For two years, volunteer Frank Coyles has played Santa for chemotherapy patients at the Hollings Cancer Center in Charleston, S.C. This year, the center told him to stay away:
"Because of our state affiliation, we decided not to have a Santa presence this year," Hollings spokeswoman Vicky Agnew said. Hollings is a part of the Medical University of South Carolina.
Decorations will be "more secular and respectful to all beliefs," Agnew said. "We don't want to offend a volunteer with good intentions, but we need to think of the bigger picture. People who are Muslim or Jewish or have no religious beliefs come here for treatment," she said
That is just priceless. They want to get rid of Santa so they can be more secular. I do not think that word means what they think it means.
I probably shouldn't even comment since I'm agnostic on the whole Santa thing, which is why I refer to him as X Nick. Hey, makes him sound Muslim, which will please some people.
Comments
What could X possibly stand for if not Xavier? I think Jolly X Nick is a Catholic.
So I guess you're coming at this from the standpoint that Santa Claus has become secular in the last century or so, at least from your point of view?
Santa Claus has always been secular - the "jolly old elf" sure has never been a religious figure! My father, who was the organist and choral director in a Lutheran church, was always removing Santa figures from the Christmas tree in the weeks before the celebratory services.
History proves you wrong on that one, John. The early Christians with their St. Nicholas and the Dutch with their Sinterklaas would definitely differ with you on that "always" part.
Yeah, Coca-Cola Santa created int eh last century is the most secular rebranding thus far, but the history is muddled enough that it isn't a 100% clear thing either way.
Yeah, sure enough ...all of us Christians have such pronounced memories of growing up in the church with Santa & the reindeer every Sunday and baby jesus in the toy sack.
s/
Flippin morons.
Yeah, silly people, recognizing that something can be a non-religious symbol of a Christian culture, and not exactly secular. But Leo needs it simple so he can feel smarter than other people and make his smartass little remark about other people knowing what secular means.
Or arrogant enough to think that their particular brand of invisible friend represents all possible variants of that invisible friend (like Tim Zank there.)
Then again, there's been intelligent discussion of the topic before - http://ask.metafilter.com/153852/Is-Santa-Claus-A-Religious-Figure - rather than attempted know-it-all sarcasm and name-calling.
(And it's "/s" to end a tag, Zank. FFS, when you don't understand it and fuck that up, it just makes you look dumb, not hip.)
I've seen the sarc tag used either way Swinklet, my you are a bitter young man aren't you?
Tim Zank, I like how you still think calling people names is a valid debate technique, at least as long as you're on the internet and think you don't have to worry about getting your ass kicked. XD
Actually, I couldn't stop laughing for a while. Yeah, sure you've seen it both ways, Tim, sure you have. XD
Hey Swing, I don't find your name and address in the Fort Wayne phone book - does that mean that you are living at your parents home - or are you one of our "homeless"? My name and address can be found in that book, so when you want to attemp some "ass-kicking", come around! I believe you are the one that is hiding behind as a blog commentor.
John - the guy not behaving like a child and calling people names is hiding? Interesting logic there.
So you don't find my name in a phone book... you mean like many people, I don't have a landline and only a cell? It would make sense you wouldn't find me in a phone book, then. The world's moved on there.
Tim, until you learn to use sed or vi, it probably would be a good idea avoid using what you're calling the "sarc tag". Otherwise, non-dummies (and there are a lot of us) will be thinking
"s/Tim/idiot/i;"
Christian opposition to Santa Clause goes back hundreds of years - not exactly a modern phenomenon. And whatever it's roots are, no living person today has probably ever confused the cartoon character we now celebrate for some type of deity. Saying Santa clause represents Christianity makes about as much sense as saying the keffiyeh represents Islam.
Thanks Harl, I often lay awake nights worrying whether or not my sarcasm has been interpreted properly on this blog.
Swing, What Mr. Kalb so aptly points out is, he and I and all of the other commenters on this site have always used our real names. We are all real people with real jobs and we are all known through out northeast Indiana. There is no ambiguity on where we stand on issues (except maybe Harl) and none of us is afraid to say in person what we say on here. You on the other hand are a drive-by, just dropping in to snipe anonymously, which is fine, but you need to remember (or at least become aware) that the validity of your convictions will always be discounted as folly if you comment behind an alias or fake persona.
Phil, you absolutely right about Santa etc.
Phil: so you don't deny that Santa can be seen as a symbol of a Christian cultural event, and therefore not entirely secular?
(Which is really the root of Leo Morris being condescending about someone else not knowing what secular means, when he's sadly pointing out his own ignorance.)
Tim - I am using my real name, you idiot. You have yet to establish that I'm not.
You also don't know the difference between anonymous and pseudonym. Even Littlejohn doesn't use his "full name" for his account here (so you're not even correct in your statement above) but he does use a persistent pseudonym, just like I do as Captain Swing on my Tumblr. I'm using my name, Christopher Swing, on Google+ as well. And I've been here for a while and haven't gone away yet, so I'm hardly a "drive by."
