Another chance at compensation

Incoming Senate Minority Leader Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee, says he will file a claims bill today on behalf of a North Florida woman who charges that the state Department of Education discriminated against her and her faith-based company because she's an evangelical Christian.

"She deserves restitution," Lawson told The Gradebook, referring to Karen "Kay" Stripling, who hails from Marianna in Lawson's district. "The government should not destroy people's lives and their job and their income simply because it appears somebody in the department didn't like her and accused her falsely."

Lawson said the claim is for about $3 million. A similar bill, for $2.7 million, was filed last year by Sen. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, but later withdrawn. Lawson says the House companion bill will be filed today by Jimmy Patronis, R-Panama City.

Stripling says in a pending lawsuit filed that DOE employees targeted her and her company, Read & Lead, because they were on a "Bush witch hunt" of faith-based providers in 2003 and 2004. According to the suit, they told state and federal investigators that she mishandled federal money, which led to a federal probe and the threat of indictment.

Surreal? To be sure. The Stripling story even has a FAMU connection.

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

Comments

[Anne Messer]

Kay Stripling who is PERSONALLY known to me is a liar, a fake, and a thief. Because someone uses "Chrisitanity" as their cover they should be trusted? To answer the question of many... Kay has been, and CONTINUES to be investigated because EVIDENCE has been found by the Federal Government to support a case against her. She has lied to Federal agents and they know it. Therefore, she is still under scrutiny and has not received money that she feels is "owed" to her. Believe what you want about what a person presents to you, but people like Kay go home and face their real selves in a mirror that speaks the truth back to them. She cannot hide from herself but she CAN hide her true self from other people.

[nate]

Sorry to hear this had to happen to such a nice yong lady hopeful she will make a comeback from this.

[Dennis U.]

Does it matter what a person believes about religion as long as the education service they are providing to the children is working and meets the legal guidelines. What Dr. Stripling has been through is just a precursor to what could now happen on a federal level if we don't speak up.

THANK YOU SENATOR. KAY NEEDS TO BE REINSTATED AND THOSE RESPONSIBLE TO BE BROUGHT TO TASK. THERE IS A LOT OF THIS TYPE THIONG GOING ON IN OUR COUNTRY AND IT NEEDS TO STOP. PEOPLE SUCH AS YOU, SENATOR, NEED TO CRY OUT AND CRY OUT LOUD.

[Cynthia]

What is going on here with Dr. Stripling's case? Why has justice not been served? Below are her own words:
When is someone going to step up to the bat and correct this obvious miscarriage of justice?

The facts are these:
1) My records were stolen with names and social security numbers in an ongoing internal breach of security within the Florida Department if Education which was not reported. In layman's terms, this is called a "cover-up"...Do you care? If so, report it to the United States Department of Justice.
2) Evidence was fabricated against me and reported to the FBI as FACTS. This is a CRIME. Do you care? If so, demand that these employees be FIRED for providing false information to the FBI. If you care, report it to the United States Department of Justice.
3) My students were denied participation in a federally funded program. This is a civil rights violation. Do you care? If so, then report this to the United States Department of Justice.
4) I had a "compassion-based" program where students were cared for with love and caring. There was no religion crammed down their throats. This injustice should also be reported to the United States Department of Justice.

My situation should be on national news! What the heck is going on? Do I need to shave my head and be like Brittany Spears?

Someone out there has to have some answers! Please let me hear from you!

[Darvin Dowdy]

I will be necessary to weed out the people that used gov't facilities to perpetuate this crime. The must be fired.

[Debrah Donner]

Thank God for Senator Lawson, but truly thankful for Dr. Stripling who stood up to the bureaucracy (unelected officials) of the DOE! These so called educated elites have no inkling about what the country stands for, which is FREEDOM. They should pay, and pay very heavily for this outrageous crime they have perpetrated upon a private, decent American citizen. If we could get rid of the dead weight DOEs around this country, our kids could learn something. There's no telling how high the test scores would go! Keep up the superb work, Dr. Stripling! America that counts is behind you 100!!

