Then, CCS and the Star admit that the students were not suspended to having racially disruptive flags/tags. They were suspended for “insubordination” for refusing to take the flags/tags off their cars and trucks.
Last time I looked at the First Amendment such flags/tags are completely legal My vehicles have a Confederate Battle Flag on their license plates that were legally issued by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. It is a Sons of Confederate Veterans commerative tag that I pay extra for. And why do I have such a tag with the Confederate Battle Flag on it? The answer is plain and simple. I am a Son of a (actually several) Confederate Veteran(s) and I am not ashamed to be proud of who I am. I don’t apologize because by forefathers fought the British at the Battle of Kings Mountain in the Revolutionary Way, Chancelloresville, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Petersburg during the Civil War under Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee and my father is a World War II Veteran who fought under General George S. Patton in France, Belgium and Germany. Also, I don’t intend to offend anybody because of the Sons Of Confederate Veterans tags on my vehicle. I don’t care if I offend certain Democrats by also leaving my Trump 2016 sticker on my vehicle. Which I drive to School Board meetings without causing disruptions. I let my articles do that to the status quo.
Back to the Burns and insubordination issue.
The Nuremberg War Trials at the end of World War II established that NAZI war criminals could not use the defense that they were “just taking orders” for the war crimes they committed. They were held responsible for their own actions even when under direct orders to do criminal acts. Many were hung and served long sentences for what they did. Although some NAZIs escaped to South America, they were hunted down and prosecuted for their crimes.
Well, High School Students (Staff and Administration too) at Burns High School are also responsible for their actions. They (Students and staff) are also responsible for standing up for what is right. When it is legal and within the students rights to put American Flags, Confederate Flags and Uppity Bald Eagle Flags on their personal vehicles; it is also legal and within their rights to refuse to obey direct orders from anybody but their parents to remove those flags and tags. I suspect some parents and their suspended students are out talking to lawyers already. Just what CCS needs is another lawsuit they can’t win.
No wonder so many students are confused with what they are taught at CCS Schools and what they read in the Star. CCS says their goal is to educate students to be ready to be Enrolled in College, Employed or Enlisted in the Military when they graduate High School. Those that enlist may well be fighting to defend America within a year from now. Some may be eligible to vote tomorrow. And they are confused by their broken Cleveland County Education system.
None of this mattered to the School Board last night as they apparently thought they had bigger fish to fry.
At the end of the regular agenda, the CCS Board illegally voted to go into closed session. They took Rev. Clark and two others into the closed session where the public could not know what was said. A little bit later, Rev. Clark and the two others come out of the closed session, tell the others in attendance their part was over and they all leave.
Myself and a few others stay because the School Board legally has to come back into open session to announce and vote on any action they want to take before they can adjourn the board meeting.
When the School Board does come back into the auditorium everybody knew there had been fireworks behind those closed doors that was spilling over right before our eyes. Board Member Danny Blanton was threatening to call the Sheriff’s Department. Chairman Shearra Miller was totally flustered, forgot that she had to call the open session back into order before she did anything else. Then Miller asks for a vote to adjourn, which passes. The Board heads straight to the side door before our eyes, Except Danny Blanton who goes back to the Shelby Police Department Officer talking about “stolen time” at Communities-In-Schools (a continuing scandal there with continuing cover-up by Roger Harris). Then Blanton also goes out the side door followed shortly by myself and Commissioner Doug Bridges who was in attendance to find Blanton, Dena Green and Stephen Fisher in the corridor all in animated discussion but head out as soon as Bridges and I come through the door. Still talking about “Stolen Time” and going to the Sheriff’s Department in the morning.
As it was raining, we all head to our vehicles and leave. What happens next will be reported as soon as it happens.
As for all you 52,000 voters who stayed home during the 2017 School Board Election, this is what you get. Scandal after scandal after scandal followed by cover-up after cover-up after cover-up until Hell freezes over.
However, If you want to start changing things for the better, see through all the plantation politics and racial divisiveness started by Commissioner Massa Eddie Holbrook, vote Chris Gash and Todd McIntosh in the Democrat Commissioner Primary Election. Early voting is gong on right now and the Election Day is May 8th.
