April 2013 Ohio ACLU, FFRF Rebuff School’S Jesus ‘Switcheroo’
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Complimentary Copy Join FFRF Now! Vo1. 30 No. 3 Published by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc. April 2013 Ohio ACLU, FFRF rebuff school’s Jesus ‘switcheroo’ A month after the Freedom From substantially similar display.” Religion Foundation and the ACLU of The devotional painting titled “the Ohio sued the Jackson City School Dis- Head of Christ” was prominently dis- trict over a portrait of Jesus in a middle played on an entrance wall at Jackson school, the district moved it to Jackson Middle School. High School. The Jesus painting was moved The ACLU of Ohio and FFRF March 13 to the high school near its thwarted the overt attempt to elude the Fine Arts Department. The school Constitution by filing an amended le- board adopted a policy in February gal complaint in early April, adding as designating the high school space and plaintiff “Sam Doe 4,” who has a minor the middle school foyer as “limited child attending Jackson High School, public forums.” and “Sam Doe 5,” a student who at- At the portrait’s new location in a tends Jackson High School. Also filed public area at Jackson High, it’s en- is a motion for a temporary restraining countered by nearly 700 students, fac- order and memorandum in support of ulty, staff and community members. the motion. The school board meets at Jackson FFRF Senior Staff Attorney Rebecca High, and the school hosts a variety of Markert first complained Jan. 2 about other events there that are open to the the unconstitutional painting. Super- public. The Jesus portrait in Jackson, Ohio, has been moved from the middle school to intendent Phil Howard refused to re- The district also announced, a claim the high school, where it hangs in the hallway going to and from the cafeteria. move it, warning “it would take a court not previously made, that it did not order to remove the picture.” The law- even own the portrait, saying that it was put it up in 1947 in the high school. In The plaintiffs note that district em- suit was filed Feb. 6 on behalf of several owned by the Hi-Y Club, a Christian 2004, the high school moved to a new ployees, not high schoolers with the local plaintiffs, all parents of children service club at the high school. building and the previous building be- Hi-Y Club, removed the portrait from or students in the district. The suit Howard, a co-defendant, told The came the middle school. No middle the middle school, transported it to sought removal of the portrait and a Associated Press that the portrait was school clubs claimed to own the por- the new location and affixed it to the permanent injunction barring “any moved at the request of the club, which trait. Continued on page 5 Has Pennsylvania Religious Right no shame? State rep attacks FFRF suit, plaintiff rights Pennsylvania state Rep. Tim Krieger gion Foundation, which would have a ject of harassment. Last fall, a man dent. has introduced a bill in the General As- chilling effect on plaintiffs and state/ posted this message on the “Keep the She noted the long, documented sembly directly in response to current church lawsuits. Ten Commandments at Valley High history of threats and reprisal against litigation by the Freedom From Reli- House Bill 922 would outlaw the use School” Facebook page, which has Establishment Clause plaintiffs, most of pseudonyms in litigation challeng- 1,200 followers: recently against Jessica Ahlquist, who ing religious symbols on public prop- “I’m sure if we look up the bitch became persona non grata when she erty. she probably has a facebook account filed suit and won a federal court rul- Inside This Issue In a memo to representatives seek- or a facebook page for her ridiculous ing against religion in her Rhode Is- ing co-sponsorship, Krieger cited law- group and we can slam the shit out of land high school. Student suits by FFRF and local families chal- the bitch.” Jessica at one point last year was at- activist lenging two Ten Commandments Another commenter asked wheth- tending school under police escort, relates monuments, donated by the Fraternal er “the families involved” have been and was subjected to cyberbullying, painful Order of Eagles, in front of public identified, adding, “Someone needs to including death and rape threats and experience schools. send that group back to Wisconsin with even threats against her younger sib- Krieger, who graduated from one of several black eyes!” Plaintiffs’ counsel lings. Page 3 the defendant school districts, says he have also received harassing messages. A Pennsylvania pastor weighing remembers the Ten Commandments Given the community reaction, parent in on FFRF’s litigation addressed the monument at Connellsville Junior plaintffs are fearful their children will Connellsville Eagles Club on March