Suit: Yankees force fans to sit for 'God Bless America'

[Libertas1776]

Source: Newsday

A baseball fan says he was ejected from Yankee Stadium for leaving his seat to use the bathroom while "God Bless America" played.

Bradford Campeau-Laurion filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against New York City and the Yankees.

The lawsuit contends he was made a victim of political and religious discrimination on Aug. 26.

Read more: http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/ny-spyfan0416,0,3181629.story

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Nothing like being a prisoner of Uber-American nut jobs at a ball game and then being manhandled by jackbooted thugs (a.k.a. the NYPD) for not honoring the flag or God, who evidently has a preference for America over 200 other nations.

[Political Heretic]

1. LOL holy shit.

[TEmperorHasNoClothes]

32. Are you now or have you ever been an atheist....McCarthyism is alive and not so well

Unfortunately I see the right wingnuts taking this all the supreme court and hopefully losing.

[redqueen]

2. Wow.

[Auggie]

3. That policy is B.S.

[Lance_Boyle]

4. About fucking time this suit was filed.

Yankees should have reverted to "take me out to the ballgame" like the rest of the fucking civilized world did in 2002. I hope the suit bleeds 'em so dry the new stadium loses its "iron chef." Yankeefuckers.

[pjt7]

5. They use an old pre-recorded version

for this & it always feels stale to me.

[Lance_Boyle]

8. The last yankee game I went to was in summer 1999

Take me out to the ballgame was played during the 7th inning stretch. Dunno if it was live organ or piped in, but it's what was expected and what was right. No gawd in its right mind would want anything to do with the yankees now.

[Renew Deal]

13. They still do "Take me out to the ballgame" during the 7th inning stretch

God Bless America comes on before the bottom of the 6th or the 8th.

[ninety lives]

24. Take me out to the ballgame sucks too

It is clear these people have no ear for music.

[ninety lives]

26. This is New York at its dumbest

"I am angry about 9-11, let's punch angry CUSTOMERS in the face".

Our forefathers died so you could act like an idiot.

[gblady]

6. personally.....

I have not liked the God Bless America song played at the ballgame...
Not the place for a constant reminder of 9/11.

I like the National Anthem...but really dislike the other.

[ninety lives]

27. Honestly....

Some people just do not like this song.

It is not the greatest song, musically. It is plodding, manipulative and annoying.

It does not mean you hate the United States or religion.

[JVS]

29. It's a showtune, and as a rule showtunes suck unless proven through rigorous individual testing

[chaplainM]

7. What kind of God depends on Steinbrenner

to tell him whom to bless?

[Bill219]

9. I went to a Red Sox / Yankees game last season

and the usher came by and put a chain across the seat aisle so we could not go anywhere during the playing of "God Bless America".

I thought it was kinda weird and also thought about what it would be like if a fire broke out and you had all these chained in people panicking to get out of their rows.

[pam4water]

12. Is it ethical to yell God Bless America in a burning stadium?

[Renew Deal]

17. You're exagerating a bit.

People aren't "chained" to their seats. lol It's a chain that a kid could pop off. Also, those are only in the most expensive seats. They're used to keep the people from the upper deck out.

[ninety lives]

22. That's security culture for you

These security people just do what they are told. They are paid to act like bullies and are too stupid to question their idiot
bosses.

But that is how the sports and entertainment world operates. Mind you, I am not knocking ALL security guards, but the industry
attracts people who get their gratification in telling people what to do.

By the way, this is an attractive profession for people who have done time behind bars. Keep that in mind when they force you
to like this terrible song.

Keep in mind that this is the entertainment world that is doing this, and that they don't represent all of America.

[abq e streeter]

10. You damned liberals-don't you understand that coerced patriotism is the purest form?

:sarcasm: (just in case someone took me literally)

[pam4water]

11. There was a guy who'd been ejected from a Yankees game on Olbermann last year.

I wonder if it's the same guy? I know it had to have happened to more than one person.

