Offside Chat Archives (2014-2021)

ruggedjackal46 said:The Church isn't some private club or a backyard gathering; it’s a public institution. If they're still holding services, they're essentially carrying out activities that pose a risk to public safety and fly in the face of current regulations. This isn't something the Church can just tuck away behind "closed doors"—it’s news, plain and simple, and the media really should be reporting on it. Now, maybe this specific situation isn't quite a catastrophe yet, but let's be honest: for far too long, clergy in this country have acted like they're somehow untouchable and exist entirely outside the rules everyone else has to follow.

🤣

ruggedjackal46 said:The Church isn't some private club or a backyard gathering; it’s a public institution. If they're still holding services, they're essentially carrying out activities that pose a risk to public safety and fly in the face of current regulations. This isn't something the Church can just tuck away behind "closed doors"—it’s news, plain and simple, and the media really should be reporting on it. Now, maybe this specific situation isn't quite a catastrophe yet, but let's be honest: for far too long, clergy in this country have acted like they're somehow untouchable and exist entirely outside the rules everyone else has to follow.

Total populist journalism right here.
That's easily the absolute worst way to report the news.

The priest is totally freaking out because things have been slow for a few weeks, so he’s calling everyone to mass just to scrape together some cash for a steak dinner and a nice bottle of wine.

I honestly thought they’d pull a massive crowd, like a packed house, but nope—total bust.

Regarding the filming stuff... look, I’m not some celebrity, the government isn't cutting me a paycheck, and I’m definitely not a politician. So, you can't just expect me to roll out in front of a camera just because I happen to be standing in a public space. Honestly, screw that. 😁 There’s nothing more annoying than seeing news crews lurking around, usually at a local mall or something, where you have to constantly watch your step just so you don't end up on the nightly news at 6 PM. Do they have the right to film? Sure. But who are they actually filming and when?

It’s the same rule I live by for pretty much everything—my rights stop the second they start infringing on someone else's personal space. That’s my absolute golden rule for life, period.

Whether it’s a church or just heading to Target, if people want to follow the rules, fine by me. People need spiritual renewal too, I’m not judging—I’ve never really felt that personal pull myself, though maybe one day I will. But man, if there had been a packed house full of people... now *that* would have been actual news.

Elizabeth Mendoza said:I just caught a video from the church 🤣

Is she really hurt that bad? Since we're talking about Yahoo, Babic is probably going to drop a column about the link tomorrow.

Yeah, exactly.

Elizabeth Mendoza said:All they really needed to do was snap some decent photos from the outside, let the local authorities know there was a mass going on, and then just put out a public notice about where and when it happened. Everything else is just pure clickbait.

And nobody is arguing against that. You wait for the service to end, film everything from the exterior, and you're done. If you're planning on filming someone in their car, you just say, "Excuse me, I'm a reporter, mind if I film you?" Or you just wait for them to step out. It's simple, and nobody would give you a hard time about it.

If you’re looking for a confrontation, this is how you get it—by barging in and filming people inside their churches like you're hunting for witches.
There's always a way to handle things like a decent human being... 🤷

Elizabeth Mendoza said:All they really needed to do was snap some decent photos from the outside, let the local authorities know there was a mass going on, and then just put out a public notice about where and when it happened. Everything else is just pure clickbait.

Man, do you even go to the grocery store?

Elizabeth Mendoza said:The place wasn't full, and it wasn't empty. Either way, if there's a ban on gatherings, people should just follow it. Honestly, both the folks in the church and those idiots over at Yahoo are being just as clueless here. You've got reporters trying to force a confrontation just to manufacture drama and chase clicks. It’s ridiculous. There was no reason to be blocking things up with a car; he could have just filmed from the sidewalk in a public area. He didn't need to sit in his car waving his arms around—he could've just rolled down the window and parked nearby.

As for stepping inside the church? Yeah, no. You can't just wander into a private building when it isn't a public space.

