Today is Cinco de Mayo, a Mexican-American holiday designed to commemorate the causes of freedom and democracy. For most, it is simply another excuse to wear festive colors and drink tequila; but it has
become the cause of controversy and protest in Morgan Hill, CA. Today, some 30 protesters held American flags outside the doors of Live Oak High School in protest of a court decision made 4 years prior.
On Cinco de Mayo, 2010, four students were ordered to cover their shirts, which displayed American flags, in observance of the holiday. The demand led to a lawsuit, where an appellate court agreed with the school’s required observance. Today, several are still angered by the decision; feeling the ruling is in direct violation with their individual liberties (and, for that matter, the theme of “liberty” that is so fundamental to Cinco de Mayo itself).
It’s a sensitive issue, and we certainly hope that the raising of the American flag is in protest of the denial of personal freedoms, and not a protest to the celebration of Cinco de Mayo or Mexican culture. The incident is just another episode in the ongoing conflict between American liberties and political correctness/sensitivity.
