[Guyon]

Have fun with this one:

http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/showcase/la-me-nra10jun10.story

Junior High Student Takes Aim at NRA Ad in School Yearbook

By Karima A. Haynes, Times Staff Writer

At the end of a long school day, Brytini Benjamin curled up in an easy chair and leafed through the pages of this year's La Mesa Junior High School yearbook.

After looking at photographs of classmates, organizations and faculty, the 14-year-old Santa Clarita honor student was surprised to find an advertisement for the National Rifle Assn.

The half-page ad featured the NRA logo of an eagle clutching two rifles in its talons, the text of the 2nd Amendment (which guarantees the right to bear arms), and a toll-free telephone number for prospective members.

"When I first saw that ad, I was like, 'Whoa!' " Brytini recalled Monday, one week after she received her yearbook. "I couldn't understand how there could be an advertisement advocating guns in a middle school yearbook."

Brytini contends the ad sends a mixed message to students on the Santa Clarita campus.

"You can get kicked out of school for bringing a replica of a gun, a squirt gun or anything that looks like a gun," she said, "and we have an ad supporting guns in the yearbook."

While acknowledging that the school district needs to do a better job of screening yearbook ads, Supt. Robert C. Lee said the ad and district policy agree.

"I don't see that they are in conflict," he said. "I would hope that if gun safety and proper gun usage are taught and advocated, that would be a plus for students."

After reviewing the ad, NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam said, "I am at a loss as to why anyone would consider this advertisement inappropriate. There is nothing inappropriate about educating students about the Bill of Rights. There is nothing in the ad that is remotely violent. We are exercising our 1st Amendment rights, and I think this is a valuable civics lesson."

Brytini expressed a decidedly different opinion of the ad to La Mesa administrators.

Principal Peter Fries told Brytini that there was nothing he could do because the yearbook already had been published. Undeterred, Brytini went to Vice Principal Rhondi Durand, who referred her to English teacher and yearbook advisor Monica Padgett, who said a student's grandfather placed the ad to show his support for the school.

"I think there are other ways to make money for the school," Brytini said. "Even though the intent was good, I don't know that it is the right thing to have in a middle school yearbook. There are no ads for alcohol and tobacco in the yearbook. Why? Because it would be inappropriate."

Although she graduated from La Mesa on Friday with a 4.0 grade-point average, Brytini said it is important to raise awareness about the ad so that it won't happen again.

"School is supposed to be a place where kids should be safe from hearing about weapons," she said. "I feel that if people know about this incident they will take more time to monitor the contents of the yearbook and the activities of organizations they associate themselves with."

[Destructo6]

"School is supposed to be a place where kids should be safe from hearing about weapons,"
Ignorance is bliss, eh Brytini? Sad to have a 4.0gpa and still be stupid.

[keithernTN]

I guess she forgot about history class and all the weopons our fore fathers used to free this great country from the british. Or all the weapons used in all the subsequent wars there after. She probly wants all that taken from the books also.

[geekWithA.45]

Why are we raising such weak minded children that mere exposure to an idea, good or bad, is enough to ruin them for life?

[mjydrafter]

There are no ads for alcohol and tobacco in the yearbook. Why? Because it would be inappropriate."

How do you compare "product advertising" to an ad for an organization? Apparently a 4.0 in La Mesa is not what a 4.0 was at my junior high school.

[E357]

And they had better not print the a copy of the Constitution in that yearbook either.

Elliot

[Nathaniel Firethorn]

I wonder how Brytni's classmates feel about her appointing herself to be the guardian of their morals?

- pdmoderator

[StLGlocker]

When did they start putting advertisements of any kind in school yearbooks? I guess there's nothing too good to commercialize anymore.

[Bruce H]

A Britni is some kind of spaniel isn't it? Makes about as much sense.

[WonderNine]

Ignorance is bliss, eh Brytini? Sad to have a 4.0gpa and still be stupid.

ROFL!:D

[GSB]

Brytini: I was, like, Whoa...

Brytini, you are a living charicature of the 80's Valley Girl airhead.

[ClammaCleeta]

:cuss: re-frickin-diculous.... :banghead:

what byrtini is right about, however, is - for a lack of a better term- the double standard.
Nothing wrong with that NRA add, but neither is bringing in a water gun to school. Zero-Tolerance policies need to be seriously re-evaluated. If schools were really intent on becoming more safer, they might consider adding firearm education maybe as an extra curricular activity.

Just out of curiosity,are there any teachers and/or school board members on this board? what are your thoughts?

[Bigjake]

another fine product of our public school systems. this mentality is everywhere, luckily the gov't takes care of us so we don't have to hear the truth and grow spines.

[Monkeyleg]

"Principal Peter Fries told Brytini that there was nothing he could do because the yearbook already had been published."