Seriously, if they're enforcing this, why are Walmarts still open? Why were there a hundred times more people out during the Fourth of July weekend, yet that didn't make the news for days? Come on, man. If this were some guy keeping a dive bar open with a couple of buddies, nobody would care. But because it’s a priest and a church? Oh, let's goooooooo!

darkseal9 said:Man, do you even go to the grocery store?

I hit up Walmart once a week. Bring a camera if you want to film me—I'll give you a little wave.

Just don't get too close, or I might have to throw a punch. Then you can go crying about it on the forums if you feel like it.

Paul Martinez73 said:And nobody is arguing against that. You wait for the service to end, film everything from the exterior, and you're done. If you're planning on filming someone in their car, you just say, "Excuse me, I'm a reporter, mind if I film you?" Or you just wait for them to step out. It's simple, and nobody would give you a hard time about it.

If you’re looking for a confrontation, this is how you get it—by barging in and filming people inside their churches like you're hunting for witches.
There's always a way to handle things like a decent human being... 🤷

So now the church is the target of a witch hunt? Honestly, that’s a pretty funny take. It’s just a shame it isn't a base 😂

Elizabeth Mendoza said:The priest is totally freaking out because things have been slow for a few weeks, so he’s calling everyone to mass just to scrape together some cash for a steak dinner and a nice bottle of wine.

Passing along a comment I saw on Facebook from a local parishioner:

Every city would be lucky to have a priest like him. You people have no idea the sacrifices he made to build that church in Syria out of absolutely nothing—literally nothing. He lived in a shipping container for years—yes, you read that right, a container—and every single summer he’d head over to Germany to work construction just to fund the building project. At 23, he never once took a dime during a family blessing or ever asked for financial help. He is a true example of Jesus Christ. Just as Jesus drove the merchants out of the Temple of Jerusalem, Pope John Paul II had every right to drive the sellers of sensation and lies out of the church. And you didn't mention how he raised 400 $0.00 for the preschool in Syria, did you? But since he isn't selling newspapers, I guess you don't care about that. It's all just lies and smear campaigns. You're shaming your own profession, which has lost all credibility because of people like you.

Elizabeth Mendoza said:All they really needed to do was snap some decent photos from the outside, let the local authorities know there was a mass going on, and then just put out a public notice about where and when it happened. Everything else is just pure clickbait.

Right—because the poor police department had no clue there was a Mass going on. It’s funny how everyone else seemed to know.

It’s the exact same story as that mediocre "crusader" group—you can only imagine if anyone else tried to get permission to have 100 people causing a scene in the middle of the street. But sure, the Church can do it because laws don't apply to them. Clearly not in this case, either.

Paul Martinez73 said:And nobody is arguing against that. You wait for the service to end, film everything from the exterior, and you're done. If you're planning on filming someone in their car, you just say, "Excuse me, I'm a reporter, mind if I film you?" Or you just wait for them to step out. It's simple, and nobody would give you a hard time about it.

If you’re looking for a confrontation, this is how you get it—by barging in and filming people inside their churches like you're hunting for witches.
There's always a way to handle things like a decent human being... 🤷

Yeah, but if she had actually acted that way or behaved like that, she wouldn't be playing the victim right now—you know, the whole "attacked journalist," "he insulted me," "he grabbed my arm" routine. Her goal wasn't even some journalistic scoop; it was clearly just to make all this chaos happen.

Elizabeth Mendoza said:I hit up Walmart once a week. Bring a camera if you want to film me—I'll give you a little wave.

Just don't get too close, or I might have to throw a punch. Then you can go crying about it on the forums if you feel like it.

So what's the actual difference? They're hanging out in church every single day, I don't even get it.
The question is, they haven't even rolled out those kinds of rules here yet.

wiredrider9 said:Seriously, if they're enforcing this, why are Walmarts still open? Why were there a hundred times more people out during the Fourth of July weekend, yet that didn't make the news for days? Come on, man. If this were some guy keeping a dive bar open with a couple of buddies, nobody would care. But because it’s a priest and a church? Oh, let's goooooooo!

