William Jolicoeur was a resident of Woonsocket Rhode Island who was killed in France during World War I.  In 1921 the town of Woonsocket dedicated a memorial in his memory... that memorial was a cross with a plaque bearing his name.  In 1953, the monument was rededicated to honor more veterans, this time three brothers who were killed in World War II, Alexandre, Henri, and Louis Gagne's names were added to the monument in 1952.

Flash forward to 2012.  

The Wisconsin based group known as the "Freedom from Religion Foundation" has sent a letter to Woonsocket mayor Leo Fontaine requesting that the memorial, which is on city land, be taken down claiming that because it is on public land, it violates the first amendment; the mayor disagrees.

Over the weekend the mayor and a representative from the foundation appeared on the national Fox News channel in a brief but stern debate.  The foundation has suggested that the cross be moved to private property and a secular memorial be placed on public property.  

The separation of Church and State is one of the most valued components of the United States Constitution, yet it is one of the most misunderstood... while the phrase, "separation of Church and State" never appears in the Constitution, the first amendment certainly addresses religion.

I invite you to Google the Woonsocket monument, check out the debate on Fox News, and read over the First Amendment and try to determine if the monument violates the law... remember, simply because it has been there a long time doesn't really mean anything in the eyes of the law...

So, does the monument violate the law???

Check out the debate below:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqHGqXATnSk 

Sgt. Gary Stein, a nine year veteran of the United States Marine Corps has received an "Other Than Honorable" discharge by the corps. because of comments he made concerning President Obama on Facebook.  The case pushes the limits on what the First Amendment actually allows people to say or express.

The First Amendment is not absolute... it does have its limits.  For members of the military, who take oaths to protect the Constitution, the nation, and the President, they are limited as to what they can publicly express.  Each member of the military, upon enlistment, must take an oath addressing their rights and responsibilities as members of the armed forces, part of that oath includes,  " I will obey the orders of the President of the United States..." 

The Facebook post which has led to Sgt. Stein's discharge reads as follows, "Screw Obama and I will not follow all orders from him."  Clearly such a statement appears to be in violation of his oath and by extension his responsibilities  as a soldier.  Sgt. Stein said he meant that he would not follow illegal orders and that his comments are protected by the First Amendment.

The decision reached by the Marine Corps. essentially states that while Stein has the right to make such statements, he does not have the right to serve in the corps.... that is a privilege.

Earlier this year Stuart Chifetz's 10-year-old son Akian, who suffers from autism, began getting into trouble in school.  Akian's teachers were claiming that the boy was becoming aggressive and appeared to have anger management problems, and that he had even violently attacked his teachers.  His father wrote the following on his personal website:

"I could not understand why this was happening.  I had never witnessed Akian hit anyone, nor could I dream of him lashing out as had been described to me."

After meeting with teachers Stuart sought the help of a behavior therapist, it was decided that the therapist would conduct several classroom visits in order to observe Akian and even try to create a scenario which would push him to lash out in the way described by teachers... despite the instigation, Aikian did nothing. 

Finally, in February Aikan's father decided to place a wire on his son in order to find out what was really happening in that classroom.  The audio from that day is disturbing at best...  Aikan was under constant verbal attack by his teachers. Teachers are on tape screaming at Aikan, threatening him, and having inappropriate conversations while in presence of the students which include adult marital issues, alcohol abuse, and personal opinions of certain students.  

Aikan was not lashing out at people, he was defending himself...   Thus far the teachers are still employed by the school department in New Jersey.

A Virginia teacher named Manuael Ernest Dillow has been charged with 12 counts of felony assault after he forced his students to line up against his classroom wall and pulled a gun on them.  The gun, which fired blanks, looked and sounded like a real gun, and the assault charges step from inciting fear into his students.

Today's blog is taken from Srta. Kelly's weekly blog.  Here she discusses the foreign language department's international food day.  
The concept of "breaking bread" or the sharing of foods and drinks has always been an essential aspect of humanity.  Among family, friends, and even enemies, the practice of eating and drinking together has often been documented.  One of the best parts of experiencing another culture is being able to try different foods and prepared dishes and we will be doing that this week!

This Wednesday, April 25th, we will be celebrating our annual International Food Day!!!  Although the tradition of tapas is unique to Spain, the spirit of tapas (or sampling a smaller portion of several different things) is embraced at Pilgrim's International Food Day event.

What will you be bringing for this event?  Are you willing to try EVERYTHING???  If there is something that you really like, would you consider trying to make it at home?  Have you participated in International Food Day before or have you tried some unique foods somewhere else?  Where were you when you tried the most interesting food you have ever had?  Remember, you may not have yet tried what will end up being your favorite food...  Food is fun!  Let's eat! 

Defying warnings from the Unites States, Japan, and the United Nations, North Korea launched a long-range missile Friday morning.  The long-range missile program has been a major cause for concern for the United States as North Korea is purported to be developing nuclear weapon technology... that combined with a long-range missile could put the mainland of the United States in very real danger from a country who is openly hostile to it.  The rocket however proved to be a complete failure...

According to reports from Japan as well as top U.S. officials, the launched rocket broke apart before it was able to leave Earth's atmosphere... it eventually crashed into the sea.
It is unclear how the United Nations will respond to North Korea's attempt; an attempt it had condemned and warned the rogue state not to proceed with... now that the rocket failed, the next move by the UN could be very interesting indeed.

Japan's defense ministry stated that it was prepared to shoot the rocket down if it had crossed into Japanese air space... thus far North Korea's most important ally, the People's Republic of China, has kept silent on the issue.

Last week, Brooke Harris, a literature teacher in Michigan, was fired for supporting some students who planned a "Wear a Hoodie to School Day" in memory of Treyvon Martin.  The idea was similar to when we have our "Hat Day" here at Pilgrim... Students would pay $1 to wear a Hoodie to school and the money raised would be sent to the family of Treyvon Martin.  Just as at Pilgrim where hats are not normally allowed, hoodies are not normally allowed at Pontiac Academy for Excellence Middle School.