dagblog - Comments for "The Story: Pentecostal Snake Handler refuses help and dies. My Reaction: Surprising, even to Me"

I find it hard to keep caring

Peter Schwartz — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 14:51:03 +0000

In reply to The Story: Pentecostal Snake Handler refuses help and dies. My Reaction: Surprising, even to Me

I find it hard to keep caring about people who go to extraordinary lengths (out of their way) to face dangers like this as a part of their religion or their need to prove themselves or their desire for a thrill.

As long as they don't force others to do it...or especially children...I say, "Go with God." What else can you say?

Yeah, there "outta be a law," and I guess there is, but I wouldn't spend much trying to enforce it unless they're endangering young 'uns or innocent bystanders.

They did an X-Files episode on snake handling and had a great match cut between the snake opening its jaws to reveal its venom-dealing fangs and a staple remover. A very cool moment; it changed my view of staple removers forever.

THE END :D

LisB — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 03:48:08 +0000

In reply to Not to downplay the gist of

THE END

Oh, I've been keeping up with

LisB — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 03:45:31 +0000

In reply to Welcome home Lis. Where have

Oh, I've been keeping up with you all, Bslev :)

I read Dag and TPM and Crooks and Liars as regularly as I can, I just don't comment much. But I'm still here.

I hope you are well, my friend.

That's what I meant about the

LisB — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 03:43:58 +0000

In reply to Thank you, Lis. And so nice

That's what I meant about the separation of church and state in my comment above. I wonder sometimes if they are TOO separate, to have let these two children die. One authority -- the one with the law behind it -- should have taken precedence, but somehow couldn't. The other authority is under question...

Sorry Ramona, catching my

Bruce Levine — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 03:37:08 +0000

In reply to Bruce, what would be the

Sorry Ramona, catching my breath from reading another thread. I don't know the legislative history behind Kentucky's law, but we do know that it was enacted quite awhile ago, as the decision upholding its constitutionality was issued back in 1942. I think one can assume that the Kentucky legislators weren't thinking that hard about the constitutional dimensions of the statute, and were instead focusing on the reality of the snake handling stuff in certain churches. Most of the principal cases dealing with the "free exercise" clause were decided after the Kentucky ruling, and the sliding standards of review for these cases were fleshed out in these cases as well. I think it's also safe to assume that a similar statute passed today would not have the religious-based language, because it would be unnecessary -- unless the circus lobby is really really strong!

Not to downplay the gist of

Richard Day — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 20:58:34 +0000

In reply to The Story: Pentecostal Snake Handler refuses help and dies. My Reaction: Surprising, even to Me

Not to downplay the gist of this blog but:

Hard to believe there's that

Peter Schwartz — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 20:13:57 +0000

In reply to I had a friend who died not

Hard to believe there's that much lift in such a small span of material.

Makes all the wing in hang gliding seem like over-kill.

Bruce, what would be the

Ramona — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 16:50:53 +0000

In reply to Thank you Ramona. I really

Bruce, what would be the purpose of a state law expressly prohibiting the handling of snakes in a religious setting but not, say, a carnival setting? Wouldn't they be setting themselves up for a challenge based on religious rights? And rightfully so? Why not just prohibit snake-handling, period?

I read somewhere in all that that most states having a snake-handling clause rarely act on it. It no doubt only comes up when someone actually dies by snake bite, and then fades away once the hoopla is over.

It sounds like some lawmakers felt the need for some lip service but nobody's heart is in the enforcement. So the laws satisfy no one.

Depends on the libertarian, I

EmmaZahn — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 16:43:09 +0000

In reply to Libertarians are against

Depends on the libertarian, I guess, but those things are not the impediments. Libertarians and Liberals and Progressives and me are simply too self-conscious, to get caught up in a communal ecstasy unless they are drunk or stoned or otherwise medicated.

Libertarians are against

artappraiser — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 16:42:02 +0000

In reply to "We ending up agreeing that

Libertarians are against making like-minded friends? They don't often recommend neighbor helping neighbor in trouble as an alternative to the government coming to the rescue? Many new Latin American Pentecostals are not reveling in being released from the hierarchy and rules of the Catholic church?