The Tragic End Of G.O.P. Motors [Reader Post]

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After much contemplation of how to put into words the current struggle between the Republican Establishment and the ever growing disgruntled Conservative base I found this to be the best way to explain the situation as I view it…

A man walks across the street from his house to GOP Motors, a local franchise that he and his family have done business with for many years. One the lot are four vehicles, 2 new pickup trucks, one covered by a tarp, a beat up old blue pickup truck with a plow next to the garage. He spots a man in a suit and tie standing in the lot whistling to himself and looking for all intents and purposes a man who could be of some assistance. Walking over to the man our story begins.

Joe: Hi. My name is Joe Blow and I see you have 2 new pick up trucks for sale. That’s just what I am looking for. See, I got a good chance at landing this job that requires me to be able to negotiate rough terrain, haul tools and material, and be reliable. Another guy has been doing this job, but he is about to be fired and if I can get on over to the job site, the job is mine. With this economy I cant afford not to get it. So I am in a hurry and I want to buy one of your new pick up trucks. I want to look at the white one first.

The sales man listens intently, nods a few times, and extends his hand for a handshake.

Reg: Well how do you do Joe! My name is Republican Establishment Guy but you can call me Reg. Friend, I hear what your saying and I know I got the right vehicle for you! I know you think you need white pickup truck but I’ve got some thing better then that that’s gonna knock rock your world! With dramatic flourish he reaches over and whips the tarp off the vehicle it has been hiding. Suddenly confetti is being shot from a fake cannons. A marching band starts playing a catchy little pop tune. Balloons are released. Mini pyrotechnics are spewing sparks beside the uncovered vehicle. Reb is vibrating with excitement! He is grinning from ear to ear as he dances over to you.

Reg: Now that’s what ya want right there Joe! State of the art, high tech, and very popular with the ladies! The Romney Volt is exactly what you need! Lets get on into the office and do the paperwork. Reg starts skipping off to the office pumping his fist in the air. Joe stands there confused . He turns to the direction Reg is going.

Joe: Hey Reg! Lets slow down a second alright. Reg turns around and skips back over humming the tune the band was playing with a confused look on his face.

Reg: What’s the matter Joe? The color? Oh we can change that no big deal if that’s the issue. Hell this Romney Volt was designed with the ability to change its color to match whatever colorer the person looking at it wants to see. Watch! Reg closes his eyes, squints, and stares at the Romney Volt. Suddenly the color scheme of the car morphs into a sickly yellow with a pink tint.

Joe: Well Reg, thats neat and all but the color is not the issue. It’s the car. Actually it’s the fact that its a car and not a pickup truck like I need. I already have a McPrius in the driveway on cinderblocks that I bought from you a few years ago that doesn’t run anymore. What I need is a pickup truck.

Joe starts walking over to the white pick up. It is a Dodge Palin with the Alaska package. Big tires, lift kit, big shiny tool box in the back and a electric winch in the front. Just what Joe is looking for. Joe turns to Reb. Joe: This is what I want. I can get to the job site no matter where it is. I got a safe place for my tools, a big bed for the materials, and even a winch I can put to good use. Lets go into the office and discuss the terms and..

Reg: Oh come on! You don’t want the Dodge Palin. The Romney Volt is what you need. I mean look at that beauty! Its even eco friendly! All the chicks dig it! That magic paint job! You gotta get this thing!

Joe: Naw Reg. I want the pick up truck. Lets go get this done. I don’t want to lose a chance at getting this job. Joe turns towards the office takes 3 steps and hears SMASH! Turning around Joe sees Reg with a sledgehammer, breaking the windows, caving in the fenders, knocking off the mirrors. Shocked Joe runs over to Reg who is smiling as he walks away from the Dodge Palin, drops the sledgehammer , and wipes his hands briskly together.

Joe: What the hell did you do that for! Reg: I was saving you from yourself! Now that that’s settled, lets get you in that Romney Volt! Joe is dumbfounded. He doesn’t know what to say. He has heard a few stories in town saying that Reg has been acting a little erratic lately. Some say it all started when Tea Party Auto opened up a couple of years ago down the road. People had been telling Reg for a while now that they were getting tired of the limited selection he had on his lot for sale and promising things that he couldn’t deliver on. It was really bound to happen but Reg just kept ignoring his customers.

