Just read the following post about what happened to a young man at a recent sports event:
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/highschool-prep-rally/texas-teen-points-heavens-gets-4-100-relay-181303156.html
What happens when we live in a society so paranoid about what people are going to do or say that we turn to laws to keep others from offending us? Our very laws come back to bite us.
"He who is willing to exchange freedom for security will have neither..." was never so true as in this case.
Jefferson later had to experience the full measure of this "gift" of free press. Said one biographer: "He suffered open personal attacks which in severity and obscenity have rarely if ever been matched in presidential history in the United States." However, as another biographer stated: "Nor did [Jefferson] use the channels of civil authority to silence his accusers. True to the declarations he had made in his inaugural address and elsewhere, he defended his countrymen's right to a free press." ("The Real Thomas Jefferson," pg 153)
I thought it was interesting that: "the station told [a concerned resident] that it was policy to bar any hand gestures under the excessive celebration rules." Sigh. Freedom never was easy, was it? :) To see what is seen and what is not seen in the rules we make, the causes we champion is so challenging! Who would have thought a "policy" in place to "make people play nice" would have such an effect?
Not sure where I stand mentally on this yet...it just makes me think. Would love other's comments on this...
It IS offensive when he points to heaven. Think of the atheists who had to witness the vile gesture? Like flipping the bird. It would also have been offensive had he not pointed to heaven- certainly he did not acheive this feat on his own. Without acknowledging God's hand, the believers would have had a beef. It was offensive that he was running fast at all- flaunting his wholeness before miserable, physically challenged spectators whom I'm sure were there in some number. I can only think of the angst among the female athletes and their supporters. Were women even allowed to run in this race? Also, although there appear to be blacks and whites represented on the winning team (or should I say african-americans and caucasians), where are the hispanics, asians, native americans, middle easterners, etc. All of these repressed minorities could argue their case. All of life is offensive. That is what makes it so fun. Moon.
ReplyDeleteWow. :)
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