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NAACP: Closed on sabbath? Religious discrimination

Posted by Fco on Monday, September 25, 2006 6:36:57 PM
The NAACP filed a complaint accusing a New York dental clinic of religious discrimination because it is closed on Shabbat.

The complaint filed Sept. 6 with the New York state Division of Human Rights accuses the Ben Gilman Medical and Dental Clinic in Spring Valley, N.Y., of imposing its religious beliefs on others by remaining closed on Saturdays, the Rockland Journal News reported. The clinic’s operators declined to comment on the matter.


Source

   Where would we be without the NAACP's heroic efforts? Do they not think at all of the right to freely practice your religion? Even if that means honoring one day of the week. Is the NAACP so desperate for attention? Have they run out of real cases of discrimination to go after?


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NBC censors religious "Veggie Tales"

Posted by Fco on Saturday, September 23, 2006 10:00:35 AM
Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber always had a moral message in their long-running "VeggieTales" video series. But now that the vegetable stars have hit network television, they can't speak as freely as they once did, and that's got the Parents Television Council steamed.

The conservative media-watchdog group issued a statement Wednesday blasting NBC, which airs "VeggieTales," for editing out some references to God from the children's animated show.

"What struck me and continues to strike me is the inanity of ripping the heart and soul out of a successful product and not thinking that there will be consequences to it," said L. Brent Bozell, president of the Parents Television Council. "The series is successful because of its biblical world view, not in spite of it. That's the signature to `VeggieTales.'"

"Our goal is to reach as broad an audience as possible with these positive messages while being careful not to advocate any one religious point of view," she said.

Source

    Keep on watering it down. Who knows? Maybe there's some demographic who's offended by moral positive messages.
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Flag burning teacher won't be charged

Posted by Fco on Friday, September 22, 2006 9:21:09 AM

A Stuart Middle School teacher likely won't be charged for burning two American flags in class last month during a lesson on freedom of speech, authorities said Wednesday.

Dan Holden, who teaches seventh-grade social studies, burned small flags in two different classes last month and asked students to write an opinion paper about it.

Holden remains temporarily reassigned to non-instructional duties pending a district investigation. Both the commonwealth's attorney and county attorney's offices met with arson investigators to review the case. Steve Tedder, a spokesman for Commonwealth's Attorney Dave Stengel, said that office would not be pursuing any criminal charges.


Source

     Those kids got a priceless lesson in freedom of speech. It began after the flag was burned and it's still on. Even if it's not criminal, it's incredibly disrespectful. He ought to be administratively disciplined.
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Ahmadinejad: I am not an anti-semite

Posted by Fco on Thursday, September 21, 2006 10:14:56 PM
Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said he is not an anti-Semite.

"Jews are respected by everyone, by all human beings," he told a news conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

The remarks come months after Mr Ahmadinejad called for Israel to be wiped off the map - and described the Holocaust as "myth".

Source

    Riiiiiiight. And I'm Rosie O'donell.
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Ad accuses Democrats of founding KKK

Posted by Fco on Thursday, September 21, 2006 9:09:55 PM
A national black Republican group is running a radio advertisement accusing Democrats of starting the Ku Klux Klan and saying the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was a Republican, a claim challenged by civil-rights researchers.

Source

    Wether this is true or not is not important. It's stupid to even bring it up, and it has no bearing whatsoever on today's politics.
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Judge: No prayer in public libraries

Posted by Fco on Thursday, September 21, 2006 11:09:18 AM
Government libraries can block religious groups from worshipping in public meeting rooms, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.

The decision came from a case involving the Faith Center Church Evangelistic Ministries, a Christian group which won a court order allowing them to hold a "prayer, praise and worship" service in meeting rooms open to other groups at a Contra Costa County library branch. A federal judge said it had a First Amendment right of religion to use the public's facilities.

But a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that ruling in a 2-1 decision.

"Prohibiting Faith Center's religious worship services from the Antioch meeting room is a permissible exclusion of a category of speech," Judge Richard Paez ruled.

    Source

    Permissible why? It's not disruptive. As long as the library isn't endorsing their prayer, or prohibiting other religions from doing the same there's no reason to tell them they can't do this in their meeting rooms. This must be held up to the same standard as the public square. And people can still pray in the public square, right? At least thus far.
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Palestinian Terror TV

Posted by Fco on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 7:34:47 PM

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' state-run television the past few weeks has broadcast a music video in which viewers are encouraged to "martyr" themselves in exchange for eternal paradise and beautiful "maidens."

 The Israeli-based monitor Palestinian Media Watch reports the video, airing on television controlled by Abbas' Fatah party, depicts a Palestinian woman who is shot in the back by Israeli soldiers. The woman then is transported to "paradise" where she joins white-robed "maidens" dancing in water while waiting to marry a male Palestinian who "martyrs" himself.

 In the next scene, according to PMW, a grieving Palestinian man is shot in the back by Israeli troops while visiting the grave of the woman killed at the start of the video. The man immediately is brought to "heaven" where he is rewarded with several white-robed "maidens," including the original woman he was mourning.


