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Dispatches from a Struggling Buddhist Studies Graduate Student

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Mayor Tonya Hoeffel Doesn't Understand the First Amendment

After this post and the previous post, I think I just might turn this blog into a Rogues Gallery of sorts, populated by people who clearly don't understand Constitutional Law, but should.  And not in depth analyses of pertinent though obscure case law, but a basic understanding of well known constitutional  principles.  

Like the fact you, as a mayor, cannot walk into a store and start throwing things into the trash because you think they make baby Jesus cry:
Less than one month after of the massacre of Sikhs in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, Mayor Tonya Hoeffel of Garrett, Indiana has further offended the Sikh community. Mayor Hoeffel walked into a local convenience store, observed pamphlets about the Sikh religion on the store counter, and picked them up before throwing them in the trash bin.When manager and part-owner of the store Kulwinder Singh Nagra asked Mayor Hoeffel why she threw out the informational pamphlets, she replied, "It's against my beliefs. This is against Christianity."Although Mayor Tonya Hoeffel has since apologized, her behavior demands more thoughtful analysis and response. We must demand more from our elected officials and hold them accountable for their actions....After being called out by the local media, Mayor Tonya Hoeffel met with Kulwinder Singh Nagra to apologize for her mistake. She explained: "I personally believe if you do something wrong, you go to that person. I apologized for offending them [Sikhs]. I said I know they are a peaceful people."
If she really wanted to apologize, she would immediately leave office to spare the city from further embarrassment 

(Hat tip to Ed Brayton)

Thursday, September 6, 2012

St. Martinville High School Graduates are Still Not Too Sure About This 'Brown v. Board' Thing...

St. Martinville High School Class of 1973, whose members were born after the Supreme Court ruled against segregated public schools, decided to hold its first ever desegregated high school reunion:
For nearly 40 years, graduates from the St. Martinville, La., Senior High School Class of 1973 have been holding racially segregated class reunions.But this year, ABC affiliate KATC reports that the graduates decided to change that tradition, making the reunion a non-segregated affair.
It boggles the mind that they only now decided to play catch up to the rest of the country in some respects.  But that doesn't mean they are ready to get rid of all of their old timey ways:
However, a letter announcing the change included an after party for "white graduates only." 
According to reports, a reception is going to be held at the school at the end of September, followed by the homecoming football game. The letter notes that "all graduates are welcome to attend" those events.
After the game, however, "white graduates only" have been invited to gather at a classmate's home. Invitees are encouraged to bring a "food dish to share."
 And racism.  You absolutely cannot forget to bring that.