Every time I post one of these stories, I think, "what was the administration thinking?" If it had been a democratic club, you know there would not have been a peep. How do we know that? Because there are just as many democratic clubs, and you NEVER hear a peep about any problems on the left wing blogs.
Joanne Jacobs - Banned posters
When students at a Massachusetts high school decided to form a conservative club, their posters advertising the first meeting were removed by administrators, David Limbaugh writes. The posters included the URL of the web site of High School Conservative Clubs of America, and HSCCA's site included links to videos of beheadings by Iraqi insurgents. The school also blocked access to the HSCCA's Website on school computers, Limbaugh writes:
townhall.com
"The material was way beyond what I believe the school should be advertising," said Principal John Stapelfeld. What? Just because the school permits students to use its facilities to promote something doesn't mean the school itself is endorsing it.
. . . Principal Stapelfeld insists his political bias didn't enter into his decision. According to the Boston Globe, he was initially "thrilled" about the idea of a conservative club that would spark political discussions.
So, what's his beef with the video links? The Globe reports that he "said the brutal images implicitly condoned violence as a way of 'solving problems' and did not reflect 'mainstream conservatism'" -- as if this liberal were an authority on mainstream conservatism and as if it's fine to censor farther-right conservatism.
Of course, the conservatives link to the videos to show how brutal terrorists are, not to applaud their brutality.
Stapelfield told the Globe that showcasing these violent acts "did not address the more central problem of growing anti-Americanism abroad." "Unfortunately, said Stapelfeld, "we really haven't dealt with the fact that we're not well received in the world anywhere."
Limbaugh writes:
What he is really saying is that he -- like so many other liberals -- believes the Bush Administration has alienated the rest of the world because of its "unwarranted" military action against Iraq. And by promoting the viewing of these videos, his students would be engaging in offensive behavior that will further alienate other nations.
Even France is unlikely to get upset about what high school students watch on their computer screens.
joannejacobs.com |
