John M. Setzler, Jr. Life in Black and White

Bong Hits 4 Jesus

I saw THIS ARTICLE link posted in another forum where I participate and just had to write something about it. The Los Angeles Times is not a newspaper I normally pay any attention to though...

I believe that our first amendment rights do give us the right to do what these kids did, but not under these circumstances. I still fear that the US Supreme Court will uphold the rights of these kids in this case.

The LA Times article stated that this was a school event. I don't know how things work in Alaska, but around here, the kids would have been suspended, just as the principal in Alaska did. When an event is school-sponsored, the kids are under the same rules and regulations they would be if they were on school property. They are also representing the school in the public eye when they are on a field trip. If those kids had put that banner up in or on the school building, I'm sure a rule would have been broken also.

I think someone needs to file suit against these kids for forcing Jesus upon them. They discriminated against Jews, Buddhists, Krishnas, Athiests, and lots of other religions by not offering to take bong hits for Buddha, Allah, Shiva, and a host of other deities. The LA Times article failed to mention anything about the separation of church and state in this article. If those kids had held up a banner with "John 3:16" or "Jesus Saves" on it, the story might not have made the newspaper, and there wouldn't be a lawyer taking them to the Supreme Court to guarantee their freedom of speech rights.

I'm a believer in free speech. What I find unfortunate is that the Supreme Court is having to hear a case of stupidity rather than something substantiative. What's happening here is that a lawyer, Douglas K. Mertz of Juneau, Alaska, is looking for publicity. He doens't give a damn about these kids and their free speech. He wants to be heard by the Supreme Court.

I don't have kids. If I had kids and they pulled a stunt like this, getting suspended from school would be the least of their worries. They would be punished severly at home for being stupid. It's one thing to be stupid and entirely another to flaunt it. These kids' parents should be getting that lawyer off this case and just dropping it to eliminate further parading of their stupidity and lack of upbringing in public.

I need to figure out a way to keep up with the Supreme Court ruling on Deborah Morse vs. Joseph Frederick so I can find out what actually happens... The case number is 06-278. RECENT DECISIONS can be viewed here, so maybe I'll have to keep an eye on it. Maybe a Google Alert will be in order also...