Unreal. While the media worries about flag pins, the march against our freedoms continues. Lo and behold, on the front page of my local paper today, I found this story:
Annapolis Students Arrested for Sit-In
Yes, that's right. Three students, fed up with the Iraq War, exercised their First Amendment Rights and staged a 15 minute sit-in in front of the administrative offices at Annapolis High School when Anne Arundel County police moved in and ARRESTED them.
The details:
Three students were arrested at Annapolis High Thursday afternoon for staging a sit-in to protest the Iraq war, according to county police.
Kit Whitacre, 17, was among the students arrested. He said they had only been sitting on the floor for about 10 or 15 minutes when administrators began threatening them, and the police officer stationed in the school called for backup, flashing sets of plastic handcuffs.
"We just sat down in front of the main office," Kit said. "We didn't want to go to class, because we felt it's unfair other people our age are in Iraq."
Their crime was silent protest, but of course, the school board and police say the students were being "disruptive":
County police said yesterday they charged the three students with disorderly and disruption of school activity. They would not give names of those arrested because the report has not yet been filed, and because those arrested are juveniles.
Bob Mosier, a spokesman for the school system, said "appropriate disciplinary action" was taken against the protesting students. He would not specify what disciplinary action was taken.
"You can't disturb the instructional day," Mr. Mosier said. "That's in the code of student conduct."
Let me take this brief moment to say something...ahem...
Bullshit.
You can't disturb the instructional day?!?!? Now, I realize I'm nearly 20 years removed from high school, but I'm willing to wager that things have not changed THAT much from the time I was in high school.
Meaning, I'm betting there are about 10 things a day that happen at Annapolis High School that could potentially "disturb the instructional day," whatever the hell that is. We want to arrest everybody that flings a spitball now?
What's it say that the students know the First Amendment better than their school administrators?:
Senior Severn Patolo said he and other students he talked to thought the sentence was harsh, considering the three boys weren't protesting violently.
"I didn't think they'd get arrested for it, because of the whole freedom of expression thing," he said. "It was over the top to arrest them. They didn't do anything wrong."
He said students at Annapolis High agree they oppose the war.
"We all share the same opinion on the Iraq war," he said. "It's a pointless war and we shouldn't have gotten into it in the first place."
Indeed. Frankly, I'm proud that we have such kids in my county that know their rights and are willing to fight for them! At least they are getting taught something from somewhere about civics.
Doubtful it is coming from their school system. Because, you know, we don't want these "disruptions."
Free the Annapolis 3, I say.