Monthly Archives: June 2017

While there are many threats to religious liberty, few are more consequential over the long term than the states ever-expanding role in private life. If the government is able to vacuum up tax dollars, create programs large and small for public benefit, and then exclude religious individuals or institutions from those programs, it has functionally created two tiers of citizenship. Secular individuals and institutions enjoy full access to the government they fund, while religious individuals and institutions find themselves funding a government that overtly discriminates against them.

Thats the issue the Supreme Court addressed today in Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer. By a 72 margin, the Court held that when a state creates a neutral program for public benefit in this case, a program that uses scrap tires to provide rubberized safety flooring for playgrounds it cant exclude a church from that program, even if that means state benefits flow directly to a house of worship. Justice Roberts, writing for the majority, was emphatic:

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has not subjected anyone to chains or torture on account of religion. And the result of the States policy is nothing so dramatic as the denial of political office. The consequence is, in all likelihood, a few extra scraped knees. But the exclusion of Trinity Lutheran from a public benefit for which it is otherwise qualified, solely because it is a church, is odious to our Constitution all the same, and cannot stand.

The Courts holding, secured by my friends and former colleagues at the Alliance Defending Freedom, is significant for two reasons. First, it places another brick in a wall of precedent that stands for the proposition that once the state creates a neutral program one designed neither to advance nor to inhibit religious practice it cant exclude citizens or institutions from that program merely because theyre religious. Under these precedents, churches are able to worship in government buildings, religious student groups may access student activity fees to fund their campus outreach, parents may send their children to religious schools with publicly funded vouchers, and hosts of religious organizations may participate in publicprivate partnerships to serve our nations poorest and most vulnerable citizens. So entrenched is this precedent that it would have been a legal earthquake had the Court ruled against the church.

Second, seven of the nine justices concurred in the result of the case. This means that the principle of religious nondiscrimination in public programs has broad judicial support. Indeed, in recent years the Court has decided a number of significant religious-freedom cases unanimously or with overwhelming majorities. Yes, the Hobby Lobby case was a classically contentious 54 ruling, but other significant cases (such as Hosanna-Tabor v. EEOC, which kept the government out of significant church-hiring decisions, and Little Sisters of the Poor) achieved consensus.

Constitutional doctrine is usually created not by a judicial grand slam but rather through a long series of singles, stolen bases, and walks. Even the biggest cases rarely come out of nowhere but are rather forecast through other, smaller decisions. This case represents judicial progress a sharp single into center field and is well worth celebrating.

There are, however, storm clouds on the horizon. Justice Sotomayor wrote a sharply worded dissent (Ruth Bader Ginsburg joined) claiming that the Courts decision profoundly changes the relationship between church and state by holding, for the first time, that the Constitution requires the government to provide public funds directly to a church. But this is overwrought. Again, given existing precedent, the profound change would have been a ruling against the church. The Court would have sanctioned outright anti-religious discrimination in areas as benign as tire recycling and playground resurfacing. That would have pushed Establishment Clause jurisprudence back from its trending neutrality to the outright anti-religious hostility of the most far-left judicial activists.

Moreover, the case created consensus in part because it didnt touch on the hot-button cultural conflict between religious freedom and the sexual revolution. Just before the Supreme Court announced its ruling in Trinity Lutheran, it also announced that it would hear a Christian bakers appeal in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, a case that could determine whether the state can compel citizens to lend their artistic talents to celebrate events they consider to be immoral. In this case, the question is whether a Christian baker can be required to help celebrate a gay wedding. It would be surprising indeed to see anything other than a 54 decision in that case, with Justice Kennedy likely providing the swing vote.

But thats tomorrows concern. Today was a good day for religious liberty. Seven of nine justices took a hard look at a government program that explicitly discriminated on the basis of religion and rejected it out of hand. Todays message was clear. People of faith arent second-class citizens, and their churches are entitled to equal treatment under the law.

