Sapere aude!

This is ridiculous. It should be a no-brainer, but I have little faith in a Supreme Court that has only become more disreputable since they Kinged Bush. It has become commonplace in America for weak and irrelevant arguments to be accepted as justification for absurd conduct, and this case could epitomize this point.

In response to the argument for stricter limits on student speech:

For our leaders to understand Columbine as a sign that students need to be controlled and limited in their expression is a dangerous interpretation of events. Columbine was made possible by an institutionalized culture that demands conformity and adherence to cultural norms, forcing those who are different to the margins where they become alienated and subject to torment by those who can get along in the "normal" fashion. By severely punishing students who nonviolently express their rejection of demonstrably flawed traditions, not only are the rebels tyrannized, but also the studentry as a whole. They learn that it is not acceptable to think freely and that those who do should be disciplined. Behavior is learned. Thought is learned. That's some example to set. School is not merely about what's between the covers of distorted, poorly written textbooks, but about how to solve problems as a member of a community. When someone in that community thinks or speaks differently, though in accordance with their human rights, and is then punished for it, it teaches people that to get along, you must go along.

Iraq. George Bush Jr.

How is it possible that a society can reject and loathe a man like Ralph Nader, who has dedicated his life to exposing dangers and proposing solutions; to honest discourse? We are not born with shackled minds. How do we become so intolerant?

We learn it in school.