Slappy Award Next: Somebody SLAP These People!
Several weeks back, I began awarding the Slappy Award to folks who are doing the kinds of things that are just ruining our country, who seem to be doing their dead-level best to destroy our civilization, undermine our Constitution, and/or create a society where folks are a little more hostile toward each other. It’s an award I give for the outrageous, often-infuriating stuff that we seem to be increasingly good at doing to each other.
Today’s Slappy goes to the administration of the Jurupa Valley High School in Mira Loma (Riverside), California. According to the WorldNetDaily article, the good folks at Jurupa Valley turned a blind eye to the walkout, on March 27, of many students, mostly those of Mexican-American descent, when those students joined in protests of the policies of the U.S. House of Representatives’ proposed legislation which would make it a felony to be in this country illegally. One student, Joshua Denhalter, differed with those who walked out to such a degree that he decided to organize a counter-protest. Did he walk out of class, or advocate others walking out? No. Did he propose anyone missing school time for this counter-protest? No. Did he want to use school property to stage his counter-protest? No. What did Joshua Denhalter do? He attempted to take advantage of the student lunch hour—when students are permitted freedom to leave campus—in order to stage an off-campus counter-protest. He wanted to exercise his First Amendment freedom of peaceful assembly on a sidewalk across from campus—a sidewalk typically understood as an appropriate public forum for such endeavors.
Did the Jurupa Valley administrators see this as an opportunity for all students to see democracy in action, to educate students about issues of fairness, to promote the free exchange of ideas such as always makes our republic strong? No…quoting from the article, “on the morning of March 30, Denhalter handed out fliers for the event and later was approached by school officials who told him he had to stop. The student refused and was suspended for “handing out flyers (before school) advocating the disruption of school activities.” Further, school officials allowed a radical separatist Hispanic group to use the campus for it activities, but denied Joshua Denhalter’s request for the usage of school grounds for a counter-rally. Finally, school officials barred Denhalter from wearing a “Save our State” t-shirt.
Heads-up, Jurupa Valley school administration: it’s called “freedom of speech” (look it up in the First Amendment—that’s in the Constitution, by the way). It cuts both ways; the issue isn’t whether any of us like or don’t like the speech being offered; in America, we don’t discriminate on the basis of viewpoint when it comes to freedom of speech.
Except, apparently, in Jurupa Valley. Thanks, Jurupa Valley school administrators, for attempting to curtail freedom just a little bit more. Enjoy the Slappy!
This phrase comes from the 1978 "Jonestown massacre" in which most members of the Peoples Temple cult, blindly following their leader Jim Jones, committed suicide by drinking cyanide-laced Kool-Aid.
Osborne: A Contrarian's Guide to Knowing God
Schlossberg: Idols For Destruction
2 Responses to “Slappy Award Next: Somebody SLAP These People!”
hey this is josh’s little sister im so glad that people are seeing his point of view, this is a cause worth fighting not just against illegal immigration but also for our freedom of speech which the liberals want to limit. i luv yall for your support everyones opinion counts and im glad that josh’s opinion is being heard luv ya bro
Brittany Denhalter ~ Jun 20, 2006 at 9:11 pm
Right on, Brittany, and tell big brother to hang tough; we’re with him!
Byron ~ Jun 20, 2006 at 9:41 pm