Students sent home from school for wearing American flag t-shirts on May 5

[Devana 0]

I have so little faith in accurate media reporting that it's hard to know what the hell went on there.

Maybe the school has a pre-existing anti-logo policy like my son's school has. Kids who break the rules are often asked to turn their shirts inside out.

Maybe the kids parents were tea-baggers or just right wing hystericals who incited their kids into this to make hay out of the repercussions.

Maybe the kids were being little turds and trying to be deliberately provocative. I remember being hot headed and self righteous at that age.

Maybe the head of the school had a volatile situation on hand and chose to tone down expressions of deliberate disrespect and accept the consequences of that rather than let the ethnic tensions of the situation explode.

cmohart, how are Americans letting ethnic groups control your feelings?

[Cleo's Mom 257]

Seeing that Cinco de mayo is not a real American Holiday it's a Mexican Holiday the 5 kids should not have been asked to remove their shirts. Hello California, this is America not Mexico if you haven't noticed. I too like to Celebrate other ethnic holidays such as St. Patty's and Cinco de Mayo with a marguarita, but if we went to any other country and asked their children to remove their country's shirts during an American holiday they would laugh in our faces.

We as Americans are allowing too many ethnic groups to control our feelings and actions to save this country as our own.

I personally like learning about other cultural holidays and even participating in some, such as parades and party's but I strongly stand behind what our Flag means for our freedom, and for the freedom of speech through clothing or whatever other means.

Soon our country will no longer belong to us it will belong to all the other countries who want to control our holidays.

St. Patrick's Day is not an "American" holiday but we use tax payer money to provide police and clean up services for the big city parades all across the country and no one seems to mind that. But I guess that's because it's a white, non-American holiday. And BTW - it's St. Paddy's Day not Patty's Day. I am part Irish and I celebrate this holiday every year and attend the Irish festival and I am fine with celebrating our diverse ethnic population and their cultures.

And I again will repeat that I think the kids wore those shirts as an "in your face" to the latino kids who attended the school. That being said, they should have been made to remove the bandanas but allowed to keep the shirts and then ignored.

Edited May 17, 2010 by Cleo's Mom

[leroyspuds 0]

Also, all believer's in Jesus have a "free passport" into heaven. (That's a different way of saying it, but it's still true none the less.) All it takes is the faith to believe. Once a person has that, they recognize their sinfulness and confess it, then they ask God to make them a part of his family and He does. It's that simple. They may now enter into Heaven when they die without condemnation.

------------------------------------------------------

The problem with this premise is many conservatives don't recognize their sin or confess it.

Instead, they continually lie, cheat and steal to gain political power and wealth. They destroy the earth given to you by your creator just to make money. They convince you to buy products that are not nutricious and contain harmful chemicals just to make money. They pit neighbor against neighbor so they make money off of their radio shows. They pay lobbyists to bribe our leaders into making bad decisions. Many have hate in their hearts toward people of color and use them as scapegoats for complex problems they can't easily solve. They condem others for not living the Christian principles but won't live that way themselves.

The fact is many of us are sick of being taken advantage of by powerful wealthy conservatives. We're tired of all the lies they tell to manipulate us. We're tired of them making us and our children unhealthy with their products. We're tired of them robbing us and our children of healthy forests, rivers, oceans and air. We're tired of them trying to stir up and manipulate the uninformed just to get re-elected. We're tired of them not having the wisdom and courage to work with liberals to find solutions to the real problems facing our nation.

Yes, everyone sins from time to time, but you can't live your life so selfishly and dishonestly and have no remorse and get away with it. If you are fair, generous and honest, only then do you truly believe. Come judgement day it will be known what's in your heart and that free passport may just get stamped "invalid."

[pattygreen 5]

Also, all believer's in Jesus have a "free passport" into heaven. (That's a different way of saying it, but it's still true none the less.) All it takes is the faith to believe. Once a person has that, they recognize their sinfulness and confess it, then they ask God to make them a part of his family and He does. It's that simple. They may now enter into Heaven when they die without condemnation.

