To LUGNET HomepageTo LUGNET News HomepageTo LUGNET Guide Homepage
 Help on Searching
 
Post new message to lugnet.off-topic.debateOpen lugnet.off-topic.debate in your NNTP NewsreaderTo LUGNET News Traffic PageSign In (Members)
 Off-Topic / Debate / 17562
17561  |  17563
Subject: 
Re: Those stupid liberal judges are at it again!
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.off-topic.debate
Date: 
Thu, 12 Sep 2002 20:38:47 GMT
Viewed: 
2860 times
  
"Larry Pieniazek" <lpieniazek@mercator.com> writes:
> In lugnet.off-topic.debate, William R. Ward writes:
> > "Larry Pieniazek" <lpieniazek@mercator.com> writes:
> > > Socialism is thought by some to be a religion (1), are you OK if we ban the
> > > teaching of socialism in public schools? Let's stick to things we know are
> > > true, after all...
> > > 1 - it requires faith in miracles and has no predictive power
> > 
> > I don't see what relevance this has to anything I said.
> 
> OK. But you're a socialist, right? Since belief that a socialist system can
> actually work is counterfactual, holding such a belief is a kind of religion
> since it requires faith.

By US standards, I suppose I would be called that.  By European
standards, I'd probably be considered centrist.  But that isn't the
topic currently being discussed.

> > > I'll support not funding religious schools or religious activities in public
> > > schools when I can choose not to *fund* public schools. But as long as I
> > > have to pay, I am going to require hewing a fine line. No Noah murals and no
> > > banning christian clubs on school property either.
> > 
> > Why?
> 
> Separation of Church and State.
> 
> A permanent mural (contrast with an informational exhibit, this was
> decorative) with Noah on it in a public school (we had one (past tense,
> thanks to my wife) in our local elementary) is a State endorsement of a
> particular religion. Not allowed under the constitution.

Good.

> Banning clubs of students from holding meetings, whatever the topic matter
> (christian, Jedi, secular humanist, libertarian, communist, softball, chess,
> Lego, MegaBlocks) is State repression of that particular viewpoint. Not
> allowed under the constitution.

Huh?  That's a straw man.  The issue is religion, not viewpoint.  And
since the school is a part of the State, it needs to be kept separate
from religion.

> This is just a restatement of what was said by Dave!  (The 9th circuit was
> right both times for essentially the same reason.)
> 
> Note that the mere fact of holding a meeting means that the club is
> consuming resources (and thus money) of the school system, so the point of
> whether the school FUNDS the club is moot, it already does so when it gives
> space.

It's a matter of degrees.  Giving money is a much more significant act
than allowing space to be used that would otherwise be sitting idle.
The cost of allowing a group to meet is lost in the noise of the
school's budget; but actively giving money is a different kettle of fish.

> The key point is that the schools are a public good, funded by taxpayers,
> whether those taxpayers think it's a good idea or not (I for one don't)...
> and as such, cannot show any preference for one viewpoint over another.
> Private schools are under no such compunction.

That isn't what the Constitution says.  It says Congress (and by
extension, the public school systems) can't give support to any
religion.

--Bill.

--
William R Ward            bill@wards.net          http://www.wards.net/~bill/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      Verbing weirds language.  --Calvin



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: Those stupid liberal judges are at it again!
 
(...) Or suppress it either. Allowing a club to meet isn't support, but preventing one from meeting is suppression. Unless the school has a policy forbidding all clubs from meeting on school grounds it cannot prevent some clubs (which are otherwise (...) (24 years ago, 13-Sep-02, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Those stupid liberal judges are at it again!
 
(...) OK. But you're a socialist, right? Since belief that a socialist system can actually work is counterfactual, holding such a belief is a kind of religion since it requires faith. (...) Separation of Church and State. A permanent mural (contrast (...) (24 years ago, 12-Sep-02, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)

220 Messages in This Thread:
(Inline display suppressed due to large size. Click Dots below to view.)
Entire Thread on One Page:
Nested:  All | Brief | Compact | Dots
Linear:  All | Brief | Compact

This Message and its Replies on One Page:
Nested:  All | Brief | Compact | Dots
Linear:  All | Brief | Compact
    

©2005 LUGNET. All rights reserved. - hosted by steinbruch.info GbR