Only in America

[firstsgtmike]

Flag Fury, Reverse Racism

Monday, July 14, 2003

By Scott Norvell

Some parents in Oregon are trying to prevent officials from flying the American flag at a school district-funded learning center because they say the flag doesn’t represent freedom anymore, reports The Associated Press.

A 13-year-old student who attempted to get officials at the Willow Wind Community Learning Center in Ashland, Ore., to fly the flag was told it wasn’t going to happen because some students might be offended. The center is funded by the local school district and supports home-schooled students in the area.

One of those who would be offended is Tracy Bungay, who said, “I want to raise my children to be citizens of the world, and the flag does not represent ideals I want to instill … It represents dominance, greed, corporate power and not freedom."

Willow Wind officials may not have a choice, though. State law requires that the flag be flown at all schools.
----------------------------------------------------

Great Moments in Jurisprudence

Lawyers for a man convicted of possessing a machine gun claim his trial was unfair because the judge and jurors recited the Pledge of Allegiance in court, reports the Denver Post.

In an appeal, the public defender for Frank Wonschik said the jurors' recitation of the pledge only five months after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, constituted a violation of his right to a fair trial by an impartial jury.

The lawyer said it was wrong for jurors to have pledged themselves to one of the parties in the trial -- the U.S. government.
-------------------------------------------

Taking Heat

The manager of the Chicago Cubs is taking heat for saying that black and Latino players are better suited to play in the heat of summer than their white counterparts, reports the Chicago Tribune.

Speaking to reporters who were talking about the heat, Dusty Baker was reported to have said, “That's why my ancestors were brought over here, for this heat.”

Some observers labeled the comments racist, but Baker said he stands by them.

"It sounds to me like a lot of people don't know history,” he said. “If they take it as reverse racism ... they can take it however they want. I stand by what I said."
---------------------------------

For the Kids' Sake

Residents in Marin County, Calif., are pressing the school district there to rename an elementary school with the word “Dixie” in its name because it has nasty connotations, reports the Marin Independent Journal.

The superintendent of the local district was recently presented with a petition signed by 23 residents who want Dixie School District renamed Miller Creek Elementary School District.

The word, its opponents claim, is too evocative of a “dark period” in American history. It also conjures up images of slavery and memorializes the battle cry of the Confederacy during the Civil War.
-----------------------------

Skirt Trouble

A member of an Illinois school board was forced to apologize after commenting during a meeting on the length of women’s skirts -- a comment said to constitute sexual harassment, reports the Chicago Tribune.

Timothy Knudsen was accused of telling speakers during a meeting of the Niles Township school board’s Finance Committee, "to keep your comments like a woman's skirt: long enough to cover the subject, but brief enough to keep me interested."

Fellow board member Lynda Gault Smith called the comments “humiliating."

“They were degrading. And they could, in my mind, constitute a hostile work environment, and, most definitely, sexual harassment," she said.
-----------------------------------

Living High on the Hog?

Some residents of Long Island, N.Y., are apparently angry that an annual pig racing event there will go on as planned, reports News 12.

The residents of Northport say they are offended by the races because people are making money off the animals and the piggies are forced to endure an “unnatural setting” for the duration.

In defense of the event, part of the annual Northport Fireman’s Fair, the fire commissioner says the pigs are bathed three times a day, eat regularly and visited often by a veterinarian.

[Jim]

I use the skirt comment frequently in class when asked about the length of an assignment. I always preface it with a comment about it not being politically correct but that it was what I was told as an undergraduate and it's hard to teach old dogs new tricks. So far it has generated more chuckles than flak.

As for the parent that objects to the flag and favors globalism; well there are plenty of others countries on the globe; no one is forcing them to live here.

[firstsgtmike]

In my lectures, I would use examples and hyperbole to ensure that a point was remembered.

I picked on Local and State government and the negative effects that the Civil Rights Movement had on its performance. I'd stay on that theme for about three minutes.

Minorities in the audience began stiffening up, waiting for the final blast. Then the rest of the women were waiting for the finale so they could lynch me. Men in the audience would slowly shake their heads, and if I could read their minds they'd be saying; "You're in for it now Mike, God help you."

When I had them all squirming, I'd close it.

"When you are dealing with a government employee, always remember that the government is an Equal Opportunity Employer, they specialize in hiring the mentally handicapped. So be kind to them."

The ensuing laughter was one of relief. And one time, just once, the laughter changed to applause, because they realized what I had done and the roller coaster ride I took them on.

I stopped using that bit when PC changed the term "mentally handicapped" to "intellectually challenged". It just didn't have the same oomph to it.

[richgitz]

After reading this, the only explaination I can come up with is
these people have to much time on their hands. They should
use this time to help in their communities, and last but not least,
get the H*** out of my country if you don't like it. Love it or
leave it I say.:mad: :(

[jegries]

It seems like its hard to say or do anything without worrying if some idiot is going to sue you cause they find it offensive. We've gone from a country with freedom of speech without reprocussion to a country with freedom of speech with reprocusssions if some idiot feels its offensive and is looking for a quick fix. My opinions are all men and women are equal despite race, religion, sexual preference ( NO ONE IS SPECIAL) ; If your not for the flag, get out if your not with us then your against us, the flag stands for what freedoms you have not for those who represent us for they will come and go while your freedoms remain; The rebel flag is part of our history like it or not to remember one side you must remember the other; not all police shootings are race related; saying the pledge of allegance is an honor for its reaffirming your loyalty to the goverment not to a religion; last but not least being an american citizen is a privelage and can be taken away. Thats my opinions Anyone else agree with any of these or have any others to add?:mad: :mad:

[firstsgtmike]

Here's another.

