Newest Religious Right Tactic: Sue to Get Civil Servant Dough and Block Gay Rights

[meegbear]

A lawsuit filed in Michigan is the latest legal tactic of the Religious Right to pick the public pocket, while picking and choosing which public laws it will deign to follow. Conservative religious groups want access to government employee donation pools while reserving the right to discriminate against gays and lesbians.

This is the third case of its type filed this year by Religious Right legal organizations, Alliance Defense Fund and Christian Legal Society. In late September, a federal district court in Wisconsin issued a decision supporting the Religious Right position. Florida settled with them. While going virtually unnoticed, this new legal tactic is gaining steam and may be setting up a case for the Supreme Court.

The three cases have been filed in Wisconsin, Florida and Michigan. All have been brought by The Alliance Defense Fund and the Christian Legal Society, (motto "Seeking Justice with the Love of God -- Luke 11:42.")

The latest, filed on November 3, 2006, the Michigan case claims that the Christian Legal Society and others should be allowed to participate in charity pools of state government employees - United Way type programs. But, the lawsuit demands, religious groups should not be forced to sign statements of nondiscrimination, as other participants do.

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http://www.talk2action.org/story/2006/12/2/21142/3036/Front_Page/Newest_Religious_Right_Tactic_Sue_to_Get_Civil_Servant_Dough_and_Block_Gay_Rights

[xchrom]

1. i wonder if the salvation army case sets any precedence for this?

these people are not going let up on any corner of our lives.

any one currently living won't see the end of the attacks and hate coming from this quarter.

[kevinbgoode]

2. This is where I think we should have groups filing

our own "friend-of-the-court" briefs. .. researching their budgets, where the money is applied, the political agenda of such groups and the use of funds for charitable purposes. So many of these organizations are financed by wannabe ayatolluhs anyway - and they should be investigated.

[BR_Parkway]

4. We should encourage the Muslims, Jewish, Mormon and Pagan groups to

join into these lawsuits - then let them bleat about only the "right" kind of religion should get the free ride.

Instead of fighting them and allowing them to scream about the poor persecuted KKKristians, we should be joining them in the lawsuits. And show the world how hollow their words are when they face the fact that if they win the suit, then those other "false" religions would have the same access to the public square and public trough. Either that or they have to defend why their religion is the only one to get the special rights - showing the American public and those "activist judges" just how phony their arguments really are.

Instead of casting the ACLU in demon role of preventing the KKKristians from doing something, we look much better trying to help all those persecuted KKKristians (and Muslims, Jews, Mormans, etc) get that sort of access.

[sui generis]

3. Why oh why do we have special rights for religious organizations?

really, why?

they need to pay the full range of taxes, from income to property, just like we do....PERIOD!

how hard is that?

[triakis36]

5. That's because they don't believe in personal responsibility.

So they can get away with building "churches" with swimming pools, gyms, elaborate theatres and blinding glass architecture..all tax free. Of course the poor, meek, and persecuted have to get by on their own..even though "god" loves them most. :grr: