N�rnberg, Mittelfranken, 2005-05-28 - 10:13 p.m.

Today while mistyping an internet adress, I came to the american aol message board, - there were some themes listed & one of the themes was:

"LOS ANGELES (May 27) - Posters that depicted President Bush with a Groucho Marx-style mustache and cigar were ordered torn down at a high school after a student complained."

Theater students, who had created the posters to advertise a satirical play, countered with new posters with a First Amendment message.

Principal Kenny Lee ordered 100 posters removed from the campus of El Camino Real High School in the Woodland Hills area last week on grounds that they promoted smoking and "endorsing one ideology over another."

"That's our take on the student speech and conduct," Lee said.

The school-funded posters advertised the students' play, "The Complete History of America (Abridged)," which satirizes U.S. history.

A senior who supports the president wrote a complaint letter to the administration, teachers and students said.

"We had one student who was very upset," Lee said. "If something is bothering a student on campus, we're going to address it."

The poster ban infuriated some students.

"It taught us that the First Amendment certainly does not guarantee the right of free speech," said Jes Shah, 16, a junior in the school drama program.

The principal asked the drama students to come up with new posters. The new designs all feature a silhouette of Bush and a burning cigar, along with inscriptions such as "Free Expression for All (unless you are in high school)" and "What First Amendment?"

"They're good," Lee said. "I like the follow-ups

Ok - I read this simple little article - then some of the messages - & some were weird - they showed a patriotic sense, which here in Germany meanwhile most people would see as nationalistic - the military & political rights here in Germiny at the beginning of 20th century, had also this strong patriotic 'simple truths' - & we know what happened later & most people here around really have enough of this dull, dangerious & stupid mass spirit..

But maybe here the next generation has learned something what can happen if patriotism gets uncontrolled & reaches it's top in an ugly muerdering excess..

Defending Bush, like he was a superior, holy leader of the nation, that no-one should dare to mock, seemed strange to me.

Ok most of the messages were against these restriction thing, but most discussed political pro or against Bush - that was not the point! -The point in my minds eye was the restriction of political satire.

Here's one of the more retarted oponions I found in the board:

"A class of dissrepestcful liberal arts freaks does not equate to free speech, there is a difference. They need to step back and look at who is leading this country and by who's efforts allow them to have the very freedoms they do. To me they are unappreciative, spoiled brats with a distorted sense of right and wrong. Shame on them and their parents. "

Another one wrote:

"How about just being respectful of the President. It's simple as that."

At this point I couldn't resist, but answering this guy in the message board like this:

"simple truths are dangerious - they tend to suppress the thinking people - satirical mocking of politicians should be possible in a 'free' country - only in totalitarian states, satirizing & free opinion are supressed- be it Carey or Bush who is on power - a sound system should easily bear satire.."

Wasn't I right?