Daily Archives: March 11, 2012

Having it both ways on ‘religious freedom'

Posted: March 11, 2012 at 11:34 pm

Published: Sunday, March 11, 2012 at 5:27 p.m. Last Modified: Sunday, March 11, 2012 at 5:27 p.m.

Recent tension between health care advocates and predominantly Catholic institutions about preventive health care measures that include insurance coverage for contraceptives has again highlighted conflicts involving religious freedom. It's not a new debate.

Religious organizations have sought and occasionally received exemptions from rules that apply to others. Courts have examined religious exemption clashes case by case; for example, protecting the ability of churches to make core religious decisions, but denying broader claimed exemptions from health and safety regulations.

Lawyers, scholars and civil libertarians have differed on how to resolve conflicts between sometimes competing values: an individual's right to exercise religious expression free of government regulation; the need to uniformly enforce neutral rules on important issues like rules barring employment discrimination, the obligation of government not to interfere in the core mission of religious institutions and the need to safeguard the religious freedom of those of one religious faith (or no religious faith) from being subjected to the rules of others' faith. The government's efforts to ensure that all women have access to contraceptives as part of the national health care law is creating conflict with the Catholic Church and some religiously affiliated organizations. The government's current plan is to require that insurance companies provide coverage for contraceptives for women not only to regulate fertility but that doctors also prescribe to treat a variety of medical conditions. (This includes women whose religious principles do not bar the use of contraceptives.)

But this most recent flare-up is especially troubling in Florida. Here, some of the same groups that are demanding exemption, based on religious freedom, from parts of the national health care plan are, at the same time, asking voters to give them long-forbidden access to tax dollars to help fund their religious activities.

This radical departure from Florida's 125-year constitutional tradition of "no aid" to religious institutions will appear as proposed Amendment 8 on November's ballot, written by the Legislature in a cleverly deceptive way that is designed to seduce voters into supporting "religious freedom." On closer inspection, "religious freedom" means the "freedom" to get access to tax dollars.

These Florida groups want to exempt themselves from some government laws if those laws conflict with their religious practices, while insisting that government fund those very same religious practices. They want the money but not the rules.

That position seems a bit hypocritical. It is also short-sighted. Many defenders of religious liberty and far-sighted faith leaders oppose government funding of religion in part because government money comes with government strings. It's naive to think that government will not require recipients of public funds, including religiously affiliated institutions, to account for how those funds are spent.

By asking to be let out of rules that apply to everyone else, churches also are creating a slippery slope. If churches can opt out of policies that infringe on their beliefs, taxpayers might claim the right to opt out of paying taxes used for religious practices they don't support. They also may want to opt out of having to pay taxes for even nonreligious uses they disagree with or that violate their conscience, such as funding wars or providing foreign aid.

But we can't. Taxes aren't optional.

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Having it both ways on ‘religious freedom'

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Freedom: Corporations aren’t people

Posted: at 11:34 pm

12:00 PM

By Erin Rhoda erhoda@mainetoday.com Staff Writer

FREEDOM A majority of residents at the annual Town Meeting on Saturday expressed their dissatisfaction with corporate funding of political campaigns when they took a non-binding vote in support of abolishing corporate personhood.

The town will now send a letter to President Barack Obama and Maines congressional delegates to urge them to amend the U.S. Constitution to state that corporations do not have the same rights as people. The ultimate goal is to require corporations to disclose their contributions to political campaigns, events and advertisements.

About 65 people attended the meeting at Dirigo Grange, but not all people supported the resolution. Scott Holmes was one of several people who spoke against it.

To amend the Constitution doesnt sit well with me, he said. I think it should stay the way it is.

Sarah Bicknell, a Unity College student who lives in Freedom, organized the petition to bring the measure to a vote at the Town Meeting.

She said her effort was largely a reaction to a 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision that the government may not limit corporations political spending. The Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling allows corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money, without disclosure, on campaigns. Resident Doug Van Horn argued in response to Holmes that the Constitution has been amended before.

The Supreme Court has the right to change our Constitution, and it has done that in this particular case. We are asking essentially to ... counteract what the Supreme Court has done, he said. Resident Martha Story-Foisy argued in favor of the resolution, saying it would send a message that we dont like whats happening as far as these corporations getting involved in our election process and really, in some cases, buying elections.

