322 Comments
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oraxx's avatar

I am deeply suspicious of anyone who needs to post a replica of an ancient Roman torture device in her classroom to remain calm. Unfortunately, these things are always a win-win for the Christians who keep trying to force their religion into the public school classrooms. They either get away with it, or they get to play the poor persecuted victims of the godless left.

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ericc's avatar

My thought on reading that was "she's either telling the truth, or she's lying to try and keep it. I'm not sure which is worse, but probably the former."

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GrandmascienCe's avatar

I had a sticker in my classroom in my direct line of sight that said, "Relax." Good enough for me!

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Beat me to it. Your comment wasn't visible until after I posted mine.

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oraxx's avatar

GMTA, but we already knew that! lol

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Guerillasurgeon's avatar

Exactly – I always relied on weed to be honest.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Looking at a bleeding man nailed to a torture/execution device brought her peace, calmed her and gave her strength? And she thought that such a sigil was perfectly appropriate to share with her non-Catholic/nonreligious children?

She's mentally ill. This woman needs professional help.

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Old Man Shadow's avatar

The fundamentalists told me about Hell when I was four.

If you're wondering, yes, I do still suffer from anxiety.

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Hyder Simpson's avatar

I’ve sometimes wondered if the ubiquitousness of the crucifix and the constant admonitions to contemplate the suffering of christ makes it that much easier for some believers to dismiss the suffering of others, especially when the suffering is caused by the church. Something along the lines of, “well, you/we may have suffered some but not nearly as much as our savior suffered voluntarily on your/our behalf”.

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Ethereal Fairy's avatar

My girlfriend Andrea retorts "well I didn't ask him to."

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

Sadly, she's in a LOT of not-so-good company as it comes to that!

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Linda's avatar

💯

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Matilda's avatar

The late wonderful irish comedian, Dave Allen was merciless in his takes on the Catholic church. He recounts his first day at a catholic school, he was 4yo. He and his mother knocked at the school door, it was opened by a nun who said 'Now you are going to be a good boy here aren't you?' He said he took one look over her shoulder at what he took to another pupil - whose bleeding corpse was nailed to a cross on a classroom wall - and hastily agreed that he was!

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Septuagenarian Contrarian's avatar

Thanks for the reference to Dave Allen.

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Ethereal Fairy's avatar

That was my take as well.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Remember Sigil from Crossgen Comics?

en.wikipedia.com/wiki/Sigil_(comics)

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Zorginipsoundsor's avatar

I never saw that one.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Every main character in each Crossgen title wore the same sigil of power.

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Boreal's avatar

"But she eventually caved and agreed to take it down… only to receive a warning from God:"

Untreated mental illness. If imaginary friends are threatening you, seek psychiatric help.

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dammit barry's avatar

Only thing sillier than imaginary friends is imaginary enemies.

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John Smith's avatar

I won’t be surprised when we hear that this teacher goes on a killing spree at this school. The voice in her head will tell to go and destroy the demons (kids and administrators) at this school, if she doesn’t get real medical attention!

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GrandmascienCe's avatar

Geez. And I thought their imaginary enemy, the devil, was bad!

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SeekingReason's avatar

🎯

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Richard S. Russell's avatar

She needs this doohickey to keep calm, she says? Kinda makes you wonder what her default state is, doesn't it? I think Penn Jillette made a similar observation:

The question I get asked by religious people all the time is, without God, what’s to stop me from raping all I want? And my answer is: I do rape all I want. And the amount I want is zero. And I do murder all I want, and the amount I want is zero. The fact that these people think that if they didn’t have this person watching over them that they would go on killing, raping rampages is the most self-damning thing I can imagine.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Her thigamabob makes her a psycho on a leash.

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Ethereal Fairy's avatar

Yeah, are they confessing they want to do those things, because that is fucked-up.

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

Sorry-not-sorry, Ms. Arroyo-Castro, but crosses are NOT okay in public school classrooms, any more than the 10 Commandments or an "In God We Trust" sign ... or for that matter a Star of David or an Islamic Crescent would be. This is about State / Church separation, ma'am, something your 7th graders either have learned or will be learning about soon, and it's among the most important principles this country was founded on.