PHOENIX, Arizona (Reuters) -- After more than three decades at the Grand Canyon, three bronze plaques inscribed with biblical passages have been removed by U.S. park officials over concern that the religious messages violate the U.S. Constitution, officials said Monday.

The U.S. Interior Department determined the plaques were inappropriate because of the First Amendment precepts on the separation of church and state.

Officials said they had no choice but to remove the plaques from three popular spots at the majestic canyon's busy South Rim after an inquiry was made by the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.
-----------------------------------------

If you follow this line of logic, Federally funded museums throughout the country would be required to eliminate all religious works of art, to include paintings, prehistoric statuettes, totems, any and all references to fertility rites and goddesses, tribal beliefs, historical references, the pilgrims, the religious settlements which later became States.

Documents, to include the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights would be forbidden as not being politically correct.

Any Supreme Court decision which mentioned the term "God", the Constitution, or The Bill of Rights could no longer be referred to.

AND ANY, I say again, AND ANY, decision resulting from an Act of Congress is invalidated, because Congressional sessions are opened by the Chaplain with a prayer to the Almighty.

Court hearings, based on, "Do you swear to tell .....so help me God" are all invalidated, and MUST be reheard.

All money bearing the term, "In God we Trust, must be confiscated. (Until they get the word, please send it to me in the Philippines. After that, it will not be worth the shipping costs.)

Bottom line? Most of this PC crap reminds me of the old, old story about the guy who jumped off the top of the Empire State Building. As he was passing the 34th floor, he was heard to say: "So far, so good." Just before the "splaat."

I want to hear the comments from the PC'ers after the "splaat".

[leroy8541]

God help us all..

[lurchenstein]

Seems like some are working to carve the heart out of our Nation.
A - ______
C - ______
L - ______
U - ______
Complete the slammo-gram.

[richgitz]

You got that RIGHT lurchenstein.
These people in the ACLU can't hack it in the court room, so this
is the ONLY way they can make a living. Yhey are nothing but a bunch of sorry BAS***ds. Just to look at some of them, Pony-
tails and wrinkled suits. Looks like they spent yhe night under
some bridge.

[GySgtRet]

ACLU,

Do they really have a purpose in life? Nothing better to do than batter the good name of The United States of America. I'll tell you one damn thing for sure, NOBODY tells me that I can't recite the PLEDGE OF ALLIGEANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,....what kind of crap is this. This kind of stuff slams the men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice...!!! For people that run things like the ACLU...!!!

AMERICA LOVE IT OR LEAVE...!!!!

[ugly_angel362]

I can see how the skirt comment can be a little offensive but sometimes you have to shake thigns off. Being one female of two in a male squadron i have learned to shake a lot of things off and not let them get to me. Yes they do forget that i am around and let things slip, but i don't accuse them of sexual harassment every time they do it. As for the american flag bit i wrote about it in a similar post. This is what the mother said:

"I feel our country is on a strong push towards imperialism, and we're not a democratic nation anymore. I want to raise my children to be citizens of the world, and the flag does not represent ideals I want to instill in my children. It represents dominance, greed, corporate power and not freedom. I think it even represents commercialism and consumerism."

Our flag was made and established back in the time of George Washington, because America was seeking freedom. If the flag stands for anything it would be for freedom.

[firstsgtmike]

And Two More;

An Arab-American woman who was kicked off a city bus in Juneau, Alaska, when she refused to stop eating says the incident was racially motivated and caused her at least $150,000 worth of severe emotional distress, reports the Juneau Empire.

Jamila Glauber, a Yemini-American, was told to leave the bus for eating candy after the driver told her eating was not permitted on the vehicles.

Glauber is now suing, claiming the removal was a result of her race and national origin. She says the “extreme and outrageous actions” caused her “extreme fear” and, presumably, incalculable trauma.
-----------------------------------------------

ENGLAND HAS ITS PROBLEMS TOO.

Swinging Both Ways

Scotland Yard, home to some of the toughest police officers on the planet, is reaching out to London's transsexual community. Officers who have a sex change will be offered up to 12 months' paid leave, with 183 days at full pay, reports The Sunday Times.

The Metropolitan police say the idea is to show that Scotland Yard is keeping pace with the times.

Transsexuals already were riding high over the government's new Gender Recognition Bill, which allows them to alter their birth certificate to reflect their new gender, and to marry.

But one trouble spot remains when it comes to Scotland Yard's new effort: transsexual officers still may not conduct strip searches of suspects. It is illegal for officers to strip search the opposite sex -- and transsexuals remain "a bit of a quandary" in this respect, say the police.

Ummm ....

[firstsgtmike]

And another.

New Illinois Rape Law Protects People Who Change Mind During Sex
Fox News
Tuesday, July 29, 2003



SPRINGFIELD, Ill. A new rape law in Illinois attempts to clarify the issue of consent by emphasizing that people can change their mind while having sex.

Under the law, if someone says "no" at any time the other person must stop or it becomes rape. The National Crime Victim Law Institute said it believed the law is the first of its kind in the country.

Lyn Schollett, general counsel for the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault said the law was important to make it clear to victims, offenders, prosecutors and juries that people have the right to halt sexual activity at any time.

"I think it will empower prosecutors in charging cases where the victim and the offender have a sexual history," she said.

