And? I've been speeding since I got a license 20 years ago. It was illegal then and it's illegal now.

submitter, circa 1865: "slavery banned. FARK: it's been legal for more than a century."

First off, subby, they were up since 1982 at a different school. He moved to a new school in 2007 and was asked to take them down by the principal.

I had to search a few different articles, but I found what I was looking for. I really wanted to know if those slogans (as obnoxiously religious as they seem to be based on pictures) had any educational value as it pertained to this teacher. He's a high school teacher, so he probably teaches a particular subject or two. Maybe he's a history teacher and they are intended to be historically significant? Though you'd be hard-pressed to argue historical significance of "God bless America." At any rate...

Bradley Johnson, a mathematics teacher in the Poway Unified School District

Oh ok. Sorry buddy, but your religious beliefs don't belong in a math class.

bottom line: if you receive public funding, you don't get to favor one religion over another. so unless you want to post religious material from every damned religion from christianity to islam to motherfarking jedi... just leave religion out of it altogether.

exick: First off, subby, they were up since 1982 at a different school. He moved to a new school in 2007 and was asked to take them down by the principal.

I had to search a few different articles, but I found what I was looking for. I really wanted to know if those slogans (as obnoxiously religious as they seem to be based on pictures) had any educational value as it pertained to this teacher. He's a high school teacher, so he probably teaches a particular subject or two. Maybe he's a history teacher and they are intended to be historically significant? Though you'd be hard-pressed to argue historical significance of "God bless America." At any rate...

Bradley Johnson, a mathematics teacher in the Poway Unified School District

Oh ok. Sorry buddy, but your religious beliefs don't belong in a math class.

or any class, for that matter. Leave your bible at the door and do your job. You want to teach religion? Then go teach religion at a private school.

Bottom line: people are pricks who have nothing better to do than troll people IRL

exick: Oh ok. Sorry buddy, but your religious beliefs don't belong in a math class.

Sure they do. How else will kids learn that Pi = 3?

Soooo....I guess this means will be taking "In God we Trust" off of all our money and coins now, right?

I would have kicked ass in his math class

"Who can solve the Goldbach Conjecture?"
"Ummm...Jesus?"
"A+!"

I think it's pretty okay to throw the official motto of the United States up on the wall. Maybe the legal effort on that one should be put toward changing it to E Pluribus Unum now that we're safe from the godless commie bastards of the Red Scare.

Crusader: Soooo....I guess this means will be taking "In God we Trust" off of all our money and coins now, right?

*Crosses fingers*

I have some additional reading (new window) for you subby

Why doesn't he just put up something wholesome, like the Pledge of Allegiance? Then if they try to take it down, he can cry "UN-AMERICAN"

Crusader: Soooo....I guess this means will be taking "In God we Trust" off of all our money and coins now, right?

it should.

I suppose this guy would have no problem if the teacher next door put up an "Allahu Akbar" sign in his classroom.

kingoomieiii: I think it's pretty okay to throw the official motto of the United States up on the wall. Maybe the legal effort on that one should be put toward changing it to E Pluribus Unum now that we're safe from the godless commie bastards of the Red Scare.

E Pluribus Unum is a horrible motto as it shows that we enjoy the languages of others rather than our own.

Crusader: Soooo....I guess this means will be taking "In God we Trust" off of all our money and coins now, right?

No, it's not public funding.

Oh, please

/some of those justices look like they've been hanging there much longer than that

Honestly, it disturbs me, the money people will spend on lawyers on something that really shouldn't be a big deal one way or another.

Oh, wait, did I say "disturbs"? No, no, no, I meant "thrills." Sorry.

Even if the courts won't help him, he can still take his case to the voters of the school district. If voters would take more interest in school board elections, you wouldn't have schools administrators acting out their anti-religion hostilities like this.

The original design for the Great Seal of the United States that was later adopted by the Continental Congress:



Designed by patriot leader and Continental Congress secretary Charles Thomson in 1782. Sorry Christian theocrats, your new McCarthy-inspired slogan sucks.

SkinnyHead: Even if the courts won't help him, he can still take his case to the voters of the school district. If voters would take more interest in school board elections, you wouldn't have schools administrators acting out their anti-religion hostilities like this.

