(A 15-year-old boy ridiculed and threatened over an opinion piece he was assigned to write)
1/25/12
The subject was adoption by gay couples. Two students at Shawano Community High School in Wisconsin, about 50 miles northwest of Green Bay, were asked to write opposing op-ed articles on the topic for the school newspaper. That’s the sort of balanced discourse required in a Democratic Republic, right? Let all points of view be heard and trust the people to choose from among them. It’s precisely the reason for the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech. But this lesson in tolerance and reason turned into a shameful display of political correctness – the sort of thing so-called “liberals” engage in all the time.
The 15-year-old boy who was asked to write in opposition to gay adoption chose to cite passages from the Bible, including verses from Leviticus calling homosexuality “detestable” and punishable by death. Obviously, the boy was not suggesting gays should be killed; his intention was to show that, from a Biblical standpoint, men – and by extension women – having sexual relations with others of their gender is a sin. Maybe you don’t agree. That’s your right. And by the same token, the boy author had the right to cite the Bible in supporting his opposition to gay couples adopting children. But his right was not respected – far from it.
The Shawano High School principal called the boy into his office, where he was subjected to hours of lecturing, ridicule and threats of suspension. This for writing an article with a point of view he was asked to advocate. Turns out the parents of a gay student were offended and complained to the school. Offended? Too bad. If the First Amendment were meant to protect only non-offensive speech it would be superfluous. On the contrary, the guarantee shields all speech, most especially when it involves politics. And, thanks to the Gay Rights movement, human sexuality is very much politicized.
There are a few exceptions to free speech rights. Inciting to riot and threats of physical violence, for example. But the Bible says what it says, and quoting from it is most emphatically protected speech. Unless you want to ban the Bible, of course, which I’m sure the “LGBT” community and others on the Left would favor.
The boy was accused of “bullying” and “intimidation”. Nonsense. He was expressing a legitimate point of view. It was the school principal who acted as the bully, and he should be fired forthwith. The message he sent to his young charges is that any expressed opinions that oppose the tyrannical dialectic of the Left will be punished. It’s simply an outrage.
Millions of Americans draw their convictions from religious faith. Are they to be barred from the marketplace of ideas because supposed “liberals” – who actually behave in anything but a truly liberal way – are offended by traditional morality? If the Shawano High School principal is not censured, at a minimum, it will be a violation of the very principles on which this country was founded, primarily individual liberty and the right to think, believe and speak as one sees fit.
There may well be a lawsuit in the offing and there should be. No public institution, funded by taxpayers, can be allowed to violate fundamental Constitutional rights. The case is a perfect vehicle for putting left-wing fascism on trial and slapping it down hard.
Gays have my tolerance, but not my approval. I find the idea of homosexuals marrying and adopting children abhorrent. Don’t like that? Tough. My beliefs are drawn from the well of Christian faith, not to mention reams of research showing children need both a Mom and a Dad, and while I dare not judge another’s heart or relationship with God, I certainly can discern the quality of actions. That is not judgment, but merely distinguishing between right and wrong behavior. And believe me, I’m as guilty as anyone of sin. That’s why I’m a Christian who relies on grace, unearned favor, as my sole means of reconciliation with God.
The principal of Shawano Community High School should apologize publicly for his despicable actions and be otherwise punished. Anything less is an affront to the freedom of all Americans.
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This entry was posted on January 25, 2012 at 6:00 pm and is filed under Conservative Commentary. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.
Tags: Liberal intolerance, Shawano High School, Student punished for writing an assigned opinion piece
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The Tyranny of “Liberals”
(A 15-year-old boy ridiculed and threatened over an opinion piece he was assigned to write)
1/25/12
The subject was adoption by gay couples. Two students at Shawano Community High School in Wisconsin, about 50 miles northwest of Green Bay, were asked to write opposing op-ed articles on the topic for the school newspaper. That’s the sort of balanced discourse required in a Democratic Republic, right? Let all points of view be heard and trust the people to choose from among them. It’s precisely the reason for the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech. But this lesson in tolerance and reason turned into a shameful display of political correctness – the sort of thing so-called “liberals” engage in all the time.
The 15-year-old boy who was asked to write in opposition to gay adoption chose to cite passages from the Bible, including verses from Leviticus calling homosexuality “detestable” and punishable by death. Obviously, the boy was not suggesting gays should be killed; his intention was to show that, from a Biblical standpoint, men – and by extension women – having sexual relations with others of their gender is a sin. Maybe you don’t agree. That’s your right. And by the same token, the boy author had the right to cite the Bible in supporting his opposition to gay couples adopting children. But his right was not respected – far from it.
The Shawano High School principal called the boy into his office, where he was subjected to hours of lecturing, ridicule and threats of suspension. This for writing an article with a point of view he was asked to advocate. Turns out the parents of a gay student were offended and complained to the school. Offended? Too bad. If the First Amendment were meant to protect only non-offensive speech it would be superfluous. On the contrary, the guarantee shields all speech, most especially when it involves politics. And, thanks to the Gay Rights movement, human sexuality is very much politicized.
There are a few exceptions to free speech rights. Inciting to riot and threats of physical violence, for example. But the Bible says what it says, and quoting from it is most emphatically protected speech. Unless you want to ban the Bible, of course, which I’m sure the “LGBT” community and others on the Left would favor.
The boy was accused of “bullying” and “intimidation”. Nonsense. He was expressing a legitimate point of view. It was the school principal who acted as the bully, and he should be fired forthwith. The message he sent to his young charges is that any expressed opinions that oppose the tyrannical dialectic of the Left will be punished. It’s simply an outrage.
Millions of Americans draw their convictions from religious faith. Are they to be barred from the marketplace of ideas because supposed “liberals” – who actually behave in anything but a truly liberal way – are offended by traditional morality? If the Shawano High School principal is not censured, at a minimum, it will be a violation of the very principles on which this country was founded, primarily individual liberty and the right to think, believe and speak as one sees fit.
There may well be a lawsuit in the offing and there should be. No public institution, funded by taxpayers, can be allowed to violate fundamental Constitutional rights. The case is a perfect vehicle for putting left-wing fascism on trial and slapping it down hard.
Gays have my tolerance, but not my approval. I find the idea of homosexuals marrying and adopting children abhorrent. Don’t like that? Tough. My beliefs are drawn from the well of Christian faith, not to mention reams of research showing children need both a Mom and a Dad, and while I dare not judge another’s heart or relationship with God, I certainly can discern the quality of actions. That is not judgment, but merely distinguishing between right and wrong behavior. And believe me, I’m as guilty as anyone of sin. That’s why I’m a Christian who relies on grace, unearned favor, as my sole means of reconciliation with God.
The principal of Shawano Community High School should apologize publicly for his despicable actions and be otherwise punished. Anything less is an affront to the freedom of all Americans.
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This entry was posted on January 25, 2012 at 6:00 pm and is filed under Conservative Commentary. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.
Tags: Liberal intolerance, Shawano High School, Student punished for writing an assigned opinion piece
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