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JISHOU, HUNAN — I may seem to pay too much attention to religion in public high school graduation ceremonies, but for me it’s fascinating to see how the courts resolve two apparently conflicting clauses in the First Amendment.
On the one hand, the Establishment Clause states the government can neither promote a particular religion nor prevent the free exercise of any religion. On the other hand, the Free Speech clause prevents the government from limiting or banning speech or any other kind of expression, no matter how obnoxious it may be.
So, what happens when someone (a public school student, say) wants to talk about God or religion during a graduation ceremony? A public school is, after all, an institution of the government, so one might assume that student would have to rewrite the speech to omit the God stuff. This is exactly what school officials in a Nevada town believed in 2007 when they told Brittany McComb she had to take her witnessing for Jesus out of her valedictory. At first, McComb agreed, but when it came time to deliver her speech, she still referred to Jesus, etc., and school officials literally pulled the plug on her microphone.
Dumb.
If McComb were speaking just for herself, then her comments would have been protected under the Free Speech clause, although she was speaking to a captive audience in a public school. If, however, she were speaking on behalf of the school (or if a school official delivered such an address), it would run afoul of the Establishment Clause. A public school cannot legally teach one particular faith or insist its students, parents, staff, etc., worship in a particular way. Testifying would imply that there was only one “preferred” way to worship.
This is a preview of Graduation speeches, prayers and the First Amendment . Read the full post (892 words, 1 image, estimated 3:34 mins reading time)Possibly related posts:
JISHOU, HUNAN — Now that I have dispensed with reading 50 essays and diaries, I can come back to this latest attack on intelligence, reason and modern health care.
First of all, what the hell (heh heh) is a “gay demon?” I’m having trouble wrapping my head around this concept. Buffy never fought gay demons — I think. Maybe they hadn’t come out before she obliterated them. And those three cute witches, Penelope, Prudy and Patty (or whatever their names were), lived in San Francisco, for chrissakes, and THEY never battled gay demons. For that matter, how can you tell if a demon is gay? They usually have anger-management issues, so asking one is not really a bright idea (unless you’re Hellboy).
“Excuse me, Mr Demon, are you gay?”
“Argh!” — and in an instant you’re a pile of ash.
So this Cindy Jacobs must have nerves of steel to tackle those gay demons.
And SuperCindy can take on all kinds of demons that specialize in a lot of naughty things: pornography, addiction, lust, bisexuality, and perversion. I’m trying to picture what these fellas might look like. Jenna Jameson with bright red skin, horns, a forked tail and spikes poking out of her boobs? A walking hypo needle with tentacles, squirting heroin?
Cindy is missing out on a great moneymaker: demon trading cards. No, wait, she probably thinks Magic has that market cornered already.
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JISHOU, HUNAN — Child welfare workers in Ohio have recommended that teenage religious runaway Fathima Rifqa Bary and her parents sit down and talk about their religious differences. Trouble is, the girl does not want to see her parents ever again.
Rifqa fears her parents will have her killed for converting from Islam to Christianity. Her parents say they will do no such thing.
Here is the Associated Press story on this latest chapter in the Bary family drama.
There’s some mostly rational discussion at the Volokh Conspiracy. And some mostly unhinged ranting at Free Republic.
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JISHOU, HUNAN — The Bary family of Columbus, Ohio, had one place setting empty last Thursday, because religious hysteria and rightwing busybodies have interfered with return of their runaway daughter to their care.
That’s the tale told by Shayan Elahi, the attorney for Fathima Rifqa Bary’s father, in today’s Orlando Sentinel.
Rifqa Bary ran away from her home at age 16, assisted by Christian pastors and Facebook friends who enabled her to take a bus to Orlando, Florida, where she stayed with another Christian pastor and his wife for nearly two weeks before anyone notified child welfare authorities — or her parents — of her location.
Fueled by unfounded allegations that Rifqa fled her home to avoid an “honor killing,” a complete “Save Rifqa Bary” movement has blossomed from whole cloth, led by a combination of Christian activists, Muslim-haters, and otherwise well-meaning folk who think they are saving a teenage girl from certain execution.
In any other situation, had a teenager been lured away from her home by friends she met on Facebook or while unescorted by her family, assisted in her flight to a different state and housed (illegally) for two weeks, her return home would have been swift and definitive.
But, because the parties involved are “Christians,” their interference in a family’s life somehow gets a free pass. As far as I know, no one has been charged with any crime in enabling Rifqa to run away. And official sources give no credibility to the idea that Rifqa’s Muslim parents or the family’s mosque will kill the girl because she has become a Christian.
This is a preview of Poignant story of one unfortunate family’s Thanksgiving . Read the full post (512 words, 1 image, estimated 2:03 mins reading time)Possibly related posts:
JISHOU, HUNAN — Ah, but the wheels of justice turn slowly …
‘Way back in June 2006, high school valedictorian Brittany McComb, after agreeing to school officials’ changes to her Christianity-laced graduation speech, proceeded to use her original text anyway. School officials’ “rapid response team” quickly cut off McComb’s microphone, to avoid anyone getting the idea a public school was preaching Christianity.
Mayhem ensued. Well, mostly legal challenges.
McComb, who is now a student in Biola University in California, acquired the legal backing of the Rutherford Institute, which filed a complaint in federal district court alleging Clark County, Nev., school officials had trampled her rights of free speech and equal protection under the law. The court found in favor of the school officials.
McComb took her case to the federal appeals court, which found no reason to overturn the previous ruling.
Then she took it to the Supreme Court, where it died a quiet death. (Technically, the SCOTUS denied a petition for a writ of certiorari, meaning the Justices were not going to tell the lower courts to hear the case all over again.)
So, what’s it all mean? McComb’s attorneys claimed that Foothill High School, by attempting to cut off her valedictory in midstream, abridged her rights of free speech and equal protection. The courts (all three, basically) said, “Not.”
This is a preview of Brittany McComb’s legal battle ends at Supreme Court . Read the full post (496 words, 1 image, estimated 1:59 mins reading time)Possibly related posts:
JISHOU, HUNAN — Remember that ultra-conservative Baptist church in North Carolina that was going to burn Satan’s bibles — every kind except the 1611 King James Version? It didn’t happen.
The church’s pastor, Marc Grizzard, had planned a fried chicken dinner to accompany the fiery celebration on Halloween night, but Mother Nature rained on his parade, as it were. Then, the local John Law informed Pastor Grizzard that state laws prohibit burning paper outdoors. Oh, and there were protesters, too.
So, the worshipers of the KJV took their party inside their meeting hall. No Bible bonfire. I know you are all disappointed.
Grizzard isn’t. His comments about the rainout are positively upbeat. And still crazy.
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JISHOU, HUNAN — I confess. It’s time to come clean. I am a pusher. For the last 25 years, I have been encouraging young people –even my own children! The shame! — to pursue higher education.
According to The Watchtower magazine, published by the Jehovah’s Witnesses, higher education is a really bad thing, like drugs, alcohol, wild parties, social networking sites, and maybe even rock & roll.
Been there, done that. So I’m apparently damned to hell. Crap. Who knew?
By way of Pharyngula, I saw this image scanned from The Watchtower. It’s all there. I am soooo screwed.
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