Sunday, May 7, 2006
Principal bars Coral Springs student from singing anti-Bush song at talent show
A 10-year-old Coral Springs girl won't be allowed to sing a controversial President Bush-bashing ballad at her school talent show after her principal deemed it inappropriate and too political.
The song, Dear Mr. President, performed and co-written by the singer Pink, criticizes the president for the war in Iraq and other policies, including his stance on gay rights.
Link
This probably comes up much more often than we're made aware. In my high school, a band switched their song choice in a talent show and sang Country Joe & The Fish, "Feel Like I'm Fixin' To Die Rag" to thunderous applause from the students and a swift closing of the curtain from the principal. They knew they'd never be able to get permission to sing it so they snuck it in.
Let the 10 year old sing whatever she wants. And if a mini neocon wants to sing something, so be it. Aren't we talking about free speech?
A 10-year-old Coral Springs girl won't be allowed to sing a controversial President Bush-bashing ballad at her school talent show after her principal deemed it inappropriate and too political.
The song, Dear Mr. President, performed and co-written by the singer Pink, criticizes the president for the war in Iraq and other policies, including his stance on gay rights.
Link
This probably comes up much more often than we're made aware. In my high school, a band switched their song choice in a talent show and sang Country Joe & The Fish, "Feel Like I'm Fixin' To Die Rag" to thunderous applause from the students and a swift closing of the curtain from the principal. They knew they'd never be able to get permission to sing it so they snuck it in.
Let the 10 year old sing whatever she wants. And if a mini neocon wants to sing something, so be it. Aren't we talking about free speech?
3 comments:
The thing is, children in public schools have long had curbs on Freedom of Speech. Also Constitutional rights such as freedom from unreasonable personal search and seizure and other things. I'm not saying it's right, but SCOTUS has handed down tons of case law saying basically students in public schools are not entitled to the same full Constitutional rights the public at-large enjoys.
The degree to which rights are curbed is supposed to relate to policy in some way, not just the blanket censoring of political speech, such as here. Political speech enjoys the highest degree of protection. And criticizing the President is not exactly the same as a call to Anarchy or violence. But - they get them usually with that "causing a disruption" bit. School officials can claim pretty much anything even slightly controversial will "cause a disruption.:
...and the land of the free ???
Hiya Charles, Hello Stu--
Selective free speech. I think that's why people are pissed.
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