But I don't wanna skate to Stryper, or Why don't you just throw in some klezmer music and maybe this will all go away..
I was cruising around blog-land attempting to see all the things wrong with me (I consider myself somewhat progressive and, GoDfrey Daniels, I attend the Episcopalian church). Apparently I'm aligned with terrorism, besieged with unnatural desires, and just an ass for not believing that WMD still exist in Iraq*.
Anyway, I was fascinated by a post on Terry Frank's blog which claimed that a skating rink in upstate New York was being investigated by the NY Department of Human Rights for designating part of Sunday afternoons as 'Christian Skate Time'. I was thinking that SURELY this was one of those snopesian urban legends based on some kind of misunderstanding.
I started googling the story and kept finding 'family value' blogs expressing outrage at the investigation, and I kept wondering if this story was like the Gertrude Stein quote about Oakland, 'there's no there, there'.
Surely a story this ridiculous would get more play in blogs and media other than the family values circuit. Lo, and behold, Terry appears to be right. Terry has done some more digging on the story as well.
Newsday, the major newspaper for Long Island, picked up the story last Frday. It seems that an over-zealous bureaucrat really has filed some sort of complaint regarding the privately-owned skating rink. Advertising that Sunday afternoons from 2:00-4:00 will be Christian skate time (Christian music will be played - can you really skate to Jars of Clay???) apparently discriminates against those people who don't consider themselves Christians. The skating rink is not funded in any way by taxpayer dollars of any sort and they are not limiting admittance based on spiritual belief.
Your typical Rob Zombie fan probably will stay away from said roller rink during the designated hours. The owners of the rink have already changed the name to 'Spiritual Skate Time', but I'm guessing they won't be calling the alt-believers to pray four times a day with what passes for pop music in mullah-ville.
I still wonder if I'm missing some vital part of this story. Regardless, here is my prediction: This investigation won't go anywhere. Pillar and Amy Grant will blast forth from the mighty speakers and taxpayer dollars will be wasted in other ways yet to be imagined by the progressive likes of people like me.
*Standard progressive disclaimer: Saddam is a bad man. A very very bad man.
Anyway, I was fascinated by a post on Terry Frank's blog which claimed that a skating rink in upstate New York was being investigated by the NY Department of Human Rights for designating part of Sunday afternoons as 'Christian Skate Time'. I was thinking that SURELY this was one of those snopesian urban legends based on some kind of misunderstanding.
I started googling the story and kept finding 'family value' blogs expressing outrage at the investigation, and I kept wondering if this story was like the Gertrude Stein quote about Oakland, 'there's no there, there'.
Surely a story this ridiculous would get more play in blogs and media other than the family values circuit. Lo, and behold, Terry appears to be right. Terry has done some more digging on the story as well.
Newsday, the major newspaper for Long Island, picked up the story last Frday. It seems that an over-zealous bureaucrat really has filed some sort of complaint regarding the privately-owned skating rink. Advertising that Sunday afternoons from 2:00-4:00 will be Christian skate time (Christian music will be played - can you really skate to Jars of Clay???) apparently discriminates against those people who don't consider themselves Christians. The skating rink is not funded in any way by taxpayer dollars of any sort and they are not limiting admittance based on spiritual belief.
Your typical Rob Zombie fan probably will stay away from said roller rink during the designated hours. The owners of the rink have already changed the name to 'Spiritual Skate Time', but I'm guessing they won't be calling the alt-believers to pray four times a day with what passes for pop music in mullah-ville.
I still wonder if I'm missing some vital part of this story. Regardless, here is my prediction: This investigation won't go anywhere. Pillar and Amy Grant will blast forth from the mighty speakers and taxpayer dollars will be wasted in other ways yet to be imagined by the progressive likes of people like me.
*Standard progressive disclaimer: Saddam is a bad man. A very very bad man.
