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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
 Posted - 08/15/2009 : 00:22:25
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As this is from the Washington Times, I'm sure there's a lot more to the srory than what they printed. Students, teachers and local pastors are protesting over a court case involving a northern Florida school principal and an athletic director who are facing criminal charges and up to six months in jail over their offer of a mealtime prayer.
There have been yard signs, T-shirts and a mass student protest during graduation ceremonies this spring on behalf of Pace High School Principal Frank Lay and school athletic director Robert Freeman, who will go on trial Sept. 17 at a federal district court in Pensacola for breaching the conditions of a lawsuit settlement reached last year with the American Civil Liberties Union.
"I have been defending religious freedom issues for 22 years, and I've never had to defend somebody who has been charged criminally for praying," said Mathew Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, the Orlando-based legal group that is defending the two school officials.
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And what pray, is Liberty Counsel? Well...
Liberty Counsel is a non-profit public interest law firm and ministry that provides free legal assistance in defense of "Christian religious liberty, the sanctity of human life, and the traditional family."[1] Liberty Counsel is headed by attorney Mathew D. Staver, who founded the legal ministry with his wife, Anita, in 1989 and currently serves as its Chairman. Before entering the law, Mat Staver was a pastor of Seventh Day Adventist Churches. Anita L. Staver, his wife, serves as President of Liberty Counsel. A close partnership exists between Liberty University and Liberty Counsel. Liberty University was founded by the Rev. Jerry Falwell. Mathew D. Staver serves as the law school's Dean.[1] In 2004 Liberty Counsel became affiliated with Liberty University/Falwell Ministries and Liberty Counsel opened an office at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Liberty Counsel operates in three distinct, yet related areas: education, litigation and public policy. The firm handles mainly First Amendment cases and issues, especially in the areas of religious liberties, freedom of speech, church/state issues in public schools and in the public square, the sanctity of human life at all stages, and traditional family values (including the defense of marriage as being between one man and one woman).[2] Educational materials are made available to individuals who want to understand the law and their constitutional rights so that they may confidently exercise their civil liberties and religious freedom.
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One suspects that they "confidently exercise their civil liberties and religious freedom" by stepping on everyone else's.
Yep. They're pretty much typical for the breed.
Liberty Counsel has been criticized for intolerant and excessive tactics in pursuit of their causes[10], including threatening legal action against a public library for awarding certificates involving Harry Potter books, because "the certificate of witchcraft endorsed a particular religion".[11]
In December 2005, Liberty Counsel issued a press release accusing an elementary school in Dodgeville, Wisconsin of changing the lyrics of Christmas songs to make them more "secular" and threatened to sue the school district "if the district does not immediately remedy the situation."[12] In fact, the school was putting on the play "The Little Tree's Christmas Gift," written by Dwight Elrich, a former ch
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
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Edited by - filthy on 08/15/2009 02:37:44
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 08/15/2009 : 00:33:35 [Permalink]
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I suspect the problem isn't their praying as such, but that they violated the conditions of a Federal Court order that they'd agreed to.| ... breaching the conditions of a lawsuit settlement reached last year with the American Civil Liberties Union. |
One just doesn't violate court orders and expect to walk away with a smile. It could have just as easily been that they face jail for spitting on the sidewalk, after violating a court order not to do so. Showing that kind of contempt for a court isn't healthy.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
| Edited by - HalfMooner on 08/15/2009 00:39:10 |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 08/15/2009 : 02:35:22 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by HalfMooner
I suspect the problem isn't their praying as such, but that they violated the conditions of a Federal Court order that they'd agreed to.| ... breaching the conditions of a lawsuit settlement reached last year with the American Civil Liberties Union. |
One just doesn't violate court orders and expect to walk away with a smile. It could have just as easily been that they face jail for spitting on the sidewalk, after violating a court order not to do so. Showing that kind of contempt for a court isn't healthy.
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All true, which is why I wonder if Liberty Counsel isn't trying to run a Scopes on the ACLU.
As might be expected of the Moonie Times, the story was pretty short on detail, so who knows what the actual situation was?
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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| Edited by - filthy on 08/15/2009 02:38:41 |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 08/17/2009 : 04:11:10 [Permalink]
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As we figured, the Moonie Times can only be trusted to lie. Well, thanks to Ed Brayton, the following seems to be the rest of the story, which is outrageous in exactly the opposite way from what the Washington Times intended: A federal judge on Monday unsealed her order requiring Pace High School Principal Frank Lay and the school athletic director to answer criminal contempt charges that they violated an injunction banning faculty-led prayer.
The charges stem from Lay asking athletic director Robert Freeman to offer a blessing before a Jan. 28 luncheon at Pace High.
That was only nine days after U.S. District Judge Casey Rodgers issued a temporary injunction prohibiting Santa Rosa County School District officials from promoting, endorsing or leading religious prayers during school-sponsored events. The judge eventually made the order permanent.
Rodgers' decision to charge Lay and Freeman criminally means each faces possible jail time or fines if found in contempt...
Additionally, Michelle Winkler, a School District clerk, faces a civil contempt charge initiated by the American Civil Liberties Union.
After school officials warned Winkler that she could not say a prayer at a Feb. 20 banquet, she unexpectedly asked her husband, a non-district employee, to offer the prayer. She is due in court Aug. 21...
"The conduct of Lay, if true, was even more concerning to the court than that of Winkler, given Lay's status as both a party to the lawsuit and principal of the high school involved in the lawsuit, as well as the fact he allegedly caused an employee under his command to violate the injunction," Rodgers wrote in a previous order.
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His school of more than 1,800 students was known by some as "the Baptist Academy." His teachers and staff delivered prayers, or invited students or outside leaders to lead prayers, during sporting events and other activities. Teachers offered Bible readings or biblical interpretations and talked about the churches they attend. They assigned religion- oriented work to students and encouraged them to attend religious clubs.