Oh, sure there is. Just gather all the books up, build a huge bonfire and burn them. While they're at it, they can wear those spiffy black uniforms with the skulls on them.

[BowStreetRunner]

"School is supposed to be a place where kids should be safe from hearing about weapons"

uuummm yeah....if we actually follow that.....
no more Hiroshima history, no more Revolutionary War history, President Lincoln dies of natural causes (or severe head trauma), Kennedy was assasinated with a spitball and well, I guess we shouldnt study current events like: the war in Iraq, the genocide in the Congo, the conflict in Isreal and Palestine, etc

what a brainless statement

::::sigh::::

[Skunkabilly]

I was like, whoa, too.

[Standing Wolf]

"Even though the intent was good, I don't know that it is the right thing to have in a middle school yearbook. There are no ads for alcohol and tobacco in the yearbook. Why? Because it would be inappropriate."

Are leftists born stupid, or do they go to school for it?

[Dan Shapiro]

Have fun in high school watching the ROTC drill team with their M1s Brytini! :neener:

[vmi93]

I bet Brytni's parents are real winners.

Name a kid after a dog-breed and then misspell the name. :scrutiny:

keithernTN and BowStreetRunner: They haven't taught history in public screw-els for decades. It's "Social Studies" now.

[Mastrogiacomo]

She has a point. However, if the NRA can't contribute then neither should beer or cigarette companies -- just to be fair. I do agree that there should be advertisements that typically gear their products to teens. Once they're in college -- there should be no barriors as to who can advertise in the students' year books.

[2dogs]

I was like, 'Whoa

Is it better to be "like, whoa" or "whoa"? I need to go back to school- I've missed so much.

What an idiot.:barf:

[Shalako]

School is supposed to be a place where kids should be safe from hearing about <insert scary plural noun>," she said.
List of scary plural nouns students should be safe from hearing about- by Brytini
weapons
rights
taxes
politics
jobs
differing opinions
personal responsibilities
evil stereotypes
organized religions
ideas
capitol punishments
wars
capitalism's successes
American accomplishments

Now, if students were safe from hearing about all of those things, the world would be a more peaceful place, at least until the meds wore off and they realized they had drool on their chin. But Brytini would be right there to wipe it for them and pat them on the head.

[BowStreetRunner]

:D
hehehehe
im sure we could add some more to that list
BSR

[BOBE]

This is a good example of one's education exceeding one's intelligence.:what:

[MrAcheson]

Nothing wrong with that NRA add, but neither is bringing in a water gun to school.

Umm my high school had this rule for obvious reasons. Before we had it May and June were the water pistol fight months. People would bring in the biggest super-soaker they could and chaos ensued. The rule worked and some semblance of order was restored (i.e. people could only bring in small pistols that couldn't douse an entire classroom). It worked.

[Navy joe]

I agree that the NRA ad shouldn't be there, just not for the reasons stated. Maybe I'm a throwback, but I remember yearbooks that were sponsored by local businesses, usually because they had kids in school or the kids were half their workforce. Community, ya know? So, no ads of a purely commercial nature should be there at all.

Further, the NRA is a political organization. Granted it defends an essential right, but not everyone sees that and unfortunately stupidity and ignorance are not crimes. Just as my kids will probably be home-schooled due to all the political drivel teachers pass off as learning; I would not want the NRA's politics forced on my child if I was raising him in a leftist granola crunching household. School is for facts and learning how to think. Home is where you set your political and moral compass.

An appropriate spot for the NRA? Sponsoring the yearbook page for the school rifle team. There they would reach and show support for the kids with common values and all the blissninnies could ignore it as "those weird kids". Lemme guess, the school doesn't have a rifle team.

[Henry Bowman]

Folks, the NRA didn't buy the ad. Some student's grandfather did as a donation for the yearbook. He thought it would be good to use the space he purchased to send a positive message and a link to where one could get information about gun safety (and other gun-related stuff) if one chose to do so.

[Hkmp5sd]

2nd Amendment doesn't count. 1st Amendment, when talking about 2nd Amendment, doesn't count.

She's well on her way to a seat in congress.

[Sisco]

Ignorance is bliss, eh Brytini?
If ignorance is bliss, why aren't more people happy? :scrutiny:

[Nightfall]

I'm with Hkmp5sd. Brytini will make a great politician.

[Wild Bill]

"School is supposed to be a place where kids should be safe from hearing about weapons,"
All these years I thought school was a place to get an education, to expand the mind with knowledge and critical thinking skills, and to develop rational thinking responsible young folks.

Like, sorry Brytni, I’m such a dweeb! I guess I've been clueless!
:rolleyes:

[Norton]

It's a sad state of affairs when folks get their panties in a bunch over an ad for an organization which promotes firearms safety, yet as I sit here in my office typing there is a presentation going on in the next room on "AIDS Awareness".

