<p><a href="http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/jun/06062202.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/jun/06062202.html</a>
Whatever happened to freedom of Speech without being offended?</p>
<p>"The 400 plus graduates and guests gathered at a Las Vegas casino for the ceremony booed and jeered after McCombs speech was cut short."</p>
<p>I wish my HS graduation was at a Las Vegas casino...the Bellagio sounds nice.</p>
<p>Its a graduation speech, they didn't cut her off because they were offended, it was just off topic. If she had gotten up there and started talking about her WoW character for 5 minutes they would have cut her off too. She's supposed to talk about good times they had an all that.</p>
<p>heh they have another story like this on fox news, only there the girl's diploma was withheld. i watched the video, and she was actually promoting Jesus and religion, encouraging people to become christians, which i think is kinda not really what you say at a speech like that, even though the fact that she was punished for that is ridiculous.</p>
<p>That is so stupid.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Its a graduation speech, they didn't cut her off because they were offended, it was just off topic.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Thanking someone for your success isn't "off topic."</p>
<p>Welcome to liberalism.</p>
<p>If this girl had mentioned Buddha or Mohammed, I guarentee you that there would be none of the nonsense. But with Christianity, it's open season.</p>
<p>"Whatever happened to freedom of Speech without being offended?"</p>
<p>What ever happened to following what you wrote for the speech and presented ahead of time? </p>
<p>Going off in a different direction is basically selfish behavior. Whether she supports Jesus or Satan wasn't part of everybody else's time. </p>
<p>In the same token some vals stand up there and use the I and me waaay to much. Nobody cares. It's about the entire class and the shared experiences. That shouldn't be such a hard concept for a val.</p>
<p>^ I agree. The valedictorian's speech should be the epitome of solidarity for her class- not a sermon, not a brag sheet, not her life story. If she had the intention of simply thanking God, I wouldn't mind. However, her original speech was fraught with biblical references. In a public institution where church and classroom are clearly separated, the valedictorian should have respected the mission of her school and the time of her classmates. The podium wasn't created solely for her biblical agenda.</p>
<p>Did you read the article Jon K? She wasn't just thanking god for success, she was going on about how he died for our sins and on and on. They wouldn't have cut her off if all she wanted to say was "I want to thank god for the success we've had".</p>
<p>From MSNBC:
"Administrators who vetted an early draft of McComb's speech cut six references to God or Christ, and omitted two biblical references. They also deleted a detailed reference to the crucifixion of Christ.</p>
<p>McComb said she defied school authorities because she believed it was a free speech issue."</p>
<p>IMO, the speech was inappropriate, and the school officials were correct to delete the references. I am sure that the same thing would have been done if she had had detailed references to Mohammed, Buddha or any other religious figure.</p>
<p>Having the privilege of making the valedictorian speech at a public school is not an invitation to proselytize. It also is routine for such speeches to have to be approved in advance by the administration, and for students to not be allowed to deviate from what the administration allows.</p>
<p>If one wants to make the kind of speech that McComb wished to make, one should go to a Christian private school.</p>
<p>Well said Northstarmom!</p>
<p>
[quote]
Welcome to liberalism.</p>
<p>If this girl had mentioned Buddha or Mohammed, I guarentee you that there would be none of the nonsense. But with Christianity, it's open season.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Ah, but a Buddhist wouldn't really care to preach. It's so immaterial. :)</p>
<p>PrivateJoker about covered it. Honestly, speaking as a flaming atheist I couldn't care less who she thanked, but being preached to in public as if you're immoral and subhuman isn't pretty, thanks. I would have been extremely uncomfortable and wondering how the hell she got to be val.</p>
<p>A high school graduation is not the time to start talking about Christ and religion.</p>
<p>If she wants to discuss "lords and saviors" she can do so on her own time at her church or in private.</p>
<p>"... and wondering how ...she got to be val."</p>
<p>Why, because she is a devout Christian? Her faith in our Lord Jesus Christ makes her an unlikely candidate for valedictorian... how?</p>
<p>Some of the most brilliant academics I know are people of openly devout religious faith. I know that probably doesn't fit with your atheistic worldview that religious folk, particularly Christians, are somehow of lower intelligence than non-religious persons, but the fact remains.</p>
<p>No one has a right to comment because we have no idea WHAT exactly was deemed inappropriate. Was it simply the name Jesus Christ that prompted cutting her off? The article says she used "Biblical references." How did she use them? Was she in fact proselytizing? Or was she merely quoting as anyone would from a common source? We have no idea what the disputed content was. So let's not try to argue about this.</p>
<p>its just those liberals in the education system. you know, bush is christian, and they are all anti-bush, so "god" for them sounds almost like an f-word because of that.
jimbob1225
the story on fox news has the video, and the girl read the part of her actual speech.
<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/national/index.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.foxnews.com/national/index.html</a>
scroll down to the videos section. should be there for some time</p>
<p>"you know, bush is christian, and they are all anti-bush, so "god" for them sounds almost like an f-word because of that."</p>
<p>I think it runs a little deeper than that. There is nothing that leftists despise more than Christianity. It is true hatred. They will attempt to stamp it out every opportunity they can, through political action and verbal ridicule of its adherents. </p>
<p>Can't say Jesus didn't warn us about it, though. He suffered and so must His followers. The "Golden Age" of Christianity has come to an end; now is the time to see who is the true Christian and who is merely a Christian of convenience. Because it isn't easy anymore. You can't declare a devout faith in Christ anymore without at least half the population declaring you a dumbass.</p>
<p>Wow. Stupid acts met be stupid responses.</p>
<p>
[quote=Fides et Ratio]
"... and wondering how ... she got to be val."</p>
<p>Why, because she is a devout Christian? Her faith in our Lord Jesus Christ makes her an unlikely candidate for valedictorian... how?</p>
<p>Some of the most brilliant academics I know are people of openly devout religious faith. I know that probably doesn't fit with your atheistic worldview that religious folk, particularly Christians, are somehow of lower intelligence than non-religious persons, but the fact remains.</p>
<p>....
your petty anecdotes do not prove anything. you can also say that there are brilliant black/hispanic minds out there (which there are), but that does NOT prove that blacks/hispanics have higher IQs as races (which they don't). if you examine statistics, atheists and agnostics are overwhelmingly disproportional in all leading intellectual U.S. institutions.</p>