University of New Hampshire says no to Hanukkah

 The University of New Hampshire was recently asked if a student group could place a menorah in the Memorial Union Building on campus. The school refused.

“I said no,” Lustgraaf told the paper. “We can’t sponsor a religion in a public area without an educational component.”

 Can someone explain to me how if a STUDENT puts up a religious symbol that is means the SCHOOL is sponsoring it? Am I missing something in the translation here? But Lustgraaf continues:

“I’m not in any way trying to stop anyone from celebrating their religious holidays or from educating the rest of the campus,” Lustgraaf said. “It is part of our unofficial mission to have students feel like their name is welcome. So, the MUB is agnostic. We could offend someone. Putting a menorah up would be the same as putting out a nativity scene. If you walk through the building you shouldn’t be exposed if you don’t want to be.”

 First he says that they want students to feel welcome. How welcoming is it to tell the student that there can be no display of that student’s religion? It sounds rather unwelcoming to me.

 He then says that putting up a menorah would be the same as putting out a nativity scene. Oh, the horror!

 But it is the last line that I find remarkable. He says people shouldn’t be exposed to the menorah, or the nativity scene if they don’t want to be. He also says someone could be offended. What strikes me about this is not the statement itself, rather the type of person he is talking about. Can you imagine being so full of hate and bitterness that by merely walking past and seeing a menorah or nativity scene you would become offended. How many people of one faith are actually offended by symbols of another? How many atheists are actually offended by symbols of religion.

 This type of person is so miserable that they can only be happy by trying to take away other people’s happiness. They are shallow and self-centered and think the world revolves around them.

 Well, I am not going to take it this year.

 If you are offended by any of these things, I have only one thing to say to you. GO POUND SAND!

 I would normally put that a different way, but I decided to clean it up for the holiday season.

 Read the New Hampshire Union Leader editorial here.