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You
can take me to court, you can charge me, you can try and convict me…..but I still
won’t change.
This coming Sunday is Easter.
Not “Spring Holiday”
…not “Spring Break” or something else…it’s Easter.
You can call it whatever
you like…it doesn’t bother me if you do so. I want to call it by the name I have
lived with all of my life. This coming holiday to me is Easter.
It’s almost
at the point in my life where I think I’d like to start a movement to change the
term ‘politically correct’ to be called ‘politically incorrect.’ The last time
I looked we were living in the United States of America. I was under the impression,
although I might be mistaken, that I could say and do things as I choose to do
so, as long as they did not hurt others. I think this is called our freedom of
speech. I am tired of other people telling me what is politically correct or incorrect.
I think that is up to each of us to choose for themselves.
I realize
there are some limitations to this freedom. For example, you cannot shout ‘fire’
in theaters or incite people to riots…stuff like that. However, if I choose to
call a holiday Easter, then isn’t that my choice, not yours? You can call it what
you wish and it doesn’t bother me, but let’s not criticize one or the other.
OK?
On the news this morning, there was a loud and divisive discussion
over some student who had invited some classmates to an Easter party. The school
administration became upset over her use of the word…Easter. They advised that
she had erred in placing a religious emphasis on a social function on school property.
Now, I find this amusing since many of the schools around the nation certainly
allow for the celebration of Halloween (All Hallows Eve or All Saints Day) which
certainly started off having religious roots.
While I respect the rights
of any person to believe as they wish, and to worship how they wish, I do not
nor would I become offended if someone asked me to attend a Passover celebration
or any other celebration the person happened to believe in. I have the right to
say no, if I did not want to attend. They can call their holidays whatever they
want, just let me do the same. As Founding Father James Madison wrote in Federalist
10, “As long as the reason of man continues fallible, and he is at liberty to
exercise it, different opinions will be formed.”
Amen to that.
I hope the word “Amen’ didn’t offend anyone, but then again I really don’t care.
If the schools are so hung up on terminology regarding the diversity of religious
beliefs of their student body, then how about this…
Let’s eliminate school
holidays altogether. Get rid of all of them, throw them out the door. Why argue
over them in the first place?
Stop closing up those weeks in December and
Spring…keep those kids in classes where they can learn…bring up those test scores....Make
them go to class on the last Thursday in November. Why be thankful? Thankful for
what? Thankful to who?
Our kids are far behind the curve on education
as compared to students in other parts of the world. Now is an ideal time to play
catch up and get back on track so we can emerge as a productive world power. The
school districts shouldn’t mind losing these days off. After all why take days
off for something you don’t believe in?
I mean, it just doesn’t make any
sense to set down and try to reason with the various religious groups and come
up with a plan to give everyone a break from school or work at the same time,
does it? No, that’s make too much sense. That’s called logic and logic seldom
fits into governmental agencies, does it?
If we eliminate holidays… then
the students can graduate earlier and enter the workplace that much sooner. Then
they can marry and have children of their own and then be able to express their
opinions for themselves. Instead of some governmental hack who is devoid of common
sense or purpose.
They can also vote on school board members and our
legislators. Wow, that’s a scary thought isn’t it? |
©
Peary Perry
Letters From North
America >
April 4, 2007 column
Syndicated weekly in 80 newspapers
Comments go to
www.pearyperry.com |
Peary
Perry's
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