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Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 69,329 |
Lets face it. Some kids are athletic enough to earn a varsity letter and some aren't. The big majority aren't. They have JV teams for those kids and they have as much fun and play as hard as the varsity players. They just aren't able to letter. So, at a high school in KS they have a special needs basketball team for special needs kids. There's a Downs Syndrome kid on the team. His parents bought him a school letter that he didn't earn, and a jacket to put it on. Now the school won't let him wear it because he didn't earn the letter. I know that these kids need all the encouragement they can get but he's still just another one of the vast majority who can't earn a letter. He's not special in that aspect. I don't think he should be able to wear it any more than the JV kids. If they want to create a special letter for them, that's fine, but a varsity letter has to be earned. What's your opinion? ARTICLE
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
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Joined: Jun 2008
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jun 2008
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If I were a varsity letterman, I wouldn't give a rats a$$ if everybody else in the whole school bought a letter jacket and a letter to put on it. If I earn something, the earning of it is 'mine' and doesn't have anything to do with what someone else does...in other words...it can't be 'negated', or 'diminished', by what someone else does. In this case in particular, it certainly wouldn't bother me to help bolster the ego of a young person who was already fighting a hard battle.
Every day on this side of the ground is a win.
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Joined: Jul 2011
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jul 2011
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Priorities. Does it really matter?
And, unless it's your kid or your school, why get involved at all? It's a meaningless "letter" on a jacket. It's not a Purple Heart, or CIB, or MOH.
To think that some have nothing more to do than to bitch about a kid with Down's Syndrome wearing a silly letter on his jacket to high school.
America needs to understand that our troops are not 'disposable'. Each represents a family; Fathers, Mothers, Sons, Daughters, Cousins, Uncles, Aunts... Our Citizens are our most valuable treasure; we waste far too many.
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Joined: Jun 2008
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 18,484 |
To think that some have nothing more to do than to bitch about a kid with Down's Syndrome wearing a silly letter on his jacket to high school. No $ch!t...! laffin' too...!
Every day on this side of the ground is a win.
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 67,705
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 67,705 |
I never have been a fan of main streaming Downs Syndrome kids. I know that is not a popular view point but............
If the kid did not earn the letter, he should not get one. His parents are to blame.
Sam......
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Joined: Dec 2011
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 2,918 |
Antlers, you said it better than I probably can.
GMAFB! Let the young man (who is living with challenges we can't imagine and thank God every day our own children don't face) wear his jacket with the letter and support the school/sport he loves.
I'd be willing to wager that the offspring of the parent that complained about this is a real class act as well. It's a letter jacket. We all have them hanging in our basements or back closets. Big deal at the time, after some life experience, not so much. And by damn, let's make sure none of the varsity lettermen's girlfriends are sporting those jackets around the hallways, they sure as hell didn't earn them in sporting competition.....
Sorry gentlemen, rant over.
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Joined: Jun 2012
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jun 2012
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If I had been an athlete in that school, abd earned my letter, and wete yo see this going on. I'd give the kid my jacket.
It's an article of clothing, a token, the same as the awards and trophies I won. They held no sentiment to me. I read the article and it brought a sense of belonging to this kid. Let him wear the jacket. In my experience letters and trophies only really matter to has been parents
The government plans these shootings by targeting kids from kindergarten that the government thinks they can control with drugs until the appropriate time--DerbyDude
Whatever. Tell the oompa loompa's hey for me. [/quote]. LtPPowell
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Joined: May 2005
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: May 2005
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I wonder if they allow a guy's girlfriend to wear his letterman jacket.
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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In my mind, this truly shows who has the handicap, and its sure not the kid with Downs syndrome.
Writing here is Prohibited by the authorities.
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Joined: Jun 2008
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jun 2008
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In my mind, this truly shows who has the handicap, and it's sure not the kid with Down's syndrome. That is well said...!
Every day on this side of the ground is a win.
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Joined: Oct 2002
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Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
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I wonder if they allow a guy's girlfriend to wear his letterman jacket. She has to earn it....
"Dear Lord, save me from Your followers"
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Joined: May 2005
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: May 2005
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I wonder if they allow a guy's girlfriend to wear his letterman jacket. She has to earn it.... I knew that was coming. 
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Joined: Oct 2002
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Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
Joined: Oct 2002
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I wonder if they allow a guy's girlfriend to wear his letterman jacket. She has to earn it.... I knew that was coming. So did she...
