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South Hill, Virginia

Looks like Puyallup has cancelled Halloween (in schools anyway):

http://www.cnn.com/2004/EDUCATION/10/22/odd.halloween.reut/index.html

When I first heard this item on CNN it said the decision was made for fear of offending Wiccans. I see no mention of that reason in the article linked above which makes this story considerably less funny.

10/22/2004 1:56:47 PM

South Hill, Virginia

Here's the one that mentions Wiccans....I feel better now.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=184701&page=1

Next thing to go will be giant pumpkins because they offend fat people (can I even say "fat" people anymore?). Time for Pugh and Holland to move.

10/22/2004 2:57:42 PM

Rexburg, Idaho

I'm horizontally challanged not fat!

10/22/2004 3:54:29 PM

Garden

And pumpkins have feelings too man. They're not "giant", they are plus sized.

10/22/2004 4:21:46 PM

Itzetown City

As far as I remember halloween is on sunday this year. School on sunday?

10/22/2004 5:28:51 PM

Rhode Island

im not fat im just short for my weight

besides whats wrong with going 30 perceent over the charts?

10/22/2004 5:35:56 PM

Washington State

It's getting ugly in Puyallup! The School Board sent out their decision, and the parents are in an uproar. There is a school board meeting on Monday that they have to move to an auditorium because of the large crowd expected. As a Grandma of 5 children in the district I am very concerned. Where are the rights of the kids to have a little fun? What's next? The school has already taken away 1 recess a day. Mari Lou Holland

10/22/2004 5:46:43 PM

[email protected]

This is rediculous. I hope the children get their party.

School systems in this country are getting weird. My second grader brings homework every night but Friday. And there are fewer than 3 outdoor recesses per week.

I'm all for intelligent children. But there must also be time set aside for fun & exercise.

10/22/2004 6:40:56 PM

canal winchester ohio

Just go old school on the Wiccans.......anyone got a match??????

10/22/2004 6:42:09 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

Yikes! Yikes! Yikes!...You have got to be kidding me...I know Brent and Joel are in Cahoots with this one...I know kilr always gives away a 845 bobier for april first.... but halloween stuff is sacred...or maybe not.....Maybe we should all move!!..Hey Boily....Can you imagine this...I think they should just tax the people who can afford costumes ...split half with the dnc whats left with the local d's ...and blame the oppressive government with the rest....Yikes again! Penny for UNICEF...come on burnt cork on the face....your're in costume...No..NO..NO..NO..No..
I hope this is a holiday Joke!!!
Grow em Big!
Chuck

10/22/2004 6:46:58 PM

Long Island,New York

I'll bet Pappy thinks Bush is behind all this........

10/22/2004 7:08:08 PM

Atlanta, Georgia

Brent,
Get back to work you fool! LOLOLOLOL!
We need the seeds and this is the off-season when all
the growers are freakin' out.

I had a great time teaching the German kids about halloween and letting them carve some pumpkins for free. It was a blast and we had about 20 kids in this first try and they absolutely loved it!

Hope to hear from you soooooooooooon.

Ridiculous Mari Lou!....and I want to bring my kids back to America. Thanks for the heads-up! Sorry to hear it and send greetings to Joel from Michel in Germany.
Here in Germay though it's worse...they had a debate yesterday whether or not kids should be allowed to have toys or not. I have a letter from the lawyer if you want to see it and it isn't very funny.
Michel

10/22/2004 8:55:34 PM

Mill Creek West by god Virginia

damn my sister pam lives there in puyallup she was born on halloween no joke she has one girl left in school and ide bet right now she is having a cow im going to have to call her before she goes nesbitt!!!!!!!!lol whats next no santa clause because he offends ahhhhhhh round people!

10/23/2004 12:35:04 AM

Sequim, WA

It's interesting to note that they say there isn't enought time in the day to teach everything, yet the children are in school from late August until late June around here. Between all the odd scheduled breaks and "teacher workshop" days the school year is stretched beyond belief. If I am not mistaken, my children spend the same number of hours in school each year as I did and somehow we managed to fit it all in between Labor day and Memorial day with a few breaks in between and a few holiday parties as well. Once again a case of public employees forgetting who they work for and making the mistake of thinking that they were put in charge of something that they are merely given stewardship over.

10/23/2004 1:19:34 AM

Colorado Hail, CO. Elev. 5,900 FT

This kind of stuff really makes me sick. Why does it seem to me like the real reason behind all this stems from someone feeling offended by Halloween itself?

Two teens dressed up as Rob Zombie & Maralyn Manson last year in my daughters school district, and they were sent home for the day because some "primp and proper" school official{s} thought the kids were being rude, offensive, and promoting gang related activities {not by how they behaved, but how they LOOKED!} because of the way they dressed up.

