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Page: Profile: Wren's Nest News Local
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Article: 19727
[Civil]
Date Posted:
5/28/2008
5:21:35 pm EDT
Wvox Stats
Views: 6,531
RSS: 11,287
Comments: 23
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ACLU Files Suit In Poplar Bluff 'Harry Potter' Case
Author: Southeast Missourian Source: Southeast Missourian
Title: ACLU FILES SUIT IN POPLAR BLUFF 'HARRY POTTER' CASE
The American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri announced Tuesday via news release that it has filed a suit on behalf of a part-time librarian in Poplar Bluff, Mo., who was disciplined after she objected to participating in the promotion of a "Harry Potter" book.
The employee, Deborah Smith, had religious objections to the promotion, "which she believed encouraged children to worship the occult," according to the news release.
Additional Article Link: [Click HERE]
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Community Thoughts: There are 23 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| Absolutely? | May 31st. at 10:04:22 am EDT
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Panthea Ge (T-Town, Michigan) - Email Me
I'm not trying to be a blackfly, but I accept the role.
All I'm saying is that this article is vague and says that she felt like not working that evening because of her religious views. So what? Did she tell her employer about them or did she *assume* that they all understood her feelings (because everyone automatically knows what every Christian thinks and feels because they're all the same, right?) If it wasnt VOICED (and the article only says how she feels a yar after the event) and voiced before the event, then she has no case.
"but I thought you knew how I felt" is as disasterous to court cases as it is to relationships. We cannot know who is right and who is wrong from a blurb. It would be like judging how well a car performs based on the design quality of its hood ornament.
I, for one, would like more information before I declare a winner here. And I hope the library wasnt that stupid.
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| Absolutely In The Right | May 31st. at 8:15:17 am EDT
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Medicine Feather The Traveller (Fort Collins, Washington) - Email Me
This woman deserves to win, regardless of religion. Were I told I was to dress as a bishop to promote the newest installment of the Left Behind books I would tell em to stuff themselves too. The workplace has to respect an employee's religious beliefs no matter what. This is a battle I am currently fighting in my own workplace. My scheduling manager has been refusing to give me my one day off per month to go to my religious functions because he is a Roman Catholic and he says it's OK to have me work those days since my religion offends God (sic) . As a result of that sort of sentiment (he says he's kidding around, but the schedule says he's not) , he is being removed from scheduling altogether next month due to my objections on the matter. My point is, it doesn't matter if you're Wiccan, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim or a devotee of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Your religion and the constitution guarantees your right to do whatever you need to for worship without infringement. If you need a day off work to give offerings to the Caramelized Apple demon that eats your homework on Tuesdays, they are required to give that day to you, even if they think it's dumb. So kudos to the ACLU for defending all of us who still have a faith, no matter what it is.
Master Feather
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| She Was A Public Employee | May 30th. at 12:41:31 pm EDT
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Serenity (Pinckney, Michigan) - Email Me
First of all she wasn't refusing peoples right to check out the books, she simply was refusing to promote it. Her refusal to dress up or attend an after hours promotion due to religious beilef should have been recognized. She wasn't infringing on anyone elses rights. The libary was in the wrong.
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| Within Rights | May 30th. at 11:53:25 am EDT
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LD Wolverine (Edmonton, Ontario) - Email Me
Although I think this womans beliefs, where Harry Potter is concerned, are inacurate to the point of borderline paranoia...she had every right to wish to NOT be forced to work around a bunch of dressed up people...and to not be forced to dress up herself.
The article clearly states
"Library employees were expected to dress as witches and wizards at a July 21 Potter book release party at the library, an after-hours event"
Even as a Witch myself, I would absolutely object to my job forcing me to play dress up in order to promote anything, be it reading or profit mongering I dont care.
I hope the ALCU nails the library to the wall for this one. No one should be forced to do such things at the expense of their livelyhoods, no matter how misplaced their belief systems are.
