, on 09/24/2008, -5/+4Kinda reminds me of my daughter's friend being suspended. They showed "An Inconvenient Truth" in class. The boy said it was all a lie. He was suspended for one day.
    • kraant, on 09/24/2008, -2/+2He really should have been kept back a year instead.
  • hockeyplayer66, on 09/24/2008, -2/+7This is inaccurate. The student was suspended because he created a disruption in the school, not because he wore an anti Obama shirt. He was screaming at some other kid on the playground and in class who didn't agree with his shirt. His sister wore an anti-Obama shirt on the same day and wasn't suspended at all because it didn't cause a disruption. The dress code is very clear on this. You can wear whatever you want as long as it doesn't cause a disruption in class. My kids go to school to learn not debate politics. They can do that in college when they can form their own opinions.
  • LibertyForever, on 09/24/2008, -3/+6Why do I get that feeling that a Bush-hater T-shirt would have been perfectly kosher at that school, and there wouldn't have been any big stink about it?
    • Kizilbash, on 09/24/2008, -3/+2I would have to say it most likely is because you are an idiot.
  • barryiggins, on 09/24/2008, -1/+2 Although I see this submission is merely being used as an excuse for petty partisan bickering here on digg, I dugg it up anyway. I'll just say I support the kid's right to wear whatever kind of t-shirt he wants. Sure I think the sentiment expressed on said t-shirt is laughable right wing propaganda--"satire incarnate" in spite of itself, as Mark Twain would say; but, hell, he could wear a swastika if he wanted for all I care; might even foster some healthy discussion about history. Thats what free speech is all about.

    On another note, how about the school forcing all the kids to come dressed in red, white and blue to be "patriotic" in the first place? wtf? That should piss you off as well, regardless of your political party
  • EasyE888, on 09/24/2008, -1/+3It looks like it was written in blood...and yes, he has the right to wear it.
  • animalwheeler, on 09/24/2008, -0/+5I am soooooo glad that the people here have faith in the kids we have growing up now.
    Y'all act as if a 5th grader is unable to create an opinion (so what then, does this say about the current state of our liberal Public Schools). Seriously? When I was in the 5th grade, I had PLENTY of opinions, just ask my parents. And if this kids parents are active politically, this kid will know more politically. Just like a kid who has parents who are, lets say, an interior decorator, the kid will know more about color compliments and how to brighten a room. it's what the parents do and talk about.
    And it seems most here are just upset, and calling that is "indoctrinating"(sp?) by the parents, because you disagree with that point of view.

    So let me get this straight to make sure I understand: A 5th grade kid *cannot* form a political opinion. That is BAD.
    But an "adult" (and I use that word loosely for many people), who formed their voting opinion by one 'news' show they saw on NBC/CBS/ABC (and usually over one issue), and is voting the way the correspondents told them too, is fully capable of having a political opinion. That is GOOD.
    Did I miss something here??

    Now I agree we can argue that political things should not be in the classroom, but to say this kid is incapable of doing so? c'mon people.
  • ThoughtfulWi, on 09/24/2008, -0/+4Stupidity all the way around. Stupidity of the schools for not formulating and maintaining unambiguous dress codes. Stupidity of the father for sending his son to school with a specific intent to cause trouble. And stupidity of whoever made the decision to suspend the boy unless he changed the shirt. That does violate his rights in today's world. As for all of you ACLU bashers, you should educate yourselves. I have no doubt the ACLU would gladly take this case, and represent the boy. They have taken and won similiar cases in the past. But they have to be asked. The simple solution to this time wasting crap is to reintroduce uniforms for all students.
  • LilPuke, on 09/24/2008, -0/+0I'm sure he could have easily bought one preprinted with that message, it wasn't that original. The magic marker effect didn't really work for me. I imagine that that kid would have had a pretty rough lunch and recess if the school hadn't stepped in and saved his bacon. And, unless the kid was a jerk about being called to the carpet about his shirt, he shouldn't have been suspended. Inside out was always good enough when I was in school.
  • exgop, on 09/24/2008, -3/+5Public schools are nothing more than indoctrination centers. Teachers suck.
  • MrFurious2k, on 09/24/2008, -0/+3As much as I believe in free speech, I think it's been pretty well established that Schools are free to declare their own dress code. If the shirt violates that, then the school has the ability to ask the child to leave or remove it. If the kid becomes belligerent in that process, then he risks punishment. I'm not arguing the validity of this, only that as long as a school treats people equally to those standards they've been able to uphold their ability to define they dress code.

    The problem is in the unequal application of the dress code. If the child had been wearing a campaign T-shirt (for either candidate), I doubt there would have been a problem. It was the controversial nature of the slogan on the shirt that got him in trouble. Since schools have been fairly lax in application of their policies, they now risk looking like they're anti-free speech. Their claims of "disruption" generally fall to the wayside while people debate whether or not the school was intending to block free speech.

    As much as I'd like to see classrooms not being used to endorse any sort of politics, I'm afraid that opportunity is long gone and the best we can do is to prevent favoritism or discrimination based on politics. In this case, the school should establish and maintain a future policy if they intend to prevent people (like this child) from wearing shirts like that. Once established, they need to be vigilant and equal about maintaining it
    • Veriander, on 09/24/2008, -0/+2Excellent thought. I'd go one further -- school uniforms. The poor kids and the rich kids would all look alike. Can you imagine the hit that the fashion industry would take if kids couldn't wear the lates 'in' clothes, shoes, and gear?
  • socketman, on 09/25/2008, -1/+1As a colorado resident, these people are pissing me off. It would be so wrong if CO went blue this election season...
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