Posted on 06/19/2006 2:02:05 PM PDT by Indy Pendance
A local high school graduation ended with roars of protest after school officials turned the microphone off right in the middle of one of the valedictorian's speeches. The microphone cut out after the valedictorian at Foothill High made reference to God.
The family says the District's decision isn't fair. Brittney McComb says she's a straight A student, number one in her class, and is headed to Biola University in the fall.
Brittney attributes all of her success to God. Trouble is, she tried to explain that during her speech which the school district said they told her beforehand was a no-no.
"God's love is so great."
This was part of the speech that Brittney McComb says she so wanted to give on graduation night. But because it did have numerous references to God and Jesus Christ, the school district cut off the mic, leaving her practically silent. That's when many people stood up and booed, showing their support.
Now, the day after, McComb says she got nothing but support from her fellow students. "All of my classmates came up to me and were so happy. They told me they loved me and I said God's awesome because I couldn't have done it without him."
McComb says the district reviewed her speech beforehand, just like everyone else. But she says they sent it back with the last half chopped off.
"They said it was offensive, it identifies a particular religion," explains McComb. "I really think it's free speech; we're American, we should be able to handle that."
We asked her father about that.
Rob McMillan: We have freedom of speech, but what about separation of church and state?
Michael McComb: They brought that up, and they say they were going to give us some documentation to prove why she could say that in her speech.
They said the documentation was ambiguous. That was when Brittney said she took it upon herself to go ahead and give her speech as written, no matter what the consequences might be.
The district tells News 3 there are guidelines for what valedictorians can and can't say, but they didn't get back to us on our request for an interview. A district spokesperson told us they were not trying to avoid interviews on this subject and that multiple graduation ceremonies prevented top administrators from giving us an interview.
The school district maintains it was simply following procedure at the Foothill Graduation.
We're told students are required to submit their speeches in writing ahead of time and they're told if they deviate from the script at all, their microphones will be cut off. The district maintains that's exactly what happened in this case.
You really need to brush up on history and re-read the Constitution... ALL of it.
It wouldn't hurt my ears. Whatever happened to "sticks and stones..."
Exactly, the constitution was written to prevent a government sanctioned "Church of the United States".
"witnessing" to a captive audience?
OK
Freedom of speech is a crystal clear Consitutional right. The so-called "separation of church and state" is murky at best, and non-existent at worst. In any case, why on earth would one Constitutional right trump another?
Well, the answer is, 'they wouldn't'. That's why we should all realize that there is no Consitutional right called "separation of Church and state", it's as bogus a constutional right as is abortion, which is another murky 'right' that they claim trumps the crystal clear Fifth Amendment "--nor be deprived of life, liberty or property... without due process of law.."
God and those He made in His image and likeness are being crushed by the Constitution that was designed to protect them.
Who was being held "captive"?
Another reason homeschooling is becoming so popular.
No
Hm? I'm not afraid at all.
Who or what is being held captive? I suggest you read Tinker as well. You people have a twisted sense of freedom, constitutional law and the original intent of "the people". Why is that?
It a crying shame that the "state" ever got into the education business.
I checked and this kid is not a member of Congress and was not able to establish the Brittney McComb Religion or any other religion at the behest of the federal government. Heck, she'd have TO BE CONGRESS to so in the first place.
She can talk about Jesus or Allah or say "mother f**ker" over and over and they can cut the microphone off if they like but if they use the excuse they give in this situation they are just stupid people. And they are teaching in schools? I'm amazed that so many people can't understand simple English:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
"She's isn't, however, granted free use of public resources to spread her gospel to a captive audience."
She paid for that microphone. If she wanted to speak of God or deliver a sermon on the evils of competition and capitalisim she, as a citizen, a member of the public that provided the resource, a member of the community had and has every right to do so.
God is a legitimate subject for speechifying and discourse for members of the community. If you don't like it don't listen. But don't think you have a right to circumscribe her right to particpate publicly as she sees fit in her own community.
So you would support state censorship to protect yourself from being "disrespected" by having to attend a ceremony where a speaker express beliefs you do not agree with.
The horror.
Would you want a censorship attendant to attend college with you ? How painful college must be for people like you, who seek to be shielded from others' opinions out of disrespect, since the essence of "education" frequently involves having to listen to someone say things you do not choose to accept.... in required courses no less.
Nice post.
Yeah, and God knows those two men wouldn't have anything of value to say to young high school graduates. /sacrasm
btw, your analogy is terrible. A high school graduate merely expressing HER OWN PERSONAL BELIEF that God blessed her with academic abilities does not proclaim to the general public that the school she is graduating from is endorsing her beliefs. The girl was silenced, and silenced in a nation that once prided itself on the freedom of speech and the freedom to worship and believe as one wishes. In this regard, we have become no different than the post WWII Soviet Union, or the present day Communist China.
I think everyone at the graduation commencement fully understood that the high school is secular in nature, and that it certainly does not promote God. The crass, fearful, God-censuring behavior of the school officials more than proves that point.
How can you interpret the second amendment to mean what it says and the first amendment to mean what the ACLU thinks it says?
Cripes.
Sorry you feel that way.
I'll just disagree with you.
If she was told not to bring up religion and she did anyway then she was wrong.
I just believe that if you disagree with a law or policy then you should work to change it prior to the event - not slap somebody in the face with it when you are on stage and force them to react.
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