measi's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday musings. Lots of people are out of the office today, so I'm working at a slow pace. Summer hours are in effect, so technically I can leave around 1, but I might stay a bit later today to try to get some crap done before the holiday weekend next week. *shrug* [bar] I did my Friday Fives for the week. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ So now let me get into my real rant... because it's been simmering since yesterday around noontime. Listening to the news and all of the bickering... oh, sorry, debate... programs last night about the pledge of allegiance issue has made me even more convinced that it needs to be thrown out or revised. Someone standing up for the Constitution and freedom of religion without governmental interference was heckled. In fact, his voice was hardly allowed, with all of the others on the panel constantly cutting him off, but making a point to shut him up if he tried to interject during one of their points. I went into the History Channel's discussion forum and voiced my view, and was told to go back to the USSR where my "godless communist kind belonged." It made me sick. Absolutely sick. And proved my point. Unless you're a monotheistic Judeo-Christian in this country, you're not fucking welcome. The attitude is to shut the fuck up, put up with it because you're in the minority, and your views are not welcome. That's also the clear view I've gotten both in person and via direct email response on the matter (Dyrty, dear, this does not apply to you). People at work were discussing it at the lunch table yesterday. I kept silent, knowing from the discussion that I was in the vast minority, and did not want to get smacked. But then I was directly asked, and of course, I won't lie about it. Immediately both my religion and my patriotism were attacked, and within a few minutes, I pulled the "listen, this is bordering on harassment at the workplace-- you asked me, I told you. Respect my views as I respect yours. Thank you." I then left the table. If they cross me again, I will go straight to HR. No one can tell me this isn't about religious freedom in this country, nor that there is respect for anyone who calls to change an injustice in the American government. Because apparently, First Amendment rights are not actually granted to those in the minority-- it only protects the majority faiths. The judge who put his ruling on hold did so because he received *death threats* over his decision. Fucking death threats... over a pledge that half of the people who threatened probably haven't said since they were in 6th grade, and even then just recited because they had to. People who are Christians only when it's convenient. And our own Congress starting the day with a strongly religiously emphasized *prayer* because of this. Separation of Church and State? Doesn't exist. It's an idealized dream of those who want to return to the days when the Bill of Rights meant something. Well, fuck that. And fuck the pledge. Until it's changed, it won't be spoken through my lips in any fashion, because the backlash I've gotten in the past 36 hours prove to me that not only is "under God" a most definite installment of Christianity in America and a sign that anyone who doesn't worship the same should be suppressed in society, but we're not a nation indivisible, either. I'm ashamed to be an American with this garbage. 10:30 a.m. - 28 June 2002 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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