Joe thinks for a few seconds realizing he is pressed for time and doesn’t want to lose the job he starts to walk over to the black pickup truck. Joe: Alright Reg, I know you’ve been having a bit of a hard time with Tea Party Auto opening up a while ago so lets just put that incident behind us and take a look at that black Ford HurriCain. Joe walks over, kicks the tires. The Ford hurriCain is a bit smaller then the Dodge Palin. It does have a solid engine, no winch though, but its four wheel drive and it looks like it can do what he needs. He will just keep his tools in the cab. No big deal.

Over walks Reg. Reg: Joe, you don’t want that thing. It make look ok but I am telling you its not going to do what that Romney Volt can.

Joe: Ok, Reg. I know you want me to buy the Romney Volt. Like I said though Reg, I don’t want the Romney Volt. Its not going to do what I need it to do. I need this for a job. I don’t care about magic paint or that the thing is ‘eco’ whatever. I just want a pickup truck.

Reg: Its not what your looking for Joe. I know these things.

Joe: Enough Reg, I want the pickup. Lets just go to the office and get the paperwork done. Tell ya what. I will even do the registering with the state and all that myself. Ok?

Reg: Fine! But your going to be sorry.

Joe: I think I will be alright. Now you are not going to grab that sledgehammer again are you Reg? Reg smiles and shrugs.

Reb: Nope!

Joe: Good come on lets get to the office so I can get going. Joe and Reg head to the office. About halfway to the door Joe hears a loud WHOOSH! Turning around he sees three men dressed as ninjas slashing the tires, cutting brake lines, and finally lobbing a Molotov cocktail into the cab. As flames start engulfing the cab the three ninjas disappear into the woods.

Reg: Oh man! That’s some tough luck Joe! I cant believe that happened! That’s the zanyist thing I have ever seen. Lucky for you I still have that shiny Romney Volt!

Joe: What the hell is wrong with you Reg?! Are you flipping insane?! I don’t want the damn Romney Volt OK?! I need a pickup truck Rebg! What the hell is it about this freakin’ Romney Volt that has you destroying the rest of your inventory?! Jesus to Pete man!

Reg: Its because the Romney Volt is the best car ever! Its shiny! Its clean! Its been poll tested to show that independent car shoppers between the age of 18-45 might like it. Plus if you don’t buy it its your fault I will go out of business!

Joe cannot believe the words that just came out of Rebs mouth. My fault he goes out of business? What the hell? He could have just sold me the damn pick up and he would have the Romney Volt to sell to some professor from the Democrat University. They love these things. This man is bat shit crazy. I should just walk on down to Tea Party Auto but I don’t have the time. He walks over to Reg.

Joe: Ok that’s it! That beat up blue Chevy Newt with the plow on it.

Reg: That rusty old thing with all the dents?

Joe: Yes. That rusty old PICKUP with all the dents. I want it. I will give you the cost of your precious little Romney Volt plus the Chevy Newt on top. I will take care of the registration and all that crap. I am going to pay you in cash right here right now. On top of that I will plow your lot for free in the winter because I have a feeling the police are going to be showing up soon to take you into protective custody and you may be gone for a while. Lets just go get the keys so I can get the hell out of here!

Reg is beat red. His face is twisted into a snarl so contorted his eyes are watering. He looks as if he is about to explode. He blurts out. Reg: Your wife is ugly! You’re a backwater hick! You daughters a slut and you are not leaving this lot unless its in my Romney Volt! That’s final! End of story! Because if you don’t buy my Romeny Volt niether one of us is leaving this sales lot alive!

Suddenly Reg pulls a grenade out of his pocket and with a wry smile puts his finger through the pin ring.

Reb: So now what are you going to do now big guy!

A man in a big black bus drives by. Looking out the window between practice putts he has been sending down the isle he sees two men. One throwing his hands up in the air turns to walk away. The other is yanking something away from a round object in his hand and reaching for the other man. He smiles to himself as he settles over his next putt and whispers “Job security, gotta love it.”

A few seconds later, in the distance could be heard a faint boom.

