Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Tony G]

got a condo made a stone-ah!

[*JD*]

I'm just happy that somebody finally illustrated this:

[entropy]

Posted in Top Stories | 641 comments

Aug 22, 2012
By Todd Starnes

A Wisconsin-based group has accused a Georgia high school football coach of violating the First Amendment by allowing local churches to prepare meals for his team.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a letter to the superintendent of Walker County Schools demanding an “immediate investigation” into Ridgeland High School football coach Mark Mariakis.

FOLLOW TODD ON FACEBOOK FOR CULTURE WAR NEWS. CLICK HERE.

The FFRF is a Wisconsin-based group whose purpose is to “protect the constitutional principle of separation between state and church.”

They are demanding the school system launch an investigation into allegations that Coach Mariakis allowed local churches to prepare pre-game meals for his football team. They also allege that the coach prayed with his team, used Bible verses in motivational speeches and on team shirts and participated in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

“Taking public school football teams to church, even for a meal, is unconstitutional,” wrote FFRF attorney Andrew Seidel. “This program is an egregious violation of the Establishment Clause and must cease immediately.”

Seidel said taking school children to churches and having ministers “present the Gospel of Jesus Christ” and having the food blessed “shatters the protections the First Amendment put in place.”

The Walker County School system released a statement acknowledging they have received the letter and are reviewing its contents.

The FFRF said a local individual complained about a longstanding tradition of local churches providing meals to the teenage football players on game day. The complainant said a minister would typically deliver remarks “about the Christian religion.”

“The fact that Mariakis visits several churches instead of one does not mitigate the violation,” Seidel wrote.

The Chattanooga Valley Baptist Church is scheduled to provide a meal for the football team in late October.

Richie White, the church’s youth director, said he was quite surprised to hear that an outside group had issues with feeding children.

“It would be interesting to see what part of the Constitution we violated by simply offering a meal to fellow Americans,” he told Fox News. “These are kis from our area that we do love and we do care about.”

White said several members of the church youth group are on the football squad – and it’s been a tradition to show their support for school athletics.

“We as Christians don’t force our religion on anyone,” he said, suggesting that perhaps Christians are treated differently.

“We’re being persecuted because we believe there is a God who created us,” White said. “I don’t think there’s an equal playing field because we base our lives and our views on the Scripture.”

Robert Jeffress, the pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, and a national commentator on social issues, said it’s time for Christians to stand up against the attacks from the FFRF.

“The Freedom From Religion Foundation has dedicated itself to perverting the very real First Amendment freedom of religious expression for an imaginary freedom from religious expression,” he told Fox News. “It is time for all Christians to push back against the attempts of atheistic groups and judicial activists to erase our constitutional right of freedom of religious expression.”

Ken Klukowski, special counsel for the Family Research Council said the FFRF has a long history of going after public displays of religion. Their mission, he said is very clear.

“They believe all religious faith is inherently and irredeemably harmful to human society,” Klukowski told Fox News. “It’s not their mission to separate church and state. It’s their mission to eradicate religion from American culture altogether.”

He said the Wisconsin-based group wants a “purely secular environment.”

“They pursue it with a militant zeal that is foreign to most people in this country,” he said.

That may be the case, but according to Klukowski – they may in fact have a case against Ridgeland High School.

“If they are suing on behalf of one of the students, even though they should not prevail, they could,” he said.

It’s unclear based on the letter sent to the school district whether the complainant is a student or member of the local community.

If, for example, the student was a member of the football team and objected to attending a local church, the FFRF could have a case – primarily because of the makeup of the Supreme Court, he said.

“If our law pertaining to religious liberty under the Constitution is anything resembling what it was for the first two centuries of our national life, then they wouldn’t have a prayer,” he added.

[lineygoblue]

Talent - I sent you a PayPal for the entry fee on the CFB Picks. Let me know if you didn't get it.

[entropy]

While Texas Tech men's basketball coach Billy Gillispie recovers from an undisclosed medical issue in a Lubbock hospital, allegations from former players and coaches continue to pile up.

