Court orders Christian homeschooled girl to attend public school

LACONIA, New Hampshire — A homeschooled girl has been ordered into government-run public school for having a “bit too sincerely held” Christian beliefs, according to a legal team specializing in religious liberty defense.

In a report available online at the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) Web site, it states:

“Although the marital master making recommendations to the court agreed the child is ‘well liked, social and interactive with her peers, academically promising, and intellectually at or superior to grade level’ and that ‘it is clear that the home schooling…has more than kept up with the academic requirements of the…public school system,’ he nonetheless proposed that the Christian girl be ordered into a government-run school after considering ‘the impact of [her religious] beliefs on her interaction with others.’ The court approved the order.”

ADF allied attorney John Anthony Simmons has filed motions with a New Hampshire court, asking it to reconsider its order to send the 10-year-old homeschooled girl into public school.

Simmons said the court acknowledges that the girl in question is doing well socially and academically, but he adds that the court went too far when they determined that the girl’s Christian faith was a “bit too sincerely held and must be sifted, tested by, and mixed among other worldviews.”

Simmons contends that parents have a “fundamental right to make educational choices for their children.” However, the girl’s parents divorced in 1999, and she is now living with her mother who has been homeschooling the child since first grade. As part of the schooling, the young girl has been attending supplemental public school classes.

As part of parental custody hearings, a court-appointed guardian (marital master) stated that the child reflected her mother’s “rigidity” on questions of faith and added that girl’s best interest would be served by exposure to a public school setting.

According to the New Hampshire Supreme Court, Home Education is an enduring American tradition and right. ADF concludes, based on that statement, that there is no legitimate legal basis for this latest court ruling.

Sources: OneNewsNow.com and the Alliance Defense Fund.

ACLU loses case against awards banquet prayer

SANTA ROSA COUNTY, Florida — After a 7½ hour hearing in federal court, federal District Judge Casey Rodgers told Michelle Winkler that she would not be held in civil contempt over her husband’s prayer at an awards banquet. Ms. Winkler, who is a clerical assistant for the Santa Rosa County School District, is represented by Liberty Counsel. Senior Litigation Counsel Horatio Mihet and David Corry defended Winkler against the ACLU last Friday. On September 17, Liberty Counsel will be back in court defending Principal Frank Lay and Athletic Director Robert Freeman on charges of criminal contempt over a blessing of the meal at a separate luncheon to honor private contributors to the athletic program.

Last year the ACLU filed a lawsuit against the Santa Rosa County School District. Judge Rodgers entered a broadly worded injunction in January 2009 regarding prayer and religious activities of school employees. Winkler attended a privately funded event off campus at a nearby Naval base, held after school hours to honor noninstructional employees of the school district. She invited her husband, who is not employed by the school, to read a beautiful prayer blessing she wrote for the honorees. The ACLU ran to court, claiming that Winkler should be held in civil contempt of the court order. The ACLU claimed they had a “rock-solid case” against Winkler, but after 7 ½ hours, the ACLU had no case. Judge Rodgers ruled against the ACLU, concluding that Michelle Winkler’s husband’s prayer at a voluntary gathering outside of school did not violate the court’s order.

Upon hearing the ruling, Ms. Winkler hugged Liberty Counsel attorney Horatio Mihet and was overjoyed with the result. The courtroom was packed with people, who sat through the long ordeal to support Ms. Winkler. Dozens of additional supporters spent the day waiting and praying outside the courthouse.

Mathew D. Staver, Founder of Liberty Counsel and Dean of Liberty University School of Law, commented: “The wheels came off the ACLU’s steamroller. While we are pleased with the ruling, we are saddened that a wonderful woman had to spend a day in court, with the ACLU’s crosshairs aimed at her back. Prayer is neither contemptuous nor criminal. It is outrageous that the ACLU sought civil contempt charges against an outstanding woman whose husband prayed a beautiful prayer at a privately sponsored event held off campus. The ACLU needs to take a good dose of the First Amendment and call us in the morning.”

Contact: Liberty Counsel Public Relations Department, 800-671-1776

Source: Christian Newswire

Idaho education blocks Bible as literature, historic influence class

Charter school planned “not to teach religion” but state’s education panel rules against using Bible

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A state education panel has blocked a school’s plan to teach about the Bible.

The Idaho Public Charter School Commission said in a statement last week that the state Constitution “expressly” limits use of religious texts.

The Nampa Classical Academy, in southwestern Idaho, had said it planned to teach about the literary and historic influence of the Bible — not to teach religion.

The Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Alliance Defense Fund, a religious liberty group, represented the academy and had argued that the writers of Idaho’s Constitution “sought assurances that the right of public schools to use the Bible as a teaching tool would be protected.” Nampa Classical Academy has a statutory right to choose its own curriculum, the defense fund argued.

Kyle Borger, chairman of the academy’s board, said the school will follow the commission’s directive. The school serves more than 550 students and is scheduled to open Sept. 8.

Fake doctor at health care town hall

A town hall questioner at a meeting in Texas on health care begins her question by saying she is a primary care doctor. After getting audience applause and a hug from the speaker, “Roxanne” tosses a disjointed softball question.

Fox News commentator Glen Beck discovers “Roxanne” is not a doctor and is a Barack Obama delegate in Texas. Beck asks, “When will the media expose the lies?”

I have a degree in Journalism/Communications and 16 years experience in the media industry. That most media outlets will either not report this fraud or dismiss this reputable commentator’s discovery is astonishing. Get to know your sources of information!

Associated Press turns from trusted news source to White House PR

WASHINGTON — With no commentary heading or tag, the Associated Press (AP) published an apparent “news” story early Tuesday morning countering Sarah Palin’s opposition to the proposed health care bill with unsourced statements.

Headlined, “FACT CHECK: No ‘death panel’ in health care bill” and written by AP reporter Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, the story leads with two opening paragraphs before a Q&A which appears to be a White House talking points post.

The AP piece leads:

Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin says the health care overhaul bill would set up a “death panel.” Federal bureaucrats would play God, ruling on whether ailing seniors are worth enough to society to deserve life-sustaining medical care. Palin and other critics are wrong.

Nothing in the legislation would carry out such a bleak vision. The provision that has caused the uproar would instead authorize Medicare to pay doctors for counseling patients about end-of-life care, if the patient wishes.

Nothing in the legislation would carry out such a bleak vision. AP gives no attribution to the opinion that the health care bill could not play out in the scenario Palin says might happen should the bill pass as proposed.

Instead, the Q&A section mirrors White House talking points on the bill. For example:

Q: Does the health care legislation bill promote “mercy killing,” or euthanasia?

A: No.

It is not until the last two questions of the nine questions and answers posted that AP gives any attribution to the answers.

The “FACT CHECK” piece ends with the line:

The White House says it is countering false claims with a “reality check” page on its Web site, http://www.whitehouse.gov.

Following the story, another information line gives the link to a White House “Reality Check” page, which reads:

White House site on health care claims: http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/

The Associated Press has its roots dating back to a May 1846 agreement between five New York City newspapers to share incoming reports from the Mexican-American War, according to a Wikipedia posting.