September 10, 2014

"For me the colander represents freedom, our freedom of religion, and to whatever religion we prefer or lack of religion."

Says a woman named Shawna Hammond, who insisted on wearing a spaghetti strainer on her head for her driver's license photograph in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma’s Department of Public Safety requires driver’s license photos to present a clear view of an individual’s face. Religious headpieces aren’t allowed to cast shadows on the face, or display logos or text. Hammond admits that the tag agent gave her a “funny look” when she presented the spaghetti strainer, but ended up taking the photo after the woman confirmed she was a Pastafarian....
I've watched the video at the link (to the Huffington Post), and that's a bad paraphrase of what Hammond said. That makes the agent seem resistant and in need of a statement about religion before something can be worn on the head, but it sounded more like any headgear could be worn as long as it has no writing on it and doesn't obstruct the view of the face. The article makes it sound as though the agent was passing on the proposition that The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is indeed a religion. Perhaps Hammond was hoping she wouldn't be allowed to wear the colander, but she was, and it sounds as though the tag agent was just being nice and making small talk. Instead of some angst and maybe litigation about government preferences for religion, Hammond is left to make a blandly chirpy statement:
“I’m glad I was able to do it. It’s hard living as a non-religious person in Oklahoma. It felt good to be recognized that we can all coexist and have those equal rights,” she said.

41 comments:

HoodlumDoodlum said...

"Me me, me me me. Me special me, important me, me. ME!"

damikesc said...

So, she wore the colander for NO reason, then?

She is "non-religious", right?

Clyde said...

Bless her heart, she needs to get a life.

Meade said...

"It’s hard living as a non-religious person in Oklahoma."

I don't think she knows what hard-living really is.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

I'm sure the TSA will have a nice laugh, and the cop who pulls her over on suspicion of DUI.

traditionalguy said...

She is one of those small hole colander heretics. It seems to a small thing to wear proudly smaller holes, but it leads the children astray from proven Williams & Sonoma colander size. It's because of her type, the next generation will never taste properly drained foods. I may sound dogmatic but this is a fundamental utensil.

Renee said...

I could wear a head covering, as if I was a Muslim, but I don't need to prove I'm in fact a Muslim when I renew my driver's license.

The purpose is identifying, what's the difference between a head covering and a woman who colors her hair to hide her natural gray.

Old RPM Daddy said...

@Trad: She is one of those small hole colander heretics.

This woman represents a strain of Pastafarianism I'm not comfortable with. She really needs to use her noodle a little more.

campy said...

This hole thing is weak sauce, and extremely cheesy. It grates on me.

Hagar said...

The purpose of the photo on your driver's license should be so that the cop, or whoever, can look at your face, look at the picture, and see with reasonable certainty that you are the person the license belongs to.

That is why O'Reilly was totally in the wrong again last night when he went off raving about a boy who dresses and applies make-up like a woman. The MVD refused to take the picture of him like that and insissted that he remove all the make-up and dress like a man for the picture.
But if that what this noodlehead drives around looking like, then that is what his picture should show.

However, you can speculate about a lot of things here.
What about women who change hairstyles and make-up like Hillary!?
What about men who grow a beard, or shave the one they had?
And so on.

traditionalguy said...

Old RPM Daddy and campy are seeing this about right. The connection is to noodles or sphagetti which come straight from the Northern Italian Papal kitchen cooks. What more do I need to say.

Unknown said...

mad as a hatter, mad as a colander doesn't work

Scott M said...

It’s hard living as a non-religious person in Oklahoma.

Either her definition and my definition of "hard" are diametrically opposed, or she's just not traveled very much.

Probably both.

Only in a society as affluent as ours...

Gahrie said...

We're back to my comment about Leftys being assholes who are constantly trying to make life more difficult for others......

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

Love this type of Lefty. Pissing all over themselves and totally oblivious to the impression it makes on others. May as well be mumbling corner bums.

Wince said...

Isn't that an awful strained reading of the statute?

Anonymous said...

Just another Okie from Muskogee.

Wince said...

Thank goodness she wasn't a member of the Sisters of Popeil (As Seen on TV!).

Original Mike said...

Picture handing this over to the cop who just pulled you over for speeding.

Levi Starks said...

Its not hard living as a non religious person in OK. There are many many people in OK that are, and do.
What is hard is living your life as an anti-religious person. most anywhere.

Original Mike said...

"It’s hard living as a non-religious person in Oklahoma."

I don't believe that for a second.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

I think we can all agree her argument doesn't hold water.

Drago said...

Levi Starks: "Its not hard living as a non religious person in OK. There are many many people in OK that are, and do.
What is hard is living your life as an anti-religious person. most anywhere."

This.

Seeing Red said...

She wears the colander, the colander does not wear her. Paraphrasing BTVS.

rehajm said...

I suspect she wasn't expecting tolerance.

HoodlumDoodlum said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
HoodlumDoodlum said...

rehajm said...
I suspect she wasn't expecting tolerance.


Exactly correct; she was denied the martrydom and attention-generating victimhood she expected, but still got an article out of it. Well, if you count Puffington Host. Which you shouln't.

Fernandinande said...

Huffington Post

They must be featuring her because she's female, because this is nothing new.

Diamondhead said...

I doubt she'd be a huge success anywhere.

holdfast said...

It's not tough being a non-religious person, at least outside of certain countries in the middle east and south Asia.

It's hard going through life acting like a total a-hole with a giant chip on your shoulder. Because most normal folks, godly and godless alike, don't really like a-holes.

Original Mike said...

I bet it is going to be hard living in OK with a colander on your head.

n.n said...

Each clique practices its own selective exclusion. The challenge is to reconcile objective and subjective standards with diametrically conflicted hopes and dreams in order to form a consensus or its appearance.

Rusty said...

For me a collender represents well drained pasta.

Ann Althouse said...

"For me a collender represents well drained pasta."

So then it's like a Christian wearing a cross.

Anonymous said...

I absolutely despise people who have to denigrate and ridicule the religious beliefs of others for the sole purpose of demonstrating how enlightened they are. But I truly appreciate it when they self-identify; it keeps me from accidentally overestimating their intellect and character.

Scott M said...

So then it's like a Christian wearing a cross.

Are you suggesting Christ was well-drained?

Lucien said...

Why would one assume that a Pastafarian is a "lefty" any more than making the same assumption about a Mormon or a Scientologist?

It seems that some of the same folks who would argue that atheism is in itself a religion would also argue that Pastafarianism is actually atheism.

Scott M said...

Is the Pastafarian savior a to-go box?

Joe said...

Out of curiosity, Phil, do you loathe yourself? Or are you just a hypocrite?

Gahrie said...

Why would one assume that a Pastafarian is a "lefty" any more than making the same assumption about a Mormon or a Scientologist?

It is not the Pastafarian part that makes me think the person was a Lefty...it is the "go down to the DMV and make life difficult for somebody" part that makes me think they were a Lefty.

stlcdr said...

Someone trying to be a victim but those other people aren't cooperating.