Ok – I know what you are going to say… this isn’t about photography, but it is about an area that I am also very concerned about and that is censorship and the increasingly restrictive rules, laws and regulations that are tightening the noose around what is supposed to be a free country. I find this story both hilarious and troubling.

It is hilarious in that school officials are so hell-bent on censoring free speech that they even forwarded an email satirizing their action to the police. People in this country have a right to complain about the actions their government officials are taking and school officials represent the government. Their action with respect to that email is outrageous. According to the attorney who sent the email:

Perhaps by now you’ve read some of the articles (and associated entertaining comments, such as those at Fark) about how Principal Murray has tried to ban his students from saying meep.

It’s been a long time since I was in high school, but I still remember what it was like to be young, and chafing under what seemed like arbitrary and capricious rules set down by school authorities.

So in solidarity with the students of Danvers High, and on my own initiative, I took about five seconds and sent an email to Principal Thomas Murray ( murray@danvers.org ), Assistant Principal Mark Strout ( strout@danvers.org ), Assistant Principal Cornelia Varoudakis ( cvaroudakis@danvers.org ), and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Lisa Dana ( dana@danvers.org ). All of these addresses are publicly available on the Danvers High School website.

My subject line said (in full), “meep.” The body said (in full), “Meep.”

Yesterday I received a reply email from Assistant Principal Mark Strout, which said (in full) “Your E-mail has been forwarded to the Danvers Police Department.”

LOLwut? That simultaneously annoyed and amused me enough to write this article. (Plus, my train was late.)

I guess that Principal Thomas Murray ( murray@danvers.org ), Assistant Principal Mark Strout ( strout@danvers.org ), Assistant Principal Cornelia Varoudakis ( cvaroudakis@danvers.org ), and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Lisa Dana ( dana@danvers.org ) do not believe in the Constitution of the United States of America. Here is our response to those unAmerican school officials:

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