------------------------------------------------------

The problem with this premise is many conservatives don't recognize their sin or confess it.

Instead, they continually lie, cheat and steal to gain political power and wealth. They destroy the earth given to you by your creator just to make money. They convince you to buy products that are not nutricious and contain harmful chemicals just to make money. They pit neighbor against neighbor so they make money off of their radio shows. They pay lobbyists to bribe our leaders into making bad decisions. Many have hate in their hearts toward people of color and use them as scapegoats for complex problems they can't easily solve. They condem others for not living the Christian principles but won't live that way themselves.

The fact is many of us are sick of being taken advantage of by powerful wealthy conservatives. We're tired of all the lies they tell to manipulate us. We're tired of them making us and our children unhealthy with their products. We're tired of them robbing us and our children of healthy forests, rivers, oceans and air. We're tired of them trying to stir up and manipulate the uninformed just to get re-elected. We're tired of them not having the wisdom and courage to work with liberals to find solutions to the real problems facing our nation.

Yes, everyone sins from time to time, but you can't live your life so selfishly and dishonestly and have no remorse and get away with it. If you are fair, generous and honest, only then do you truly believe. Come judgement day it will be known what's in your heart and that free passport may just get stamped "invalid." :thumbup:

And you think your liberal friends are any different?

In politics, all we have to choose from is the lesser of two evils. This is why I choose the conservatives, whether he lives up to his moral convictions or not, because it is the better choice. Conservative nominees are more likely to vote in my preference because they claim to believe as I do. Whether they do or not is between them and God.

[leroyspuds 0]

And you think your liberal friends are any different?

-----------------------------------------------------------

Most definitely. Liberals are not racist, don't commit hate crimes, believe in helping those less fortunate, believe in government being involved with protecting our society from haters and greed, don't believe in the supremacy of one religion over another. They are not closed minded and intolerant and opposed to trying new ideas and working across party lines.

--------------------------------------------------

In politics, all we have to choose from is the lesser of two evils. This is why I choose the conservatives, whether he lives up to his moral convictions or not, because it is the better choice. Conservative nominees are more likely to vote in my preference because they claim to believe as I do. Whether they do or not is between them and God.

-------------------------------------------------------

Patty, your politics and your religion are at odds with each other. Do you think Jesus was a liberal or a conservative? Didn't he throw the money changers out of the temple? Didn't he comfort the poor and the sick? Didn't he preach love and tolerance?

[lauragshsu 6]

And you think your liberal friends are any different?

-----------------------------------------------------------

Most definitely. Liberals are not racist, don't commit hate crimes, believe in helping those less fortunate, believe in government being involved with protecting our society from haters and greed, don't believe in the supremacy of one religion over another. They are not closed minded and intolerant and opposed to trying new ideas and working across party lines.

Blanketing all liberals under that umbrella is as bad as blanketing all conservatives as unfeeling greedy fatcats. Not all liberals are as perfect as you put forth, just as not all conservatives are.

[leroyspuds 0]

Blanketing all liberals under that umbrella is as bad as blanketing all conservatives as unfeeling greedy fatcats. Not all liberals are as perfect as you put forth, just as not all conservatives are.

I agree with you completely that any "individual" can be a bad person. Thanks for pointing this out. However, the people who tend to be the most guilty of the things I'm critical of would classify themselves as conservative. Based on the definitions of liberal and conservative I believe in liberal ideals. I only "rant" when liberals, our government, people of color and lower economic status, and Obama are blasted by conservative posters for doing so much harm. I happen to believe it's conservative politics that do harm.

[pattygreen 5]

{quote} Patty, your politics and your religion are at odds with each other. Do you think Jesus was a liberal or a conservative? Didn't he throw the money changers out of the temple? Didn't he comfort the poor and the sick? Didn't he preach love and tolerance?

Jesus would have definitely been a right winger. Here is one example.

