NJ: Teens sue team over “God Bless America” ejection
We read:
"Three teenagers who say they were tossed from a New Jersey ballpark over their refusal to stand during the song ‘God Bless America’ are suing the minor league Newark Bears. The boys argue that their constitutional rights were violated when they were asked to leave Newark’s Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium on June 29 by Bears’ president and co-owner Thomas Cetnar. Cetnar acknowledged the boys were asked to leave but declined to say why. He also has denied making some statements attributed to him in the lawsuit.”
Source
If it's no offense to burn the flag, then this should get a pass too. And enforced respect is no respect at all. I think we can leave coercion to the Muslims.
12 comments:
So they wanted the to stand for a song just because it was about America? Or was it the 'God' part? This wasn't the national anthem. Not that forced respect should ever be condoned.
This is an outrage, enforced secularism is just as bad as religious fundamentalism. "God Bless America" is not the national anthem, frankly, I think it's a pretty crappy song, what's wrong with The Star Sprangled Banner? In a free country NOBODY should be forced to sing or stand for anything.
Does he own the stadium and the team? If so he has the right to refuse service to individuals who might conduct themselves in a manner that he doesn't like. Private Property. If the government (city, state, etc) is involved then there may be a constitutional right issue.
Most stadiums are built with taxpayer money, even when the so-called "owners" put $40 million you have the state putting $100 million or more with the lie that it will generate jobs for the city and tax revenues.
If stadiums were churches or private country clubs, then fine, they can demand anything they want. But that's not the case here, this stadium was built with our tax dollars and that means we can engage in any conduct as long as its not grossly disruptive.
People not standing up for "God Bless America" is perfectly fine, if I was there I would assume the teenagers are tired, have a physical disability or simply don't feel like doing it. What's wrong with that? Why must we all act alike? Are we going to throw people out for not doing the wave now? I hate enforced conformism.
I also find it insulting that "God Bless America" would be brought to a place of iniquity such as a stadium. Stadiums are notorious for fans that curse, swear, take the Lord's name in vain, public drunkenness, brawls, riots and property destruction after the game, and a host of ungodly behavior. All you have to do is look at the fans with their disgusting body paint and beer hats, steroid-using athletes, wife beaters, mistress impregnators, you might as well sing "God Bless America" in a brothel if you're going to sing it in a stadium.
Those who celebrate freedom will stand up for this two courageous teenagers.
"Most stadiums are built with taxpayer money, even when the so-called "owners" put $40 million you have the state putting $100 million or more with the lie that it will generate jobs for the city and tax revenues."
Careful on the slippery slope, buddy. The logical extension is that if you've ever taken so much as a basic tax deduction, then the govt can tell you how to run your private life.
I think we can all pretty much agree that throwing someone out for not standing during "God Bless America" is unreasonable. But knowing how teenagers tend to act, do you really think that the ejection had anything to do with them not standing? I would be quite surprised if it did not come out that they were engaged in some sort of misbehavior.
"Careful on the slippery slope, buddy. The logical extension is that if you've ever taken so much as a basic tax deduction, then the govt can tell you how to run your private life."
---Here's how I see it. We don't work for the government, the government works for us. So when they give us a tax deduction that's our money we're talking about and it makes sense that we should keep more of it.
However, when the government uses our taxes or sets up a new tax to build a baseball stadium and we don't get free parking and free tickets, that's bad enough. It's worse when the so-called "owner" can have us expelled for exercising our first amendment rights.
Besides, anyone who deals with the government has to understand there will be strings attached. Honestly, public-financed stadiums are a sham, if they are such great ideas why not let private corporations build them and profit from them?
Funny, (or maybe not so funny) but i didn't see the word "respect" in any of your posts. When people stand for that song they are simply showing respect for their country. Yes, i know it's very un-PC, but some of us still believe in it. When we fail/refuse to show respect for our country, or allow others to do so, we lose respect for ourselves and each other. But we've been doing that for a long time, which is why we are where we are.
QUOTABLE QUOTES
"Equality, rightly understood as our founding fathers understood it, leads to liberty and to the emancipation of creative differences; wrongly understood, as it has been so tragically in our time, it leads first to conformity and then to despotism."
– Barry Goldwater
"Funny, (or maybe not so funny) but i didn't see the word "respect" in any of your posts. When people stand for that song they are simply showing respect for their country."
---The only thing I respect is freedom, without it everything else is bullshit.
"When we fail/refuse to show respect for our country, or allow others to do so, we lose respect for ourselves and each other."
----Do you think having the "owner" throw out two boys of a taxpayer-financed stadium is respectful to what this country is all about? How can one sing "God Bless America" while acting like a cuban, chinese or russian? It's in totalitarian societies that you have to "respect" the national symbols or face the death squad, in a free country you're free to do what you wish and so are your neighbors.
You don't have to agree with what those three boys did, but you should support their freedom to do it because one day you might find yourself in a situation where you don't want to go along with the group and you'll want to have those same freedoms to make your stand.
How's about using some of those "Bears" Louisville sluggers on those kids heads.
Hummmm.....Wonder if they were boyz from the hood.
I was forced to work in the NJ sewer called Newark for 6-long months.
AND,
It was as dangerous, dank, dirty shit-hole as anyone could imagine. You had to leave town before dark or you were very likely to leave in a horizontal position.
That was in 1979
"How's about using some of those "Bears" Louisville sluggers on those kids heads."
You have been reported for terrorist threats. The black helicopters are circling above.
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