Demonstrators Picket Store After Marine Refused Service

NBC channel 5-Fort worth-Dallas ^ | January 12, 2005 | NBC5

[LoneSome Journey]

You may be quite right in your question.

From the link at the end of that story:

http://www.nbc5i.com/news/4071942/detail.html

According to the store owner, the incident was a misunderstanding and the employee in question was fired.

There would be no requirement for the owner to state the above if he simply fired the employee.

[sportutegrl]

There is a poll on the website. Do you agree with the firing? There is no freeping this poll. With 3337 votes, 93% agree with firing.

[speed_addiction]

Sounds to me like you want an open season on all Moslems. Is that about it? Kinda makes a joke of our freedom of religion, don't you think? Not all Moslems are our enemy. We're in Iraq to help a whole bunch of Moslems establish a democratic form of government. Is that wrong?

Okay, I did go over the top there. I honestly believe that freedom of religion is one of the great pillars of our nation, but sedition should never pass for religion and any mosque, any iman calling for it should be dealt with.
I do not believe that Muslims are the enemy, but I do believe Radical Islam is.

[Terabitten]

re·li·gion ( P ) Pronunciation Key (r-ljn) n. And yeah, open season on Muslims might not be that bad an idea; wouldn't be any reflection on "freedom of religion" either, unless you define "religion" loosely enough to include the degenerate belief system called "islam".

Let's see. Dictionary.com defines "religion" thusly:

Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.
The life or condition of a person in a religious order. A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.
A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion.

Looks like Islam qualifies. Sorry to bust up your Krystalnacht party.

[Terabitten]

You know the clerk was probably a family member.

Actually, no, I don't know that. I know several local convenience stores that are owned by foreign nationals but have plenty of locals working there.

Also, by the names, I'd guess the store owners were Hindu, not Muslim - not that it makes one whit of difference. Let's stick to the facts of the story as opposed to wild conjectures.

[Terabitten]

Kinda makes a joke of our freedom of religion, don't you think?

Pretty sad when it takes an atheist to defend our freedom of religion. That's not intended as a slight towards you in *any* way, MineralMan, in fact, quite the opposite.

[af_vet_1981]

Pretty sad when it takes an atheist to defend our freedom of religion.

It takes an American to defend our freedom of religion and his name is not Michael Newdow.

[af_vet_1981]

Yes, the store owner took appropriate action with one of the clerks. The other should have been fired as well.

[Ragnar54]

Freedom of religion does not apply to Islam. Islam is a crime syndicate, not a religion in the sense intended by the Founding Fathers. We do not allow the practice of other religions that feature head hunting as a primary ritual, so why make an exception for Islam? All Muslims should be deported to Iraq or Afghanistan or Indonesia.

[MineralMan]

"Pretty sad when it takes an atheist to defend our freedom of religion. That's not intended as a slight towards you in *any* way, MineralMan, in fact, quite the opposite."

I didn't take it as a slight. I'm 100% behind freedom of worship, whatever the religion. I'm an atheist, not an anti-religionist. I don't mind what others believe. That's not part of atheism in general.

Newdow is an idiot. Every belief system has them.

[MineralMan]

"Freedom of religion does not apply to Islam. Islam is a crime syndicate, not a religion in the sense intended by the Founding Fathers. We do not allow the practice of other religions that feature head hunting as a primary ritual, so why make an exception for Islam? All Muslims should be deported to Iraq or Afghanistan or Indonesia."

That is a point of view that's not shared by our President, I think you'll find. It's not shared by most people. Islam is a religion. In fact, it's the fastest-growing one out there. It fully fits the description of a religion and it has many followers who are US citizens. You may want to note that US citizens may NOT be deported. If they commit a crime, they can be sent to prison, but never deported.

You're welcome to your beliefs regarding Islam. You're not welcome to deport the family who lives down the street from me. The parents left Iran to escape the Ayatollah. They're citizens now, and their children are native-born citizens. They're also friends of mine. Attempts to harm them will be taken seriously by me and their other neighbors, who are also citizens. Many of us are veterans, too. Many of us are firearms owners.

You believe whatever you want. Just don't mess with other US citizens.

[Ragnar54]

No, Islam does not qualify. A contemporary dictionary is not the final word on what is meant by "religion" in the constitution. In the past, the US has not allowed the practice of "religions" that depended on human sacrifice or head hunting as a primary ritual. Why should we make an exception for Islam? At the very least, Muslims should not be allowed to immigrate because they believe in overthrowing our constitutional government to replace it with Islamic rule.

[Terabitten]

No, Islam does not qualify. A contemporary dictionary is not the final word on what is meant by "religion" in the constitution.

Then please, good sir, provide us with the definition the founding fathers had in mind.

[Ragnar54]

A religion has to be constrained to be consistent with the US Constitution. That is, the religion cannot advocate or practice the violation of the rights of others. For example, a head hunter from the South Pacific would not be allowed to exercise his beliefs, no matter how fervent. A group advocating head hunting or collecting money for head hunting would not be granted tax-exempt status. A would be immigrant who expressed a profound belief in head hunting would not be admitted. An immigrant who declared that his religion required him to attempt to overthrow the constitutional government and replace it with a theocracy should not be admitted.

Other barbaric "religions" are excluded from the US. We need to stop making an exception for Islam.

The situation in Iraq is different: the only hope for the Iraqis is that Islam can be changed so that they can live in a semi-civilized society. It is worthwhile to kill terrorists in Iraq and attempt to give the Iraqis a chance. There is no need for us to import subversives into this country.

[ken5050]

I would wager that more digging would reveal that the fired clerk is in reality, the owner's son..I have NO proof, just intuition.. In most of these concevnience stores, fgamily owned and run..everybody who works there at one place is related..

[SilentServiceCPOWife]

It's entirely possible.

[gc4nra]

With your permission I suggest we add those who desecrate the Flag to your list.

[speed_addiction]

With your permission I suggest we add those who desecrate the Flag to your list.

Truth is, I honestly do not believe that burning the flag should be illegal. If someone feels wronged enough by the US that they feel they have to burn the Flag in outrage, then I believe it is their right! But I also believe that when a person does this, they should not be surprised at someone else taking offense at his actions and perpetrating some consequences on him.