License to Bully?

A response to Decojuicer regarding a religious exemption in an anti-bullying bill that recently passed the Michigan State Senate.

Links:

1. Decojuicer's video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRfEOTXYOTA

2. The text of "Matt's Safe School Law" as passed by Michigan's State Senate: http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2011-2012/billengrossed/Senate/htm/20...

3. State Senator Gretchen Whitmer's statement against the bill as passed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDK-ja8PLgg

4. One organization's look at anti-bullying statutes and policies across the United States: http://www.bullypolice.org/

5. For 1st Amendment purposes, 'religion' is not limited to the beliefs and practices of believers. The United States Supreme Court and lower courts have said that atheism comes within the scope of the amendment's religion guarantees. See, e.g., Welsh v. United States http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?navby=case&court=us&... and
Kaufman v. McCaughtry http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-7th-circuit/1467028.html

6. On the question that keeps coming up in comments about whether public schools may restrict speech, see, e.g., the United States Supreme Court's decision in Tinker v. Des Moines School District: http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/comm/free_speech/tinker.html As the Court said in that case, schools may limit free speech in various ways, but public schools are not "enclaves of totalitarianism" where school officials "possess absolute authority." Students "are 'persons' under our Constitution" and, as such, "are possessed of fundamental rights which the State must respect."

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Bullying
• anti-bullying
• bullycide
• Michigan
• Senate
• law
• legislation
• bill
• religious
• belief
• moral
• conviction
• homosexuality
• exemption
• exception
• 1st
• Amendment
• Constitution
• freedom
• speech
• religion
• free
• exercise
• establishment
• clause
• Matt
• Epling
• school
• diversity
• tolerance
• equality
• pluralism
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• right
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• protection
• student
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• Debate

[o1993]

I have a hard time understanding the ending of your video but to me it seems like you said that under this law its ok to suggest a moral obligation against someone life style but its not ok to torment or persecute someone because of that life style. Did I got that right?

[ProfMTH]

@o1993 "its ok to suggest a moral [objection] against someone['s] lifestyle but it's not ok to torment or persecute someone because of [it]."

Correct.

[corktech]

I started to mofo the exclusion but you make a good point. Thanks for the 2 cents.

[ProfMTH]

@corktech You're welcome. Thanks for the comment.

[ProfMTH]

@questioneverything2 First, are you suggesting that bullying is not defined in the bill? If so, I suggest you take a few minutes to read the bill. There's a link in the description box. Second, I haven't a clue what your rant about liberals has to do with anything being discussed here, especially since I'm arguing against the suppression of protected speech and not advocating for the suppression of any belief.

[ProfMTH]

@migkillertwo Nor can I, Jake. But they're all gems. You know that. ;-)

[InsanityComplex1]

Well, I hate politics, the education system is intentionally fraudulent and I despise religion... wait a minute, I had a vasectomy, what the fuck am I worrying about...

[ProfMTH]

@migkillertwo lol

[migkillertwo]

how humble of you, Prof ;-)

[migkillertwo]

I can't believe I missed this gem!

[ProfMTH]

@Ongarukat It's covered by the policy.