Anonymous, however, is indistinguishable from anyone else similar. Like a Klansman in white hood and robes, or an Oakland police officer covering his name with black tape, or protesters in Guy Fawkes masks. Indistinguishable from each other in order to spread fear, avoid accountability, or to avoid retribution.
On the other hand Tim, we have your little friend Dan Turkette:
"To that he asked,
Now, now Swingeroo don't be sooooo defensive, it's ok if you don't want to use your real name, as I said, we take that into consideration when considering your comments. Actually, the adults here get a kick out of you.
I seriously doubt it's your real name though unless you just moved here, because there just isn't any blogging history associated anywhere with that name except for the last couple of months. Hmmmmm....how could that be?
Your comment style reminds of someone though I just can't "peg" it yet. Shades of Damian, a little Michaelk42, even some similarities to Craig the Canadian.....just keep ranting, I'll figure it out!!
Because I did just move here. Amazing, isn't it? If you want to be a childish idiot and insist that I can't be real, go ahead. You're the only one that looks like an idiot.
BTW, I notice you ignored that bit about Dan.
Who, coincidentally, managed to expose himself as a liar about his identity again just today, and managed to expose Fort Wayne police officer Everett White as someone with some very anti-occupy feelings: http://capnswing.tumblr.com/post/13089132987/dan-turkette-everett-white-and-smearing-occupy
According to google, you just appeared about 2 months ago, you just buy your first computer 2 months ago too? Rather improbable someone with your outspoken beliefs and loud mouth never hit the internet until 2 months ago.
Are you trying to goad me into giving you some sort of list of my prior postings and such? Not everyone's as dumb as you, Tim.
Maybe you just suck at Google?
BTW, what about Dan Turkette, still not holding him accountable for his known deceptions?
If it's not a fake name, then you just started "discovering" the internet 2 months ago. Amazing.
Or, you just suck at Google. Or, not everything I've participated in online in is available to be indexed by the Google spiders. Or... so many other reasons.
It brings me no end of entertainment to know that even now, in the dark recesses of a suburb in Angola, a very stupid little man named Tim Zank is banging his head against the wall because he can't find me on Google. :D
And you're still avoiding the subject of Dan Turkette, leader of the Decepticon-servatives. You think he still has all kinds of credibility even though we know he lies about his identity online and in real life?
Sorry dude, If I can't find on google (or bing or yahoo-unless you're the lawyer from Akron, heh) it means you are lying about your name. Plain & simple.
Not that it will surprise anyone that you lied of course.
Hahahahaha
Tim Zank, Master of Google, has spoken!
"If I can't find on google" (sic) even!
You can't even type sentences in correctly at the moment, Tim. I somehow doubt you're the master of Google you think yourself to be. :D
But still ignoring your Decepticon master Dan "Megatron" Turkette. Now that FWPD officer Everett White can't be dispatched to protests pretty much ever again, thanks to Dan's ineptitude, wouldn't you say the person who's actually not using his real name is doing the damage here?
Because now that Everett's severe right-wing/anti-protest leanings are public record, if he's involved in any protester getting hurt now, lawyers are going to bring that up. "The city was negligent... should have known White had these tendencies..." and the city would lose any case brought against them.
Meanwhile, instead of addressing an actual issue of Dan Turkette using false identities and doing actual damage, you're failing at Google trying to prove my real name isn't real.
What's your name son?
Now Tim. Just because you suck at Google, isn't any reason to be ashamed.
But if you insist on playing games, how about I start really googling you? Or better, your family?
Or do you only like playing the part of the creepy internet stalker yourself?
WAIT WAIT GUISE GUISE
Forget all this nonsense about me not being real!
Did you know that there are about 4.6 MILLION HITS for "chupacabra" on Google?
THEY MUST BE REAL, IT'S ON GOOGLE!
TIM ZANK, WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO
You're for real, you're just a liar, hence your comments and arguments have no validity, at least not here anymore.
Thanks.
See ya.
Well, I'm glad you decided that for everyone here, I'm sure they'll be glad to know that.
So I guess by your reasoning Dan Turkette doesn't have any validity anymore either. That's good to know. :D
But really Tim, you're the liar. You have yet to prove this isn't my real name. :D
They'll be glad and now that they realize you're a liar they'll ignore your drive-by comments and you'll go away. Somebody just needed to drag you out far enough to hang yourelf.
Mission accomplished, you can head back to the childrens table now.
You have a bizarre sort of logic there, Tim. I haven't lied about anything. You have absolutely no evidence of that.
I also don't think you know what "drive by comments" are. Those are when someone posts once and then never comes back for a discussion. What you're describing is the opposite of what's happening.
On the other hand, we have all sorts of fresh evidence that your friend Dan Turkette ("Mark Shine" on Facebook, apparently) does post under aliases. Yet you still support him. That's really curious.