[Renew Deal]

14. I've been to Yankee Stadium and never saw anything like this.

And I've never heard of anything like this either. The story may be fabricated.

[msanthrope]

15. Not at all. I was a season ticket holder. Standard Operating

Procedure during GBA. The ushers, and the NYPD will block your access during GBA.

[Renew Deal]

16. Must be the expensive seats

I'm usually in the upper deck.

[ninety lives]

23. They are stupid, too

They just do whatever the boss says, even if it makes them look degraded.

Like I said, the security industry is not about promoting human dignity.

[ninety lives]

28. The NYPD??

Shouldn't they out catching violent crooks and drug dealers or something??

Nice to know sports fans love America so much that they are willing to let their drug dealing friends
run around, but people who don't care for what is really a bad song have to be bullied....using your
tax dollars.

These are the same idiots who go to tax protests like the one we had recently.

[Renew Deal]

31. What are you talking about?

Have you ever been to Yankee Stadium? There's a reason why the cops are there. You're guaranteed to see at least 1 fan brawl in the upper deck EVERY GAME! There's a decent chance for a bleacher brawl too.

[Bette Noir]

18. I don't understand the rationale.

Leaving his seat during the National Anthem would be rude, but is not a prosecutable offense. "God Bless America" isn't the national anthem; it's a show tune. Leaving his seat during "God Bless America" is no worse than during "I Got Rhythm."

[Javaman]

33. I was knee caped for trying to dance during "I got rhythm"!!

New Yorkers are tough. LOL

[Ian David]

19. Such a shame that chrisTians are being persecuted... Oh, wait. n/t

[KamaAina]

20. I wonder what would happen if someone dropped trou during it?

:shrug:

[ninety lives]

21. Because we should all emulate the sports world

I have a problem with this, and it isn't because I "hate America".

First of all, I just can't stand this song. Wikipedia says that "The Star Spangled Banner" is too difficult
for people to understand. It is our national anthem. If it is incomprehensible to you, you clearly aren't
trying very hard.

Secondly, you are using the sports arena to tell people what to believe. I think it is disgraceful that these
same people tolerate drunkenness and abuse in the name of their team, then punch you in the face if you
dislike Kate Smith and her horrible record.

[ninety lives]

25. He got ejected

Because his taste in music has evolved since 1939.

He paid for his ticket, but sports idiots are too stupid to even understand capitalism.

How patriotic are you when you can't respect the great American capitalist system?

[MaineDem]

30. I hope he wins big

This playing of GBA is ludicrous at a baseball game. And people treat it as our national anthem: hand over heart, hats removed. What's that all about?!

The Yankees deserve to lose this one. If I had to heed a call of nature I would have left, too. Regardless of the play on the field OR what was being piped into the stadium.

[No Elephants]

34. The policy is seriously messed up, but so is the claim of political discrimination. First,

I have no idea what that means, but I am pretty sure there is no cause of action for it. Second, since when is simply leaving your seat between innings a political statement?

As far as the song, good, bad or indifferent, doesn't matter. He did not leave his seat because he was anti-song, anti-American or even anti-Yankees. He had to go. Simple as that.

That said, I hope he wins his suit, no matter how dumb it is. The Yankees/NYPD have some nerve trying to keep people in their seats for no good reason. The guy should be claiming false imprisonment.

[timtom]

35. I've always felt that Katherine Lee Bates'

"America the Beautiful" should be our national anthem. Unfortunately for many here, this song also invokes God.

But a real natural for the anthem, anyway.

[Bill McBlueState]

36. which god does it invoke?

Its potential to be "unfortunate" for people depends a lot on which god it mentions. Atheists might not mind if it's a poetic reference to, say, Odin, but if it's whichever god Fred Phelps worships, that would be unfortunate.

[timtom]

37. Are you familiar with the melody?

Do you like it as much as the current national anthem or "God Bless America?"

I've never been good at lyrics. I'm a tune man, myself.