{"id":2965,"date":"2015-07-06T05:30:15","date_gmt":"2015-07-06T15:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/grumpyseniors.com\/?p=2965"},"modified":"2015-07-06T16:35:54","modified_gmt":"2015-07-07T02:35:54","slug":"if-you-dont-like-it-dont-listen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/grumpyseniors.com\/?p=2965","title":{"rendered":"If you don&#8217;t like it &#8211; don&#8217;t listen"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I&#8217;m not sure whether I&#8217;m more interested in slapping some kid or hugging some judge.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe I can work both into my schedule.<\/p>\n<p>Believe it or not &#8211; this is a feel good story.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s how I got to this point&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Some high school student &#8211; whose name is secret &#8211; filed a suit against a New Jersey school district.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/grumpyseniors.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Pledge-cartoon-sized.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-2969\" src=\"http:\/\/grumpyseniors.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Pledge-cartoon-sized-250x193.jpg\" alt=\"Pledge-cartoon-sized\" width=\"250\" height=\"193\" \/><\/a>We all know New Jersey is kinda weird to begin with.<br \/>\nBut this stretches even that.<\/p>\n<p>The suit said hearing the Pledge of Allegiance in class violated his rights as an atheist.<\/p>\n<p>Something about him having a problem with the use of &#8220;under God&#8221; in it.<\/p>\n<p>He didn&#8217;t like it so it should stop.<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s the slapping part.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s the hugging part&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/grumpyseniors.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Jersey-Pledge-Judge.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-2968\" src=\"http:\/\/grumpyseniors.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Jersey-Pledge-Judge-250x143.png\" alt=\"Jersey Pledge Judge\" width=\"250\" height=\"143\" srcset=\"http:\/\/grumpyseniors.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Jersey-Pledge-Judge-250x143.png 250w, http:\/\/grumpyseniors.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Jersey-Pledge-Judge.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a>The Judge threw out the suit.<\/p>\n<p>He said protecting students from viewpoints and ideas that may offend or upset them is not and has never been the role of public schools in America.<\/p>\n<p>Please read that profound statement again.<\/p>\n<p>Then please pass that on to the politicians out pandering for votes.<\/p>\n<p>Damn, I like that judge.<br \/>\nHandsome guy, isn&#8217;t he?<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s because all hero&#8217;s are handsome.<br \/>\nEver see a firefighter that wasn&#8217;t handsome?<\/p>\n<p>Of course not.<br \/>\nI rest my case.<\/p>\n<p>Anyway, the judge did not stop there.<\/p>\n<p>He looked at the kid and pointed out how the phrase \u201cunder God\u201d appears everywhere in America.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s what he said, <em>\u201cAs a matter of historical tradition, the words \u2018under God\u2019 can no more be expunged from the national consciousness than the words \u2018In God We Trust\u2019 from every coin in the land, than the words \u2018so help me God\u2019 from every presidential oath since 1789, or than the prayer that has opened every congressional session of legislative business since 1787.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>As you can imagine, the American Humanist Association, which supported that kid, was not too happy with the ruling.<\/p>\n<p>I suspect junior wasn&#8217;t either.<br \/>\nToo bad.<\/p>\n<p>Consider it a teachable moment &#8211; we don&#8217;t always get what we want.<br \/>\nIt&#8217;ll build character and prepare him for the real world.<\/p>\n<p>Now, go sulk somewhere.<br \/>\nWhen you&#8217;re done, mow the lawn.<\/p>\n<p>One of their PR folks said that having children recite the Pledge of Allegiance is \u201cdiscriminatory\u201d and makes atheists feel like \u201csecond-class citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m trying real hard to feel bad for them.<br \/>\nWait&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Nope, it&#8217;s not happening.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m no gun-carrying, beer-swilling, truck-driving conservative.<\/p>\n<p>Nor am I a tree-hugging, ban the bomb, tax-me-lots liberal.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m squarely in the middle.<\/p>\n<p>Seems hardly anyone is these days &#8211; except for me and that judge.<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s why I like dogs more than most people.<a href=\"http:\/\/grumpyseniors.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Doggie.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-2972\" src=\"http:\/\/grumpyseniors.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Doggie-150x150.png\" alt=\"Doggie\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>And that&#8217;s what keeps me grumpy.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"sharedaddy sd-sharing-enabled\"><div class=\"robots-nocontent sd-block sd-social sd-social-icon-text sd-sharing\"><h3 class=\"sd-title\">Share this:<\/h3><div class=\"sd-content\"><ul><li class=\"share-facebook\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"sharing-facebook-2965\" class=\"share-facebook sd-button share-icon\" href=\"http:\/\/grumpyseniors.com\/?p=2965&amp;share=facebook\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-twitter\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"sharing-twitter-2965\" class=\"share-twitter sd-button share-icon\" href=\"http:\/\/grumpyseniors.com\/?p=2965&amp;share=twitter\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-email\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"\" class=\"share-email sd-button share-icon\" href=\"http:\/\/grumpyseniors.com\/?p=2965&amp;share=email\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to email this to a friend\"><span>Email<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-end\"><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I&#8217;m not sure whether I&#8217;m more interested in slapping some kid or hugging some judge. Maybe I can work both into my schedule. Believe it or not &#8211; this is a feel good story. Here&#8217;s how I got to this &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/grumpyseniors.com\/?p=2965\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"sharedaddy sd-sharing-enabled\"><div class=\"robots-nocontent sd-block sd-social sd-social-icon-text sd-sharing\"><h3 class=\"sd-title\">Share this:<\/h3><div class=\"sd-content\"><ul><li class=\"share-facebook\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"sharing-facebook-2965\" class=\"share-facebook sd-button share-icon\" href=\"http:\/\/grumpyseniors.com\/?p=2965&amp;share=facebook\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-twitter\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"sharing-twitter-2965\" class=\"share-twitter sd-button share-icon\" href=\"http:\/\/grumpyseniors.com\/?p=2965&amp;share=twitter\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-email\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"\" class=\"share-email sd-button share-icon\" href=\"http:\/\/grumpyseniors.com\/?p=2965&amp;share=email\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to email this to a friend\"><span>Email<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-end\"><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2Urrt-LP","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/grumpyseniors.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2965"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/grumpyseniors.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/grumpyseniors.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/grumpyseniors.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/grumpyseniors.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2965"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"http:\/\/grumpyseniors.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2965\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2988,"href":"http:\/\/grumpyseniors.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2965\/revisions\/2988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/grumpyseniors.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/grumpyseniors.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/grumpyseniors.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}