Secret Service interrogate high school art student:

[pollock]

"ROSSER, Washington (AP) -- 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."

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/West/04/27/artwork.investigated.ap/index.html


Is it illegal to draw a picture of the President in this manner?
Would like to know what others think about this.

[Maat]

1. I, who just took Constitutional Law, not too long ago...

believe that the student's 1st-Amendment-rights were violated. There are some restrictions on freedom of speech -- the school may control curriculum, they may guard against disruption. But unless the Secret Service finds this kid to be a viable threat (which they didn't), I believe that he had a right to express his political views. The case I am basing this on is the one in which the Supreme Court said that students did not leave their free speech rights at the school gate, and that students could wear black armbands protesting the Vietnam war.

[DRoseDARs]

2. Well, depicting violence against ANY president...

...past or present crosses a line that needs to be addressed. But the Secret Service swooping down on a 15 year old high school student? Give me a break. :eyes: They should have just had a talk with his parents, maybe suspended him for a day or two and left it at that.

[Maat]

3. But that's what I'm saying.

The Secret Service did not find a viable threat -- in fact, he wasn't threatening the Resident at all. And I feel that he could fight his punishment -- because his fundamental rights were violated. The students during the Vietnam war got their punishments reversed, I believe (not that it mattered by then) but the Court acknowledged a student's right to express themselves politically. They could not be deliberately disruptive but ...

[pollock]

4. But apart from being a high school student...

Is it illegal for anyone to draw a picture of the president with his head on a rifle? Clearly it was meant as political critique.

[DRoseDARs]

5. I'm all for students' rights...

...but I don't approve of violent depictions against presidents (or more generally politicians). I feel it's one of those abuses of free speech, but one that should not be allowed to slide citing First Amendment rights. I don't care to argue this further as my giveafuck is on the fritz. I've stated my opinion, you've stated your's, I call it all good. ;)

[tom_paine]

6. Busheviks love to Bully the Defenseless and Assault the Weak

I would say that the SS taking on Bunnypants* persona is entirely predictable.

Which is why the Bushevik MUST be stopped before Law Enforcement is parasitized back to the Mississippi 1940s level and all of US are the (RACIAL EPITHET REDACTED)s.

[joefree1]

7. WTF! Quick, someone turn me in.

I did these and never heard a peep from the CIA.

[CO Liberal]

8. But Gun Shows Sold "Bill & Hillary" Targets for Years.....

...and I never heard of anyone being questioned by the Secret Service over them.

:shrug:

(For those who have never seen one, here's an image I just found on the Internet.)



Source: http://jamesberry.sydcom.net/

[pollock]

9. These were sold when Clinton was president?

[CO Liberal]

10. Yep