Marion Square Sunbathing Burns Up Councilman

Charleston Post & Courier ^ | April 25, 2003 | JASON HARDIN

[MHGinTN]

You're floundering. The City of Charleston has every right to pass a restriction banning such behavior in the City Park where tourists bring their children to see the city, not the skin of Charleston. [You might want to put some ice on that bigotry you sling around. Sound familiar to you, dearie? Yes, I'm exercising my right to be intolerant of your ilk. Live with it ... or would you prefer to legislate against it? Bwahahaha]

[bluefish]

Sorry, dearie, but you suggesting that I am floundering does not make it so. Explain yourself.

Simply telling me that the city of Charleston has the right to pass a law against bikinis does not address my point. You have merely circled back and restated your position and ignored all of my arguments. It is true that a law can be passed. It doesn't address my suggestion that your priorities are in the wrong place though, nor does it address whether it is right to pass such a law.

I support your right to be intolerant of anything you wish, so stop with the stupid and overly reactive assumptions already. I'm not whining about your thoughts on girls in bikinis, so get over it already and take a moment to understand the discussion taking place.

Had you merely expressed disgust or displeasure at the activity in the park, I would not have responded. I would have respected and agreed with your position even. Surprise!

You are so ready to fire off a rapid defense of your position that you can't take a moment to understand what it is you said that is being objected too. Thus, you toss out your wholly incorrect assumptions about "my ilk" and end up looking more like a fool than you did with your original position.

My objection is not to your position on the matter. It is your proposed solution. You prefer to be fast and loose with legislation and government solutions to every minor thing that disturbs your fragile sensitivities. You see government and the law as a tool to impose your moral beliefs on others.

This is where I disagree with you. This does NOT tell you anything about where I stand on specific issues of morality. Your assumptions about what I believe in this regard are completely incorrect. You can be "intolerant" all you want. Frankly, you and I probably agree more on what is right and wrong than we disagree. Where we part is how to deal with those things we don't like.

I will leave you with my previous suggestion, since a discussion about the valid purpose of government is beyond you: Get a grip, "dearie" It is a girl in a bikini. Your priorities are in the wrong place. Unwind your bunched up panties and think about it for a moment, before you continue with your stupid and incorrect assumptions about me "and my ilk."

[MHGinTN]

Simply telling me that the city of Charleston has the right to pass a law against bikinis does not address my point. Is that absurd red herring to be taken as your rational approach to 'discussion'? If you think this is an issue over bikinis, I have no further reason to discuss this further with you.

[FreedomCalls]

There are some places where bikinis are not appropriate.

Would you accept a bikini-clad woman shopping in your supermarket?
... in a restaurant?
... on the floor of the Senate?
... on a public bus?
... in an office building?
... in church
or any other place where it is appropriate to be more formally dressed.

Perhaps downtown Charleston is not an appropriate place for bikini wear. There are lots of nearby beaches where it would be appropriate.

[bluefish]

Truly laughable and pathetic MHGinTN. I cannot let stand your final lame attempt to bow out by projecting your own failures in this debate onto me.

Is that absurd red herring to be taken as your rational approach to 'discussion'?

I addressed YOUR red herring and you turn around and suggest that I am using a red herring. Ludicrous! Look up the word, and then look at our exchange. I pointed out in my last post that your argument regarding the city's ability to pass a law (YOUR red herring effort to ignore my prior post about the legitemate use of government) has nothing to do with the real point. You ignored my argument with that silly insert. You haven't addressed my argument yet.

If you think this is an issue over bikinis...

You should truly be ashamed of yourself here. I made the point repeatedly, and in a variety of ways, that the big picture is not about bikinis and that you should temper your desire to send in the police state to end sunbathing.

You kept the focus of YOUR argument on morality. My suggestion to you was that your focus was on the wrong thing and that the bigger picture was the legitemate use of government. Your rebuttal was that the city can pass a law if it wants, your Red Herring which didn't address my point.

