Dear School Board Member, We have recently been informed that Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred Taylor, has been challenged as part of the Language Arts Curriculum at Lawton Chiles Middle School. We understand that a parent, who has not read the book, objected because it includes the word "nigger." Although her child was immediately given an alternative [...]
by Leslie Postal Staff Writer Orlando Sentinel A Seminole County family wants to restrict classroom use of an award-winning novel about black life because of its harsh depictions of racism and its use of racial slurs. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is widely used in Florida's public schools and is required reading in some districts, including Orange and Seminole. [...]
CBS rejected a Super Bowl advertisement from MoveOn.org, saying the ad violated its advocacy rules.
Ruling in the recent campaign finance case, McConnell v. FCC, the Supreme Court observed that "the electoral process is the very 'means through which a free society democratically translates political speech into concrete governmental action'..... [M]easures aimed at protecting the integrity of the process tangibly benefit public participation in political debate."
By a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court upheld the major provisions of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law banning unlimited "soft money" donations and regulating campaign ads just before elections.
The shooting rampage at Columbine High School in Colorado in 1999, as a practical matter, resulted in the restriction of free expression in the nation's schools, as much as the 1988 Supreme Court decision, Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, legally authorized limits on student press and speech.
Maybe the next time a social scientist or politician is interested in making pronouncements about the effects of violent video games, they should actually check out the players.
On January 20th in New York City, NCAC will host a conversation at Coliseum Books for NCAC Friends and others featuring authors of important books and articles about the state of the First Amendment in these perilous times.
In Harrisonburg, VA, the home of a professor and her family was set on fire along with the anti-war sign they had displayed. Cindy Hunter, Sam Nickels and their children were driven from their blazing home for expressing their political views. Community members rallied for free speech with signs saying "I thought this was America," and denounced the arson as "domestic terrorism."
Read the report below; click here for a full screen view.
