Posted on 03/16/2012 9:42:30 AM PDT by NYer
(Billy Hallowell) -- St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday rooted in Christian values, however secular celebrations are also regularly held to commemorate the day. In fact, for a great many, the religious tones aren’t even a consideration, as alcohol, Shamrock shakes and other fun-filled elements regularly dominate the day’s observations. Somehow, though, the holiday is reportedly still too religious for one Massachusetts elementary school.
At the Soule Road School in Wilbraham, St. Patrick‘s Day has been replaced as the name for the school’s celebration surrounding the popular holiday. It’s been replaced with the generic “O’Green Day.” MassLive.com’s Patrick Johnson calls the move “a heavy-handed attempt to instill political correctness among the impressionable 4th and 5th graders.”
The school’s principal, Lisa Curtin, is apparently looking to become more inclusive. So, rather than tout St. Patrick’s Day, she has purportedly come up with a way to circumvent the faith-related nature of the holiday. The school apparently did something similar for St. Valentine’s Day, which, in some classrooms, was referred to as “Caring and Kind Day.”
A copy of the school’s calendar shows March 16 listed as ”O’Green Day / Tasting’ of the Green,” although St. Patrick’s Day does, indeed, appear on the calendar (on Saturday):
On this day, students are apparently being encouraged to wear green and they will be treated to special, green colored vegetables in the cafeteria.
“I think it’s really stupid,” says local resident Janet Carlyle. “I don‘t understand why they would change history’s old holiday names to something just to remove the essence of religion of it when it’s not really religious holidays.”
Another parent said that the changes were made to accommodate “faith issues.”
“I think in today’s world to try and make children understand caring and consideration is, I can understand from that point of view,” said Joan Harrington, a former high school teacher. “As someone who’s been around a long time, the holidays have meaning to me.”
Regardless of the motivation, these holiday name-changes reflect the growing removal of faith-based values and mentions in public schools.
Terrific cartoon. ROTFLOL! All you need in there is that pig screaming “wee, wee, wee...”
I thought I had found the same version I used to sing, but the next to last line was a little different - "And here's to bold St. Patrick's fist, he was a saint so clever . . . "
I just realized that I taught folk singing at a summer camp over forty years ago!!!! I am older than I thought . . . . but at least I can still remember the words to the songs (mostly).
My parents tolerate the feral hogs on their coastal GA island because they eat the rattlesnakes. Dad just goes out with a 12 gauge from time to time and shoots the boar hogs, because they chase and gore the island dogs. His across-the-road neighbor buries them with the backhoe (they are far too tough and gamy-smelling to eat).
I had to walk in a mile after midnight one time because the gate to the causeway was locked & we didn't have the combination . . . I was petrified of running into Da Peegs and getting gored . . . I had a Magnalite in one hand and a 1911A1 in the other, cocked and locked . . . . and I was singing hymns at the top of my voice in the hope that the pigs would hear me and run away. I heard crashing in the palmettos but didn't catch sight of Porky or his entourage. A good thing, because I think even W/W Silvertips in a .45 would be marginal against a large feral hog.
Why don’t the call it what they really want to and quit trying to fool people: O’bama day.
Well, you are supposed to raise your glass and take a chug after the word “Success!” (which is almost shouted and gets louder with each swig.)
I was referring to the dopey pig in that Geico commercial — the one that drives the car pool mom nutz. The look on St. Patrick’s face in your cartoon reminded me of the mom in that video. Of course, you may not watch TV, or watch the stations that I do. But St. Paddy turning the pigs onto the snakes would be fitting too. I like that better than thinking of the saintly old man stomping all the reptiles!
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State mandated atheism and secularism. Can't have the little kids wondering who Saint Patrick was, or what a saint is. I read a bit about John Dewey lately. He believed in the "new religion" of secular humanism. He was a fervent believer, and helped turn public schools into indoctrination centers for the new religion.
Of course, being a private school, these were intelligent parents and teachers we were dealing with, very committed to the children's well-rounded education. Most of the kids went to various churches, synagogues, temples or what-have-you as part of their family traditions.
And most of the kids were in either intact families or joint custody of well-employed people; otherwise they could not have afforded the school. Discriminatory? Hell, yes; although there were a number of scholarship kids who were very, very lucky that the rest of us were willing to support them in such a wonderful education, IMO. Does this mean the scholarship kids were treated differently? Not overtly; but if so, that's life. I knew of several outstanding, wonderful kids whose parents paid the full tuition and who were shut out of other kids' parties, etc, when their parents divorced. Life isn't fair. Lefties think it can be made so. They are lazy morons.
Def Black Day?
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Just when you think you've seen it all.......
According to Yahoo, last month St. Valentine’s Day was name-changed and homogenized to “Caring and Kindness Day” due to “faith issues.”
This is just plain ludicrous.
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