Earlier this week some 50 high school students expressed their right to freedom of speech by bravely confronting Bush on the use of torture and demanding an end to it

But, on June 21st in the town of Hot Springs, some teens rights were brutally put to a stop. Arkansas Officer Joey Williams took the law literally into his own hands. He assaulted kids riding on skateboards.

Hot Springs, Arkansas (KTHV) – Hot Springs police are looking into an officer’s actions after an Internet video appeared to show him choking three teens who were skateboarding near the city’s famed Bathhouse Row.

We’re living in a country where innocent kids, who want to go out and just have some fun, are instead are getting beaten and harrassed by the police. I’m not anti police, and no one should be, but when police use excessive force to end a problem, because they are too stupid to fix the situation the right way, there is a problem.

The tape of the beating was posted Monday on YouTube:

There is still no official word on exactly why the teens were assaulted. Think Youth is keeping in touch with the both sides involved, an update will come shortly.

For America’s youth, freedom of speech just got a little less free.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — The Supreme Court ruled against a former high school student Monday in the “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” banner case — a split decision that limits students’ free speech rights. [CNN.com]

It all started back in 2002 in Juneau, Alaska during a Salt Lake City Olympics torch run. Students raised the controversial poster just as a joke. The school administration took it seriously and saw it as promoting drug use.

“I find it absurdly funny,” he [Joseph Frederick] said. “I was not promoting drugs. … I assumed most people would take it as a joke.”

The school’s attorney in the case was the infamous Kenneth Starr who led the impeachment of Bill Clinton. Keep in mind this is a public school, and not a private one. The time it happened the students were outside of the school, but on a field trip. Shouldn’t we be allowed to say what we want as long as it’s not hurting anyone safety? I get why schools don’t allow shirts with guns on it, but c’mon this is going too far.

NOTE: Student rights while in school will be discussed this Friday at 5pm pacific (8pm eastern) on the Think Youth Live Podcast.