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Title: ACLU: Ala. town cannot impose church sentences
Source:
seattlepi.com
URL Source: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/artic ... e-church-sentences-2186079.php
Published: Sep 24, 2011
Author: staff
Post Date: 2011-09-24 05:19:17 by Ferret Mike
Keywords: None
Views: 3867
Comments: 19
BAY MINETTE, Ala. (AP) — A civil liberties group said Friday that an Alabama town should not start an alternative sentencing program that would give non-violent offenders a new choice: Go to jail, or go to church. Starting next week, the program will allow a city judge to sentence misdemeanor offenders to work off their sentences in jail and pay a fine, or go to church every Sunday for a year. Offenders who select church can pick the place of worship but must check in weekly with the pastor and the police department. If the one-year church attendance program is completed successfully, the offender's case will be dismissed. "It's an easy choice for me," Bay Minette Police Chief Michael Rowland told WKRG-TV (http://bit.ly/pxO8VN). "If I was given the choice of going to jail and paying a heavy fine or just going to church, I'd certainly select church." The Alabama branch of the American Civil Liberties Union plans to send Bay Minette officials a letter demanding that they suspend the program. While the group says it supports alternative sentencing programs that save money, it believes the plan in Bay Minette violates the Constitution, state ACLU Executive Director Olivia Turner said in a statement. "But it is a fundamental principle of the Establishment Clause that the government cannot force someone to attend church," she said. "When the alternative to going to church is going to jail, the so-called 'choice' available to offenders is no choice at all." City officials did not immediately return calls from The Associated Press. Pastor Robert Gates of Christian Life Church leads one of 56 congregations participating in the effort. He predicted it would succeed. "You show me somebody who falls in love with Jesus, and I'll show you a person who won't be a problem to society but that will be an influence and a help to those around them," he told the television station. Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/ACLU-Ala-town-cannot-impose-church-sentences-2186079.php#ixzz1YrNVNouz
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#1. To: All, A K A Stone, war, lucysmom (#0)
Should your church be allowed to sentence homosexuals to death in a spirit of hatred and intolerence you know so well? I bet you do, Stone.
The law is repugnantly unconstitutional...
America...My Kind Of Place... "I truly am not that concerned about [bin Laden]..." "THE MILITIA IS COMING!!! THE MILITIA IS COMING!!!" I lurk to see if someone other than Myst or Pookie posts anything...
Well that's not true!
"You post articles- intellectual excrement, really- that support your inane, insipid mentality, on a regular basis. Capitalist Eric
It is. Much as the still current pactice in the local Lane County Jail here in Eugene, Oregon practice of only offering a Christain Bible for reading material to people in 'medical isolation.' Favoring on religion officially over another is the path to creating a theocracy. This form of governance is horribly oppressive. Laws like the one in this article need to be avoided.
Yep. Stone's "you libs shut up or we'll shut you up for you" form of Christian live does present irony that comes immediately to mind here. That quote is incredibly untue. There are many very hateful Christians out there.
My grandparents came to America from a country with a government supported state religion; membership in the church and church attendance was mandatory. They valued the freedom to not belong to any church.
"You post articles- intellectual excrement, really- that support your inane, insipid mentality, on a regular basis. Capitalist Eric
That is a core American value. How dare anyone ever try to change that about this country. It boggles the mind that some here among us do. Some battles never have a resolution to them, and we must always be ready to address and fight theocratic sentiments whenever they arise.
How so? What do you have against churches?
I have nothing against churches.
America...My Kind Of Place... "I truly am not that concerned about [bin Laden]..." "THE MILITIA IS COMING!!! THE MILITIA IS COMING!!!" I lurk to see if someone other than Myst or Pookie posts anything...
How is is unconstitutional. Can dust off your constitution and quote something for me?
It's clearly repugnant to the First Amendment. You cannot compel anyone to attend religious services.
America...My Kind Of Place... "I truly am not that concerned about [bin Laden]..." "THE MILITIA IS COMING!!! THE MILITIA IS COMING!!!" I lurk to see if someone other than Myst or Pookie posts anything...
It's clearly repugnant to the First Amendment. You cannot compel anyone to attend religious services. That isn't in the first amendment. You lose.