    Source

    I'm one who always tries to convince people that extremism is only of a minority in Islam. But it keeps getting more difficult.
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Benedict's Apology Redub

Posted by Fco on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 12:37:24 PM
The threats and demonstrations against Pope Benedict XVI continued on Monday, despite an apology from the Pontiff on Sunday.

Al Qaida in Iraq said on Monday, its war on Christianity and the West will go on until Islam takes over the world.

Protests broke out in south Asia and Indonesia with Muslims saying Benedict's apology did not go far enough.

        Source

    Not satisfied? Not surprising. They have to milk this for every ounce of chaos they can squeeze. Some advice Your Holiness, don't bother. If you apologize again, then they'll ask you to make a pilgrimage to Mecca, then wear a turban, then kneel before the Kaaba, and then acknowledge that Mohammed would beat Jesus in Celebrity Deathmatch.
    There's no point to it. The monster is loose, and to apologize further is only feeding it. We just have to ride it out, and wait for the next outrage to grab everyone's attention.
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Kerry on abortion, again

Posted by Fco on Tuesday, September 19, 2006 10:38:21 PM
Senator John F. Kerry yesterday called for a new national commitment to reduce the number of abortions, saying that both sides on the abortion debate can reach ``common ground" on the sharply divisive cultural issue that was prominent in his defeat in the 2004 presidential election.

    Source

    Unfortunately, in this case there is no common ground. A fetus is either a human being, or it isn't. There's no midway points where both sides can come together. And whichever side you stand on, there's nothing for you to cede other than complete surrender.

    Why is Kerry even bringing this up again? I might have an idea, but it seems unlikely. During his presidential run his position was that as a catholic he was personally against abortion. But that he couldn't impose his personal religious views on others. Specially blocking a right that's guaranteed by the Constitution. At first glance his posture seems fair, even admirable. Putting aside his religious conviction to allow the rule of law.

    But I have to disagree with his reasoning. If you're catholic, then you accept the RCC's view of life that begins at fertilization. If you grant the fetus the quality of personhood, then that fetus has a constitutionally protected right to life. Which trumps whatever reproductive right the mother may have.

    Politicians can't have their cake and eat it too. Pick a side and stick to it. Otherwise, you're just too "undecided" for everybody.
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Racist Bus Driver?

Posted by Fco on Monday, September 18, 2006 12:34:01 PM
    This is one of the stories that urged me to start this blog. In the small town of Coushatta, LA, a white female bus driver stopped to pick up some kids, opened the door, let them in, and told them to sit in the back. What did she do wrong? Well the kids were black. Let the outrage begin. Details here. Every mother became Rosa Parks reborn. The NAACP was there, they had caught the scent of blood. And they all wanted the kill. Following the usual pressure and speeches on how racism is still alive and thriving in America, the bus driver was suspended and later resigned her job.
   
    I don't know this bus driver woman. For all I know she might be a racist. But I do know that you don't go berserk and accuse someone of racism over ONE incident that might be construed as racially motivated. As far as I can tell this woman has been working for 25 years and never been cause for problem. But maybe she's just been keeping that racism bottled up all this time and simply lost her self-control that September morning.

    They're not yet satisfied however, now the townspeople want a national public apology. They've also kindly provided a list of demands to the schoolboard. Details here. Including the usual mandatory sensitivity training, and appointing more minority personnel in the school system. The school board will give in to all their demands, and they'll do it apologetically. I can't blame them. If they show even a hint of resistance to this lynch mob, then they'll be branded as racists as well. It's a hostage situation.
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Benedict Apologizes

Posted by Fco on Sunday, September 17, 2006 10:20:09 AM
    I'm reading now the Pope is apologizing for his remarks about Islam. On tuesday, during a visit to Germany, he cited a medieval text where a Byzantine emperor calls the contributions of the prophet Mohammed "evil and inhuman", and accuses its followers of spreading Islam by the sword. The outrage in the muslim world let itself be known instantly. Thus far there have been four attacks on christian churches in the Middle East, including one Anglican and one Orthodox, which don't even recognize the Pope as an authority.

    I don't expect to be one to tell the Vicar of Christ how to his do business, but personally I feel it wasn't good judgement to quote this passage. Benedict was trying to make a point about a disciple's duty to spread the Word through preaching and evangelization, not through violence and forced conversions the way radical muslims are going about it. And it is a good point to be made, one that needs to be said. But his choice of text in which to convey that message accused all of Islam of violence, though I'm confident that was not his intention.

    Turning to the other side, there's the irony of reacting violently to accusations of being violent. Nice way to prove him wrong, eh? These radicals are on call 24/7, ready to burn whatever effigy is apropos, and the "Behead those who insult Islam" cardboards are fitting for any occasion.

    That's why I also think Benedict is erring in giving them the apology they're demanding. If I thought apologizing was going to spare any church of being attacked I'd give it in a second. But in doing so, these radicals are learning that terrorism is an effective way to get what they want. And while it may stop the violence going on now, they'll be far quicker to resort to it in the future when the next outrage occurs.
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