Slapstick Politics: Now <i>American Flags</i> Are Banned

Students threatened with suspension and arrest if they do not surrender their American flags. . .
Three videos on the subject, including the main news story, but also two additional videos, including a lengthy interview with students upset about the denial of their ability to display, carry, or wear American flags, plus some bloviating by the principal trying to justify the ban.

More video coverage here, including an interview with a student suspended for two days for displaying the flag.

Another story here, that disputes the claim of an "permanent" ban.

It does not get any crazier than this:

LONGMONT, Colo. -- More than two dozen students walked out of Skyline High School Friday morning to protest what they say is a ban that doesn't allow the American flag to be flown on school grounds.

The principal said that the ban isn't just on American flags -- it's on all flags.

Several students who walked out of class Friday said that they were upset that Mexican flags can be waved around but that American flags couldn't. They said that school officials confiscated their American flags because they have become inflammatory because of recent immigration issues.

"When the immigration laws came out we noticed that a lot of Hispanics were waving Mexican flags and what we were thinking to ourselves is like, isn't the immigration law to stay in the country? You want to stay in America, correct? So I said, for every Mexican flag, you should have an American flag right next to it. So a few people went out and started waving American flags, and that's where everything bridged out," said Skyline student R.J. Fogal. "That's when they started telling us that we can't wave American flags, there's going to be no flags today, or everyone is going to be suspended -- whoever carries a flag."
Uppity students wanting to show American pride and fly the country's flag? Can't have that now, can we?

"What we want to know is since when was it against the rules to have an American flag on a car, in a car, in your hands in a school?" said student William Cassity.
Since the left declared American flags to be contentious symbols of imperialism, racism, and unbridled capitalism.

Skyline Principal Tom Stumpf said that the school enacted a ban this week that prohibits students to display, wear or fly any flag -- American or Mexican.

"The (policy) evolved because the flags were being used, not as a symbol of cultural heritage, but the flags were being used as symbols of bigotry, a symbol of hostility. They were being used to inflame different groups and we're simply not going to tolerate that at Skyline High School," Stumpf said.
Not quite sure if he means that both sides were doing this, but from what other protests have shown, bigotry and hostility were not evident when American flags were flown, but where Mexican flags were displayed prominently.

"My paramount obligation, my solemn obligation at Skyline High School, is to provide a safe and secure environment and with the flags being used as a catalyst to stir up the students, to stir up the environment, I cannot condone that ... One flag was thrown into the face of another group and another flag was being brandished in front of another group and it was done to raise emotions, and we don't want that. We want respect -- that's our main goal at Skyline High School," he said.
Now comes the safety and security reason for blocking freedom of speech and expression, as these might create "tensions" and endanger a "safe and secure environment", while "stirring" up students. Students are apparently a threat if they "brandish" a flag?

The school has a diverse population and some students say there have been tensions between different ethnic groups because of the national immigration debate.

"I think our whole society is on different sides of the immigration issue and I can't control that. All I'm asking from our students is respect -- respect for one another, treating each other as they themselves want to be treated, treating each other decently, civilly," Stumpf said.

He said the students have a right to rally and those who walked out of class on Friday would not be punished.