Nova Scotia Student Suspended For Jesus Shirt

[WestViking]

Leading up to the suspension, the school's principal had repeatedly asked Swinimer to stop sporting the shirt, which he said was dismissive of other students' beliefs, but the school board said the boy was "defiant."

A flippin' T-shirt is "dismissive of student's beliefs"? What the heck is this person smoking? This is PC gone wrong again. The principal is dismissive of Swinimer's beliefs but the principal only points the way to his view of morality; he never goes there.

I wouldn't think the principals beliefs either way matter for too much, he's there to do a job, and that job isn't to foist his views upon anyone. Remember it was students and teachers who initially made the complaints, not the principal.

I made no reference to the principal's beliefs. However, the principal felt no shame in quashing Swinimer's right to express his beliefs. Complaints by students and teachers don't trump basic rights and freedoms. There is no right to not be offended.

As for the preacher-in-training, his actions really don't surprise me, and right or wrong he's really only re-enforced a message, and probably not the one he intended -- namely that he had no business being there in the first place. Someone of such firm . . .principles will never be comfortable with the chaos that comes from mixing with the unwashed masses. Better to stick with people assured of meeting such high and pure standards. Homeschooling perhaps?

Not every Christian believer is a preacher-in-training and nothing in the articles posted indicate he is a preacher-in-training. He is a high school student and if a public school cannot accommodate a student with a Christian message on a T-shirt, the school is an abysmal failure. Our primary schools do not exist to indoctrinate our children in progressive political correctness.

[The Devil's Advocate]

Leading up to the suspension, the school's principal had repeatedly asked Swinimer to stop sporting the shirt, which he said was dismissive of other students' beliefs, but the school board said the boy was "defiant."

A flippin' T-shirt is "dismissive of student's beliefs"? What the heck is this person smoking? This is PC gone wrong again. The principal is dismissive of Swinimer's beliefs but the principal only points the way to his view of morality; he never goes there.

I wouldn't think the principals beliefs either way matter for too much, he's there to do a job, and that job isn't to foist his views upon anyone. Remember it was students and teachers who initially made the complaints, not the principal.

I made no reference to the principal's beliefs. However, the principal felt no shame in quashing Swinimer's right to express his beliefs. Complaints by students and teachers don't trump basic rights and freedoms. There is no right to not be offended.

As for the preacher-in-training, his actions really don't surprise me, and right or wrong he's really only re-enforced a message, and probably not the one he intended -- namely that he had no business being there in the first place. Someone of such firm . . .principles will never be comfortable with the chaos that comes from mixing with the unwashed masses. Better to stick with people assured of meeting such high and pure standards. Homeschooling perhaps?

Not every Christian believer is a preacher-in-training and nothing in the articles posted indicate he is a preacher-in-training. He is a high school student and if a public school cannot accommodate a student with a Christian message on a T-shirt, the school is an abysmal failure. Our primary schools do not exist to indoctrinate our children in progressive political correctness.

Not every Christian believer wears such T-shirts, nor, if reports are correct, proselytizes to other people (students, as it was reported) on a regular basis.

After a few mis-steps, he was accommodated, and rightfully so, as I've said. And when that was done, when he got exactly what he asked for, he quit. Which could have been, if one wished to be cycical (and I rarely miss a chance to be so) his whole purpose all along. Why simply quit school to be with people more like you if you can quit school to be with people more like you and spectacularly get your actal point across at the same time? Actuallly now that I think about it I can see why he no longer needs to be in school, his education on the fine art of being an attention whore is apparently complete.

[WestViking]

Not every Christian believer wears such T-shirts, nor, if reports are correct, proselytizes to other people (students, as it was reported) on a regular basis.

Forgive me, but high school students with a “cause”, be it save the whales, save the rain forests, stop the seal hunt, helping the homeless or living as a Christian are not at all unusual. And yes, their new-found zealotry can be a pain to those around them. Their endless energy in awakening us to what they have found can get tiresome; dare I say offensive. I do not advocate we stifle their exuberance. They will discover the sand traps of the real world soon enough.

After a few mis-steps, he was accommodated, and rightfully so, as I've said. And when that was done, when he got exactly what he asked for, he quit. Which could have been, if one wished to be cynical (and I rarely miss a chance to be so) his whole purpose all along. Why simply quit school to be with people more like you if you can quit school to be with people more like you and spectacularly get your actal point across at the same time? Actually now that I think about it I can see why he no longer needs to be in school, his education on the fine art of being an attention whore is apparently complete.

