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NASA Jet Propulsion Lab Employee fired for talking to co-workers about intelligent design
Discovery Institute email | 11/30/2011 | Discovery Institute

Posted on 11/30/2011 9:34:05 PM PST by Iam1ru1-2

Urgent Action Required: Contact the leaders of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab and demand they make things right.

The Facts According to a discrimination lawsuit filed in California Superior Court, supervisors at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) illegally harassed, demoted and retaliated against computer systems administrator David Coppedge without warning after he occasionally loaned pro-intelligent design science videos to some of his colleagues. Coppedge’s actions were deemed inappropriate even though his colleagues were apparently allowed free reign to attack intelligent design in the workplace. After Coppedge filed his discrimination lawsuit, his position was suspiciously terminated by JPL in January 2011. On Nov. 18, 2011, a judge ruled that Coppedge’s case presented legitimate issues of fact and law and ordered that the case move forward to a jury trial. Rather than settle the case, the Jet Propulsion Lab has continued to wage legal war on David Coppedge—wasting precious taxpayer dollars in the process.

Take Action Now Your phone calls and emails are urgently needed to get NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab to stop its discrimination against employees who think there is scientific evidence of intelligent design. Contact these JPL leaders right now and ask them to settle the Coppedge lawsuit and stop discriminating against employees who believe the universe was intelligently designed: Dr. Charles Elachi, Director of JPL Office phone: 818 354-5673 Email address: charles.elachi@jpl.nasa.gov

Dr. Jean-Lou Chameau, President of Cal Tech [Cal Tech operates JPL under a contract with NASA] Office phone: 626-395-6301 Email address: chameau@caltech.edu

Be respectful in your message, but indicate that as a taxpayer who ultimately pays for the budget of JPL, you think it’s wrong to use taxpayer resources to promote discrimination against intelligent design.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: scientism
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1 posted on 11/30/2011 9:34:09 PM PST by Iam1ru1-2
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To: Iam1ru1-2; lilyramone; crusadersoldier; Ellzeena; Anvilhead; stonehouse01; Goreknowshowtocheat; ...
+

Freep-mail me to get on or off my pro-life and Catholic List:

Add me / Remove me

Please ping me to note-worthy Pro-Life or Catholic threads, or other threads of general interest.


2 posted on 11/30/2011 9:35:40 PM PST by narses (what you bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven; and what you loose upon earth, shall be ..)
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To: Iam1ru1-2
Maybe the science geeks at JPL have silenced one lone Intelligent Design nerd but they still have "The Measurement problem" to keep them up crying at night...

It's Schrodingers cat, scratchin at their door in the wee hours. Maybe tormenting this poor JPL believer will help them sleep...?


3 posted on 11/30/2011 10:01:10 PM PST by Bobalu (even Jesus knew the poor would always be with us)
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To: Iam1ru1-2
As long as the JPL’s work and research were not harmed. I don't see an issue with people sharing their private beliefs. And I'm a atheist.
4 posted on 11/30/2011 10:02:28 PM PST by BigCinBigD
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To: BigCinBigD

an


5 posted on 11/30/2011 10:12:00 PM PST by TwoSwords
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To: Iam1ru1-2

Placemark.


6 posted on 11/30/2011 10:17:06 PM PST by little jeremiah (We will have to go through hell to get out of hell.)
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To: Iam1ru1-2

Maybe Coppedge will win the case, and use the money to
promote more scientific research which backs up
“intelligent design” or pay for some PhD candidate’s
tuition to do research. And/or get his job back to boot.

Maybe someday it will be discovered that the one who
sends the first intelligible message that the SETI
project receives is the intelligent designer....


7 posted on 11/30/2011 10:24:20 PM PST by Getready (Wisdom is more valuable than gold and diamonds, and harder to find.)
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To: Iam1ru1-2

Keep politics and religion out of the work place. I go to work to help people, and I don’t want people talking about that junk to me while I’m trying to do my job.


8 posted on 11/30/2011 10:25:11 PM PST by christx30
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To: Iam1ru1-2
"Rather than settle the case, the Jet Propulsion Lab has continued to wage legal war on David Coppedge—wasting precious taxpayer dollars in the process."

Translation: Rather than knuckle under to this guy's probably ludicrous lawsuit and paying him off with taxpayer dollars, JPL is defending itself against the lawsuit this bozo brought."

Defending itself against this guys lawsuit is not "waging legal war!"

Let's stop the BS here.

9 posted on 11/30/2011 10:39:52 PM PST by MindBender26 (Stop bothering me with minor issues. I'm too busy trying to save our country from Obamaism)
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To: BigCinBigD
As long as the JPL’s work and research were not harmed. I don't see an issue with people sharing their private beliefs. And I'm a atheist.