READ MORE: In Trinity Lutheran, One Question Exposed Missouris Historical Hostility to Religion Do Safer Playgrounds Advance Religion? Editorial: Trumps Half Measure on Religious Liberty

David French is a senior writer for National Review, a senior fellow at the National Review Institute, and an attorney.

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The Supreme Court's Religious-Freedom Message: There Are No Second-Class Citizens - National Review

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FLORENCE, Ala. - The annual Spirit of Freedom Celebration in the Shoals has been canceled, due to lack of sponsorship support, according the organizer, URBan Radio Broadcasting.

The Shoals Radio Group has sponsored the event for the past 35 years, but say the economic conditions have forced their parent company to drop the sponsorship this year.

Urban Radio CEO Darryll Green told WHNT News 19, it was a tough decision and they hope to revive the fireworks show next year, but that with a lack of sponsors, they couldn't proceed.

The celebration annually attracts more than 30,000 people to the McFarland Park. The day-long event usually capped off each year by a fireworks celebration.

"I came and went here all through my childhood and it's always been a part of growing up for me." Dylan Hallmark can't think of many 4th of July's that he hasn't spent in McFarland Park.

This year, he and his friends will have to make different plans.

The tourism center said that more than 30,000 people choose to come here each 4th of July and spend thousands of dollars when they do. One number you can't put a price tag on, is quality first impressions from out-of-town visitors that come here, and might just come back.

Theyre coming in to visit family members or theyre coming in to see the band thats playing at Spirit of Freedom," Chelsea Kaucheck of the Shoals Chamber of Commerce.

That lack of coveted out of town money may hurt some area businesses.

It brings in quite a bit of tourism dollars to this area and Im sure a lot of our businesses are kind of upset not to see those tourism dollars this year," says Kaucheck.

The CEO of the Lauderdale - Florence Tourism Center says they knew the Shoals Radio Group was looking for sponsor but says they didn't know how dire the situation was.

Our staff has played a role on the advisory committee and just sort of helped the radio station navigate through the community or to different sponsors," says Rob Carnegie of the Tourism Center.

Carnegie says he wishes they would have found that out sooner, they maybe could have helped out.

Obviously its a great way to be able to celebrate the freedom of our country so when that kind of thing happens its always a disappointment," says Carnegie.

With such short notice, it's unlikely another group will be able to revive the 35 year old tradition but moving forward, they don't want the "rockets red glare" to disappear forever.

Whoever wants to pick up that torch, wed be happy to help find sponsors of this event," says Kaucheck.

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Florence's Spirit of Freedom fireworks show canceled this year ... - whnt.com

Mary Hansen Staff Writer @maryfhansen

Right of conscience could be one topic at a rally focusing on religious freedoms that's planned for noon Wednesday in the Capitol rotunda.

It's being organized by the Catholic Diocese of Springfield, and Bishop Thomas John Paprocki is planning to attend.

Some Catholics are concerned about their right of conscience, particularly for physicians and other medical professionals who object to abortions, said Donna Moore, the diocese's director for pro-life activities and special ministries.

"We just want to bring it to people's attention that religious liberties are being attacked and that we need to speak out and make sure our religious liberties are kept intact," Moore said.

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case of a baker who is challenging a Colorado law that says he was wrong to have turned away a same-sex couple who wanted a cake to celebrate their 2012 wedding.Twenty-two states, including Illinois, include sexual orientation in laws that bar discrimination in public accommodations.

Hillary Byrnes, an attorney with the United State Conference of Catholic Bishops, will speak at Wednesday's "Rock the Rotunda" event, along with Paprocki, who has recently been criticized for a decree he issued this month that denies gays and lesbians in same-sex marriages from receiving communion or a church burial.

Effingham-based musician Michael James Mette will perform.

The rally is part of the nationwide "Fortnight for Freedom" that Paprocki and the local diocese were involved in establishing.

The annual rally has been held in front of the Statehouse, but organizers opted to move it inside this year to protect people from the heat. The rally drew about 100 people last year, according to Moore.

