ACLU, public schools, and Confederate emblems

Randolph Phillips
rphillips@windstream.net

Courts come down on both sides of the issue when deciding cases of Confederate Emblems in public schools, and as the West Virginia Case showed a few years ago the courts will rule in favor of our Confederate heritage when we have competent lawyers and fair judges.

If a school allows one form of political speech and not others, it will be very hard for them to win their case to suppress the one and not the other. And in fact, often the case can be won without going to court.

A few years back, here in the Harris County Georgia, Middle School some kids were disciplined for wearing Confederate heritage t-shirts by a principal who disliked the confederacy. When the white kids then complained that FUBU and other black-themed clothing was allowed at school, the black kids--who had not complained about the confederate t-shirts--quickly got upset their clothing might also be banned.

As a result, the local Board of Education ruled that both groups of kids could continue to wear their clothing. So far as I know, everyone has lived happily ever after, and it was a wonderful lesson in democracy. Those who wanted to suppress someone else's rights saw their own would be threatened as well, and dropped their objections.

I think supporters of heritage expression have handled their situation badly or not at all in too many instances when confronted with anti-southern school administrators. Every case should be pursued, but the pursuit should be shrewd and informed with good lawyers, if necessary.