Rather than address the bigger issue I raised, you chose to accuse me of being morally depraved for not feeling that sunbathers were an important issue, having a need or desire for skin, being more debaucherous than Dems, being PC and whining about your whining about bikinis, etc.

The discussion is about your desire to use totalitarianism as a method to create a model society, and my assertion that it leads to just the opposite. You have continued to refuse to address the primary topic while instead choosing to presume the whole time what my moral status is or political leanings are.

For you, the discussion has continued to be about bikinis.

Don't project your own failings onto me, and don't dismiss the discussion by accusing me of engaging in the very tactics you have attempted to employ. That is what Dems do when their arguments fail.

[dixie sass]

Steve, it is'nt a "hoot" to me. If they want to sunbathe, let them go out to - now let's see, how many beaches in the area? Or why not on their own campus? Marion Square is in the heart of the business district and tourist area, not the beach or someones backyard.

But them in jail for indencent exposure if thats what it takes and/or get them put on probahition at the college or what ever. But that is inappropriate behavior - no matter how old you are.

[dixie sass]

Bugger off! You don't live here, I do. We have beaches at the ocean and beaches at the lakes and private backyards, Marian Square is not the place for that -- period!

[dixie sass]

I agree with you 100%. Apparently they don't even thing for themselves, just follow the guy in front - isn't his name Timothy Leary? Turn on, Tune out etc, etc, etc...

[bluefish]

bugger off? nice

[bluefish]

Careful with the assumptions there dixie. perhaps you should make your way through the thread first. You know what assumptions do.

[bluefish]

This is a serious question. If the exposure is indecent as you say, why should it be allowed on a public beach, any more than in a square in the business district? Should paddy wagons be patrolling the beach too? Fair is fair.

[dixie sass]

Does he live in Charleston? I don't think so! This is my town, those students are merely vistors to this area.

Charleston beaches include Folly Beach, Sullivans Island, Isle of Palms, Lyons Beach, etc, etc, etc., I don't care what a person wears to the beach, but I do care when it is the center of the tourist and business district in Charleston.

I can remember my Daddy coming back from Boston, just absolutely disgusted with the same kind of thing happening in Boston. This was twenty or more years ago. I don't want the same thing that happened in Boston to happen in Charleston.

[MHGinTN]

The community has the legal right to regulate where behaviors may take place, as in banning strip joints from locating too close to schools and/or churches. Hefty fines for violating the restrictions and control over licensing procedures and restrictions works quite well. Thank you for the vote of agreement ... and I love your beautiful and historic city, been there several times, always enjoy the carriage rides and restaurants. You realize of course that the poster in question is merely playing a petulant game 'for reasons known only to that poster'.

[Big Steve]

You may have a point. Personally, if I were downtown and saw students in bathing suits, I would pass on by and not staring at them. I probably didn't explain it, but what I meant by this being a "hoot" is this is a headline that would make the front page of our newspaper instead of other concerns in the world. I as a former C of C grad, I never paid attention to the sunbathers at Marion Square if there were any back then. While I wouldn't arrest them for it, I think the college needs to caution these students about what they wear because there are young people who are very impressionable. I thank you for your valued input.

[mhking]

"Hold muh beer 'n watch this!" PING....

If you want on or off this list, please let me know!

[AdA$tra]

Sunbathing in a public park where impressionable children are exposed to string bikinis and topless coeds is just not a level of debauchery I will tolerate.

You had better stay clear of every swimming pool, lake and beach in the world. Besides, what are children doing in the park anyway?

[DED]

I agree with you 100%.
The Muslim version of this is, "woemn have to cover themselves entirely in burkhas because we men can't control our thoughts".

[paul51]

If it will help, they can use my yard instead

[MHGinTN]

Do you get your red herring at the same place the mackerel does?

[AdA$tra]

Do you get your red herring at the same place the mackerel does?

That is such a deep thought you should change your FReep name to Jack Handy.