"Bong Hits 4 Jesus" - and Chris Stwart

I was amused to find myself on the side of Judge Samuel Alito in a case that is currently being heard by the supreme court. Wouldn't have expected that!

Check out the case: Bong HIts 4 Jesus

Apparently, back in '02 when the Olympic torch was coming through Juneau Alaska, kids were let out of school to watch. A kid held up a giant banner that read "Bong Hits 4 Jesus", the principal grabbed it & suspended him, he sued, and the case has made its way through the courts over the years right up to the supremes.

Free speech vs. anti-drugs... what's a principal to do???

I laughed at Ruth Bader Ginsburg's comment that "It isn't clear that this is 'Smoke Pot.' " Really? What else does "bong hit" refer to in English?

But Alito, of all people, made a good point: "I find that a very, very disturbing argument because schools have and they can define their educational mission so broadly that they can suppress all sorts of political speech and speech expressing fundamental values of the students, under the banner of getting rid of speech that's inconsistent with educational missions."

Bottom line: it was settled by the Supreme Court in '69 that "It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate." Political speech - pro-drug or otherwise - doesn't have to be allowed to disrupt learning, but if the kid is standing outside he's hardly disrupting classes, so it seems to me that taking the banner away is probably enough. Maybe assign him a detention or something, but a 10-day suspension? Good greif.

In an ironically related StarTribune article, new school board member Chris Stewart is promoting law-and-order in the schools, and he has my FULL support. I've watched the Mpls schools put up with WAY more disruptive behavior with consequences no where near a 10-day suspension, and I'm pretty tired of it.

And he had a great quote, when asked about the "disproportionate suspension of black male students". His response - and Stewart is black - was to assert that "the number of kids we suspend is proportionate to the kids who are committing suspendable offenses." Actually, there are a lot more offenses than suspensions, but his point is well taken! He calls for an "intracultural conversation in the African-American community" because, in addition to teaching their kids how to sit down & attempt to learn, families also need to consider that: "Schools don't make teens have babies, or stop black children from having books in their homes." (duh)

Thank you, Chris Stewart. It's about time someone stepped up to that issue in this town.