1 I've always taken Freedom of Speech as a time sensitive freedom. There are appropriate and inappropriate times for such speech. IE classrooms, courtrooms, the middle of movies, etc. If you have something to say, you have the right to say it... but not when it is disrupting the main activity of what is going on. I was on my schools paper, the school paper is an educational paper. It's to teach the basics of journalism. It is not to get the next big "scoop" or story.

2 Good point -- the purpose of a school newspaper is not to exercise freedom of derogatory or inflammatory speech!

3 Once upon a time, I was not a conservative. I was also very naive about the ACLU. I became quite disgusted in High School at the fact that I was taught over and over again how great the Bill of Rights are, but was denied those rights from 7:00 AM to 2:30 PM, the time they most mattered to me. My Junior year, I was given en assignment in English class to do a 5 minute speech, on anything I wanted. I decided to do it on Free Speech. I researched long and hard all I could about freedom of speech, and even looked into several SCOTUS cases. The day came that I had to give the speech. I wore a T-Shirt that said "Phuc Censorship". I was docked points because my 5 minute speech was 14 minutes long. I was told to turn my shirt inside out, and then later had it confiscated (I was told I could pick it up at the Vice-Principle's office at the end of the day - When I went there and she wasn't there I just took it). I was so upset that my rights were trampled that I called the ACLU seeking help. They referred me to the MCLU (Minnesota CLU). The MCLU wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. They said the judiciary precedent was not in my favor. Looking back, being older and wiser, I am surprised the ACLU didn't jump on that one. I got into trouble for wearing a distasteful t-shirt to school. Since the ACLU loves things that are in bad taste, I don't understand why they turned me away. In the end, I am a wiser person, and am glad they didn't touch it. The problem isn't that schools limit speech, it's that government schools exist at all. As far as the time issue, that sounds great, but the schools go out of their way to make sure there isn't an appropriate time to speak when they know that speech will run contrary to their liberal agenda. The only way to get true freedom of speech in regards to government schools is to get out of them.

4 You are dead on target with this one, Echo. I love that line: "The only way to get true freedom of speech in regards to government schools is to get out of them." I asked the ACLU for help once -- with the red-light cameras. They wouldn't touch that one, either.

5 The only Free Speech that a student is entitled to is critisizing the gov't. Other then that, they need to go back and read the 1st Amendment. It just amazes me how many of these Dem Surrender Monkey's yap on about Free Speech, but couldn't cite or find the First Amendment.

6 Free speech to those loons include the right to say anything, anytime, anywhere, without ANY consquences, AND with financial support of that speech by the government... as long as your speech has nothing to do with Christianity or anything good.