75,300 people show up in support of cheerleaders for Jesus!!

If you have been keeping your ear to the ground, as I have, you have heard rumblings from Georgia, and not just the wacky noise that is coming out of my guitar these days.

At Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School, the cheerleaders would desecrate a Bible verse before each football game. That is to say, the football team would burst through a banner that had an "inspirational" verse on it. Someone pointed out that this was unconstitutional, and then every whackjob on the planet came out to prove the point of the person who was complaining. This is not, simply cannot be, about "inspiring" students. It is now about pushing religion on kids, on their parents, on anyone who does not have enough money to move their kids out of the school district.

I've been hearing from every single loon-ball whose email/listserv/RSS I subscribe to, and if you have read me for any length of time, you know that's a lot of lunatic to be focused on a single issue.

Tim Wildmon of the American Family Association has literally shit himself with rage (and by literally, I mean, sadly, figuratively). I got a "call to action" from the AFA today:

Lone complaint leads to ban on inspirational banners in Georgia high school

October 1, 2009

Dear Bing,

Don't sweet talk me, dink.

Cheerleaders at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School in Georgia have for many years created inspirational banners for home football games, the kind of banners players burst through as they come on to the field.

Particularly since 9/11, the messages on the banners have often been verses from Scripture, such as "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

How does that line up with "put your facemask on their star player's kneecap if at all possible," I want to know?

But based on one single verbal complaint from a local resident, the Bible has been banned from pregame banners. Once again the tyranny of the minority – in this case a minority of one – has threatened both religious liberty and freedom of speech.

That's a superintendent who can read the writing on the wall and is willing to serve the students first--litigation will only drain their coffers because they can not win this. People moan about the ACLU (to whom I am making a donation tonight, BTW) winning all the time and extracting cash from school districts. Nobody stops to think why the ACLU keeps winning. They aren't in it for the money, and the minute they start profiteering from actions against schools is the minute I tell them to cram it.

The mayor strongly supports the tradition and is disturbed that anyone would launch a complaint. After all, he says, "If it's offensive to anyone, let them go watch another football game. Nobody's forced to come there and nobody’s forced to read the signs."

And he's a Constitutional scholar how, exactly? It's not that simple. He is telling atheists to get out. And Jews. Sometimes atheists get stuck in crappy towns with fundie mayors. What are they supposed to do? They have rights. Their kids have rights.Hell , the kids of Christian parents have rights. Unilaterally jamming the Bible down someone's throat on the public dime is unconstitutional.

A huge majority in the community also supports the longstanding practice. On just four hours notice, 1,600 people showed up at the polo grounds for a rally of support on Wednesday night.

Your AFA has been in contact with our friends at pro-freedom First Amendment law firms, and are confident that the school district will have outstanding legal counsel if officials choose to craft a response that will preserve this uniquely American tradition.

What? Jesus is uniquely American? Fuh, Q. Tim, it does not matter if it is 1600 to one. It does not matter if it is a million to one. The Constitution is not up for popular vote, ding-dong. That one person has rights, namely, not having his tax money poured into a religious message. Cripes! He doesn't even have to show up, Mr. Idiot Mayor. That's not the issue.

But at least school officials are acting more maturely than Tim "Come See the Violence Inherent in the System" Wildmon, at least according to OneNewsNow:

Many school employees donned scripture verse t-shirts as well Friday night. The football coaches also sported the shirts and just before the game began the football team prayed on the field and closed that prayer with "in Jesus' name." Another rally is planned for Tuesday night's school board meeting.

Damn it.

Please please please please please take a stand for Jesus. We need to give these asshats the good ol' Daubenmire treatment. This may be what provokes the ACLU to act.

I was looking at the responses to a YouTube video of the cheerleaders, and there was some pretty goofy goof going on there (and not just the fairly mediocre cheer squad):

I'm glad there are people who won't stand for bullies. Keep the faith and keep taking a stand for what is right.

1 person versus a school district. Now I see why the team needed toughening up! (I love it when people with a basic comprehension of the grammar of the Constitution give fundies swirlies in the locker room.)

God be praised! You are courageous young women to wave Scripture banners boldly at your school's football games! This news is like a healing balm in this blind, lost, wicked culture surrounding us. How refreshing it is to hear of Christ being lifted up and glorified for all to see by your squad, as well as so many others involved with Lakeview - Fort Oglethorpe! Stand firm, girls, and you will receive your due reward from Him who saves you! Thank you for speaking out on the behalf of Jesus!

It may have been a genuine attempt to boost the team spirit, but now it clearly is morphing into something ugly. It is now about the bare abuse of power, and not on the part of the person whose rights were being stepped on.

Oh, I should mention that the number of people who showed up for the rally varies between 1100 (OneNewsNow) and 1600 (Tim "CSTVIITS" Wildmon). Please allow me to inflate the numbers. You see, 85,000+ people actually showed up in support, and I say this because it will make their collective defeat all the more dramatic.

HJ