Church officials want "Hokey Pokey" criminalized

No, I'm not making this up.

I had involvement with the Catholic Church throughout my youth, but the Church's bureaucracy has now proven more than ever how out of touch with reality they are.

The song "Hokey Pokey" - which is called "Hokey Cokey" in Britain - has long been a standard at children's parties. For years, it was sung on 'The Uncle Al Show', a Cincinnati-based children's TV program. It's all very harmless, and it's hard to imagine anyone ever getting offended by it.

But in Scotland, Church officials and politicians want the song banned, because they call it "anti-Catholic." They want anyone who sings "Hokey Cokey" to be arrested and prosecuted under the hate crime laws.

They claim the song was written in 18th century Britain to make fun of Catholic church services. That however is complete fabrication. The tune was actually written in the 1940s to provide inoffensive entertainment for Idaho tourists.

Some sources suggest the song's title came from the expression "hocus pocus", but that's questionable. It's also been suggested that "hocus pocus" is a mocking corruption of a Latin phrase used by priests during Mass. That too is probably an urban legend.

It's ironic that Church officials would say "Hokey Pokey" is a hate crime, for there are many high-ranking officials in the Church who hate various groups themselves. They hate Muslims and gays, yet they claim "Hokey Pokey" is a hate crime!

This is on par with Don Wildmon organizing pickets of Sesame Street Live performances following his claim that Bert and Ernie are gay.

The European Union allows governments to persecute Muslims (more on that later), while it also lets countries throw people in jail for singing a tame children's party song? The EU also extradited an Austrian cartoonist to Greece to face ridiculous "blasphemy" charges, so one can't help but worry that punishment is in store for those who defy the "Hokey Pokey" commissars.

If it's happening in Scotland, it'll be going on in America before you know it. Intolerant Church bureaucrats accuse others of intolerance as a means of projection. Were these officials not so narrow-minded themselves, they never would've made such a stink over a charming little song associated with kids' TV shows.

(Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/3883838/Doing-the-Hokey-Cokey-could-be-hate-crime.html)