According to a story by CBSSports.com's Jeff Goodman, multiple ex-Red Raider players have alleged that Gillispie broke NCAA rules that limit practice time to four hours per day and 20 hours per week

"We used to go more than four hours all the time," former Texas Tech forward Jaron Nash told Goodman. "I remember that day when we went almost all day. We didn't leave until 9 p.m. or so. It was pretty bad. A lot of guys were really hurt after it. One guy had a stress fracture in both legs."

Goodman spoke with another source who said the player with stress fractures was Kader Tapsoba, who didn't play last season while dealing with injuries. The source told Goodman that Tapsoba was "literally crying at practice" as Gillispie had him "running up and down the steps at the arena."

Numerous other sources told Goodman that Gillispie has offered coaching positions to several people and then either reneged on the promise or altered the job description greatly. In one example, Goodman wrote that Gillispie had made an assistant coaching job offer to Tom Coverdale only to tell him just days before he was set to arrive in Lubbock the job was actually an assistant strength position that paid about half as much.

Goodman's story is littered with other allegations, including accusations that Gillispie made assistant coaches run the steps of the arena, and that highly touted prospect Wannah Bail left the program because he "couldn't deal" with Gillispie, and not for academic issues as had been speculated.

Goodman also wrote that current Texas Tech players have met with school administrators about Gillispie, but won't go on record to talk about him.

"It's been festering since last year," a source told Goodman. "The players are tired of it."

[lineygoblue]

Those allegations sound familiar.

[lineygoblue]

So the biggest question I have this morning is, ...

... Will Michael Strahan keep his gig at "The NFL On Fox", now that he's the "Michael" on "Kelly and Michael" ...

[geo weidl]

You need to get a job liney.

[entropy]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQpq1_pfIgk"]Boat Crash at Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri - YouTube[/ame]

[lineygoblue]

You said it, Geo.

My friend told me that a local school district need school bus drivers, and I should apply.

I dunno if I can see myself hauling around a bunch of squealing kindergardners ...

[Tony G]

Ent. here's a caption for that

a caption for it
A shocking video has captured the moment a family day out on the water turned to tragedy in a horrific boating crash.

The footage, taken at Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri last Friday, shows the passengers being thrown back-and-forth like rag dolls after the family's powerboat plows into a large wake at high speed.

At the beginning of the video, two female boaters, presumably mother and daughter, are seen dressed in bright coloured bikinis and sunglasses, smiling and posing, clearly aware of the camera's presence.


The other five boaters - four men and another, more demurely dressed, woman - are equally enjoying their day on the water.

But the fun-filled atmosphere soon turns to chaos when the vessel - a Fountain powerboat - hits the large wake of another boat passing by, and the unnamed family comes to blows on the waterway.

The boat's driver, who was speeding along the popular lake, loses control and the vessel starts violently rocking from side-to-side.

The passengers are seen slamming around the boat's interior like dolls during the surprise crash.

The driver and the bikini-clad daughter are flung to opposite ends of the vessel in what look like painful projections.

All seven boaters were injured in the incident, according to LakeTV.

Five were taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for minor to moderate injuries.

The Missouri reservoir is a popular place for boaters and vacationing families but local authorities say boating accidents are common.

They have warned families to take special care on the lake over the Labor Day weekend when two people died and 10 people were injured last year.

[hack]

Was wondering what the fuck that was. The driver keeled over as if something else was going on..

[Rob F]

Boat Crash at Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri - YouTube

I have to admit---it's kind of addicting to watch.

[Tony G]

Yep, sort a challenge to keep an eye on everyone and see where they go. The woman in the front has her sunglasses come off but it looks like they stay in the boat.

[lineygoblue]

o...m...g ....

I got an e-mail earlier this week, asking me to be a member of a "make-up" crew Friday night, because the crew that originally had the game, mistakenly double-booked themselves.

So, I volunteered. I should have known never to volunteer ...

I get an e-mail this morning that gives us our pre-game instructions, where to meet, locker room assignments, game contacts, etc....

............and I find out that I've been assigned to be the WH.........

I have never been the WH for a varsity contest. I've worked youth leagues, freshman and JV as a WH, but never a varsity.

And, .. this isn't a blow-off game either. Its a home game for a recent state champion.

I'll be in Ann Arbor this afternoon. If I can avoid throwing up, I'll be stopping at Honig's to buy a white hat. I don't even own one.

yikes .....