Author Topic: Declaration of Independence Banned at Calif School: Contains "God" (Read 861 times)

Ripsnort · « **on:** November 24, 2004, 08:08:29 PM »

Our 'progressive' Kalifornia:rolleyes:

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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A California teacher has been barred by his school from giving students documents from American history that refer to God -- including the Declaration of Independence.

Steven Williams, a fifth-grade teacher at Stevens Creek School in the San Francisco Bay area suburb of Cupertino, sued for discrimination on Monday, claiming he had been singled out for censorship by principal Patricia Vidmar because he is a Christian.

"It's a fact of American history that our founders were religious men, and to hide this fact from young fifth-graders in the name of political correctness is outrageous and shameful," said Williams' attorney, Terry Thompson.

"Williams wants to teach his students the true history of our country," he said. "There is nothing in the Establishment Clause (of the U.S. Constitution) that prohibits a teacher from showing students the Declaration of Independence."

Vidmar could not be reached for comment on the lawsuit, which was filed on Monday in U.S. District Court in San Jose and claims violations of Williams rights to free speech under the First Amendment.

Phyllis Vogel, assistant superintendent for Cupertino Unified School District, said the lawsuit had been forwarded to a staff attorney. She declined to comment further.

Williams asserts in the lawsuit that since May he has been required to submit all of his lesson plans and supplemental handouts to Vidmar for approval, and that the principal will not permit him to use any that contain references to God or Christianity.

Among the materials she has rejected, according to Williams, are excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, George Washington's journal, John Adams' diary, Samuel Adams' "The Rights of the Colonists" and William Penn's "The Frame of Government of Pennsylvania."

"He hands out a lot of material and perhaps 5 to 10 percent refers to God and Christianity because that's what the founders wrote," said Thompson, a lawyer for the Alliance Defense Fund, which advocates for religious freedom. "The principal seems to be systematically censoring material that refers to Christianity and it is pure discrimination."

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case of a California atheist who wanted the words "under God" struck from the Pledge of Allegiance as recited by school children. The appeals court in California had found that the phrase amounted to a violation of church and state separation.

http://www.reuters.com/printerFriendlyPopup.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6911883

Nash · « **Reply #1 on:** November 24, 2004, 08:10:55 PM »

blah blah blah blah blahrrg blurrrg

RTSigma · « **Reply #2 on:** November 24, 2004, 08:14:14 PM »

California isn't even a real state to begin with. They're a bunch of gold-diggers.

SLO · « **Reply #3 on:** November 24, 2004, 08:22:12 PM »

Why not Allah, Budha etc.

Ripsnort · « **Reply #4 on:** November 24, 2004, 08:22:59 PM »

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Originally posted by SLO
Why not put Allah then, instead of God or Budha etc.

Why not leave it? Means the same thing, except its a recognized ENGLISH word.

Ripsnort · « **Reply #5 on:** November 24, 2004, 08:25:15 PM »

Actually I'm begining to think that between the religeous nuts, secularists, revisionists, anti-violence litigators and every other activist that's gotten involved in various schools across the country they're pretty much down to teaching....math? Maybe? Science is out...not religeous enough. American History is out, too religeous. Dodge ball and JRTOC are out, too violent and besides, those JROTC kids have (shudder) GUNS IN SCHOOL! BAD! BAD! Art is out, heaven forbid anyone see Venus' breasts at such a formative age... Wait, can't say heaven forbid, too religeous again... and of course we can't teach that the Honorable Mister Lincoln freed the slaves, because really, he didn't... so... 1+1=2. Wait. Too sexual. Here, have a condom and be safe. I'm so confused. No wonder kids hate school:rolleyes:

SLO · « **Reply #6 on:** November 24, 2004, 08:35:46 PM »

take a chill pill chrome dome...

it is a just a word after all

SOB · « **Reply #7 on:** November 24, 2004, 08:36:17 PM »

I'm curious as to why this teacher's lesson plans were being reviewed before he could teach them. Surely that's not something the administration has time to do for every teacher. I bet there's more to this story. But whatever, it's Kalifornia, who gives a chit.

GRUNHERZ · « **Reply #8 on:** November 24, 2004, 08:38:45 PM »

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Originally posted by SLO
take a chill pill chrome dome...

it is a just a word after all

Tell that to the lunatics who prevent American children from studying the Decleration of Independace, the most important document in the history of this nation just because of that one word...

And to think this is going on in my hometown, in my old school district, just a mile from where I now sit. Disguisting...

Nash · « **Reply #9 on:** November 24, 2004, 08:45:14 PM »

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Originally posted by GRUNHERZ
Tell that to the lunatics who prevent American children from studying the Decleration of Independace, the most important document in the history of this nation...

Bah.... It was written before the Constitution (perhaps THAT was the important document you were referring to?). The Dec of Independance was just basicaly a list of greivances against Britain.

GRUNHERZ · « **Reply #10 on:** November 24, 2004, 08:52:41 PM »

No decleration, no usa no constitution. Its far more than merely written before it, it is the founding document of this nation signed July 4 1776 which we still celebrate today as this country's birthday and not september 17, 1787 when the constitution was adopted. So while the constituation is clearly the more important technical document in daily government it ultimately takes a second place to the Decleration of Independance.

Sorry Nash, no bah... This form of idiocy in preventing american children from studying the decleration is morally and logically unjustifiable as is your attempt to mitigate the significance of this act by devalutiong the decleration of independance.

RTSigma · « **Reply #11 on:** November 24, 2004, 08:52:46 PM »

To be honest, I don't want kids that learn that stuff in my society, who believe there is no god but government. No faith = bad intentions to others.

Nash · « **Reply #12 on:** November 24, 2004, 08:56:26 PM »

Grun... Christians are constantly quoting the DoI, and avoid mentioning the constitution like the plague. Why? Because the DoI has the word "God" and the Constitution doesn't.

Why is this important? Because it hints at the strong possibility that, much like the teacher in some olden thread who got canned but turned out to be a whack-job, there is more to the story here.

GRUNHERZ · « **Reply #13 on:** November 24, 2004, 09:06:24 PM »

So a school in a liberal california suburb bans the decleration of independance from its clasrooms and you try to shift this into some right wing christian conspiracy?

Good god man, what is wrong with you? Why this obession over one word?

Or am I assuming too much?

Let me ask you this, if the Decleration was banned in this school because of the presence of the word "god" would you be in agreement with this act?

Yes or No? Please clear up any confusion I migh have wrt to your views here.

DieAz · « **Reply #14 on:** November 24, 2004, 09:08:22 PM »

[sarcasm] yea that paper and words written on it started a war. time to ban paper and writing words. [/sarcasm]