One point - Swinimer never asked for anything. He was being badgered by the school administration to remove a t-shirt and he did not feel he should have to. The school administration decided to teach him a lesson with a suspension. That is where the issue went public. Then the school administrators decided they were wrong and reinstated Swinimer. To accuse Swinimer of being an attention whore amounts to blaming the victim of an autocratic and overzealous school administration.

[The Devil's Advocate]

Not every Christian believer wears such T-shirts, nor, if reports are correct, proselytizes to other people (students, as it was reported) on a regular basis.

Forgive me, but high school students with a “cause”, be it save the whales, save the rain forests, stop the seal hunt, helping the homeless or living as a Christian are not at all unusual. And yes, their new-found zealotry can be a pain to those around them. Their endless energy in awakening us to what they have found can get tiresome; dare I say offensive. I do not advocate we stifle their exuberance. They will discover the sand traps of the real world soon enough.

After a few mis-steps, he was accommodated, and rightfully so, as I've said. And when that was done, when he got exactly what he asked for, he quit. Which could have been, if one wished to be cynical (and I rarely miss a chance to be so) his whole purpose all along. Why simply quit school to be with people more like you if you can quit school to be with people more like you and spectacularly get your actal point across at the same time? Actually now that I think about it I can see why he no longer needs to be in school, his education on the fine art of being an attention whore is apparently complete.

One point - Swinimer never asked for anything. He was being badgered by the school administration to remove a t-shirt and he did not feel he should have to. The school administration decided to teach him a lesson with a suspension. That is where the issue went public. Then the school administrators decided they were wrong and reinstated Swinimer. To accuse Swinimer of being an attention whore amounts to blaming the victim of an autocratic and overzealous school administration.

There are ways to ask for something without actually saying "can I please have such and such", but regardless he did in fact ask for something, he asked to be allowed to wear his billboard even though complaints were made. In effect, he asked to be offensive. That's fine, and you are correct, he should be allowed to be as offensive as he wants to be, but what I don't understand is when the decision, correctly, was overturned, rather than moving on from it and going back to enjoying his apparent offensiveness he decided to bail. He quit, voluntarily. Which, by the way and for what it's worth is when in my view he stopped being a "victim" of anything, if in fact he ever was in the first place.

[WestViking]

There are ways to ask for something without actually saying "can I please have such and such", but regardless he did in fact ask for something, he asked to be allowed to wear his billboard even though complaints were made. In effect, he asked to be offensive. That's fine, and you are correct, he should be allowed to be as offensive as he wants to be, but what I don't understand is when the decision, correctly, was overturned, rather than moving on from it and going back to enjoying his apparent offensiveness he decided to bail. He quit, voluntarily. Which, by the way and for what it's worth is when in my view he stopped being a "victim" of anything, if in fact he ever was in the first place.

I am not buying what you are selling. You appear determined to adopt the politically correct position the school administration decided was not sustainable. The school administration only partly changed its mind. That does not mean that Swinimer was not a victim up until the time the reversal was made or that Swinimer has any obligation to continue studies at the same school. Perhaps you missed this report above:

"We are very disappointed he is not in school today. We were hoping he would be part of these conversations," she said, referring to the school's planned discussions about the balance between religious freedom and students' rights to not have their beliefs criticized.

The school administration clearly does not consider the issue to be dealt with - they intend to continue to browbeat Swinimer based on some fictitious right to not have beliefs criticised. The politically correct never ever quit.

[The Devil's Advocate]

There are ways to ask for something without actually saying "can I please have such and such", but regardless he did in fact ask for something, he asked to be allowed to wear his billboard even though complaints were made. In effect, he asked to be offensive. That's fine, and you are correct, he should be allowed to be as offensive as he wants to be, but what I don't understand is when the decision, correctly, was overturned, rather than moving on from it and going back to enjoying his apparent offensiveness he decided to bail. He quit, voluntarily. Which, by the way and for what it's worth is when in my view he stopped being a "victim" of anything, if in fact he ever was in the first place.

