DOHHHH !! heres the link to the article and the pic grolach

http://www.newhavenregister.com/site..._id=7573&rfi=6

<font color="plum">Well, I have to be honost, <font color="red">Hunter</font>, I have mixed feelings about this incident.

My FIRST reaction was to say "Hey, these are TEENAGERS!!! It's a JOKE!!!" Come on people, think about it. Teenagers enjoy testing their boundaries and doing relatively harmless things just for "shock value" (purple hair, body piercing, etc). This doesn't mean their bad, mean, or dangerous kids...it just means their kids having a little fun with social norms.

The picture seems to confirm this suspicion. The arms are raised, but the rest of their body language is the same as the other kids around them (head thrown to the side laughing, etc). If they were standing straight and giving a rigid salute, I'd be a little more worried.

On the flip side, the school has had some Neo-Nazi activity, so there IS some cause for concern.....IF these two boys were participants in that.

The Columbine killers were into Neo-Nazi activities. They even planned thier massacre to coincide with Hitler's birthday. So - in that respect - there is reasonable cause to question the motivation of these two boys.

However, for an entire section of the population to become "offended" is plain and simply an over-reactment.</font>

Woops, underestimated the case in my first post. Those guys might be real freaks. Now that's up to the state's law to decide wether or not it is a crime to publicaly support nazism. The borders of freedom of speech varies from place to place and there are good arguments for both side.

Khazadman, this ain't coming from FAIR. I read it there, but this was reported by the student journal and Associated Press. Don't know if i can trust the student journal, but i know AP is not part of a worldwide bolchevik propaganda plot.

How would we feel if they expressed their freedom of speech by holding up banners which said 'Long Live Osama bin Laden'?

[ 06-23-2002, 02:44 PM: Message edited by: Donut ]

Well , Donut , I can only speak for myself when I say that I wouldnt do anything to stop them.I probably wouldnt join in with them , but if you believe in freedom it must be practiced universaly , not just when it is unoffensive.

You can't pick and choose which is Freedom Of Speech and which isn't. Either you support it or you don't. Simple, isn't it?

Mark

hmmm - this is a tricky one

If it was merely a joke, ,there's nothing to be done apart from their parents maybe punishing them for being so tactless or whatever

But legally it's not really anybody's business

not an easy one to choose sides on

Hey, are you trying to suggest that im not a "bad, mean, and dangerous" person?
I resent that. I am to mean, and bad, and dangerous too!!! :D

[ 06-23-2002, 04:48 PM: Message edited by: slackerboy ]

Hey, are you trying to suggest that im not a "bad, mean, and dangerous" person?
I resent that. I am to mean, and bad, and dangerous too!!! :D </font>[/QUOTE]Ha,and you aren't a teen either! [img]tongue.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/kiss.gif[/img]

Freedom of speech is one thing, but certain things just should not be done. The Nazi's commited a terrible attrocity, basically murdering an entire culture and cannot be forgot lest it be repeated. I can't see any decent human being wanting to repeat what the Nazi's put the world through for five years and even though it MAY have been a joke, it was a tasteless and cruel one that they should have known better.
I do beleive that history is still taught in school and having attended and learned that subject they should have known better than to salute in such a manner.
I for one, cannot believe that two young adults could be that insensitive all the while hoisting the banner of freedom of speech. If the Nazi's had their way, there would be no freedom of speech or freedom of any manner, so why would we wish to resurrect that. The fact that they are saluting in that manner is the double standard. But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.