Hemant Mehta's Blog, page 1995

Religious Home-Schooling Parents in Virginia Aren’t Regulated At All, but One District is Trying to Change That

Last year, The Washington Post‘s Susan Svrluga wrote an incredible story about a home-schooled student, Josh Powell, who desperately wanted to attend public school because he knew his parents were not teaching him properly.

It didn’t work. Despite the setback, Josh eventually enrolled in a community college and later got accepted to Georgetown University (based on his strong desire to learn). As for his 11 (not a typo) siblings? They were still stuck at home, doomed to the same fate.

Not all home-schooling is this ideal

I’m not opposed to home-schooling. But one of the reasons Josh was in this position was because Virginia doesn’t regulate parents who home-school their kids. Once you say you want to do it, government officials never check up on your kids to see that they’re really learning anything. There’s absolutely no oversight — the parents don’t have to inform the state what curriculum they’re using or show in any way that their kids are learning anything. And the kids don’t get a say in the decision, either. You hope the kids are in good, well-educated hands, but you never really know.

A couple of weeks ago, I met a representative from Home School Legal Defense Association and raised these concerns: Aren’t you worried that some home-schooling parents don’t know what they’re doing and might deprive their kids of a decent education? Shouldn’t there be at least some regulation to make sure they’re upholding their end of the deal The response I got was similar to the one HSLDA Chairman Michael Farris gave in the article: Yes, that’s a concern, but a lot of public school districts also fail to give students a good education, so why single out these parents?

In other words, it’s a big race to the bottom. (They suck, so why can’t we suck, too?)

I said back to the guy: Some public schools are bad, sure, but (at least in theory) they’re held accountable for it.

He didn’t respond back after that.

I bring all of this up because a Virginia public school district just took a major step toward fixing this problem:

The Botetourt County School Board voted last week to ask the Virginia School Board Association to include in its legislative package a tweak to current law that would require parents and their children to certify annually that they are conscientiously opposed to school attendance.

Look at how simple that is: They’re still not asking parents to specify a curriculum or prove their kids are learning more each year. They just want these parents and their kids to come back every year and say they’re still okay with this home-schooling thing.

Compared to the current practice of doing nothing, this is quite possibly the least the state could do.

But even that simple suggestion is hitting a roadblock:

… an effort by Buckingham County to institute a review earlier this year was met with strong resistance by the Home School Legal Defense Association, [Botetourt County Superintendent Tony Brads] said.

This is the kind of home-schooling mentality that’s despicable, the one that says you’re not accountable to anybody for what your children learn, even if your kids are the very ones being damaged by all of this. If you’re doing a decent job as a home-schooling parent and your kids are fine with it, there’s nothing to worry about. If either of those two things isn’t the case, then at least the state can look into alternatives to help your kids obtain an education.

It’s not federal overreach. It’s not like anyone’s dictating curriculum to Christian parents. Nothing bad would happen to the religious parents who educate their kids well, with their consent. But it would at least put a safety net under the current policy that regulates nothing at home and screws over kids like Josh Powell.

As a public school teacher, there are *so* many things we have to do if an individual student is failing to help that child out. In the coming years, a portion of my own evaluation will be based on how much my students improve in the year I have them in class. And if the school as a whole is failing, the state can take action, including closing the whole place down. Even if you argue that there are students who slip through the cracks, at least those kinds of failsafes are in place at public schools, even if they’re not always applied consistently.

It;s not perfect by any means. But it’s way better than the current system in Virginia that lets religious home-schooling parents do anything they want, even if that means squandering their kids’ chances at getting a proper education.

Incidentally, I asked KellyAnne Kitchin, a Humanist home-schooling parent who used to live in Virginia, how she felt about the district’s proposal and she told me this:

As an atheist homeschooling parent, I have no problem with letting the state know every year that we intend to homeschool again the following year and providing evidence of progress. I think every homeschooling family should do the same.

And, just to offer a counterpoint, I also spoke with Karen Loethen, an atheist home-schooling parent who blogs at My Own Mind. She told me her biggest issue here was with exemptions given to parents on the basis of their religious beliefs. She would prefer that all home-schooling parents be treated equally, with none of them having to report to the government at all.

My own suspicion is that most secular parents who home-school their kids would side with Kitchin. To them, this isn’t about government persecution; it’s about basic accountability.