The law was inspired by a California case involving two 17-year-olds who had sex at a party. The girl changed her mind about having sex, but the boy did not stop immediately.

He was charged with rape, and it took years for the courts to decide that he could be found guilty under California law. The California Supreme Court ruled in January that a man can be convicted if a woman first consents but later asks him to stop.

Lawmakers said they wanted to avoid the same kind of long legal battle in Illinois. Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed the law Friday but did not announce it until Monday.

[leobold1]

I once had a friend, a card carrying ACLU member (I don't hold it against him, he's great with a BBQ), who went off on a rant about books that should be banned, not just in schools, but everywhere. You name the book, he wanted it banned. I finally had enough.

"I never agreed with you, but I'll join if you do one thing for me. I have a book here that encomapsses all that you want banned. Sex, war, murder, incest, rape, pilliage, and a whole lot more. I haven't heard anyone try to ban this book yet, will you do it?"

He got excited about the new challenge. Started pulling out his cell phone to call his buddies to get them rolling on the new book to remove from impressionable minds. He asked for the name of the book.

"The Bible."

He shut up real quick.

I'm still card free.

[yellowwing]

Since when did they change Freedom of Religion, to Freedom From Seeing Religion? Too many lawyers, too many idiots. Not enough common sense.

It's these types of liberals that give the rest of us a bad name!

[firstsgtmike]

Referring back to the new Illinois Rape Law which says that a person can change their mind during sex, I sent a question to the Supreme Court in Illinois and haven't received a response yet.

Here's the scene:

I'm enjoying sex with my wife. I climax, I'm finished and want to stop. I tell her to stop, but she continues on until she is satisfied.

Can I have her arrested for rape?

It's been three weeks and I still haven't received an answer.

[mardet65]

Hell Top, don't arrest her...give her a medal to reward her motivation!

[firstsgtmike]

Judge Gives Teen Cell Phone Privileges
Judge Gives Teenager Back Her Cell Phone Privileges After Mother and Father Disagree

The Associated Press

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, N.J. Sept. 15 —
A New Jersey mother and father weren't able to connect on cell phone privileges for their daughter, so they took it to court.

The 13-year-old girl lives with her mother, but visits her father each week.

Her father, Frank Mellace, prohibited her from using the cell phone because she was getting so many calls.

Mellace told the judge he was trying to protect his daughter after learning she had described herself on the Internet as "single, sexy and sweet," and told people to call her.

The girl's mother says her daughter carries the phone for safety reasons.

The judge reinstated the girl's phone privileges but told her she was not allowed to use it during dinnertime.

Mellace is appealing.

[Sixguns]

FirstSgtMike,

You cannot arrest her... You originally consented to sex. Once you agreed and began intercourse, you had entered a binding contract. Although it was a verbal contract, you consummated the deal by beginning physical exchange of services as stipulated in the agreement. Therefore, she did not violate the laws or you. Face it, you got screwed and she's happy about it!!! Sounds just like divorce court endings too!! In any case.... you have no case!!!


SIXGUNS

[JChristin]

Originally posted by Sixguns
FirstSgtMike,

You originally consented to sex. Once you agreed and began intercourse, you had entered a binding contract.


SIXGUNS

Next comes the "sign-on" bonus First Sgt Mike gets to pay for the following 18 years, or up to 22 years depending upon the jurisdiction, called "child support" in the event parenthood occurs as a result of the union created by the binding contract in the first place. Hope for twins or triplets.

semper fi,
jchristin

[firstsgtmike]

Sixguns and JChristin,

You both missed my original post on this subject.

"New Illinois Rape Law Protects People Who Change Mind During Sex
A new rape law in Illinois attempts to clarify the issue of consent by emphasizing that people can change their mind while having sex.

Under the law, if someone says "no" at any time the other person must stop or it becomes rape."

The "binding contract" is voidable at any time by either party. After one party voids the contract, to continue on constitutes rape.

JC,

I assume that a "binding contract" is by "mutual consent". Both parties accept the risks and benefits. When crabs or STD's becomes a cause of legal action, then, and only then, should pregnancy be considered a cause of legal action.

Before you answer, consider this;

A man impregnates his girlfriend. She wants to abort. Does he have the right to legally stop her from aborting if he is willing to assume responsibility for supporting his child?

Conversely, if he wants her to abort, because he does not want the financial responsibility. She chooses not to abort. Why is he financially liable for her decision?

I thank God I don't have these problems. My contract is with my wife. And our children are welcomed bonuses.

[JChristin]

Originally posted by firstsgtmike
Sixguns and JChristin,


JC,

Before you answer, consider this;

A man impregnates his girlfriend. She wants to abort. Does he have the right to legally stop her from aborting if he is willing to assume responsibility for supporting his child?



FirstSgtMike,

As always, you raise a wonderful point. One day, a few years ago, my sons and I had spent roaming the back serveral thousands of acres of our ranch in northeastern Oregon. We watched the neighbors cows grazing around the forest, just doing what cows do - just about nothing. Then all of a sudden, there was the area prize bull having his way with one of the cows. My boys eyes got really big on that one. Then they giggles like only little boys can.

Later that night, one of my boys and I ended up having that "talk" about the birds and the bees, plus a bull and a cow. Just before sending him off to bed he asked, "When will I know when I'm old enough to start doing that?" Good question. I silently asked God for a fast answer.

