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So I took The Boy to the park today, the biggest park in the area with the best playground. It's tight, two sets of swings, a huge jungle gym area with bridges, muchos slides, different kinds of ladders, circular monkey bars, tire swing, the works.

Set up RIGHT NEXT to the swing set was a big yellow tent. Pretty cool birthday party getup, I thought.

Come around to the front, and it's a huge SCIENTOLOGY tent, with banners, all kinds of displays, books for sale, guys in bright yellow shirts standing in front, looking to recruit people.

WTF??!!??

This REALLY bothers me. First of all, this is a public park, what about the whole separation of church and state thing. Second, I respect all religions, but this is scientology, for crissake. Among other things, my understanding is that you essentially pay for "enlightenment". No offense intended to anyone out there, but I think it's like a mandatory thing to pay certain amounts. That's not right. I could be misinformed. That's not my point. If they can set up out there, why won't there be twenty booths next weekend, all different religious or special-interest groups. Plus they were like eight feet away from the edge of the swingsets, in a bright yellow tent. So that kids are drawn to the circus-yellow, run in there, and the parent has to go over there to get him/her out. Or at least that's what went through my mind.

Isn't there some regulation about this? It's a city-run park.

So we finish playing at the park, and we have the most fun when I basically follow him around, climb up the same ladders he does, follow him down the slide, swing next to him. Sometimes I feel a little weird as the only "grown-up" who is playing on this thing, but fuck it. I am still athletic enough to do it, I can show the boy how to do stuff he hasn't figured out yet, and yes, it's fun. Plus he doesn't have to do it by himself and all the kids there were a couple years older. I don't like the parents that just sit on the bench and ignore the kids until they get hurt.

Anywho, on the way out I ask the guy if he needs a permit to set up shop in the public park like that. He says no, neither does the prayer service in the little ampitheater at the other end of the park. I know full well they had to pay to rent that out, and you can't discriminate based on religion to people paying for public services, but I let that one go. I'm not gonna go overboard and get in an agrument with this guy, especially with my boy holding my hand, but I asked him if he was sure he could just set up like that. Why couldn't there be twenty booths set up next Saturday. His response? "It's a big park". I told him I respect his and all religions, but this really bothers me that they can just set up and recruit people in the park, in such a blatant spot. He started into religious dogma, were just here to help people help themselves, I said great, that's true of all religions, gotta go.

I called the city, closed of course, but I'm gonna look into this. I'd still be bothered if it was a cause I supported because this is a friggin park where kids are supposed to enjoy all the stuff we picture they are supposed to enjoy.