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California Remembrance Day--Ouch

HAIRYHAIRY Member Posts: 23,606
edited September 2002 in General Discussion
This Kalifornia ceremony goes too far, even for me.


School-sponsored 9-11 Remembrance Day to exclude patriotic symbols and religious references
By Steve Sexton

The "Star Spangled Banner" is too patriotic, divisive and political, so organizers of UC Berkeley's day-long tribute to the victims and heroes of 9-11 are excluding it. "God Bless America" is doubly excluded. Not only is it patriotic, but it also mentions God, something else that is taboo next Wednesday.

The Sept. 11 Day of Remembrance, sponsored by the Chancellor's office, the student body government and the Graduate Assembly, will also feature student leaders distributing white ribbons, instead of the red, white and blue ones they had originally planned.

"We thought that may be just too political, too patriotic," said Hazel Wong, chief organizer for the Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC). "We didn't want anything too centered on nationalism-anything that is 'Go U.S.A.'"

Wong said the event organizers are "trying to steer away" from anything political, and that, she said, includes singing the National Anthem and displaying the red, white, and blue. She said they don't want politics disrupting mourning and grieving.

"To hold a Sept. 11 memorial service devoid of patriotism is counterintuitive," said Mark Engberg, a UC Berkeley freshman. "Holding a service without patriotism is like holding a presidential debate without mentioning politics. It doesn't work."

Jessica Quindel, president of the Graduate Assembly, a key player in the planning, said the day's events are about more than just grieving. She said the day is, in fact, about politics. And it's not just about Sept. 11, but also the aftermath, including President Bush's response to the terrorist attacks.

"We are trying to stay away from supporting Bush," Quindel said. "We don't want to isolate people on this campus who disagree with the reaction to Sept. 11."

Quindel, a self avowed hater of the American Flag, the federal government, and the "Star Spangled Banner," said she is still patriotic. "It depends on your definition of patriotism. Everyone has a different definition," she said.

Patriotic songs may exclude and offend people, Quindel said, "because there are so many people who don't agree with the songs." "God Bless America" is "very exclusive" because it mentions God, she said. Though plans call for four university music and song groups to perform at an evening vigil, not a single patriotic song will be sung, at the behest of organizers. Instead, songs of remembrance will be offered up.

Also, to prevent the exclusion of those who don't believe in the American Flag, there will be no tribute to the flag. "The flag has become a symbol of U.S. aggression towards other countries. It seems hostile," Quindel said.

Quindel will be one of two people selecting speakers for short speeches by students during a noontime event on Memorial Glade. Students must pre-register indicating the topic of the comments they wish to make-classifying them into categories of mourning, religious and political.

That system doesn't wash with Robb McFadden, director of the California College Republicans. "If Quindel and her Marxist comrades are selecting the speakers, I think there are serious violations of fundamental fairness," he said. "How can we expect freedom of speech to be filtered through such a radical political ideologue?"

Scheduled speakers at the Memorial Glade assembly include Chancellor Robert Berdahl, ASUC President Jesse Gabriel, and Quindel. They will likely speak, according to Wong, about peace.

Those who aren't selected to speak by Quindel and her undergraduate counterpart, Gabriel, will have an opportunity to speak at an open microphone assembly in the evening. But if last year's open microphone assembly on the night the attacks occurred is any guide, there will likely not be an opportunity for patriotic speech Wednesday. At last Sept. 11's vigil, members of the Berkeley College Republicans were shouted down while speaking of patriotism.

The primary planner for Chancellor Berdahl, Colleen Rovetti, director of university events and ceremonies, said she did not know avoiding patriotism was an overriding objective of the student planners. She echoed remarks by other organizers stressing their intent to make the event a memorial and not a protest.

Gabriel said organizers aim to "separate political beliefs from mourning." "Singing 'God Bless America' may prompt people to shout it down," he said.

Similar fears of aggression toward the flag prompted Berkeley's fire chief to order American flags removed from fire trucks. City leaders worried protesters would attack the flag and comprise firefighters' ability to do their job. After national outcry, the flags were returned to the fire trucks.

Members of the Berkeley College Republicans attended the student senate meeting last night to urge their elected leaders to alter the plans for the Sept. 11 memorial to include patriotic themes.

"If we leave patriotism and religion out of this event, we'd be reducing the memorial to a bunch of anti-American whining, said Republican ASUC Senator Paul LaFata. "Patriotism has a place on this campus, and by excluding it, the ASUC has done exactly what they wanted to avoid. They have offended students."

The Republicans were countered by those supporting the decision of the event organizers. The decision's proponents argued that patriotism leads to nationalism. They also said patriotism would exclude students who are not American citizens.

Quindel said it would be inappropriate for the university to endorse patriotic themes, and urged students to express their views at the open microphone sessions.


It's not what you know that gets you in trouble, it's what you know that just ain't so!

Comments

  • thesupermonkeythesupermonkey Member Posts: 3,905 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Anyone ever seen that episode of South Park where the town attempt to make the school Christmas play politically correct. I think Matt Stone and Trey Parker are smarter than most people will admit. That episode sums up all of California's problems.