I said, "You will know when you are old enough to start "doing that" when you are old enough to take on the responibilities of fatherhood." He quickly replied, "oh, I'm not old enough for that right now." I was very relieved to hear my nine year old son say that.

semper fi,
jchristin

[firstsgtmike]

"...prize bull having his way with one of the cows."


I wonder what "her way" was.

[firstsgtmike]

Pistol-packing Senior Chases Off Mugger, Gets Charged for Unlicensed Gun

By Marcus Solis
(Bronx-WABC, November 5, 2003) — A mugger in the Bronx got quite a surprise when the 80-year-old man he attacked in an elevator pulled out a .38 caliber handgun. There was a struggle, a shot was fired, and now the elderly victim is being criminally charged.

Campbell had just cashed his Social Security check and gone to the supermarket near his house, when the mugger followed him into the elevator of his building. What the mugger didn't realize was that the octogenarian was packing heat.

And after Campbell pulled out his gun, a fierce struggle ensued.

Lester Campbell, Mugging Victim: "He tried to keep the barrel away from him, twisting and turning. And when I was going to pull it, see, I lose some grip. And that's when he started twisting and twisting."

The mugger had knocked Campbell to the ground and ripped his pants while grabbing for his wallet. The retired security guard fired one shot that hit the side of the elevator, and richotted up into the ceiling.

The elevator stopped on the third floor where the suspect ran out, and Campbell cried out for help. The thief made off with $262 in Social Security money. And now Campbell's eye is bloodshot, and his cheek is purple from injuries he received in the assault.

Police however arrested Campbell and charged him with misdemeanor criminal possesion of a weapon. While he admits he knew the gun was unlicensed, Campbell insists he did nothing wrong.

Lester Campbell: "He had no business doing that. I was minding my business. I don't bother nobody."

Police confiscated the gun, along with another one in the apartment. So Campbell was cited for two counts of misdemeanor criminal possession of a weapon, and was given a desk appearance ticket. He'll have a court appearance next month.

[Sparrowhawk]

assailant then said, it was the suspect that was carrying the gun.

[firstsgtmike]

Truth on Campus

A group of students at Stanford University in California are demanding the ouster of the editor of the school's student paper because it published an ad with pictures of Palestinians celebrating the 9/11 attacks, reports The Stanford Daily.

The ad, paid for by a pro-Israel group, shows Israelis lighting candles in remembrance of Sept. 11 victims under the words, "On September 11, 2001, Israelis mourned in Tel-Aviv." Next to it is a photo showing Palestinian men and children cheering, beneath the text, "On September 11, 2001, Palestinians celebrated in Lebanon."

The offended students claim the ad violates the paper's advertising policy, which says the newspaper won't print any ad that "casts aspersions on individuals or groups on the basis of race, religion, sexual preference, national origin, age, physical disability, or other invidious grounds."
==================

That'll Teach 'Em

Two California elementary school principals who had the audacity to warn their colleagues of thieves operating in the area and mentioning the race of the alleged perpetrators were described as "blatantly racist" and will undergo sensitivity indoctrination as a result, reports the Oakland Tribune.

The principals -- one from Mission San Jose Elementary and another from Warm Springs Elementary -- sent e-mails to their colleagues reporting that two out-of-place African-American women were seen around their schools the day a purse went missing.

The e-mails were called "blatantly racist" and led to accusation of racial profiling. Both administrators have apologized, saying they were only trying to help.
================

Now There's an Idea

A California high school student who responded to her classmates' taunts with the retort "that's so gay" was issued a written reprimand for language deemed insensitive to people of alternative sexual orientations, reports the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

The parents of 15-year-old Rebekah Rice are suing Santa Rosa County schools alleging that the district's punishment was unnecessarily harsh.

The parents claim their daughter was harassed for being a Mormon during a human sexuality class that included a presentation on homosexuality and bisexuality by the school's Diversity Club. They didn't want their daughter in the class to begin with, they said.

"I send her to school to learn something and it's not bisexuality," Elden Rice said. "I want them to stick to academics."
======================

Me, Mike Farrell adds this:

John D. in Anchorage, Alaska, writes:

Just once I'd like to see one of your stories end with the sentence, "the person filing the complaint was directed to attend 'get-over-it training' to be more sensitive to the feelings of the majority in a diverse society in the future."

[firstsgtmike]

Racism, Race Relations & Campus Life

Sunday, November 23, 2003

By Scott Norvell



A group of first graders in Skokie, Ill., had their annual Thanksgiving celebration quashed by a principal who said their cardboard headdresses might offend American Indians, reports The Chicago Tribune.

The kids at Madison School had to leave the costumes over which they had labored on a bookshelf and have their Thanksgiving celebration in regular school clothes after a parent complained about the Indian outfits. Kids who had made pilgrim outfits also had to set them aside.

American Indian groups in Chicago applauded Principal Pete Davis' decision. They said generic Indian outfits tend to promote Hollywood-style stereotypes of American Indians.
====================

That Ought to Shut Him Up

A Latino group at Glendale Community College in Arizona wants the administration to forbid a professor there from ever expressing his opinions on university Web pages because he sent out an e-mail saying the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán, or MEChA, is racist, reports the Arizona Republic.

"We believe in the First Amendment (HOWEVER) in this case, the e-mails and Web page are clearly against the district mission of diversity and has disrupted our campus with the hostility that it promotes," the group said in a letter to the Maricopa County Community College District.
====================

Traumatized in Florida

Parents of two Florida schoolchildren have hired a civil rights attorney and may sue because their kids had to hear a racial slur during a classroom English lesson, reports The Associated Press.

