<< Regarding Equality Part 1 >>
“Happy Holidays”
From our friends up in Buffalo, NY:
The continuing battle over a nativity scene at the Olean Municipal Building took another twist Monday night, when someone ran over a 5-foot-tall Wiccan pentacle set up next to the nativity scene.
City officials confirmed that someone ran over the pentacle at about 10:15 p.m. Monday, and police are investigating the act of vandalism as a hate crime.
Witnesses told police that someone was seen fleeing the scene in what was believed to be a dark-colored pickup truck. Anyone with any information about the driver is asked to call police at 376-5673.
Mayor David Carucci gave April Garlow permission to display the pentacle during the Wiccan winter solstice. That pentacle, which represents spiritual balance, was set up Saturday next to the nativity scene that has been on display since Nov. 3.
The nativity scene has become a controversial topic, since Carucci gave permission months ago to a group of anonymous funders to display the nativity during the Christmas season.
Everything about this story makes me angry.
To start:
Merry Christmas
To clarify: I do not personally believe that Jesus Christ was the messiah, nor do I think he was born in December. However, I love Christmas. I like the bright lights all over my neighborhood. I like watching Santa hand out candy canes while riding the fire truck, I like neighbors attempting to be neighborly. Christmas has become an American institution, and I look forward to it every year.
Next point:
Happy Chanukah
For those who don’t know, today is the last day of Chanukah.
Confession: I have never been very keen on Jewish cuisine, and those little gold coins taste like dirt. Even so, who doesn’t love a good excuse to play with fire?
Back to the article: we need to come to some middle ground people. Riddle me this: does this image cause you physical pain?
If so, you need to see a therapist. As an agnostic psuedo-Jew, I have no problem with the nativity scene. There are quite a few of them around here, and I have yet to be caused one iota of harm by any of them.
Bonus question: does this image threaten your safety?
It doesn’t bother me in the least. As a matter of fact, back in grade school, my teachers would draw these all over my homework in bright red ink. Perhaps they were cultists?
Compromise time:
Everyone protesting the nativity scene shall be sentenced to one hour of community service. They shall be expected to go caroling, and sing secular-friendly songs such as “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer”.
Whomever drove over the pentagram shall be forced to view an all-night “Bewitched” marathon on Nick-at-Night, and then write “Thou shall respect the First Amendment” on the blackboard 100 times.
All those who are screaming in favor of hate crime prosecutions will be forced to watch the following cartoon until they understand that they aren’t making things any better by overreacting.
Final thought: why put these two symbols right next to each other? Why not put different symbols in different parks, churches and temples? This way tourists can easily match symbology to ideology, and those unwilling compromise can avoid those symbols they view to be obscene.
Hungry for more?