You can either respect that ... or refresh your resume.

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Joe King's avatar

I'm sure there are plenty of Catholic schools she could apply to. They wouldn't even make her bring her own crucifix!

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Val Uptuous NotAgain's avatar

But then she wouldn’t be able to win her pink Cadillac for selling her religion to new folks.

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

PINK Cadillac?!? What is this, Mary Kay???

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Val Uptuous NotAgain's avatar

Mary Kay, Amway, Pampered Chef, Catholicism. They’re all scams.

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larry parker's avatar

Pyramid power.

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Val Uptuous NotAgain's avatar

And speaking of scams.

My hubs and I took out a loan to repair our back deck, pool and purchase a used car for the kiddo last week. The day the loan company ran his credit report, I started getting telemarketing calls trying to sell us loans (him really, they keep asking for him, it was his credit report, his name on the loan, I was only on the loan because we got a second mortgage and I’m on the mortgage, my contact info isn’t even on the loan). I have received over 100 calls from as many different phone numbers (I block them all) since Wednesday of last week. No calls on Saturday and Sunday. More than 30 calls a day. We’ve already closed and the money is in the bank, but I have received ten calls just this morning. I can’t work, I can’t do anything because I’m fucking dealing with this harassment. I am at my wits end. I’ve answered one call and chewed the guy a new one. I never get calls normally.

My next step is to go to my cell phone carrier and see what they can do for me, or reach out to law enforcement to report harassment. This is insane. I don’t know what else I can do. Riding it out seems impossible since they generally don’t stop for months.

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Len Koz's avatar

I sold my house last year and moved. We were able to keep our old telephone number even though we moved to a new area code. I was getting phone calls from realtors asking if I wanted to sell my old, already sold, house for almost a year afterwards.

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Val Uptuous NotAgain's avatar

If I have to deal with this inundation for a year, someone will be dead. It won’t be me.

I was (and still am on rare occasions) receiving phone calls for someone I don’t even know. She must have given my number by mistake on some form (or intentionally wrote her number wrong and it happened to be mine). But I never got this many calls over that.

I may be finally changing my phone number over this. I still have my number from Washington, I moved over 13 years ago. I know that if there’s a Washington area code it is spam.

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Joe King's avatar

Mary Kay, Mary Magdalene, Mary Mother of God, too many Marys to keep track of.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Mother Mary (Paul McCartney’s mom) from “Let it Be.”

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Len's avatar

Crushed velvet seats

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Zorginipsoundsor's avatar

https://youtu.be/V4PeT6aeytU

Click on "more" for the lyrics.

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

What a concept! 😝

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Gail M Doucette's avatar

Had she considered teaching in a private Christian school? Where it is expected that religious indoctrination be forced on kids? She would be right at home there. J/S

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Boreal's avatar

"Having the crucifix in her view at her desk brought Ms. Castro daily calm."

An instrument of torture and murder made her happy.

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Matilda's avatar

There's a Betty Bowers video where she says there are various ways of telling if someone's a x-tian. Some say it's by their faith, others say it's by their works. With Karoline Leavitt, it's by her jewely, if she wasn't wearing that cross necklace, you'd never ever suspect she was one!

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Len Koz's avatar

Maybe she was picturing whichever student was giving her problems on the cross in Jesus' place...

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Linda's avatar

As someone who didn’t grow up around crucifixes, I clearly remember the first time I saw one. It’s disturbing, violent, and unsettling imagery meant to install fear that has no business on display in classrooms.

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Joe King's avatar

It just demonstrates the indoctrination. Disturbing horror imagery is disturbing and horrifying unless it gets attached to religious practice.

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Linda's avatar

Indeed. Violence “in the name of” is ok. Our government loves to promote indoctrinated acceptable violence for all those wars we take part “in the name of”.

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ericc's avatar
1dEdited

Want a real shock, go to Spain during Holy Week. Their penitent robes are the model on which the Klan based their outfit, so you see tons of people running around in (what looks to USAians like) classic KKK hoods and robes. It's obviously not the same meaning, but culturally, it really feels weird to see.

