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| Monday, October 30, 2006 Legal Harassment It would also seem that both the P for the A W. and the ACLU also know this. The problem for me is that at some point a teacher, councilman, employee, etc should sue a mayor, a city council, or the above anti Christian organizations for simple harassment and claim damages for a violation of their civil rights. At some point the weight of evidence shifts and the pendulum should start to swing in the other direction. “High School Football Coach Can Bow Head During Team Prayer.” Is someone “nuts”? That smacks of pure harassment. Maybe the coach is just dipping his head to get ready for the game. Maybe he is thinking about his Mom, or his wife, or his kids, or God. It is nobodies business what he doing with his head. Worshipers meet in public schools all over Maryland and Virginia. I feel the same way about teaching Evolution in public schools. The problem for me is that Christians all too often see themselves on the defensive. For example, instead of trying to get “Intelligence Design” taught in public schools, someone should carefully select a school and file suit to stop teaching Evolution. At this point there is such a wealth of pure scientific evidence to make Evolution mathematically impossible. For example, in 1985 molecular biologist, Michael Denton wrote Evolution: A Theory in Crisis. That was twenty years ago, and there is a lot more pure scientific evidence available in 2006. Why doesn’t the Rutherford Institute put a team together, find an ideal situation, and student, and file suit for using public funds to teach myth as science? Is it not time to put Evolution on trial for teaching our public school children a theory that is preposterous? I have never met a person who “believes” in Evolution want to defend their belief; they only want to criticize what Christians believe. In the last year I read an article in The Washington Post about Evolution. It was quite serious, but their conclusions were nothing more than a bundle of assumptions. Regards, Ralph Appraisal I consider your "Meanness poisons our spirit, society" article an excellent appraisal of what is happening to our humanity. Laurence H. Sad Shame and sadness, that a place where a child is not safe on her on time in private to do without harming others.......learn. To be herself, expand her mind, reach out and discover new things and explore she wants. To dream, and be all she can be. All in her own little world, on her own, with a bully or someone standing over her. Free to do all this in a place that encourages this activity. A place that should hail these achievements. But no..... the new political correctness, the hate towards the right, the hate towards Christians and their values and the over stepping of power has deigned this child that freedom. You and I know, if that child had been preaching or disrupting or forcing her new found interest in reading the bible alone, on others, they would have called the police on her . She would have been arrested for disturbing the peace or something else they would have trumped up to make their case. We have seen similar cases like this before. Until a court fines them and hits them heavy in the pocket book, we will see more of the this, and this will continue on a case by case basis. Fred S. Thursday, October 26, 2006 They Can Be Within the last day or so, a story has come to light about a farmer in Gretna, VA whose home was mistakenly raided for child pornography. The Bedford County Sheriff's Department brought along Shaquille O'Neal to help publicize their efforts. So, they teerorized this man and his family for a publicity stunt! According to some lawyers quoted in the Roanoke Times, the farmer has little chance of legal redress. So there you have it. If you are a government official, there is no downside to being mean, bellligerent, using excessive force, or simly neglecting to make the punishment fit the crime. In fact, many will applaud you for being "tough". Why are they mean? Because they can be. Lawrence M. Let Them Have It Under the doctrine of separation of church and state, prayers to open or close meetings of public government bodies should not be, and that includes the House and Senate as well as rinkydink's town council. Prayers allowed at government meetings by court permission is the 1st Amendment's Dred Scott. If there were no 500-lb gorilla among the nation's religions this would never have come up. If some insist on a brief silence period, let them have it. Rey B. Tuesday, October 24, 2006 Applauded A teacher commented about Amber being used and not taught. I believe Amber is being taught that in a free nation one person can make a difference when they stand up against law breakers. A most valuable educational experience for Americans. Thank You Richard Rash Branson, Missouri Monday, October 23, 2006 Banning the Bible As you reported the incident, the administrator was wrong in forbidding the child to read her book. Both Amber and her parents were justified in feeling upset about the situation. What I find somewhat disturbing is the action that the parents took and your encouragement to your readers to make similar responses when there is a problem to be solved. To me, this episode, was an opportunity to teach a child how to respond appropriately to an issue about which they feel strongly. You reported that Amber's parents have shown her how to file a lawsuit in federal court. I would have preferred that her parents would have encouraged Amber to make an appointment to discuss the problem with the school administrator. If she wished, her parents could accompany her. Questions could have been asked and concerns addressed. Maybe the school official wasn't 'up-to-speed' and an apology by administration would have been appropriate. Maybe there was such a written policy. If such was the case, then other strategies would be suitable. What has happened in this case, is not that a child has been shown how to protect her civil rights, but how to solve problems making legal suits. It saddens me that you have used the incident to promote a political