New at Reason

In the latest edition of Friday Funnies, Henry Payne asks about the long-term consequences of the "Bong Hits for Jesus" decision for young pranksters.

Comments

Alan Vanneman | June 29, 2007, 7:36am | #

Yeah, I know it's Friday, but this is still kind of lame. The "kid" who was busted was 18, an adult, for most purposes. He was not on school grounds, and he was not insulting a teacher. The fact that he acted because he wanted attention hardly strikes me as justification for punishing him. Don't the people who write for "Reason" want attention? Don't the people (like me) who respond to those postings want attention? What the fuck is wrong with wanting attention?

Doug | June 29, 2007, 7:50am | #

It was during school hours, when the school is responsible for his behavior. People who crave attention piss me off! eg. Paris Hilton

Fred | June 29, 2007, 8:18am | #

Payne is showing his age. Today's kid would use a blog, blast faxes and text messaging to disparage a teacher. But I'm sure the Catholic Inquisition that runs our Supreme Court will see to eliminating those freedoms, as well ...

Principal Pro Libertate | June 29, 2007, 9:04am | #

Alan Vanneman,

Please report to my office--you're suspended. Don't First Amendment me, young man! Your posting was merely disruptive, not an exercise of free speech.

SugarFree | June 29, 2007, 9:05am | #

Doug screams IGNORE ME! and doesn't pay the cab driver.

P Brooks | June 29, 2007, 9:20am | #

When I was a boy, if somebody had held up a banner with a nonsensical phrase on it, people would have merely shaken their heads and mused, "What the fuck is that kid's problem?"

Now, it's a goldurned Federal Case. The world is going to Hell in a hurry.

The Wine Commonsewer® | June 29, 2007, 10:10am | #

It amuses me to no end that kids (and actual grown adults) labor under the delusion that somehow if the Supers allow some limited form of free expression for high school kids as they march in lockstep toward the Children's Neighborhood Day Prison, where attendance is MANDATED by law (under threat of jail time for failure to appear) that there is freedom.

These people must have gone to public school.

The Wine Commonsewer® | June 29, 2007, 10:11am | #

When I was 14 that got dam Vice Principal Wallace (sucker wore wingtips, too) would have done exactly the same thing as this principal. Confiscated the banner and ripped it up. Then he would have said TWC, my office, soon as we get back to school.

But even though he was a butthead, there would have been no suspension and there would have been no lawsuit.

LarryA | June 29, 2007, 10:23am | #

When I was a boy, if somebody had held up a banner with a nonsensical phrase on it, people would have merely shaken their heads and mused, "What the fuck is that kid's problem?"

When I was a boy somebody would have told my Mom. School suspension is a piece of cake in comparison.

The "kid" who was busted was 18, an adult, for most purposes.

But not while a student. The recent VA Tech stories illustrated that you aren't really considered an adult until you graduate college.

Joe | June 29, 2007, 10:41am | #

The "kid" who was busted was 18, an adult, for most purposes

Not until age 21.

TrickyVic | June 29, 2007, 12:17pm | #

SCOTUS just upheld a lower court ruling that says a school can not suspend a student for a shirt with political speech on it regardless of the fact it had images of cocaine and a martini on it. It was an anti-bush shirt.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8Q2HBP80&show_article=1

May the other kid's banner should have said "Bong hits for Bush".

Drugs for religion, no. Drugs for politics, yes. Seperation of church and state?

crimethink | June 29, 2007, 1:58pm | #

TrickyVic,

I think if the banner read "Bong Hits 4 Ferrets" it wouldn't have changed the verdict.

Ska.one | June 29, 2007, 4:39pm | #

What if it said "Legally I should be allowed to do bong hits 4 Jesus!!!" Political and protected.

TrickyVic | June 30, 2007, 8:04pm | #

There is nothing political about ferrets.

teekthesneek | July 3, 2007, 10:57am | #

what it should have said is " if president Bush did coke why can't i ?"...try to answer that one Mr. Principal ( or Mrs).