(Obnoxiously) Religious Valedictorian Sues Nevada School

[elehhhhna]

"God's love is so great that he gave his only son up," she said, before the microphone went dead. She continued without amplification, "...to an excruciating death on a cross so his blood would cover all our shortcomings and provide for us a way to heaven in accepting this grace."

http://news.findlaw.com/ap/o/632/07-14-2006/7f33001a1ae3cc52.html

[SlipperySlope]

1. I don't know...

This one is tough to call sides on...

What if she had been shut up for speaking against Bush?

[elehhhhna]

6. What if she's declared Jihad on "the infidels"? O r rambled on about

Ganesh?

She was warned, they approvved the original speech, which she elected NOT to deliver, she did it on purpose. Case closed.

[madeline_con]

2. Conveniently, I'm attending school to become a teacher, and

we just had our chapter about free speech and religious expression rights.

Here's where she screwed up:

Brittany McComb, 18, said she was giving her June 15 commencement address to some 400 graduates of Foothill High School and their family members when the sound was cut.

Sorry, Girly, you can't do that to a "captive audience". Case dismissed.

[acmejack]

3. The suit is being funded by the Rutherford Institute

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Rutherford_Institute

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. I think the school district was between a rock and a hard place

this fundy's lawyers may say its a constitutional issue, but the article says:

School District lawyer Bill Hoffman has said previously that the school was following 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rulings that have obligated districts to censor student speeches for proselytizing.

Allen Lichtenstein, lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, said the school appropriately followed the appeals court's decisions.

"Proselytizing is improper in school-sponsored speech at valedictorian graduations," he said, adding the ACLU had sued in the past to ensure proselytizing was prevented at school-sponsored events.


As I understand it, she veered from the approved text, and that's when her mike was cut. The courts have already said that students in school don't have the same rights as the public in general when it comes to searches and, I believe, speech. Of course the fundies want to use this case to overturn the 9th Circuit's ruling. I hope they fail.

[elehhhhna]

7. There's this sticky little thing called the CONSTITUTION.

[arcane1]

5. is it me, or does her statement make no sense?

how does "an excruciating death on a cross" somehow "provide for us a way to heaven"?

sigh... I guess that's a topic for a different thread :P

[ismnotwasm]

8. She was inappropriate to say the least

As an agnostic, I don't mind generic God references. Very generic. But I certainly don't want to hear about some version of Christianity that makes it sound like a blood cult. Or "the only way to be saved" There is a reason for the church and state separation.

Someone needs to tell her that it's really, really OK to separate church and state. She can be as Christan as she likes, in the way she believes and can carry her message in a non-public funded venue.

[elehhhhna]

11. What you said.

[LostInAnomie]

9. God damn, I am so fucking sick of bible thumpers.

If this girl is so fucking smart she should have a better understanding of the Establishment Clause of the Constitution. If you want to proselytize, do it on your own fucking time on your own fucking dime. Don't use a publicly funded stage and sound equipment to spew your holy roller crap to a captive audience.

[Jackpine Radical]

10. Ya don't have ta be fucking smart to be a fucking

valedictorian. All you fucking have to do is be a non-fucking good girl and fucking memoriza a lot of fuckin shit and you can fucking pass the fucking stupid tests they fucking give you in our fucking schools these days.

Any fucking questions?

[elehhhhna]

12. uh...heck no.

[gatorboy]

13. So this is what Mallard Fillmore's been bitching about for the last week.

eom