agenda, rather than as a vehicle to instruct others in a more appropriate, and less volatile, way of solving a problem. Amber has not been taught; Amber has been used. Sincerely, Greg C. (retired teacher) Friday, October 20, 2006 The Other Side As a retired law enforcement officer and current/ or former president and board member of the FOP and PBA and POAG and many veterans organizations, I fully understand the 1st amendment and the case law on it. I support Amber, if all she was doing was reading her bible during her lunch break. As a police officer, I often encountered supervisors who would attempt to stop me from doing activity involving the FOP/PBA/POAG, while I was on my breaks. I even brought successful lawsuits to make the agency and political bodies comply with the laws and our state's constitution and the U.S. Constitution. However, I would like to hear the teacher's and the school's side also. I will decide then which position to support. Amber, like police officers doesn't have an absolute 1st amendment right to do as she pleases, while at school or in my case while on duty as a law enforcement officer. Thanks Ed Recent Editorial Another issue is the fact that brutality by police officers becomes more common when citizens and police loose their respect for each other. A few years I was involved in local police activity called citizens on patrol.I attended classes for almost a year before going on patrol, which I did for about three years.I was able learn about police work and all that is involved. I found that police work is not as exciting as popular culture believes it to be and that police do have personal problems resulting from their work. Usually they try to cover up the emotional aspects of their work with a" macho " attitude but that does not often work over the long haul and many police officers know it. During the time I worked with the police one officer quit and another went through a painful diverse and that is not unusual. For many years I was a supporter of the death penalty. As you know there are many terrible murders and other crimes committed. My attitude flipped as a result of what I saw on a news program on TV. What I saw was a news story about a group of about 100 people that had been convicted of murder and were on death row waiting for execution. All of these people were released from prison due DNA testing. This proved to me that our legal system is in serious trouble. One might expect a few errors on the part of the judicial system, but not a hundred. This made me wonder how many innocent people have been convicted of murder. One hundred errors over a twenty or thirty year period is terrible. If our legal system is that poor I believe that the death penalty should be ended for good. Richard N. Tuesday, October 17, 2006 Weirdness In Public Schools Read with horror your recent column, about mean-ness in middle America, and I couldn't agree more. When my son was in middle school, he doodled a Star of David and a Cross on his dark maroon notebook. A teacher "noticed" this and sent him to the principal's office. I got a call at work from the principal's office that I should come quickly, it involved my son, and no, they couldn't tell me about it over the phone. I raced the 30 miles from work to the school, leaving an important business meeting, with visions of blood and broken bones. Imagine my surprise to careen into my son, sitting glumly in the waiting area outside the principal's office, apparently intact and unharmed. They called me over the doodles. The man had to hold the notebook up the light in a certain way for me to even see the tiny marks on the dark notebook cover. Still on my adrenelin rush, I tried to listen patiently while the principal tried to lecture me about the severity of my son's actions, and that he would be suspended for THREE WEEKS. I said if the marks bother you, why not just have him cross them out or get a new notebook, he said they were GANG symbols and there was a ZERO tolerance. I asked if my son was in a gang, and he said not that he knew of, but if a gang member saw those symbols, they might attack my son. I asked if those gangs were in the school, and he said not that he knew of. I asked why he wouldn't expel gang members instead of my son, and he, with an angry tone of voice, explained again about the zero tolerance rule. I started to calm down,r ealizing my son hadn't been hurt or done anything wrong, and explained that we were both Jewish and Christian, and those symbols represented something very different to my son, and I would just get him a new notebook and now he understood that religious symbols are forbidden, I was sure he wouldn't do it again. The best I could negotiate was the confiscation of his binder with all the school supplies inside it, and a ONE WEEK suspension. However, the principal --and this was the first week of a new school--went to all my son's new teachers and asked them if they thought he could have a tendancy towards violence. They didn't know him, really, and said they supposed so, and my son was then on a downward spiral of weirdness and bullying from "teachers" and administration till I finally took him out of public school. I saw LOTS of stupid and unprovoked acts of pure mean-ness here in central IL. --Linda Monday, October 16, 2006 Having Trouble You're correct that at the individual level with ordinary American citizens, there is a spirit of meanness. I'm having trouble reconciling that with the public cry for political correctness. I mean, all a politician or reporter has to do to lose his post is to make a racially insensitive remark. And when it comes to illegal immigrants, most of those in power want to treat them with kid gloves. In parts of California police cannot ask a person about his/her citizen status. And there's a public facade of religious tolerance, but as you know only too well, at lower levels Christians' religious freedoms are routinely trampled. How do you make sense of it all? Thanks, Joe W. Alabama Having Trouble You're correct that at the individual level with ordinary American citizens, there is a spirit of meanness. I'm having trouble reconciling