The students at Vero Beach High School complained after hearing the pejorative during a reading of "A Land Remembered," a fictional account of Florida’s history as seen through the eyes of one family.

The author of the book, Patrick D. Smith, who wrote six novels and was nominated three times for the Pulitzer Prize, said he's never had a complaint about it before. "I used the language of the times, and it's the black character himself who uses the word," said Smith.

The parents have sought counseling for their children.

NOTE: These are HIGH SCHOOL children.
================================

Witchhunt?

Officials at Northwestern University have launched a full-bore investigation into the research methods of a professor whose book offended transsexuals and homosexual activists, reports the Daily Northwestern.

The book, "The Man Who Would Be Queen" by J. Michael Bailey, was labeled "malicious, demeaning and libelous" for suggesting that transsexuals are either homosexuals or autogynephilics, men who are aroused by the idea of themselves as women.

Three of the transsexuals featured in the book under pseudonyms have suggested that they were unaware Bailey was writing a book and that he did not get their permission. One of them wants the book recalled and Bailey to apologize.
========================

Tolerance on Campus

A Sikh student at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville who complained that a student committee only brought liberal speakers to campus was derided as a "raghead" as a result, reports the Daily Beacon.

UT student Sukhmani Singh Khalsa complained in an editorial that the students’ Issues Committee, which brings speakers to campus, was devoid of ideological diversity. "I don't think that a lot of parents would be happy if they knew they were paying this group $90,000 to have their country slandered and their values dragged through the mud," he wrote.

Following the appearance of the article, Justin Rubenstein, a member of the Issues Committee, told fellow members of the panel in an e-mail that if they "see one of those ragheads, shoot him right in the [expletive] face."

Rubenstein said his comment was taken out of context.
===========================

[firstsgtmike]

Kentucky Law Mandates Bathing Once A Year

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. -- A state law mandating that people take a bath once a year is just one of many unusual - some bizarre - statutes that are or have been on the books in Kentucky.

"There are a lot of crazy laws out there," said Ruben Gardner, Elizabethtown's chief of police.

Another state law, for example, stated that "No female shall appear in a bathing suit on any highway within this state unless she be escorted by at least two officers or unless she be armed with a club." The law was later amended with: "The provisions of this statute shall not apply to females weighing less than 90 pounds nor exceeding 200 pounds, nor shall it apply to female horses."

Other unusual laws and proposed punishments from across the state include:

Throwing eggs (or tomatoes) at a public speaker could result in up to one year in prison.

It is unlawful to dye or color a baby chick, duckling or rabbit and offer it for sale unless six or more are for sale at the same time.

Steve Park, finance director for the city of Elizabethtown, said he's found some interesting laws that were adopted by the city in the late 1800s and that are still on the books.

"There's one that states if a horse dies in front of a house, the horse owner has 12 hours to have it removed. If the owner doesn't, then it becomes the responsibility of the property owner to have it removed," Park said. "I'm sure that at the time it was a necessary law, but I'm not sure how needed it is today."

Another local law concerns a dog tax that was imposed. Park said the handwritten statute, found in very old minutes of city council meetings required a small amount for each dog be collected. "The sheriff is to collect the tax or shoot the dog," according to the minutes.

[firstsgtmike]

Taking the Intifada to the Football Field

By William Lobdell, L.A. Times Staff Writer

What could be more American? Dozens of young men in Orange County have planned a football tournament for the New Year's weekend in Irvine.

This gathering of Muslim American athletes on the gridiron is a first for Southern California.

The monikers for the flag-football teams include "Mujahideen," "Intifada" and "Soldiers of Allah" and are accompanied on the league's Web site, http://http://muslimfootball.com by logos of masked men, some armed with daggers or swords.

An organizer of the Jan. 4 event, geared for American Muslims in their teens and 20s, said the names are a sign of football bravado and a show of support for Muslims in the Middle East.
==========
ONLY IN AMERICA can you get away with something like that.

================================================== =======

Protesters Carry the Fight to Executives' Homes
By ALEX MARKELS

Published: December 7, 2003


LATE one recent evening, an undertaker dispatched a hearse to the home of a biomedical company employee to pick up her body.

No one, however, had died. The woman who answered the door was very much alive, although the coffin was intended for her. Aghast, she suddenly realized that the undertaker had been duped by an animal rights radical into sending the hearse.

The group that had sent the hearse also posted the woman's name, home address and phone number on its Internet site, along with those of three other company executives.

The group's Web posting warned: "We will continue to target you until your company ceases from doing any business with Huntingdon. We will not let you sleep."

Protesters fed up with conventional methods of dissent have carried out increasingly intrusive incursions into the homes, neighborhoods and the private lives of business people.

Such "home demo'' protests, are legal, according to the F.B.I.

On one web site, executives are warned that "soon your neighbors, your church friends, your clubs & secret bourgeoisie society counterparts, and everyone you associate with will know..."


Early that morning a bullhorn-amplified voice yelled, "Josh Reiss, come out with your hands up!" Mr. Reiss said, "At first I thought it was the police." (It wasn't.)

The harassment was but the latest in an escalating series of confrontations. Mr. Reiss has been visited three times by members of the group, who bang on drums and shout, "Josh Reiss, ecoterrorist!"

With months of telephone calls, handwritten letters and parcels filled with videos.....
=======================

The subject of these "demonstrations" are considered "politically correct".

HOWEVER!

"Such "home demo'' protests, are legal, according to the F.B.I."

