I just want to know, who was the parent who made a complaint that "the kids want to kill the president!"??? A little alarmist, don't you think? Well, maybe not for Colorado...
High School Talent Show Turns Political
By Judith CrossonPosted by Maria at November 15, 2004 03:49 PMDENVER (Reuters) - A Colorado high school talent show turned into a political hot potato after some parents said a trio of students planned to use a Bob Dylan song to say they wished for the death of President Bush, officials said on Friday.
Calls were made to the school, students were interviewed, local talk radio jumped into the fray and the U.S. Secret Service even sent two agents to interview the principal at Boulder High School.
Even if there was a misunderstanding over whether the students -- some of whom called themselves the "Talibanned" -- meant to wish harm to the president, they learned how offended people can get.
"It was positioned right after the elections and close to Veterans Day. It was more an emotional than a thoughtful response," Principal Ron Cabrera said referring to the public reaction.
He said there was really nothing to worry about. "I showed them the lyrics of the song," Cabrera said, referring to the federal agents who paid him a visit.
The problem started after rumors circulated that a trio of students planned a poetry reading at the talent show using lyrics from the Bob Dylan anti-war song "Masters of War." But some parents got the impression that the students wanted to alter the words to say they wanted to see the president dead while a slide on a curtain displayed Bush's picture.
Usually Secret Service agents, responsible for keeping the president safe, do not visit high schools to check on threats to the president.
"We got numerous complaints from citizens and have to investigate all allegations of threats regardless of who the sitting president is," Lon Garner, Secret Service special agent in charge of the Rocky Mountain region, said.
"We're very sensitive about First Amendment rights," he added.
"It's a tempest in a teapot. "It apparently began with a misunderstanding of a parent who was told about a rehearsal," Denver attorney and local talk show host Craig Silverman said.
Boulder, Colorado, has long been known as a bastion of liberalism and is often referred to by locals as "the Republic of Boulder." Last week, Boulder high School students staged an overnight sleep-in at the school to protest Bush's re-election.