Within a few months, the district admitted the allegations and hammered out an agreement that would take religion out of the classroom...
Nine days later, after Lay signed the temporary injunction, he was accused of violating the order.
On Jan. 28, he asked the school athletic director, Robert Freeman, to "bless the food" at a luncheon at Pace High for school personnel and booster club members instrumental in helping get a new fieldhouse. The school's culinary class prepared the meal.
Four-term School Board member Jo Ann Simpson, who was at the luncheon, couldn't believe her ears. |
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
| Edited by - HalfMooner on 08/17/2009 04:24:00 |
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sailingsoul
SFN Addict
2830 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2009 : 18:52:36 [Permalink]
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NOT GUILTY! Article via www.catholicnewsagency.com
Florida high school officials’ prayer did not violate court order, judge rules.
Pensacola, Fla., Sep 19, 2009 / 05:47 pm (CNA).- A judge ruled on Thursday that a rural Florida panhandle high school principal and athletic director did not violate a federal court order barring prayer at school events.
Pace High School Principal Frank Lay and Athletic Director Robert Freeman could have faced up to six months in jail and $5,000 in fines if convicted of violating a 2008 settlement the Santa Rosa County District had reached in the lawsuit.Last year the ACLU filed a lawsuit against the Santa Rosa County School District, charging that some of the teachers and administration endorsed religion. The school district did not fight the suit but consented to an order fashioned by the ACLU.
In a lengthy Thursday speech, Judge Casey Rogers said she did not believe the two men intended to violate her order barring prayer from school-sponsored events. She accepted that Lay had made a mistake by asking Freeman to offer the prayer because praying had been done at the school for 20 years. She also ruled that Freeman was only following the orders of his superior.Last year the ACLU filed a lawsuit against the Santa Rosa County School District, charging that some of the teachers and administration endorsed religion. The school district did not fight the suit but consented to an order fashioned by the ACLU.
In a lengthy Thursday speech, Judge Casey Rogers said she did not believe the two men intended to violate her order barring prayer from school-sponsored events. She accepted that Lay had made a mistake by asking Freeman to offer the prayer because praying had been done at the school for 20 years. She also ruled that Freeman was only following the orders of his superior.Last year the ACLU filed a lawsuit against the Santa Rosa County School District, charging that some of the teachers and administration endorsed religion. The school district did not fight the suit but consented to an order fashioned by the ACLU.
In a lengthy Thursday speech, Judge Casey Rogers said she did not believe the two men intended to violate her order barring prayer from school-sponsored events. She accepted that Lay had made a mistake by asking Freeman to offer the prayer because praying had been done at the school for 20 years. She also ruled that Freeman was only following the orders of his superior.
The judge also noted that Lay had followed the court order at previous events and had not offered prayers in settings when he had typically offered prayers in the past.
However, Judge Rogers admonished Lay and said his responsibility as a principal was to ensure the order was followed.
“At the time the school board admitted liability, your school was at the center of the controversy. You said that you agreed these actions had to stop and you agreed to the injunction. You had a responsibility to this court, to the school board and to the citizens of Santa Rosa County as the highest-ranking official at that school,” the judge said, according to the Miami Herald.
Judge Rodgers also questioned videotaped comments Lay had made. Lay, who is also a Baptist church deacon, told a crowd at a church rally for the school that he could not “park my religion and leave it in the school parking lot like I do my Jeep. It will ooze out of me.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Hensel had argued that the two defendants read and accepted the court order and knew that praying at the lunch meeting on school property was an obvious violation of the court agreement, the Miami Herald says.
Responding to the decision in remarks to supporters outside the Pensacola Federal Court House, Ray said: “Above all I want to thank my chief counsel, God our Father.”
Supporters had also packed the federal courtroom. Some students from the high school made T-shirts with the image of a potato chip that read “Lay’s Supportive Patriots.”
Congressional leaders, including the chair of the bipartisan Congressional Prayer Caucus, had spoken on the floor of the U.S. House in support of Lay and Freeman. More than 60 members of Congress, including local U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, also sent a letter of support to Lay and Freeman.
“The tradition of offering prayer in America has become so interwoven into our nation’s spiritual heritage, that to charge someone criminally for engaging in such an innocent practice would astonish the men who founded this country on religious freedom,” their letter read.
Liberty Counsel, a nonprofit dedicated to religious freedom issues, helped represent the school officials. Its founder, Mathew D. Staver, commented on the decision.
“It is ridiculous that these men even had to think twice about blessing a meal,” Staver said. “To criminalize the prayer conflicts with our Nation’s founding and guiding principles and goes directly against our constitutionally protected rights. It is fitting that on National Constitution Day, our religious freedoms are preserved so that people – regardless of their employment – are free to say a meal blessing.”
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There are only two types of religious people, the deceivers and the deceived. SS |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2009 : 22:45:16 [Permalink]
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In my opinion, Judge Rogers backed off and gave the defendants an undeserved break.
In court, these men had voluntarily agreed not to lead prayer, and the judge's court order backed that up. Then Principal Frank Lay says, he just accidentally-like forgot, and first chance he got, unconsciously led a blessing out of habit. Sure he did. Why should a court order be memorable, after all?
Likely all the right-wing pressure tactics from theocratic Members of Congress spooked the judge out of her resolve. But that's not how things are supposed to work.
Principal Lay and his pals must be happy as pigs in shit.
Next time these creeps pull that stunt (and there will be a next time), Judge Rogers had better crack down hard on these crackers. Either that or resign.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
| Edited by - HalfMooner on 09/22/2009 22:48:08 |
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Busted for praying