Liberals, who appear to be soft hearted when they are reallly soft headed, dig into the pockets of the productive to provide for the parasites. Jesus said that the poor would always be with us, but he did not say that the workers should provide for the shirkers. The liberal embraces the poor, plants a kiss on his cheek and puts food stamps in his hand saying, "I am your friend." (Translated: Vote Liberal) By providing endless benefits, rather than forcing the poor to work, the Liberal is relegating the poor to generations of beggary. That is not friendship; it's folly.

Welfare is a mish mash of of government programs that take from the "haves" and give to the "have nots". This theivery is justified because we "owe it to the people". It is their 'right.' so they tell us. If a man has a 'right' to what I produce, then I am his slave. Welfare is a plot to redistribute the wealth and just because it is lawful doesn't make it jsut.

Liberals don't understand that the more dependent men become, the less dependable they are. The Liberal do gooder is the worst enemy of the poor. Most liberals gravitate to federal give aways like a pig to slop. He embraces the poor, and as he regulates him to a life time of dependence-living off the sweat of others. Liberal politicians never create wealth to provide for the poor. He redistributes the golden eggs, but he can not lay them. But, they have effectively killed the goose that produced the golden eggs- free enterprise.

Booker T Washington said "In bestowing charity, the main consideration should be to help those who will help themselves."

The apostle Paul told the Thessalonians, "if any would not work, neither should he eat." If a man doesn't eat, it wont be long before he will start to work. So, God expects us to work, not live off others, but work is a dirty word to the parasites. Ephesians 4:28 reminds us "Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor..." Ah another dirty word!

[Cleo's Mom 257]

WARNING!! RED COLOR AND CUT AND PASTE

Shuster column: 'Christian nation' label is a disservice to United States

By Dave Shuster • Times columnist • May 2, 2010

More than 60 percent of Americans consider the United States a “Christian nation.”

In a literal sense, the label is inaccurate. The Constitution clearly separates church and state. Still, there is no doubt Christianity has played a major role in our nation’s history and, as exemplified by the above survey, remains a dominant force in American culture.

Despite the benevolent connotation of “Christian nation,” compassion is not a consistent characteristic of the United States and its citizenry. In addition, passive acceptance of the Christian-nation brand ignores the negative influence of this faith on our country.

There have been legislative attempts to formally link our government to Christianity. References to God were successfully attached to our coinage and Pledge of Allegiance, but initiatives to insert Christianity into the Constitution failed miserably.

More recently, evangelical leaders selectively mined early U.S. history and the written record of the Founding Fathers for religious references, disregarded the content of the Constitution, and presented out-of-context quotes as supposed proof the United States was established as a Christian nation.

Combined with incessant repetition of this false claim, their tactic has been more successful than any legislation in promoting public acceptance of Christianity as America’s faith of choice.

The founding principles of the United States — justice, freedom and equality — are consistent with traditional descriptions of the teachings of Jesus Christ. Our country has fitfully strived to meet these ideals. Admittedly, no religion, economic system or method of governance has found a solution to the evils that plague the world.

However, at times, the above values are sorely lacking in our government’s policies and the behavior of our citizenry. The United States often meddles in the affairs of other nations entirely out of self-interest. In so doing, America has created its share of death, destruction and misery rather than freedom and justice.

It may be of interest to St. Cloud residents that the list of countries wrecked by the wars on communism, terrorism or drugs includes Somalia, where Cold War pawn and corrupt dictator Siad Barre received millions of U.S. dollars in military assistance while he slaughtered his people and destroyed his country.

Domestically, some of the wealthiest members of our society vehemently oppose contributing to government-sponsored social safety nets established for those less fortunate. They are supported by hysterical legislators that employ biblical references in statements that condemn egalitarian measures such as health care reform.

In addition, our Christian nation is still adept at discrimination based on race, religion, gender, economic status or sexual orientation. Christian fundamentalism has not necessarily been a shining light to a righteous path.

The checkered history of this faith in the United States is outlined extensively by Jeff Sharlet in his book, “The Family.” By his account, elite fundamentalists divested their faith from any concern with social justice, focusing instead on using the power of Jesus to increase their influence in America and throughout the world.

The resultant “masculine Jesus” only demands devotion and, in return, allows his followers to flourish. Any pestilence left in the wake of the true believer is irrelevant. Only those who are spiritually fit endure.

