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Journal banky's Journal: One Nation, On Crack 14

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None of this has anything to do with the Circuit Court, or the Senate, or conservatives, or liberals.

It has to do with one uppity shithead in Cali.

As discussed a few weeks ago, I'm not exactly a god-fearing type. I don't like religion that much. It kinda irks me.

But when I went to a wedding, held in a Catholic church (where every 5 minutes they were praying), I kept my mouth shut, and I just dealt with it.

When there was a prayer, I bowed my head. Everyone else was. I wasn't thinking anything in particular, except how much I wished I was home, asleep (who has a wedding at 10am?).

Why bow my head? Basic fucking respect, man. T&G are friends of Sarah's and mine. There's no fucking need to start some shit over that.

Did I agree with all the "God Stuff"? Of course not. Sarah and I are already investigating just how to get married without all that (note: it's largely impossible to have a more-or-less traditional wedding without a member of the cloth; your best bet is to bribe a JP to come and officiate).

Simple fucking respect. That's all. If you are so fucked up that hearing "...under God..." every day, time to get a thicker skin. Grow up. If you're so sure there is no God, then what the fuck, man? You think this is somehow going to affect you?

Just grow up. If the 'religious right' want to take some REAL right away from you, complain, act. If hearing the word 'God' affects you profoundly, mmmmaybe it's time to grow up a little. If you're an atheist, it's just a word, right? It can't hurt you, because there isn't one, right?

Whatever. When I was in school, no one really said the Pledge. We just kinda mumbled it (quite hilarious, as I recall). I was Mr. Raving Atheist at the time. I just didn't say it. I don't recall any pain, suffering, or problems form having been exposed to it.

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One Nation, On Crack

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  • Back in NJ Public School, we used to have to say the pledge from Kindergarten to sixth grade. Then, some angry mother in Hackensack sued, and after that it was optional to say the pledge.
  • A friend of mine is a judge and he loves to do weddings. He does no religious BS and can do the service in his office or at your location of choice - I don't know where you're at, but for some reason I think that it's going to be a tad farther than the country club down the road... sowie I can't really offer him up to you, but maybe contacting the local court house and asking if there's a judge who likes to do what you're looking for. I know if you called this court house his name would be high on almost anyone's list.
  • I just hate it when they censor history and culture like that. I remember seeing the declaration of independents engraved somewhere and they changed change
    "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal," to read "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and women are created equal,"

    As for the anti religion shit I'm not a Christian either and I doesn't bother me at all that "In god we trust" is printed on the money.

    • I'm a woman and it doesn't bother me that only men are mentioned in the Declaration of Independence. Changing things that are largely products of historical context is really quite pointless.

      Bravo Banky on showing basic respect. I have a lot of non-Christian friends and I hope that it isn't an issue if/when I ever get married because I will have a Christian wedding.

      As for your wedding choices, if you want a wedding in a "pretty" church-like place, but without religious undertones, you might look into a Unitarian-Universalist Church. They also have officiates available. Or, because it is not very hard to get a license to officiate weddings (U-U churches, for instance), you might consider having a friend do the ceremony, especially if you and Sarah have a mutual friend that you think very highly of and would get a kick out of doing it.

  • I'm a member of one of those Internet churches. If you think a wedding I would do is valid, I can perform whatever ceremony you want. I'm in the area (southern MD).

    • Me too. :) In VA we can't do ceremonies. Otherwise I'd just officiate myself, or something.

      He wouldn't that be a gas. Hi, hon, we're married now. Badda-bing.

      this part of the reply is just to get the time thing over with. Argh. 1,2,3,4... oh, nevermind.

      In Maryland do they try to make you take classes and stuff? Before you get married?
      • My church did. My sister's church does. If I could officiate (never tried it, so not sure) I wouldn't make you take classes. If you haven't figured it out yet, sitting and chatting with me for a few hours isn't going to do the trick:)

        I assume you don't just want to go down to the courthouse?