A noble cause perhaps, but what we're stopping the entire school day for is a discussion on homosexual acts, oral sex, intercourse, etc. There are some awfully graphic discussions going on that I'm sure that parents are not aware are occuring. This is appropriate and a discussion of firearm safety would be lambasted as an endorsement of the use of firearms..........hmmm...

Hmm....how NOT to get AIDS......keep your fly zipped?:rolleyes:

[Russ]

Not too Bryt is she?

[Gordon Fink]

Umm my high school had this rule for obvious reasons. Before we had it May and June were the water pistol fight months. People would bring in the biggest super-soaker they could and chaos ensued. The rule worked and some semblance of order was restored (i.e. people could only bring in small pistols that couldn't douse an entire classroom). It worked.

So when your school banned “assault” water guns, it lead to the popularization of water guns better suited for concealed carry? :D

~G. Fink

Brittany is a region and former province of France. Apparently it is also very difficult to spell. :rolleyes:

[Master Blaster]

No doubt the AIDS discussion includes how to use a Clean needle to inject IV drugs, and not sharing needles with other drug abusers as well.

Brytininny needs to be educated about free speech, also about what the NRA stands for.

[BenW]

However, if the NRA can't contribute then neither should beer or cigarette companies
I'm unclear as to your reasoning for lumping a civil rights organization in with alcohol and tobacco companies...:confused:

[Sergeant Bob]

While acknowledging that the school district needs to do a better job of screening yearbook ads, Supt. Robert C. Lee said the ad and district policy agree.
"I don't see that they are in conflict," he said. "I would hope that if gun safety and proper gun usage are taught and advocated, that would be a plus for students."

At least someone at that school has a brain! The school Superintendent, maybe there is hope.

[hvengel]

I have year books from the 1960s that have advertising in them. Mostly local but from stores located as much as 70 miles from the location of the school. So adds have been in year books for many years. My hats off to the person that placed the add.

[Robby from Long Island]

Boy, Brytini sure wouldn't have liked my high school. We had our firing range built into the basement of the school where we held practice and weekly matches with all the other high schools that had teams.

Strange, in those days when we talked about the latest shooting in a school, it was about the competition we were engaged in, not murdering someone.

But to comply with today's PC, I think all the firing ranges in public high schools on Long Island have been removed. Sad, really sad. Almost everything I apply to my target shooting today, I learned in those 4 years on my school team then. Also gave me a head start when I joined the military upon graduation.

Safe shooting.

[Bruce H]

Just think in two years she gets her own SUV and soccer ball.

[general]

I wonder how much my local schools would charge for an ad in their yearbook?
Not too Bryt is she? Hahahahaha
Maybe I'll place an ad next year... if they won't take an NRA ad then just a blank space with small words at the bottom... "This is your brain experiencing a lack of competing ideas."

[twoblink]

Proof you can take the kid out of a stupid neighborhood, but you can't take the stupid out of the kid.

"Why do we need guns? Those dumb old men in wigs in Boston should stop dumping tea and just submit to their King..."! :rolleyes:

[jimpeel]

Principal Peter Fries told Brytini that there was nothing he could do because the yearbook already had been published. The implication here being that if he coukl do something about it he would do something about it. Thank God she won't be there next year to screw up the next graduating class. Unfortunately, next year she will have the ears of those who are just now beginning to try to "find themselves".

[Waitone]

I saw the young lady interviewed on some cable outlet.

Two things struck me:

1--how her attitude seemed a throwback to bygone years.

2--the large, official anti-vietnam war peace symbol prominently afixed just below her adams apple. Normal people wouldn't wear a large hunk of metal in that location but she did.

My conclusion? The child has a strong anti-vietnam war pedigree and may well be unduly influenced by white, haired aging hippy-type parents. I swear the only thing missing is the tie-dyed flower power tee shirt.

[stevelyn]

A 4.0 GPA does not mean one is smart. It only means that one has retained, and can recall the garbage fed to them.
Having this ability without critical thinking and analytical skills still makes one an idiot.

[Monkeyleg]

stevelyn, I had a near-4.0 gpa in high school, and look how I turned out! :D

[spacemanspiff]

dont we have our own 14 yr old poster (winstonsmith?) that can go talk some sense into this mouthbreather?

[Norton]

SpacemanSpiff:

Mouthbreather!:D I've only heard one other person besides myself use that phrase. Very descriptive, I think.....conjures up great visual images.

[themic]

Destructo6: Ignorance is bliss, eh Brytini? Sad to have a 4.0gpa and still be stupid.

great!

reminds me of this line from Space Cowboys:

bratty astronaut: I have two master's degrees in engineering from MIT!

Clint Eastwood: well then maybe you should ask for your money back.