A couple of days ago, Wingnuttia had a new martyr:
Maybe it's because her dad served in the U.S. Marines ... or because her high school mascot is a fierce-looking eagle ... or because she plans to enlist in the Army next summer after graduation to defend her country ... whatever the reason, when Heather Lawrence saw a fellow student refuse to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and recite it with the class, the 16-year-old Junior ROTC member saw a teachable moment and took it.
And for that, she's been suspended five days.
Lawrence's troubles with administrators at Springstead High School in Spring Hill, Fla., began last Wednesday when she noticed a female Muslim student refusing to participate in the Pledge. The student was wearing a hijab, the traditional Muslim headscarf.
Later in the day, Lawrence encountered the student between periods and told her she should stand for the pledge, reported Hernando Today.
"Take that thing off your head and act like you're proud to be an American," Lawrence told her....
That's from a breathless story at World Net Daily.
Robert Spencer's Jihad Watch declared the decision to suspended Heather Lawrence an act of "dhimmitude." The responses at other right-wing blogs ranged from this:
Springstead High School in Spring Hill, Fla. faculty are a bunch of sniveling pussies. They suspended the wrong student, and they did it under the guise of PC and "tolerence," which is nothing more than an excuse to be a coward, an appeaser.
to this:
I love it!!! Of course, this being liberal-infested America, Heather was given a 1 week suspension. Still, what impressive presence and conviction in a sixteen year old! If I was that girl's father, I'd treat her to the best week of suspension anybody'd ever seen. Movies, beach trip, amusement parks, new clothes, whatever she wanted, we'd do it.
to this:
GET THE HELL OUT OF MY COUNTRY YOU MUSLIM SCUM. Fricken Muslim will wear a rag on her head but not put her hand over her heart.
I think we have a GOP presidential candidate for 2032!
But, um, there's one new development:
The JROTC member at Springstead High School who said she confronted a Muslim student last week because the girl did not stand for the Pledge of Allegiance fabricated that part of the story, school officials said Monday.
... Lawrence could not have seen what she said she saw, Springstead principal Susan Duval said Monday.
"This girl lied," Duval said. "I have confirmed with the homeroom teacher the young lady stood for the pledge."
... Lawrence never left her own homeroom, according to her teacher, Duval said.
... "She's compounded the story as an explanation as to why she felt it was OK to make a very disparaging comment to this young lady," Duval said.
Put those presidential plans on hold? I'm not sure. (Jihad Watch has an update: "It has just come to my attention that school officials say Heather Lawrence lied about this incident (thanks to Sanjay). The larger questions remain." Whatever that means.)
Meanwhile, I'm just thrilled at the prospect that this young lady is going to be defending our country soon -- aren't you?
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UPDATE: Otto's comment does give me pause, however.
i am not sure what the truth is. all i know is everyone needs to stand and say the words, all of them. no matter the religion, becuase under GOD we are all equal and under GOD we live as free as we can try and make it, and under GOD every soldier man or woman bleeds to protect every citizen. i have no problems with Muslims and even educate others on their ways at least as much as i know. racism is wrong. if the Muslim girl did stand, then way to go, and if she said the words she is tops in my book. the people who say she should go home are right, the girl lives in the town where the school is and that is her home. so each day she should go home and live her life according to her beliefs.
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