RUSH: Have you ever been at a public ceremony of any kind where a bunch of people are gonna be acknowledged and the host asks you to hold your applause individually until everybody has been recognized, and then applaud en masse? I have. I can’t remember the last one. I wish I could, to give you an example. But they list people are gonna be award winners recognized for something, and the emcee says, “Please hold your applause until all have been mentioned.”
Well, Senatobia, Mississippi, CBS story. “Four people who cheered at a Mississippi high school graduation may be thrown in jail after police issued warrants for their arrest. The superintendent who filed the charges said it’s a necessary move and he is demanding order at the ceremony.” You know what happened? People who cheered at a high school graduation could be arrested. “Senatobia Municipal School District Superintendent Jay Foster filed ‘disturbing the peace’ charges against four people who yelled at graduation, WREG-TV reports.
“Miller and Henry Walker were two of the four Senatobia High School graduation ceremony attendees who were asked to leave for cheering on their 18-year-old daughter, Lanarcia Walker, as she crossed the stage. ‘He said, “you did it baby,” waived his towel and went out the door,’ Walker said of a brief video showing Henry exiting the ceremony as he cheered. ‘When she went across the stage I just called her name out. “Lakaydra.” Just like that.’ Ursula Miller explained to WREG what she shouted to her niece at the ceremony.
“The graduation ceremony was held at Northwest Mississippi Community College, where police said the superintendent asked the crowd not to scream, and to instead hold their applause until every graduate crossed the stage. If unable to do so, cheering individuals were informed they would have to leave the ceremony.” But now, they’re arrested for cheering their own daughters and nieces at graduation.
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RUSH: Julie in Houston. I’m glad you called, and it’s great to have you. Welcome.
CALLER: Thank you so much.
RUSH: You bet.
CALLER: I just wanted to offer an alternate viewpoint on the people that were asked to leave the graduation.
RUSH: Yeah.
CALLER: As a parent of two really successful young women throughout school, I cannot tell you the number of honors nights, sports banquets, and even graduations where they were both named valedictorians, that their speech was interrupted or their name was unheard because someone’s baby mama or baby daddy in the audience or some relative was hooting and hollering, sometimes even making off-color remarks. A graduation should be more dignified, not somber and depressing, but the rules are the rules. If you can’t follow them, don’t play the game.
RUSH: Well, you realize for some people it is somber and depressing. It’s the end of free breakfast and lunch and dinner.
CALLER: (laughing) My girls were smart enough to be aware of that, yes.
RUSH: And for some, you know, it’s the end of adults hitting on them, sex, this kind of thing. The real world is a cold, cruel reality out there for some. But what about arresting people? I understand how irritating it is, if somebody stands, please hold your applause, and people don’t listen and they go ahead and hoot and holler, but arresting them? Why not just kick them out of there? You have no problem arresting them, it’s on their record, as you know.
CALLER: No, sir, I have absolutely no problem, because, again, the rules are the rules. It would be disturbing the peace. That is an arrestable offense in many municipalities, and, you know, they may not like those rules, but you know the rules going in, you can choose whether or not to play the game.
RUSH: Well, now, you’ve been to these events where such violations occurred by somebody’s baby mama, did you say, and baby daddy?
CALLER: Both my children, at their respective graduations, had, yes, family members, including baby mamas and baby daddies in the audience, you know, because somebody managed to drudge across the stage with a perfect 1.5 and graduate with their kids in the audience, you know, they’re carrying on as though — (crosstalk)
RUSH: (laughing)
CALLER: I’m sorry. My child made —
RUSH: Had their own kids in the — (laughing)
CALLER: Well, yeah. Welcome to America.
RUSH: I know. I know. Their own kids at a high school graduation their own kids in the audience, their baby mama. (laughing) I’m sorry. I shouldn’t laugh. I know it’s a serious thing to you, but you’re funny.
CALLER: Well —
RUSH: You are funny. You just rattle that off like it isn’t any big deal. You have great comedic instincts out there.
CALLER: Pardon me?
RUSH: You have great comedic instincts, Julie.
CALLER: Well, thank you. The truth comes easily out of one’s mouth, or it should.
RUSH: Yeah, I’ve heard that. (laughing) Heard that. (laughing)
CALLER: (laughing) Well, thank you so much for taking my call. I really appreciate it.
RUSH: You bet. Thank you so much for calling. It’s been wonderful having you here.
CALLER: Thank you, sir.
RUSH: How many kids do you have who have graduated?
CALLER: I have two daughters. One is 30. She just got her fourth degree.
RUSH: Wow.
CALLER: Her 2nd masters, employed full time since she started college though. It wasn’t one of those things.
RUSH: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
CALLER: The younger one is 24, and she is a news anchor.
RUSH: Really?
CALLER: Hm-hm.
RUSH: Where? Not the station; where does she live, what city?
CALLER: Well, for the next 20 days, it’s in Monroe, Louisiana.
RUSH: Oh, yeah.
CALLER: And she’s moving a little bit closer to Lake Charles, Louisiana, at the end of this month, she and her fiance are moving there.
RUSH: What does he do?
CALLER: He will be the new sports director.
RUSH: At the same station?
CALLER: Yes. They’re blessed. They really, really are.
RUSH: You don’t know, believe me, how much. You don’t know how blessed they are.
CALLER: I can only imagine.
RUSH: Because it takes a special guy to be married to a woman in television. I’m just telling you. It takes a special guy. You don’t have to worry about that.