PA police boycott YMCA over pro-Harry Potter stance

[Fade]

Penryn Fire Police Capt. Robert Fichthorn

Say that name out loud. What does it sound like?

Probably meant to be humourous then.

 

[Zappo]

So they are voluntary, OK. But that doesn't mean they can just refuse doing their work and get away with it. The military is voluntary too, but that doesn't mean that you can disobey an order! I mean, they're bound to have a contract or something - dock them a month's wage at least!

The fact that the basis for their reaction is religious and superstitious makes the whole thing even more severe.

Frankly, I think it is truly disgusting; don't they do personality tests before accepting these volunteers? And if they do, don't they immediately send home anyone who would put superstition - not even religion, but superstition - before their duty?

 

[Uller]

So they are voluntary, OK. But that doesn't mean they can just refuse doing their work and get away with it. The military is voluntary too, but that doesn't mean that you can disobey an order! I mean, they're bound to have a contract or something - dock them a month's wage at least!

I heard the same story on news radio...according to the story I heard, they ARE volunteers. As in, a month's wages = $0. They provide police/fire protection to their community.

To paraphrase the copy read on the radio: "A volunteer group that provides police services to the town..."

Yes...the military is all volunteer...at least until you get through basic training, then it is quite mandatory, I assure you(and they PAY you).

While we may feel free to disagree with their stance(which is very silly, IMO), you cannot compel someone to provide sevices(of FREE) to an organization they are morally opposed to. You might expect them to...but you can't compel them to(For instance, if a Nazi's house is burning down, I'd still put the fire out if I were a volunteer fireman...I'd be thinking "serves the bastard right" but I'd still put the fire out).

Just don't think that this is at all comparible to some official government agency imposing some moral stance on the citizens...this sound more like a group of individuals deciding for themselves not to support something they feel is immoral...and that, after all is what free choice is all about.

 

[hellbender]

Re: Grr

Sad that it's this sort of thing that gets us mentioned.

Try living in Idaho. The Aryan Nations compound was burned down (YAY!), and they moved to Pennsylvania, and we still get flack, even after the shaman cleansed the grounds of the ex-compound.


hellbender

 

[rounser]

While we may feel free to disagree with their stance(which is very silly, IMO), you cannot compel someone to provide sevices(of FREE) to an organization they are morally opposed to.

Which makes the concept of volunteer police somewhat absurd, because they can't be held accountable. And if there's one segment of society that needs to be held accountable for what they do, it's the police - because with their power comes responsibility...

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Re: Re: Grr

even after the shaman cleansed the grounds of the ex-compound.

I have to admit that, not knowing any better, I originally believed the group to be actual policemen, and saw them in a very poor light. (I'm not familiar with salon, so I didn't know their "slant" on things.)

Public servants (firemen, policemen, etc.) should not be allowed to refuse service to anyone. Their job includes being available to the entire population to the extent of their work. Unlike private businesses, they can't hang a "We Reserve The Right To Refuse Service To Anyone" sign on their door.

But volunteers are an entirely different matter. I don't agree with what these guys are doing, but I can't deny their right to do it. They have the right to decide when to donate their own time.

 

[Uller]

Let me be clear...I HEARD on the radio they were volunteers. I Salon's story was straight off the wire(and the exact same story was on ABC's website). I have yet to see any official source stating they are unpaid volunteers....

So it seems to me that if they are paid police/fire officers, they must do as their town orders them to uphold the law and maintain order, regardless of their beliefs. If they are unpaid volunteers, then they have to right to pick and choose when to volunteer their time regardless of how silly their reasons are...(I think they should do their jobs regardless of pay or not out of a sense of duty to the town...if they don't like what the YMCA is doing, they can become members and assert their opinions through that organization)

 

[mythusmage]

On a Tangent

Guess who is a Harry Potter fan? A Tolkien fan too.

Alan Keyes.

I'm watching his show on MSNBC right now and he's talking about both. Favorably. A Fundamentalist Christian, and he likes Harry Potter. Who'dathunkit?

 

[CrusaderX]

Keyes is cool.

Though the term "Conservative Catholic" fits him better than "Fundamentalist Christian". The latter usually refers to southern baptists and the like, but not Catholics.

 

[Wolfspider]

Yes, this is truly an unfortunate affair.

On a tangent, I'm amazed at the negative reaction people have to Salon.com. I think it's a great magazine. I read it every day. Of course, I don't expect everyone to share my taste in news, but I'm still surprised at the animosity toward the magazine. Any particular reasons why some of you guys hate it so much? Maybe I'm blind to something obvious....