You cannot be compelled to attend any religious service, Stone; it's an establishment of religion and constitutionally repugnant. I'll let you have your last stupid word from here...
America...My Kind Of Place... "I truly am not that concerned about [bin Laden]..." "THE MILITIA IS COMING!!! THE MILITIA IS COMING!!!" I lurk to see if someone other than Myst or Pookie posts anything...
I'll let you have your last stupid word from here... CONGRESS shall what? Who is it talking about fool? You can't quote from it because you will get cut to shreds.
What does 14A state, Stone? No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States... What does the VI Articke to the USCON state, Stone? This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.
America...My Kind Of Place... "I truly am not that concerned about [bin Laden]..." "THE MILITIA IS COMING!!! THE MILITIA IS COMING!!!" I lurk to see if someone other than Myst or Pookie posts anything...
War is correct. Church and any aspect of the legal system must be kept separate. You cannot have a religion doing a sales pitch by using the legal system to create a role for ii that would trample the rights for people not to have anything to to with that particular religion. That is what the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is all about. Christianity is but one religion in this world where there are more people not into it then there are Christians. It deserves no place in government, and the framers of the Constitution were very wise to have written the First Amendment in order to make sure no one ios ever pressured or forced to be part of a religion they do not believe in nor wish to belong to. It is you here who are wrong, and you can't one liner your way out of that fact.
It no longer surprises me that those who scream loudest about freedom seem to be first in line to support government taking away fundamental, personal freedoms.
"You post articles- intellectual excrement, really- that support your inane, insipid mentality, on a regular basis. Capitalist Eric
Only a moron would believe that those who would flee a nation in which the church and the legal system were entwined would craft a system in which the church and the legal system were...entwined... The early settlers to Massachusetts excepted...
America...My Kind Of Place... "I truly am not that concerned about [bin Laden]..." "THE MILITIA IS COMING!!! THE MILITIA IS COMING!!!" I lurk to see if someone other than Myst or Pookie posts anything...
People like stone don't believe in freedom of religion. With him, the only faith that gets a free pass is Judaism because he feels they work to validify some beliefs his particular sect has about prophecy concerning the end of the world. To him, people so against pressure to be Christian they would rather die a martyr's death then to become a slave to it are not showing courage, conviction and are engaged in upholding human rights. In his book they are criminals who need to be shown the light or should die for 'foolishly' not buckling under the pressure to conform to oppresive arm twisting to worship his version of "the prince of peace."
#2. To: Ferret Mike (#0)
--GW Bush
--Sarah Palin's version of "The Midnight Ride of Paul revere"
#3. To: Ferret Mike (#0)
"You show me somebody who falls in love with Jesus, and I'll show you a person who won't be a problem to society but that will be an influence and a help to those around them,"...
#4. To: war (#2)
(Edited)
#5. To: lucysmom (#3)
"Well that's not true!"
#6. To: Ferret Mike (#4)
Favoring on religion officially over another is the path to creating a theocracy. This form of governance is horribly oppressive. laws like the one in this article need to be avoided.
#7. To: lucysmom (#6)
"They valued the freedom to not belong to any church."
#8. To: war (#2)
The law is repugnantly unconstitutional...
#9. To: A K A Stone (#8)
--GW Bush
--Sarah Palin's version of "The Midnight Ride of Paul revere"
#10. To: war (#9)
#11. To: A K A Stone (#10)
How is is unconstitutional.
--GW Bush
--Sarah Palin's version of "The Midnight Ride of Paul revere"
#12. To: war (#11)
How is is unconstitutional.
#13. To: A K A Stone (#12)
(Edited)
--GW Bush
--Sarah Palin's version of "The Midnight Ride of Paul revere"
#14. To: war (#13)
You cannot be compelled to attend any religious service, Stone; it's an establishment of religion and constitutionally repugnant.
#15. To: A K A Stone (#14)
--GW Bush
--Sarah Palin's version of "The Midnight Ride of Paul revere"
#16. To: A K A Stone, war (#14)
#17. To: war (#15)
No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States...
#18. To: Ferret Mike (#16)
--GW Bush
--Sarah Palin's version of "The Midnight Ride of Paul revere"
#19. To: lucysmom, war (#17)
"It no longer surprises me that those who scream loudest about freedom seem to be first in line to support government taking away fundamental, personal freedoms."
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