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The last place in the world we need this kind of nonsense to be is in our public schools. If you want that nonsense, go to religious schools. We're not talking about studying a religion, we're talking about juveniles testifying to a particular religion. It has no more place in public schools or at public school events than someone standing up to testify to the virtues of Apple computers before the big game. Save it for your own time and stop wasting everyone else's with this garbage.
What nonsense are you claiming that we don't need in our public schools? Constitutional rights? Freedom of speech? Freedom of religious expression? Or, perhaps you're suggesting that we don't need to teach kids to comprehend plain English and accurately understand the meaning of simple terms and phrases that make up the laws of our land? Is that it? Do you think good reading skills is "nonsense"?
Now, whatever adjective you care to apply to kids making a banner for a sporting event ... like "testifying", is thoroughly and completely irrelevant, since nothing that kids do in school could possibly be mistaken as an "act of congress" by anyone who can walk and chew bubble bum at the same time. And that is what the 1st Amendment prohibits .... an act of congress making laws that would either endorse a particular religious establishment, or prohibit the rights of the people (which includes school kids) of the freedom of religious expression AND free speech.
I'll tell you what "nonsense" we don't need in schools (or in society in general for that matter) ..... we don't need despots and tyrants in government making absurd backward claims like the 1st Amendment requires them to interfere with free speech and freedom of religious expression by stopping these activities, when the constitution clearly demands the EXACT OPPOSITE. We furthermore do not need citizens who are so ignorant as to believe such backassward crap, who compound the problem by parroting such Orwellian double think "nonsense" to the other idiots who somehow think this counter clockwise logic makes some form of rational sense.
I swear ... it is a complete mystery as to how certain individuals who may appear on the surface to be reasonably intelligent adults, have been trained to think in reverse, and literally believe that NO means YES ... or that UP means DOWN .... or that "SHALL NOT" means "MUST DO". This is a sign of a person who's mind is so damaged and filled with nonsense, that the only thing they are capable of doing is functioning by pure reflex, having not one logical or rational thought governing their beliefs and behaviors.
Now, whatever adjective you care to apply to kids making a banner for a sporting event ... like "testifying", is thoroughly and completely irrelevant, since nothing that kids do in school could possibly be mistaken as an "act of congress" by anyone who can walk and chew bubble bum at the same time. And that is what the 1st Amendment prohibits .... an act of congress making laws that would either endorse a particular religious establishment, or prohibit the rights of the people (which includes school kids) of the freedom of religious expression AND free speech.
Here's a novel idea: Keep your voodoo, hocus-pocus, mumbo-jumbo superstitions to yourselves, you busybody nannies.
I must remind you that many (if not most) of our public officials offer a prayer at public (read government) meetings FREQUENTLY and yet little is ever said about that.
As taxpayers, we pay for religious people (as employees) in the Congress (Chaplin's of both the House and Senate).
Does anyone have a direct response to the following?
Dan Barker, a member of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, disagreed.
“There’s a difference between free speech and government speech,†he said. “When those cheerleaders are wearing the uniform, when they’re at an official public high school event, they are not speaking for themselves -- they are representing the school, which has a diversity of viewpoints.â€
“School as a form of government must be neutral and include all viewpoints and not offend any viewpoints at that school,†he added.
Yes, I do, and hopefully you will possess the minimum general intelligence necessary to understand what I say.
1) Dan Barker is an idiot to even make such overtly absurd statements. The name of his organization reveals all anyone needs to know ... "The Freedom From Religion Foundation" defines their goal ... to remove any form of religious expression, wherever they see it. The big problem here is that the US Constitution protects the right of "Freedom OF Religious Expression" ... it doesn't guarantee "Freedom FROM Religion" which just so happens to be the EXACT OPPOSITE CONCEPT.
2) Nowhere in the 1st Amendment does it mention anything about "Government Speech", whatever the hell that is supposed to be is anyone's guess. The 1st Amendment clearly states that the "congress" shall make no law .... which either respects an establishment of religion (endorse a specific religion) or prohibits the free exercise of religion and of free speech. The prohibition clearly and specifically applies ONLY to congress making a law, and does not extend to any other area of government or private or public activity, which obviously would not constitute an act of congress making a law. Surely you should be able to understand that Cheerleaders making a banner hardly represents an act of congressional legislation, right? And so should the the atheist clown attacking the kid's freedoms protected by the Constitution. That moron ought to be tarred and feathered, and then deported as a domestic enemy.
3) This absurd statement: “School as a form of government must be neutral and include all viewpoints and not offend any viewpoints at that schoolâ€. Again, the only prohibition regarding religion is placed upon "Congress" ... the United States Congress, which is a federal entity. Is this moron suggesting that a school in a quiet town is either the US Congress or any form of a federal entity? Is this knuckle dragging idiot suggesting that the moment a teen age girl puts on a cheer leader skirt, she magically becomes a Congresswoman and a federal representative? And why on earth would anyone buy into this blathering lunacy? So, according to this nitwit, the best way to be neutral and include all viewpoints is to ban someone else's viewpoint that disagrees with his? How about we just ban his instead?
The whole thing is quite disgusting that so many people are fool enough to accept this tripe as legit, when it's really such an obvious fraud on it's face. Teen age girls do not lose their constitutional rights simply for wearing short skirts and waving pom poms, nor do they become "government spokespersons". The basic premise is so freaking maniacal that it is frightening that ANYONE would consider it rational for 5 seconds.
No, the SCOTUS is laughing at you and all of the others who apparently lack of reading skills of a 4th grader, and who are also apparently dense enough to accept that UP is actually DOWN, simply because some political appointee hack on the court makes the claim.
The cheerleaders may attend a very enthusiastic church, and have associated enthusiasm for religion with enthusiasm for sports. They may have seen a television program where a congregation burst through a banner. They may have watched a Bollywood movie, and something clicked in their heads. They may have listened to a hymn where God is exhorted to help the winning side. Isn't singing in church about generating enthusiastic noise to let God know you're worshipping him? I don't know what professional sports have to do with this issue?
Why? It doesn't matter. Maybe they just want to make you mad.
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