-- Contact Mary Hansen: 788-1528, mary.hansen@sj-r.com, twitter.com/maryfhansen.

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Rally planned at Capitol to defend religious freedom - The State Journal-Register

Earlier this year, student journalists at a Kansas high school decided to write a profile about their newly hired principal. As they researched the principals background, they began unearthing questions about her credentials. They found that she had received masters and doctoral degrees from a school, Corllins University, that was not currently accredited and that had been portrayed in articles as a diploma mill. Four days after article ran in The Booster Redux, the principal resigned.

That story earned the students widespread praise and national news coverage. But it probably would never have seen the light of day if Kansas hadnt had a student press-freedom law, said Frank LoMonte, executive director of the Student Press Law Center in Washington, D.C. They had the courage to go forward because the law protected their backs, he said.

This spring Vermont and Nevada became the 11th and 12th states to pass a student press-freedom law. And now, as the General Assembly nears the end of this years legislative session, Rhode Island has the chance to become the 13th.

From this section: Attack on health in time of crisis

State Sen. Gayle L. Goldin, D-Providence, said the Booster Redux scoop bolsters the case for her bill, the Student Journalists Freedom of Expression Act (SB 0600). What it shows you is the value of having the freedom for students to do that kind of investigative journalism, she said. They were able to bring accountability to their school and to the whole school system, and on top of that, it was an incredible educational experience for them.

State Rep. Jeremiah T. OGrady, D-Lincoln, has introduced a similar bill (HBill 5550), which extends protection to college journalists as well as the high school journalists protected by Goldins bill.

Justin Silverman, executive director of the New England First Amendment Coalition, said, Student journalism is perhaps the greatest civics lesson we can teach in our schools. By allowing students to write about whats important to them, we are sending the message that what they say matters and needs to be heard. This is empowering not just for them but for the entire community that needs to know what happening in our schools and to have the opportunity to do something about it. These student journalists arent just our future watchdogs. They are our eyes and ears right now.

LoMonte had a simple message for Rhode Island officials: I would tell them that journalism is not a problem for schools, its a solution.

With the advent of social media, it is futile for schools to try to stop students from learning about and having conversations about controversial topics, LoMonte said. You cant hold back the flood of information, he said. Its much better to manage it in a journalistically responsible way.

LoMonte said he has heard of no organized opposition to the legislation in Rhode Island. The only thing is hallway chatter that high school students are too young to be trusted with press freedom, he said. My answer to that is: Read the bill. Its filled with safeguards.

The legislation would not authorize or protect expression by a student that is libelous or slanderous or that incites students as to create a clear and present danger of the commission of an unlawful act or the violation of school district policy.

But the legislation would protect student journalists, and their advisers, from retaliation and censorship.

Mike Donoghue, executive director of the Vermont Press Association, said Vermont legislators heard from student journalists about pushback they received from school officials when writing about controversies such as an impasse in teacher negotiations, sexting, and a school bond. Students should be free to report on them, he said.

In its 1988 Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the right of a public high school in St. Louis, Mo., to censor student newspaper stories about teen pregnancy and the effects of divorce on children. States such as Massachusetts reacted to the Hazelwood ruling by passing press-freedom acts. Rhode Island should join this effort by providing student journalists with protection.

Edward Fitzpatrick, director of media and public relations at Roger Williams University, is a former Providence Journal columnist.

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Rhode Island should enact law to protect student press freedom - The Westerly Sun

WASHINGTON: With an eye on China and the disputes in the South China Sea, India and the US today called for freedom of navigation and resolving of territorial and maritime disputes peacefully in accordance with international law.

"In the Indo-Pacific region, in order to maintain peace, stability and prosperity in the region, this is also another objective of our strategic cooperation," Prime Minister Narendra Modi told reporters at the Rose Garden of the White House after his maiden meeting with President Donald Trump.