(Image via Shutterstock. Thanks to Scott for the link)

Shocker: Bus Driver Whose Bible Supposedly Stopped Two Bullets Made the Whole Thing Up

Remember the Dayton, Ohio public-bus driver who, in February, was assaulted by three teenagers? Rickey Wagoner‘s assailants supposedly fired three shots at him, point blank, and stabbed him for good measure. The story made national news because Wagoner told everyone his survival was a bona fide miracle: two bullets aimed at his chest never penetrated the Bible that he happened to carry there. Praise the Lord!

Just like the bulk of the stories in Wagoner’s favorite book, his account of the attack turns out to have been nothing but a fanciful fabrication (I guess the man doesn’t believe in the Biblical commandment that prohibits bearing false witness).

Here’s why police investigators are now calling Wagoner’s account pure bunkum:

A video and audio recording of the incident by a device aboard the bus showed Wagoner had only 22 seconds to disarm two of the assailants, stab one of them with his own pen knife, fire at them with the bullets remaining in the handgun he said he had wrestled away from one of men, and travel 200 to 300 feet to get back on his bus. He then radioed in to the dispatcher, but did not appear to be out of breath or winded, [Dayton Police Chief Richard] Biehl said, or having just been involved in a life-or-death struggle.

Additionally, Wagoner said a religious book stopped two of the bullets fired at him. Two bullets were found lodged in the book titled, “The Message,” which is a modern translation of the Bible that was inside Wagoner’s shirt pocket. Biehl said it’s “not credible” that bullets were fired into the book without penetrating the torso. … Police ballistics tests showed that bullets fired from the handgun — a 25-caliber Raven model semiautomatic — at the same distance as had been fired at Wagoner’s book penetrated the book and traveled 15 inches through a gel designed to simulate the effect of bullets on a human body.]

Also,

Biehl also said Wagoner’s injuries were not consistent with defensive wounds, but were consistent with hesitation wounds. Alongside a deeper wound were shallower, smaller cuts. The knife Wagoner said he used to stab one assailant was never recovered.

Wagoner owes the city of Dayton more than $100,000 in property taxes, Biehl said. The Chief speculated that the bus driver may have planned to enrich himself by inventing a tale that, in a country where religious bullshit sells like hotcakes, might have conceivably made him the next Todd Burpo.

Remarkably, the cops do not intend to file charges against the bus driver for his false statements; and all that the city of Dayton has done so far is suspend Wagoner — with pay.

I suppose we’ll never know if the authorities would treat Muslims or atheists who are guilty of similar infractions with such leniency and consideration.

Pastafarian Advice: Wearing a Colander on Your Head Is Amusing on a Driver’s License, Not So Much on a Gun License

I posted yesterday about a New Zealand man, Russell, who took a driver’s license picture with a colander on his head (as members of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster do):

The reception was almost universally positive. I’m sure there were a few people scratching their heads if they didn’t understand the statement he was actually making — about how you can get away with just about anything if you say it’s part of your religious beliefs — but that’s inevitable.

It turns out an Australian atheist learned about that confusion the hard way. Guy Albon wore the Pastafarian head-covering when he took the picture… for his gun license:

Everything was fine until about six months later, when he needed to make a classification change:

… police became nervous about allowing a man with a colander on his head access to firearms.

He said two uniformed officers visited his home and seized his licence and four firearms — two rifles and two handguns worth about $2000 in total — until a psychiatrist confirmed he was safe to own weapons.

…

Despite passing the [psychological] test, he was told the licence with the colander photo had been destroyed and he would have to be photographed again, this time without the headpiece.

I’m amazed.

Not that police came to his home, but how, in Australia, they have to confirm that you’re safe to own weapons. (Ha!)

Albon decided to comply and take a new strainer-free picture. But he has to get his driver’s license renewed soon and he vows that he’ll wear the colander again:

“What are they gonna do, come and take my car off me?”

(Thanks to Julia for the link)

A New Website for Atheists Who Have Suffered the Death of a Loved One

In 2011, after dealing with the loss of her three-month-old son and the typical reactions she received from well-meaning friends and family members, atheist Rebecca Hensler began a Facebook group called Grief Beyond Belief:

“I quickly found a network of parents who were also grieving the deaths of their children at The Compassionate Friends (a 42-year-old parental grief support group). But I often felt alienated by assurances from other members that my son was in heaven or by offers to pray for me, comforts that were kindly meant but that I do not believe and cannot accept. It wasn’t until an atheist member reached out to me in friendship that I understood what I had been missing.”