Suppose, the "home demo" protest was to protest a sex offender, a paroled child molester or an AIDS carrier living in the neighborhood?

Suppose the demonstrators simply recited prayers?

In most localities, it is against the law for Hare Chrishners, Johova Witnesses, Mormons, Fundamental Christians, and many other religious groups to "bother" other people with their message. That includes Christmas Carolers. I could call the police and have them removed.

Unless they were astute enough to call it a "home demonstration protest".

[firstsgtmike]

Go Directly to Jail, and Collect Your Pension
By PAUL von ZIELBAUER

Published: December 7, 2003


Victor I. Barron, a former Brooklyn judge convicted last year of taking a bribe from a lawyer in a case he presided over, currently resides in the Clinton Correctional Facility, near New York's border with Canada. But all is not lost for Mr. Barron. Each year, the state pension system pays him nearly $88,000.

Gloria Davis, a former state assemblywoman from the Bronx, was released from a Rikers Island jail in May after serving 60 days for taking a bribe from a contractor seeking state work. Ms. Davis, who remains on probation, collects a $61,290 annual pension.

And while he waits for his federal prison sentence to begin, Joseph Marino, a retired New York City tax assessor who admitted taking $4.1 million in bribes for lowering tax bills on some Manhattan properties, has at least this going for him: a city pension that has paid him more than $400,000 since 1996.

Stanley Simon, a Bronx borough president, went to prison on a federal racketeering conviction in the 1980's, but still received a $28,000 annual pension. And Sol Wachtler, New York's former chief judge kept his $71,408 annual pension after he was sent to prison.

Military personnel who are court-martialed and convicted lose their pensions, Professor Stein noted, but applying the concept to all government employees would create problems. "The concern would be that even criminals when they get out of jail would need money to support themselves or their families," he said.

(But military personnel, when they get out of jail do not need money to support themselves or their families?? OR did they work for a different government?)

"There's no connection between being convicted of a crime and collecting a (government) pension," a system official said.
============
Questions of the day.

1. How much in Social Security, Disability, Unemployment, and VA benefits are being paid to prison inmates?

2. How much is deducted for their room and board?

I live in a country where 10% of the population live and work overseas in order to send money back to their families and relatives.

I wonder how many of them would be willing to spend 3-5 years in a US jail and come back as multi-millionaires?

[CAS3]

Asfor question number one...the VA does not pay prison inmates. Their benefits are stopped when incarcerated.

[TracGunny]

He should have killed his I have heard that when you double-tap, do it right; that way there is only one side to the story...

[firstsgtmike]

The IU-Purdue University law school in Indiana removed a Christmas tree from the lobby of the school after some students and faculty complained that it made them feel excluded, reports the Indianapolis Star.

Following the complaints, the tree was replaced with a neutral winter scene, inspired by Courier and Ives.
===========================

Tolerance on Campus

The first of a series of Diversity Lectures held at the University of Louisville in Kentucky brought the notoriously racist Sister Souljah to campus at a cost of more than $10,000, reports the Louisville Courier-Journal.

The speech, in which Ms. Souljah was reported to have berated white people for more than two hours, was paid for with a $50,000 contribution by Bank One. The bank donated the money as penance after some of its employees were caught handing out racist T-shirts on campus.

Her speech was part of an effort to bring to campus "thought-provoking speakers that would really give us some opportunity to engage in a dialogue on some difficult issues related to race and race relations," said Mordean Taylor-Archer, the school’s vice provost for diversity and equal opportunity.

And it did just that.

Sister Souljah is famous for advocating, after the Los Angeles race riots several years ago, "war" against white people, including a special week set aside each year to kill white people. She says unapologetically that she wants what’s best for "her" people, and that "if my survival means your total destruction, then so be it."

A university faculty member who attended a forum about the speech later said the university has a responsibility to place people in uncomfortable situations to help them grow.
========================

American Indian activists in Michigan have successfully put the kibosh on a student group’s use of "Native American symbols" in its activities because to do so is demeaning to their culture, reports the Michigan Daily.

Now, however, the activists want the student group -- Michigamua -- to change its name entirely because it sounds too much like a Native American word and is therefore disrespectful.

Michigamua, described as a senior recognition society, previously used to use drums, loincloths and headdresses, and take on Indian names, during their ceremonies. Its use of Indian symbols has been described as an "offensive and culturally destructive appropriation of Native American culture" by critics.
==========================

A library in Connecticut banned several paintings from an art show on its premises because the works in question included images of Jesus in religious settings, reports the Record-Journal.

The Meriden Public Library rejected works by local artist Mary Morley because they "portray a particular message," said library director Marcia Trotta. The art in question pictured the Crucifixion, Jesus carrying the cross and the Nativity.

Because the library is a taxpayer-funded public space, Trotta said, it can’t endorse the tenets of one faith over another.
==================

Sanity Prevails (Barely)

Producers of a charity musical in California were so worried about a lawsuit on church-state grounds that they changed the words "God bless America" to "I Love the U.S.A." in a benefit show put on by a group of kiddies, reports the Ventura County Star.

Directors of the Cinemagic show benefiting the Pleasant Valley schools changed the language because the show was due to be performed at a local high school. The school district had nothing to do with the show other than providing a venue and receiving the proceeds for its band and chorus programs.

Only after parents raised hell was the language reverted to its original state. "It was a misguided attempt to be politically correct, and it has been rectified," said the school board President.
====================
====================
DID YOU CATCH THIS?