Later, a India-US joint statement on the meeting said as responsible stewards in the Indo-Pacific region, Trump and Modi agreed that a close partnership between the United States and India is central to peace and stability in the region.

"Recognising the significant progress achieved in these endeavours, the leaders agreed to take further measures to strengthen their partnership," the joint statement said.

In accordance with the tenets outlined in the UN Charter, they committed to a set of common principles for the region, according to which sovereignty and international law are respected and every country can prosper, the statement said.

To this end, Trump and Modi reiterated the importance of respecting freedom of navigation, overflight, and commerce throughout the region, it said.

The statement comes amid China being engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. Beijing has built up and militarised many of the islands and reefs it controls in the region.

China claims sovereignty over all of the South China Sea.

Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims.

Modi and Trump called upon all nations to resolve territorial and maritime disputes peacefully and in accordance with international law.

They also called for support in bolstering regional economic connectivity through the transparent development of infrastructure and the use of responsible debt financing practices, while ensuring respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, the rule of law, and the environment.

Modi and Trump urged other nations in the region to adhere to these principles, the statement said.

They strongly condemned continued provocations by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), emphasising that its destabilising pursuit of nuclear and ballistic missile programmes poses a grave threat to regional security and global peace.

The two leaders called on North Korea to strictly abide by its international obligations and commitments.

Modi and Trump pledged to work together to counter the DPRK's weapons of mass destruction programmes, including by holding accountable all parties that support these programmes.

Trump thanked India for joining the US in applying new sanctions against the North Korean regime.

"The North Korean regime is causing tremendous problems, and is something that has to be dealt with, and probably dealt with rapidly," he said.

"Working together, I truly believe our two countries can set an example for many other nations, make great strides in defeating common threats, and make great progress in unleashing amazing prosperity and growth," Trump said.

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India, US call for freedom of navigation amid South China Sea disputes - Economic Times

About 50 Waco Independent School District sixth- and seventh-graders are getting a chance to reduce summer learning loss with the help of Baylor University and a nationally recognized reading program.

Two weeks ago, Baylors School of Education started Wacos first Freedom School endorsed by the Childrens Defense Fund. Held at Cesar Chavez Middle School through July 28, the program has deep ties to the 1960s civil rights movement and allows children to tackle controversial though culturally relevant topics through debate and book discussions.

The Childrens Defense Fund is a nationwide nonprofit group focused on leveling access to learning for all children, according to the organizations website.

When we think about how we capture the historical (element), CDF endorses books they read every single week, Freedom School executive director Lakia Scott said. Right now, theyre reading a book about Joseph. I havent read Joseph, but the first two pages talks about how Joseph is a young boy trying to survive, right? His mom is addicted to drugs, and its this whole notion of how to empower Joseph, how to find ways to support him so he can continue on.

Though the content is mature in nature, Scott termed the topics relatable because students in Wacos Freedom School often either know someone who has been through a similar struggle or have experienced the struggle themselves. Summer learning loss is an epidemic and books like Joseph keep students engrossed and connected to issues around them, said Scott, a Baylor assistant professor specializing in urban education and literacy.

Though the program has only been going on a short time, site coordinator Branda Greening has already seen reading achievement gaps close for some students. Shell be teaching seventh-grade writing at Cesar Chavez this coming school year and said shes using the program to help build relationships with children who might be in her class this August.

These kids, you give them a front and back of a piece of paper and they dont want to read it because we teach them for a long time that reading is this really difficult thing. They get these texts they dont understand and cant relate to, Greening said. To say that all of our students here experience this kind of stuff isnt true, but I would say any type of family middle-class, upper-class or lower-income has dealt with family drama.

Especially in 2017, weve seen that the world isnt perfect. I think reading about some of these things, they can really relate to it and comprehend it. They feel more confident as they read, and I guess they start to see reading can actually be enjoyable.

Freedom Schools were established in the 1960s in Mississippi, when voter registration laws were biased and minority communities saw a need to mobilize, Scott said. The schools quickly became a way for black and white students to participate in various activities that ensured basic citizenship rights for all, the CDF website states.

