|
The First Amendment to the Constitution states that
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom
of speech, or of the press, or of the right of the people peaceably
to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
These fundamental rights are under siege. Today, unless
you fit into the politically correct mold, your right to speak,
pray and associate with whom you chose are attacked and often denied
by the courts. Activist judges are taking away our most basic American
liberties by determining what words we may use to express ourselves;
by denying the expression of religion (mostly Christian) in the
public square; and by harassing groups like the Boy Scouts of America
for upholding their moral beliefs.
Paulson
v. City of San Diego
ACRU filed a brief in support of the City of San
Diego in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on an
appeal by Paulson from a Federal judge’s order approving the sale
of the Mt. Soledad property including the cross to a private association.
The three judge Ninth Circuit panel affirmed the sale as valid,
as the ACRU brief urged. But Plaintiff won a rehearing
en banc by the entire 9th circuit which reversed and invalidated
the sale on the grounds that it amounted to an unconstitutional
establishment of religion under the California constitution. Read
Brief
Paulson
v. City of San Diego
ACRU filed a Petition for Writ of Certiorari in
the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of the private association which
had bought the Mt. Soledad property in the sale invalidated by
the Ninth circuit. But the Supreme Court denied the
petition because the Ninth Circuit had invalidated
the sale based on the California state constitution. Read
Brief
Paulson
v. City of San Diego
ACRU filed a brief in support of the City of San
Diego in California state appellate court on appeal from a state
judge’s order prohibiting the City from transferring the Mt. Soledad
Memorial and its cross to the Federal government, as approved
in a city referendum with 76% in support. The Federal government
intervened to safeguard the monument by its powers of eminent
domain; plaintiff Paulson is recently deceased. ACLU may file
another suit challenging the Federal action. On January
12, 2007, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the lawsuit
to remove the memorial as moot and said a district court order
to remove the cross must be vacated. Read
Brief
10/26/07: Punishment
will Hurt Community by Hans Zeiger
EXCERPT: "Almost 80 years ago, the City of
Philadelphia granted to the local Boy Scouts a low-cost rent on
land at 22d and Winter Streets, "in perpetuity." This
has proven to be a valuable partnership, both for the city and
for its most important youth organization. But last week, the
city penalized the Boy Scouts for its membership policies by raising
the rent from $1 to $200,000 a year. This was wrong..."
10/25/07: Failure
of the First Amendment? by John Armor
EXCERPT: "This week, President Bush awarded
the Medal of Honor to Lt. Murphy, handing that medal to his family,
at the White House. Lt. Murphy was from Patchogue, N.Y., in the
backyard of the New York Times. Yet the Times did not see fit
to feature this extraordinary award to him and his family, on
its front page..."
9/26/07: Marines
Denied Right to Film in San Francisco
EXCERPT: "The US Marines proposed to shoot
a recruiting commercial on the streets of San Francisco, as they
already had on the streets of New York. They wanted their famed
Silent Drill Team to perform for just a few minutes on ordinary
city streets. New York said yes. But San Francisco said no..."
9/26/07: New
Jersey Says Methodists Can't Be Methodists
EXCERPT: "The Ocean Grove Camp Ground was created
and developed by the Methodist Church in the 19th century. At
all times it has been owned and operated by the Methodists. For
more than a century the Methodists have invited citizens of New
Jersey, regardless of their religious beliefs, to share in the
use of the property. Many people have asked for, and been granted,
permission to conduct marriages on the property. However, it is
the stated policy of the Methodist Church not to conduct same-sex
ceremonies on its property..."
8/27/07: Using
Courts as a Weapon Against America by John Armor
EXCERPT: "The supposedly anti-war group, A.N.S.W.E.R,
has had the chutzpah to sue the District of Columbia for fining
it for defacing city property with its posters. The group is claiming
discrimination. The honesty of its claim can be gauged from the
fact that one of its primary leaders is Ramsey Clark, the lawyer
who claimed that Saddam Hussein was innocent, and being discriminated
against..."
8/7/07: (CARTOON) "Hate
Crime" vs. "Art" by Glenn McCoy
7/23/07: The
Supreme Court Giveth, the Supreme Court Taketh Away by Ken Blackwell
for Townhall.com
EXCERPT: "The Supreme Court teeters on a knife’s
edge regarding lawsuits against faith expression in the public
square. So, conservatives better redouble their efforts to restore
a court faithful to our Founders’ vision, or lose all that has
been gained in recent decisions after the 2008 presidential sweepstakes..."
7/16/07: Mosque
& State are Fine – Just Shut Down the Church & State
by John Armor
EXCERPT: "Investors Business Daily ran an editorial
entitled, "Jihad in Schools," on July 9. It describes
a program in a San Diego public school for setting aside 15 minutes
a day for Somali Muslim students to pray at Carver Elementary
School.... "
7/9/07: Lesbians
Want Methodists to Allow Ceremony by John Armor
EXCERPT: "Two lesbians have brought a complaint
against a park, owned and operated by the Methodist Church, for
refusing them the "right" to have their civil ceremony
(wedding?) in a pavilion there. The response of the Church is
that it doesn't..."
