8th grader suspended from school for wearing patriotic T-shirt

[alp227]

http://media.katu.com/images/1008+tshirt+660.jpg

by Stephen Mayer, KATU News Published: Oct 8, 2015 at 5:51 PM PDT

GRESHAM, Ore -- You don't have to talk with eigth-grader Alan Holmes for very long to know that patriotism and support for the military are very important to him.

That's in large part due to his older brother, who joined the Marines when he was just 19 and wound up serving abroad in Iraq.

...

Ever since then Alan has tried to show his support for the troops, something he says he was doing when he wore shirt with an image of the traditional soldier memorial, with a rifle, boots, and a helmet, to Dexter McCarty Middle School on Wednesday.

But he says the principal spotted the shirt and gave him an ultimatum, switch shirts or face and in-school suspension. Alan didn't back down.

full: http://www.katu.com/news/local/Suspended-for-supporting-the-troops-331488282.html

[Warren Stupidity]

1. I can't imagine why a school would prohibit

T-shirts with pictures of guns.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

3. Probably this part:

We checked the school dress code and it does bar students from wearing any clothes promoting alcohol, drugs, tobacco or violence.

While I'm sure there are folks who will claim that promoting the military is not 'promoting violence', perpetrating violence is why the military exists, and why they're not 'the Peace Corps'. Argue all they want about how and why that violence is used, it's still violence.

[Igel]

7. The shirt shows a gun, to be sure.

Used as a memorial to a dead soldier--upright, helmet over the barrel, shoes hanging from it.

The verb used about the soldiers is "stood". When next to a memorial, it rather implies that the soldiers being promoted are dead. "Standing with those who stood for us."

Mourning dead soldiers is not promoting violence.

Zero-tolerance as CYA. If they allowed that, for sure somebody would say that a shirt that did promote violence had to be accepted as well. When we remove the brain from thinking and accept slippery slopes as routine and "good critical thinking," we get the kinds of education system we deserve.

Too bad for the kids. Then again, they quickly adapt and became part of the problem.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

9. Even if our military had no guns, their existence would still be about violence.

It's what a military IS. A means of employing violence to achieve an end.

So saying you support the military (any military) is acknowledging the fact that you support the use of violence as a means to achieving ends.

They're not 'dead soldiers' because they were playing pattycakes. They're dead because they went to use violence, and somebody else used it on them first.

[The2ndWheel]

12. The US, and every other country, wouldn't exist without violence

A lot of scientific research wouldn't exist without violence. The food we eat wouldn't last long without violence, be it pesticides, herbicides, etc.

[QED]

8. "Tribute" shirts are forbidden because they are often gang related.

At least that's the thinking here. Guns, etc. are also no allowed.

[beam me up scottie]

4. From the article:

The district refused to comment, citing student confidentiality requirements. They said only that weapons on a shirt are not appropriate in a school setting.

Wait until Fox News gets wind of this; it's be all the atheists' fault for taking Jeebus out of the schools...

[Warren Stupidity]

5. I can't imagine the sarcasm needed explanation.

[beam me up scottie]

6. ?

It didn't, I was just adding my own.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

11. Get back to me when they suspend the band teacher for playing the Star Spangled Banner

[Omaha Steve]

2. Here is the shirt

Video at link.

[B Calm]

10. It has an assault rifle printed on the shirt. To be honest, the USA glorification

of our military is way over the top.