That group now has more than 10,000 Likes and Rebecca is ready to take it to the next level. Today, Grief Beyond Belief is moving to its own website, where there are far more resources for those who need it:

a library of over 200 links to purely secular grief and grief-support writing, videos and podcasts, sortable by topic or medium
a directory of secular grief resources, including secular and humanist funeral officiants
a blog featuring links to new grief writing, news and media related to secular grief as well content written specifically for Grief Beyond Belief.

The website will also feature forums in which members can share thoughts, feelings and stories, seek and offer comfort and advice, and post tributes to the loved ones they are grieving. Sub-forums include: grieving while recovering from religion, specific losses such as babyloss or suicide, and dealing with religion and the religious, as well as certain topics that have not been considered appropriate for the Facebook support group, such as debate about death and grief.

I hope I never have to use it… but I’m relieved and thankful to Rebecca for putting it together for that inevitable moment when it becomes necessary.

Jason Heap, Atheist Candidate to Become a Chaplain in the U.S. Navy, Gets Rejected

Jason Heap wanted to become a chaplain in the U.S. Navy and seemed perfectly qualified for the position: He earned two master’s degrees (including one in divinity), passed his physicals, and completed the paperwork… but what he doesn’t have is the endorsement of a religious organization that’s currently approved by the Navy.

Jason Heap

That’s because Heap is a Humanist whose endorsement comes from the Humanist Society.

Last month, the Navy rejected his application. They didn’t say why, only that a lot of people were rejected, but it’s not hard to connect the dots given Heap’s impeccable credentials.

Robyn Blumner, the executive director for the Richard Dawkins Foundation and project director for Openly Secular, explains why the Navy’s decision is so narrow-minded and wrong:

The fact is there are more atheists and other non-theists in our armed forces than any other non-Christian denomination, yet there are currently no chaplains exclusively representing non-theistic beliefs. Non-theists in the military outnumber Hindus, Muslims and Jews combined, all of whom have chaplains for their respective religions.

Nonreligious service members face the same questions about life and death, fear and loss as any other person in the military. These brave men and women should not have to face them alone while their religious counterparts receive support and guidance.

…

Heap’s rejection represents bald-faced, government-sanctioned discrimination. It communicates a distaste for America’s largest growing cohort: people who profess to have no religious affiliation.

Heap issued only a brief statement after his rejection:

“I am exceptionally disappointed and aggrieved by the Navy’s initial rejection of my application,” he said in a written statement. “I will continue to seek acceptance. I hope military leaders will open their hearts to humanists and give me the opportunity to serve all sailors as a chaplain for the next 20 years or more.”

Meanwhile, the Christian Right group Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, celebrated Heap’s denial… because they’re assholes.

“Chaplains, historically and by definition, are people of faith,” said Chaplain (COL) Ron Crews, USAR retired, executive director of Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty. “You can’t have an ‘atheist chaplain’ any more than you can have a ‘tiny giant’ or a ‘poor millionaire.’ Chaplains have been serving military members since 1775 by bringing God to soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, and members of the Coast Guard. I am grateful that, in this decision, the Navy has honored our long tradition of providing for the spiritual needs of the men and women who serve our nation in the military.”

Crews is hung up on the terminology, which already favors people of faith. Forget the word “chaplain.” Think “counselor.” As Blumner noted, atheists, too, think about life and death and I imagine that’s even more pronounced when you’re in the military. Going to a religious counselor who doesn’t understand where you’re coming from is obviously not as helpful as speaking with a counselor who gets your godlessness.

Having a Humanist chaplain would take absolutely nothing away from religious chaplains — just as a Muslim or Jewish chaplain wouldn’t. Through their statement, Crews and his allies make clear that they care more about maintaining their religious privilege than they do taking care of the mental health of so many men and women in the Navy who don’t believe in a god.

Todd Stiefel, the chair of Openly Secular, sent a letter to Rear Admiral Mark L. Tidd, the Chief of Chaplains to the U.S. Navy urging them to reconsider Heap’s rejection. The Navy acknowledged receiving the letter but haven’t said they’d give the matter a second thought.

Nuns File Lawsuit Against Strip Club Outside Chicago, Claiming It’s Too Close to Their Convent

Last week, the Missionary Sisters of St. Charles Borromeo filed suit to shut down Club Allure, a strip club operating next door to the convent. They allege that Club Allure violates a state law prohibiting adult-entertainment establishments within 1,000 feet of a school or place of worship. (You can read the complaint in PDF form here.)

