Religious Lawmaker Wants To Ban Sports On Sundays

WSBTV ^ | 9-23-2005

[Cagey]

WHITE HOUSE, Tenn. -- Play ball! As long as it's not Sunday morning.

Alderman Darrel Leftwich is proposing that the city establish new Sunday hours for White House Municipal Park so sporting events could only be held in the afternoon.

"I am concerned that we are not sending the right message to the community by having tournaments and league play during worship hours," Leftwich said.

Leftwich said that he drove by the park Sunday morning on his way to services at Temple Baptist Church and saw that it was full of people at a soccer tournament.

"God our Father intended the seventh day to be one of rest and worship," Leftwich said during this week's city board meeting. He asked the city manager to draft an ordinance that would restrict Sunday hours at parks in the town, about 20 miles north of Nashville.

Alderman Farris Bibb Jr. said the city should go slow before enacting a change. "With all due respect to Alderman Leftwich, the seventh day of the week is Saturday," Bibb said.

[Prime Choice]

Stop with the strawman argument, kid. It's not impressing me or anyone else.

Geez...calm down. You'll live longer.

[hombre_sincero]

Y'all are the ones saying this man does NOT have the right to have his opinion heard and voted on by the people.

I didn't say I agreed with him - just that tyrants come in BLUE and RED!

[Prime Choice]

Y'all are the ones saying this man does NOT have the right to have his opinion heard and voted on by the people.

Okay, show me where I said that. Go ahead, smart guy. Show me.

[Cagey]

It's the caffeine.

[F16Fighter]

So a TV station ridicules a Christian alderman for making a simple request as "news", and a bunch of you take the bait??

Sheesh...

[Prime Choice]

It's the caffeine.

Possibly. And I may have misjudged this guy. After all, sufficiently advanced stupidity is indistinguishable from trolling.

[You Dirty Rats]

So a TV station ridicules a Christian alderman for making a simple request as "news"

He asked the city manager to draft an ordinance that would restrict Sunday hours at parks in the town

Ordinance means a local law that citizens must obey or face criminal charges. That's not a request, that's an attempt to force the private religious views of a full-of-himself posturing elitist on a bunch of kids playing soccer -- using the force of the law.

At least he got his 0:15.

[Prime Choice]

So let me see if I get you.

Alderman Darrel Leftwich expresses his opinion as a proposal and it's all fine and good.

...but when we express our opinion on his proposal, we've somehow been duped into "taking the bait"?

You wanna try running that by me again?

[linkinpunk]

"With all due respect to Alderman Leftwich, the seventh day of the week is Saturday."

No kidding.

(How did I know that this guy was a Baptist?)

[F16Fighter]

"That's not a request, that's an attempt to force the private religious views of a full-of-himself posturing elitist on a bunch of kids playing soccer -- using the force of the law."

Oh stop the melodramics...

The man was merely making a point, never expecting the ordinance to pass.

And still you took the bait.

[festus]

My rabbi says no sports on Saturday...what to do?

Thats easy. Take your preacher to the ballgame Saturday AM and then take your rabbi to the ballgame Sunday AM.

All in all you get to take in two ballgames and skip both church and synagouge. Take on a few cold ones, perhaps some afternoon fishing and by george its a perfect weekend ;-)

[linkinpunk]

all are the ones saying this man does NOT have the right to have his opinion heard and voted on by the people.

He is not going to let the "people" vote on this.

Read the article again:

"He asked the city manager to draft an ordinance..."

[lightman]

What if the PEOPLE speak and say NO to sports on Sundays?

And what if the PEOPLE spoke and said YES...as they did many decades ago in Pennsylvania when despite well organized efforts by the state Sunday School Association and its "Lord's Day Alliance" Sunday baseball was approved by referendum.

[F16Fighter]

"So let me see if I get you.

Alderman Darrel Leftwich expresses his opinion as a proposal and it's all fine and good.

...but when we express our opinion on his proposal, we've somehow been duped into 'taking the bait'?"

Lol, you've been "duped" into having been provoked into the predictable over-reactive hysterics.

[You Dirty Rats]

True story - One year I went to a Cleveland Browns home game that started at 1:00 pm on Christmas Eve. With the cold weather and the fact it was Xmas Eve, almost all of the fans were men. Since we were all at the game and not home with our families, most of the fathers around me (including me) were all in varying degrees of hugh and series trouble for not being home.

Around 2pm, an announcement came over the PA: "Father so-and-so, please call your Parish!" Everyone cheered -- we were off the hook!

[muir_redwoods]

"What if the PEOPLE speak and say NO to sports on Sundays? Are you going to demand that they must allow it?"

I'd happily be one of the first. There is no majority sufficient to outlaw my rights. It is my right to speak freely, no vote can change that. Not even 200,000,000 to one, not even a unanimous vote.

[TNdandelion]

People have to take into consideration that this is the Bible Belt and so alot of strange things happen around here. You can't buy alcohol in the same county that manufactures Jack Caniels' whiskey. You also cannot buy alcohol in the state of TN between the hours of 3AM and 10AM on Sunday in the counties that DO allow alcohol to be sold.

You should have seen the religious uproar when they finally allowed a vote on the lottery. LOL

[TNdandelion]

Should have been Jack Daniels! Oops!

[Revolting cat!]

Tomorrow's headline today:

Darrel Leftwich: Dare to Ditch or Switch Pitch to PM!

[TNdandelion]

"What if the PEOPLE speak and say NO to sports on Sundays? Are you going to demand that they must allow it?"

If the people vote no and limit sports on Sunday, then they must be prepared to risk losing financial support from the community that can simply find another sports complex to play at or build their own.