PEARISBURG, VA. – Nearly 12 years ago, in the aftermath of the shootings at Columbine High School, officials quietly posted the Ten Commandments on the walls of Giles County public schools. It was a natural reaction, said residents of this rural county peppered with churches, to such an alarming moral breakdown.
There the commandments stayed, within nondescript frames that also featured the first page of the U.S. Constitution, stirring little controversy until December. That’s when an anonymous complaint prompted the superintendent to order the removal of the displays. The decision sparked such passionate community backlash that the county school board voted to post them again in January.
Giles County is down on the Virginia/West Virginia border, just for a location. It is in the heart of Virginia’s bible belt. In fact, it is so bible belt that they run a bible bus to Christian classes during the school day, according to the WaPo:
The district also runs a so-called “Bible Bus” so that students can get privately organized Christian instruction off site during the middle of the school day.
I can tell you, on many occasion I saw this very quiet peaceful protester on 234 throughout the past several years. All he did, was stand in the grass, next to his signs. I don’t recall it saying anything incendiary, but he was definitely against the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. He never shouted, he never waved his arms crazily,he just stood there, like a man on his own private mission to make his voice heard.
I was very surprised to read in the paper, the thuggish behavior of a young person in “uniform”. This “teenager” exited his van, kicked Mr. Hersch’s poster and then got back into his van.
He said that about 12:30 p.m. a green van with an advertisement on the side that read “1-800-Marines” drove up to the intersection and a teenaged passenger got out and kicked down one of his signs.
That’s when the act of civil disobedience or disorderly conduct came into play.
Hersch said he stepped out in front of the van to prevent the driver — who he said was in uniform — from driving away.
I find it odd that they continue to allow any displays at all. On the other hand, is a Christmas tree a religious symbol? I have always thought of Christmas trees as a symbol of the season. Its origins were pagan and at least in America, Christmas is a national holiday. The tree is its symbol. Christians do more and have their own special relics and artifacts of the season. And that’s a good thing. But for right now, I like the tree being neutral, like wreaths and candy canes. Anyone who objects to Christmas trees, wreaths and candy canes is just a grinch and trying to make an issue.
The Leesburg Courthouse is always a place to look for some good old Christmas spirit and good old controversy. Every year it seems warring factions go up against each other over the right to display Christmas decorations on the Courthouse lawn. This year some decisions were made early–back in September even.
The policy that the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted to maintain provides equal access for unattended, semi-permanent displays on the grounds of the historic courthouse in Leesburg.
Displays are open to all who apply, but the number of displays is limited to the ten locations on the grounds that have been designated as display sites. The Board also voted to limit the period of time for filing a display application to no earlier than one year before the date the display would begin.
The Office of the County Administrator has received six applications to date for displays, five of which are for the 2010 holiday season. Information about how to apply for a display on the courthouse grounds is online at www.loudoun.gov/courthousegrounds.
Five members of the extremist group from Westboro Baptist Church out of Topeka, Kansas showed up on Old Bridge Road to protest at Woodbridge Senior High School. The Westboros were greeted by about 200 counter-demonstrators waving flags, signs with positive messages and singing “God Bless America.” The principal of WSHS had asked the school community to ignore Westboro. Apparently he was ignored also. Westboro was greatly outnumbered.
The message was clearly sent: Don’t Mess with Woodbridge.
Apparently the activities stirred up quite a traffic jam and one can only imagine the sights the students coming in on buses got to enjoy.
UPDATE: Westboro did not make it to the Coast Guard Recruiting Center. There were plenty of folks out on Smoketown Road for the counter-demonstration there also.
Journalist and author Juan Williams has been fired from NPR ostensibly for a response he gave to Bill O’Reilly following The View incident where 2 of the hosts walked off stage. Williams agreed with O’Reilly about attitudes about Muslims, for the most part. According to the New York Times:
The move came after Mr. Williams, who is also a Fox News political analyst, appeared on the “The O’Reilly Factor” on Monday. On the show, the host, Bill O’Reilly, asked him to respond to the notion that the United States was facing a “Muslim dilemma.” Mr. O’Reilly said, “The cold truth is that in the world today jihad, aided and abetted by some Muslim nations, is the biggest threat on the planet.”