This survival-of-the-fittest theology sanctifies a variety of sins for those Christian fundamentalists who accept the alternative take on Jesus. The plight of the poor can be ignored. Lack of prosperity obviously means lack of faith. The environment exists for profit, not preservation, making a concern such as climate change irrelevant. These individuals are also resolute proponents of free market mythology. They see no roll for government-sponsored programs that discourage “self-reliance.”

If one uses the overt religiosity of our political leaders as a barometer, the influence of Christian fundamentalism on our government has increased dramatically the past two decades. Electoral success in our country almost requires a candidate to dutifully endorse the idea that the United States is a Christian nation. It follows that the movement’s needs will be met by a steadily increasing number of favorable legislative initiatives and judicial decisions. This will include measures that adversely effect the environment and social safety nets, not just abortion and gay marriage.

Public education will also be affected. The Texas Board of Education has already voted in favor of changing its curriculum to one that questions the Founding Fathers’ commitment to secular government.

The label “Christian nation” does not serve our country well. It is factually inaccurate, provides a false sense of morality, and distracts an already unwary public from the slow ooze of unwanted fundamentalist tenets into our country’s legal framework and daily life.

The founding principles of the United States are sound enough to stand on their own. They don’t need to lean on the back of Jesus.

This is the opinion of Dave Shuster, a St. Cloud resident whose column is published the first Sunday of the month. He writes mostly from a liberal perspective.

This guy just nails it. Everything he says is right on.

LEROYSPUDS: You wanted more examples - well here they are.

Edited May 18, 2010 by Cleo's Mom

[Cleo's Mom 257]

{quote} Patty, your politics and your religion are at odds with each other. Do you think Jesus was a liberal or a conservative? Didn't he throw the money changers out of the temple? Didn't he comfort the poor and the sick? Didn't he preach love and tolerance?

Jesus would have definitely been a right winger. Here is one example.

Liberals, who appear to be soft hearted when they are reallly soft headed, dig into the pockets of the productive to provide for the parasites. Jesus said that the poor would always be with us, but he did not say that the workers should provide for the shirkers. The liberal embraces the poor, plants a kiss on his cheek and puts food stamps in his hand saying, "I am your friend." (Translated: Vote Liberal) By providing endless benefits, rather than forcing the poor to work, the Liberal is relegating the poor to generations of beggary. That is not friendship; it's folly.

Welfare is a mish mash of of government programs that take from the "haves" and give to the "have nots". This theivery is justified because we "owe it to the people". It is their 'right.' so they tell us. If a man has a 'right' to what I produce, then I am his slave. Welfare is a plot to redistribute the wealth and just because it is lawful doesn't make it jsut.

Liberals don't understand that the more dependent men become, the less dependable they are. The Liberal do gooder is the worst enemy of the poor. Most liberals gravitate to federal give aways like a pig to slop. He embraces the poor, and as he regulates him to a life time of dependence-living off the sweat of others. Liberal politicians never create wealth to provide for the poor. He redistributes the golden eggs, but he can not lay them. But, they have effectively killed the goose that produced the golden eggs- free enterprise.

Booker T Washington said "In bestowing charity, the main consideration should be to help those who will help themselves."

The apostle Paul told the Thessalonians, "if any would not work, neither should he eat." If a man doesn't eat, it wont be long before he will start to work. So, God expects us to work, not live off others, but work is a dirty word to the parasites. Ephesians 4:28 reminds us "Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor..." Ah another dirty word!

It really doesn't matter what your opinion or interpretation of the bible is with regards to what political idealology you think Jesus was or what you think he would say to the uninsured.

Liberals can and do interpret the bible using many passages to support their views, too.

The bigger point is that neither matters because we don't have a theocracy (yet, thankfully) and we don't form government policy based on what some specific religious group's interpretation of the bible is. And I want to keep it that way.

[leroyspuds 0]

CM, Shuster's article is right on!