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Westie
hi,
on 86, that was very well said and very funny
thank you
HAPPY NEW YEAR, we are on 30 of DECEMBER, and I ran in to this POST,
and read you’re comment bye

Ride A Pale Horse
hi,
best wishes for the year coming for you and loved one,
MAY IT BE A HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012

@openid.aol.com/runnswim:

Larry: “Can you give me a concrete example of what you mean by the following?

(1) Silencing 1st amendment protected religious free speech in public places.”

OK:

Fort Worth school district’s attorney sent a memo to staff explaining that students should not be allowed to exchange gifts or “distribute personal holiday messages” during class.

David Rapp, a Weatherford attorney and parent of two Fort Worth district students, said he sent the district an e-mail challenging portions of the memo.”By following these guidelines, with respect to the passing around of gifts or cards, you will be violating the constitution itself by prohibiting the free exercise of religion,” Rapp wrote. “These guidelines are absurd and wrong.”

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/12/02/131944/texas-school-district-bans-santa.html

Calif. School Reportedly Bans Teachers From Displaying Santas & Christmas Trees in Classrooms

“There was a conversation to encourage administrators that each of our employees should enjoy their religious freedoms but we don’t want to have a pervasive theme of a classroom or public office to represent a specific religious affiliation unless we are formally teaching topics regarding those affiliations.” So does that mean teachers can decorate their classrooms with Santa Claus and poinsettias?

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/calif-school-reportedly-bans-teachers-from-displaying-santas-christmas-trees-in-classrooms/

Washington State Bans Holiday Displays Inside Capitol

The nativity crèche and the menorah are no longer welcome inside the Washington state Capitol after Gov. Chris Gregoire banned non-government displays, including religious ones, from inside the building.

The new rules — set to take effect Dec. 1 — came after repeated protests from The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Washington-based atheist group, over holiday décor inside Capitol campus buildings in Olympia….

Their focus, their bigger fear was more on the next part – that congress should make no law prohibiting the free exercise of religion. And that is exactly what happens in our country now on a daily basis. We are prohibited from freely expressing the Christian faith. But atheists, many of whom have made their practice of atheism a religion – something one believes in and follows devotedly – are free to speak of their non-faith wherever they go to whomever they please. Is that really fair? I think not!

http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977923570

Silencing Free Speech and Religious Liberty

Picture this.

You operate a family-owned photography business which, among other services, creatively captures weddings on film. Further, imagine that you’re a Christian photographer and due to your religious convictions, decide to turn down certain photo shoots including “commitment ceremonies” for same-sex couples. Now, imagine your shock when a judge orders you to pay $6,637.94 to settle a lawsuit brought by an individual who complained about this alleged act of “discrimination.”

http://www.focusonlinecommunities.com/blogs/Finding_Home/2009/03/13/silencing-free-speech-and-religious-liberty

IRS Attacks Religious Groups for Exercising Free Speech

The nonprofit Catholic Answers is just one victim of this tactic. In 2008, when its president, Karl Keating, posted a discussion on the organization’s website arguing that, according to church rules, presidential candidate, Senator John Kerry(D-MA), should not be allowed to receive the Holy Eucharist in any Catholic Church due to his support for legalized abortion, even partial-birth abortion.

In what they termed ‘retaliation’ by the government tax collectors, IRS agents ordered Catholic Answers to pay an excise tax for engaging in alleged “political speech” against then-presidential primary candidate John Kerry. Catholic Answers paid the tax but complained about being singled out by a politicized government agency.

http://www.newswithviews.com/NWV-News/news282.htm

Not to mention the recent leftists and ESPN sports wonks who are whining and complaining about Tim Tibow’s Super Bowl ad and open displays of faith.

USA Today: “Is Tebow victim of anti-religious bias?”

CBS Sports game analyst Randy Cross believes Tebow haters are bashing him for his outspoken Christian opinions.

“People, especially the media, root against him because of what he stands for,” said Cross.

The 3-time Super Bowl champ added: “My personal belief is there are people in the media, people in the stands, who are predisposed to see a guy like that fail … Just because he’s so public about the way he feels.”

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2011/08/tell-us-is-tebow-backlash-religious-based/1

More reading: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2001/12/crche_test_dummies.html
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/state-dept-aims-denounce-offensive-speech-while-upholding-free-expression

NJ town: Permit required to exercise free speech

CAMDEN, N.J. — Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund have filed suit in federal court on behalf of a New Jersey Christian man told he could not distribute literature on a public sidewalk without a permit. ADF attorneys also filed a motion Tuesday asking the court to halt the permit scheme while the man pursues his case against the city of Wildwood.

