- Washington Free Beacon - https://freebeacon.com -

Boston School Officials Kowtow to China, Throw Democracy Under Bus

Look, I don't expect much from Hollywood. When it comes to the filthy lucre, I suffer from no delusions. So I'm annoyed, but not shocked, when Hollywood throws little things like "narrative cohesion" or "the American filmgoer" under the bus in order to gain access to the Chinese market. The all-ighty-ollar reigns supreme.

But I expect more from our principals and our superintendents, those brave souls dedicating what little time they have on our planet to improving the faculties of children who would rather be playing Grand Theft Auto V. Surely these leaders of young men, these molders of pliable minds, have an appreciation for the American way of life. Surely a school official in Boston, the cradle of American democracy, has some sense of the importance of evangelizing on behalf of freedom, of the need to lift up the oppressed around the world!

Allow me to present the sad tale of Henry DeGroot, as relayed by the Boston Globe:

Newton North High School senior Henry DeGroot was visiting a school outside Beijing on a semester abroad this year when he decided to have some fun and also make a point by writing prodemocracy messages in the notebook of a Chinese student. ...

But when Chinese school officials found out, he had to serve five hours of detention. And when he returned home, it got worse: Newton school officials barred DeGroot from his prom.

Newton school officials say he violated semester abroad rules, embarrassed the principal of the Chinese school that was hosting Newton students, and showed so much disrespect for the Chinese that the longstanding relationship with the school may be harmed.

OH NOES! The relationship between the schools might be harmed because an American student stated the simple truth about the awesomeness of democracy and the awfulness of communist repression! Frankly, I don't think banning him from the prom is enough. We should ship this little punk back to China so he can serve some time in a prison camp. Hell, maybe the Chi-Coms can turn him into an unwilling organ donor!

Good job, Boston school officials. The Adams brothers would be really proud of you on this day.