[Art Carlson]

Just read Linda's entry and felt compelled to tell everyone that this outrage... this travesty... this unbelievable misuse of power in the DOE... originated and was orchestrated under a solidly GOP administration. There's nothing here connected to Obama or his minions, but that's not the point:

Simple justice for simply following the rules is what this is all about. Simple compensation for helping accomplish the basic societal need of literacy for all citizens.

I, for one, do not see blatant politics in all this. I do see rampant corruption, blind greed and conspiracy against Kay and I see an administrative system at DOE that's arrogant beyond belief. The DOE has admitted it owes her money but refuses to pay until the courts order them to do so!

I don't see this as Red vs Blue -- it's a good woman shafted by some vindictive individuals seemingly protected by a state agency bureaucracy - until the kitchen got too hot for them.

Kay will eventually prevail, but all who support her need to dial down the emotion and ratchet up the rational appeal to reason and justice. We all want the same thing for her that we want for any of the rest of us.

I can tell you this with absolute certainty; Kay is awed and humbled by your support.

[Pearl Schmunk]

Is this the beginning of the end for Christians in America! The education Department is acting like it is!

They did her an injustice and she doesn't have the right to an apology or retribution?

It's time for JUSTICE!

[Linda]

Obama ordered his Sheeple to "Get In Their Faces!" This has been a tactic of the radical liberals for years. That's why they have been so successful at getting their agenda established. They keep making a lot of noise and never shut up or quit until they get what they want.

Politicians are afraid to oppose them because of the noisy backlash and militant outrage they display when they don't get their way.

We Christians need to stop being so meek and mild. It's time to take Obama's advice and "Get In Their Faces" until they understand that this Christian bashing has got to stop.

Floridians, "Get In Their Faces" by bombarding your Elected Officials, both State and local, and your school boards with mail, phone calls and faxes. And don't stop until you get your way about it! Make them afraid of the backlash they will receive from the Christian community when they allow Christian bashing to go on in their district.

GO TEAM! Let's GIT-R-DONE in 2009!

[Carla Wilson]

I am outraged at how Kay Stripling has been treated by the DOE....We pay for our schools with our taxes however the DOE does not treat all equally...this is horrible!!! Maybe some heads need to roll so that people will wake up and stop siding with the Liberal Lies and start siding with the people! Kay Stripling should be compensated for this discrimination! Why is it always that everyone is being discriminated against except the Christians! This is just as much a HATE CRIME as any, and should be treated as such!! Where is the JUSTICE~~

[Jan from AmericaC2C.org]

Why is it that non-Christians are more threatened by Christians than Radical Islam, terrorism, etc.? It can ONLY be ignorance! There is absolutely nothing "offensive" in Christianity - unless you reject love, kindness, and the pursuit of high moral and ethical standards!

[James J. Sanders, LMFT, LPC, CCMHC]

Great job Sen. Lawson! Stay strong Kay!
James from Team Sarah.

[Publicola]

Anti-Christian bigotry is the source of this problem. This treatment of Kay is different, only in degree, from the burning of Sarah Palin's church. The perpetrators of both crimes need to be brought to justice.

[Janet Bosley]

What was done to Kay is without excuse, she needs to be fully compensated.
This is nothing more than a personal attack against a Christian and their right to Home School.

If Schools were run like they were from our foundation, parents / Christians would not need to home school, but we have reached a point to where we need not be, and its all because of tossing aside our godly heritage, making a mockery of our founding fathers.
America was founded by Christians and based on the Holy Word of God.

Our Schools once were taught inside the Church and even after public schools were established,two books were used in the class room, one was the Bible, the other a Hymnal, both have long since been tossed out.

What was done against this nice Christian lady is a crime , I pray justice be served,that Kay will recieve all that was stole from her.