“Christians shouldn’t be discriminated against for expressing their beliefs,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Joel Oster. “Officials cannot enact laws that require citizens to obtain a permit in order to exercise their First Amendment rights. Free speech does not have a price tag.”

On June 6, 2008, Eric Wollod, a professing Christian, began to peacefully distribute religious literature on a public sidewalk in the town of Wildwood. A police officer approached Wollod and said that he could not continue his activities unless he obtained a permit. Although the officer admitted that the sidewalk was public property, Wollod complied with the officer’s request and left the area.

http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/Home/ADFContent?cid=4822

@openid.aol.com/runnswim:

Larry: “Can you give me a concrete example of what you mean by the following?

(1) Silencing 1st amendment protected religious free speech in public places.”

OK:

Fort Worth school district’s attorney sent a memo to staff explaining that students should not be allowed to exchange gifts or “distribute personal holiday messages” during class.

David Rapp, a Weatherford attorney and parent of two Fort Worth district students, said he sent the district an e-mail challenging portions of the memo.”By following these guidelines, with respect to the passing around of gifts or cards, you will be violating the constitution itself by prohibiting the free exercise of religion,” Rapp wrote. “These guidelines are absurd and wrong.”

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/12/02/131944/texas-school-district-bans-santa.html

Calif. School Reportedly Bans Teachers From Displaying Santas & Christmas Trees in Classrooms

“There was a conversation to encourage administrators that each of our employees should enjoy their religious freedoms but we don’t want to have a pervasive theme of a classroom or public office to represent a specific religious affiliation unless we are formally teaching topics regarding those affiliations.”So does that mean teachers can decorate their classrooms with Santa Claus and poinsettias?

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/calif-school-reportedly-bans-teachers-from-displaying-santas-christmas-trees-in-classrooms/

Washington State Bans Holiday Displays Inside Capitol

The nativity crèche and the menorah are no longer welcome inside the Washington state Capitol after Gov. Chris Gregoire banned non-government displays, including religious ones, from inside the building.

The new rules — set to take effect Dec. 1 — came after repeated protests from The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Washington-based atheist group, over holiday décor inside Capitol campus buildings in Olympia….

Their focus, their bigger fear was more on the next part – that congress should make no law prohibiting the free exercise of religion. And that is exactly what happens in our country now on a daily basis. We are prohibited from freely expressing the Christian faith. But atheists, many of whom have made their practice of atheism a religion – something one believes in and follows devotedly – are free to speak of their non-faith wherever they go to whomever they please. Is that really fair? I think not!

http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977923570

Silencing Free Speech and Religious Liberty

Picture this.

You operate a family-owned photography business which, among other services, creatively captures weddings on film. Further, imagine that you’re a Christian photographer and due to your religious convictions, decide to turn down certain photo shoots including “commitment ceremonies” for same-sex couples. Now, imagine your shock when a judge orders you to pay $6,637.94 to settle a lawsuit brought by an individual who complained about this alleged act of “discrimination.”

http://www.focusonlinecommunities.com/blogs/Finding_Home/2009/03/13/silencing-free-speech-and-religious-liberty

IRS Attacks Religious Groups for Exercising Free Speech

The nonprofit Catholic Answers is just one victim of this tactic. In 2008, when its president, Karl Keating, posted a discussion on the organization’s website arguing that, according to church rules, presidential candidate, Senator John Kerry(D-MA), should not be allowed to receive the Holy Eucharist in any Catholic Church due to his support for legalized abortion, even partial-birth abortion.

In what they termed ‘retaliation’ by the government tax collectors, IRS agents ordered Catholic Answers to pay an excise tax for engaging in alleged “political speech” against then-presidential primary candidate John Kerry. Catholic Answers paid the tax but complained about being singled out by a politicized government agency.

http://www.newswithviews.com/NWV-News/news282.htm

Not to mention the recent leftists and ESPN sports wonks who are whining and complaining about Tim Tibow’s Super Bowl ad and open displays of faith.

USA Today: “Is Tebow victim of anti-religious bias?”