Mr. Williams said he concurred with Mr. O’Reilly.
He continued: “I mean, look, Bill, I’m not a bigot. You know the kind of books I’ve written about the civil rights movement in this country. But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous.”
Mr. Williams also made reference to the Pakistani immigrant who pleaded guilty this month to trying to plant a car bomb in Times Square. “He said the war with Muslims, America’s war is just beginning, first drop of blood. I don’t think there’s any way to get away from these facts,” Mr. Williams said.
NPR said in its statement that the remarks “were inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices, and undermined his credibility as a news analyst with NPR.”
Spokespeople for NPR have said in the past that they are uncomfortable because Williams speaks one way on NPR and another way on Fox News. On the other hand, is what Williams said offensive or honest? What if he, as a black man, had said he gets nervous in some parts of town when he has to walk past a group of street wise black youth with their pants on the ground? Would he have been fired?
At what point must Americans simply not be allowed to be honest? How many of us remember exactly where we were and what we were doing when we first learned of 9/11? How many of us would be nervous getting on a plane with Muslims heading to first class dressed in full dress?
I can tell you I sure was the day I took one of the moon cabs across the Dulles lot with a lady in a burka or near burka pushing a baby stroller with packages in it. NO baby, just packages. I wouldn’t have gotten on a plane with her. If that makes me a bigot, so be it. I often disagree with Juan Williams but how soon can we count on all opinion being squelched? I don’t want to live in a country where people can’t ever express their opinions. I am afraid this latest move by NPR will be seen as a declaration of war. The timing is very bad.
Christine O’Donnell really needs to do better than this. Part of going to Washington must include basic understanding of what’s makes our government work. She really isn’t prepared on the most basic of levels. Ms. ODonnell is correct. Senators don’t have to memorize the Constitution, but they should have some basic knowledge of key ideas.
Christine O’Donnell really needs study harder. According to the Wall Street Journal:
Ms. O’Donnell attacked her Democratic opponent, Chris Coons, for insisting that public schools teach evolution but not “intelligent design,” which posits that life forms are too complex to have evolved through natural processes and must have been created by a conscious being such as God. Mr. Coons, the New Castle County executive, said that public schools could not teach intelligent design or similar theories, like creationism and creation science, because they were “religious doctrine” rather than science.
“That is a blatant violation of our Constitution,” Ms. O’Donnell said. “The Supreme Court has always said it is up to the local communities to decide their standards.”
That’s generally true–except when it comes to teaching religion-based nonscientific theories of human origin. In 1968, the high court struck down an Arkansas law prohibiting instruction in evolution. In 1987, the court invalidated a Louisiana statute requiring that “creation science,” an antecedent to intelligent design, be taught alongside evolution.
Ms. O’Donnell likened Mr. Coons’s position on evolution to those of “our so-called leaders in Washington” who have rejected the “indispensible principles of our founding.”
She lacks facts on such a basic level, it makes her unqualified for office. I felt sorry for her watching the video. We are aware that the words in the Constitution do not say ‘separation of church and state.’ However the courts have continued to reaffirm this interpretation. Jefferson’s writings also support separation.
PBS is running a great documentary series 6 hours long that investigates religion in the United states, from its very beginnings until, I assume, the present. So far the documentary, God in America, is excellent. My favorite part so far has been religion during colonial times. The show also explain the split from the established church. I had no idea that Anglican Church was the official church of Colonial Virginia and that taxes supported it. Night one was full of information I had no idea about. Much detail was given about Thomas Jefferson and the establishment clause.
Night 2 part 1 mainly centered on Abraham Lincoln as a spiritual being. Ho hum. Night 2 part 2 was about Judaism in the United States. Fascinating. Lots of new material in that segment. There was a part 3, involving the Scopes Trial. I haven’t finished watching yet. More on that later. I need to think about that part. We haven’t even gotten close to finishing that debate that took place 85 years ago.
Tonight wraps up the series. In watching this show, I saw how we haven’t really evolved all that much as a nation. Religious ideas are still center stage in our political arena, much the way they have been throughout our history.
Who else is watching this series and do you find it worthwhile?
It has come to our attention that the merchants of Old Town Manassas are being asked by the anti-KK zealots to close up shop for 1 hour during the middle of Fall Festival, between 12:00 and 1:00 pm. Are they nuts?