that with the public cry for political correctness. I mean, all a politician or reporter has to do to lose his post is to make a racially insensitive remark. And when it comes to illegal immigrants, most of those in power want to treat them with kid gloves. In parts of California police cannot ask a person about his/her citizen status. And there's a public facade of religious tolerance, but as you know only too well, at lower levels Christians' religious freedoms are routinely trampled. How do you make sense of it all? Thanks, Joe W. Alabama You are right. You are right. I am for Law Enforcement, but there is a HUGE number of Officers who abuse Citizens all over the country. It includes beatings in cars, in Jail, etc. and rapes, and even murder. I hope you continue this exposé of official abuse and terror. I even know personally former Officers who have told me how they abuse and beat Citizens. --Romney Friday, October 13, 2006 A Very Dangerous Development However, Maryland School officials should be 'Put On Notice' that their unlawful action will NOT GO UNCHALLENGED. In fact, there are specific court case rulings, from the Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals that allows this Maryland student to read the Bible during his or her lunch hour, as well as, other appropriate times and places, without being subjugated to harassment by school officials or anyone else for that matter. As long as, it does not interfere with the ' Public' schools curriculum, or during class hours*, A student or students may pray or read the Bible on campus without fear of being suspended, expelled or disciplined for doing so [.] For the record, Maryland School Officials are on shaky ground here and subject to lawsuit and or worse. IF, I was an attorney, I'd take this case myself, pro-bono. Based on what I've read about it, this case should be very winnable and I would see to it that, School officials in Maryland are appropriately noticed and made to understand what a students rights are on campus, in these matters [.] SEMPER PARATUS Monday, October 09, 2006 Thank You A friend just sent me your commentary about Amber Mangum. I just wanted to say thank you for standing up for Amber and for standing up for the First Amendment. Sandra L. Friday, October 06, 2006 Awakening --Ray and Judy Thursday, October 05, 2006 Westboro "Christian Church" I am totally disgusted at the thought of members of this "church" picketing the funeral of those Amish children in PA who were slaughtered by an obviously mentally deranged individual. Who do they think they are? They scream insults at private funerals, they slander anyone who disagrees with their "edicts", they DARE anyone to SUE them. There used to be a State Mental facility in Topeka, KS known as Topeka State Hospital. Are these people rejects from the mental care facilities? Obviously, they would (and probably have) been treated at some point for mental illness....nothing else could account for their totally irrational behavior, and spewing of hatred for anyone who disagrees with their "doctrines". They should be banned from picketing...totally banned.....like 50 miles from the event they so like to appear at. They should be sued for slander......with more lawsuits than they possibly have money to counter. They should be given mental evaluations (as any other citizen who behaves in such an irrational manner would be)....and committed to a place where no one would ever hear their vile and hateful proclomations......until they are cured of whatever mental malady they suffer from. Hate begets hate...and from there violence. They should be given no forum to voice their putrid utterances, in newspapers, on tv, radio, or the internet.....silence these hatemongers and let the people of this great nation try to heal......by believing in the Almighty, and trying to live as the Almighty would have us. The Ten Commandments, if followed would solve all the world's problems......but belonging to and adhering to the lies of the Westboro Christian Church, will only bring devastation to those who practice what "they" preach. Carol Wednesday, October 04, 2006 Gratitude You don't know me, of course, but I'd like to express my gratitude for an article you penned entitled "Stand Up, Stand Up for Wicca". I'm Asatru ( Norse Pagan ), and I've lived with the fear of not being Christian all my life. I've been threatened, put down and even suffered violence on more than one occasion and, worse than that, I've seen it happen to those closest to me, as though it were a punishment for believing differently than the majority of those around us. Because of this, I've lived every second of my life until tonight with complete assurance in my own mind that Christians were evil. Not their beliefs, many Pagans respect and even follow Jesus ( Yeshua ), but Christians themselves. Not for what they believe, but for how they act. Even now, writing that term seems so foreign to me. The word itself scares me. It's like looking at the word 'death' or 'malace', and I was so ready to believe this whole-heartedly to my dying day. But then, something unexpected happened. I read your article. As I read through it, I didn't realize it had come from a Christian website. It was forwarded to me from a close friend via email, and it wasn't until I'd gotten halfway through with it that it really hit me: This is a Christian calling for Pagan equality. By the end of the email, I was in tears, so touched by the kindness you've shown with your words. I can honestly say I'm a changed woman. I'm still afraid of Christians, from experience of course, but I've got hope now that there are some out there who are capable of looking past the seperation of our different faiths, and that's something I never thought I'd experience. So I just wanted to thank you for that. --Faith :) Monday, October 02, 2006 Sound The Alarm Thanks for the column on U.S. v. John Lennon. As we see our precious constitutional rights slip away by arrogation or appropriation or outright destruction at all levels of government, is it too late to sound the alarm? Boyd C. |
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