"A university faculty member who attended a forum about (Sister Souljah's racist) speech later said the university has a responsibility to place people in uncomfortable situations to help them grow."

Oh?

Would he make the same comment concerning the other university idiocies posted in this "Only in America" series of items? OR is he just trying to cover his butt?

Does his definition of "uncomfortable situations to help them grow" include prayer, religious symbols, totems, "conservative" viewpoints, comments on gays, Confederate flags, etc. etc. etc. etc.???

I seriously doubt it.
======================
In the same newsletter I copied these items from was another comment;

Bob W. writes:

I'm a rural white southerner (old trailer in the woods, five miles from Arp, Texas, near the Louisiana line). I think when the country finally decides to start recovering from the PC madness, rednecks will be the role model to follow. We love redneck BillyBob jokes, email them to each other, laugh as hard as anybody else at TV renditions of us as Neanderthals. I have yet to hear, even in private conversation, one of us southern rural whites complaining about being "offended" by the way we're depicted.
============

I believe he has a point.

[firstsgtmike]

Your weekly dose of Political Correctness.


Successfully Stopping Santa and A-Caroling We Won't Go

Sunday, December 14, 2003
By Scott Norvell Fox News

The ACLU has successfully stopped Santa from visiting public schools in Baldwin, Kan., because his presence constitutes illegal proselytizing by the school, reports the Baldwin City Signal.

After receiving a letter of complaint from the American Civil Liberties Union (search), the school board there voted to put a stop to the nefarious activities and said it will re-examine how it treats all religious holidays in the schools.

The ACLU complained that in a visit to an elementary school last year, Santa gave out candy canes and asked the kids why Christmas is celebrated. The kids had the nerve to pop up and answer Jesus’ birthday.
========================================

High school students in Florida studying World War II could be forgiven for thinking the American armed forces were happily integrated and that people of color died in numbers equal to whites during the conflict, reports the Palm Beach Post.

The main history textbook used by students in Palm Beach County high schools, a Prentice Hall effort titled "A World Conflict," presents what one World War II vet describes as a view of the conflict colored by politically correct lenses.

The first five pages of the WWII chapter cover such topics as women in the armed forces, racial segregation and the war, black Americans and the home front, Japanese Americans being interned, and women and the war effort.

Some 292,000 Americans died in the conflict, almost all of them white, but in the school texts, white male soldiers are represented far less in photos and words than all the others.
===================================

A Washington state teacher substituted the word "Christmas" with the word "winter" in a carol to be sung at a school program so as not to appear to be favoring one faith over another, reports the Tacoma News Tribune.

A Hanukkah song that includes lyrics about the "mighty miracle" of Israel's ancient days will be included in the program, however.
=====================

A middle school in New York state has borrowed from the early 16th-century German custom of bringing a tree into a building and adorning it with decorations, reports the Oswego Daily Herald.

But it is not a Christmas tree, said teacher Debbie Smith. It is a "diversity tree" and is decorated with ornaments celebrating the world's cultural, ethnic and religious differences.

Repeat: It is not a Christmas tree.

==================

A Philadelphia elementary school principal who spelled out a racial epithet while lecturing pupils about what sort of words are not acceptable in school is under investigation, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.

District officials have not decided whether to take disciplinary action against Mary Rita Sheldon, principal of the predominately black Overbrook Educational Center, but they have mandated diversity training for the entire staff as a result.

KYW News Radio reports that the principal was reprimanding a class in which a visually impaired student was called a "one-eyed jack." Miss Sheldon reportedly stated to the children, "How would you like it if I called you a n-i-g-g-e-r?"

Parents are demanding that Sheldon be removed from her post. "The use of the N-word in any context is inappropriate," said parent Carol Bangura, mother of an eighth-grade student.

==========================

Scott W. writes:

One wonders if the Meriden Library System will now feel inclined to remove books containing paintings of "The Last Supper", or statues of David. Perhaps they could just tear the offending pictures out of the books, maybe have a bonfire in the parking lot.

The question I have is this: Just where would you have a picture of Jesus in a "non-religious' setting"? Of course! Maybe that would be Jesus Alou in the outfield for the San Francisco Giants. Unless his name has been excised because of religious connotations.
==========================

[firstsgtmike]

Monday, December 22, 2003

By Scott Norvell Fox News

A columnist for the Naples Daily News in Florida was forced to grovel as an apology after dozens of readers wrote to complain that a column he penned in a hip-hop dialect was racist and offensive.

Brent Batten wrote in early December what he described as an explanation of why a hip-hop festival at the local fairgrounds didn’t go over as planned. He explained that the column was "written for fans of the genre" with an English translation added.

It included sentences like: "See, da brotha had some phat new school playaz lined up. Cris was in da house but 5-0 came down hard, wit Macs an' dogs sniffin fo' bud so da peeps all bailed."

Following its publication, he said, he was accused of being a racist, of "reaching back to the days of blackface minstrel shows and Amos and Andy routines to find language belittling the black community."

But he said that wasn’t his intention. He said he used language in the column drawn from the lyrics of the rap singer Ludacris, who was supposed to perform at the concert, and online glossaries of hip-hop slang.

His insensitivity brought distress to good people, he writes. "I should have looked beyond the obvious and seen that while hip-hop artists and their diverse fan base have a singular means of communicating, it too closely parallels the racist vernacular."
================
I thought that the P.C. people were pushng for Ebonics to be taught in schools to replace English.
==============================================
Snowpeople?