Her peace of mind and freedom from being treated like a criminal was taken from her,and it has done damage;Therefore all parties involved in this evil act against her needs to be charged to the fullest extent of the law.
Praying justice will be served soon.

God bless you Kay , praying your enemies be held accountible and you recieve good things from it.
Much love to you always, janet

[caroltate2]

Kay is a member of Team Sarah & a friend of mine!..........We wish her all the best & hope the people of Florida assist her in any way they can. Let your legislature know how you feel......put the pressure on them to pass this bill........Blessing Kay..You hang in there girl!

[Lois]

This country was founded on religious freedom!

What the DOE is doing is criminal, plain and simple.

No wonder the man filed the bill. He will reap the wrath of the church during his election if he doesn't.

The tax-free church entity will gather under "god's roof" provided to the people of the church by the government of the United States (by way of tax deductions) and organize as a political group (which has to pay taxes and follow regulatory rules) and campaign against the politician.

Now, who files the bill on behalf of the people of the United States who have paid higher taxes to support churches of every denomination who pay no property taxes or income taxes?

Churches are not churches any more. We saw that during the last Presidential election. Congregations never congregate around "god's word" the way they do around a politician funning for office.

Let's tax the churches just like we do the unions and any other politically active organization that exists legally.

[Edward T.]

The time for political correctness needs to end. This country was established in beliefs that have made us strong. We need to give our children an opportunity to develop and learn without inteference. It is ashame that someone who is trying to do good is punished and the ones that do bad are rewarded. All we need to see is the type of crimes children are committing today and what they were committing 30 years ago. God bless you Kay and don't give up.

[A.Aguilar Sr.]

God bless you, Kay. You should be commended for your accomplishments. What you are being put through is outrageous. I only pray that you are vendicated, and justice is served.

[Raymond Newberry]

We have a simple case turned complicated at the hands of government. Mrs. Kay Stripling made a request for dollars owed for the operation of her business, Read & Lead.
Refusing to pay Mrs. Stripling the Department of Education exasperated her request by making false claims to state and federal investigators. I say falsely accused because the documents report that the accusations were wrong and the investigation has shifted to the DOE now being investigated.
Due to Kay’s relentless pursuit for proof it was revealed that Patricia Walker McGill misappropriated funds to herself, under the guise of services rendered with Read & Lead.
Patricia is the (was) director of FAMU’s Institute on Urban Policy and Commerce. She is looking at possibly 5.25 million dollars in fines and up to 350 years incarceration.
What I find more repulsive than the story so far is that our governments on going trend of ruining the lives of innocent American citizens. Mrs. Walker used up her nest egg defending false charges made against her. This happened as far back as 2003 and still nothing has been resolved other than Kay’s innocence. The fact that she is innocent is little help as she is still out real currency and waits for justice to refund what she is owed plus obvious punitive damages for suffering an emotional breakdown.
What else I find disturbing about this case is that the DOE acted as if they were concerned with how our tax dollars were being spent when they ran the American people and the United States into a bankrupt status already. They act like responsible representatives to question Mrs. Stripling and her expenditures and they can’t manage their own accounts.
The proof of Mrs. Stripling’s expenses is in the results of her hard work ethic and training procedures which produced positive results with troubled youth that public schools had written off as unreachable. Not only was Read & Lead a success, was it a possible embarrassment to public schools? Mrs. Striplings pupils excelled far beyond the curriculum taught in public schools. The fruits of her labor are evident in numbers. Failure VS Success and those numbers had to come to a halt I suspect at the ground level of the teachers unions and the Unions connected minions throughout the DOE.
Each day that goes by without compensation made to Mrs. Stripling is a bigger crime than when it first began.

Raymond Newberry

[Marie Bergeron]

I wish you the best, Ms Stripling. The very same thing happened to me. Mine started in 1995, and I am still being crucified.

The State on CA won.

