[fr_freak]

So... disagreeing with the religious right and their Rev. Moore philosphy makes me a "leftie"? Who's the useful dupe?

The only reason the principal asked the teacher to change the play was so not to offend the Christians. So yeah, I'm coming down hard on them. I bet they also object to teaching scientific "myths" like Evolution and the Earth being round.

I never said you were a leftiee. I said you were acting like a useful dupe for the left, meaning that you were, hopefully unintentionally, advancing their campaign of disgust and hatred for Christians by believing their spin on the incident in question. However, it is apparent to me just by your equating the scepticism of evolution with believing that the Earth is flat that you are probably hostile to Christians with or without the prompting of the mainstream media. So, in this particular area, you are more than happy to help advance the leftist agenda.

I'd also like to ask you why it is a bad thing that a small town community should be able to set its own standards for decency. If they want to ban "Grease" from high school because they think it promotes irresponsible teenage behavior, then why shouldn't they be able to do so? Why should people from Texas or California or anywhere else be able to dictate to people in Fulton, Mo what standards they are allowed to have and which they are not? If there are people that don't like the standards put forth by Fulton, then don't move there. That is the essence of a free country. Apparent statists like yourself would rather have morality dictated to them by some sort of central organization, perhaps a federal agency, maybe a ministry of (im)moral standards?

Let me ask you this, if this controversy had erupted in an Amish high school, and the Amish had rejected all 3 plays (which they undoubtedly would), would we be having this discussion? Would we be trashing the Amish for upholding their community standards? Are they not free to be Amish? If you say no, then you do not believe in freedom of religion, or freedom at all, in my opinion, because you believe that lifestyles and communities should be dictated to by people thousands of miles away. However, if you say yes, then I ask you why should Baptists in Missouri be treated any differently?

[Lunatic Fringe]

If it were "the community" that was outraged, I would have no problem with it. But it wasn't "the community," it was a small group from a rural church imposing their own morality.

And I'm not hostile towards Christians... I'm hostile towards any religious doctrine dictating morality on a public education curriculum, politics, and every other aspect of our lives.

If they want to be tight-ass religious nuts, fine... But don't demand the same from everyone else.

[zook]

"...in an Amish high school."

I'm pretty sure there's no such thing as an Amish high school. Decisions about what books go in the library and what plays get performed are made by curriculum committees, which often include parents. I'm sure students can find books in the library (perhaps even a version of "Grease") that many parents would find offensive--"Catcher in the Rye" is a good example. But parents do not have the right to simply yank a book from a school library (Supreme Court says so) and they don't have the right to ban a harmless and inoffensive play like "Grease." If they don't like it, they can yank their kids from the school.

[durasell]

Let me ask you this, if this controversy had erupted in an Amish high school, and the Amish had rejected all 3 plays (which they undoubtedly would), would we be having this discussion?


I'd pay top dollar to see an All Amish production of Grease or West Side Story. Anybody with me on this?

[Bubbatuck]

Complaining about Grease makes them even MORE ignorant, stupid, yokel-like and just plain retarded.

As for the Amish, I believe they operate their own schools.

I still maintain that complaining about ANY of the plays under discussion is the height of uptight stick-in-the-assism.

[Melas]

Why should people from Texas or California or anywhere else be able to dictate to people in Fulton, Mo what standards they are allowed to have and which they are not?

I see your problem right away. No one here wants a larger government entity to rush into Fulton to set things right. No one here expects anything official to be done at all. However, we have the right to hold these hill billy rejects up to ridicule and scorn for being the Shakespeare hating troglodytes that they have proven themselves to be. The only pity is that the Jethros in Fulton aren't fully aware of the contempt that those with room temperature and better IQ scores have for them.

[Melas]

For the record, before anymore laurels are laid at the feet of the Amish: The Amish exist only because they enjoy the protection of more practical Americans. The Amish are a novelty that we allow to exist in our midst despite their lack of contributions to society. Without the rest of us, they Amish would fall to the first power that wanted what the non-violent technophobes have.

[wintertime]

I'd also like to ask you why it is a bad thing that a small town community should be able to set its own standards for decency.

$$$$$$$$$$$$

There is no way that any government school district could uphold the values of all the families in the district. This would be true even if the district was as small as a suburban subdivision cul de sac.

The standards that this small town sets WILL undermine the most closely held political, cultural, and religious tradition of some families.

The voting mob of any community does NOT have the right to trample freedom of conscience.

Solution: Begin the process of privatizing universal K-12 education.