CBS Sports game analyst Randy Cross believes Tebow haters are bashing him for his outspoken Christian opinions.

“People, especially the media, root against him because of what he stands for,” said Cross.

The 3-time Super Bowl champ added: “My personal belief is there are people in the media, people in the stands, who are predisposed to see a guy like that fail … Just because he’s so public about the way he feels.”

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2011/08/tell-us-is-tebow-backlash-religious-based/1

NJ town: Permit required to exercise free speech

CAMDEN, N.J. — Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund have filed suit in federal court on behalf of a New Jersey Christian man told he could not distribute literature on a public sidewalk without a permit. ADF attorneys also filed a motion Tuesday asking the court to halt the permit scheme while the man pursues his case against the city of Wildwood.

“Christians shouldn’t be discriminated against for expressing their beliefs,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Joel Oster. “Officials cannot enact laws that require citizens to obtain a permit in order to exercise their First Amendment rights. Free speech does not have a price tag.”

On June 6, 2008, Eric Wollod, a professing Christian, began to peacefully distribute religious literature on a public sidewalk in the town of Wildwood. A police officer approached Wollod and said that he could not continue his activities unless he obtained a permit. Although the officer admitted that the sidewalk was public property, Wollod complied with the officer’s request and left the area.

http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/Home/ADFContent?cid=4822

More reading: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2001/12/crche_test_dummies.html
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/state-dept-aims-denounce-offensive-speech-while-upholding-free-expression

@ilovebeeswarzone:

I do appreciate the compliment Bees, I’ve oft day-dreamed about running for office. But I’m not a local “mover & shaker”, I live in a poor section of town, and as I don’t work full-time I would have trouble even coming up with the filing fees. Despite my passion for limited governments that actually follow the Constitution, (rather than soulless bureaucracies that force their governance on the populous under the color of constitutionality,) I doubt I would be considered by most people to be a “serious candidate”

Oh, and happy holidays to you Bees, and have a Happy New Year!

Hi Ditto, Thanks for taking the time to collect those anecdotes. Just to make things clear, I’ve never had a problem at all with what I’d call “cultural holiday icons” being displayed anywhere. But I’m curious; how would you feel about a Muslim teacher displaying something like this in his public school classroom?

http://www.orkutscrap4u.com/app/webroot/scrap/eid_ul_fitr/011_eid.jpg

With regard to exchanging gifts in public school classrooms or “distributing personal holiday messages during class,” I’d hope that teachers would use some common sense, but I also understand a point of view which says that public school classrooms aren’t appropriate venues for exchanging gifts (what about kids who are left out; what about peer pressure on poor kids to give gifts — lots of details like that) and that kids ought to be doing classwork during class and not celebrating holidays. Again, it’s a matter of common sense and I truly haven’t been aware of any sort of systematic problems with stuff like that, in terms of complaints by parents and what all.

How many classrooms are there and kids are there and what evidence is there that there’s any sort of true abridgment of religious freedom going on.

With respect to a judge ordering a settlement in a civil case — judges have no power to order anyone to give up Constitutional rights to due process. Judges can’t order litigants to settle. If the photographer settled, maybe this was done to avoid further legal expense. It sounds like a nuisance lawsuit by someone out to abuse the legal system. There are tens of thousands of these cases, involving everything under the sun. This hardly signifies a major attack against religion. The same thing goes for the landlord lawsuit by gays. Whenever any type of statute can be abused by lawyers to make a buck, it will be abused by lawyers to make a buck. That’s why there are so many lawyer jokes.

But the topic under discussion is whether there has been any true erosion in religious freedom in this country. You give anecdotal examples of nuisance lawsuits and individuals and individual organizations trying to manipulate laws to suit their own purposes. These efforts produce odd news stories which get people’s dander up and which produce anecdotal instances of harm to individuals. But it’s always a case of looking at both bathwater and baby. Anti-discrimination statutes have done a lot of good — they’ve prevented a lot of real discrimination which hurt people in ways far more egregious than in the anecdotal instances of collateral damage caused by unscrupulous lawyers and groups taking advantage of these laws for their own selfish purposes.

There are situations which are really tough, I’ll admit. The only drugstore in town has a pharmacist who works the late shift who thinks that the “Plan B” morning after pill kills babies (because he believes that a fertilized egg is a baby and because one way that “Plan B” may work is to prevent implantation of the fertilized egg). Should a licensed pharmacy to be required to have one pharmacist on duty at all times who does not have a moral objection to dispensing “Plan B?”