The sisters, who aren’t taking this lying down, filed their suit against both Club Allure and the village of Stone Park through the Thomas More Society, a non-profit Catholic law firm. Naturally, one assumes that none of the good Christians at the firm have ever actually set foot inside Club Allure, but they have noted in the complaint that

… its internet descriptions and advertising give ample cause to believe that the club features many scantily clad, nude, or partially nude dancers and other entertainers, both male and female.

Not that we, y’know, looked or anything. Because that would be a sin.

That’s just the first of many complaints the Sisters have against their neighbors. Club Allure and its clients, advertised as operating until 5:00a, stand accused of:

Decorating their property with bright, flashing neon lights;
Playing loud music;
Public drunkenness and violence;
Littering, including alcohol bottles and used condoms;
Selling alcohol, which must be resupplied daily by really heavy trucks;
Allowing women to walk the streets around closing time, “alone or in groups, with or without accompanying males.”

The damages alleged include “fear for plaintiffs’ and other nearby residents’ physical safety” and “homeowners’ pride in their community”… because, of course, human sexuality is bad and nobody should ever enjoy it.

“I think most people would find that offensive, to put a strip club next to a home for sisters,” says Thomas More Society attorney Peter Breen.

Dean Krone, an attorney defending the town of Stone Park, argues that the state law is unconstitutional because its overly-restrictive zoning would keep a small town like Stone Park from being able to host a strip club at all, and under the First Amendment’s freedom-of-expression laws, municipalities are not allowed to ban such establishments entirely.

His colleague Robert Itzkow, who will be representing Club Allure in court, speculates that the lawsuit has less to do with noise and litter, and more to do with Catholic ideology and views on sexual morality… and the efforts of pious women to legally enforce those views.

Minnesota GOP Nominates Bible-Waving, Drunk-Driving, David-Barton-Loving Lawyer for State Supreme Court

Lawyer Michelle MacDonald, who faces DUI charges, just won the Minnesota GOP’s nomination to become a state Supreme Court judge.

Just before getting the nomination, MacDonald explained how she would make decisions: Forget the law. It’s all about the Bible:

When judges used to enter the courtroom, they would hold the Bible over their head, like this.

In the words of George Washington, it is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.

She’s a bad historian, too. There’s no evidence whatsoever that Washington said that. (Even Christian pseudo-historian David Barton, who popularized that lie in the first place, later admitted there was no proof he said it.)

She’s like a female version of Alabama’s Chief Justice Roy Moore, who installed a Ten Commandments monument right in the courthouse. (But with a DUI charge.)

She said later in her speech that she would be “committed to civil liberties, constitutional rights, human dignities, and fair treatment of all citizens children or adults.” Though I wonder if she would’ve applied those principles to gay couples if the state hadn’t legalized marriage equality last year…

There’s one more MacDonald incident worth noting:

The documents also contained information about a bizarre incident in 2013 where MacDonald, who was representing a client in court, was removed from the courtroom by deputies and placed in a cell.

According to the documents, MacDonald was handcuffed, placed in [a] wheel chair and wheeled back into the courtroom by a deputy. The hearing resumed and MacDonald continued to represent her client, but she was in a wheel chair and handcuffed. MacDonald was jailed for multiple days, but was eventually released without being charged.

That’s who the GOP just nominated to the highest court in the state.

Michele Bachmann will be proud, I’m sure.

(Thanks to Roger for the link)

In Town Where Supreme Court Case Originated, Atheist Will Deliver Invocation at Greece (NY) Board Meeting

From 1999 through 2007, Christians delivered every single invocation prayer at the meetings of the Greece (New York) Town Board. They weren’t prayers to a generic “God” either — they were specifically praying to Jesus Christ and the God of Christianity.

Even after town residents Susan Galloway and Linda Stephens spoke out against the practice, the board only went with a non-Christian invocation-giver at four of its next twelve meetings… before going back to their preferred Christian prayers.

Susan Galloway (left) and Linda Stephens (Heather Ainsworth – Bloomberg)

As everyone knows by now, Stephens and Galloway sued the board over this and took their case to the Supreme Court, where a 5-4 majority ruled against them, setting the stage for government meetings everywhere to open with sectarian prayers at the speaker’s discretion.

The silver lining to the case was that atheists weren’t excluded from giving those invocations (and no city could reject them). They could even give openly non-religious speeches if they wanted, though, so far, we’ve only seen atheists give remarks that are inclusive of everybody (which is the better route, anyway).

