Stars And Stripes And Crosses?: Florida's Clashing Symbols
All citizens who need to do business with Gov. Jeb Bush's top lawyer must walk past a small American flag that is a little different than the one you might be used to seeing. Superimposed over the stars is a white cross.
An aide to the governor claims that the card has been posted in the reception area of General Counsel Raquel Rodriguez's office for some time and was intended as "a tribute to those brave souls who were lost in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11."
"It is unfortunate certain elected representatives and advocacy groups find it offensive. They certainly have the right to their opinion. However, the governor does not share their sentiments."
With our without the sympathy of the governor, a symbol effectively declaring America to be a "Christian nation" is inappropriate to many in the state. "To me, it's offensive and hurtful," said state Sen. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston. Schultz, who is Jewish, said she understand that employees have a right to their own personal icons but areas open to public view should be treated more delicately.
Such symbols in a public space creates an environment of exclusion for adherents of other religions and none at all. All Americans have a right to do business in a government office without being made to feel like second-class citizens.
This is not the first separation of church and state controversy for Gov. Bush. Just three months ago, the Web site for the Department of Juvenile Justice linked to a Religious Right group that encouraged people to profess their faith in Jesus Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to control their lives.
Other agencies under Bush have implemented controversial prayer programs and the governor has been a tireless advocate of "faith-based" social services and school voucher schemes.
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Republican Revival?: David Barton's Partisan Pulpit Tour
For years, a self-proclaimed historian named David Barton has traveled the nation, offering fundamentalist Christian audiences a cut-and-paste version of American history that intends to prove that separation of church and state is a myth and that America's founders intended for the United States to be a "Christian nation."
Mainstream historians have pointed out the numerous flaws and outright errors in Barton's history. Nevertheless, he remains phenomenally popular among the Religious Right and often speaks at national conferences. Barton's Texas-based group, WallBuilders, distributes "Christian nation" books, videos, DVDs and other materials to eager audiences.
A few years ago, Barton took a big jump into partisan politics and became deputy chairman of the Texas Republican Party. Under his guidance, the state GOP platform has increasingly reflected the Barton viewpoint. For example, it attacks church-state separation and is laced with religious references. Endorsement of the platform sparked some controversy this year.
Now Barton appears to be angling for a spot on the national stage. He is touring the nation again, this time with financial support from the Republican National Committee as part of what is described as a larger get-out-the-vote effort.
As he tours the country, Barton leads pastors in sessions examining the role Christianity played in America's founding and puts forth his usual shaky thesis. But Barton doesn't stop there. Barton's not-so-subtle message is that America's Christian heritage is at risk - and only voting Republican can save it.
Although Barton's events are closed to the press, one attendee at an event in Eugene, Oregon, yesterday said the partisan tone was unmistakable. "The whole structure of the event is meant to support the Republican Party and meant to cast negative views on the Democrats," he said. This attendee noted, for example, that Barton contrasted the two parties on such issues as abortion and same-sex marriage, making it clear which party he prefers, according to The Oregonian.
It's not surprising that a Republican Party official would promote the Republican Party in a speech. What is surprising is that a church would give a platform to such a partisan event.
Electioneering in churches has proven to be a source of controversy for both parties in this election year. Americans United has already filed complaints with the IRS against a church in Boston for introducing John Kerry to the pulpit with an endorsement and against Jerry Falwell for using his tax-exempt organization to endorse George W. Bush and for encouraging donations to a PAC.
The presidential election is expected to be close, and it is tempting for both parties to encourage churches to risk their tax-status in an effort to squeeze out every possible vote. Religious leaders need to understand what is at stake: The candidates risk nothing for themselves in these escapades and only end up showing disregard for the nation's tax laws. If the IRS cracks down, it will move against the churches, not the campaigns. Pastors should think about this the next time David Barton, or officials of any political party, come to call.
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Bill Bennett Boondoggle?: Former Ed. Secy. Hits Funding Jackpot
Money from a federal program intended to expand public school choice has instead been used to prop up a scheme cooked up by William J. Bennett to boost home schoolers in Arkansas, Education Week has reported.
Newspaper staffers David J. Hoff and Michelle R. Davis report that a for-profit firm called K12, Inc., run by former Education Secretary and "drug czar" Bennett, has received $4.1 million from the U.S. Department of Education. Bennett's outfit received the tax funding under a provision in the "No Child Left Behind" education bill that is designed to expand options in public school choice.
There's just one problem: The provision in the education bill is supposed to offer options to students enrolled in failing public schools. But Bennett's business is aimed at helping parents who engage in home schooling and does nothing to benefit students in public schools.
