Ban The Confederate Flag from schools?

[Speed of Sound]

http://www.readingeagle.com/re/lead/1429707.asp

I open up my local paper this morning and this is what I see. I was stunned. Its been driving me crazy all day. How can they ban a flag?!? It was a freaking nation!!! Besides for 100+ years the American flag stood for slavery too! and indian slaughter! This is bullcrap IMO.

What do you think?

[Emsworth]

Schools are not enclaves of totalitarianism. Certainly, the wearing of Confederate desings should not be prohibited. To declare that the Confederate Flag is a symbol of racism, and nothing more, is taking a very narrow and parochial view. It is offensive to some, yes, but people do not have a right to not be offended.

[Ebowed]

I strongly oppose banning the Confederate flag.  It is not a symbol of racism unless one chooses to interpret it that way.  I would never fly one but any efforts to take away rights of other people to do so are fascist.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

Yes, though I fear that banning such a symbol may cause more of a rift and more problems than it solves.  That being said, I will not cry over a traitor banner being banned.  Students don't have a right to wear what they want, they should wear appropriate garments for a learning environment.

Call me when real rights are being infringed upon.

[Richard]

No.  It is a great symbol that should be flown with pride.  It should be made mandatory that all schools in states in the former Confederacy should fly the confederate flag beside the State flag in front of the building.

[AuH2O]

I think the fact schools in PA, MN, IL, etc. are banning the confederate flag says a lot more than the debate over whether they can/should do it.

Of course, since the flag itself is a backlash against postmodernism, political correctness, and multiculturalism, banning it is a statement of pure fear by the left.

Not that everyone wearing some pictorial of it is in fact making a political statement, but that is the root of its popularity. It's not as if people don't know what it is; regardless of your view of the flag, it's a symbol of rebellion first and foremost.

One of the more underrated components of discourse and language is symbolism. In terms of linguistics that would mean verbal symbols, but visual symbols are likewise very powerful.

[A18]

The Confederate Flag should be raised next to the United States flag all across the South, and in DC as well. Primarily to irritate people, I admit.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

The Confederate Flag should be raised next to the United States flag all across the South, and in DC as well. Primarily to irritate people, I admit.

The Confederate flag should be burned everywhere to remind people what happens to people who betray this country.

[AuH2O]

The Confederate Flag should be raised next to the United States flag all across the South, and in DC as well. Primarily to irritate people, I admit.

The Confederate flag should be burned everywhere to remind people what happens to people who betray this country.

Apparently Northerners aren't getting the message, since they are flying it proudly.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

The Confederate Flag should be raised next to the United States flag all across the South, and in DC as well. Primarily to irritate people, I admit.

The Confederate flag should be burned everywhere to remind people what happens to people who betray this country.

Apparently Northerners aren't getting the message, since they are flying it proudly.

Burn it there too.  Obviously John Kerry and Cindy Sheehan haven't yet learned the lesson of what happens to traitors.  The United States of America will always prevail over despots and traitors.

Well, maybe they did learn their lesson.  Kerry lost, and Sheehan was arrested

[John Dibble]

The Confederate Flag should be raised next to the United States flag all across the South, and in DC as well. Primarily to irritate people, I admit.

The Confederate flag should be burned everywhere to remind people what happens to people who betray this country.

Apparently Northerners aren't getting the message, since they are flying it proudly.

Burn it there too.  Obviously John Kerry and Cindy Sheehan haven't yet learned the lesson of what happens to traitors.  The United States of America will always prevail over despots and traitors.

Well, maybe they did learn their lesson.  Kerry lost, and Sheehan was arrested

I don't see how Kerry is a traitor(I could see an argument on how Sheehan is though, though I don't really agree), and Sheehan wanted to be arrested.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

The Confederate Flag should be raised next to the United States flag all across the South, and in DC as well. Primarily to irritate people, I admit.

The Confederate flag should be burned everywhere to remind people what happens to people who betray this country.

Apparently Northerners aren't getting the message, since they are flying it proudly.

Burn it there too.  Obviously John Kerry and Cindy Sheehan haven't yet learned the lesson of what happens to traitors.  The United States of America will always prevail over despots and traitors.

