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Mike Cartier
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Does the First Amendment discriminate?
January 27, 2004 - 01:37 AM
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I recently read an article about a teenager who won millions of dollars in a 1st Amendment lawsuit against his school, which had prohibited profanity on clothing. It reminded me of a friend of mine in California who was not allowed to bring his bible to school because it might "offend" other students. He wasn’t promoting his religion, he was simply doing his religion homework. Apparently there is a stronger 1st Amendment right to use the word ‘f---‘ than to use the word ‘God”.
Why is it that 1st Amendment rights protect those who promote drug use, violence, profanity, rape, and murder, yet it does not grant that same protection to a student who is interested in studying his religion, or from taking 30 seconds a day to say the Pledge of Allegiance?
A 6-year-old is continually exposed to the promotion of hatred and violence from music, and other forms of media all around them, including older students at school; yet he is not allowed to take a few moments a day to express his pride in being an American because the pledge mentions God. Where are his First Amendment rights? Not to mention, his right not to be exposed to such horror and violence at such a tender and impressionable age. The gang ideal of shooting up, either by drugs or murder, is glorified, and children are terrified.
The over-exposure to incredible amounts of drug-use, hatred, and murder in a young child's life through music, television, video games, and other forms of media, is destroying the American Dream. It is creating a society of youth that is clinically depressed, with no hope for the future. This issue is compounded by the pharmaceutical promotion of prescription drugs, promoted every 22 minutes on television. Preschoolers who are often placed on highly addictive drugs, to curb their restlessness and depression, are reaching unprecedented numbers. This generation is growing up with no sense of hope for the future, and is angry about their loss of innocence at such a young age. It has created a generation lost in depression and hooked on drugs. Perhaps it isn’t such a stretch that many of these kids turn to illegal drug use.
As we fight to protect the 1st Amendment rights of the media, what happened to the rights of children? What happened to the 1st Amendment rights of religious expression? What happened to the rights of those who want to pledge their pride in being American? Are certain ‘rights’ more politically correct than others? What gave certain people the right to rob children of their childhood? Who gave them the right to kill their hopes and dreams? Look at the statistics, they are devastating.
Many of our youth are denied the exposure to positive environments, such as scouting, church groups, boys and girls clubs, the YMCA, etc. Not only are these activities not considered ‘cool’, but they are frequently unavailable in local neighborhoods. A young child’s options can become very limited, regardless of financial status. His future begins to be molded within the negative framework of a transitional subculture, which promotes and glorifies hatred and violence. His options for the future become increasingly limited as his hope for the future begins to die.
The Constitution also provides the “right to pursue happiness”. What do we do when 1st Amendment rights prohibit that pursuit (which was considered so important to our founding fathers that it was specifically included in the Constitution)? Happiness is not guaranteed, but the pursuit of it is. I sometimes wonder what would happen if a group of young people got together and filed a class-action law suit. Now that would be a great idea … millions of dollars paid in the protection of a kids ‘right to pursue happiness’, to build and promote fun, innocent activities for kids all around America.
It is up to our generation to reverse this negative trend. We are the future. Let’s make it a bright one.
Michael Cartier
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Oke Rotimi
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Re: Does the First Amendment discriminate?
January 27, 2004 - 09:17 AM
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hello,
This is a good point you just raised Cartier2028.Good and very important.
Oke Rotimi
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Shaye
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Re: Does the First Amendment discriminate?
February 1, 2004 - 02:19 AM
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Well said!!
I find this to be a very important issue, so many people deny it! You really can't have it both ways, you either belive in free speech or you don't. The same with religious freedom. Would they stop somoene for bringing in the Koran? The double standard needs to stop.
Shaye
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Britty
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Re: Does the First Amendment discriminate?
February 4, 2004 - 08:40 AM
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Cartier, the student who brought the Bible...did he present a lawsuit just as the other did?
If so, I agree with your point. There should be no discrimination in a law that supports non-descrimination. Censorship has always been thought of hiding the negative aspects, but it seems anti-good. Religion is a beautiful thing that should by no means be censored.
If not, then he has no reason to complain.
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Mike Cartier
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Negative Media
February 5, 2004 - 12:55 PM
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I’ve received some comments from friends who have asked me to clarify my position.
It is clear that my previous comments, in reference to the music industry, were primarily focused on ‘gangsta’ rap (although they could also apply to ‘Goth’ and ‘punk’ music as well). The concern was that I might appear anti-black music.
In response to that, I will say that my black friends and many of the young African-Americans that I meet during my speaking engagements often tell me that they are offended by this same music, because it gives the impression that these are the values of all black people. To them, black music is Jazz, Soul, Motown, Reggae, and Rock and Roll.
For my tastes, Louis Armstrong is far superior to 50-Cent, and would never have condoned that music.
As far as lawsuits go, the First Amendment protects everyone, even those who don’t have enough money for a lawsuit.
Michael Cartier
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Britty
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Re: Does the First Amendment discriminate?
February 7, 2004 - 04:41 AM
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The reason I asked about a lawsuit is fairness of your information. The teen you spoke of who won a glorious amount of money actually complained about the censorship. What about the child with the bible? Did he complain or simply say that his rights were taken from him? People who are offended by policies should only be taken seriously if they do something about injustice. Simply saying that "This is wrong" won't help. In that case, I don't think a lawsuit for cash reward was necessarily appropriate, but at least he did something. So, to repeat my question...Did the child with the Bible present an actual hard-copy complaint?
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Cicero
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Re: Does the First Amendment discriminate?
February 7, 2004 - 06:18 AM
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I dont like censorship. Reminds me on tyranny.
If people have problem with profanity they should stop cursing.
If we talk about bible - i am not interested to talk about that - dont care.
Ave Futuria
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Mike Cartier
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Yes!
May 11, 2004 - 02:24 AM
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Yes, he presented the problem to the school administration, and nothing was done.
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Michael Cartier
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Separation Church/State
June 7, 2004 - 05:23 AM
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Michael,
You fail to take into account the issue of the separation of church and state. The principle of the separation of church and state also applies to publicly funded schools. You might have followed the discussions in France concerning religous symbols in public schools and the subsequent law banning any religous symbols e.g. cruzifix, kippa, head scarf being worn either by faculty or students. France as quite a few other European countries have had civil wars sparked by religous reasons and have learnt that mixing state and religion is quite an explosive mixture. As the French ban applies to all major religious symbols it doesn't "discriminate" even though infringes the students' right to free expression.
xartier
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