The Constitution isn't optional.

"Government should not prefer one religion to another, or religion to irreligion" Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Grumet, 512 U.S. 687 (1994).

SkinnyHead: Even if the courts won't help him, he can still take his case to the voters of the school district. If voters would take more interest in school board elections, you wouldn't have schools administrators acting out their anti-religion hostilities like this.

You are aware that a local school board cannot make changes to the First Amendment? I am assuming you have a basic idea how our system of laws work. That may be where I am going wrong.

Crusader: Soooo....I guess this means will be taking "In God we Trust" off of all our money and coins now, right?

Hopefully. I wonder if the Christian Taliban would be ok with changing it to "In Allah we Trust." It's the same god, after all.

vartian: SkinnyHead: Even if the courts won't help him, he can still take his case to the voters of the school district. If voters would take more interest in school board elections, you wouldn't have schools administrators acting out their anti-religion hostilities like this.

You are aware that a local school board cannot make changes to the First Amendment? I am assuming you have a basic idea how our system of laws work. That may be where I am going wrong.

They can't? I joined the PTA specifically to change the 5th amendment - does that mean I'm out of luck?

exick: Oh ok. Sorry buddy, but your religious beliefs don't belong in a math class.

Uh. But it's printed right on my money.

AlwaysRightBoy: Crusader: Soooo....I guess this means will be taking "In God we Trust" off of all our money and coins now, right?

No, it's not public funding.

Our taxes don't pay for the US Treasury or for printing money? O.o

shivashakti: Good. Classrooms should be kept secular in public schools.

Oh, I agree; I just think it's hypocritical to tell schools not to hang banners that say "IN GOD WE TRUST" when it's right on the back of the $1 bill.

And, last I checked, public schools AND the Treasury were both funded by taxpayers' dollars.

deffuse:

They can't? I joined the PTA specifically to change the 5th amendment - does that mean I'm out of luck?

You're in for a bit of an uphill climb :)

Uh, I had thought displays of the national motto were explicitly authorized by Congressional law. Humph.

vartian: SkinnyHead: Even if the courts won't help him, he can still take his case to the voters of the school district. If voters would take more interest in school board elections, you wouldn't have schools administrators acting out their anti-religion hostilities like this.

You are aware that a local school board cannot make changes to the First Amendment? I am assuming you have a basic idea how our system of laws work. That may be where I am going wrong.

The first amendment does not force voters to elect school board members who are hostile to patriotism and religion.

vartian: deffuse:

They can't? I joined the PTA specifically to change the 5th amendment - does that mean I'm out of luck?

You're in for a bit of an uphill climb :)

Haha, I just picked one at random (not American) and managed to choose quite possibly the worst one - go me!

This is one of those "of all the things" moment.

Its like when the Republicans tried to defund PBS and NPR. Of all the priorities we have in this country someone take offense to three little words?

cman: This is one of those "of all the things" moment.

Its like when the Republicans tried to defund PBS and NPR. Of all the priorities we have in this country someone take offense to three little words?

An odd false equivalency, that.

SkinnyHead: The first amendment does not force voters to elect school board members who are hostile to patriotism and religion.

"The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe in blood for centuries." - James Madison, 1803.

"History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. This marks the lowest grade of ignorance, of which their political as well as religious leaders will always avail themselves for their own purpose." - Thomas Jefferson, 1813.

"No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever." - Thomas Jefferson, 1786.

"All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit." - Thomas Paine, 1794.

I guess those guys weren't patriots.

ignatius_crumbcake: SkinnyHead: The first amendment does not force voters to elect school board members who are hostile to patriotism and religion.

"The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe in blood for centuries." - James Madison, 1803.

"History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. This marks the lowest grade of ignorance, of which their political as well as religious leaders will always avail themselves for their own purpose." - Thomas Jefferson, 1813.

"No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever." - Thomas Jefferson, 1786.

"All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit." - Thomas Paine, 1794.

I guess those guys weren't patriots.

"Derp." - SkinnyHead, 2004-2012

And just why do you think "In God We Trust" refers to your(or any specific) particular imaginary diety?

Word is pretty nodescript.

You are just gonna have to go start your own country somewhere else.

Now, if you are going to park your rearend here, get back to work on this one.