So how did Bennett, a harsh critic of public education, get the cash? Through a paperwork shuffle and bureaucratic sleight of hand, education officials in Arkansas declared the home-schooled students public school attendees - even though they are not required to spend one day receiving instruction in a public school. The only requirement imposed on the home-schooled kids so far is that they must take a statewide test at their local public school.
What's even more troubling is that Bennett's firm apparently ended up with the tax-funded windfall despite contrary recommendations from peer reviewers at the U.S. Department of Education. Department employees who oversee the public school choice program initially suggested funding for 10 programs, basing their decision on recommendations from peer reviewers. Bennett's K12 Arkansas project was not among them. Education Week reported that K12's proposal did not score high enough among the peer reviewers to win a funding recommendation.
But the Department of Education bypassed the peer reviewers and added Bennett's program to the list. In doing so, the department dropped one program entirely and slashed funding for others.
One department employee involved in the process, who wished to remain anonymous, told Education Week, "Anything with Bill Bennett's name on it was going to get funded."
What is the end result of all of this? While students in Arkansas' under-funded public schools go begging, the youngsters taking part in the K12 experiment enjoy computer instruction and step-by-step lessons plans for parents to follow. A certified teacher stands by to offer guidance via telephone.
Perhaps the name of the "No Child Left Behind" law should be changed to "No Private School or Home-Schooled Child Left Behind."
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In Memory Of Sidney G. Schempp
An unsung heroine of church-state separation died on Monday, July 5, of liver disease in Castro Valley, Calif. Sidney G. Schempp, 91, was a key figure in one of the most controversial church-state cases in American history. The decision that bears her family's name, Abington Township School District v. Schempp, barred school-sponsored Bible reading in public schools.
The case began when Ellery Schempp, a student at Abington High School near Philadelphia, decided to challenge the school's policy of having students read from the King James Version of the Bible over a public address system each day. The Schempps, who were Unitarians, did not believe that public schools should be in the business of promoting any religion.
Ellery Schempp agreed to offer the reading one morning, but when he got to the microphone pulled a quick switch and tried to read from a copy of the Koran. The school's principal was not pleased, and the stunt led to Ellery's expulsion. At home, Ellery explained to his parents, Sidney and Edward, what had happened and said he wanted to contact the American Civil Liberties Union. Sidney and Ed backed him 100 percent. Ellery's younger siblings, Roger and Donna, helped keep the case alive after Ellery graduated.
The case did not sit well with some people. The family endured a lot of harassment, including hate mail, harassing phone calls and rotten fruit lobbed at their house. But they prevailed, and the Schempp case, handed down in 1963, stands as a powerful bulwark against government-sponsored religion. The Supreme Court has cited it repeatedly since then.
Sidney Schempp's July 9 obituary in the Philadelphia Inquirer summarized her life and her long commitment to social justice and civil liberties. It noted that she was a longtime member of Unitarian Universalist churches in the Philadelphia area and in California, where she later relocated. She was voted Woman of the Year in 1982 by the Unitarian Church in Cherry Hill, N.J.
An ardent environmentalist, Sidney loved visiting national parks and enjoying the beauty of the countryside. In an e-mail message announcing Sidney's death, Ellery Schempp wrote, "She believed in separation of church and state and our family's role in the Supreme Court case, and she deserves much credit, especially for helping Roger and Donna to cope in their teen years."
Sidney and Edward Schempp, who died last year, are gone, but the legacy they left behind will inspire advocates of church-state separation for many years to come.
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Bigotry At Lunch: Md. Delegate Bashes Dissenting Senior
Like a lot of older folks, Maryland resident Margaret Sayre enjoys taking meals at a nearby senior center. She doesn't have to cook and gets some social interaction at the same time.
But there was one thing about the practice that bothered Sayre: The meals at the Brooklyn Park Senior Center open with Christian prayers led by an attendee. Sayre says she had no problem when the meals opened with a moment of silence, but when Christian prayers became the norm, she wondered if that was appropriate at a government-funded facility.
Sayre began making inquiries with local officials. She also posted e-mail messages on a forum run by the Maryland Atheist Network, seeking advice.
Somehow, one of these messages ended up in the hands of Del. Don Dwyer Jr. of Glen Burnie, a member of the Maryland House of Delegates.
Infuriated, Dwyer sent a letter to Sayre.
"You state it is not fair for you, or anyone else who is not a Christian, to have to listen to others prayers in order to have a nice meal with other senior citizens," Dwyer wrote. "You go on to ask, 'is there any law that would help me change this practice?' If the atheist (sic) of Maryland want something different then I would suggest building an atheist Senior Center where you won't have to hear any prayers but leave my people alone."
Dwyer ordered Sayre to "immediately stop any attempt to interfere with the religious freedoms of my constituents who use the Brooklyn Park Senior Center."