Well, maybe they did learn their lesson.  Kerry lost, and Sheehan was arrested

I don't see how Kerry is a traitor(I could see an argument on how Sheehan is though, though I don't really agree), and Sheehan wanted to be arrested.

He provided aid and comfort to the enemies of the United States of America in lying about the activities of the United States military during the war in Vietnam.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

Students don't have a right to wear what they want,

"Congress shall make no law..."

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

Students don't have a right to wear what they want,

"Congress shall make no law..."

This isn't Congress.  This is the Schuylkill Valley School district.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

This isn't Congress.  This is the Schuylkill Valley School district.

If it's a public school, it's an arm of the government.

[Ebowed]

I agree with Bandit here.  He's right.

[Emsworth]

Students don't have a right to wear what they want,

"Congress shall make no law..."

This isn't Congress.  This is the Schuylkill Valley School district.

The Fourteenth Amendment provides: "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States."

The purpose of this clause was to prevent the states from denying any right guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. Freedom of speech is one of the "privileges or immunities" enjoyed by every citizen; a school district (an arm of the state government) may not abridge it, any more than Congress.

He provided aid and comfort to the enemies of the United States of America in lying about the activities of the United States military during the war in Vietnam.

That does not constitute "aid or comfort." In the words of Sir William Blackstone, one is guilty of adhering to enemies, giving them aid and comfort, "by giving them intelligence, by sending them provisions, by selling them arms, by treacherously surrendering a fortress, or the like"--all serious and substantive actions, not by mere speech.

Furthermore, in 1629, the common-law judges of England declared, interpreting English treason law (which uses essentially the same words as the Constitution), as follows: "that though the words were as wicked as might be, yet they were no treason: for ... no words will be treason." To quote Blackstone further: "As therefore there can be nothing more equivocal and ambiguous than words, it would indeed by unreasonable to make them amount to high treason."

[Speed of Sound]

banning it is a statement of pure fear by the left.

which is why im leading the local protest in my school to ensure that it nevers happens in in my High School

[True Democrat]

Ban it from schools no.

Ban public buildings from flying it, yes.  I know this is kind of anti-free speech of me, but that's just what I support.

[Speed of Sound]

Ban it from schools no.

Ban public buildings from flying it, yes.  I know this is kind of anti-free speech of me, but that's just what I support.

hey you changed your avatar! .........again j/k

[AuH2O]

banning it is a statement of pure fear by the left.

which is why im leading the local protest in my school to ensure that it nevers happens in in my High School

Smart. Too bad for you most leftists are too indoctrinated to pursue rational strategies.

And, in the scheme of things, it's only a small reflection of the underlying trend. Keeping the flag legal in schools will reduce racial tensions there, thus making it good policy, but either way white opposition to affirmative action and multiculturalism is rising.

[Ebowed]

Ban public buildings from flying it, yes.

Why?!

[© tweed]

No flags should be banned

[Gabu]

Ban public buildings from flying it, yes.

Why?!

I would personally actually agree with this one, myself.  The main reason is that the flags flown at public buildings are not really a form of speech.  Whether we want to admit it or not, the Confederate flag has represented  neither a nation nor a part of another nation for over a century.  Flags flown at a public building are always meant to be representative of the government that operates the building and, in the case of state-run public buildings, of the country in which the division resides.  Flying the Confederate flag at a public building instead of the American flag would essentially be denying that the building is run by the United States of America, and would instead be declaring that the building is run by the Confederate States of America.

I don't think that restricting the flags displayed outside a public building is an abridgement of free speech in any manner of speaking.  All the staff are still welcome to privately display the flag; it's simply saying that the official flag of the building must represent the country or the part of country in which the building operates.  Freedom of speech does not mean that absolutely everything must be allowed as long as it makes a statement.

[Emsworth]

While I do not support an official ban, I see no purpose in flying the Confederate flag from public buildings. The point of flyging a flag from a government building is merely to identify the governmental entity in question: the flags of the United States and of the state (and, perhaps, of the city) should suffice.