        • I have been lobbying hard for a courthouse wedding, but despite the highly non-traditional leanings of my beloved, she's pretty sure she'd get disowned if there wasn't SOME kind of ceremony.

          That's the trick. If her parents got hit by a bus tomorrow, it wouldn't be a big deal. But she's the only daughter and so everyone is looking to her for the wedding.
  • When there was a prayer, I bowed my head. Everyone else was. I wasn't thinking anything in particular, except how much I wished I was home, asleep (who has a wedding at 10am?).

    Why bow my head? Basic fucking respect, man. T&G are friends of Sarah's and mine. There's no fucking need to start some shit over that.
    A friend's wedding is a very different setting than, say, every weekday morning of a kid's childhood.
    Simple fucking respect. That's all. If you are so fucked up that hearing "...under God..." every day, time to get a thicker skin. Grow up. If you're so sure there is no God, then what the fuck, man? You think this is somehow going to affect you?
    For those of us who are grown up, and who find ourselves at an event like that wedding, I agree fully. Making a scene in that situation would be a very stupid thing to do. However, weddings aren't what this ruling was about. To a kid, who isn't grown up, the pledge is some fucked up shit. As a young atheist, your options are to (a) protest every morning by remaining silent while everyone else recites the pledge, alienating yourself from your god-fearing peers or (b) say a pledge you don't believe in just to fit in. Imagine doing that every morning, from pre-school onward. It's an unacceptable choice: Participate or protest. (I think that is actually said in the ruling, but I can't find the link right now).

    I think this ruling is a Good Thing (tm), and I hope it sticks. I doubt it will though. :/

    On an entirely different subject, re: an earlier journal entry [slashdot.org] of yours where you mentioned quicktime and DRM, have you been able to download the full-screen version of the new StarTrek: Nemesis trailer? I haven't tried too hard yet, but all the conventional methods tell me "This movie doesn't allow saving". That, and, I couldn't even play it without QuickTimePro. Isn't this considered DRM or sorts?
    • easy questions first:
      >I couldn't even play it without QuickTimePro. Isn't this considered DRM or sorts?

      No, I think that's actually extortion. :) Or "value add" or something. The idea being, you get all the badass features by paying; there are a few that are nice. With OSX you can actually turn off the nagware, too. Check MacFixIt or osxhints for howto if you aren't keen in paying. I personally won't use full-screen, because every time I try, the window manager (and desktop) aren't yet smart enough to remember what happens when QT changes resolution. Yeah, I should file a bug.

      >To a kid, who isn't grown up, the pledge is some fucked up shit.
      I pretty much ignored it, as did everyone I spoke to in my informal poll. I have found no one (who I deal with personally) who ever gave it a second thought. In fact some people couldn't even remember it without stumbling a little first. I really find it hard to believe that it is some kind of powerful mind-altering dogma.

      >A friend's wedding is a very different setting than, say, every weekday morning of a kid's childhood.
      Yes but the principle to me is the same: It's just a word. Saying 'God' doesn't hurt me. Hearing Christian dogma bothers me a little (like, the whole trip who God is more important than the people getting married - blech) but damn, it's just a word.

      >(a) protest every morning by remaining silent while everyone else recites the pledge, alienating yourself from your god-fearing peers
      Why stay "in the closet"? Why hide it? I agree in theory with the "participate or protest" idea, but I stand by my claim. It's just a word. If you don't believe the Pledge in its entirety (with or without "under God") then the phrase itself being in there is kinda meaningless.

      For that matter, isn't the kid in question something like 6 years old? Sounds to me like Daddy is the one that's offended. A 6 year old doesn't know what God is. *I* don't know what God is. :)

      I'd love to ask him if he was pleased with the quality of the kid's education, or lunch, or whatever.

      I still think it was Daddy being uppity, and the only stress the kid had was from Daddy's programming.

      Crap, I think I'm defending the Christian POV. Someone get me something immoral, STAT!
    • I forgot: do we take 'God' off the money? Do we no longer teach the texts of things like the Constitution, because it mentions God?

      My chief complaint with this sort of thing is that not talking about God won't make God go away.

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