"Dear Lord, save me from Your followers"
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Joined: Aug 2003
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2003
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And by damn, let's make sure none of the varsity lettermen's girlfriends are sporting those jackets around the hallways, they sure as hell didn't earn them in sporting competition.....
Quite the contrary I imagine, though perhaps not the ‘sporting’ that typically earns the letter in the first place.
Sometimes, the air you 'let in'matters less than the air you 'let out'.
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Joined: Sep 2003
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Sep 2003
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If I were a varsity letterman, I wouldn't give a rats a$$ if everybody else in the whole school bought a letter jacket and a letter to put on it. If I earn something, the earning of it is 'mine' and doesn't have anything to do with what someone else does...in other words...it can't be 'negated', or 'diminished', by what someone else does. In this case in particular, it certainly wouldn't bother me to help bolster the ego of a young person who was already fighting a hard battle. yep. I never even bought my letterman's jacket when I was in HS.
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Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 69,329 |
Ok, now that I've got things going on who has to earn what...
You work your tail off getting that big public land wall hanger elk & pack it out 3 miles on your back. Your neighbor goes on a canned hunt and gets one just as good but he shoots it from the back of a pickup in a fenced pasture. He buys his.
Is there a difference?
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 96,121
Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
Joined: Oct 2002
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Of course there's a difference, but I'm in the business of doing what makes myself happy and not giving a flip what makes someone else happy.
"Dear Lord, save me from Your followers"
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Joined: Mar 2015
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Campfire Greenhorn
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Campfire Greenhorn
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Lets face it. Some kids are athletic enough to earn a varsity letter and some aren't. The big majority aren't.
I know that these kids need all the encouragement they can get but If they want to create a special letter for them, that's fine, but a varsity letter has to be earned. What's your opinion? In my other hobby (ham radio), we have been going through similar "who's earned it/who hasn't" controversy for years. It started when the radio theory and 20wpm Morse code tests became multiple choice and "if you didnt test in front of the FCC examiner, you had it too easy and didnt earn your license. This is when test sessions were starting to be conducted by volenteer examiners. Then it got worse when they elimated the morse code tests altogether and made the theory exam as easy as a drivers license test (meaning any knucklehead who could read and temporarily memorize a question pool could pass the highest licence class test in short order). Many opinions of the old school ops were that the license and special operating privileges of the Extra Class license (a level that only 5% of operators would ever reach) was now somehow lessened and meaningless because in their mind, the license was not earned. They think it turned the ham bands into the same chaotic mess that the CB bands were in the 70's and still are today. As an operator who had to pass the code test, I have to agree that in some cases, this was correct. However, there was sort of a compromise with changing license class priveliges with the addition of the "no code tech" and in the years following, it changed nothing. some folks continued to beat the same ol drum and try to hold on to the old ways and most just accepted change and moved on. maybe a special letter for the kids could be a "lower case" letter instead of a capital letter if they did not earn the varsity letter?? I really dont know...and I personally dont think at the end of the day it really matters...but I do think that making all things easy where everyone gets the same reward just for participating gives folks fewer reasons to strive towards a goal and do their best to excell. I am not so sure this would apply to a purchased jacket and the kid wearing it. If he didnt play the game, he didnt earn it...but that doesnt mean he cant wear one that his folks bought for him. After all, he is not claiming he earned it. Just like many have said...no one seems to care about girlfriends wearing the jacket if their athlete boyfriend gave it to her. I can say there is one thing the changes of modern times that seems be getting more mainstream and accepted, personally bothers me more to see than a mental challenged child trying to feel better about himself and "look like the cool kids". This to see one boy wearing his same gender significant other's letter jacket while they pick out their tuxedos for prom. I'm sure I'll get "flamed" for that one (pun intended LOL). As for the original question, If wearing a school letter he didnt earn was worst problem this locality has to worry about, they are doing pretty good!
Last edited by Zeus77; 03/28/15.
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Joined: Oct 2002
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Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 96,121 |
Lets face it. Some kids are athletic enough to earn a varsity letter and some aren't. The big majority aren't.
