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Last week, we had a discussion on Craigslist and free speech in relation to the removal of the personal ad section of the website. They did not want to take the risk that they would be linked to a crime.
Some of you said that it blocked free speech because the government changed a rule possibly linking websites to criminal activity. I said Craigslist freely acted to remove the risk of a lawsuit, and were not compelled directly by the government to remove the ads.
A middle school student in Sampson County was suspended over a doodle that showed stick figures holding guns and knives.
The incident happened several weeks ago at Roseboro Salemburg Middle School and the father of the 13-year-old boy said he can’t believe his son received a two-day suspension for what he calls a harmless picture.
“I see a guy in a race car souped-up. I see a tower that he build. I see him holding his gun, he’s a deer hunter. I see him with a magician and I see him as a Ninja Turtle,” James Herring said. “[He’s] just expressing himself, nothing violent.”
...
“Due to everything happening in the nation, we’re just being extra vigilant about all issues of safety,” said Sampson County Schools’ Superintendent Eric Bracy.
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Herring said his son's drawings were made before the shooting at a Parkland, Fla. school that killed 17 people.
In that last statement, I take that to make the drawing was made before, but the suspension was given afterwards.
Is this curbing free speech?
We have a government run school enforcing what can and can't be expressed in a drawing.
This is a tough one, I could see both sides of the argument. In 2018 American, kids are being killed in schools on a somewhat regular basis. So any kid that seems "off" and might be known to have an obsession with guns needs to be reported.
That said, this particular story is about a middle school kid who drew a picture of a stick figure with a gun. Should he be removed from school and have his house raided by SWAT? No, he shouldn't.
I mean, if a middle school kid gets in trouble for drawing a stick figure with a gun, what is next? Are we going to take away his G.I. Joes? Can he no longer watch Transformers because they have guns? Can he not play cops and robbers with his friends in the backyard and use sticks as guns?
That's not true at all. You are believing the media hype. School is still one of the safest places kids can be today.
Agree - it's not a regular basis.
However - with unending coverage of the issue day after day - it puts the issue in our minds every day and the crisis is blown up to larger proportions.
Of course it is trashing free speech. And it is part of the brainwashing that kids go through in public schools.
They are learning to be afraid of PICTURES. The are being trained to see things as BAD. You get in trouble if you draw pictures. Training>brainwashing.
As if that piece of paper can jump up and attack them.
For those that are scared of it: HINT: That piece of paper ... is just a piece of paper.
That's fair. I almost edited my post after reading it to remove "somewhat regular basis." Maybe that is indeed the media hype machine beating me down.
For what it's worth to anyone, I support the second amendment to include the ownership of semi-auto rifles.
We have a Media with a Leftist agenda, and one that likes to inflate controversy for ratings. It is easy to think the sky is falling after watching, or reading any of today's media outlets. If it bleeds, it leads is an old expression, but it is true. Violent crime in the U.S. has been trending down for decades, but the media would have you think it's a war zone other there.
In the many decades on this planet, I have NEVER seen a gun in public other than on a policeman, nor thankfully have I ever witnessed violence, and I've lived in some big cities, in rough neighborhoods.
I think this is an issue that violates free speech. Why?
In another issue - religion - the reason given as to why prayer was removed in school was because it was essentially the government mandating a religion - which they say can't be done.
So if we are calling it a government institution regarding religion and prayer, then we should be consistent in calling it a government institution regarding free speech.
Then how do you handle truly questionable drawings - or instances like Cruz who was obviously disturbed? I think that's when you deal with the person instead of the drawing, and you take the family aside and say - hey, what's going on here, this is not normal.
My impression is that we aren't getting the whole story.
If just a single, or even a couple of drawings were made of say an army guy holding a gun were done by the child and nothing else of concern, then yes, suspending him is ludicrous.
However, if his notebook was filled with page after page of violent drawings with guns, blood, guts and accompanied by written threats or aggressive language, then that is another scenario entirely. With that said, the school should have suggested psychiatric counseling in that scenario, and not just a suspension.
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