    Don't worry about the bullet with your name on it, worry about the fragmentation grenade addressed 'To Occupant'.
  • pikeal1pikeal1 Member Posts: 2,707
    edited November -1
    this is sickning.
  • n/an/a Member Posts: 168,427
    edited November -1
    When is the big one coming. you know the earthquake that will break Kalifornicatia off of the mainland and into the sea, cant happen quick enough.

    "A wise man is a man that realizes just how little he knows"
  • joeaf1911a1joeaf1911a1 Member Posts: 2,962 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Maybe we should declare California as a seperate liberal comunist
    nation and forget it for our own good. No one can save it.
    We lose one "State", but we can spare it, gladly.
  • mkirklandmkirkland Member Posts: 1,040 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    If I were a student at Berkely I would do three things:
    1. Bring a barf bag
    2. streak, painted RED, WHITE & BLUE
    3. Bring a bullhorn to give my own friggin' speach

    These people are worthless I can't believe these people are having an assembly of remembrance. They aren't remembering a Damn thing! Airplanes hijacked by people who Hate AMERICA crashed into the towers killing AMERICANS!! I'm so frustrated right now, I know we are in America but how can anyone justify this crap? I hope God is watching and I hope he had his reloader going all night because I think there are some people deserving of a lightning bolt or two!
  • IconoclastIconoclast Member Posts: 10,515 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    How about we simply resettle all the liberal DemoCraps from elsewhere in the country to the People's Republik in exchange for the few normal people left there, then quarantine it so the brain disease doesn't spread any further? As hard as it is for me to admit from my close proximity to that open cesspool, even the People's Republik of Kennedy isn't so ****ed up!
  • mkirklandmkirkland Member Posts: 1,040 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I guess some people raised hell, because the President of the University held a meeting and changed the ceremony. I still hope God throws just a coupla lightning bolts
  • DancesWithSheepDancesWithSheep Member Posts: 12,938 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I graduated from Berkeley in 1972. In those days, there would have been a pro-Al Queda rally, not a Remembrance Day. I see some progress here.

    Why does man kill? He kills for food. But not only for food; frequently, he must have a beverage.
  • PalantirionPalantirion Member Posts: 144 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    You know, some of the most upstanding pro-gun people in the nation live in CA. It takes serious committment to deal with all the bulls**t laws here and still maintain one's personal integrity.

    Remember that most CA citizens are not actually anti-gun, they just vote-in liberal candidates because their campain promises are more intelligently crafted than their Republican opposition's. I won't go into detail here, but unfortunately Republicans will never get a foothold in CA until they learn how to pander to the right minority groups. Most Californians have no idea their rights are being stripped away and if it came down to a vote on that issue alone, without abortion or taxes or oil drilling mucking the political 'water', more than half of Californians would probably vote to keep their gun rights.

    What CA needs is some federal pressure to tap Davis on the shoulder and point out that the anti-gun laws he proposes are unconstitutional and will be overturned by the fed. The fed did that when CA legalized pot, why not do it for an issue that actually matters?

    What we don't need is to be 'earthquaked' off into the ocean. And neither does the rest of the nation. Don't make me go listing all the agricultural, aerospace and automotive products (notice I just started with the 'A's) that CA produces every year.

    Hate the rediculous laws all you want (many Californians do more than you) but don't be so naive as to think it might be a good idea to burn the house in order to kill a few rats.

    www.ebsart.com
  • charlie15charlie15 Member Posts: 937 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Maybe when that earth quake does happen, only the parts of commiefornia that contains "hammer & sickle kissing" liberals will be the only part that falls in the pacific. Oh well, just wishful thinking!!

    IF A GOVERMENT'S OPPRESSIVE, THEN REPRESS IT!!
  • The firearms consultantThe firearms consultant Member Posts: 716 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    PALANTIRION,
    As a Kalifornian that has lived here most of my life, I like what you say. Where I live on the central coast its an island of conservatives in an ocean of liberals. If it were not for stupid stuff that runs down from Sacramento, this would be a near perfect place to live. I'm glad I live here,its just too too bad its in Kalifornia.
    John

    I might not always tell you the truth, but I will never lie to you!
  • PalantirionPalantirion Member Posts: 144 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thanks TFC, I agree with your take on the politics completely. Most average Californians and NOT Kalifornians, they are just not educated about the truth of gun ownership and live in a place where gun rights are not high on the list of discussion topics. Not supprisingly it's easy for liberal politicians to blindly throw lies at the uneducated and make them stick. It's pisses me off to no end that conservative organizations seem to have given up trying to push firearm education in this state.

    I've done my share of educating - not through politics or demonstrations but by taking friends, relatives and friends-of-friends to the range and teaching them the basics of firearm safety, calibers and revolver/pistol mechanics. I've tried to take the 'evil' myth out of peoples' minds and so far have been very successful. Hopefully these people will be a little less brainwashed by liberal politicians in the future.

    Sorry for the ramble, I'm going now . . .

    www.ebsart.com
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