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Union Square kicks out young carolers Grade-school kids get boot for lack of permit from city
San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 12/5/4 | Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross

Posted on 12/05/2004 10:01:45 AM PST by SmithL

Two dozen San Francisco schoolkids sporting white turtlenecks and Santa hats got a very un-Christmaslike civics lesson the other day when they showed up at Union Square hoping to delight Christmas shoppers with holiday carols.

"They just wanted to set up next to the Christmas tree and sing,'' said Donna Vargas, one of the parents who escorted the fifth- and sixth-graders from San Francisco Day School on Friday's outing.

Instead, they got the boot.

Seems they didn't have a city permit -- so after a brief run-in with the park's security, the kids were shooed away.

"How can children not be allowed to sing in a public park?'' Vargas fumed. "I can see if they were street performers or passing a hat. But they are not raising money or soliciting anybody.''

Maybe not, said Mary McCue, president of MJM Management Group, which oversees the square's security. But under city rules, any organized activity at Union Square requires a permit from the city's Rec and Park Department.

"We try to look the other way a lot, but this was just a big group,'' McCue said. "And there is a whole liability issue. If a kid falls on the step, they're going to automatically sue Rec and Park and me.''

Parents and bystanders were soon on the line to the mayor's office to complain.

(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: aclu; antichildren; antichristian; antichristianleague; antichristmas; antigodcrowd; atheists; bahhumbug; birthofjesus; boycott; boycottdenver; boycottmacys; boycottsf; boycotttarget; boyforsale; california; celebrateperversity; christ; christianbashing; christianity; christians; christmas; christmascarols; christmasparade; coal; culturewar; culturewars; denver; doublespeak; freedomfromreligion; freedomofreligion; friscosucks; grinchstolechristmas; happyholidays; hidethesausage; homosexualcity; howboutsomepie; inourfaces; intolerance; justdamn; lawsuitabuse; liberalbigots; loserpays; lumpofcoal; lumpofcoalcampaign; lyingliar; merrychristmas; morality; morfordville; orwelliannightmare; pc; persecution; politicalcorrectness; politicallycorrect; publicsquare; queers; reasonfortheseason; religion; religiousintolerance; religiouspersecution; religioussuppression; sanfrancisco; scrooge; seasonsgreetings; secularhumanists; sf; sodmy; subversion; teens; tortreform; unionsquare; uptheshitshout; votemondale
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Ho Ho Ho
1 posted on 12/05/2004 10:01:46 AM PST by SmithL
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To: All

OBTW, scroll down to the last paragraph about John Burton's final press conference.


2 posted on 12/05/2004 10:03:51 AM PST by SmithL
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Yet shoeless crackheads get free reign to bug the crap out of us wherever we go downtown...


3 posted on 12/05/2004 10:03:53 AM PST by Citizen James (Notorious G.O.P.)
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To: SmithL

Now, that's stupid. Let the kids sing, for Pete's sake!


4 posted on 12/05/2004 10:04:15 AM PST by MineralMan (godless atheist)
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To: SmithL

Of course, if they were ten years older, wearing dog collars and wife beaters, singing "Its Raining Men," they would be celebrated for bringing "diversity" to San Francisco.


5 posted on 12/05/2004 10:04:29 AM PST by Clemenza (Gabba Gabba Hey!)
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To: SmithL
And finally: "Any f -- questions left?'' -- outgoing state Senate President pro tem John Burton, summoning reporters to his final news conference.

John Burton... What a nut...

6 posted on 12/05/2004 10:05:13 AM PST by Citizen James (Notorious G.O.P.)
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To: SmithL

>>If a kid falls on the step, they're going to automatically sue Rec and Park and me.<<

Then bring a paper that the rep of the group signs for no liability and let them sing.

Mean people suck....


7 posted on 12/05/2004 10:07:50 AM PST by netmilsmom (Zell on DEM Christianity, "They can hum the tune, but can't sing the song.")
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To: Howlin

This encapsulates why I can never be a Democrat.


8 posted on 12/05/2004 10:08:36 AM PST by Diddle E. Squat
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To: SmithL
"And there is a whole liability issue. If a kid falls on the step, they're going to automatically sue Rec and Park and me."