Fall Festival and the other events held in the City are to promote fun, highlight the city, and bring in folks to spend money in the City of Manassas. Localities all over America do this and each place tries to add its own unique touch to an event; something that makes the festival special.
What kind of a self-serving, narcissistic, selfish person would ask merchants in this economic crunch to turn away potential business for an hour? Why? Are they going to pay each merchant their lost revenue? Are they going to replace the BPOL tax loss for the City? Are they going to replace the sales tax to the state? Are they going to pay the salaries of the worker bees who might get put on unpaid ‘break’ for an hour?
Do these people think that the average shopper coming from outside Old Town Manassas gives a fig about KK Temptations, which by the way, isn’t even open for business yet? The Moonhowlings roving reporters will be taking note of which businesses were bullied into closing. We will publish those names. Our readers and contributors may handle the situation as they feel best.
[Clarification: People may chose to spend their money in establishments opposing KK Temptations or instead they may choose to withhold their money from said establishments.]
One has to ask what on earth these people are trying to do to the City. This proposed behavior is illogical. What people boycott themselves? The object of the boycott won’t even be open for business.
Knowledge is power. This boycott is all about bullying and power. Some of us will not allow ourselves to be bullied.
Censorship can be subtle, almost imperceptible, as well as blatant and overt, but, nonetheless, harmful. As John Stuart Mill wrote in On Liberty:
If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind. Were an opinion a personal possession of no value except to the owner; if to be obstructed in the enjoyment of it were simply a private injury, it would make some difference whether the injury was inflicted only on a few persons or on many. But the peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing generation; those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it. If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error.
— On Liberty, John Stuart Mill
Banned Books Week began back in 1982. It is always designated as the last week in September. It is the only national celebration of the freedom to read what we want. More than a thousand challenges from every state have come in since 1982.
The following list is the top 100 banned or challenged classics:
Today the Contract ON America 2010 will be released under the name of Pledge to America. The original Contract came out in 1994 and was orchestrated by Newt Gingrich. One thing caught my eye in the advance that came out on Wed. Sept. 22:
“They agreed to include the abortion provision and a vaguely worded statement on social issues: “We pledge to honor families, traditional marriage, life, and the private and faith-based organizations that form the core of our American values.”
What does this all mean? Is this a first amendment issue rearing its head? Those words are vague and unspecific, and on a topic I always think needs watching…closely. What if my American values differ with the GOP American values?
Bad, bad deja vu. Wait! It isn’t deja vu if it has happened before, now is it?
Updates as the entire Pledge is released. The spin has become and there will be lots of photo ops on Thursday.
Rachel Maddow interviews Major Micheal Almy who was dismissed from duty because of DADT laws and examines his role in the the ruling that was just handed down.
While Judge Virginia Phillips has remarked, The logic defies description” regarding currect DADT policy, an appeal is expected in many circles. This very well might be a case of ‘be careful what you wish for.’ Regardless, this is a huge decision that has the potential for huge impact on our military.
Do you think DADT is unconstitutional? What will the outcome be? Will we revert back to a nation that prohibits gays and lesbians from legally serving in the military? Will the military now actively begin a witch hunt to weed out all gays and lesbians or will there be new legislation that allows gays and lesbians to serve?
Gen. David Petraeus said a church's Quran-burning "is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses."
Several weeks ago we put up a thread about a minister in Florida who planned to burn copies of the Quran on 9/11. To date, there seems to be mo change in his misguided plans.
CNN) — The U.S. commander in Afghanistan on Monday criticized a Florida church’s plan to burn copies of the Quran on September 11, warning the demonstration “could cause significant problems” for American troops overseas.
“It could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort in Afghanistan,” Gen. David Petraeus said in a statement issued Monday.
The Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, plans to mark the anniversary of al Qaeda’s September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington by burning copies of the Muslim holy book. The church insists the event is “neither an act of love nor of hate,” but a warning against what it calls the threats posed by Islam.
Good for General Petraeus. Its time someone called out this arrogant man. Who better than the commander of all US troops in Afghanistan.
