Where I live: December 2004 Archives

Athens, home of the University of Georgia (and Doug's hometown) is sometimes called "the Berkeley of the south." Somehow I don't think you'd find this story out of Berkeley:

[University of Georgia Cheerleading coach Marilou] Braswell was fired Aug. 23, two weeks after she read a prepared statement informing cheerleaders that teammate Jaclyn Steele had made allegations of religious discrimination against her.

Braswell, who coached for 12 years, claims the athletic association tried to deprive her of her First Amendment freedom of speech and free exercise of religion, as well as 14th Amendment due process and equal protection rights.

Braswell, who wiped away tears as Thrash made his ruling, insisted after the hearing "I have never discriminated against anybody."

Steele, who is Jewish, and another Jewish cheerleader first complained that Braswell gave unfavorable treatment to non-Christian cheerleaders and others who did not participate in pregame prayers and Bible studies at Braswell's home.

The university investigated their complaint and placed Braswell on probation while ordering Steele to be placed on the football cheerleading squad without a tryout.

A good number of folks around here are in general agreement that it's anti-Christian to say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. Earlier in the season I heard a call on the radio to boycott Macy's because they were saying the offending phrase. Personally, I don't get it. I find it troubling that a gesture towards inclusion is turned into a slight. What do you do with that? Kevin Drum comments on the attention the issue is getting in the mainstream media and wonders how they are so successful at getting their message out and how can liberals copy it?

UPDATE: It Affects You goes off on the fact that Bush started his press conference this morning with happy holidays!

UPDATE: Ross Douthat from The American Scene is guest blogging at AndrewSullivan.com. He chimes in with this.

I just got back from lunch. On the radio I heard an ad asking that we boycott Target and visit Wal-Mart instead. The fundamentalist Christian community is up in arms that Target has banned Salvation Army solicitors from their stores. Even some liberals seem to be upset about the ban, but mainly it's the Christians. Myself, I don't much care. I don't really see it as anti-Christian on Target's part (their corporate statement is here) and if I were to take up the cudgel of free speech in the private sphere, it wouldn't likely be on behalf of an evangelical Christian charity.

It surprised me to hear this locally produced issue advocacy ad on our little country radio station. "Star Station" WLRR 100.7 is a one man operation run from a personal computer out of his home by Craig Baker. The station plays "standards" (in monaural!) that seem so old as to all be in the public domain. I talked to Craig last year when I was looking for work and, as an advocate of local independent media, I was impressed with what he put together and enjoyed what he had to say.

He believes the most important part of his programming is his commercials. He has no DJs so they are the only original content he's got. He goes out and records, edits and writes them on his own, on the spot, with the local merchants. Now that's local radio. The ads all have personality, reflecting this time and place like no other media around here. One of my favorites is for Farmers and Merchants Bank, which is touting how it's now technologically up to date because it just added "telephone banking."

I've listened to the station since I've lived here and Craig was right, I listen for the commercials. Lately I've noticed a decidedly Christian turn to the station. Maybe Craig's found a new market and is selling them ads like hotcakes. Maybe he's playing to his Bible-belt audience. Maybe he's a fundamentalist Christian himself (the topic didn't come up in our conversation though I pointedly mentioned my gay partner). I don't know. What I do know is the station's quite popular; Craig knows his market. And Target knows theirs. My friends, who like me travel to Macon to shop at Target, all want one to open up here. I won't hold my breath.

A faculty friend formally reported three instances of plagiarism last week. Ironically, the guilty students were all fundamentalist Christian Bush supporters. Doug points out that these "cut-and-paste writers" violated at least two of the Commandments...

A bumper sticker on a red pickup truck with an American flag decal in the window pulling into the parking lot of Huddle House:

I LOVE MY COUNTRY BUT I FEAR MY GOVERNMENT

This even with a Bush victory...

I've been looking all day for a transcript (found it, see the extended entry) from last night's Nightline, which focused on the 2.6 ton Ten Commandments monument that Judge Roy Moore had installed in a Mississippi courtroom. You will likely recall that it was ordered removed. Turns out that it's now on tour. A guy from American Veterans in Domestic Defense (!) got himself a flatbed truck and a driver and is hauling the thing all over the south. The website for the tour, standingforgod.org, has been down since this morning. I went there looking to see if the monument would be coming to my town. People here sure would like it if it did.

I wanted the transcripts so I could quote directly from those interviewed for the show. I wanted to share with you the kind of sentiment I hear expressed in my "Middle Georgia" community. Coming from New York as I do, you'll understand it's not the worldview I'm used to hearing. But here getting the Ten Commandments hung in court houses is the biggest issue since the Georgia Heritage Coalition (why am I surprised they're still in business?) took up the fight to retain the Confederate battle flag as part of the Georgia State Flag. For $4.50 you can get a Ten Commandments sign from Ten Commandments America for your lawn. Many here have them. How many? In New York during the Republican Convention you couldn't walk the street without seeing a "Say no to the Bush agenda" banner (mine was a birthday gift from Howard & Alex). I'd say it's proportionally equivalent. The Ten Commandments signs are to here, as the "Say no to Bush" banners are to there.

Now that doesn't make me real comfortable. The Ten Commandments crowd tends to believe I'm going to hell. But the thing is, I believe we've got to live together, and no matter where we live we'll have people we don't agree with. My experience here has been that everyone is nice as can be to me. Doug plays organ in half the churches in town. All the church folk seem to like us. I've had some try to save me, sway me to their ways. Their religion tells tham that's the godly, the christian thing to do. I'm not sure what the best thing for me to do is. For the moment, I think finding common ground is a good thing. I only wish that's the way they felt.