Oh, HERE's a solution to the immigration demonstrations!

Once, again, showing that some of the people leading schools are incredibly clueless, we have this:

Several schools in Colorado, Arizona and California recently banned the display of national flags and the wearing of clothing with patriotic symbols as the divisive national debate over immigration has brought angry confrontations between Latino and Anglo students.

The bans have prompted protests by parents, stirred local debates over free speech and its limits, and caught the attention of civil liberties advocates.

In Westminster, Colo., tensions between middle school students wearing camouflage clothing to show support for troops in Iraq and others wearing bandanas patterned after the Mexican flag triggered an order amending the school's dress code.

“Some clothing worn by some of our students has created a tense and sometimes hostile environment in our school over the past few days,” Shaw Heights Middle School Principal Myla Shepherd wrote in a letter to parents. She banned “clothing that makes a political statement,” camouflage clothes and “banners, flags, bandanas of all types” at the suburban Denver school.

The dress code “is temporary and will be continually evaluated,” said Deb Haviland, spokeswoman for the Adams County school district, which includes Westminster.

In Longmont, Colo., about 25 miles north of Denver, the principal of Skyline High School last week banned temporarily the display of Mexican and U.S. flags by students. Principal Tom Stumpf said some students used the U.S. flag to express hostility to Hispanic students by waving it in their faces.

This is definitely a violation of what has been quaintly known among some people in this country as "FREE SPEECH," a charming little anachronism in today's "Constitution? What Constitution?" climate. Not to mention the fact that it makes these school districts look idiotic when that's already the public perception at the hands of the people who want to eviscerate public education in this country.

Now, I'll be honest. I personally am irked by people who claim that they want to become US citizens and who claim that their illegal presence here is actually a boon to America waving MEXICAN flags. It seems a bit-- disingenuous, shall we say? But still-- unlike the current administration, I'm willing to give non-citizens the benefits of our Constitution, anyway. Our Constitution is one of the things that makes this nation so great.

So, to ban ALL flags? Not only is that an overreaction, but it won't solve the conflicts breaking out over this very contentious issue.