NY baseball fan settles ‘God Bless America’ suit
July 7th, 2009 . by TexasFredNY baseball fan settles ‘God Bless America’ suit
NEW YORK (AP) – A baseball fan has settled a lawsuit that claimed he was kicked out of Yankee Stadium by a police officer because he left his seat to use the bathroom during the playing of “God Bless America.”
Bradford Campeau-Laurion had named the Yankees and New York City in his federal lawsuit, which argued that he was a victim of political and religious discrimination and that his rights were violated at the August 2008 game.
The city did not admit liability in the settlement, which was finalized Monday. But it will give the Queens resident $10,001 and will pay $12,000 in legal fees to the New York Civil Liberties Union.
For its part, the Yankees will pay nothing but said in settlement papers that fans at the team’s new stadium are allowed to move freely during the song and there are no plans to change that.
“Policy remains as it always has been: Fans are free to move about during the playing of ‘God Bless America,’” said Alice McGillion, spokeswoman for the Yankees.
Full Story Here:
NY baseball fan settles ‘God Bless America’ suit
This is a powerful story for me. I am not, in ANY way, against saying a prayer, saying the Pledge of Allegiance, playing the National Anthem or God Bless America. I don’t become offended if a speaker asks for a moment of silence or offers a brief invocation. I participate in those activities if requested, and never fear any repercussions for doing so.
Here is where my libertarian tilt comes out. If you ask me to participate, I quite likely will. If you tell me I MUST participate, I will fight you tooth and nail to prove that I DON’T have to participate.
I personally see nothing wrong with the guy going to the bathroom, if ya gotta go, ya gotta go. And it’s not like he shunned the National Anthem, an action which I, as an American and a Patriot find offensive. But suppose he DID shun the playing of the National Anthem? Do we not have FREEDOM in this nation? I personally don’t have any use for a person that would avoid an opportunity to stand and say The Pledge of honor the flag, but men have fought and died so those people CAN have a right to shun those practices.
The song was God Bless America. It’s a SONG, it’s not a prayer. But suppose it WAS a prayer? Yes, we DO have the right to freedom of religion and religious expression in America. We also have the right to freedom FROM religion as well. If your actions are guided by God, or your higher being, deity, spirit, whatever, wonderful, if that’s your belief, that’s your belief. If not, that’s also your belief!
Benedict writes, “The market is not, and must not become, the place where the strong subdue the weak.”
Full Story Here:
Pope calls for ‘God-centered’ global economy
And again I say, freedom FROM religion as well. The Pope needs to stick to the business of the Catholic Church and keep his nose OUT of politics. That is MY opinion.
The encyclical, Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth) is a theologically dense explication of Catholic social teaching that draws heavily from earlier popes, particularly PaulVI’s critique of capitalism 42 years ago. And echoing his predecessor John Paul II, Benedict says, “every economic decision has a moral consequence.”
If one is critical of capitalism does that not leave the reader to believe that the person who criticizes capitalism must favor some other type of financial system? If not capitalism, what’s left? Socialism and Communism?
Politics, sex and religion. Those 3 topics have started wars. I don’t blog about sex. I try to avoid religion as much as possible because of my personal beliefs, but I consider politics to be fair game. I also fully believe that the fields of politics, finance, baseball and religion don’t need to cross paths. The guy went to the ball game to see a ball game.
We do NOT need another form of the Taliban! If we force people to STAND while God Bless America is played, or if we throw them OUT of the ball park for not doing so, the Taliban is what we have become.
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Nope.. No complaint w/ your take on it.
I agree with your take on it!
I’m one of them Fundamentalist Christians but I agree 100% with what you said. God Bless America is a great song but it’s not the National Anthem or any other song that’s due special recognition. During final prayer in church is when my pastor makes his way back to the rear of the building to greet people as they leave.
Seeing as how well you covered this, Fred, I won’t have to! It is America. We have FREEDOM here, (or are supposed to have…). Heck, I am also a firm believer in the Freedom of Religion – even Muslims. Until, that is, that religion threatens the lives of my fellow Americans.
This guy had the right to pee whenever he wanted. Someone went too far and got pinched. So be it.
Bull*
I’d rather him run to the head than piss in his pants (Or worse) if I was in the seat next to him…It was a song, not the pledge. IF anything I’d think it was an insult to the singer rather than the country.
It’s not unlike having to urinate when approaching an airfield in a commercial liner. Technically, it’s against federal law; yeah. Just stop me from hitting the restroom when I need to. That was a stupid move on the NY part.
BZ
I agree with you on this 100%. I have seen people take their kids to the bathroom during the National Anthem, during an invocation, so what?
God Bless America isn’t the National Anthem and I resent it being played instead of ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ at ball games and the like. I stand quietly for the Star Spangled Banner with my hat off, I totally ignore God Bless America.
Look! I get teary eyed when I hear the Star Spangled Banner, God Bless America, America the Beautiful or any other patriot song. I sometimes fight back tears when I stand to Pledge Allegiance. I respect our military folks. I praise each and every one of them. I saw the smoke rise in the sky the morning of September 11, but I am proud to finally be a Texan.
But I am amazed that the guy was arrested for going to the bathroom at Yankee Stadium. On any given night, by the time they play the National Anthem, some people have probably had a few beers already. And George Steinbrenner isn’t even there anymore. Could he have done something else not yet reported?
You have got to see this, if you already have not:
The Anchoress — A First Things Blog
Given that this happened almost a year ago, and given the fact that there has been a settlement, I doubt it…
Some cop was an asswipe and the city paid the price…
Storm Warning, I’ve seen that video and it’s something how those Boston fans came to the aid of that young man. It gets you choked up.
Fred, would you say that, that cop was a “right wing extremist”???
I’ll bet he wouldn’t have gotten up and left, if Kate Smith was singing “God Bless America”. That was the only person I ever knew that could sing that song with so much reverence that it made your chest swell with pride and you were DAM proud to be an American.
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!! All of us.
I would say that he was someone that had NO idea of what he was doing…
And yeah, he was an extremist, extremely in need of an education in proper police procedure and constitutional freedoms…
Bob, I think that the incident in Yankee Stadium is far overshadowed by what happened in Boston. It is one of the things that makes America what it should be.