On teachers wearing a crucifix:
Quote:
| Originally posted by Sonart,+--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Sonart,)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>This was the toughest one for me, but they do represent the government and their students are compelled to be there.[/b] |
Yes, the students are compelled to be there and, yes, the public schools are government funded institutions. However, I simply do not equate a teacher wearing a crucifix with an establishment of religion. More specifically, I see a greater Constitutional infringement, namely "prohibiting the free exercise thereof", by prohibiting teachers from wearing symbols of their faith. Additionally, I base my response on the result of the actions taken by the school board where the very lovely msmufin is employed, which prohibited the display of (among other things) the Confederate flag by both students and employees in the district. It didn't take long for the policy to result in a lawsuit.
My response also weighed some practical concerns which are easy to overlook in an attempt to establish dress policies in school districts or other government institutions. What if the symbol of faith was a tattoo, and not so easy to remove? What about private sector contractors (food services, custodial services, etc.) employed by the school district? Would they be compelled to adhere to the same policy? What about the folks who work at other government agencies, such as Social Security or Motor Vehicle services? Should they be subjected to the same prohibitions because they're government employees? Personally, I'd prefer to err on the side of individual liberty, which, in the US, includes allowing persons to wear symbols of their faith.
Quote:
| Originally posted by Sonart,+--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Sonart,)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>Could a teacher wear a Swastika on their neck? After all, they certainly have the Constitutional right to do so anywhere else.[/b] |
I'd (rather grudgingly) say, "yes."
<!--QuoteBegin-Sonart,@
Can a private business fire you for publically saying things detrimental to the mission of the company?[/quote]
I'd say it depends on the situation. It is not uncommon for private enterprise employers to require that employees sign company covenants and/or non-disclosure agreements which may involve employees limiting certain rights.
On the Christmas pageant:
<!--QuoteBegin-Sonart, It's not about peaceably assembling, it's about government establishing a religion and therefore should never have been brought before the voters in the first place.[/quote]
Agreed; with certain qualifications. First, I took Mr V's original question at face value: the voters had already voted, and I just continued from there. But again, I'm not sure that hosting a Christmas pageant equates to "establishment of religion"; at least not in any strict sense. I do agree that it never should have been a ballot issue to start with, and more importantly, the pageant should not preclude Jews, Muslims, atheists, etc., from participating in the event, should they so choose to.
Of course, these are my opinions; your mileage may vary. All are responses to (presumably) hypothetical situations and I'm not so stubborn as to rule out a change in my opinions should a better case trump my logic. I don't equate government employees wearing symbols of their faith with establishment of religion, and generally speaking, I see policies which try to limit such displays as pesky and meddlesome.
Regards,
mrmufin