First Selectman Ron Price said that while the vote was non-binding, he didnt like the idea of the whole town making a political statement. And he would have preferred a private vote at the polls, he said.

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West Liberty worship: 'We may have lost our church, but we haven't lost our heart'

Posted: at 11:34 pm

WEST LIBERTY For decades, Rose W. May has been the musical heart and soul of the West Liberty United Methodist Church.

A retired Morgan County English teacher, she has played graduations, baptisms, weddings and funerals. The March 2 tornado that ripped through town took her church, her house and her grand piano. It even took her sheet music.

But it couldn't take her songs.

Sunday, as members of several churches destroyed by the tornado gathered in an auditorium at Morehead State University's West Liberty campus, Rose May was there, pouring out the old hymns like balm on wounded souls.

"This is the first time she's played since it happened," said Terri Walters, her daughter, of Pikeville. "She is at home, isn't she? At her keyboard."

Sparing a wink over the top or a wave to well-wishers, May swept through a medley ofchurch classics, with a few other emotional favorites mixed in.

She tried to keep it upbeat, and almost threw in the school fight song but decided that might not be proper.

As members of the congregations of the Methodist, First Baptist, Broadway First Church of God, Church of Christ, and Christian churches all destroyed hugged and wiped away tears, Rose May's "My Old Kentucky Home" was the soundtrack of their emotional reunion.

Nine days earlier, May had been on the phone with Walters as the tornado approached and when her daughter said "It's coming," May calmly said good-bye, picked up her purse and headed for the basement.

On the way down the stairs, she heard a terrible sound and the roof lifted off her house. She made it to cover in a corner. Once it got quiet again, the basement wall had fallen away and May just walked right out, unharmed and unafraid. She's staying with Walters in Pikeville but knew she had to come to Sunday's service.

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West Liberty worship: 'We may have lost our church, but we haven't lost our heart'

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Liberty North gets the last word in back-and-forth OT duel with Imagine

Posted: at 11:34 pm

COLUMBIA, Mo. Both coaches used the same word to describe the feeling at the onset of the Class 4 boys third-place game Saturday at Mizzou Arena.

Hangover.

Liberty North and Imagine werecoming off tough semifinal losses on Friday, but botheventually were able to shake it off long enough to play a thrilling overtime game, won by the Eagles, 54-50.

In just the school's second year of existence, Liberty North (23-7) picked up its first state basketball trophy.

What a game. I'll bet as a fan it was a fun game to watch, Eagles coach Chris McCabe said. I think (the original feeling) was just a hangover. You could tell we were worried about the snowball effect a little bit.

Imagine (23-8, No. 10 in the STLhighschoolsports.com small-schools rankings) also picked up its first state basketball trophy with the fourth-place finish.

I feel like the game was a hangover for us from our tough loss yesterday, and our energy level wasn't there early, Bears coach Tony Irons said. But I'm definitely not taking anything away from (Liberty North). They made plays, and they hit some big shots.

No shot was bigger than Garrett Loew's 3-pointer from the top of the key with four seconds left in regulation to tie the game and send it to overtime.

I wanted to take the shot being a senior since this was my last game, said Loew, who had 15 points and 11 rebounds and is one of only two seniors on the team. It was initially supposed to be a flare screen, but that wasn't there and then I got open at the top and got a decent look at it.

Irons said he thought about calling for a foul in the few seconds leading up to Loew's 3-point attempt.

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Liberty North gets the last word in back-and-forth OT duel with Imagine

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Storms halt search for Liberty County man

Posted: at 11:34 pm

Dennis Rogers, 54 (Liberty County Sheriff's Office)

*** UPDATED***

The severe weather conditions Sunday prompted Liberty County officials to call off a search for a 54-year-old Plum Grove man who had been missing since Thursday as his family grew increasingly concerned.

But the storms that persisted over the weekend made the search for Dennis Rogers very difficult. ATVs and horses became stuck in the deep waters and mud. An air search, which had been sporadic due to the inclement weather, was impossible Sunday, officials said. A sonar device also could not be deployed.

It has yet to be determined when or if a search may be re-initiated, Liberty County sheriffs officials said in a news release.

