Is Democracy Dead in Ohio?

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(By Andrew MacKie-Mason)

Celina City Schools'
new superintendent,
Jesse Steiner

In the wake of Ohio Republicans' attempts to skew the election by disenfranchising predominantly Democratic demographics and the disturbing news that vulnerable voting machines in Ohio were made by a company owned by several of Mitt Romney's backers (including his son Tagg) comes a report of free speech suppression at Celina High School in Celina, Ohio.

The story has gained prominence in part because Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan visited the small town just this past Sunday. Perhaps the right-wing excitement generated by the pair's visit is what encouraged school officials to ban the pro-equality t-shirt (below, which was worn in response to the school banning two t-shirts that read "Lesbian 1" and "Lesbian 2") even though they reportedly allows pro-abortion t-shirts with pictures of fetuses on them.

This may not be as direct an assault on the electoral process as direct Republican attempts to affect the vote by manipulating election rules. But free speech, especially in schools, is a crucial part of the American political system.

One of the t-shirts banned in the Celina City Schools' second
act of censorship.