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Len Koz's avatar

I remember the first time I saw video of it (I think it was a Rick Steves's broadcast on PBS), I thought "WTAF?"

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Linda's avatar

Yikes! Been to Spain, but not during Holy Week 😂

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Septuagenarian Contrarian's avatar

Good point. Mentioned in "The DaVinci Code" with Tom Hanks.

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Sarah Longstaff's avatar

If she wants to shame kids using her religious beliefs she can do that at a religious school. How is that hard? She’ll lose her pension? Hmm is that because private schools treat their non-unionized teachers like shit? Too bad.

Even if she takes the cross down, however, as a parent I would question her judgment and petition the principal to move my child to a different classroom.

“As soon as she put her hand on the crucifix to move it, Ms. Castro felt sick and grew distraught.” Sounds like she needs a secular therapist and medication. The Right wants zero tolerance for “crime”; we need to have zero tolerance for delusional people in positions of authority—and that includes a vice president who is telling people that extraterrestrials exist but they’re demons. I am so sick of demons . It’s 2025, why? 🤦‍♀️

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dammit barry's avatar

I have never see3n an atheist possessed by demons. Only religious superstitionists get possessed.

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Sarah Longstaff's avatar

Overactive imaginations. And yet psychology/psychiatry refuses to consider it as a "mental illness" because "everybody does it."

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andrea's avatar

The demon thing is so weird. When did demons become so popular? I just immediately tune out if I hear somebody saying it. Weirdos.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

I still recall a scene from the "Vikings" TV series. One viking who saw a crucifix for the first time in his life remarked:

"Their god is dead!"

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Boreal's avatar

That is perfection.

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

Ragnar or Loki if I remember correctly.

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John Smith's avatar

It was Loki who said it !

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NOGODZ20's avatar

You mean Floki? That scene from Season 5 isn't the one I'm thinking of. Mainly because when Floki sees the cross in the cave, he doesn't utter the line.

The one I'm thinking of isn't set in a cave and he's with other vikings.

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

I know, you are talking about the plundering of Lindisfarne in season 1.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Yep.

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Joe King's avatar

[𝑇]ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑛𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑𝑛’𝑡 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑒, 𝑜𝑟 𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑟, 𝑜𝑟 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑘 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑝𝑢𝑙𝑙 𝑖𝑡 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑠 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑙𝑒𝑓𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑚.

Other than the desire to be performative and urinate on the Constitution. And of course she will appeal. It's persecution if the Christians can't openly dominate everywhere the space is supposed to be neutral. Thank you, Judge Russell, for taking a turn with the mop.

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Bonnie Boyce's avatar

What!!! You mean Christians AREN'T above the laws of man???

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oraxx's avatar

IKR?

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Val Uptuous NotAgain's avatar

If you want to teach and preach so badly, find a Catholic school to teach at. Or whatever branch of Christianity you follow. (I assumed Catholic because it’s a crucifix and not just a cross.)

The students’ complaints that she’s telling them to find god should be a clear indication that she isn’t concerned with their religious liberty, only her own. But, it’s clear she doesn’t see the children as people with their own rights to protect. She sounds like a terrible teacher.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Proof that xtians don't think things through. Or think, period.

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Boreal's avatar

Cult of (brain) Death.

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John Smith's avatar

Religion rots the mind; one brain cell at a time! Makes people extremely stupid an gullible!

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Whitney's avatar

In my opinion, the only thing this woman is really being denied is her desire to proselytize to a young, impressionable captive audience.

She has not been denied her religious prayers. She's not been advised she must do anything that would conflict with her religious ideas, or that she cannot do something her religion demands. The only thing Mrs. Arroyo-Castro is being denied here is her ability to bully others in the name of her religion, which isn't something that should be protected anyway.