[Cliff]

Hello Connie,

Let me try to help you out a little bit.

You can read several of the comments above to fill yourself in and Google "Kay STRIPLING" to get a more full picture of the story.

I was a financial crimes investigator for 13 years and now I am retired and own a small video store in Brookshire, Texas.

What I learned was that the people who cheat, accuse other people of cheating them. The people that steal, have the best locks on their doors. And Bill Clinton, did not have sexual relations with that woman... see what I mean?

My son told me about this story and like you, I did not get the whole story from this article and it raised questions and red flags; so I investigated it.

This article is only one of many. This has been going on for over a year. I read as many articles as I could find and made a few calls. I believe this woman's claim of religious discrimination due to my research.

This is my first time to post a comment on this article, but I thought that I could help you clear some things up.

C.J. II

[Carla Bjurman]

It doesn't seem right that an educational program that helps some students should be belittled because the developer, Dr. Stripling, is an evangelical. Jefferson's letter about the separation of church and state had to do with allowing evangelical religious expression in an era of repression by State Churches of evangelicals.

[Connie]

I just have one question before I can honestly give my opinion and possibly help. What propogated the DOE to bring in a Federal investigation. The article states there was an investigation due to misuse of Federal Funds. State DOE's just don't create or make up things involving any monies unless there is some lead to do so.

Please help me understand this.

[Cobalt Agent]

Disgusting to see such treatment of our Christian brothers and sisters in Florida.

[wayne oversen]

State Senator Lawson you should be
applauded for backing this lady
that was so wrongfully treated by
these vicious & vile attacks due
to these political witch hunts.You
need too correct the injustice that
has been done to her.This was truly
a sad day in America of what this
fine lady had to endureIts time to
step up to the plate & be accountable
& correct the wrongs that have been
done too Kay Stripling.

[Stanley Phillips]

I support efforts to remedy the injustice to Dr. Stripling.

[cotton essex]

We have students being molested in our school systems everyday and after their trials they almost have celebrity status and Florida is out to destroy the character of a teacher who believes in God? I would think one who believes in God would be refreshing.

[Richard T. Cunningham]

Bravo Incoming Sen Minority Leader Al Lawson. Obviously
a decent Gentleman. If more Democrats showed this honesty
we would have more civil discord in our government. If I
lived in Tampa, as a conservative I would have no problem
considering voting for Al Lawson. GBR

[Stephen Kenner]

Our society of God loving people is being attacked from the highest level. I am convinced that the forces of socialism are hell bent on removing God and anything to do with HIS philosophy. You are simply another target of many who needs our support for you to stand tall. This "War" is not going to end quickly. There will be casualties and loss of life before this is finished. Our Lord wants us on earth at this time of history to do HIS battle for Good, Trust, Truth and Salvation. I see no other reason to be here except to be HIS Christian Soldier.

[Di]

Why on God's green earth is this STILL going on?

Kay, you will be in my prayers.

[Kimberly Morin]

I truly hope that this bill passes so that Ms. Stripling can be cleared. Does the DOE have anyone 'checking' on THEIR own investigations? This DOES sound like a witch hunt... not only were Ms. Stripling and any of her employees made to suffer but all of the children they were helping.

The government is the first to force companies to dot their i's and cross their t's yet it doesn't seem as if they follow their OWN regulations! (no surprise here though).

Kudos Senator Lawson for fighting for injustices!

[Rob the plumber]

These "Christian" organizations are about "easy money" pure and simple. And I mean "real easy money"..... For the most part, they are very indifferent!

Remember the "Faith-based Movement"? -

President Bush's political initiative that started all of Ms. Stripling's hell? ALL of the funding was delivered via grant contracts. Talk about no one thinking this through! They knew that there would be opposition to this political initiative YET no one thought enough about the actual people carrying out the initiative to tell them that because of the way the funding was being delivered that they would not have the same protections afforded to them if they were discriminated against.

