Helping the ACLU

Charleston-Gazette ^ | 5/11/05 | Pastor Terry Hagedorn

[Keli Kilohana]

To the Editor,

In an attempt to save the ACLU time and money in guaranteeing the separation of church and state, I would like to recommend the following policies be adopted in our state schools: (1) The NAME Program (Non Abhorrent Moniker Exchange) and (2) The RAR Program(Religion Avoidance Routes):

First, since children named Christian, Mohammed or Moses are going to be mutually offensive to one another--and to atheists in general; and, since it is additionally illegal to promote religion and allow the very mention of their names in a government school--because it violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment, religious names have got to go! Can you imagine how harmful it is for Jewish children to see a paper posted on a bulletin board with an "A" beside the student's name, Christian? OR, for a Moslem child to read the name Moshe by the grade "A+"? To prevent anyone from being offended by religious names and to insure absolute separation of church and state in our public schools, all children should have a mandatory--but voluntary--name change upon admission into the public school.

Children should have to voluntarily secularize their names—with parental assistance, of course. Public School children have one of three options: (1) Go by their initials only. For example, the name Mohammed bin Ali would be changed to MbA. (A second youngster with the same name or initials would be called MbA2, a third as MbA3, etc.) (2) Religious names must be letter-randomized : David would become Dvaid, Divad, or Advid, etc… Mohammed would become Admohmema, Mmmhedoa, etc. (3) Non-compliant students—those who do not select a NAME name--would be called by the last four digits of their SSI number.

Second, RAR (Religion Avoidance Routes) for school busses should be implemented, as well. Children riding school busses are having religion crammed down their throats by riding past churches, mosques and temples. Especially egregious are those houses of worship with message board signs out front. Public school busses on public roads must not be used as a religious tool! So, either the windows on the bus must be blackened (busses would be fitted with a periscope for the driver, of course!), or, more realistically, bus routes must be routed to avoid a religious drive-by.

Although we should spare no energy or money in de-religionizing public schools, rerouting public school busses is not as hard or as expensive as it sounds. For example, examining a local school bus route: I have found that by simply going the wrong way down a one way street, through a McDonalds parking lot, down a country lane and then cutting across an open field, a bus route can be easily made religion-safe.

Not only will these changes save the ACLU time and money--but, it will also save the citizens of West Virginia time and money in fighting the ACLU--not to mention saving our children from the reality of religion in our society. Let's do it for the children!

Pastor Terry Hagedorn
Calvary Baptist Church
Reedsville, WV

[Keli Kilohana]

Let's do it for the children!

[EagleUSA]

I just look forward to the day when we cut out the most obscene anti-American political cancer in our society and bury these communist fools foreever. The ACLU is one of the most glaring examples of ABUSE OF FREEDOM, AND PERVERTED TOLERANCE, in this country.

[bearkat]

That's interesting.

I bet he is as passionate about keeping evolutionary theories out of the biology classes.

Let's fight to keep our religion in and fight to keep the scientists out. Seems hypocritical to me.

[wk4bush2004]

That is so stupid. But I wouldn't put it past the ACLU, though.

[bruin66]

I have found that by simply going the wrong way down a one way street, through a McDonalds parking lot,

Watch out for the Fat Police!

[Rakkasan1]

yes, for the children.
or as Billary says, take things away from you for the common good.