Lighten up, America. It’s a prank. And a fairly funny one at that.
The U.S. Supreme Court is now considering the merits of Morse vs. Frederick. Deborah Morse is a high-school principal who contends that a student’s 14-foot banner proclaiming “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” was an unacceptable pro-drug message. She suspended its creator, Joseph Frederick. He sued, saying his free-speech rights were violated.
A decision isn’t expected until July, but the Court may be well advised to give more than lip service to the argument of Justice David Souter, who said: “It sounds like just a kid’s provocative statement to me.”
Indeed. Too bad common sense and a heart-to-heart chat between principal and student didn’t trump the trivializing of the First Amendment.
But the principal says Frederick’s drug message crossed the line. But a non-obscene, less-than-inciting, goof-on-the-establishment sign? That’s not even one toke over the line.