Students Kicked Off Campus for Wearing American Flag Tees

[Lone Star]

Students Kicked Off Campus for Wearing American Flag Tees

By George Kiriyama

NBCBayArea.com

On any other day at Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill, Daniel Galli and his four friends would not even be noticed for wearing T-shirts with the American flag. But Cinco de Mayo is not any typical day especially on a campus with a large Mexican American student population.

Galli says he and his friends were sitting at a table during brunch break when the vice principal asked two of the boys to remove American flag bandannas that they wearing on their heads and for the others to turn their American flag T-shirts inside out. When they refused, the boys were ordered to go to the principal's office.

"They said we could wear it on any other day," Daniel Galli said, "but today is sensitive to Mexican-Americans because it's supposed to be their holiday so we were not allowed to wear it today."

The boys said the administrators called their T-shirts "incendiary" that would lead to fights on campus.

"They said if we tried to go back to class with our shirts not taken off, they said it was defiance and we would get suspended," Dominic Maciel, Galli's friend, said.

The boys really had no choice, and went home to avoid suspension. They say they're angry they were not allowed to express their American pride. Their parents are just as upset, calling what happened to their children, "total nonsense."

"I think it's absolutely ridiculous," Julie Fagerstrom, Maciel's mom, said. "All they were doing was displaying their patriotic nature. They're expressing their individuality."

But to many Mexican-American students at Live Oak, this was a big deal. They say they were offended by the five boys and others for wearing American colors on a Mexican holiday.

"I think they should apologize cause it is a Mexican Heritage Day," Annicia Nunez, a Live Oak High student, said. "We don't deserve to be get disrespected like that. We wouldn't do that on Fourth of July."

As for an apology, the boys and their families say, 'fat chance.'

"I'm not going to apologize. I did nothing wrong," Galli said. "I went along with my normal day. I might have worn an American flag, but I'm an American and I'm proud to be an American."

The five boys and their families met with a Morgan Hill Unified School District official Wednesday night. The district and the school dp not see eye-to-eye on the incident and released the following statement:

The district does not concur with the Live Oak High School administration's interpretation of either board or district policy related to these actions.

The boys will not be suspended and were allowed to return to school Thursday. We spotted one of them when he got to campus -- and, yes, he was sporting an American flag T-shirt.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

This is akin to celebrating July 4th in another country. While the holiday is significant to the American celebrating it, I doubt that a big deal would be made about it in say..Germany. I doubt that German citizens would be 'punished' for wearing a t-shirt that supports German patriotism.

Just like on any other subject, there are many in this country that just have to carry things too far. Should we be watching out for everybody else's feelings so much that we have to sacrifice our own in the process? I think not!

Maybe the kids did this to piss off people, but until you can prove this beyond a shadow of a doubt, you MUST give them the benefit of the doubt.

To punish these kids is wrong and was nothing more than a 'politically correct reaction gone wrong'. There's a reason that Cinco de Mayo isn't a national holiday in this country...

[Richard B the EMT]

Does that mean wearing an American Flag T-shirt on July 14 is going to cause fights? For the uninformed, that is Bastille Day in France, the anniversary of the French Revolution. Cinco de Mayo is the anniversary of when the country of Mexico threw the French out of Mexico.

Momma B, who is a World War 2 veteran, and a past post commander and county commander of the Jewish War Veterans of the United States, says she objects to American Flag bandannas, or any bandanna that depicts ANY country's flag, as demeaning to that country, even if intended as a tribute to that country.

On a historical note, activist Abbie Hoffman, perhaps best known as being a member of the "Chicago 7", that allegedly started the rioting outside the 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention, wore a shirt depicting a United States flag on the Johnny Carson "Tonight Show" (years before most of us had even heard of Jay Leno). The cameras kept close focus on Mr Hoffman's face, not showing the shirt. Either later on that same show, or the next night, "King of the Cowboys" Roy Rodgers appeared on the show, wearing the same model shirt, but the cameras showed him without any visual field censorship.

