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Message: [QUOTE="CaptainJ, post: 1190234, member: 1553"] This country(and MANY others) grant folks liberties we often take for granted, and often abuse. One of these liberties is to not partake of certain traditions, many of which those who participate in often don't fully understand the reasons behind, let alone the implications. We also have the right to all of our various theories, even if some of them wrongly(or "rightfully", but not out of necessity) hurt their targets. The First Amendment guarantees freedom of expression, especially when that expression is link to a person's innermost beliefs. Some of you may remember recently electing a [I]President [/I]who didn't put his hand over his heart. It wasn't to do with his name, just ask the families of the victims in the middle east. People seem to like simple answers rather than finding the truth. A great deal of ignorance is shown when people state that Dion has to practice his faith the same way as Baye, even if they were part of the same sect. There are at least 1.5 BILLION Muslims in the world, and some of you expect them all to interpret their faith the same? Do you recall a large part of the reason [B]this [/B]nation was founded was for individuals to have the liberty to practice their [I]beliefs [/I]as they saw fit? You know, some parts of Christianity that were totally incompatible with others? Even once in America, wasn't some fellow [I]shunned[/I](I love that word) for making a Maypole and having merriment? Speaking of traditions, hasn't it long been custom to list God in front of Country here in the US? I don't know why Dion did what he did, and I honestly don't care. If he did it for the stated reasons, I'd have a lot more respect for him than I ever did before. I am not a Muslim, but I had a friend who was a Jehovah's Witness, and other than the pledge thing, I wouldn't have probably known otherwise. Daily people are killed behind the "pop" patriotism our media has been propagating, and the birthrights our Constitution was created to protect are dying at an alarming rate as well. Government doesn't grant liberties, it can only take them away. Anyone who has read the Constitution should know our Founding Fathers would fully support what Dion did for any reason, and depending on those reasons, some would likely be proud that he isn't part of the crop of mindless robots that inhabit this society. With freedom comes responsibility. The majority of Americans have shirked their patriotic responsibilities to honor our liberties and sit on the sidelines of the battlefield and watch them slip away, and don't seem to mind when they don't think the rights being lost will effect them. This thread is more about personal pride, finding a way to feel superior to others, for doing something of little important consequence. Possibly take a moment to reflect upon that rather than letting your personal preferences cloud your understanding of of why this is significant. [/QUOTE]

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