Ted Cruz on Political Correctness

Huckabee Prays Providence Spares Wayward US Politics

When former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (R-AK) made his unsuccessful run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, he drew support from the religious right, which is not surprising as he  is a Southern Baptist minister.  Huckabee now is a Fox News Channel host but he also inspires conservative political audiences, as he did when he spoke at CPAC 2014.

Huckabee's message recognizes the Hand of God at the outset of our independence as well as our wayward ways in today's body politic. Secularists may shutter at mentioning civics and spirituality in the same breath, but they ignore the profound spiritual journey which brought the Pilgrims to the New World as well as the faith displayed by our Founding Fathers.  

Such atheistic antagonists think that the "Separation of Church and State" is in the Constitution (it actually comes from Jefferson's Letter to the Danbury Baptist Church in 1802) and the First Amendment prohibited an official state religion not banishing the expression and practice of faith in the public square.

Governor Huckabee has indicated that he is leaving the door open for another run for the White House in 2016.  Cynics claim that Huckabee is keeping his name in speculation to maintain his lavish lifestyle. That uncharitable opinion does not respect Huckabee's sincere sentiment on invoking a healthy spirituality on civics.  

Already it seems that there is a crowded field of prospective GOP presidential candidates.  If Huckabee were to enter, he would have to again draw upon support from the religious right as he did in Iowa in 2008.  Well, those where the same value voters who rocketed former Senator Rick Santorum to win the Hawkeye Cauci in 2012 and he is clearly positioning his Patriot Voice for a return run.  Then there is the evangelical appeal which Dr. Ben Carson evokes from social conservatives this cycle.

So rather than worry whether there will be a political sequel of  "I Heart Huckabees", it would be prudent to take his providential preaching at face value.

Skittish Chicago-land School Censors Christ Costume

Marshon Sanders in Jesus costume  (via Facebook)

Marshon Sanders, a 17 year old senior at Highland Park High School in Chicago's northern suburbs, took part in the school's tradition of wearing costumes on Halloween.   But Sanders was removed from class after two teachers complained that Marshon was dressed like Jesus Christ.

After being dismissed from class, school administrators deemed his costume as being potentially offensive and violating the dress code policy that no costume should "be offensive or perpetuate a stereotype of someone's culture, gender, sexual orientation, heritage or religion."  At first, Marshon was told to remove his large pectoral cross.  Later, Sanders was instructed that in order to return to class, he needed to remove his white robe, red sash, cross and head scarf. 

Highland Park High's Director of Communications Melinda Vajdic stated that the costume could be interepreted as poking fun or perpetuating a "religious stereotype".   Vajdic further pontificated, "Costumes trivialize. I’m sure that wasn’t his intent, but we want to maintain a culture of mutual respect.”  But surely this same condescending standard should have applied to students costumed as Mormons, Moses and priests. 

Before Marshon went back to class, the student contacted his mother.  Angela Frison urged her son to wear a costume that was uplifting and approved of his choice.  Some might say that Frison's son was doing All Hallow's Eve right.   Marshon chose the figure who was most important to him.  When Ms. Frison asked the school dean what was so offensive about Marshon's costume, she was not given a direct answer.  Frison thought that those teachers who were offended might have been due to the notion of a black Jesus.

After the ad hoc Parent-Teacher meeting, the school seems to have changed its tune with the prospect of bad publicity. The administrators reconsidered and ruled that Marshon was not being offensive and gave permission to wear his outfit but the chagrined teen declined.  The school later put out a press release in the afternoon confirming that Marshon had been told that he could wear the costume. 

Nearly 40 years ago, the show Good Times, set in the projects in Chicago (implicitly Cabrini-Green), created controversy over a depiction of a black Jesus.  It would be a pity if Norman Lear's polemical plot still holds sway in enlightened north shore of  Chicago-land.

Actor James Amos playing James Evans, Sr. in Good Times (1974)

While race might be the case, a concurrent stream of influence is a fanatical secular political correctness which aims intensely upon Christianity .  There are so many stories of public schools bowing at the altar of political correctness and harboring an acute sense of Christophobia. Consider cases where children are sanctioned against reading the Bible during lunch.  Or valedictory speeches that must be censored so as not to mention Jesus.  So it is not surprising that teachers would be skittish about a positive portrayal of Christ in the schools, even on Halloween.

For Halloween costumes, the Priests and Mormons get-ups certainly could have satirical or salacious connotations, but depicting the Messiah might have been too positive of a Christian costume.  And such a positive Christian influence, even coming from a student would not be kosher, so to speak, when trumpeting multi-cuturalism that is non-judgmental, except for traditional Judeo-Christian mores.

h/t:  Christian Post
         Chicago Sun Times