Being a part of the "faith-based movement" was like going to war and being given a bullet-proof vest with holes in it.

Thank God we have people like Ms. Stripling to under-take the "Faith-based Movement" and to endure the long senseless fight afterwards!

[The Lone Ranger!]

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) is supposed to specialize in constitutional law but they only take on cases that they know they can win.

They are a joke and do not do any real good. Kay has a contract dispute which is difficult to fight and religious discrimination is too weak for them to take this on as a FREE CASE so they turned her down! Surprise SURPRISE!

Justice is only for those who can afford it... we need to impeach them all!!

(I guess dozens of anti-Christian newsclippings only placed in Kay's file, out of over 4000 files, does not qualify ENOUGH in the eyes of the ACLJ.)

The ACLJ is an absolute worthless entity! Only fighting easy fights with lots of money attached to them!

THE ACLJ TURNED DOWN KAY STRIPLING's CASE AGAIN!!!! Because it was too hard and no big money was attached to it! Some Justice!

[Liberal Christian]

Where are all the church groups rallying against this type of treatment and violation?

How are WE Christians supposed to expect anyone to help us... when we do not even help ourselves.

If you call yourself a Christian and you have not tried to contact Dr. Stripling or help her out in some way, shape, or form... than you should be ashamed of yourself and you need to get off of your duff and do something right now!!!!

[Deborah Depremont]

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
Martin Luther King Jr

How can we as Americans let this type of injustice and religious intolerance become the norm?

[Ernest Marshall]

My name is Ernest and I am a black American, (not an African American)!

I get the same kind of treatment that Ms. Stripling has gotten, when I tell people that I am a Conservative Republican.

My own church turned against me, my family, and my union all turned against me. So I can really relate to what she is going through.

I have done nothing wrong! I have been investigated by the union! I have had family and friends erase me from their phones. I have had my church turn it back on me! What a Christmas this is going to be!

If it is this bad of a polarization between Dems and Reps in my own circle of influences... what does Ms. Stripling expect when a white, Christian, and heterosexual female does something good and expects the enemy to pay her?!

[Diane Miller]

Pat McGill is the type of person that both schools and government are composed of!

Pat McGill tried to ruined someone's life in order to cover up her corruption and crimes!

We also cannot allow them to prolong this any further... they are just stalling to try and bankrupt Kay before any of this really gets out!

The power the government has is given to them by us! We should exercise our GOD given rights and put an immediate close to this fiasco!

[Natasha Mendez]

Hi Ms. Stripling,

My daddy let me say hi and I am still praying for you. Merry Christmas!

(Her words, daddy typed it.)

[Kim Burt]

We should scrap the whole political system and let the people build it back up the way they want!

This is ridiculous that something like this could happen in this day and age!

[Tracey N.]

This woman did not teach religion...

she was attacked because she was an un-repentant Christian.

God help them.

[Alura]

"One Nation Under God"

"In GOD we Trust"

"We have staked the whole of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God." James Madison

As you walk up the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court you can see a forward facing figure near the top which is Moses and he is holding the Ten Commandments!

As you enter the Supreme Court courtroom, the two huge oak doors have the Ten Commandments engraved on each lower portion of each door; Iv'e seen them.

As you sit inside the courtroom, you can see the wall, right above where the Supreme Court judges sit, a display of the Ten Commandments!

There are Bible verses etched in stone all over the Federal Buildings and Monuments in Washington, D.C.

Every session of Congress begins with a prayer by a paid preacher, whose salary has been paid by the taxpayer since 1777.

On religion, the First Amendment of the Constitution reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, ..."

Amen

[A.M.S.]

Why is this still going on?!

[Beth from Katy]

I think what they have done to here is awfull, I mean how could they go after her like that and just get away with it. We live in AMERICA, We have FREEDOM of RELIGON, so why her?? I truely hope she gets EVERYTHING she deserves.. and sets the example for those who try this again!!

