Oregon Ping
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Posted on 09/08/2006 7:14:36 PM PDT by dukeman
PORTLAND — The Oregon Supreme Court today rejected the discrimination claim of an atheist whose son was required to attend a Boy Scout recruiting session in a Portland public school.
The Scout oath requires members "to do my duty to God and my country" but simply providing information to pupils in public schools isn't discrimination under Oregon Law, the court said.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...
Don't get too excited there. The "required" portion dealt with peer pressure put on the kid, not a forced school mandate.
But believe everything you read...
"That offer, both in fact and in operation, divided the elementary school children into two groups: those whose religious views agreed with the Scouts' views and those whose views did not," he wrote.
____________
Public schools don't need the scouts to divide the children into two groups.....public schools do it everyday without help: Those who believe in religion and those that don't.
I believe that you've just described liberals.
Oh god, please not a Baptist, he'll end up in therapy.
What's wrong with Baptist? They believe in the gospel and that the Bible is the Word of God and their statement of faith is right on, so what's with putting them down?
Hmmmmm ..?? A court with brains .. whoda thunk it!
"That offer, both in fact and in operation, divided the elementary school children into two groups: those whose religious views agreed with the Scouts' views and those whose views did not," he wrote"
Oh goodness, no. Don't let them be divided Um...I thought libs were supposed to be experts on diversity!
Head in rectal defilade?
Good news!
Where do you find that information? It isn't mentioned in the article; not even the part where the court's own words explain the grounds for the decision.
A more detailed article http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2006/09/09/news/oregon/1ore09scoutrecruitsuit.txt mentions a footnote in the court's ruling saying it didn’t see how state law “prohibits an organization, even a hate group, from making a neutral presentation to students, or how such a presentation, even by a hate group, necessarily would subject a person to differential treatment or discrimination." The court -- whose decision is what we're discussing here -- is making the same point I made, only claiming that it's just fine under state law (which it may be, but as long as the school is using federal funds, it's also subject to state law). I haven't seen the text of the state law referred to, but I can just imagine what the court's ruling would REALLY be if a school invited the American Nazi Party or KKK or a militant black separatist group to hold a recruiting session on school property during lunchtime. The fact that the Boy Scout recruiting pitch told all boys they could join is also problematic, since it is false -- boys who responded by trying to join, while professing honestly not to believe in any God, would be rejected.
I happen to think the Boy Scouts is a great organization, and that their requirement to believe in God is sufficiently broad to include a majority of American boys, representing some very divergent belief systems. But there's no reason they can't hold recruiting sessions after school hours, when the law is clear that the school facilities must be open to rental/use on an equal basis by any private or public group whose activities aren't illegal, even narrow sectarian groups.
But at any rate, the line between required and pressured is often pretty thin in reality. I expect there was technically a way to opt out of that idiotic California school's "pretend to be a Muslim" program -- trouble is 1) parents weren't notified in advance, and 2) there was really nowhere for a non-participating kid to go while the rest of the class did this crap. Again, the school would probably have claimed that a child could have gone and sat in the principal's office for a few hours, if the parents demanded the child not participate, but that's not very realistic, nor would most of the people who see no problem with this Boy Scout recruiting event be satisfied with that method of opting their own child out of a portion of the regular school day schedule. A technically available, but extremely awkward "way out", wouldn't make the "pretend to be a Muslim" program acceptable for a public school.
A good one. In OR, no less!!
Double that "Woo-Hoo"
My son is doing his Eagle project!
I can't believe it, already.
We're doing very well! Today was floor-cleaning day :-). The baby is Creepy now, so it quickly becomes obvious when the floors are icky.
Bill has finished two more merit badges, for a total of three, and he's pretty close to being done with another. I think he can get his Star rank by the end of the year.
What's your son doing for his Eagle project? My oldest daughter (15) is finishing up her Girl Scouts Silver Award project, building and installing bluebird houses. It's been quite a learning experience, lots of trial and error, but that's what builds character.
Oregon Ping
Please notify me via FReepmail if you would like to be added to or taken off the Oregon Ping List.
Why? Afraid he'll save your soul?
Thanks for the ping! Interestingly, I took my 'baby' to his first day of Kindergarten today and walked down the hall behind a little boy all done up in his cub scouts uniform.
I got all excited thinking it won't be long 'til it's offered to my boy! He'll love it!
Anyway, glad to see it's not banned here!
**A court with brains .. whoda thunk it!**
And guts by stand by the law! Who would have thought that?
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