American Pride on Cinco De Mayo

A lot has been made of the five California High School students who wore American Flag T-shirts on Cinco De Mayo and were sent home by their principal when they refused to turn them inside-out or change.  The right has been aflutter with claims that this is another example of the PC Left's trashing of patriotism. 

I found the whole issue revolting on a few different levels.  As a result I've avoided discussing it on here, but after reading Roger Ebert's self-defense from Tea Party attackers over the issue and engaging in some healthy discussion with a friend over email I guess it's time to share my thoughts. 

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Kids need to learn how to express themselves properly...  

and learn the repercussions of those expressions.   

By curbing their expression, the faculty did nothing but make these 

kids less prepared for the real world.  

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See, I find fault not in the ignorant redneck kids who wore the shirts... or their ignorant redneck parents who sent them to school this way... or with the latinos who may or may not have been offended by the "expression of speech"... or with the school officials who sent the kids home.

Rather I find fault with the American school system at large for putting in place a dress code at all.  That's the precursor of the entire issue here.  School tells kids what they can and can't wear; suggests that people wear things in celebration of (the American-made) Cinco De Mayo; kids wear something in defiance of said observance; people get upset.

Don't put policies in place to dictate dress code in a public school and the whole problem never happens.

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