And on July 15, for the first time since the Supreme Court’s ruling, an atheist will deliver an invocation during the town of Greece’s board meeting.

Dan Courtney, a member of the Atheist Community of Rochester, will deliver the invocation and speak at the press conference, as will representatives of other organizations in support of church-state separation. Courtney’s invocation will center on the theme of inclusion in America, and how the Supreme Court’s decision in Greece v. Galloway conflicts with that ideal.

…

“The Supreme Court’s ill-reasoned decision in Greece v. Galloway opened the floodgates to government endorsement of particular religions, casting nonbelievers and those with minority religious views as second-class citizens,” said [president and CEO of the Center for Inquiry Ron] Lindsay. “But one recourse available to nonreligious Americans is to ensure that the beliefs of the majority are not the only ones expressed at these meetings, and that the voices of atheists, humanists, and other nonbelievers are also heard. It is fitting that we undertake such an effort at a board meeting of the Town of Greece itself.”

CFI will hold a press conference immediately after the invocation is delivered.

Hopefully, Courtney’s non-religious speech is only the first of many such speeches the Greece board members will have to hear. (Be careful what you wish for, right?)

New Zealand Pastafarian Wears Colander in Driver’s License Picture, Much to the Delight of Everyone

I’m still amused every time someone gets in the news for wearing a colander on his head (and it’s always a “he”) in order to highlight the concessions made to religious people.

Austrian Niko Alm first did it in 2011:

Eddie Castillo did something similar in Texas in 2013.

Also last year, Pomfret (New York) Town Board member Christopher Schaeffer wore one when he took his oath of office:

Christopher Schaeffer wears a strainer as he takes his oath (Greg Fox – The Observer)

And this week, in New Zealand, a man named Russell proudly proclaimed his membership in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster when his driver’s license picture went viral online:

At least he’s an organ donor. (Gotta love the penne-creas.)

He spoke about his decision with TV host John Campbell:

“I am complying in every respect to the New Zealand law, specifically concerning driver licences,” says Russell. “And I am simply claiming the same privileges awarded to those who claim to believe in a magic man in the sky. They can wear religious headwear.“

And, of course, if you’re religious, your beliefs must be respected… even if they make as much sense as having to wear a colander on your head.

Why Is This Colorado School District Promoting a Christian Mission Trip?

The American Humanist Association’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center just sent a letter to the Douglas County School District in Colorado detailing extensive evidence that district officials at Highlands Ranch High School and Cougar Run Elementary School, in their capacities as district employees, were promoting Christianity and raising money for a Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ mission trip.

The FCA made it clear why they were going to Guatemala: “… our group’s primary goal is to share the love and hope of Jesus.” Which is fine. They’re allowed to do that. But make no mistake: This trip, by their own admission, was about proselytizing, first and foremost.

Because this is a trip to preach the Gospel, the schools cannot support or raise money for those groups, even if the students had a secondary, more noble, goal of handing out toiletries and hygiene bags.

So this flyer that was given to all students and parents at the elementary school is a problem:

The flyer makes clear that the trip is sponsored both by the Christian student group (FCA) and the public school sixth grade class. The school made abundantly clear that it was supporting the mission trip in connection with the official sixth grade “Latin American social studies curriculum.”

The AHLC also documents an email sent by a school official to parents urging them to donate supplies and money, which including a bit about how sales of the school’s news publication would go toward the trip. They also noted a written by another teacher (in that capacity) writing about the purpose of the trip: “The heart of this journey is to share, celebrate, and honor Christ.”

If the schools wanted to donate to charity, there are plenty of non-Christian ways to do it. It’s not like a mission trip was the only option.

“Public schools are not in the business of proselytizing Christianity,” said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association. “This school is not only misusing taxpayer dollars, it’s infringing on the rights of all non-Christian students.”

…

Monica Miller, an attorney with the Appignani Humanist Legal Center, said, “School officials are not permitted to show preferential treatment toward any religious student group, let alone fundraise for mission trips to proselytize Christianity.”

The letter calls for the school district to cease its active participation in the conversion efforts of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, as well as to terminate any other similar activity.

I’m astonished that none of the administrators at either school saw fit to put a stop to this. How aloof do they have to be not to notice the problem?

The AHA is giving the district an easy out — all it has to do is promise never to do this again. Given how egregious these violations were, the district should be thankful this is all the AHA wants.