I am not buying what you are selling. You appear determined to adopt the politically correct position the school administration decided was not sustainable. The school administration only partly changed its mind. That does not mean that Swinimer was not a victim up until the time the reversal was made or that Swinimer has any obligation to continue studies at the same school. Perhaps you missed this report above:

"We are very disappointed he is not in school today. We were hoping he would be part of these conversations," she said, referring to the school's planned discussions about the balance between religious freedom and students' rights to not have their beliefs criticized.

The school administration clearly does not consider the issue to be dealt with - they intend to continue to browbeat Swinimer based on some fictitious right to not have beliefs criticised. The politically correct never ever quit.

I guess we'll never know how the conversations were going to go, because the apparently the politically incorrect, do.

[Connie Fournier]

It never fails to amaze me how often people who normally have a good understanding of the importance of freedom of expression are willing to throw it all out the window if they can find an opportunity to silence someone they disagree with. Decisions like this have to be made with our brains, not with our emotions.

For the same reason I didn't call the school and try to get the Atheist librarian reprimanded for putting up her poster propaganda, I believe this kid should have been left alone.

It is called "consistency", and it has to be evident in our political principles or we look foolish.

[Hailey]

I actually do care that someone is offended and I would hope that if my child wore that t-shirt and knew someone was offended they would talk to them about it. I WOULD want to know someone was hurt so it could be reconciled. I would not ask that they remove the t-shirt and I wouldn't ask for an atheist shirt to be removed.

He was talking to offended people by wearing the T shirt.

Do you realize how many people are going to be offended if you wore that shirt? Are you going to talk to all of them?

This offense posturing is a con of the leftists in their social engineering agenda to get what they want. It is complete bs....yea a Jesus shirt offends someone...give me a break!

You know, honestly, I must be naive but I would not have believed that this shirt would offend anyone. I am very surprised to learn this.

And I actually mean it as a good and complimentary thing to you - to Edward - to anyone here that if anyone approached you in a reasonable manner you'd have a reasonable and caring conversation.

[smallLliberal]

The main problem ... is not what was on the t-shirt .. it is where he is wearing it.
It is a school rule .. he leaves the school he can wear whatever he wants.

[WestViking]

The main problem ... is not what was on the t-shirt .. it is where he is wearing it.
It is a school rule .. he leaves the school he can wear whatever he wants.

Nowhere has it been said that there was any 'school rule' on the wearing of a T-shirt with a slogan. You are making things up. The school administration decision, after complaints were made, that the T-shirt was offensive and ought not to be worn is not a school rule.

[styky]

Pray tell how does a student learn to make choices if he/she never has to make any only the school does. The real world doesn't work like that. By doing so we breed a generation of coddled children that will always be offended. Good luck with that free speech thing in the future.

[Edward Kennedy]

The main problem ... is not what was on the t-shirt .. it is where he is wearing it.
It is a school rule .. he leaves the school he can wear whatever he wants.

One thing I do not do is check my principles at the door, or change my clothes anywhere other than in the morn when I dress and at night when I take them off to shower. No lefturd dud tells me what I can or cannot wear, what bumper sticker I can post, or what I can or cannot say.

That includes twisted intolerant lefturd teachers, school boards, principals or law enforcement agencies and twiated porno gobbling, baby murdering, pedo enabling twits like you.

Further the aholes who are lieberal teachers/school board officials/etc WORK FOR THE TAXPAYER, NOT VICE VERSA and these hypocrits have no right to impose their damned dialetic secular humanism on students.

If they really want something that fits their competency levels, they can take a magnifying glass, chain down an ant, and pick pimples off it's anal area. If they need guidance, I recommend an accomplished AAPP. (ant's anal pimple picker)

His identity here is well known and while I will not tell you he is the resident lieberal, I will say that he is good at two things, telling lies and picking pimples off ants' anal areas.

[free_life2]

The main problem ... is not what was on the t-shirt .. it is where he is wearing it.
It is a school rule .. he leaves the school he can wear whatever he wants.

What school rule?

Are you allergic to the truth?

[Edward Kennedy]

The main problem ... is not what was on the t-shirt .. it is where he is wearing it.
It is a school rule .. he leaves the school he can wear whatever he wants.

What school rule?

Are you allergic to the truth?

Naw, he is just a twisted lieberal twit.

[Julian]

Liebrals don't have brains, they have slightly enlarged ganglia (when compared to a slug)