LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY njtech)

Brittany McCombs wants to thank jesus inn ehr valedictorian speech and her mike is cut off

sounds simple. it's not. she wasn't just thanking jesus, she went on & on about how he died on the cross and kept refering to jesus, god, faith etc etc. Thanking god is one thing. saying he was important in your life is one thing. Reciting the entire book of genesis is another thing altogether. They came for a commencement speech, not a sermon. I grant that this is an extremely grey area, with no hard and fast line across which she's crossed, but to quote those who rial against pornagraphy "I know it when I see it"

The question is, was her right to free speech violated? or was she representing the school, and therefore the town and all the students, making this sort of sermon inapropriate? She was asked to speak on behalf of all the students because of her status as having the top grade. It is an honor, not a right. All speechs are submitted to the principal in advance for them to be reviewed, and be approved. She was told to tone it down. She agreed.

Then she had a change of heart. She contacted a lawyer, and supposedly the school wouldn't meet with them, and faced with a deadline, she finally chose to do her own thing, and they cut her off. They claim they were trying to get legal advice and reach a settlement, and maybe the school did stiff them (maybe). But bottom line is they admit that they thought the school was bluffing. They thought "there's no way they'll do that"

Whoops.

I have no issue with her, or athletes who win the NBA championship, or politicians who win elections all thanking god, or crediting god with helping them >insert acomplishment here<. But when you go on and on and on and on, then you're not just explaining how he helped you, you're trying to convince me that he'll help me too, and that if I believe in the powrw of Christ I too can succeed. I'm sorry but that is a sermon, and that's inaprorpiate.