[zednemtheadventurer]

Just so you know... I read an article about a woman in Northern Florida who was inspired to start the company because of President Bush's appeal for religious people to "help our most needy citizens."

She created an educational business to fulfilled that need and presidential request and she called her company 'Read & Lead'. She got the government contract to teach the students and the DOE awarded her company a $200,000 grant in 2002 and paid her "solely upon the submission of invoices describing the performance levels" of people receiving help. ((("Performance based")))

Read & Lead conducted classes in rural communities to help dropouts and illiterate adults earn general-equivalency degrees and find jobs. Most of her students were minorities and the people that the system either forgot or discarded.

She DID NOT teach religion! She taught the standard academics using kindness, compassion, and empathy. Her students loved her and they excelled due to Dr. Stripling's personal attention and earnest compassion. "Read & Lead met all performance goals under the contract."

But the Education Department officials refused to pay her company, Read & Lead, the more than $200,000 it owed her! This is where the story takes a nasty twist... Not only did they breach the contract; but then they began a concerted effort to destroy her name, business, and career.

Next, the DOE made numerous false statements, both written and oral" to state and federal investigators about her company, those statements led investigators to threaten Stripling with a federal indictment and the possibility of high fines and a lot of prison time.

Kay then went and pulled her file from the DOE through a public records request and discovered that the DOE lost most of her files, and that DOE employees had "managed to insert into Kay's official DOE file, numerous press clippings concerning Christian activism in public education," including pieces that criticized former Gov. Jeb Bush's support for private-school vouchers, lauded courses teaching homosexuality; and mocked intelligent design.

She has spent her life savings to clear her name and has suffered nervous breakdowns. Eventually investigators backed concluded that the department's assertions were wrong. But she has suffered a tremendous financial blow defending her good name.

It is Christmas time and she is bankrupt and losing everything for Christmas. Anything we can do to help her would be greatly appreciated.

GOD Bless everyone this holiday season!

Checkout Ben Stein's "Expelled" or google it!

Kay could use some help this Christmas with a little bit of money to help her cover her bills. She is about to lose everything this Christmas... so anything you can send her will help.

The Reason for the season!

[Catherine]

Everyone goes around quoting the phrase
"separation of Church and State" erroneously. Below is a very enlightening article.

Several years ago when I was homeschooling my daughter, I stumbled upon something momentous. Nowhere in the Constitution of the U. S. can you find the often quoted phrase "separation of Church and State." This phrase has been misquoted and misinterpreted for far too long. Please read the following article to discover this phrase's true origin and meaning.