The movement went on to motivate young people to be involved in their communities, including historical figures like Fannie Lou Hamer, a black civil rights activist born into a family of poor sharecroppers who later went on to become the Democratic National Committee representative; and Marian Wright Edelman, the founder of the Childrens Defense Fund and first black woman to pass the Mississippi bar exam.

She brought back the Freedom Schools in the 1990s because the same types of things happening in schools then are happening now, Scott said. Overcrowding, misappropriation of funds, not enough to feed students. Theres still poverty ... Thats one of the reasons why Freedom Schools continue to exist.

The goal is to eventually increase the number of students every summer, and possibly open additional sites, Scott said. Right now, the middle school is accommodating 50 students, but the dream would be to accommodate every Waco ISD student, with the understanding that summer learning loss occurs across all grades, socioeconomic statuses and genders, she said.

We decided Chavez would be the best fit for the inaugural Freedom School because Chavez has a heavy concentration of students who are coming from low and impoverished socioeconomic backgrounds, Scott said.

Because the school offered a free meal program for children during the summer and because of the student demographics feeding into the school, the Freedom School offered a chance to bridge both gaps, Scott said.

Its been fun. Weve been learning new stuff, like reading different kinds of books and doing fun activities, sixth-grader Julian Santacruz said. Freedom School is fun, but youve got to do a lot of stuff to make you better and smarter to get to the next grade. I want other people to come so they know how I felt in Freedom School. I didnt really like to read before until I read these good books.

Outside of spending the mornings going through the reading curriculum provided by the Childrens Defense Fund, students will also spend the summer working on interactive science, technology, engineering, arts and math projects in the afternoons. Theyll also take swimming lessons Mondays and Wednesdays, and field trips to local staples like the Mayborn Museum and Waco Mammoth National Monument on Fridays, with a basketball camp somewhere in between.

They also start each day by performing Harambee song and dance sessions, which Scott said is essential to waking students up, getting energized and ready to learn. Harambee means lets pull together, she said. In July, Wacos Freedom School will invite other Freedom School students from Houston to do the biggest Harambee session in the state, but officials are still working out the details, Scott said.

Freedom Schools served as a way to teach people who maybe were not literate how to read, so they could become registered voters, Scott said. But the other piece about Freedom Schools historically was this power of knowing that ultimately youth shaped our future. This idea is that if we really empowered our youth even if theyre 10 or 12, to help them understand civil rights, help them to understand the power in knowing how to read then we can change our future.

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Baylor University starts Freedom School focused on avoiding ... - Waco Tribune-Herald

The first-place Florence Freedom, presented by Titan Mechanical Solutions, return home to UC Health Stadium this Tuesday through Thursday for the final home games before the mid-July All-Star break.

The Freedom sit at 27-12 overall after finishing a 5-1 road trip, including a sweep of the Gateway Grizzlies in the teams most recent series. The Freedom sit up top of the Frontier League West Division by 5.5 games over the Evansville Otters.

This week, the River City Rascals (19-20) come to town on Tuesday before the team heads on the road from June 30 July 9.

Games this week are all 7:05 p.m. starts. Tuesday and Wednesday nights games will highlight youth baseball in the area with the NKB players being recognized on the field. Thirsty Thursday also returns this week, with $1 12-ounce cans of beer and $4 20-ounce crafts.

Check out a Florence Freedom game this weekend by visiting FlorenceFreedom.com. Freedom games are fun for the whole family and offer up-close seating, free parking and affordable concessions.

The Florence Freedom are members of the independent Frontier League and play all home games at UC Health Stadium located at 7950 Freedom Way in Florence, KY.The Freedom can be found online at FlorenceFreedom.com, or by phone at 859-594-4487.

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Freedom return to UC Health Stadium for three-game series tonight; last home games before All Star break - User-generated content (press release)...