Food for thought - is it appropriate?

Controversy Over 5th-Grader's Religion Speech (Click on this heading to read more)

December 16, 2013 8:45 AM
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TAMPA, Fla. (CBS Tampa) - A 5th grade student won first place after he gave a speech about the history of people using religion to justify murder, but was stripped of his title the same day by a school official.

Zachary Golob-Drake gave the speech to his class at the Patel Partnership School in hopes that he would be chosen to represent the school at the regional 4-H Tropicana Public Speech Contest, WFLA-TV reports. He was to deliver the speech Thursday morning to the entire 4th and 5th grades classes and two winners, one from each grade, were to be chosen to represent the school.

Golob-Drake said the assistant principal told him his speech was inappropriate before school was dismissed.

"She started talking to me about how she thought my speech wasn't appropriate for 4th and 5th graders and she thought that probably I would have to rewrite my speech, take the religion out or not compete," Golob-Drake explained to WFLA.

He told her that he would need to think about it at home. There is a brief paragraph on the Crusades, Genghis Khan and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 in his speech. He ends it by encouraging the "Golden Rule," saying that it would "make the world a better place."

[He's only in fifth grade. I bark about brainwashing kids with religion at an early age - I sort of balk at brainwashing kids AGAINST religion at an early age as well. I doubt this was his own idea - did Mom and Dad push him on it? - Bozo]