Hat tip Tongue Tied in Speaking of the Devil
A high school marching band has been forbidden from playing a Charlie Daniels song at an upcoming bowl game because of fears that it might cross the line between church and state, according to the Washington Post.
The band at C.D. Hylton High School in Prince Williams County wanted to play Daniels' "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" during an upcoming appearance at the Peach Bowl.
A local resident, however, complained in a letter to the Potomac News, that a song about the devil was an inappropriate insertion of faith into the repertoire of a public school band. The band's director, Dennis Brown, pulled the song from the playlist.
A first reaction might be "Oh No, another Halloween is Evil protest by someone with more religion than sens>" and if that is your reaction you would be WRONG.
"local newspaper, the Potomac News, published a letter by a Woodbridge resident who, after having seen the C.D. Hylton Bulldawg Marching Band perform the country-western hit at a football game, wondered how a song about the devil could be played at school events, because of the separation of church and state.
Separation of Church and STATE? Someone please wake me up? I don't need legal and Constitutional protection from Laws respecting the Establishment of Satanism. Besides it turns out the idiot who wrote the letter in the first place is NOT offended or threatened by the word Devil in a song after all.
As for that nettlesome letter writer, Robert McLean? The defense contractor, whose children are home-schooled, said he went to Hylton's football game just because he enjoys the sport. His letter, he said, was meant to start a philosophical debate, not to wreck any student's marching band experience. Besides, he said, he loves "Devil."
"It was one of the first 45s I had as a kid," he said.
Hey McLean? Why don't you, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT from now on?
But he is not the real problem. It is people like
Hylton's longtime band director, Dennis Brown, pulled the song from the playlist. "I was just being protective of my students. I didn't want any negative publicity for C.D. Hylton High School," he said.
and the result of placating idiocy?
But Brown's strategy backfired. The decision has created a furor, and even Charlie Daniels has weighed in.
We just don't have enough Ragin Cajun General Honores to go around do we? Instead of junking the work of months by the band by banning a Charlie Daniel's song in GEORGIA for Pete's Sake, A simple "Don't get Stuck on Stupid" was all that was needed.
But we are overrun these days with the "Random Fluctuations of an Indeterminate Universe Forbid".
(might get visited by the Politically Correct Inquisition if I use God Forbid) ANYONE EVER gets offended, except for the large majority of everyday citizens, we don't count.
That is why we have the insanity of the Seminoles being forced to change their name. Is the Seminole Indian Nation offended by their name being used by an athletic team? No THEY like it but they SHOULD be offended so the PC Inquisitor is taking steps to remedy this injustice.
Oh this hypersensitivity is by no means recent. Some of us remember the Cold War, like the present, America was commonly called every name in the book, but man if we said ANYTHING about the Soviets there was a firestorm of recriminations, we might offend them you see, it was not diplomatic you see.
Odd thing was no one else felt like being diplomatic, they still don't. For instance ex-Chancellor Schroeder as part of his farewell uttered these immortal words,
"I do not want to name any catastrophes where you can see what happens if organized state action is absent. I could name countries, but the position I still hold forbids it, but everyone knows I mean America"
And how did our President respond to this occasion?
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush called outgoing Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder "to thank him for his service" on Thursday, a day after the German leader criticized the United States, the White House said.
"While the two leaders had differences at times on policy, the president said that he enjoyed working with Chancellor Schroeder," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.
"The president expressed his and Mrs. Bush's best wishes to Chancellor and Mrs. Schroeder as he prepares to leave office."
Now I suppose a case could be made about whether President Bush was sincere or not, but it is in keeping with the American hesitance to "kick a man when he is down" , unlike some European's tendency to try to trip someone so they can kick them when they are down.
We need as a Society to forget trying to be diplomatic when the other side is just looking for excuses to be offended.
We need more Reagans on the local, national and international levels.
Like I said before in those days American and America was called every name in the book and some invented on the spot that went into the new books and we were just supposed to "take it" and react in a Civilized manner.
And then came Reagan.
And he got up looked them right back in the eye and said they were.
The Evil Empire
And the talking heads gave a collective gasp of HORROR!
And me? I said RIGHT ON! there was FINALLY someone sticking up for US and it was about time!
So while in the Case of The Devil Came Down to Georgia, I think that idiot McLean should have kept his blamed mouth shut if he did not really care about the song, the real culprit is this
gasp someone might be offended freeze everyone into immobility! reaction.
We need some folks with the backbone to say.
"Don't like that song? Bring earplugs."
Posted by ky/kentuckydan
at 6:43 AM CDT
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Updated: Wednesday, 19 October 2005 7:34 AM CDT
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Updated: Wednesday, 19 October 2005 7:34 AM CDT