Is North Carolina a province of Sweden?

Do school officials in Sampson County, North Carolina, take their orders from Pär Blondell? On the anniversary of the September 11th attacks in which 2,974 innocent people died, students at Hobbton High School have been forbidden to wear American flags as part of their clothing — no pins, no shorts, nothing. Why, because school officials didn’t want to show favoritism:

The superintendent of schools in Sampson County calls the situation unfortunate, but says educators didn’t want to be forced to pick and choose which flags should be permissible.

So it’s impermissible for American students to display American flags at an American school to commemorate the day so many of their countrymen were murdered? You’re putting the American flag on the same level as Soviet Union’s or the Nazi’s? I can see banning those; what they stand for is hateful. How about al-Qaeda’s? They carried out the attacks, after all. But to forbid students from wearing their own country’s flag in honor of the dead and in defiance of our enemies? Are you so afraid of offending someone that you’d rather suppress your students rights to free speech? Are you so trapped in a politically correct straightjacket that you’ve lost all perspective?

Is simple patriotism wrong?

Bah.

(hat tip: Blue Crab Boulevard)

LINKS: More at LGF.

UPDATE: (via Sister Toldjah) The ban has been lifted. Likely after getting lots of outraged emails, I’ll bet.

Technorati tags: Hobbton High School, Sampson County, North Carolina, Sweden, Pär Blondell, patriotism, American flag, political correctness

Stuck for an alibi? Let Ibila help!

This is soooo French: Web Service Gives Alibis for Adulterers

Looking to get away for a weekend fling without getting caught? A new French company provides would-be adulterers with custom-made excuses that help take the danger of discovery out of cheating.

Founded six months ago by former private eye Regine Mourizard, Web-based Ibila can cook up invites to phony weekend seminars, fake emergency phone calls from work, invitations to nonexistent weddings – anything to justify cheating spouses’ absence.

Mourizard said her service is aimed at protecting couples and families by allowing adulterers to live their flings undetected.

“If the alibi is well done and the spouse doesn’t suspect anything, this can sometimes save marriages,” Mourizard told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

Why do I suspect that last was said with tongue very firmly in cheek?

In the US, of course, any company doing this would have its rear end sued off as part of the divorce proceedings.

Technorati tags: France, adultery, alibis, service industry, Ibila, Regine Mourizard