7/9/07: CC
Supreme Court to Hear Contentious Gay Rights Case by Mike McKee
for Law.com
EXCERPT: "A war of the amici is under way as
the California Supreme Court readies itself for what could become
one of its most controversial cases in years... The case involves
two San Diego-area doctors who, based on their Christian beliefs,
refused to provide artificial insemination to a lesbian in their
care. They claimed they weren't averse to treating gays, but rather
had religious objections toward helping impregnate an unmarried
woman..."
7/6/07: Religious
Rights of Students Affirmed in NJ & TX from Citizenlink.com
EXCERPT: "A New Jersey school's decision to
allow Christian students to enjoy the same free speech rights
as other students could be the beginning of a nationwide trend
to protect students' rights. Northern Highlands Regional High
School had blocked a Christian club from participating in the
Day of Truth, a day for Christian students to express their views
on homosexuality, but backed down after being contacted by the
Alliance Defense Fund (ADF)..."
11/5/07: Local
court battle over protesting at soldiers' funeral begins, by
Joe Dejka for the World Herald
EXCERPT: "Security was tight Monday as a Kansas
woman appeared in Sarpy County Court to answer charges that she
mutilated a flag and put her child in danger while protesting
at the funeral of a..."
10/16/07: Opposing
view: Press has enough protection, by John Armor
EXCERPT: "Reporters who choose to be martyrs
don't warrant a federal law. Read more in USA Today here..."
6/24/07: The
'Study' on Conservative Talk Radio, by John Armor
EXCERPT: "The Center for American Progress
is a liberal organization in its pedigree and staff. It has now
released a "study" on the imbalance between conservative
and "progressive" content on talk radio. It wants the
government to compel a "balance" between..."
6/8/07: American
Legion Steps Up Effort to Stop ACLU, by Sheldon Kinsel
EXCERPT: "As part of its effort to stop the
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) from intimidating state
and local governments to remove religious symbols
from public places, the American Legion is organizing its local
posts to inventory and monitor local memorials..."
6/1/07: May
Crosses Be Displayed at War Memorials?
EXCERPT: "Two days ago I
had the opportunity to do a radio debate with Dr. Jeremy Gunn,
Director of the ACLU's Religious Freedom Project. Let me say at
the outset that I found Dr. Gunn to be a courteous and intellectually..."
5/15/07: The
ACLU Takes on James Madison and the Founders on School Prayer,
by Eric F. Langborgh
EXERPT: "When James Madison penned the Bill
of Rights in 1789, surely the idea of blocking local school children
in Monroe, LA in 2007 from solemnizing their graduation ceremony
with prayer was his intent, right? After all, he objected to official..."
5/15/07: Are
Some Crime Victims More Worthy of Protection than Others?, by
William G. Otis
EXERPT: "The Washington Post editorialized
in its on-line edition yesterday in favor of the Hate Crimes bill
recently passed by the House. The editorial is well wide of the
mark, but in order to allow readers to draw their own conclusions..."
5/11/07: Hate
Crimes: 'Solving' a Non-Existent Problem, by John Armor
EXERPT: "The House of Representatives has just
passed a federal bill on "hate crimes," which seems
headed for a White House veto, if it manages to pass the Senate.
This has heightened attention to the half of the several states
which..."
5/1/07: ACLU
Gets It Dead Wrong in Indiana, by John Armor
EXERPT: "The ACLU in Indiana has just filed
suit against the state's Bureau of Motor Vehicles on behalf of
a tree-hugger who doesn't like religion. Does that sound unfair?
Here are the facts, from an article in the Journal Times in...
"
4/19/07: The
ACLU's 'Hate Speech' Gymnastics, by Eric F. Langborgh
EXERPT: "The attorneys at the American
Civil Liberties Union must be exhausted. It's not easy to contort
one's reasoning in such a way that defends the Nazi's right to
march while simultaneously supporting so-called hate crimes legislation.
Perhaps a little consistency..."
4/11/07: Ninth
Circuit Helps ACLU 'Cleanse' Library of Worship, by John Armor
EXERPT: "The facts, but not the legal
conclusions, for this post come from an article on 23 March in
the Washington Examiner by Quin Hilyer. It recited that the US
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco had just reversed..."
10/11/07: Spotlighting
Speech Codes with FIRE’s Widget by Luke Sheahan
EXCERPT: "Over the last several years, the
Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) has conducted
a thorough survey of campus speech codes at over 350 American
colleges and universities and compiled the data in one location
on FIRE's website..."
9/11/07: Second
Letter to Guilford School Board by Peter Ferrara
EXCERPT: "I am submitting these comments regarding
the proposed rules concerning meetings of the Boy Scouts of America
and other youth groups at Guilford County public schools, and
communications regarding those meetings. I understand that the
School Board has asked for comments regarding the proposed rules
before its next meeting Thursday night, September 13..."
8/27/07: Open
Letter to the Guilford School Board by Peter Ferrara
EXCERPT: "We understand that the Guilford County
School Board will consider a couple of proposals relating to the
Boy Scouts at its meeting this Thursday night, August 30. One
proposal, allegedly based on safety concerns, would prohibit the
Scouts and others from meeting in District schools during after
school programs until 6 pm each night. The Scouts would have to
hold any of their meetings at schools after 6pm..."
|
