Defend Free Speech This Veterans' Day

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-mortonprotest_09_webnov09,1,1989534.story

in the link above, you’ll see the story of a group of high school students who have the most severe discipline available to their school’s administration for doing nothing more the peacefully opposing the war in Iraq. To make it worse, the students were not all dealt with the same: athletes and kids with high gpa’s were given preferential treatment.

what makes me really mad is that the big media isn’t covering it. I mean, they report it like there is a war on Christianity when a kid gets told to take a Santa hat off, but here the school is threatening to ruin these kids’ academic futures, and the media isn’t making a peep.

I think I know why: imagine if these kids became mini-celebrities for taking a stand! Opposition to the war might become a fad. And why not? This generation of kids, or at least those successfully recruited are the next to go to Iraq and Afghanistan (and God help us, Iran). Unlike many of us, who have never been called to make any sacrifice for these wars (just keep shopping says Bush, and keep that yellow ribbon on your gas guzzling SUV!), these kids have a stake in the war: they will have friends who kill people, hurt people, destroy homes, get killed, get maimed, or get messed up in the head for life. If opposition to the war becomes a youth fad, who will enlist? The war machine will have a problem.

So, if you think kids ought to be free to have a say in the wars we ask them to fight, please email the principal and the super intendant and tell them that full expulsion is too severe a penalty for these kids. Then email you local news paper or television station and tell them you want to see some coverage on this issue. Then PLEASE pass this on.



the principal:
jlucas@west.jsmorton.org
the super
bnowakowski@jsmorton.org
the Philadelphia inquirer
Inquirer.Letters@phillynews.com;
cbs 3
http://cbs3.com/contact
nbc 10
http://www.nbc10.com/News/1431717/detail.html

and remember, veterans day is celebrated around the world as armistice day - the day the first world war ended. It was celebrated because people believed the end of that war - then unmatched in brutality and bloodshed - was an end to all war. Veterans Day is a day of peace.