Land of the Free..
Unflattering depictions of the ruler were probably against the law in Saddam's Iraq, but I didn't know that creative dissent (in your own journal!) could get you in hot water here. I guess the difference we're supposed to appreciate is that this 15-year-old wasn't tortured and killed, or even imprisoned, only punished in school and visited by the secret service.

I suppose this descends from Columbine and "no-tolerance" threat policies in school, but I still wonder what kind of message about freedom of dissent we send to kids this way. Seems like it could make teaching the bill of rights feel...ironic when it comes to the point about freedom to criticize your own leader, and freedom of artistic expression.

I know there's at least one public school teacher out there. Would this be the kind of thing you'd feel obligated to turn over to school officials?