My Way News - School District to Monitor Student Blogs

My Way News - School District to Monitor Student Blogs: "LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. (AP) - High school students are going to be held accountable for what they post on blogs and on social-networking Web sites such as MySpace.com. The board of Community High School District 128 voted unanimously on Monday to require that all students participating in extracurricular activities sign a pledge agreeing that evidence of 'illegal or inappropriate' behavior posted on the Internet could be grounds for disciplinary action. The rule will take effect at the start of the next school year, officials said. District officials won't regularly search students' sites, but will monitor them if they get a worrisome tip from another student, a parent or a community member. Mary Greenberg of Lake Bluff, who has a son at Libertyville High School, argued the district is overstepping its bounds. 'I don't think they need to police what students are doing online,' she said. 'That's my job.' Associate Superintendent Prentiss Lea rebuffed that criticism. 'The concept that searching a blog site is an invasion of privacy is almost an oxymoron,' he said. 'It is called the World Wide Web.'" This guy I would call a poly-moron. This is pure harrassment and intimidation leading to real censorship. This one needs to go to court. I don't have a problem with people searching students' blogs, but as an official from the government, well this is what the first amendment is for.

House Votes to Keep Offshore Drilling Ban - Yahoo! News

House Votes to Keep Offshore Drilling Ban - Yahoo! News: "Lawmakers from Florida and California, who led the fight to continue the drilling moratorium, said they feared energy projects as close as three miles from shore could jeopardize multibillion-dollar tourism industries in their states." Whenever congress passes a bill in the cover of night, you know they are up to no good. My question is "What difference does it make if our coastline remains pristine if no one can afford to go there and visit?"

Student Faces Criminal Charges For Teacher Jokes

WSBTV.com - Education - Student Faces Criminal Charges For Teacher Jokes This looks to be an important test of the 1st amendment. I hope it gets thrown out quickly.