Looks like the Cinco de Mayo madness has leached out of California and made its way to the little community of Klein, TX just up the road a piece from where I live.
A student was suspended for three days for yanking down a large Mexican flag his high school had prominently displayed for the 5th of May holiday.
I don't condone willful destruction of property, and I don't think schools ought to let anarchy rule the day, either.
But I do question the school's decision to put the flag up in the first place. In California, students wearing U.S. flag shirts were deemed "incendiary" and were suspended. Ironic.
In Klein, it was the Mexican flag and the student who made it go away was suspended. Irony heaped up high.
Public schools across the country would do well to remember two things: They are in the United States of America and they are paid for entirely by U.S. taxpayers and the taxpayers in their respective states.
Fly the American flag always. Fly the flag of your state always. Honor the people who make your jobs, your facilities, your raison d' etre possible.
Save foreign flags for international festivals or focused in-class cultural studies, and if you're going to put up a big flag of another country know that someone at some point is going to demand you put up a flag of theirs.
Israeli flag for Hanukkah? I think we should.
Saudi Arabian or Iranian flag for Ramadan? Why not?
Confederate flag for Robert E. Lee's birthday? Won't happen unless you live in backwoods Mississippi but it's an intriguing idea nonetheless.
Indian flag for Diwali? You betcha, if only to honor the culture that has brought us the beautiful sari, Bollywood, and my favorite Indian dish chana masala with raita and hot naan on the side.
It'll be interesting to see what the school in Klein does to explain away its foray into the world of political correctness. Even more interesting will be its defense of its school motto, "Excellence Without Compromise."
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