Folks, Zelman v Simmons-Harris (2002) clearly mandates that voucher systems do not violate the Establishment Clause.

Press your advantage. Push for Voucher programs. Don't put up with such august individuals as the officials who silenced Brittany Mccomb.

I went through a similar experience when giving my valedictory speech - my first two speeches were rejected by the school. The third one was accepted but I didn't want to give it (I had written it a month earlier for an American Legion scholarship contest on the subject of "Why I Love My Country") so I wrote a fourth one the day of the event and delivered that. It had plenty of "God"s in it but luckily my school didn't have that fancy mike-shutting-off technology.

The first commandment of nearly every religion is "Thou shalt have no other Gods before me."

Schools are churches.

The religion is Secular Humanism.

Attendance is forced and tax-supported.

The current flavor of Public Education is unconstitutional on its face. (The fall back position - that they engage in 'religious teaching' by undermining other faiths - is even more evident)

The effect of their indoctrination is only starting to be seen, as earlier generations haven't abdicated their parental role as today's craven generation has.

You can't support Western Civilization and support today's public schools. The goal of today's schools are to destroy Western Civilization.

Any questions? Just refer to the article.

pj;

Yeah, I gave a speech at graduation as well (class president/valedictorian). I had a "history" with the administration, but they were smart enough to not even ask for a draft, as we all knew I would just turn in a fake speech and say what I wanted anyway. Luckily, our class was small enough that I didn't need a microphone. Brittany should have practiced projection so she could go on after being cut off. Let them drag her off the stage, that would look good.

P.S. My future mother-in-law was there and didn't care for my speech at all. Luckily, when I started dating her daughter a few years later, she thought I was my brother.

I actually made one member of the audience cry (and no, it wasn't the superintendent of schools).

You're damned if you do, damned if you don't. If you let her preach, you're violating someone else's rights. If you're not letting her preach, you're violating her own rights.

And I highly doubt all those Christians would have let her praise communism and thank fidel castro. I'm pretty sure that would have been censored as quickly as if she thanked the Mother Goddess and promoted veganism.

Either way, she showed a direct loss of discipline and respect for her authority and elders. It was up to her as such a role model to choose between right and wrong, fair and unfair, and I believe she was quite stubbornly immature in this choice she made. But of course, she's from a religion that promotes force feeding its beliefs to others. Either way, even if it is her speech, she's thinking only of herself. Her speech was supposed to be inspirational for EVERYBODY. I could see this if it were a Christian school, but she went beyond thanking God and straight into evangelism. There was nothing necessary about that, she could have kept it personal and said what a positive influence God was on her. She didn't have to say everyone should do it and she guarantees 100% it will work, because that's a guarentee even she cannot make.

i agree.. i recieved this petition in the e-mail i get from these guys to send her a THANK YOU petititon... i got to your site by searching her name on xanga... i wanted to encourage her personally if posible (if she has a xanga or myspace).

https://secure.afa.net/afa/afapetition/signpetition.asp?id=1560

freedom of speech is for all - from athiest to christian, muslim, ect - gay to strait - its just sad

-Daniel (doubledb)

What if Brittany McComb were an athiest, Buddhist, Hindu, Druid, or (gasp) a Muslim? What if she said that her achievements were due to her belief in Allah, Buddha, Kali, or not to any god at all? Were that the case, does anyone honestly think that the right-wing whacko Christians would be silent? Does anyone think these "Christians" would defend her right to invoke what they consider a pagan deity? Give me a break. The Sean Hannitys, Rick Santorums, Jerry Falwells, Anne Coulters, Mary Matlins, and George Bushes of the world would savage such an address.

Somewhere in my graduation speech I mentioned God. It has been so many years ago, I don't recall what I said. I do remember a number of my classmates thanking/congratulating me afterward and mentioning how "brave" I was. I was unaware of the debate that had begun. I was from such a small rural school that, as far as I know, all my classmates were either agnostic, atheist, or Christian. Back then, graduation was on Sunday and every year the class chose a minister to preach a sermon!! Our class chose one of our former teachers who became a minister. A class before chose the Catholic priest whom we had all met at one of the class memember's funeral. The chorus class sang songs like "Friends" using the words "a friend's a friend forever if the Lord's the Lord of them." My how things have changed!!!

BUT in answer to questions regarding "those Christians" and "right-wing whacko Christians", I'd have to say if the class President or Valedictorian wanted to praise Allah, bow toward Mecca, or even explain how Islam had changed his/her life, so? It's his/her 90 seconds in the spotlight.

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." -Voltaire
(Voltaire, by the way, didn't say too many other things that I really like, but that just makes this quote more meaningful.)

I actually know Brittany.
I was in french with her, although I graduated from Foothill last year.
I attended graduation this year. It's nothing like anyone makes it out to be.

The community was behind her. That's probably why our principal was booed and yelled at for most of the graduation.

I totally agree with freedom of speech, and Brittany is a great girl. But yes, she strayed from her speech. I agreed with letting her mention God, but who knew how long she would have gone on?
She earned the right to speak, but now this graduation is going to be remembered for her speech. It takes the spotlight away from the other graduates.
As much as I believe in freedom of speech and the 1st amendment, it is also stated that it's only applicable when it does not infringe upon others' rights. And in my opinion, as well as the school districts, it did in a way. It also made the graduation ceremony focus on her.

If she had written the God portion into her speech (which was allowed, as demonstrated by Janelle Oehler's speech, following McComb's), they would have let her continue.

Heck, I made Dryfoos cry at our graduation. He was not only valedictorian but president of the band and tradition allowed for him to conduct the National Anthem. But I played bass drum and just kept speeding up so he had to conduct faster and faster...

the likes of Nelchael and Kittle atest to the problems we have in this country. Lack of prayer to the deity of their choice; lack of patroism; lack of seeing the good in the young people of our country. As a Marine in the 2nd World War, I can't be believe that people like Nelchael and Kittle choose to remain in this country except that their idiotic diabtribes are protected by the blood of valiant men and women who chose to fight and die to protect those freedoms. We don't need enemies when we have the likes of Nelchael and Kittle. God Bless you, Brittany. What a fine young woman you are. Keep up the good fight and know that millions of Americans are behind you.

I'm Janelle Oehler - the Valedictorian that spoke after Brittany. Many people have come up to me and said, "Wow, that was a tough act to follow," but it really wasn't. Brittany and I have been good friends since the 7th grade. She was the first person to talk to me in math class. We've dreamed of being Valedictorians together since the day we realized we could do it. I completely, 100% support her. I'm so glad she made a stand at graduation, doing something that Valedictorians aren't known for, "breaking the rules." I'm glad that this story is naitonal news and hope to see positive reprocussions from her valiant decision to stand up for what she believes in.

Ms. Oehler: Thank you for commenting, and our best to you and Ms. McComb.