My daughter described both "costumes" to me, nothing I'd get worked up about. I'd be concerned only if my daughter or one of her friends dressed up like Janet Jackson at halftime {half a breast exposed & another not}. That might be a distraction perhaps, especially to all the high school boys. The girls might perhaps find a Blackie Lawless' {Singer from W.A.S.P., ancient 80's metal group} stage costume a bit offensive or distracting {a halfed saw blade protruding from his crotch area with blood on it}. Going to school wearing one of those costumes, or something similar,well... I'd have to draw the line and make them leave. However, these kids were deemed offensive just by wearing facial makeup with black {hair} wigs and all black clothing.

Give me a break!

10/23/2004 2:56:22 AM

Colorado Hail, CO. Elev. 5,900 FT

Lets face it, these people justify these kinds of actions by saying others might be offended. Usually, nobody is offended... other than those who want to think they are some kind of role models. People with such a mindset believe any behavior or values other than their own are appauling, and thus, they resort to doing things like this. Maybe they were picked on as kids so much that they grew up and decided since they never had fun, then nobody should have fun.

One could argue that they are Satanists, and Christmas offends them, since they praise Satan. Or they are environmentalists, and Christmas offendes them, as mass consumerism promotes gift purchasing which results in TONS of nonrenewable resources ending up in our landfills. Perhaps Christamas offends commerical or hobby horticulturists, plant breeders,or plant propagationalists since it is imposssible for these people to get plant products ANYWHERE around christmas, ESPECIALLY garden centers! Do any of the people from any of these groups claim to be offended and ask for a ban on Christmas? No... So who died and made these people God?

10/23/2004 2:56:50 AM

Colorado Hail, CO. Elev. 5,900 FT

BTW... don't even ask me... the answer is no... I am not a satanist... I know how that might have looked the way I worded that... LMAO !!!

Hope I didn't offend anyone....

10/23/2004 3:02:32 AM

Key West, FL

666

10/23/2004 3:12:45 AM

[email protected]

At the risk of derailing the thread, I'd like to share a story. At a recent Cub Scout pack meeting we used a "Harry Potter" theme. The sorting hat made for a fun time assigning new Cubs to their respective Dens. One very strict Christian family (out of 70) took offense to the theme. BSA is very strongly opinionated with respect to God. There are *NO* atheists in Scouts. So this was the chance we took. We have since discussed the matter & decided that offending only 1 out of 70 is good enough for us. We can't make everyone happy & we aren't going to sacfifice the fun of the many to satisfy the whims of the one.

BSA can do this because we're a private organization & reserve the right to offend.

Public groups (taxpayer supported) likely would NOT get away with this.

10/23/2004 10:02:30 AM

Long Island,New York

I am a private organization and I reserve the right to offend too....lol......G

10/23/2004 3:47:58 PM

Wichita, KS

I don't remember my halloween history very clearly... wasn't it a pagan holiday (autumnal equinox celebration) before catholicism morphed it into a quasi-christian celebration (hallowed {holy} eve)? That's what I have stashed in my synapses, but I am not certain.

If I am right (again, I may not be), how would it be offensive to wiccans? Wiccans around here seem to like the stereotype anyway, sporting bumper-stickers that read "My other car is a {picture of a broomstick}."

10/23/2004 5:33:11 PM

Key West, FL

thats why I quit scouts, no way I could ever make eagle...

I think they need to remove that from the scouts.

10/23/2004 7:30:45 PM

Puyallup, WA

The School Board meeting is tomorrow night. I doubt if everybody will be able to squeeze into the meeting room.
I am always amused when something like this crops up. Seems that no one on the School Board were worried that Holloween celebrations might offend some Christian students. This is a prime example of "political correctness" gone amuck!

10/25/2004 12:21:27 AM

Wichita, KS

In Sacramento, we are starting to call "political correctness" "Liberal Correctness."

10/25/2004 1:50:31 AM

[email protected]

Ironically it was an early Pagan ritual. So was the winter solstace's "celebration of lights" that Christians adapted Jesus' birth to & we now call Christmas.

Early Christians knew that the old Pagan celebrations would be sorely missed by converts. So many of the major Christian holdays incorporate remnants of Pagan celebrations & rituals into them. Christianity was a tough sale 2000 years ago in northern Europe.

Halloween does this too. Pumpkin headed goblins are of Irish origin (story of Jack who burned the devil, etc) but the entire event borrows from many cultures & has no modern Christian significance tied to it.

If ever a holiday existed that anti-Christians could latch onto & love, this would be it.

