As coronavirus cases surge again nationwide the Supreme Court late Wednesday barred New York from enforcing certain limits on attendance at churches and synagogues in areas designated as hard hit by the virus.
Packed religious services have been super-spreader events. This isn't a matter of the people who willingly choose to risk getting infected at the services (if that was the case, then it's on them), it's everyone that they spread the virus to. It's akin to the Morons of Sturgis, who spead Covid-19 to nearly every state in the nation.
That the Supreme Court has closed its eyes to that and, instead, become infected with Toxic Libery and Freedom Syndrome, is a national disgrace. It is a cultish decision that ignores reality.
They should be ashamed of themselves.
A pandemic is not a reason to abrogate the Constitution.
ReplyDeleteY'know, that thing you swore to uphold and defend.
Nobody is saying you can't worship the god of your choice. Just that you can't pack in like sardines in the midst of a pandemic.
ReplyDeleteSeems to me it was your side, during the second Bush presidency, that was proclaiming that "the Constitution is not a suicide pact." Guess things change, eh.
Let’s start with a portion of the First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”.
ReplyDeleteOK, so the State is making a restriction on size of gatherings during a pandemic. Let’s see how that impacts the exercise of a Catholic Church. Checking the Church protocols and standards, there is no requirement in Church doctrine that a Service contain at least X worshipers...There is no set time or length of Service...There is no requirement for certain observations during any given Service. Seems to me that Church can do a Service just fine under those Public Health restrictions, restrictions that are carefully tailored for the minimum period necessary.
Now we get to the outraged “why can they do this and we cannot?” Because the exercise of religion is an individual act, in most cases guided by a spiritual leader, who can do so remotely or in small groups. The non-comparable items they complain about cannot do such.
Don't worry B, They ain't seen nuthin yet. I heard a good one yesterday. Trump has been having talks with Biden about conceding. No not the presnident, Biden conceding. Trump has promised if Joe concedes he and kamalya will do life in prison at Gitmo. Right under the libs noses trump has been turning gitmo into a state of the art super prison for demoncrats. Now if joe doesn't concede trump will seek the death penalty or joes treason. And hillarys, And Bills, and Obamas, and................
ReplyDeleteWhat Drumpf said yesterday is his own drug addled dreams, maybe
ReplyDeletea cause for the invoking 24th! The poor fool lost, he has no proof,
he needs to get over it. His idea of a win is burning the Reichstag.
As to religion, there are the megachurches those large (financially)
institutions that have to fill seats as the plate must pass. Same
for other passing the plate on Zoom doesn't seem to work.
What is funny is if you get covid missing "services" is likely good
but also likely not going to happen. They need you there to heal you.
Its not a cult of death its a cult of MONEY. Money sat up and said
what about me?
Eck!
To paraphrase Lionel Trilling, conservatism has ceased to be about ideas, and is now irritable gestures and slogans.
ReplyDeleteWhat Eck! said.
ReplyDeleteTo quote the dearly departed Frank Zappa: "Tax the churches. Tax the businesses owned by the churches."
And the right wingers sure do get a lot more het up over perceived breaches of Christian religious liberty than they do about breaches of the separation of church and state.
-Doug in Sugar Pine
"A pandemic is not a reason to abrogate the Constitution."
ReplyDeleteThat is absolutely true,and there are times its required.
When it temporary and focused to a purpose and has an end point
that called an emergency. I'd think an out of control pandemic
qualifies as a public emergency.
The problem is that when people meet and swap spittle this virus
gets a free ride and large numbers of people get ill and possibly
die. So allowing people to do this unchecked is a abrogation of
the social contract to be responsible to your fellows and not do
things known to spread the disease.
So with the screaming into the woods of BUT 1A, whats the solution?
How do we keep the lemmings from the cliff?
Seems some thinking has to be done. Oh right, we have them already
believing non-facts and conspiracy theories. So no thinking there.
IT would seem the majority needs to tell the minority to shut up
and sit down and pay attention. It could save some lives. Now!
Eck!
Dear B..
ReplyDeleteSo the Constitution is a suicide pact, with extra Koolaid for the kiddies, grandparents and innocent bystanders, huh?
Please hold the religious service of your choice at the nearest railroad grade crossing; we want to observe a locomotive's respect for your First Amendment rights.
Yup, Ten Bears, the Ghost Shirt Dance lives! only this time it's white folk doing it.
If God is everywhere and he can here your prayers no matter where you are, why do you have to pack into a building?
ReplyDeleteOops,I meant hear.
ReplyDeleteChuckles like Jabba the Hutt but it sounds like Palpatine cackling maniacally.
ReplyDeleteI've long been an advocate, to more than a little chastisement, of turning it back in their faces. Cassandra's grandson, nobody listens, what's the point. Adopting their casual indifference to the lives and well-being of those around them is easy enough, when it comes to them. I and mine are pretty cautious, while there is a slim chance of catching the trump-bug it's pretty unlikely so I figure what the hell, let 'em have their damned church meetings, catch the bug and die. Ain't no bark off'a my shins. They're wasting air my grandkids need to survive.
EYup, took a little longer than we'd hoped, but they're killin' themselves off.
Say what you will about the tenets of Moloch worship, Dude, at least it’s an ethos.
ReplyDeleteDan, some religions do sort of require small groups (like a minyan). But mostly, it seems that gathering in large groups, at best, allows worshippers to have fellowship with co-religionists. At worst, it's gathering in groups to prove their piety, which is praying at people.
ReplyDeleteBut basically, I think you're right. Anyone's version of a Dear and Fluffy Lord can hear prayers from a bedroom ("say your prayers before going to bed") or from a cell on Death Row.
What has to happen here is that the states will need to ensure that their rules on large gatherings apply to all venues. Then there is no claim for discrimination on the basis of religion.
What was it Jesus said about puffed-up pontificating pontificaters puffed-up-edly packing the courts with catholic illuminati?
ReplyDeleteOh, right, put it in the closet.
Matthew 6:5-6:
When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
FWIW, Jesus never said anything (nada, zilch) about founding a church/religion, according to my wife with a PhD from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The whole Rose Bowl parade and competing floats of Christianity was reification by them what came later and made a thing out of it. Which is not to say there aren't humble, quiet, witness Christians who follow Him, enriching and gladdening the lives of those who encounter them.
ReplyDelete