So I take it that children are banned in TOTAL from the park, to prevent lawsuits?

After all, it matters not if they are a large group or an individual.

9 posted on 12/05/2004 10:08:42 AM PST by weegee (WE FOUGHT ZOGBYISM November 2, 2004 - 60 Million Voters versus 60 Minutes - BUSH WINS!!!)
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To: SmithL

Sadly, California's major city governments do NOT reflect the opinions of most Californians. How these people continue to be elected for positions of management and
down-right common sense remains a mystery.


10 posted on 12/05/2004 10:09:33 AM PST by Grendel9
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To: SmithL

I don't see how my Aunt and Uncle live there.


11 posted on 12/05/2004 10:09:44 AM PST by Dallas59 ("A weak peace is worse than war" - Tacitcus)
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To: SmithL

He probably resented them calling it a Christmas Tree.


12 posted on 12/05/2004 10:10:38 AM PST by weegee (WE FOUGHT ZOGBYISM November 2, 2004 - 60 Million Voters versus 60 Minutes - BUSH WINS!!!)
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To: SmithL
***McCue said. "And there is a whole liability issue. If a kid falls on the step, they're going to automatically sue Rec and Park and me.''***

And that, as a justification, is just pure unadulterated BS

13 posted on 12/05/2004 10:11:13 AM PST by daybreakcoming
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To: SmithL
It's San Francisco, they're lucky they weren't afforded the opportunity to begin early on their criminal record and get arrested and charged.
14 posted on 12/05/2004 10:12:57 AM PST by highlander_UW (Democrat - the party of racism, disenfranchisement and hatred)
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To: SmithL
"We try to look the other way a lot, but this was just a big group,'' McCue said. "And there is a whole liability issue. If a kid falls on the step, they're going to automatically sue Rec and Park and me.''

No that would ony happen if the opportunist were an atheistic Democrat with an ambulance-chasing trial lawyer in tow.

15 posted on 12/05/2004 10:14:54 AM PST by 101st-Eagle
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To: SmithL

Had it been a group of fags in the park having a orgy, they probably would have allowed them to stay.


16 posted on 12/05/2004 10:14:57 AM PST by auggy (http://home.bellsouth.net/p/PWP-DownhomeKY /// Check out My USA Photo album & Fat Files)
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To: SmithL

That's why I left.

Hey, there's a bunch of kids out in Chippewa Square singing right now.


17 posted on 12/05/2004 10:15:23 AM PST by noblejones
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To: SmithL

This puts the people that organized the outing and the kids' parents in a difficult position. Do you tell the kids the truth, that some adults are just stupid and mean? Or do you make up an excuse so that the kids' respect for adults in general isn't diminished?


18 posted on 12/05/2004 10:18:20 AM PST by SilentServiceCPOWife (In the smiling twilight of the new political morning, the unwashed told their betters to shove it.)
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To: Lindykim; DirtyHarryY2K; Siamese Princess; Ed Current; Grampa Dave; Luircin; gonow; John O; ...

Moral Absolutes Ping.

A representative article about the hateful persecution of Christmas and those who want to celebrate it.

Let me know if anyone wants on/off this pinglist.

Note: For those of you who don't live on the west coast and may not be familiar with San Francisco, let me assure you that it is a filthy, vile place, and the sidewalks are crawling with incredibly stinky, repellent drug addicts, perverts of every description, offensive and aggresive beggars, thugs, and street musicians. Some of this human debris leave their excrement and urine wherever they please, as well as needles and other trash.

So the idea that clean, well behaved children are prevented from singing Christmas carols is nothing but nasty leftist hate and discrimination.


19 posted on 12/05/2004 10:19:11 AM PST by little jeremiah (What would happen if everyone decided their own "right and wrong"?)
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To: netmilsmom
Then bring a paper that the rep of the group signs for no liability and let them sing.

Ya think maybe that might be part of the permit process?

20 posted on 12/05/2004 10:20:24 AM PST by xm177e2 (Stalinists, Maoists, Ba'athists, Pacifists: Why are they always on the same side?)
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