Posted on 06/26/2005 5:25:11 PM PDT by wagglebee
A traffic stop in Greer, S.C., this month is turning into a holy war of sorts, as a practicing Druid couple claim they were targeted by a Christian police officer who tried to convert them away from their pagan belief.
Debra and Tony Gainey say they were pulled over because they had a bumper sticker reading "It's A Druid Thing."
Tony Gainey was driving at the time of the stop June 10 and was taken into custody on charges of driving with a suspended license, operating a vehicle with an improper tag and failure to have proof of insurance.
"The reason they were stopped was the tag was improper on the vehicle," Greer police Lt. Cris Varner told WHNS-TV.
But Debra Gainey, a minister at the local Emerald Sanctuary Druidic Church, believes it was the druid sticker that prompted the traffic stop, as evinced by the conversation with officer Tony Stewart.
"[Stewart said], 'Did those bumper stickers come on the car or did you put them on?' and I said I put them on," Debra said.
She says the officer asked if she knew what they meant.
"So he started talking to me about God and Jesus Christ. ... I just felt like he was really getting into it, I had never expected to actually follow-up with a letter or anything."
According to Mrs. Gainey, the officer sent a card and letter to her home address days later.
"In this letter, he promises our problems will continue unless we listen to the words of the Baptists," she told the station. "We're feeling like those are threats."
"It's just kind of flabbergasting to be told that because it says Druid that we were singled out," she continued. "I don't think it's a matter of his religion or my religion, it's a matter of violation of our Constitution and trying to take that away our freedom that we are guaranteed."
The Gaineys have filed a civil-rights complaint, and the matter is now under investigation.
"The issue is the stop," police chief Dan Reynolds told the Greenville News. "Did they stop them because of the stickers? That's what we're trying to determine in our investigation. What was the reason for the stop?"
Is it? When I was young and dumb, I was in a coven. Those people had a song and dance that you obviously have no knowledge of. I do. This story sounds VERY familiar to me. It's a shame that Freepers will buy their story and not question it at all.
read post 61
I have no idea and neither do you.
Next, you post info from the MSM who is always truthful, especially about Christians, and all it is is the Druid telling her tale. Again.
Wanna buy a bridge?
The cop stopped the people for valid reasons.
I think it was not wrong for trying to share the Gospel with the people....WE ARE *COMMANDED* TO DO SO.
However, sending a letter later was a bit much.
Hopefully he will not do that in the future.
And you believe the pagans?
Your talking points have been refuted. To simply fall back on "I have secret insider knowledge about druids, so trust me on this" strikes me as a poor substitute for "Okay, maybe I was wrong, we'll see how the story develops."
No. They haven't. You just keep reposting what the Druids say.
To simply fall back on "I have secret insider knowledge about druids, so trust me on this" strikes me as a poor substitute
It wasn't one of my "proudest" times in life. Actually, few people know about it.
Again. You're buying their story. How do you know they're being truthful?
They could have written the letter themselves.
They both live in Greer, so it wouldn't be hard to have it have the same postmark.
Thank you for your rational post! Does anyone here understand the difference between one's personal religious beliefs and one's role as a professional and government employee?
Hey, if you want to disobey Christ, that's your baby.
I would agree with you that it would be an abuse of power to stop them because of their beliefs.
That is a clear abuse of power. And, if he did that, he deserves to be reprimanded or even let go.
However, if he stopped them for probable cause, I have no objection to him mentioning his faith to them.
Now, the letter did cross the line.
As a police officer in his official duty he has no dammmmm
business talking to people about his religion, much less send them a letter from their personal information he obtained through the arm of the law!
If you want to go around telling people about your religion and feel commanded to do so, then don't get a job as a police officer. The law protects all of us, whether we are Christian, Jew , Buddhist or Druids, or atheists. If I was preached to by a police officer about a bumper sticker and my religion I would wonder if I was dreaming and was living in the land of the Taliban!
As for all the silly posts about" You don't know if that really happened" we are assuming FOR THE SAKE OF ARGUMENT on the issue..that this incident did happen.
Look, I don't care if they do, or you did, run naked through the woods in the light of the Full Moon, painted blue, and scarified small animals on a stone alter with a sacred athame while howling Magick Spells and chants. I do care about the abuse of power and religious oppression on the part of Lt. Cris Varner and any government official, which this incident clearly is.
You seem to still be a bit of a hippie.
In any event, the letter was an abuse of power.
But, not mentioning the love of Christ in passing.
You don't seem to understand American authorities did much more than this in the early history of our country, even giving tax money to convert the Indians.....paying Christian missionaries and giving funds to build churches.
Church was held in our government buildings, and often govt. leaders attended.
In the army, soldiers were often punished for saying the Lord's name in vain and were strongly encouraged, sometimes required in the Civil War by Lincoln himself to observe the Sabbath.
Do you know the Graineys? Or have you got a personal axe near a grinder?
oh, and yes, all these things happened well after the First Amendment and were even upheld by the courts.
Heck, the NY or Mass Supreme Court (can't remember which one) said the Bible should be read "as divine revelation" in the public schools.
It was not until the 20th century that our weird view of a separation of church and state came into being.
I'm getting the impression that you don't. As long as it's a Christian. Please correct me if I'm wrong. You have repeatedly knocked the cop using only the words of people whose honesty I question. If they can convince enough people they're telling the truth, the charges magically disappear and they could be rich.
which this incident clearly is.
According to the accused people.
"The cop stopped the people for valid reasons. "
What was that "valid reason?"
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