Freethought High School. be subjected to religious bullying, ha- 27, telling them that in filing to remove poet FFRF is suing over a second com- rassment at school and by the public, the monument from the junior high, laureate’s mandments monument in front of Val- and efforts to drive them out of the FFRF is “trying to destroy our country,” spring sonnet ley High School in the New Kensing- community. according to a news report in the Daily ton-Arnold School District. A social media comment about Courier. Page 4 The students and parents, with one FFRF’s unnamed Connellsville plain- Rev. Ewing Marietta, a leader of the exception, filed using pseudonyms be- tiffs stated, “These people need [to be] “Save the Ten Commandments” group, Giving thanks cause of community hostility and fear drug onto the nearest street and shot.” called the court battle “ground zero.” 65 years later of retaliation. Some of the children A common refrain is that the plaintiffs The newspaper reported that the pas- to Vashti represented in the suit are elementary must move out of the area. tor “drew parallels” seemingly compar- McCollum students. “These legislators need to put their ing FFRF with Nazi Germany and com- FFRF has received many hateful religious views aside and understand mandments backers with the United Page 12 comments. Marie Schaub, the only that protecting children from harm is States allies during World War II. named plaintiff in FFRF’s New Kens- a paramount interest of the state,” said Ironically, the bill will have no im- ington challenge, has been the sub- Annie Laurie Gaylor, FFRF co-presi- Continued on page 10 Page 2 Freethought Today Madison, Wisconsin April 2013 Photo: Annie Laurie Gaylor Photo: Meet an Icelandic Activist Name: Hope Knutsson. freezing point but rarely goes below Where I live: Reykjavik, Iceland. that. There’s a lot of strong wind here Where I was born: Born and raised which can make it feel colder. Howev- in Brooklyn, N.Y., of Russian, Hungar- er, Iceland is surrounded by the Gulf ian, Polish and German descent. I have Stream, so it’s warmer than people dual citizenship: Icelandic and Ameri- imagine because of the name. We don’t can. get much snow in Reykjavik, and when Family: Husband, Einar Knutsson; it comes, it usually melts within hours. son, Tryggvi Einarsson; daughter, Katla In summer the temperature is around Einarsdottir. 60 degrees, sometimes higher. We have Education: B.A. in psychology and midnight sun from June through Au- philosophy, master’s in occupational gust, which is fabulous. The darkest therapy. months are from the end of November Original occupation: Psychiatric oc- through late January, when we have cupational therapist. just under five hours of true daylight Career: Founder and president of with an hour or so of twilight on either Sidmennt, the Icelandic Ethical Hu- side of that. The Northern Lights are manist Association. breathtaking and magical! How I got where I am today: I’ve Person in history I admire: Thomas been a social activist all of my adult Paine and Carl Sagan. I think that us- life, first in the U.S. and then in Ice- ing reason and critical thinking are land, where I’ve started and led various positive approaches to life and help organizations and movements (a men- move humankind forward. Promoting tal health association built on a self- the scientific method and populariz- help, empowerment model, an Eng- ing scientific knowledge are noble and lish-speaking foreigners association, inspiring endeavors. a multicultural council and a secular A quotation I like: It’s good to have Hope Knutsson in Reykjavik botanical garden. humanist association). I established a an open mind but not so open that civil confirmation program for teenag- your brains fall out. anyone believed them. schools, to change laws and regulations ers and have been coordinating it for • Science thrives on unanswered ques- Instead of “thank God” or “God at the local and national level so that 25 years. tions. Religion, in contrast, thrives on bless you,” I say: “Thank goodness” all life stance [worldview] perspectives, Civil confirmation is a secular alter- unquestioned answers. and “gesundheit.” as well as nonreligious spiritual or phil- native to religious confirmation and • Insanity is continuing to do the same Why I’m a freethinker: Majoring in osophical alternative organizations are exists in all the Nordic countries and thing over and over again and expect- philosophy and psychology in under- treated equally, and to educate the some other European nations. It con- ing to get different results. (Einstein) graduate school helped me to build on public about freethought, skepticism, sists of a course mainly about ethics, • I cannot believe in a god who wants the tendency that I already had. philosophy, science, religious freedom human rights, human relations, critical to be praised all the time.