George,

There seems to be an element of reason missing in the knee-jerk reaction of Mr. Schilling to a child's display as part of a class project in which each child's work was displayed. These are second graders not middle or high schoolers.

As the grandmother of a second grader, I know they are very much influenced by the words and actions of the adults around them. When a child hears of an adult in a position of power use profanity toward another and suffer no consequences; when a child hears a person of national stature lie about something in which he is involved and take no responsibility for his actions and when a child sees an adult use his bully pulpit to censor another's thought because he didn't like the topic, the child assumes such behavior is OK and follows through with a display of his own thoughts.

Nowhere did we hear from the teacher of the class and what she assigned the students to make, and most distressing of all, nowhere are the teacher and the student supported by the administration.

This whole thing is most unfortunate, but a reflection of the current atmosphere in the country where only certain thought is allowed as valid. So much for "values".

Martha Wood (electronic mail, December 17, 2004)

For more, see Totally Crossed Out, Email Exhanges Between Rob Schilling, Bobby Thompson and Malcolm Jarrell, and Jeff Rossman Comments on Rob Schilling, Venable School and the Bill of Rights.