Religious bullying is still bullying. It's still wrong, it's still every bit as abusive as regular bullying; no amount of Jesus makes any difference, and no amount of saying 'it's for your own good' changes anything. Christians seem to think that adding Jesus makes their gaslighting and deceit morally acceptable, but that isn't the case and never has been. The only way to deal with this level of organizational delusion is consistent, determined resistance. Good luck to all of us.

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ericc's avatar
1dEdited

𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑥 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ

But school is about the students, not about you. If your personal items significantly interfere with the learning environment, then your privilege to have personal items has to give way. This is not merely about religion: if the school banned some logo because it was associated with a gang symbol and causing fights, then the teachers couldn't put it up as a personal item either.

Besides which, as both Hemant and the Principal said, she could access that 'look' by keeping it on a necklace, or in her office, or in a desk drawer.

𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑠? 𝐴 𝐵𝑎𝑏𝑦 𝑌𝑜𝑑𝑎 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑘 𝑚𝑎𝑡. 𝐴 𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑓𝑜𝑜𝑡𝑏𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚. 𝐴 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑙.

None of these things involve the religious clauses of the 1a. Like it or not, the constitution treats religion differently from nonreligious hobbies. Most of the time religious people like it, because it gives them additional expressive protections. But this is an "or not" situation, where the 1a is gonna say that it's constitutional for a teacher to establish a preference for the Florida Gators but not to establish a preference for Catholicism. There's no rule about Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of College Football teams.

𝑅𝑢𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑤𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑒 𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝑤𝑎𝑠𝑛’𝑡 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑣𝑒. 𝑇𝑤𝑜 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 “𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑀𝑠. 𝐶𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑚… 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑠𝑎𝑖𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑀𝑠. 𝐶𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑚.”

Ah, so there's the real rub; she proselytized AND had symbolism up.

Without the proselytization, I'm guessing the students would have been cool with it. That doesn't make it constitutional, but it is to say that the argument that this is a harmless violation that doesn't establish religion is a lot harder to sell when she's doing both.

Word to the wise, lady, when you're speeding is not the time to give the finger to the roadside cop.

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Val Uptuous NotAgain's avatar

“if the school banned some logo because it was associated with a gang symbol and causing fights, then the teachers couldn't put it up as a personal item either.”

While I was student teaching art at a high school in the Denver Metro area, one that was infamous for gangs and near (like a mere block or two away) the locations of at least two nationally known mass shootings, we were careful to monitor the students’ work for gang symbolism. We encouraged the students to choose other themes, we had to be up to date on the latest signs and colors and symbols.

So, you are absolutely right that there are some things even students cannot express in a school setting. Teachers are even more restricted being adults and members of the government.

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Val Uptuous NotAgain's avatar

Toledo Mudhens

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larry parker's avatar

At least you aren't Badgering me.

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Val Uptuous NotAgain's avatar

I have the Vikings in the office pool, but I don’t know until they post the scores if I have to pay or not.

Madison’s minor league baseball team is the Mallards. Those games are fun to attend on occasion. My kid got to participate in one of the little games between innings, she bowled a yoga ball at the pitchers to knock them down.

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Maltnothops's avatar

Our local baseball team is the Keys, after Francis Scott Key, who lived here. During the 7th inning stretch, we all stand up and shake our keys.

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Zorginipsoundsor's avatar

Is that what you kids are calling it these days? ;)

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Blasphemer! The University of Washington Huskies are The Way, The Truth and The Life.

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

I am an Asports.

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larry parker's avatar

Sports exist. : )

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ericc's avatar

They must be apatheisports. :)

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larry parker's avatar

Is FOX bringing their pregame show to Washington even though the Oregon game is going to be on CBS? Didn't think so.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

FOX is of the devil.

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larry parker's avatar

That's Arizona State.

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Zorginipsoundsor's avatar

According to Kimberlina, corporate radio is the devil.

https://youtu.be/1uT8Bre6v30

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Indeed. Playing the same few songs over and over with 5 minutes of commercials after each 30 minute bloc.

Gimme KEXP any day.

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Maltnothops's avatar

Oh yeah? I’ll see you behind the station. Terrapin Station!

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Maltnothops's avatar

First Liberty Institute is thrilled with the opportunity for more fundraising and attention-whoring.

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