I would like to know how many people here would be making the same statements if a Witch were working for a library that fired her because she refused to wear a cross and habit in support of the newest addition of the bible. I think we'd be all up in arms over THAT one...so why would it be different now?
Putting the shoe on the other foot makes things seem a little different now doesnt it.
Heck, I think we'd all be pissed that they would even do it, my goodness promote something Christian...how terrible.
I totally understand that Harry Potter has absolutely NOTHING to do with Paganism...it is a work of fiction...but still the fact remains that she didn't want to do it because of her religion...it wasnt going to hurt anyone if she stayed home that night.
And it is NOTHING like a pharmisist, even making that comparison is about as intelligent as comparing apples to oranges. Her decision did not affect someone's health and she has no obligation to her profession.
Sheesh.
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| What If? | May 30th. at 3:27:48 am EDT
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Terry (Irvington, Virginia) - Email Me
What if a pharmacist refused to dispense sinus medications, because he claimed his religion banned abortions?
We'd likely be questioning whether he was grossly incompetent as a professional in his field, if not outright psychotic, as well as discussing issues of when simply working in that field requires suspending personal prejudices to the extent they conflict with obligations to serve patients.
In this case, it's clear that the event in question is secular and intended to use theatrics to promote reading by kids. Ms. Smith's complaints have about as much to do with witchcraft as sinus med's have to do with fertility management. That opens a slippery slope of evaluating legitimate requests for religious accommodation, versus basic competency to deal in the issues of being a librarian and potentially advising kids on books in an honest or professional fashion.
On top of those issues of distinguishing sanity or competency from sincere religious beliefs, there are obligations for government agents to perform in a secular and religion-neutral manner so long as they are in those job roles. It appears Ms. Smith has some serious impediments to that legal obligation, as her actions in this case are only marginally different from steering kids away from select religious or philosophical content she dislikes, or refusing to shelve accurately or process books in or out if she dislikes the topics of them.
What if a Christian Identity supremacist cult member were employed as a history teacher? Would religious objections justify substituting Holocaust denial for curriculum, or injecting views on how freeing slaves or ending local theocracies somehow caused the breakdown of our nation's (alleged, nonexistent) christian roots? What if pagan and Jewish teachers were part of a group acting out a historic scene for educational purposes, and those roles called for portraying members of three Protestant sects? I'd guess most supremacist cult recruits would have great trouble acting competent as teachers, whereas the pagans and Jews would likely not find a conflict between legitimate teaching where religions other than their own were significant to local history, and their personal paths.
This kind of case may be difficult to seriously evaluate without a detailed finding of facts not available in a press article. What facts are presented leave open questions about whether Ms. Smith was best suited for limited job duties to reduce her ability to violate legal duties as a government agent supporting education of kids, or be encouraged to resign as she ultimately did. Depending on how the technical legal details were handled and documented, Ms. Smith and the local ACLU chapter may well both be wrong in this case.
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| Hard To Believe | May 29th. at 10:48:03 pm EDT
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Dancingdog (Bend, Oregon) - Email Me
My first feeling about this is, "Payback is a bitch,Xian." However any right denied to them can, and, most likely, has been denied to us. Thank the Gods and Goddesses that there is a large and influential lawfirm in this nation who's only client is the Constitution. Have you paid your ACLU dues this year? I have.
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| It Works Both Ways | May 29th. at 8:24:38 pm EDT
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Rik Potter Butler, HP (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) - Email Me
I do agree that she should not have been forced to attend a function that conflicts with her religious beliefs, just like the rest of us should not be forced by our jobs to attend Christian-themed functions. It is definately discrimination.
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| I Would Stand Up Against Harry Potter Books, Too.. | May 29th. at 2:31:44 pm EDT
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Naya (Memphis, Tennessee) - Email Me
Not because they teach kids to worship the devil, but because they teach adults that it's acceptable to read childrens' books and call them "literature."
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| She Was Discriminated Against. | May 29th. at 1:57:28 pm EDT
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Moonlight Wolf (Bradford, England) - Email Me
The Harry Potter do was after hours so she wouldn't have been paid for it, what did the library have to lose by letting her have the day off?
She did not demand that they not have the Harry Potter do she just asked not to take part. She didn't say nobody else could.
The ACLU is right on this one.
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| Not Enough Information!! | May 29th. at 10:41:38 am EDT
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Panthea Ge (T-Town, Michigan) - Email Me
Sure, she had the right to not work at the function. BUT (big but!) they dont comment on her former work relationships, it doesnt say she claimed religious differences when protesting working at the event, and it doesnt explain why someone who is so clearly biased against a healthy portion of the books in a library WORKING IN A LIBRARY???!!!
It could be that she had been a foul little book-burner and they were just hoping to get rid of her. However, if she said something to the effect of "it's against my religion to promote this event." and they still did this, shame on them. If not, she should just suck it up and find a job at Wal Mart already.
Ge
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| Agreed. She Should Have Been Elsewhere.. | May 29th. at 10:29:08 am EDT
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bigcat (peoria, Illinois) - Email Me
She should not have been forced to attend. After all, while I don't agree with her views at all, I do know what it is to be in various situations, uttering stupid slogans or doing something one doesn't like or can't stand, but has to attend to because one's job is connected to it and\or they are shorthanded.
Still, if it's in the job description most of us have had to bite the bullet on more than a few occasions until it's nearly bitten in half, especially when overtime is involved.
She should have been assigned something different while the promotion was going on since she had to be there. After all, they knew how she felt. I just hope they can resolve it equitably, since libraries aren't noted for great wealth these days.
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| I Give Them About Six Months ... | May 29th. at 8:38:07 am EDT
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Sailordada (Wheeling, Illinois) - Email Me
... until Christians forget the ACLU took on a Christian religious rights case. Christians will be back saying that the ACLU is a godless communist organization, like with every Christian religious rights case the ACLU has taken on.
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| Unfortunately... | May 29th. at 8:36:36 am EDT
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Chatoyancy (Louisville, Kentucky) - Email Me
...most libraries are so underfunded that these "after hours events" are usually mandatory, even though the employees rarely get paid for their time. I often ended up working 20+ unpaid hours each week, and I was full-time. It's a bad situation all around. The needy public screams for more, more, MORE like a spoiled toddler. The city demands libraries meet these unreasonable demands, whilst in the same breath denying the funds and help to do so.
As for what happened to this part-time librarian, I have to agree with her. It was totally inappropriate and unnecessary. I have to wonder how much of it was because she wouldn't dress up and how much of it was because she wouldn't work for free.
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| Oh Lordy What We Gonna Do ? | May 29th. at 4:42:46 am EDT
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GreeneDragon (Palmdale, California) - Email Me
The ACLU is defending a Christian's right to be a Christian! How will the Fundies ever be able to call them an organization of godless communists again?
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| Religious Freedom | May 28th. at 9:41:26 pm EDT
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Rev. Velvet Michael (Mesa, Arizona) - Email Me
Ok, when I first started to read this story, I though OK, here we go, another fundy with their panties in a knot about Harry Potter. After reading the full article, I do have to say that the woman is being treated unfairly. The article stated that this was an afterhours event and that the woman had requested that time off because of her religious beliefs. If this is true, she should have been allowed the time off and not be penalized for her request. Religious freedom works both ways, I don't expect to have them shove their beliefs down my throat, and I don't expect them to have to have my beliefs shoved down their throats. I know that this was just another case of BS regarding Harry Potter, but her beliefs are her own. She attempted to take an alternate route to keep her religious beliefs from becoming a problem for others and was slapped down for doing so. While I don't disagree with her lawsuit, I feel that what she is awarded should be within reason. I don't feel that this constitutes an award of several hundred thousads of dollars, but instead she should be paid for the time she was forced to take off with pay and she should receive funds for what she was forced to go through. Hopefully this can be settled in a manner that satisfy's this woman, but doesn't cause extreme hardship for a small community library.
Brightest Blessings
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