If I understand the flag etiquette pamphlets I get from the American Legion, other veteran's groups, and flag manufacturer/distribution companies, you are not supposed to wear a flag, anyway. Just mentioning.

The boys mentioned in the quoted story are Americans, I believe. To the best of my knowledge, while we may have days and parades honoring other countries, like St. Patrick's Day, and by extension, contributions made by folks who came from those countries, I feel that the authorities who told the boys to remove the "offending" garments were out of line.

[Chief1C]

They say they were offended by the five boys and others for wearing American colors on a Mexican holiday.

Normally, I wouldn't care about an article like this, b/c I look at it from two angles. However, this pisses me off. This, is the United States of America.. Not Mexico. Everyone, has their freedom to express their individualism. I respect their holiday, but I won't take down my American Flag, because it's a holiday in Mexico. One could go so far as to say these students civil rights were violated. Screw PC and NPC, yeah, you can be sensitive to others to make them comfortable. I wouldn't dress up like a flag, any day, but I wouldn't dress up like a Mexican flag either. Celebrate your holiday, in your own way and just be thankful for your freedom to do so. Don't spend the day making it unpleasant and forceful.

[Just Plain Ruff]

Students Kicked Off Campus for Wearing American Flag Tees

By George Kiriyama

NBCBayArea.com

On any other day at Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill, Daniel Galli and his four friends would not even be noticed for wearing T-shirts with the American flag. But Cinco de Mayo is not any typical day especially on a campus with a large Mexican American student population.

Galli says he and his friends were sitting at a table during brunch break when the vice principal asked two of the boys to remove American flag bandannas that they wearing on their heads and for the others to turn their American flag T-shirts inside out. When they refused, the boys were ordered to go to the principal's office.

"They said we could wear it on any other day," Daniel Galli said, "but today is sensitive to Mexican-Americans because it's supposed to be their holiday so we were not allowed to wear it today."

The boys said the administrators called their T-shirts "incendiary" that would lead to fights on campus.

"They said if we tried to go back to class with our shirts not taken off, they said it was defiance and we would get suspended," Dominic Maciel, Galli's friend, said.

The boys really had no choice, and went home to avoid suspension. They say they're angry they were not allowed to express their American pride. Their parents are just as upset, calling what happened to their children, "total nonsense."

"I think it's absolutely ridiculous," Julie Fagerstrom, Maciel's mom, said. "All they were doing was displaying their patriotic nature. They're expressing their individuality."

But to many Mexican-American students at Live Oak, this was a big deal. They say they were offended by the five boys and others for wearing American colors on a Mexican holiday.

"I think they should apologize cause it is a Mexican Heritage Day," Annicia Nunez, a Live Oak High student, said. "We don't deserve to be get disrespected like that. We wouldn't do that on Fourth of July."

As for an apology, the boys and their families say, 'fat chance.'

"I'm not going to apologize. I did nothing wrong," Galli said. "I went along with my normal day. I might have worn an American flag, but I'm an American and I'm proud to be an American."

The five boys and their families met with a Morgan Hill Unified School District official Wednesday night. The district and the school dp not see eye-to-eye on the incident and released the following statement:

The district does not concur with the Live Oak High School administration's interpretation of either board or district policy related to these actions.

The boys will not be suspended and were allowed to return to school Thursday. We spotted one of them when he got to campus -- and, yes, he was sporting an American flag T-shirt.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

This is akin to celebrating July 4th in another country. While the holiday is significant to the American celebrating it, I doubt that a big deal would be made about it in say..Germany. I doubt that German citizens would be 'punished' for wearing a t-shirt that supports German patriotism.

Just like on any other subject, there are many in this country that just have to carry things too far. Should we be watching out for everybody else's feelings so much that we have to sacrifice our own in the process? I think not!

Maybe the kids did this to piss off people, but until you can prove this beyond a shadow of a doubt, you MUST give them the benefit of the doubt.

To punish these kids is wrong and was nothing more than a 'politically correct reaction gone wrong'. There's a reason that Cinco de Mayo isn't a national holiday in this country...