The Central Michigan University affirmative action office’s attempts to ban Santa Claus backfired after noel-lovers stood up for their rights, reports the Saginaw News.

The office posted a "Christmas Warning" on its online calendar warning against displays of Christmas cheer. The advisory, entitled, "How to celebrate Christmas without offense" said it "is inappropriate to decorate things with Santa Claus or reindeer or other 'Christmas' decorations."

"Good ideas for decorations during this time are snowflakes, snowpeople, poinsettias to give a feeling of winter," the notice said. Other cultural or religious holidays in December such as Hanukkah or Kwanzaa did not have similar warnings attached, the paper said.

The university took down the warning after fielding complaints from the Catholic League in New York. The office replaced its warning with a softer "suggestion" advising the campus community to "please be sensitive and respectful of others of all cultural traditions."
================
I OBJECT!

In 3/4s of the world, people who celebrate Christmas have NEVER seen a snowflake or snowpeople.
==============================================

Sublime Guidance Maybe?

An alderman for the city of New Haven, Conn., doesn’t want her colleagues to be able to mention any particular God when they lead the moment of reflection (a.k.a. Moment of Divine Guidance) at meetings of the City Council, reports the New Haven Register.

The city’s 30 aldermen currently take turns leading Divine Guidance, scheduled at the beginning of board meetings on the first and third Monday of each month. But Alderwoman Lindy Lee Gold wants to change the rules to ensure that any prayer or invocation "must contain no reference to a particular deity, sect or denomination, or to any central religious figures associated with any particular religious belief."
===============
By definition, there can only be ONE Creator.

Therefore, names , culural traditions and historical references ALL pertain to the same Creator. When called upon to bow one's head, to sit, stand, kneel or prostrate oneself to honor the Creator, each of us has our own memories, traditions, and definition.

Nothing is diminished if, our of courtesy, you go with the flow.
==============================================

Jolly in Mobile

The folks that run Mobile, Ala.’s annual end-of-December parade have renamed the event "Mobile’s Jolly Holiday Parade" in order to reflect a larger number of religious and cultural traditions, reports the Mobile Register.

The Mobile City Council isn’t too happy about the switch, and has voted 5-0 on a resolution asking the company that runs the parade to change the name back to the "Mobile Christmas Parade."

City officials have threatened to withhold financial backing for the event unless its organizers make the switch.
======================


Free Speech

Free speech at Georgetown University apparently does not extend to people who oppose homosexual marriage and believe it to be a sin, reports the Georgetown Hoya.

Officials at the Jesuit university in Washington, D.C., forcibly removed a member of the Catholic group American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property from the campus’ Red Square.

The person was collecting signatures on a petition decrying the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the recent Texas sodomy case and handing out leaflets decrying gay marriage.

"Red Square is a free-speech zone for the campus community," said Ted Olson, interim vice president of student affairs. "Even given that, the messages this group was espousing were, in our view, grossly
offensive and inflammatory and thus not protected in any case."
=================
In a "free speech zone", I find the presence of P.C. police grossly offensive and inflammatory.
==============================================

[firstsgtmike]

Man says he’s addicted to cable; wants to sue Charter


By Lee Reinsch
the reporter lreinsch@fdlreporter.com

Cable TV made a West Bend man addicted to TV, caused his wife to be overweight and his kids to be lazy, he says.

And he’s threatening to sue the cable company.

Timothy Dumouchel of West Bend wants $5,000 or three computers, and a lifetime supply of free Internet service from Charter Communications to settle what he says will be a small claims suit.

Dumouchel blames Charter for his TV addiction, his wife’s 50-pound weight gain and his children’s being “lazy channel surfers,” according to a Fond du Lac police report.

Charter employees called police to the local office at 165 Knight’s Way the evening of Dec. 23 after Dumouchel showed up with a small claims complaint, reportedly intimidated an employee and made “low-level threats” to employees’ safety, according to a police report.

The report states Dumouchel gave an employee five minutes to get a supervisor to talk to him or their next contact would be “in the ocean with the sharks.”

According to the report, Dumouchel told Charter employees he plans to sue because his cable connection remained intact four years after he tried to get it canceled.

The result was that he and his family got free cable from August of 1999 to Dec. 23, 2003.

“I believe that the reason I smoke and drink every day and my wife is overweight is because we watched TV every day for the last four years,” Dumouchel stated in a written complaint against the company, included in a Fond du Lac police report.

“But the reason I am suing Charter is they did not let me make a decision as to what was best for myself and my family and (they have been) keeping cable (coming) into my home for four years after I asked them to turn it off.”

According to the police report, Dumouchel called Charter to stop his cable service in August of 1999 and was taken off the billing but not the cable service.

In a written statement, he said he put the family TV in the basement in 1999 after he had called to get cable disconnected, but soon thereafter, his wife had moved it back and hooked up the cable connection, and it still worked.

He stated he “made a deal” with her that “she could watch TV as long as the cable worked.”

He then went back to Charter and asked that they disconnect his service, which they reportedly never did.

He stated that he called Charter several times to get the service disconnected for good because he felt it was addictive, according to the report.

Charter’s director of government and public relations for eastern Wisconsin, John Miller, says he doesn’t take the threat of a lawsuit seriously.

“Even though we consider our services to be a very powerful entertainment product, I don’t think it’s reached a medical level yet where it could be proved to be addictive,” Miller said.

“In our society, any kind of legal action shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone,” he added.

Wisconsin Circuit Court records show no civil lawsuit papers filed in Dumouchel’s name.