Holiday music causes controversy in Jewett City (CT)

WTNH Television ^ | 12/07/2006 | Puppage

[L98Fiero]

"Government is not supposed to respect an establishment of religion and that's what we have here," said Rusell.

The man is an idiot.

[fatnotlazy]

Bill said, "I don't want to hear Christian music."

***

Well, ya know, Bill -- maybe other people do. So how about rolling up those car windows...or better yet, move out of town.

People won't be satisfied until they stamp out Christmas altogether.

[bahblahbah]

It's december. Why aren't the windows in his car rolled up already?

[silverleaf]

The borough of "Griswold?"
Shades of National Lampoon Family Christmas.

I would buy the complainant:
- a copy of the Constitution with the accurate wording of the establishment clause highlighted since he seems to have misquoted as well as misconstrued it...especially the second half of the clause
- several pairs of ear plugs

[L98Fiero]

It's just crazy. We all see and hear things we don't particularly care to sometimes but that is part of living in a society of free people. This guy seems to want a society where only he is free.

[technomage]

This kind of stuff really offends me. Wonder if my being offended is taken as seriously as offending druids, muslims, gays, fat slobs.....

This type of censorship is causing me irreparable mental harm. Wonder is the ACLU would take my case, allowing me to sue the atheist idiots?

[Puppage]

People won't be satisfied until they stamp out Christmas altogether

I love how the minority dictates to the majority in this country. And, most are okay with it.

[andy58-in-nh]

"Government is not supposed to respect an establishment of religion and that's what we have here," said Rusell.

Okay, let's start with the premise that a person who finds it necessary to roll up his car windows and turn his radio up to full volume to "protect" him from the sound of church bells is probably a little....unbalanced.

It still does not explain his violent misreading of the Constitution. Here is what the "Establishment Clause" of the 1st Amendment to the Constitution actually says:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."

This means that Congress (not your state legislature or town council) shall not establish a establish an official religion or prefer one religion over another, and that people shall have the right to freely exercise whatever religion they so choose.

This is settled law, and has absolutely no relationship to the increasingly absurd claims of anti-religious zealots who demand their "right" to be free of all public expressions of faith.

[Rhetorical pi2]

"If the bells happen to toll I have to roll the windows up in my car..."

So Mr. Russell drives around with his windows open in Mid-December in Connecticutt?!

Doesn't he realize the bells are preventing him from catching his death by pneumonia???!!

He should thank God that the church bells are protecting him from is own ignorance. (Sorry. He doesn't believe in a higher power...) Ask not Mr. Russell for whom the bells toll. They toll for thee...".

[Alouette]

I don't mind traditional Christmas music, I rather like it, in fact.

But the problem is that everywhere the holiday music is played everywhere AT TOP VOLUME, a couple hundred decibels louder than crappy mall music is played all year long.

And the worst, the absolute worst, are the crappy jazz renditions, "Jingle Bell Rock," crappy jazz renditions, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," crappy jazz renditions, "Winter Wonderland," did I mention how much I hate the crappy jazz renditions?

[Dr. I. C. Spots]

He must be smokin some dubees, while listening to his Black Sabbath 8 track

[Titan Magroyne]

Oh, get over it, you self-absorbed idiot.

This guy and his ilk are giving atheists a bad name. I wouldn't be surprised if this got started at the behest of the ACLU. I expect them to come charging in "to save the day" at any moment now.

[fatnotlazy]

The article also says:

"The reason town leaders put this sound system in this bell tower in the first place is because they wanted it centrally located. They were then going to move it to the new Town Hall once it was built but they never did."

***

So maybe they oughta move the sound system to somewhere next door or across the street from Bill's residence, preferably aim the speakers right at Bill's home and turn up the sound as loud as it will go. :)

[L98Fiero]

"So Mr. Russell drives around with his windows open in Mid-December in Connecticut?!"

LOL! Didn't catch that.

[NRA1995]

Why is it called "holiday music?" I have yet to hear a Hanukkah carol or a Kwanzaa carol. Stupid.....

[Rakkasan1]

probably his hot flashes. what a little bitch.

[Alouette]

I have to roll the windows up in my car

Why is he driving around with the windows down in the middle of winter?

Oh, he's really not, he just made this up.

Here are two cocktail olives, Bill, go stuff your ears.

[Alex Murphy]

"If the bells happen to toll I have to roll the windows up in my car and then turn the music up as loud as it will go to not hear them. I'm an atheist," said Bill Russell of Norwich.

Would an Islaamic gong be more to his liking?

[ladyjane]

Didn't the Muslims win the right somewhere in Michigan to have their call to prayer aired over a loudspeaker? Five or six times a day, starting before dawn. Now that would really get the atheist fired up.