Then there’s the situation of the religious couple who don’t want to rent their apartment to a gay couple. I’m a landlord, myself, and I don’t like rent control and I certainly wouldn’t like being told to whom I may rent or not rent. But there was formerly a huge problem in housing discrimination against minorities. There was a time when it was literally impossible for a black person to buy a house or rent an apartment in a white neighborhood. So on what basis is housing discrimination allowable, under the law? Well, it depends upon how the law is written. But I think that the example of a gay couple wanting to rent from a religious landlord is more a case of an unintended consequence of otherwise good laws (the 14th Amendment; fair housing laws designed to combat racial discrimination, etc.), than it is a case of a law being written for the purpose of abridging religious freedom.

With regard to the “silencing free speech” (John Kerry) example, I’m not familiar with the details of this case, but this doesn’t sound like a case of silencing free speech. From the way you describe the case, apparently political organizations are subject to certain taxes, from which purely religious organizations are exempt. So here you had an ad hoc organization, outside of the Church itself, claiming tax exemption as a religious organization, yet engaged in frankly political activity (trying to defeat a particular candidate).

So the issue was whether the organization could have its cake and eat it, too. Claiming freedom from taxation on the grounds of religion, yet engaging in activities which make it subject to certain taxes.

Publicly lobbying to have a national politician barred from receiving Holy Communion does not seem like an expression of religion to me. The individual members of the organization could have spoken or written to their Priests or Bishops as individuals. But when you have a group publicly staking out a position against an individual politician, with clear political motives (or why else issue press releases and the like), this seems to me as if they did cross a line. They want to make a political statement — fine. But if this makes them subject to an excise tax which is paid by other political organizations, then they should just pay the darn tax or else confine their public activities to purely religious matters.

– Larry Weisenthal/Huntington Beach CA

@Ditto:
As to the 2008 case of Eric Wollod who wanted to pass out Christian literature on a public sidewalk, that case went through the courts and was settled.
He won.
http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/Home/ADFContent?cid=5009
The city paid his $15,500 in legal fees as well.
http://oldsite.alliancedefensefund.org/userdocs/WollodSettlement.pdf

More bothersome was the public school in CA where the students had to pretend to be Muslims for several days.
Boys sat in front, girls in back.
Prayer rugs were knelled on.
Words in a foreign language were parroted which are usually only repeated as a person converts into Islam.
Christian parents went ballistic.
And even though they lost at the 9th circuit court, public opinion killed the program.
Otherwise it would still be going on every year.
The Sacramento Bee dropped this old story, but a copy of it is still up at Stop the ACLU.
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/13874657p-14713955c.html
http://www.stoptheaclu.com/2005/11/18/9th-circuit-court-says-teaching-children-to-be-muslims-ok/

@openid.aol.com/runnswim: First of all, I know you didn’t ask me, but I wanted to chime in.

I have no problem with a teacher displaying a sign such as you linked to – with the caveat that it not be the ONLY religious sign or poster. Exclusion teaches nothing in regards to this issue.

You said:

…I also understand a point of view which says that public school classrooms aren’t appropriate venues for exchanging gifts (what about kids who are left out; what about peer pressure on poor kids to give gifts — lots of details like that) and that kids ought to be doing classwork during class and not celebrating holidays.

I went from Kindergarten to 12th grade in the same public school system where we celebrated Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Halloween, and probably a holiday or two that I am forgetting right now. My education was well rounded, we got the three R’s and Social Studies and PE and, well you get the idea. Celebrating a holiday takes nothing away from a child’s education, and I would argue that it enhances it. Learning about one’s own culture and about the cultures of others is admirable.

As for gift exchanges, we had them and there were “rich kids” and “poor kids,” but none of us kids looked at one another that way. Popularity aside, we all seemed pretty much equal to one another – at least as far as kids think about such things. What I am saying is that sure, there were kids who might not be able to afford the gift exchanges, but the teachers took that into account and made sure no one felt left out of giving or getting the gifts. You don’t need a law to tell folks how to be fair and equitable – at least you didn’t when I was in school.

That’s all – just my two cents.