In America Halloween serves as number 2 to Christmas for retailers in sales of holiday related items such as Pumpkins, Greeting Cards, plastic Chineese gizmos, candy, costumes, battery operated lighted devices, craft supplies, etc.

All this & no direct ties to currently practiced religeons. It seems to this Christian that only those who are uncomfortable with their own religeous position would find offense with Halloween & even then, they're really having to look hard to find that trouble.

It is what it is. A good excuse to spend some money & have fun with the kids. Like a ball game without the ball. These people need to lighten up. They're reading too much into it.

10/25/2004 7:11:17 AM

Oz

WHAT ARE THE EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS VIEWPOINTS ON Halloween?

BEN,you may have quit the BSA(I DID ALSO),But the scouts will never quit you!
20/30 years from now you will do something that others will find amazing.
"where did you learn that?" ,,"boy scouts" will be your answer.

10/25/2004 10:57:21 AM

Key West, FL

ya, don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the scouts, except when I tried to advance rank my scout master asking me about God and stuff like that.

10/25/2004 2:59:52 PM

Eugene, OR

One of my favorite comedians, George Carlin, really sums up my thinking on this and all other religion related discussions. He said there should be an 11th commandment added that says...."Thou shalt keep thy religion to thyself."

"People who want to share their religious beliefs with you almost never want you to share yours with them."

Halloween rocks and the kids love it. Shoot, I enjoy it too! Let the kids be kids, let them have some fun, and let them think for themselves.

Happy Halloween!!

10/25/2004 3:53:27 PM

Wichita, KS

MCP... "WHAT ARE THE EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS VIEWPOINTS ON Halloween?"

I think Tremor just posted the answer. As an evangelical Christian myself, I agree with Tremor entirely. It is what it is, and people have to look hard to find trouble with it. It may have been a pagan holiday at one time, but now its just an excuse to dress up your kid and get free candy. I avoid dressing up my kid in anything gory or scary because I don't want him to ponder murder or demons at age 2. This is the viewpoint most of the people of our church take as well. On halloween, we turn our church gymnasium into a giant festival with bounce houses, a dunk tank (dunk the pastor or elder and get a fist full of candy), dozens of games... every time you participate in a game you get a piece of candy--win the game and you might get 2! We like it because it keeps our kids out of the street, they get to dress up, they have fun with all their friends, they come home with a sack full of loot, and it also attracts hundreds of people from the community who also benefit from the safe fun environment. Adults also dress up and score loot too (that would be me!)!

10/26/2004 12:10:41 PM

Wichita, KS

It is true, some christians do boycott the holiday, citing its pagan origins. I don't, and most of the christians I know don't, because less than 1% of the people celebrating the holiday in our post modern era don't believe it holds any pagan significance, and enjoy the opportunity to have some fun... harvest gods are not being honored; they have been entirely forgotten. My opinion is that well meaning christians who object to halloween for this reason should reconsider Christmas too, which was originally celebrated as the birthday of Apollo, god of the sun (it is thought that Jesus was actually born sometime in spring or fall, because the shepherds were sleeping under the stars with the sheep during his birth).

Also, reading Romans 14 a few times thru is a good idea for anybody who wants to understand christians and how they perceive the holidays. Those who are uncomfortable with such days are allowed to be, they just don't have to be.

10/26/2004 12:10:49 PM

Wichita, KS

I meant to say, "less than 1% of the people celebrating the holiday in our post modern era BELIEVE it holds any pagan significance..."

10/26/2004 12:13:32 PM

South Hill, Virginia

Ben,

Maybe you can start your own version of Boy Scouts where all non-trendy religions are barred and everyone who joins becomes an eagle scout:P

10/26/2004 4:06:22 PM

[email protected]

well Monday is in the rearview now.

How did the meeting go?

10/26/2004 6:11:37 PM

Washington State

I went to the meeting-there were over 400 adults and a whole lot of cute kids in costume. The president opened the mike for an hour and drew names of those that wanted to speak, including the Wiccans and Warlocks. It turns out they are just as upset at the Administration for vetoing Halloween parties as the parents are, and they don't want the blame put on them. After the hour was up the Board's only response was that they were going to stay with the Administration's decision. They made no response to anyone during the program-It was clear that they had made their decision before the meeting even started, but fulfilled their obligation to let the public speak. I was very disappointed with the officials and how they handled this and hope re-election time is not far off. Thanks, Mari Lou

10/26/2004 11:53:46 PM

[email protected]

I am sorry to hear this Mary Lou. Never let them forget. Vote that Pres. out of a job.

10/27/2004 12:00:38 AM

canal winchester ohio

I saw on the news today about you folks losing your battle. I'm very sorry to hear that & I'm scared that this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the schools,state & nation making decisions for us without a say from us.......

10/28/2004 12:48:32 PM