Patty, self reliance is a good thing and a liberal, Bill Clinton, addressed this through welfare reform. Liberals don't desire to throw money at people who are able to provide for themselves. In fact, many social programs are aimed at providing education and job training to help people be productive members of our society. But it's a cruel society that turns it's back on those truly in need and adopts an every man for himself attitude.

When the rich and powerful get too greedy it hurts us all, not just poor people. Our economy and environment have suffered greatly because of unbridled greed and regulation is needed as a check and balance. I've worked hard all my life to save money for my retirment. I lost a third of the value of my 401K because of Wall Street greed that caused the near collapse of our economy, which is a hell of a lot less than the taxes I've paid toward welfare! Believe me the social cost of greed is a lot greater than that of sloth.

[ariscus99 1]

I don't find the majority of Americans to be well educated in matters of politics, our government or our constitution.

Looks like those you think are the most uneducated actually are more educated...

Tea Party supporters are wealthier and more well-educated than the general public, and are no more or less afraid of falling into a lower socioeconomic class, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

[Cleo's Mom 257]

Looks like those you think are the most uneducated actually are more educated...

The Tea Parties are the descendants of a number of conservative insurgencies from the past two generations: the anti-tax rebellion of the late ’70s, the Moral Majority and Christian Coalition of the ’80s and ’90s, and Pat Buchanan’s presidential runs. Like the Tea Partiers I saw in Washington—and the picture of the Tea Partiers put forward by the Winston and Quinnipiac polls—these movements have been almost entirely white, disproportionately middle-aged or older, and more male than female (though parts of the Christian right are an exception on this count). A majority of their adherents generally are not college-educated, with incomes in the middle range—attributes that also closely match the Tea Party movement’s demographic profile. (A misleading picture of Tea Partiers as college-educated and affluent came from a New York Times/CBS poll of people who merely "support," but don’t necessarily have anything to do with, the Tea Party movement. The other polls surveyed people who say they are "part of" the movement.)

Sociologists who have studied these earlier movements describe their followers as coming from the "marginal segments of the middle class." That’s a sociological, but also a political, fact. These men and women look uneasily upward at corporate CEOs and investment bankers, and downward at low-wage service workers and laborers, many of whom are minorities. And their political outlook is defined by whether they primarily blame those below or above for the social and economic anxieties they feel. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the marginal middle class was the breeding ground for left-wing attacks against Wall Street. For the last half-century, it has nourished right-wing complaints about blacks, illegal immigrants, and the poor.

dailykos

[loserbob 11]

Looks like those you think are the most uneducated actually are more educated...

Its easy to say the tea partiers are smarter. I think theyre categorized that way because they seem to be wealthier and I think wealthier people are thought of as being more intelligent(that may be so). I just think theyre older. There was a woman from the Tea party on Joy Behar 2 nights ago and she keps saying the usual, Obama is ruining this country, he doesnt know how to deal with the economy. Joy asked her what Obama was doing that was so wrong and what her answers where to solving the problems. Her answers to every question was "I dont know, Im not an economist", then Joy asked why she was so against everything Obama if she doesnt have any answers. She said the Tea party wasnt against the pres., they are against congress because congress allows the pres. to spend so much. Thats so typical, tell everyone else they dont know how to do things when you dont know either. If you dont have answers, how can you tell someone else theyre wrong, especially when their answers are working? I dont think theyre smarter than anyone else, I just think their voices are being heard louder because of Hannity, etc. Dems are happy right now, things are looking better because of a dem pres. Look at this site, when everyone was getting their lapbands they where on here(actual band site)asking questions, now we all have our bands, I havent posted on the site for so long because everything is going well. If I have problems(god forbid), I will probably start posting again. Right now the reps are having problems, how to deal with a successful dem, black president when all the hate, scaremongering isnt working! I had to stress black because I do believe that bothers the "moral" party almost as much as Obama being successful!

[ariscus99 1]

dailykos

You know how you and the rest of the libs blast anything quoted by fox news? The dailykos is pretty much the biggest left wing hack, bs, super liberal, no news site on the internet. So I'll stick with the CBS poll for now. Thanks