The Devil, You Say

I freely admit that I'm usually the first one to scream about the separation of church & state even as the US continues its slide into becoming a theocracy. But even I have to concede the following story is ridiculous....

The C.D. Hylton High School band in Prince William County, Virginia has been invited to perform at the Peach Bowl in December. And since the game is played in Atlanta, it seemed only fitting (the game is played in Georgia) that they would perform a rendition of "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," by the Charlie Daniels Band. Consequently the band has been rehearsing the piece, and even performed at a home football game.

At least that was the plan, until some numbskull wrote a letter to the editor of the local paper pointing out that Hylton is a public high school, and that the existence of the devil is a religious concept. Consequently, in order to avoid controversy, the band director pulled the piece.

First of all, the band director is a weenie. Secondly, while the idea of a devil may have originated in religion, the concept of such a being is also firmly rooted in mythology. Thirdly, it's just a freakin' song!! The tune is not even remotely religious. No one is going out there and warning sinners, non-believers, and democrats that they're going to burn in hell if they don't repent and become republicans!

Let them play the song, for crying out loud.