More from CNN:
With about 120,000 U.S. and NATO-led troops still battling al Qaeda and its allies in the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban movement, Petraeus warned that burning Qurans “is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses and could cause significant problems — not just here, but everywhere in the world we are engaged with the Islamic community.”
And one of his deputies, Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, told CNN’s “The Situation Room” that event “has already stirred up a lot of discussion and concern” among Afghans.
“We very much feel that this can jeopardize the safety of our men and women that are serving over here in the country,” said Caldwell, the head of NATO efforts to train Afghan security forces.
Caldwell said American troops “are over here to defend the rights of American citizens, and we’re not debating the First Amendment rights that people have.” But he added, “What I will tell you is that their very actions will in fact jeopardize the safety of the young men and women who are serving in uniform over here and also undermine the very mission that we’re trying to accomplish.”
“I would hope they would understand that there are second- and third-order effects that will occur that will affect that young man and woman who’s out there on point for America, serving their nation today, because of their actions back in the United States,” he said
The stupidity and arrogance of this minister is almost unspeakable. When the U.S. Commander tells you that you are endangering the troops, you should listen. If even one of our men or women is killed because of this ignoramous, his entire ministry should be held responsible. How sad that Americans would involve themselves with book burning. Sounds Third Reich to me. I would have no problem with the press being ordered to stay away and the minister barred from his bonfire on 9/11, as a matter of national security. The first amendment is not without some limitations.
Meanwhile, we can only hope that our troops will be safe.
“I shall not today attempt further to define [obscenity]; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it….”
That famous statement, uttered by the late Justice Potter Stewart in 1973 when faced with a case involving obscenity, illustrates the difficulty of trying to determine what constitutes obscene or pornographic content. The term “pornography” has no well-defined meaning, certainly no legal definition. And if a Supreme Court justice had trouble defining the nature of sexually explicit material, how easy is it for the rest of us—each of whom looks at the world in a different way? Lack of consensus is one reason the subject of pornography is such a contentious legal issue.
Pornography is a word thrown about all too easily. We call lots of things ‘porn’ or pornography when we really don’t mean it. We joke a lot about porn. Obviously the XXX girlie shows are porn, aren’t they? Anything that says XXX has to be porn and it has been my experience, if it has even one X, it is.
I realized last week that people have very different ideas about what constitutes pornography. A new adult boutique will be opening in the City of Manassas in the near future and the townspeople are beside themselves. I am asking what’s the big deal? Another such shop exists on route 28 that has been in business for at least 20 years. People don’t like the location of the new kid on the block, it seems. Not in the City of Manassas! So do we want to take what we perceive as porn and brush it under the rug? Do we want it far away so we can sneak into the store and buy something we wouldn’t want our mothers to know about and not be seen by our friends and neighbors?
Is Old Town Manassas the crown jewel where there are no secrets? Young people (under 40) seem to have a lot easier time simply discussing things like sex toys and real fancy erotic underwear much easier than those of us who are post 40. Yet, some of the people hollering the loudest are not in the post 40 demographic.
The best example I can come up with when someone asks what is porn would be the John Bobbitt flick he made after he was sliced and diced. Someone got Mr. Howler an advanced copy and he was all proud of himself for getting the coveted video. I lasted maybe all of 30 seconds before I left the room. Mr. Howler, tough guy that he is, was even grossed out and he didn’t last more than 5 minutes. So is porn stuff that grosses us out? Is it always sexual? How do we decide what ‘community standards’ are? Is the issue of porn on a collision course with 1st amendment rights?
Before we can decide what kind of shops we want to condone or condemn , it seems sensible to clarify what we really consider pornographic, obscene or indecent. In doing so, we have to realize that our neighbors probably won’t come up with the same set of attributes.
Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and his sidekick, Sideshow Bob (Marshall) have quite a dog and pony show going. Marshall asks a question of a controversial nature and AG answers it, thus setting the Old Dominion on a collision course with civil liberties each and every time. Does anyone notice a pattern?
Loudoun County’s controversial debate over public displays on the courthouse lawn now has the ear of Virginia’s top attorney.
State Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli on Aug. 24 issued an opinion saying Loudoun County can erect holiday Christmas displays on public property as long as the displays represent other faiths and beliefs.
The opinion came at the request of state Del. Bob Marshall (R-south-central Loudoun).