Why are the shops still running? Because for a regular person, grabbing something to eat is way more important than staring at a crisis and praying to some imaginary figure born from one foolish woman's excuse to her husband, which somehow turned into an entire religion.

Maybe it’s also because you have to sanitize your hands at the entrance of most Walmarts and they only let small groups in, whereas every single Dar, Mary, and Lucy who thinks fighting a virus with garlic and moonshine is a valid strategy would swarm right into a church. You'd end up with a bunch of low-IQ idiots packed into a tight space, creating a total hotspot.

Anthony Jackson2 (No content provided to rewrite.)
Man, it’s honestly pathetic—the cops didn't even realize it was a Mass. It’s just wild how everyone else seemed to be in the loop while the actual authorities were completely clueless.

It’s the exact same old story with that mediocre "for the cross" crowd—you honestly think anyone else would ever get a permit to round up a hundred people just to cause a circus in the middle of the street? But nope, the Church gets a free pass because apparently, laws don't apply to them. Clearly, that goes for this situation too.

What hundred people are we even talking about? What kind of circus was that supposed to be? I was over at the local park—you know, near the pier—and there wasn't even a handful of people there, let alone hundreds.

I'm all for banning Mass, just like I said before I’m in favor of banning public gatherings until things settle down. Look, I'm going by my professional training here—if I end up being wrong, then I'm wrong, and I won't be too proud to admit it...

I’m also all for making a list of those people who spend their whole lives hitting up Sunday service, hosting backyard BBQs, and hitting the local pubs... just so when they actually get sick, we can put them at the very bottom of the priority list for hospital admissions.

I honestly despise journalists from the bottom of my soul. I used to write like an amateur, but now I see they’re all just spineless cowards who lack the guts to actually dig into anything meaningful. Instead, they just go after the little guy and pick topics designed to trigger people for clicks. Take that situation where Mamara insulted Sips—those reporters jumped right on it, grabbed their paycheck, and suddenly everyone forgot all about it. Then there was that Dalmosica woman who got fired, and not one of those pathetic hacks even bothered to write a single word about her losing her job. People are being persecuted and getting canned left and right, yet none of these vultures dare to say a damn thing...

Bandara assaults that journalist, and what happens? Absolutely nothing. Not a single word from anyone. Let's all go back to being outraged by everything else... Meanwhile, they film Kujundzicu's house from the street, he gets jumped, and nobody cares. How much noise was actually made about that?

Alright Church, let’s get moving! Let’s go crash the party and make some serious waves...

Anthony Jackson2 said:Right—because the poor police department had no clue there was a Mass going on. It’s funny how everyone else seemed to know.

It’s the exact same story as that mediocre "crusader" group—you can only imagine if anyone else tried to get permission to have 100 people causing a scene in the middle of the street. But sure, the Church can do it because laws don't apply to them. Clearly not in this case, either.

There were maybe fifteen people in the procession at most—barely a crowd, really. Everyone was playing by the rules, too—masks, gloves, keeping that social distance everyone’s been talking about. Even the local police were there keeping an eye on things, just like they do every single year. So... I have to ask, where exactly is the problem?

Anthony Jackson2 said:Right—because the poor police department had no clue there was a Mass going on. It’s funny how everyone else seemed to know.

It’s the exact same story as that mediocre "crusader" group—you can only imagine if anyone else tried to get permission to have 100 people causing a scene in the middle of the street. But sure, the Church can do it because laws don't apply to them. Clearly not in this case, either.

Wait, so are you actually pro-protest or not? I can't keep track of your stance anymore.
Weren't you the one preaching about freedom of movement and assembly? The one slamming Dragan Bozinovic for all those restrictions?

Or are you only okay with gatherings as long as they aren't in churches? How does that logic work?

Amy Nelson4 said:There were maybe fifteen people in the procession at most—barely a crowd, really. Everyone was playing by the rules, too—masks, gloves, keeping that social distance everyone’s been talking about. Even the local police were there keeping an eye on things, just like they do every single year. So... I have to ask, where exactly is the problem?

So why doesn't the rulebook apply to them?