Live By The Sword…

Die By The Sword...

The right to free association is slowly slipping away from us in this country.

Everything from country clubs to the neighborhood little league teams are being assaulted by individuals and “activist groups” seeking to change the fundamental activities and membership of these private organizations.

Gone are the days when the guys could all get together in men’s only “Commerce Clubs” and sit around farting and belching and smoking cigars while watching wrestling or boxing 24 hours a day. All of the major clubs that I know about have already been forced to tear out a few urinals to make room for ladies restrooms and hang a truck load of new wallpaper.

I wonder how much longer the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts have?

The quickest way to get your name in the newspaper is to go out and form a club that excludes women, minorities, homosexuals, left handed people, or any other class or group of people that can be defended by the busybody activists. The problem is even worse if your group happens to have any financially or politically successful people in your membership.

"Exclusive"…"Unfair discrimination"… are the cries from the activists.

Basically, if your group takes any public funding or requires a license or operating permits issued from any government entity, you better get ready to have your membership dictated to you by outsiders. Things like building permits and liquor licenses are at risk if you are considered to be “exclusive” in your membership practices.

What I really hate is when people join a club or organization knowing what the limitations and rules are, only to start demanding that the group make substantial changes in order to accommodate their own tender sensibilities.

In today’s political environment, the loser is, unfortunately, usually the “offending” organization and their traditions.

Today’s example of this phenomena is this guy down in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida that has a problem with the name of his new dance team.

FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. -- Fifteen-year-old Galen Smith is a dance enthusiast who practices three hours a day, but won't be a part of Choctawhatchee High School's dance team as long as it's known as the Indianettes.

Smith made the team after tryouts, but he balked when the school refused to change its feminine nickname. Now, he's trying to form a second team with a gender-neutral name, contending Indianettes is sexist and discourages boys from joining.

"I want something that is more inclusive," Smith said. "There are other guys who are interested but they know they'd be talked about because of the name."

School officials told him the name is a tradition at the school, where boys sports teams are known as Indians and girls teams as Lady Indians. Principal Cindy Massarelli said Smith was welcome to dance on the team, but the name stays, at least for now.

Poor little Galen…what a stupid little sheltered twit he obviously is. I suspect there is a stupid “inclusive” mother and father behind his actions and they are probably so proud of the job that they have done raising little Smith, Jr.

What I want to know is: “what the heck was he thinking when he auditioned?” Did he somehow not know that the dance team was called the “Indianettes”?

I happen to know something about this high school’s traditions because my high school played them in football back in the 1970’s. Choctawatchee High has always had a good football program, a giant 300 member marching band that could outplay many college bands, and their girls dance team has a proud tradition that enjoys spirited yearly competition for each and every position on the squad.

Don’t get me wrong here, I’m not a dance team fan, but I believe that little Galen needs to wipe away his tears and swish his little butt out to the boys locker room and try to recruit himself a team of male dancers. I bet he gets his rear end kicked if he’s not careful.

I am firmly behind the Indianettes keeping their name and allowing Galen to dance with them, if he meets their standards, but as to changing their name I say NO!

I just wish that people would give white men a little slack when it comes to the idea of our right to free association every once and a while--but that's all water over the dam now...