Posted on 06/21/2006 3:02:23 PM PDT by fight_truth_decay
TVC ASKS PATAKI TO STOP HARASSMENT
June 21, 2006 - Washington, DC – The Traditional Values Coalition asked New York Governor George Pataki to rein in a state agency which is threatening legal action against an Accord, New York skating rink because it plays Christian music during a “Christian Music Skate” party.
The New York Division of Human Rights threatened Len and Terry Bernardo, owners of the Skate Time 209 rink in Accord, with an investigation because the rink plays Christian music during certain hours. The agency also threatened to charge a local newspaper which advertised the event for “aiding and abetting” unlawful discrimination.
“This is crazy,” said TVC Chairman Rev. Louis P. Sheldon. “These people are exercising basic Constitutional rights on private property to the exclusion of no one and the state government is treating them like dangerous criminals.
“Aiding and abetting? It is the responsibility of every citizen to aid and abet the free exercise of religion, free speech, the right to assemble and private property rights.
“New Yorkers have never been intimidated by international thugs and terrorists and they should not tolerate this bureaucratic attempt to violate their most basic civil rights.
“I have asked Governor Pataki to take authority over this illegal attempt to manipulate the law to accomplish a violation of basic civil rights. I will be watching closely to see that the Bernardos’ rights are protected.”
I guess any radio station that plays the Top 20 is sanctioned in New York whenever a Christian song makes it into the Top 20?
Totally insane and outrageous that a privately owned business cannot play the music of its choice. If people don't like it they can go to another skating rink. If they feel discriminated against they have done so by their own choice. They don't have to be there. This is messed up, folks.
By the way...is this investigation reported anywhere else other than a TVC press release?
Sadly, not in NY state. Since 9/11, as Gondring said, the rural areas have been over-run with fleeing liberals.
Traveling recently, my wife and I stopped in Macon, Georgia. Across the street from our motel was a pizza place. A big sign advertised Sunday lunch buffet. It listed one price and below that it listed a smaller price if you had a church bulletin with you.
How long before the ACLU jumps all over that?
LOL. They are similarly cowardly here in California. Can't even handle a tiny cross on a city seal.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: the Democrats aren't ignoring religion, they are trying to wipe it out.
...from skating rinks, from our currency, from our Pledge, from our crosses/stars-of-David in public graveyards, from Boy Scouts, from prayer in school, from praying in front of abortion clinics, etc...
http://www.myspace.com/skatetime209
They've got a "My Space", too.
I'm sure the Church of Satan could come up with a bulletin. The pizza would be extra hot, too.
Precisely, Southack.
I'll never forget "all the black church burnings" that so impacted Clinton's life.
NY is insane
Good grief, what a bunch of morons. Do us all a favor: leave the skating rink alone and go play marbles on the freeway...
All these anti-Christian occurrences we read about every day are merely the precursor to a much heavier handed persecution, and it isn't far away, imo.
Right now, the anti-Christian crowd in the U.S. are working tirelessy to stamp out every single vestige or expression of the Christian faith in all public venues, and they have the Courts on their side, which is why they're so emboldened today. It's the frequency of these persecutions, and the growing venom against Christians that makes me believe that arrests, prosecutions and incarceration of Christians for preaching "hate speech" is just around the corner. All it will take is a single conviction of a priest or minister for preaching "hate", and the Courts will then have their 'precedent' to roll over the entire Church. It is coming.
"Something is terribly out of whack here"
Not really, its going just as planned by those who hate America. We sit back and thank God its not us this time and do nothing, eventually this will happen to all of us.
A business can play other types of music, right? Rock, rap, country? If I was a business owner in NY I would today begin playing nothing but Christian music and would tell those bureaucrats to pound sand.
It was a Press Release today by TVC, but contact them or the rink owners..phone # is available on their sites. All links to those involved are in my comments above.
Press TVC release phone # is: Contact: (202) 547-8570 or
Traditional Values Coalition is an inter-denominational public policy organization speaking on behalf of over 43,000 churches. For more information or to arrange an interview, call (202) 547-8570. TVC 139 C. Street SE, Washington, DC 20003. Web site address: http://www.traditionalvalues.org
Background:
May 01, 2006
http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2006/05/01/features_buzzandsundayextra-01bzcov-05-01.html
Can a skateboarding park get skaters off the street?
Park skating vs. street skating, which rules?
By Russ Tinsley
Times Herald-Record
Shh! Did you hear that? They're coming. I'd know that sound anywhere. That rolling thunder. That infernal snapping and screeching. It's skateboarders!
They're everywhere these days - parking lots, sidewalks, the middle of the street, the park, your backyard. As we were reminded recently in Wurtsburo, skateboarders are often perceived as a nuisance to pedestrians, drivers, shop owners and security guards. What to do?
