Ignorance personified, but we still love her!

Ignorance personified, but we still love her!    

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What has happened to free speech in this country? It seems that there is something that offends someone every day.    

The Confederate flag, after all these years, now has become a symbol of unspeakable evil   .

And since the Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage, a Democrat in Congress wants husband-and-wife wording replaced with spouse . Ridiculous.

Illegal immigrants is no longer used to describe those who gain entry illegally in this country. They prefer to be called immigrants or undocumented workers, even though many have broken the law by sneaking into this country. I wonder how many of them are voting in our elections   ?

Religious freedom is under attack in this country. When Christians espouse their religious views they are called bigots and racists. Ridicule and obscene art depicting Christianity is tolerated but not so the Muslim religion.

I was banned on Facebook  for two days just for posting "Ban Muslims" (in regards to Muslims in the military who wanted Christian prayer banned as offensive to them).

Police officers are accused of racism when they arrest black people, but nothing is said when a black person or persons attack and kill whites.

In Portland, Oregon, a school principal was quoted by the Portland Tribune that the peanut butter and jelly sandwich would no longer be served in their school — he declared the sandwich racist .

Political correctness is another way to control and intimidate. I will neither be controlled nor intimidated. I know my constitutional rights .

Mary Jane Newell, Oxford

SJ Link

I was going to take issue with a few of Mary Jane Newell's opinions, myths, and misperceptions (she has no facts), but a SJ community commenter did a better job than I ever could.

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You are misunderstanding the
By WAYNE HEYWARD, Community Member, Sabattus — Sat, 07/18/2015 - 14:53

You are misunderstanding the First Amendment. It only prohibits the Government from suppressing one's right to free speech. It says nothing about private citizens doing so. The guarantee of free speech is not a guarantee of freedom from consequences.

"The Confederate flag, after all these years, now has become a symbol of unspeakable evil."

So it wasn't, when the KKK took it up a century ago to represent their racist agenda? It wasn't when, after WW II and the banning of the swastika in Germany, neo-Nazi groups used the Battle Flag? Are you aware that after the surrender of the CSA, it became illegal to display any of the Confederate flags in public?

Political correctness is indeed a ridiculous movement that has been going on for 30 years now. Some of the euphemisms that some oversensitive types iinsist on goo to bizarre lengths (thank goodness "differently abled" never really took th place of "handicapped" or "disabled"). But reasonable respect for the views of others is not ridiculous.

"I wonder how many [illegals] are voting in our elections?"

None, since they don't have the documentation required to register to vote. If they have any sense, they would avoid any sort of official registration with a government entity in order to avoid notice. If they didn't, they deserve to be caught and deported.

"And since the Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage, a Democrat in Congress wants husband-and-wife wording replaced with spouse."

So? It's his (or her, I don't know who you're referring to) right to have that preference, but I have not heard about it being made law. Makes perfect sense, really, than insisting on husband and husband or wife and wife. Yes, I know, you consider it ridiculous because you're a homophobe who objects to the Supreme Court's decision, but they have ruled so we must all adjust.

"When Christians espouse their religious views they are called bigots and racists."

Only when they espouse racist or bigoted views which are, frankly, not very Christian in the first place. So much for "turn the other cheek" and "love thy neighbor."

"Ridicule and obscene art depicting Christianity is tolerated but not so the Muslim religion."

Christians who are secure in their religion just ignore those who choose to ridicule it. And Christian Fundamentalist gangs don't go around shooting up the offices of cartoonists who make parodies of Christ or the Pope (though they have been kknown to try and get the artwork removed, with is not very tolerant of them). Most non-Muslims and even a few Muslims tolerate artistic depictions of the Prophet, but those who object are unreasonably violent, which makes public displays of it a public safety issue. It shouldn't be, but it is. But again, this is not necessarily a First Amendment issue, since the government will not (and should not) prevent either. It is a societal issue.

"I was banned on Facebook for two days just for posting "Ban Muslims""

I doubt that. I have seen far worse posted to Facebook with no consequences, just in the Sun Journal FB connents.

"Police officers are accused of racism when they arrest black people, but nothing is said when a black person or persons attack and kill whites."

That is false and you know it.

"In Portland, Oregon, a school principal was quoted by the Portland Tribune that the peanut butter and jelly sandwich would no longer be served in their school — he declared the sandwich racist."

SHE did no such thing. One, she never called it "racist" (and the actual statement that it was the "language of racism" came from the reporter, not the principal), and two, no mention was ever made about it being banned from lunch. It was in the context of "equity training" for teacher in the district. Here is exactly what she was quoted as saying in the Portland Tribune:

"What about Somali or Hispanic students, who might not eat sandwiches?" says Gutierrez, principal at Harvey Scott K-8 School, a diverse school of 500 students in Northeast Portland’s Cully neighborhood.

"Another way would be to say: ‘Americans eat peanut butter and jelly, do you have anything like that?’ Let them tell you. Maybe they eat torta. Or pita."

That is the sun total of what she said. Connecting it to racism was entirely on the reporter who mentioned it, and the right-wing outrage machines such as Brietbard and Infowars are the ones to said "Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are racist!" It's a pretty big leap. If the principal had actually said that, yes, she would riightly be condemned for political correctness run amuck, but the actual story is much more boring. What she was actually doing was suggesting a way for a teacher to educate students from away in American culture. Why is that a bad thing? Don't we want those who are Not From Here to understand our culture in order too be a part of society?

Yes, political correctness reaches insane levels. but it's not only a Liberal nuttiness thing. Conservatives have their own form of political correctness that can be just as nutty. They just don't call it political correctness.

SJ Link

This was a good response too.

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You can relax
By CLAIRE GAMACHE, Community Member, LEWISTON — Sat, 07/18/2015 - 09:22

In reality you can be as intolerant, bull headed, bigoted, rude, narrow minded, rigid and uninformed as you want. This is America. What you cannot do is demand that the government, which is funded by all of us and which is required by Constitutional law to treat all of us equally, to do the same. And you may find that being rude to others will cause them to be rude to you in return but it your choice to do it if you want. And then there is the first rule of business that "the customer is always right" So you cannot be too surprised to find that businesses might be squeamish about insulting their customers. But nobody is stopping you from being as Christian, bigoted, ignorant or insulting as you want. Go for it. Hang the Confederate Battle Flag all over your house and put a dozen plastic Nativities all over your front lawn and don't sell cakes to gays who want to get married. Nobody will stop you.

SJ Link

#1: Religious freedom is under attack in this country.

#2: I was banned on Facebook for two days just for posting "Ban Muslims"