Originally posted at Clash Daily
Welcome to the new America – a country where, if you’re the father of a conservative politician the IRS has carte blanche to harass you, like they did Sarah Palin’s father six times since 2008, and no one will do a thing about it.
And although things have changed for adversaries of the political party that holds the seat of power in Washington DC, even in everyday America six-year-old schoolgirls are being hassled – not by IRS agents, but by self-appointed politically correct agents of secularism.
That’s exactly what happened to Brynn Williams when, back in December, in response to a school assignment at Helen Hunt-Jackson Elementary School in Temecula, California, the little girl followed the teacher’s instructions and brought in something from home that symbolized her family’s Christmas tradition.
For context, Helen Hunt Jackson Elementary School’s “Core Beliefs” profess that “school should be a place” where, among other things:
[c]hildren feel safe…are encouraged to use imagination and creativity…build bridges between home and school… where kids learn to respect and care for each other…where we become a family where students and staff have a sense of belonging and trust [.]
The mistake Brynn made was that she didn’t understand that her teacher didn’t mean “Christ” mas when she said Christmas, because Brynn came prepared with a one-minute speech and a Star of Bethlehem from the top of her Christmas tree.
Called to the front of the classroom, Brynn built “a bridge between school and home” when she proceeded to explain how her tree-topper signified the Williams’ family tradition of remembering the birth of Jesus at Christmastime.
“Our Christmas tradition is to put a star on top of our tree,” the little girl said. “The star is named the Star of Bethlehem. The three kings followed the star to find baby Jesus, the Savior of the world.”
OMG, horror of horrors! Midway through her “Keep Christ in Christmas” speech, Brynn was interrupted by the Secular Police Officer – also known as her teacher – who told her to sit down because she’s “not allowed to talk about the Bible in school.” So much for the “sense of belonging and trust.”
Brynn’s teacher said, “Stop right there! Go take your seat.” Allegedly, Brynn was the only student in the classroom prevented from completing her presentation.
According to the family lawyer, Robert Tyler of Advocates for Faith & Freedom, the child was not allowed to finish her presentation because…..she was preparing to yell “fire” in a movie theatre?
No! She was preparing to read the Bible verse John 3:16, which in some circles is far worse.
Making sure to head off any further transgressions, in front of Brynn’s classmates the teacher explained to Brynn– which might also be described as public chastisement and humiliation – that she was not allowed to talk about or share Bible verses.
Humiliation is a good tool to ensure that potential Christian delinquents understand the equation: Bible + Christianity = Big Trouble!
Sort of like the way putting one person in front of a firing squad in North Korea drives home the message to all those being forced to watch that having a Bible is an offense punishable by death.
Anyway, according to the girl’s mother, Brynn was shaken up because she was under the impression that she had done something drastically wrong. Brynn’s mother said that her daughter “thought she was in trouble. I told her she was not in trouble and I was proud of her. I tried to comfort her on the way home.”
The following day, Mrs. Williams met with the principal, who I guess she thought would be more reasonable. Instead, “[t]he principal confirmed that Brynn’s teacher did the appropriate thing by stopping her mid-presentation and there are specific education codes that protect the school,” Williams said.
Let us not forget, tax dollars support the public school system. That’s why talking about condoms, homosexuality, pre-marital sex and abortion on demand are all public school-approved, as is participating in Christian persecution, apparently.
On the other hand, mentioning Jesus or reading Christmas-appropriate Scripture verses out of a book that used to be considered literature in secular circles is offensive, and is forbidden in public schools where tax dollars pay the bills.
Meanwhile, back in Principal Ami Paradise’s office, the nervous, tearful six-year-old was asked to deliver a private showing of the censored demonstration that got her in so much trouble the day before.
After seeing it, rather than using the opportunity to teach about the First Amendment and explain how all points of view are welcome in a free society, Ms. Paradise decided to teach the little nonconformist a lesson and stood by the decision to discriminate against Christianity.
It was Christmas! Brynn should have known Christmas is the time for candy cane-flavored condoms and season-appropriate “Pro Choice/Pro Woman/Anti-Hate” Planned Parenthood T-shirts, not Jesus stories.
According to Brynn’s mother, the fair-minded principal maintained that in order “to protect the other students from being offended…there was no way Brynn could finish that presentation.”
Perhaps Principal Paradise should read her own Parent Handbook, which says, via incomplete sentences I might add, that:
Discrimination on the basis of: gender, race, color, religion, national origin, ethnic group, marital or parental status, or physical or mental disability.
We are committed to a school environment where staff and students may flourish in a climate of acceptance, free from actions, statements or activities which degrade the unique qualities of every individual.
If you feel you have been harassed, tell a teacher, a counselor, or the principal.
Unless the person doing the harassing is a teacher or the principal, of course, in which case the above guidelines do not apply.
Next year, to fit in and avoid another round of public shaming, Brynn should bring a tree ornament featuring two mommies under the mistletoe. Then she can explain how Christmas is the season for lesbians to celebrate the gift of California allowing gay marriage. Then, instead of being asked to sit down, Brynn will be given an A+ and a standing ovation.