I know that these kids need all the encouragement they can get but If they want to create a special letter for them, that's fine, but a varsity letter has to be earned. What's your opinion? In my other hobby (ham radio), we have been going through similar "who's earned it/who hasn't" controversy for years. It started when the radio theory and 20wpm Morse code tests became multiple choice and "if you didnt test in front of the FCC examiner, you had it too easy and didnt earn your license. This is when test sessions were starting to be conducted by volenteer examiners. Then it got worse when they elimated the morse code tests altogether and made the theory exam as easy as a drivers license test (meaning any knucklehead who could read and temporarily memorize a question pool could pass the highest licence class test in short order). Many opinions of the old school ops were that the license and special operating privileges of the Extra Class license (a level that only 5% of operators would ever reach) was now somehow lessened and meaningless because in their mind, the license was not earned. They think it turned the ham bands into the same chaotic mess that the CB bands were in the 70's and still are today. As an operator who had to pass the code test, I have to agree that in some cases, this was correct. However, there was sort of a compromise with changing license class priveliges with the addition of the "no code tech" and in the years following, it changed nothing. some folks continued to beat the same ol drum and try to hold on to the old ways and most just accepted change and moved on. maybe a special letter for the kids could be a "lower case" letter instead of a capital letter if they did not earn the varsity letter?? I really dont know...and I personally dont think at the end of the day it really matters...but I do think that making all things easy where everyone gets the same reward just for participating gives folks fewer reasons to strive towards a goal and do their best to excell. I am not so sure this would apply to a purchased jacket and the kid wearing it. If he didnt play the game, he didnt earn it...but that doesnt mean he cant wear one that his folks bought for him. After all, he is not claiming he earned it. Just like many have said...no one seems to care about girlfriends wearing the jacket if their athlete boyfriend gave it to her. I can say there is one thing the changes of modern times that seems be getting more mainstream and accepted, personally bothers me more to see than a mental challenged child trying to feel better about himself and "look like the cool kids". This to see one boy wearing his same gender significant other's letter jacket that while they pick out their tuxedos for prom. I'm sure I'll get "flamed" for that one (pun intended LOL). As for the original question, If wearing a school letter he didnt earn was worst problem this locality has to worry about, they are doing pretty good! I bet you missed out on the varsity jacket for paragraph breaks.....
"Dear Lord, save me from Your followers"
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 37,105
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 37,105 |
Lets face it. Some kids are athletic enough to earn a varsity letter and some aren't. The big majority aren't.
I know that these kids need all the encouragement they can get but If they want to create a special letter for them, that's fine, but a varsity letter has to be earned. What's your opinion? In my other hobby (ham radio), we have been going through similar "who's earned it/who hasn't" controversy for years. It started when the radio theory and 20wpm Morse code tests became multiple choice and "if you didnt test in front of the FCC examiner, you had it too easy and didnt earn your license. This is when test sessions were starting to be conducted by volenteer examiners. Then it got worse when they elimated the morse code tests altogether and made the theory exam as easy as a drivers license test (meaning any knucklehead who could read and temporarily memorize a question pool could pass the highest licence class test in short order). Many opinions of the old school ops were that the license and special operating privileges of the Extra Class license (a level that only 5% of operators would ever reach) was now somehow lessened and meaningless because in their mind, the license was not earned. They think it turned the ham bands into the same chaotic mess that the CB bands were in the 70's and still are today. As an operator who had to pass the code test, I have to agree that in some cases, this was correct. However, there was sort of a compromise with changing license class priveliges with the addition of the "no code tech" and in the years following, it changed nothing. some folks continued to beat the same ol drum and try to hold on to the old ways and most just accepted change and moved on. maybe a special letter for the kids could be a "lower case" letter instead of a capital letter if they did not earn the varsity letter?? I really dont know...and I personally dont think at the end of the day it really matters...but I do think that making all things easy where everyone gets the same reward just for participating gives folks fewer reasons to strive towards a goal and do their best to excell. I am not so sure this would apply to a purchased jacket and the kid wearing it. If he didnt play the game, he didnt earn it...but that doesnt mean he cant wear one that his folks bought for him. After all, he is not claiming he earned it. Just like many have said...no one seems to care about girlfriends wearing the jacket if their athlete boyfriend gave it to her. I can say there is one thing the changes of modern times that seems be getting more mainstream and accepted, personally bothers me more to see than a mental challenged child trying to feel better about himself and "look like the cool kids". This to see one boy wearing his same gender significant other's letter jacket that while they pick out their tuxedos for prom. I'm sure I'll get "flamed" for that one (pun intended LOL). As for the original question, If wearing a school letter he didnt earn was worst problem this locality has to worry about, they are doing pretty good! I bet you missed out on the varsity jacket for paragraph breaks..... No paragraphs in ham radio...  DF
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