When I have attended council meetings, or school board meetings there
were things that happened there that offended me, at times. Did I let
that prevent me from returning or participating?  The answer is "NO"!!!
If someone is offended by someone's actions, or words, to the point they
want to 'get an attorney' then I think their agenda was to 'be
offended!' plain and simple.  
I remember when people were actually tolerant of others and would talk
privately, to avoid publicity, when this kind of thing happened.  Now we
have 'un/under employed' attorneys that need access to our hard earned
money so the peddle greed to anyone who will listen.  The end results,
neighbors no longer talk to each other communities no longer socialize
and attorneys sit in their glass bubbles laughing all the way to the
bank.

-----Original Message-----
From: Russ Smith [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Wednesday, December 03, 2003 3:34 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [HP3000-L] OT: 10 Commandments


Brice,

>
> I DID READ what Mark said, here it is -
>
> -----------------------
>
> Mayor Green was quoted as saying that if anybody is bothered by an
> invocation,
> then the solution is for that person to leave the council chambers
until
the
> invocation has concluded.

Technically, Mark's piece quoted the Mayor who said if anybody was
'bothered' by the invocation, they could leave the council chambers.
There
was only an implication that someone was offended; but, I see your
point.

Regardless, his idea was that tax paying residents in good standing in
the
community, i.e. persons whose voices are the "We" in "We the People,"
should
not have to leave the council chambers or come in after the first five
minutes because that first five minutes is only for the tax paying
residents
in good standing in the community who also happen to have blue eyes, or
smoke Marlboro Lights, or pray to a god named Krispy Nu.

If the council members wish to meet on the front lawn and say a prayer
before they enter the civil building and start collecting their
paychecks,
that is nobody's business but their own.  If, however, they wish to use
any
portion of the time allotted for conducting the business of the
government,
that is equivalent to state funded religion and is unconstitutional.

I realize that you see nothing wrong with the meetings beginning with a
prayer.  And I would agree with you, so long as it's done fairly: make
an
alphabetical list of all religions recognized in the U.S. and each day
the
council meets, the next on the list gets to spend 15 minutes doing
whatever
they do.  On the morning that some group tries to splatter everyone in
the
room with goat blood, or sets off the fire alarm while burning something
in
effigy, maybe the council will reconsider.  The easiest response would
be
that only "speaking words, regardless of language, at a reasonable
volume
level" would be acceptable, except now the rules are deciding how people
can
pray.  Slippery slope time.  Best not to play at all.

Rs~

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