A recent court case regarding free speech in public (government-run, tax-funded) schools has been settled in favor of the student denied free speech. The girl had been punished for wearing a tee-shirt with a New Testament citation stating “Homosexuality is a Sin – 1st Corinthians 6:9-10” to school. Except for court costs and attorneys’ fees, the penalty paid by a Tennessee school district was ridiculously low: $101.

Although the school district did not have to admit its guilt in violating the First Amendment, the teachers are required to be trained on the First Amendment and free speech. Are we being nasty to wonder about the success of that, given the apparent lack of knowledge in the various normal schools – now called colleges and universities – that provide “professional training” to teachers?

Will it just be an excuse to preach the Woke definition of “free speech” as including nothing that is offensive to some group? Perhaps. Parents should keep an eye out. And again, TPOL urges people to get your children OUT of the government-run, tax-funded schools.

(We note that several of us here at TPOL have been severely criticized for pointing out the errors of teachers and the public (government-run, tax-funded) schools. We are told that constantly pointing out what they do as wrong – and even naming names – is unloving and certain to turn people off. So that they will reject anything we say. And that we can get them to change if we praise them for what they do that is right. Beyond the fact that almost all of the people who teach lies have already rejected everything we say or are likely to say, if we do not point out specific errors do we have any hope of convincing them of their error? Are we not appearing to go along?)

Back to the entire idea of free speech: We discussed this recently, pointing out that the words we say can and will be used against us. And heaven forbid that we act – like buying guns or ammo or religious materials. But is not just the FinCEN or FBI or FDA or NIH that fear and react in outrageous ways to those of us who do not drink their KoolAid. State after State, group after group, posit that free speech is so last century.

To say nothing of the general political attitude (Democrat and Republican) towards free speech, not just in schools but in American society in general. While there are those politicians who stand up staunchly for the freedom of speech, expression, and religion, it seems that more and more consider those rights to be anything but unalienable. We find more and more GOP types (not necessarily RINOs) who seem to favor restrictions on what and how people can say things. And supporting Uncle Joe’s regime in getting the power of government to suppress “disinformation” and “misinformation.”

There is, of course, an exception to that denial of the right to say anything you want to, whether true or false. That exception seems to be primarily granted by media, the public, and the enemies of liberty to politicians. For them, the First Amendment seems to be in full force: they can say anything they want even though it offends certain people. As long as those people believe in the traditions and ideals which were once “the American way.”

But even within their own numbers, groups, and organizations, free speech is under attack. A group of WEF employees, for example, who say that Klaus Schwab (“Mr. Davos”) is a baddie, have to remain anonymous out of fear of retribution for speaking out. Schwab (the WEF) says that the organization “supports” free speech, but wants “limits” on speaking out.

More and more we see that politicians and too many businesses and “non-governmental” organizations’ bosses could honestly say “no free speech on my watch.”

Of course, expecting them to be honest is expecting the tiger to change her stripes.