"With this year’s Thanksgiving holiday at our door, it is fitting that we ask an important question that has so much to do with our Constitutional liberties: What is the Separation of Church and State?
Why is it fitting to ask this question as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday? Well, it’s precisely the Thanksgiving holiday that reminds us of the origins of the phrase, separation of church and state.
In 1620, a group of Christian pilgrims known as the Separatists washed ashore in what came to be known as Plymouth, Massachusetts. They first left England to escape religious persecution there. They landed in Holland but realized Holland was not a place that allowed their faith to flourish. They set sail again; this time for America.
When the pilgrims set up their colony in Plymouth, Massachusetts, they soon employed a policy that came out of their own struggles for religious freedom. They employed the first American policy of a separation of church and state.
This may seem like a counterintuitive decision for a group of deeply religious people. However, the Separatists knew full well that when the power of the church is placed under the control of the government, the government then begins to mandate its own sanctioned religious practice. The Separatists had endured the religious persecution of the state in England and wanted to ensure that no such persecution would occur in America. Unlike the Puritans, who believed in establishing some form of a Theocracy, these Separatists, being true to their name, decided to separate the two entities of the church and the state so as to allow the free expression of religion to flourish. That is precisely what happened. Early America in the 1600’s saw many religious groups and sects set up colonies that were specifically designed for the free expression of their religion without government interference. That is what the separation of church and state is really all about: keeping the government out of the church’s business.
Fast forward to the writing of our nation’s Bill of Rights in 1789. Founding fathers like Patrick Henry and James Madison knew that allowing a mandated government religious practice would stifle religious expression in the new nation. They decided to embrace what is the most harmonious balance between the federal government and the church that the world has ever seen. They wrote the First Amendment of the Constitution.
In the First Amendment we see the balance between the federal government’s role in protecting religious practice and not coercing it. The First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, which guarantees all Americans the freedom of speech, religion, press, petition and assembly, has this to say about religious practice: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”
The federal government cannot mandate a religious practice, nor can they prohibit religious practice. Unfortunately, in the last few decades we have seen many judicial rulings that demonstrate a desire to uphold the establishment clause of the First Amendment at the expense of the free exercise clause. This is completely contrary to the purpose of the First Amendment and a violation of it as well.
The first major case that undermined the balance between the establishment clause and the free exercise clause occurred in 1947. In Everson vs. Board of Education the Supreme Court, led by Justice Hugo Black, an FDR appointee and member of the Ku Klux Klan, reinterpreted the meaning of the First Amendment of the Constitution. This decision set in motion an unconstitutional chain of events that has undermined our First Amendment liberties ever since.
Just what did Justice Black and the other FDR appointees to the Supreme Court do? They hijacked a phrase used by President Thomas Jefferson, “separation of church and state,” found in a letter he wrote to the Danville Baptist Association in Virginia (1802). Jefferson’s letter was actually used by the court to limit religious freedom.
By taking completely out of context the phrase used by Jefferson in his letter, "separation of church and state," the Supreme Court ruled that the freedom of religious expression in the public square was a violation of the “separation of church and state” found in the Constitution. This is an astounding ruling, as the phrase “separation of church and state” is not even found in the Constitution.
In 1947, the Supreme Court actually used Jefferson’s letter to the Danville Baptists as the basis for their decision, even though his letter is not Constitutional law. This is another example of the Progressive Bait and Switch tactic at work that I spoke of in my last article with Townhall.
Another interesting fact concerning Jefferson's use of the phrase, “separation of church and state” is its true meaning. Thomas Jefferson used this phrase as nothing more than a metaphor to express the First Amendment’s role as a protector of religious expression in the public square. So even if Jefferson’s letter was Constitutional law, Hugo Black and the other FDR appointees on the Supreme Court still misinterpreted the meaning of Jefferson’s letter and the separation of church and state.
In his letter to the Danville Baptist Association, President Jefferson said he believed there was a "wall of separation" in the Constitution that was designed to keep the government from interfering in the affairs of the church, not a wall to keep free speech out of the public arena. Thankfully, the Supreme Court finally clarified what Jefferson truly meant in Lynch vs. Donnelly (1984) when they said that the phrase “separation of church and state” is nothing more than the opinion of Thomas Jefferson, a “euphemism” as they put it, not Constitutional law.
While the 1984 case was a breath of fresh air to those who love liberty, the damage of the 1947 case has led to other terrible decisions that defy logic, reason and the Constitution itself. In fact, the 1947 ruling, in spite of being inaccurate and unconstitutional, has become part of the American collective consciousness.
