Freedom of Religion?

In yesterday's Herald, there was a story about a man who is receiving hate mail and harrassing phone calls because he put up a 12' wooden cross on his property in Carmel Valley. He lives on 40 acres and yes, the cross is visible from pretty far away but it is on HIS property and its a cross he constructed from 2 pieces of wood - nothing obnoxious, brightly colored, just 2 pieces of wood stuck together to form a symbol. Now the county wants him to apply for a permit which costs money and could be denied. I have pasted a link to the article if you are interested in reading more about it...
http://www.montereyherald.com/search/ci_8700529?IADID=Search-www.montereyherald.com-www.montereyherald.com

So, should we have the freedom to express our faith, religion, etc. or if someone else finds this particular symbol offensive, do we have to remove it? The land owner feels that his constitutional rights are being denied. What do you think?

FCC policy & the first amendment

In today's news... a good topic for discussion for our class. Should the FCC be able to fine tv companies who broadcast expletives? The FCC currently has a policy that says they can but others are appealing it as a violation of first amendment rights. One good argument is that parents have many ways to monitor what their kids are able to watch through parental controls so it's up to them to decide what words they want them to hear (or not). What do you think? Should the celebs be able to use "the F word" or other "fleeting expletives" at awards ceremonies if we assume only adults are watching? In my opinion, I don't think it's really necessary for them to swear but should someone be punished if they do?

Politicians and freedoms

So with the latest politician (the governor of NY) getting caught doing something naughty...I can only wonder what everyone thinks when it comes to the "freedom of expression" or speech, or privacy for those who are supposed to be "representing" our cities, country, etc. It seems that we are seeing more and more get caught in surfing for porn or hiring prostitutes (or messing around with an intern). It's surely been going on for years but they are getting caught more because people are listening in on phone calls, reading our emails, scrutinizing our banking activity. What do you think? Should a politician be able to have a private encounter with a call girl as long as he's doing so on his own time with his own money? For these high end services to even exist, there must be a market and a long list of wealthy clients...

Ernie & Bert, in the closet?

In our group last night we talked about the chapter and I mentioned the part about parents who won't let their little kids watch Sesame Street because Ernie and Bert live together. I found this funny in one way, but sad in another. First of all, I was a serious watcher of the show as a child and let my own kids watch it. The sexuality of these puppets never entered my mind. Just wondering what everyone else thought of this. It also reminded me of what Professor said about the student who played a murderer in a school play but then his parents didn't want him to play a gay character in another. I wonder if parents who won't let kids watch Sesame Street allow them to watch shows where people are committing crimes or behaving in other unethical ways (pick any soap opera or most sit coms).

Help Save Friday Night Lights

So one of my favorite shows is close to the chopping block... if you haven't read the book, seen the original movie "Friday Night Lights", you are missing out. It's really not as much about football as life, love, family, dreams... and the show is really great so I encourage you to read the book, rent the movie, watch reruns of the show on NBC.com and visit the site to save the show! http://www.savefridaynightlights.tv/.
Any other fans, tell me why you think this show is worthy of saving...

College Education

As we have been discussing what and how our children should be taught I got to thinking about the choices we make at the college level. I am interested in knowing about classes you have taken in college that you found especially important to you for some reason. A class that you found very interesting or one that really made you see the world in a new way.