Charles C. Haynes: From a 5th-grader, uncomfortable truth about religious conflict

  When children speak the truth, adults often squirm and shut them up.

  That’s apparently what happened to Zachary Golob-Drake a few weeks ago after he delivered a speech titled "In the Name of Religion" to his 5th-grade class at Patel Partnership School in Tampa, Fla. The teacher initially applauded Zachary’s speech, awarding him first prize and an opportunity to compete to represent his school at the regional 4-H Tropicana Public Speech Contest.

  But later that same day, school officials had second thoughts. An assistant principal took Zachary aside and explained that the speech wasn’t appropriate for 4th- and 5th-graders. As Zachary told WFLA-TV, "She thought that probably I would have to rewrite my speech, take the religion out or not compete."