Joey Daniel and Colin Salter, two high school students in Dunmore, Pennsylvania, showed tremendous audacity yesterday when they skipped their gym class to attend an Obama event across the street from their school. But, upon their return, they did not KNOW HOPE because their principal suspended them for a day. The pair did manage to wrangle a pair of excuses, signed by the candidate, but school officials, being strict Constitutional constructionists, saw this as an unlawful federal encroachment upon the rights of local government. Will Senator Obama promise to forswear such unitary executive powers in the future, or does he remain in the pocket of Big Hall Pass? Ha, ha...levity! All right, everyone can go back to yelling at each other now!
[WATCH.]
REPORTER: You don't do it. You don't leave campus. But things have changed. These guys are getting suspended for a day, no big deal. I am joined by Joey Daniel and Colin Salter. You explain the story, they left campus, you guys left campus because you saw Barack Obama was going to be at the diner across the street and you got those signed notices, I would think the signed notices would get you back into class just fine. Show everybody at home. These are the little notices that he signed. Joey to class, excuse Joey, Barack Obama. Colin to class, excuse Colin, signed by Barack Obama. Didn't work out that way. What happened when you got back on campus?
DANIEL: Well when we got back, the principal didn't see Barack Obama, you know, as a valid excuse and we were suspended for today.
SALTER: Which is I guess justifiable because you are not supposed to leave grounds. So you break the rules, there are consequences, so, we got suspended and that's what happens.
REPORTER: But would you do it again? Because I think a lot of people at home and hear this story and think you know what? Good for them.
SALTER: Absolutely. Maybe a little differently, though.
DANIEL: I would do it in a heartbeat, the same way.
REPORTER: You said you would ask your mom next time. I'm sure she is happy to hear that but, I mean, really, you have to make a snap decision, you are going to do it, right?
SALTER: Snap decision, I did it. As we can see, that's the position we are in today but probably throw the call in maybe afterwards...make it legal as opposed to the way we did it yesterday.
DANIEL: I would probably do the same way. It added character to the day, and clearly it was a big hit.
REPORTER: What was it like to be in there and be right up and close and have a chance, I guess you got a chance to talk to him right?
SALTER: A little bit. He came in, greeted him. Hey, we are here, we are skipping gym class to be here.
DANIEL: Can you write us a pass? Yeah, sure!
REPORTER: Full disclosure, the guys did miss gym class but one of them actually also ended up missing an English test, I won't tell you which one ended up missing the English test, but we are told that he will be able to make it up.