Politically Incorrect Bush Caricature Gets Student Discipline, Visit From Cops

[JackSpratts]

Secret Service agents questioned a high school student about anti-war drawings he did for an art class, one of which depicted President Bush's head on a stick.

Another pencil-and-ink drawing portrayed Bush as a devil launching a missile, with a caption reading "End the war -- on terrorism."

The 15-year-old boy's art teacher at Prosser High School turned the drawings over to school administrators, who notified police, who called the Secret Service.

"We involve the police anytime we have a concern," Prosser Superintendent Ray Tolcacher told the Tri-City Herald newspaper.

Secret Service agents interviewed the boy last Friday. The student, who was not arrested, has not been identified.

The school district disciplined him, but district officials refused to say what the punishment was. Tolcacher said the boy was not suspended.

The artwork was apparently part of an assignment to keep a notebook of drawings, according to Kevin Cravens, a friend of the boy's family.

The drawing that drew the most notice showed a man in what appeared to be Middle Eastern-style clothing, holding a rifle. He was also holding a stick with an oversize head of the president on it.

The student said the head was enlarged because it was intended to be an effigy, Cravens said. The caption called for an end to the war in Iraq.

A message left by The Associated Press with an after-hours duty officer with the Secret Service in Washington, D.C., was not immediately returned on Monday.

"If this 15-year-old kid in Prosser is perceived as a threat to the president, then we are living in '1984'," Cravens said.
http://www.kron4.com/Global/story.as...2&nav=5D7lMdOQ

[Nicobie]

let's check them out

[AweShucks]

The Secret Service has for as long as I can remember taken every threat seriously regardless of age and or severity.

http://www.libertypost.org/cgi-bin/r...i?ArtNum=44253

http://www.jsonline.com/news/state/aug02/64727.asp

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/...in225700.shtml

Especially with the rash of school violence things like this may seem harmless but then again who knows

[JackSpratts]

Originally posted by AweShucks
The Secret Service has for as long as I can remember taken every threat seriously regardless of age and or severity... things like this may seem harmless but then again who knows

you really think so aweshucks? can you name a school kid who ever took a pop at a pres? that line of reasoning sounds like something the shills on bushes' payroll would spout. the ss may be paid to be paranoid, but that doesn't excuse a school. i can't help thinking a pic of osama's head on a stick would've resulted in a different outcome. freedon of expression doesn't stop at us political figures, even those on the right. if we can't rip into them we don't have freedom of expression, something republicans remind us when dissing dems. jesse helms angrilly said clinton better "bring a bodyguard" if he visits carolina. ann coulter basically says all liberals should be killed and there are many many more examples of veiled right wing threats that didn’t result in ss grillings. they want to call the cops they should have a genuine threat. like a death threat for instance (we can start by jailing coulter…heh) a political cartoon’s their evidence? they're just stifling debate. you can bet the kids in that school will think long and hard before expressing themselves, as will nearly every kid hearing about this, and that’s pretty much the point, but that's the wrong lesson for u.s. schools to teach.

- js.

[miss_silver]

The only i've learnt at school about history is that the conquerrers write history

[tambourine-man]

Oh dear.

I'm with Jack - well said, my friend.

[floydian slip]

Especially with the rash of school violence

its was violent when i was in hs, just more of a media frenzy thing now. some aquaintences of mine would be in jail now if they did the same things now as they did then.


well there were security guards employed the year after we graduated.

[Nicobie]

Originally posted by miss_silver
The only thing i've learnt at school about history is that the conquerrers write history

fuc'n smilies keep tryin' to suck me in.........

[AweShucks]

Originally posted by JackSpratts
you really think so aweshucks? can you name a school kid who ever took a pop at a pres? that line of reasoning sounds like something the shills on bushes' payroll would spout. the ss may be paid to be paranoid, but that doesn't excuse a school. i can't help thinking a pic of osama's head on a stick would've resulted in a different outcome. freedon of expression doesn't stop at us political figures, even those on the right. if we can't rip into them we don't have freedom of expression, something republicans remind us when dissing dems. jesse helms angrilly said clinton better "bring a bodyguard" if he visits carolina. ann coulter basically says all liberals should be killed and there are many many more examples of veiled right wing threats that didn’t result in ss grillings. they want to call the cops they should have a genuine threat. like a death threat for instance (we can start by jailing coulter…heh) a political cartoon’s their evidence? they're just stifling debate. you can bet the kids in that school will think long and hard before expressing themselves, as will nearly every kid hearing about this, and that’s pretty much the point, but that's the wrong lesson for u.s. schools to teach.

- js.

Jack I think you may have taken things a bit out of context from my post. Or perhaps I misunderstood yours I wasn't implying anything about freedom of expression all I was stating is the Secret Service was called and they followed up on it as they always do. I figured you were trying to sneak in some right wing conspiracy over our nations youth Which isn't the case as they acted as they always do. In no way was I implying that every single threat thrown out there is investigated, common sense would tell you that is not the case.

Are the schools responsible for this babble of bullshit? Maybe but I think society has taught us a hard lesson. Sometimes even the most innocent looking of things can be your worst fear. Schools and staff are frankly scared shitless after events like Columbine. Does a drawing which depicts possible acts of violence fall under freedom of expression? I'm not sure perhaps look at it like this if the student made a similar drawing but with the schools principle in it would it still be considered freedom of expression?
I'm not defending the schools cuz frankly they irritate me with the over zealous control they put on students. In my area the schools banned students from wearing shirts with the taco bell dog on it when it became politically incorrect.
Sometimes the .01% of people really screw it up for the rest of us, all it takes is one Columbine or one Unibomber and our supposed rights or expressions can be taken in a whole different way

[albed]

Originally posted by AweShucks
I think society has taught us a hard lesson. Sometimes even the most innocent looking of things can be your worst fear.

Is that why those taco bell t-shirts are banned?

Originally posted by AweShucks
Sometimes the .01% of people really screw it up for the rest of us, all it takes is one Columbine or one Unibomber and our supposed rights or expressions can be taken in a whole different way

There's always going to be an occassional unpredictable person who'll do something terrible. They're not to blame for people losing their freedom, its the authority figures who use such rare events to enact an agenda of opression and control and the frightened dimwitts who feel safer whenever anyone acting different gets dragged away and given intensive inspection and reeducation.

I think of all the brilliant, successful people who tell about what troublemakers and oddballs they were in school and wonder what the future will be like without their successors.

[AweShucks]

Originally posted by albed
Is that why those taco bell t-shirts are banned?

I haven't a clue All I remember is my brother was told to either turn it inside out or go home and never wear it again

It is absolutely amazing how far they will take things now days