I'm sorry but this just makes me sad. sad sad sad and pissed off and Sick of this whole political correctness.

[Chief1C]

Another thing that pisses me off, American Flag boxers. That's just wrong. Wear the flag with respect, on a uniform. The flag was meant to be flown, not worn as designer clothing. You wouldn't wipe your ass with the flag, would you? It shouldn't have skid marks on it from scratching your backside either.

[Don1977]

Another thing that pisses me off, American Flag boxers. That's just wrong. Wear the flag with respect, on a uniform. The flag was meant to be flown, not worn as designer clothing. You wouldn't wipe your ass with the flag, would you? It shouldn't have skid marks on it from scratching your backside either.

Maybe if half of California wasn't Mexican this wouldn't be an issue......still messed up that this happened.

[Dustdevil]

I'm curious if the principal also ordered that the US flag not be raised on the pole that day, as well as having the US flags removed from classrooms and offices. If not, he's a hypocrite, among many other unflattering things.

Of course, I'd have thrown the jerks off of campus just because they were wearing shirts with advertising on them, not because of the flags.

[emtannie]

Had this been a school in Mexico, I could see the potential for a problem, but since this was a school in the USA, this should never have been an issue. The administration who made this an issue need to take a good hard look at the line between rights and freedoms.

I find it interesting when people immigrate into a country, because they want to live in that country to get better education, better healthcare, better paying jobs, security from corrupt/terrorist government, and safety away from war, but then want that same new homeland to bend to their wishes. There are certain obligations a citizen has to the country that provides them a place to live, be educated, and work, and one of those is respect for that country, flag, and customs.

I am not saying that people who move from another country into the USA or any other country should have to give up their culture completely. As the child of Russian immigrants into Canada, we had many family celebrations that were based on our Russian background, but my parents never expected the school, the community, or the Canadian government to make any special concessions regarding celebrating these events. In fact, my parents were very careful not to speak Russian or German outside the home, and we were not taught those languages, as we were told to be Canadian. (this was due in part to the backlash during WWII to Russian and German immigrants, and the suspicion that all were spies).

At some point, the government of a country has to decide where to draw the line, or eventually we will all become like Babel.

I agree with Ruffem's and Richard's comments on wearing the flag appropriately. I am all for being patriotic to one's country, and for flying the flag, but several years ago, I was in Las Vegas on July 4, and I saw a woman who must have weighed at least 400 pounds, and who had the most amazingly large breasts, wearing a sequined American Flag tube top. I couldn't help but think that the founding fathers of the USA probably didn't think that showing respect to one's country and flag meant that...

Thanks for posting the article, Lone - that school administration should be ashamed... and for the students who wore the American Flag... apologise? NO WAY!

[Dustdevil]

I am not saying that people who move from another country into the USA or any other country should have to give up their culture completely. As the child of Russian immigrants into Canada, we had many family celebrations that were based on our Russian background, but my parents never expected the school, the community, or the Canadian government to make any special concessions regarding celebrating these events. In fact, my parents were very careful not to speak Russian or German outside the home, and we were not taught those languages, as we were told to be Canadian.

Ditto. The only concession I make to my heritage is my weird (well, not for Canadia) spelling. It was already habit by the time I got to school, and I was too defiant to stop, no matter how much the teachers complained. But I have been a guest in foreign countries. Many of them. And I never would have demanded that they change their culture for me. In fact, it is my honour to attempt as best as I can to conform to their culture. Any culture that produces people who are that selfish and unreasonable, well... it's no surprise that people want to leave that culture!

I was in Las Vegas on July 4, and I saw a woman who must have weighed at least 400 pounds, and who had the most amazingly large breasts, wearing a sequined American Flag tube top. I couldn't help but think that the founding fathers of the USA probably didn't think that showing respect to one's country and flag meant that..

That's because the Founding Fathers were ass men!

[Chief1C]

Maybe if half of California wasn't Mexican this wouldn't be an issue......still messed up that this happened.

Hispanic. California was first colonized by the Mexican empire.