It does seem like JPL is crossing a line here, on the face of the description.

OTOH, you don't know how aggressive this guy might have been on these issues. If he was accosting people in the hallways, or interjecting his views during work related discussions, that would be another matter. Somehow, I'd be surprised if this was the case, just based on my general experience in these matters.

10 posted on 11/30/2011 10:58:17 PM PST by dr_lew
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To: TwoSwords

Thank “god” you pointed that out...


11 posted on 11/30/2011 11:08:07 PM PST by BigCinBigD
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To: Iam1ru1-2

I swear, it’s time for the private sector producer class to rebel against the public sector parasite class.

We’ve already seen the schism occur since Obama came to power, but we still haven’t revolted, and said, “No More!”

20% of the population has become a de facto enemy force, which is making war against us in our own country - and is using our own institutions and confiscated treasure to do so. Our backs are being pushed against the wall, and I don’t know how much more we can take before we snap.


12 posted on 11/30/2011 11:10:12 PM PST by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: dr_lew
Well, here's an excerpt from an article by Brian Bierman in "The Mountain Daily News" ... "Serving the mountain communities of the Tejon pass". The article itself is obviously from the ID POV, so I don't know where the paper itself stands. Anyway, in the excerpt the author takes pains to assert that Coppedge's behavior was in bounds according to convential standards:

Those other considerations began in 2009 when the administration found out that Coppedge had occasionally had friendly discussions about ID with fellow employees. Coppedge was not pushy in these conversations; if a colleague wasn't interested, Coppedge dropped the matter. Nonetheless, one administrator yelled at Coppedge and ordered him to stop "pushing religion," which led to Coppedge filing a claim of harassment. But rather than Coppedge's harassment claim being investigated, Coppedge later learned that he was the subject of an investigation that charged him with creating a hostile work environment.

13 posted on 11/30/2011 11:19:19 PM PST by dr_lew
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To: dr_lew
The article itself is obviously from the ID POV, so I don't know where the paper itself stands.

LOL. According to Linkedin, Brian Bierman is CEO of the Mountain Daily News.

I wonder how far JPL's account of the affair would differ in matters of fact. I don't suppose they're saying much, though.

14 posted on 11/30/2011 11:45:00 PM PST by dr_lew
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To: christx30

On the other hand, if the guy was minding his business and being harrassed, that’ s a different story. Do remember that it is called the Theory of evolution for a reason. Suppose, for the sake of discussion, that his coworkers learned, in the course of conversation, of his views, and decided mockery over a period of time was called for. Whether or not you agree with his view, that would be found by most as intolerable. Sooner or later, a desire for refuting would doubtless arise.

While we don’t know the genuine circumstances, I raise this as a possibility,based on what little is revealed here, just to say that the benefit of the doubt is needed, at least until we know more. And yes, I say this as a guy who believes in Creation AND that the workplace is for another purpose.


15 posted on 12/01/2011 2:29:32 AM PST by sayuncledave (et Verbum caro factum est (And the Word was made flesh))
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To: christx30

I feel your pain. There are literally thousands of school teahers that have to go to their work places everyday and hear the “JUNK” theory of evolution “TAUGHT”.


16 posted on 12/01/2011 4:15:40 AM PST by swampfox101
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To: christx30

Keep politics and religion out of the work place.

Do you mean all religion or just the non-evolution types?


17 posted on 12/01/2011 4:52:33 AM PST by freedomfiter2 (Brutal acts of commission and yawning acts of omission both strengthen the hand of the devil.)
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To: freedomfiter2

People go to work to to work, and not to have people try to convert them. Stick with safe topics like the weather or sports. I get uncomfortable when people talk to me about religion. Used to happen a LOT when I was at Dell. Can’t really say “Sorry, Francine. I don’t want to talk about Jesus right now. I’m trying to build this computer.” That’d rude. I’d rather Francine just tell me that her grandson won the state spelling bee, and move on and do her job. But now I’m hearing her tell me about God.


18 posted on 12/01/2011 1:14:53 PM PST by christx30
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To: christx30

Can’t really say “Sorry, Francine. I don’t want to talk about Jesus right now. I’m trying to build this computer.” That’d rude.

Well, you must be more polite than most. I’ll tell her for you.


19 posted on 12/01/2011 4:40:51 PM PST by freedomfiter2 (Brutal acts of commission and yawning acts of omission both strengthen the hand of the devil.)
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To: freedomfiter2

I would politely listen, but then I would say “That’s great, Francine. But I really need to make schedule.”
Maybe people hinted to this guy for a while, then told him to stop doing it, but he kept on doing it. So they fired him.

Like I said... Keep this kind of conversation out of the work place. There are people that don’t want to talk about it.


20 posted on 12/01/2011 5:18:24 PM PST by christx30
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