California kids sent home for wearing USA flag apparel on Cinco de Mayo
I need a margarita Jack & Coke after reading this. Four students at Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill, Calif. were sent home from school after refusing to remove bandannas and T-shirts on May 5 – Cinco de Mayo – since their apparel was incendiary.
From KTUV with hat tips to Michelle Malkin and Jim Hoft.
Five students at a South Bay high school stirred up some controversy Wednesday for wearing t-shirts depicting red, white and blue American flags on Cinco de Mayo.
School officials at Live Oak High in Morgan Hill told the students they had to go home if they wouldn’t turn the shirts inside out.
One of the students said it appeared school administrators were worried the patriotic shirts could trigger fights.
…
Some Mexican-American students KTVU spoke with said they thought wearing red, white and blue on Cinco de Mayo was disrespectful.
“It’s just kinda disrespectful that they would do that on this day,” said student Victoria Wright. “I mean, we don’t go around on 4th of July wearing red white and green and saying ‘Viva Mexico,’ because that’s disrespectful.”
One student showed us a Mexican flag belt buckle he wore Wednesday. He disagreed with the way the American flag-wearing kids were treated.
“I think it was kind of going overboard with the suspension, but it’s also kind of disrespectful because it’s our day,” said student Sal Orona.
Dominic Maciel said his father is of Mexican descent.“I have no problem with them wearing their Mexican stuff, their Mexican flags,” said Maciel. “I just thought I’d show my pride. American pride.”
I had no idea Cinco de Mayo was now an American holiday to be respected and treated with the same respect the Forth of July is. This is a dangerous precedent indeed, but what concerns me most is the attitude of students like Sal Orona.
We frequently discuss the melting pot of the United States population, but historically, immigrants became fully assimilated – for lack of a better word – into the unique United States culture formed by our history, Founding Fathers and founding documents. With no doubt, our borders, language and culture defines America.
Now, we have some citizens – and many illegal aliens – who frequently talk of reconquista – the complete removal of the borders in North America – and the destruction of the United States as we know it. They think the Constitution is an outdated document, they think they have been repressed, they think they are owed.
As Malkin notes…
The left threw assimilation out the window decades ago, of course. And educators no longer teach civic pride. It’s all about assigning blame, assuaging guilt, and stoking grievances. P.C. is the death of us.
8 Comments
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So the freedom of speech is subordinate to being "disrespectful?" Our culture and history is being reduced to "incendiary" in our own country? Why am I not surprised that this occurred in Mexifornia?
Question of the day: why is it that when students wear Che shirts or pseudo erotic, near prostitute quality garments, or wear gang colors, or have their pants hanging mid thigh, the ACLU cockroaches come out of the woodwork to defend the student's first amendment rights, but when students act patriotically, as in this case, the are suspended and sent home?
Personally, I would have refused to leave, and insisted that if the school wanted me off campus, that they send for the police and arrest me to do it. Naturally, I would have called every television and radio station first, not to mention a few ambulance chasing lawyers…
You want incendiary? I got it in spades!
This should be a regular thing, we should encourage our children to exersize thier rights to wear what they want, say what they want, and belive what they want. The "holiday" is BS anyway, we need less diversity in this country and more unity.
Good for those kids for standing up for what they believe in! This is America not Mexico and if a Mexican child wore their flag colors to school on Presidents Day, Washington's Birthday, Lincoln's Birthday or any other American Holiday, would those children be sent home – I bet not.
“I think it was kind of going overboard with the suspension, but it’s also kind of disrespectful because it’s our day,” said student Sal Orona.
He's exactly right…it is their day…and for anyone whose day it is not can wear any darn thing they want!!
yuk yuk!! rush limbaugh informed his audience that "cinco de mayo" is not a holiday in ole mehicho. it is actually a crafty advertisment campaign by caronna beer. people in mexico actually go to work that day. or they get busy border jumping. so in the final anaylsis, old glory gets trumped by a caronna and lime . unbelievable.
disrepecfull? your day? how about showing respect for the country your in?
when you immigrate to another country you leave behind your countrys ideology to become an American. and if your not here to become American you need to go home. we do not need anyother countrys ideology or culture . we have an American culture. if you wish to celebrate your heritage do so at home.
we have no need for your culture here,as it will only weaken our American culture and we will become what you so despritly left to come here.
if you liked the way things are done in mexico then go there and stay there.
dont bring your mexican pride here ,there is only room for one pride and its American pride.
This happened at lunch time – half way through the day – with no incidents up til then. A pretty good indicator that itwould be a normal day. So what's the big deal?
The Latino students and the administration missed a huge point. Americans are from every country. While we respect our heritage, we grab what is best and make America stronger. Most cultures embrace family and faith. Most everyone came here for more freedom. That should be the focus.
These folks need to be careful what they ask for. They may find the administration making rules that ALL folks must wear green on St. Patrick's Day, earth day and Arbor Day. Question: With or without administration rules, will they all be wearing American flag shirts on the 4th of July?