In what has become the most infamous Supreme Court ruling regarding religious speech, Engel vs. Vitale (1962), the Supreme Court reinterpreted the meaning of the establishment clause in the First Amendment and misused its authority to ban the free exercise of religion in schools. This is the famous school prayer case.
According to the Supreme Court in 1962, the free exercise of religion in school somehow violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment. The founding fathers would be up in arms to hear that free speech was now censored in the name of protecting the establishment clause.
While it is true that American students who do not want to pray in school should not be forced to do so, it also true that those who do desire to pray should not be denied their First Amendment right to do so. There is a balance in the First Amendment between the establishment clause and the free exercise clause. It must be upheld in order for liberty to abound.
Where do these liberal judicial activist judges get this bizarre and erroneous interpretation of the First Amendment and the separation of church state in the first place? Looking back in American history, we find that this same misguided interpretation of the First Amendment was actually the vision of Roger Baldwin, the founder of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in 1920. Baldwin, it is important to mention, was a member of the Communist Party of the USA.
It was Baldwin’s vision to remove all references to God and religion from the public square, even though the free expression clause of the First Amendment is clear as day. Starting around the 1920’s, a major reinterpretation of the meaning of the First Amendment and the Constitution itself began to make its way into the colleges and universities of the USA. It is this time in history that colleges and universities begin to teach that the Constitution is a “living document;” one that changes with the times.
Regardless of the opinion of radicals like Baldwin, it is important to remember that all Americans do have the Constitutional right of religious expression in the public square as long as the federal government does not coerce that expression. Ironically, what the Supreme Court did in 1947 and 1962 was coerce the limiting of religious expression, in keeping with Roger Baldwin’s dream. As such, the First Amendment rights of all Americans have been threatened and even violated in some cases, because the Supreme Court embraced the opinion of a man who was a member of the Communist Party of the USA, not the Constitution of the United States.
Finally, after more than forty years of cognitive dissonance concerning the free exercise of religion, the Supreme Court re-established the true nature of the First Amendment in Board of Education of Westside Community Schools vs. Mergens (1990). In this case, the Supreme Court upheld the rights of all students to voluntarily pray in school, form Bible study groups and express their religious beliefs provided the government, including government paid officials (i.e. teachers, counselors), do not coerce that religious expression. Yet, even with the Mergens case re-establishing the balance between the establishment clause and the free exercised clause, the damage of the 1947 and 1962 cases still lives on.
Let’s consider the 2002 case of Kala Brotos, a five-year old kindergarten student from Saratoga Springs, NY. Before eating her lunch, little Kala simply prayed out loud and gave thanks for her meal. Her teacher then scolded her before the entire the class, claiming that Kala violated the separation of church and state – Roger Baldwin’s version, that is. The teacher even claimed that Kala committed a “crime against humanity.”
Well, a crime against humanity was indeed committed -- against a little five year-old girl -- who simply gave thanks before her lunch. If this is not tyranny, I don’t know what is.
Take a closer look at our culture today. The propaganda concerning the First Amendment is staggering. Each year thousands of students are suspended, harassed, receive lower grades on their term papers, or even arrested for simply expressing their deeply held religious beliefs in the public forum. I know this personally having endured the discrimination and bigotry of liberal professors during college and graduate school. Such behavior is against federal law. It is called belief discrimination and it occurs more often than you think.
If we take a closer look at just what the Constitution really says, we will see that the religious practice of Americans is the choice of each citizen and cannot be censored even in public. The government cannot mandate religious practice, nor can the government deny that same practice. That is the balance of powers spelled out in the First Amendment. If we fail to maintain that balance then we as a nation are no longer truly free.
When we give thanks this Thanksgiving, let us remember the words of Thomas Jefferson, who said, “The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time.”

Christopher Merola is the Political Director for Political Media, Inc, a political advertising and
public relations firm in Washington, DC.
From Townhall.com Nov. 27, 2008

[Jimmy]

You need to put a very uncomfortable spot light on the people that caused these series of problems for Dr. Stripling!

[Beth]

I am on a school board so I do not want to give out too much information; but I hear things like this brought up quite often.

CNN is so biasly Liberal are you sure you even want them to do a story on your situation?

The same mentality that is attacking Kay is the same mentality that has saturated the media and Hollywood. I will be really surprised if they do a good news story on your situation.

I do not think that you are going to get the response that you are hoping for having CNN do a story on you... look at their viewers!

[Barbara Sanders]

Hi Kay maybe with C.N.N. Assistant. You get something done. Keep the faith.
In God's Love,
Barbara