Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Free exercise

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;"

All well and good, but as it so often happens, the ignorant, angry rabble the constitution was designed to prevent from directly controlling our country disagree. According to a CNN poll this morning, 64% of Americans responding, support a federal ban on garments that hide the face; garments which are required by the free exercise of some religious denominations. So much for our constant squealing about Freedom.

Where are the cries of too much government I have to listen to constantly? There's a move here to eliminate licensing for professions that now require them, like Yacht brokerage -- in the interest of "less government" and because, as the local paper says, "it will make it easier to get into the business." I'm sure it will, especially for the unscrupulous.

I had to listen to a tantrum in Miami International Airport the other day, when a man decided the overly long walk to the customs hall was the result of "too much government," but telling us how to constitute our families, who we may marry, what clothes we may not wear, what religion we may not freely exercise? Well, now, that's different!

4 comments:

d nova said...

"The veiling of women was not an Islamic innovation but a Persian and Byzantine-Christian custom that Islam adopted. For most of Islam’s history, the veil in its various forms was seen as a sign of distinction and protection for upper-class women. Since the 19th century, the veil has come to represent a more assertive, self-consciously Islamic expression, sometimes in reaction to Western currents--colonialism, modernism, feminism."

http://middleeast.about.com/od/religionsectarianism/f/me080209.htm

Baltazar said...

Life on Earth is a function of environment - the clothe suit the environment - inland desert - everything else too

Capt. Fogg said...

Interesting about veils. Countries that are passing laws against head-scarves don't seem to be thinking of nun's habits, which is a bit amusing, n'est ce pas?

Capt. Fogg said...

Clothes that suit Florida's climate are no clothes at all, but of course that's illegal too. . .