The search spanned four days and involved 150 people, including area sheriffs officials and volunteer fire fighters, Texas EquuSearch, and residents from Huntsville, Lufkin and Alvin.

Rogers placed a 911 call around 8 p.m. on Thursday for help. The man reportedly told the dispatcher that he had gone for a walk, went too far and got lost. His cell phone died as the deputies tried to triangulate his position. They tried to return his call but have not heard from him since.

The family told authorities that it was not unusual for Roger to take long walks near the familys home. They said an accident he suffered years ago left him with the mental capacity of a 9-year-old.

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Liberty wins Big South again, 81-73 over HPU

Posted: at 11:34 pm

HIGH POINT, N.C. (AP)Liberty coach Carey Green probably shouldnt be as bad at celebrating as he says he is. Through the years, his Flames have given him plenty of chances to practice.

Devon Brown had 24 points and 14 rebounds, and Liberty pulled away late to beat High Point 81-73 on Sunday and win the Big South tournament for the 14th time in 16 years.

Avery Warley added 14 points and 12 rebounds despite prolonged foul trouble, while Brown was 6 of 23 shooting. The Flames (24-8) built a 56-39 rebounding advantage and used a late 22-9 run to return to the NCAA tournament after a one-year absence.

Greens record in the league tournament improved to 35-2 in his 13th year.

Its March Madness, and its a dream come true for our team that were in the tournament, Green said. As a coach, Im the worlds worst at celebrating because Im always looking for whats the next challenge. I would hope that I could lead this team into celebration and take a sigh of relief and enjoy the moment and refocus.

Erin Reynolds scored 27 points, Shamia Brown added 23 and Cheyenne Parker had 12 rebounds for the Panthers (20-12). They had their leading rebounder and scorer foul out during a span of five secondsand the game got away from them shortly thereafter.

Theres a reason theyve won as many championships as they have, first-year High Point coach Jennifer Hoover said. Youve got to give them credit. Were getting there. Were still a work in progress.

Shamia Browns stickback with 11 1/2 minutes left put High Point up 53-48 before LaKendra Washingtons three-point play on the Flames next trip downcourt started the big run.

Reagan Miller gave Liberty the lead for good when her drive with 8 1/2 minutes to play made it 57-56. High Point managed only one tie after that, on Reynolds 3-pointer with 7:45 left that made it 59-all. Tolu Omotola then followed that with a layupoff Millers no-look passto put the Flames back on top.

They took firm control of the momentum during a series of whistles that began with Liberty up 65-62 with 4:39 left.

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Liberty wins Big South again, 81-73 over HPU

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Louis Farrakhan speaks at UC Berkeley

Posted: at 11:32 pm

Noah Berger / Special to The Chronicle

Louis Farrakhan holds up a copy of his book during his speech at UC Berkeley.

UC Berkeley on Saturday was once again the crucible of the free speech debate.

The birthplace of the Free Speech Movement in the 1960s hosted another iconoclast from the era, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, whose speeches and writings have been denounced by critics for decades as bigoted, homophobic and anti-Semitic.

Farrakhan was invited as a speaker for the ninth annual Afrikan Black Coalition Conference organized by the Black Student Union, and his appearance was denounced by other student groups and the subject of an online petition "opposing his hateful words and character" that garnered about 350 signatories.

At least two opinion pieces authored by student leaders denouncing Farrakhan's appearance were published in the campus newspaper, the Daily Californian, including one by Shawn Lewis, president of the Berkeley College Republicans, who wondered where was Chancellor Robert Birgeneau's condemnation of Farrakhan after the chancellor and others were quick to denounce as racist the college Republicans "Increase Diversity Bake Sale" last September to protest affirmative action-type policies.

Even UC President Mark Yudof weighed in on the Farrakhan appearance, writing in an open letter that "we cannot as a society allow what we regard as vile speech to lead us to abandon the cherished value of free speech."

But that only required that people "condemn these merchants of hatred when they come into our community," Yudof wrote.

There were no protesters outside Wheeler Auditorium before Farrakhan's speech, and only one after.

That was Noah Ickowitz, a student senator who said Farrakhan had every right to appear on campus, and Ickowitz had every right to protest a speech he said advocated black empowerment at the expense of other groups.

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