Today in Accord, a new "family entertainment center" with a roller rink and skatepark will open. Skate Time 209 is trying to lure in some of the noisy skateboarders. The funplex will feature an indoor wooden ramp park, with a miniramp, funboxes, rails, stairs, quarterpipes and other miscellaneous obstacles - as well as a beautiful maple roller-skating rink, various gear shops and arcades.
It's sort of like a more modern, hipper version of Chuck E. Cheese, where even an aging, arthritis-kneed skateboarder could get down.
And although the idea of a good park being part of a "family entertainment center" seems doubtful, fear not. This park was designed and put together by people who know skateboarding. Suburban Rails, the company brought in to build the park, has been building parks for more than 20 years. The result is a solid, 10,000-square-foot park designed almost solely by skateboarders.
The owners of Skate Time 209, Len and Terry Bernardo, started the project with roller skating in mind. The professional level hardwood floor was installed over padded layers to cut down on injuries by 20 percent, according to Matt Warner, the skatepark director. Word is the Bernardos might try to get a girls' roller derby team together.
Although the skatepark was an afterthought addition, the emphasis on quality and legitimacy was not lost.
"We had a group of kids that helped design the park," says Len. "A student actually drew up the CAD (computer-aided design) drawings for it."
But the question remains: Will this get skateboarders off your street for good? All trends point to probably not.
"If it's a nice day and a good (street) spot, I'm going to skate that instead of the park," says Kyle Ennis, 16, a skate store/park attendant at Kingston's TSX.
For the last 15 years or so, street skating has been substantially more popular than ramp skating, at least as evidenced by its representation in most skateboarding magazines and videos. And although skate parks will probably be as utilized as a baseball field nowadays, most modern skateboarding takes place on the streets. There are numerous reasons for this:
1. Streets are more accessible. Instead of waiting around for a ride to the skate park, skaters can roll down the street and practice kickflips in front of their buddy's house while simultaneously checking out his/her older/younger sister/brother.
2. The pros are doing it. Pick up any skate magazine or video and see how many vert ramp sequences there are. The days of neon tank top-wearing vert skaters are over. Boards and wheels are smaller, trucks are tighter, and spandex is hard to find.
3. There are no rules. The skater refuses no sidewalk. Street skating involves a more creative thought process ... or maybe less. The allure is that it doesn't matter.
But with all the street skating that goes down in your neighborhoods, skate parks are still a valuable place for skaters. It doesn't matter how dorky they will look in pads. When it's raining out, a covered skatepark is a Mecca - an overcrowded Mecca, but a Mecca nonetheless. Skaters will travel a long way to go to decent skate park.
"We used to drive all the way to Binghamton to go to the park there," says Warner. "It's nice to have this place so close."
Just as the skateboarder refuses no sidewalk, it's also hard to refuse a nice park.
"You can learn a trick out on the street and then come in and try it in the park," says Ennis. "Ramp skating will always be around."
So thrash it, comrades.
Skate park tips
Some useful tips for the skate park newbie:
1. Use the whole course. Younger skaters are often the culprits of using a single obstacle for an entire day. Though this is common in the learning process and not to be looked down upon, using the whole course will broaden your repertoire.
2. Don't laugh when someone falls down. Although this may seem like an easy, natural reaction, it's considered uncool. Instead of laughing, remember back to when you were learning how to skate.
3. Watch where you're going. Everyone wants to watch the kid doing nollie flips to crooked grinds, but at least hold out until you can sit or stand by the side.
4. Never bring Razor scooters. Never ... ever. Unless you can do tailwhips-to-manuals. Just kidding. Never.
5. Stay coooool, boy. Reeeeeal cool. Nobody really likes watching skaters freak out and throw boards/helmets around. Try and refrain. This isn't the X-Games. You're not filming footy for the next video, brah. Seeema down.
6. Go big... or go small. Don't overstep your boundries. The 360 flips-to-boardslides can wait. Master the basics first.
7. Don't let old dudes intimidate. Get up, hop on and start pushing. You'll find that most skaters are pretty laid-back. Don't get pushed out of the rotation.
8. Leave your iPod at home ... especially when you're skating with your buddies. Barry Jive and the Uptown Five will be there when you get back.
Here's the scoop on Skate Time 209 and some other skate parks in our area.
Skate Time 209
Where: 5164 Route 209 (entrance at Mettacahonts Road), Accord
Features: Indoor. Miniramp, quarterpipes, rails, ramps, ledges, funboxes.
Rules: Helmet required.
Hours/days: (Temporary) 1-6 p.m. Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri.; 6:30-9:30 p.m. Thurs.
Admission: $5.50 for members, $6.50 for nonmembers
Call: 626-7971
Visit: www.skatetime209.com
Don't all mosques broadcast a call to prayer over loudspeakers?
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