David Condo, Maryland director of American Atheists (and an Americans United member), said, "I was just infuriated at the condescending nature that this letter implies. It doesn't offer much in terms of compromise and middle ground. This is not Christianity versus atheism, it's about government being neutral in terms of religion and a representative treating constituents with the respect they deserve."
But Dwyer stuck by his guns, telling The Maryland Gazette, "Anybody should have the right to pray at mealtime wherever and whenever they want to.…What is the violation of church and state?... There is no separation of church and state in the Constitution that the atheists profess it to be."
Local officials and other state lawmakers declined to stand up for Sayre, but word of Dwyer's rude missive soon began circulating on the web. Michael Nord, an Americans United member in Virginia, decided to take Dwyer to task. In an e-mail message to the legislator, Nord pointed out that the U.S. Constitution guarantees separation of church and state. He went on to chide Dwyer for attacking an elderly woman.
"Way to go, attacking a little old lady who is asking for your help," Nord wrote. "Did you kick some puppies today too? I'd hope that the people of Maryland would have higher standards for their public servants."
Dwyer wrote back, accusing Nord of being ignorant of the Constitution and adding, "Fortunately in Maryland our constitution under the Declaration of Rights article 36 still states that in order to serve in elected office you have to believe in God. Isn't that great!!!"
Dwyer is apparently ignorant of the fact that the provision he cites was declared null and void by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1961 decision Torcaso v. Watkins. That ruling, brought by a Maryland resident who refused to affirm a belief in God as a condition of becoming a notary public, ended "religious tests" for public office in the handful of state constitutions that retained them.
And what of Margaret Sayre? She hasn't been back to the senior center since receiving Dwyer's message. She doesn't feel welcome any more. "When you're outnumbered, you know it," she said. "It's a very touchy subject."
If you would like to share your thoughts on this matter with Del. Dwyer, you can reach him at: Don_Dwyer@house.state.md.us.
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School Choice: A Charter For Corruption?
The pastor at the center of a Houston charter school scandal was arrested last Thursday along with three family members on charges of misappropriating $3 million in state and federal education funds, reports the Houston Chronicle.
In addition to pocketing money from the federal school lunch and breakfast program for poor children, the Rev. Harold. W. Wilcox is accused of using $51,000 in school funds to make a down payment on a house. FBI agents reportedly found Wilcox hiding in a false compartment in a closet of his home with $3,500 in cash.
The Prepared Table charter school has long been at the center of controversy. After receiving about $2.56 million in federal funds and about $16.76 million in state funds, the school was found to be inflating enrollment. Although this and other scandals had led the Texas legislature to enact stricter standards for charter schools in 2001, many such rules were repealed last year.
"The majority of charter school closings that have occurred nationwide have been because of financial misappropriation," said Luis Huerta, a professor with the Teachers College at Columbia University in New York City. In this case, the defendants are accused of using the tax-exempt status of their Greater Progressive Baptist Church to disguise the source of the money. By depositing the money in the church account, they hid its source and evaded taxes, according to the indictment.
The charter school movement has long been held up as a alternative compromise between radical voucher advocates and defenders of traditional public education. If the state is going to transfer its responsibility to educate America's children to private organizations, public officials must take the responsibility to create proper oversight measures to ensure that such scandals do not happen again. Out of respect for church-state separation, religious organizations shouldn't be running publicly funded charter schools at all.
In every scandal of this kind, the victim is a young child who is deprived of an education because of a politicians' desire to experiment with the educational system.
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Senate Confirms Holmes For Federal Bench
Despite strong reservations among civil liberties activists, the Senate yesterday voted 51-46 to confirm the Bush administration's nomination of James Leon Holmes to a federal court in Arkansas, reports The New York Times. The extreme positions taken by Holmes in a number of strongly worded articles raised red flags for defenders of church-state separation about his willingness to uphold the Constitution.
In a 2002 address to the Society of Catholic Social Scientists in Ann Arbor, Mich., Holmes questioned the legitimacy of church-state separation, noting that "we are left with some unease about this notion that Christianity and the political order should be assigned to separate spheres." He went on to observe that "Christianity transcends the political order and cannot be subordinated to the political order." Suggesting that eventually religion and government would be one he said "the final reunion of Church and state will take place at the end of time, when Christ will claim definitive political power of all creation, inaugurating an entirely new society based on the supernatural."
By placing a man who questions church-state separation on the federal bench, the Senate has dealt a blow to the health of important American constitutional principles. In addition to his wariness toward separation of church and state, Holmes also rejects mainstream views on the role of women, reproductive rights and the rights of gays and lesbians.
"This is one of the most divisive nominations put forth by the Bush administration, and that is saying a lot," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. The Senate would have been wise to reject Holmes.
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