Free Speech Goes Both Ways
A young man named Damon Fowler from Bastrop, Louisiana threatened to contact the ACLU if a public prayer was said at his high school graduation. Fowler is an Atheist and pointed out to the superintendent that the action would be against Louisiana state law. In a post on Reddit, Fowler acknowledged that he's in the Bible Belt and said while the school administration backed down, others didn't.
In the end, a prayer was said by one of the students at the Senior Night held last night. The Lord's Prayer was broadcast over the PA system before a moment of silence during the ceremony. According to Damon's family, no one booed while he received his diploma.
All's well that ends well, right? Apparently not...
Now Damon's brother Jerrett is threatening to sick lawyers from Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) on a teacher who opened up to reporters about Damon Fowler.
Mitzi Quinn has been on the staff at BHS for almost 25 years, much of that time as a senior advisor. In the past, Quinn said there have been students who were atheist, agnostic and other non-Christian religions who “had no problems” with the prayer.
“They respected the majority of their classmates and didn’t say anything,” Quinn said. “We’ve never had this come up before. Never.”
Throughout her time working with the student, Quinn said they never expressed their personal beliefs or that they had any problems with other students’ Christian faiths.
“And what’s even more sad is this is a student who really hasn’t contributed anything to graduation or to their classmates,” Quinn said.
[Source]
The article points out a few things that weren't mentioned in the Reddit posting by Fowler OR his brother, like the fact that this is the first time in the school's history that the prayer was being protested. Fowler and his brother also left out the fact that the school had to swallow the cost to re-print the programs for the graduation ceremony.
If this was REALLY an issue for Damon Fowler, don't you think he would have raised it sooner?
It's also worth mentioning that, for someone who wants his brother treated with respect, he certainly doesn't treat others with the same courtesy:
Booing is the least of our worries. These people are gun toting, atheist hating, gay hating, african american hating, bigots with an itchy trigger finger and a fist always ready to pummel.
[Source]
The 'Fire Mitzi Quinn' Facebook page is also full of vitriol:
Hugo Q P: Stupid bitch! You have no right to publicly denigrate a student. You are vile and mentally chanllenge I think!
Scott M M: Nah, I want the parochial bitch fired. Teachers need to encourage young people to think and act for themselves, to see new possibilities and other worlds outside of the confines of their little neighborhood and its customs. This ignorant bitch is doing just the *opposite* !!! Fire her, and quick, and replace her with someone actually qualified to teach and encourage young minds !!!
Ms. Quinn exercised her rights to free speech just as Damon Fowler did and now Fowler, his brother, and their supporters are after Quinn simply because she spoke up. Their actions regarding her words are just as intolerable as the actions of those people who were threatening Damon for standing up for his rights!
UPDATE: For anyone who wants to say the valedictorian broke the law for praying during the ceremony anyway, Louisiana state law says otherwise:
2006 Louisiana Code - RS 17:2115.3 - Student-initiated, student-led prayer; participation
§2115.3. Student-initiated, student-led prayer; participation
No law, rule, or policy shall deny to any student attending a public elementary or secondary school the right to participate in voluntary, student-initiated, student-led prayer.
Acts 1995, No. 264, §1.
Many of Damon's supporters are calling for the ACLU to sue the school and even the student for praying during the ceremony, but they wouldn't have a case against either entity.
In the end, a prayer was said by one of the students at the Senior Night held last night. The Lord's Prayer was broadcast over the PA system before a moment of silence during the ceremony. According to Damon's family, no one booed while he received his diploma.
All's well that ends well, right? Apparently not...
Now Damon's brother Jerrett is threatening to sick lawyers from Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) on a teacher who opened up to reporters about Damon Fowler.
Mitzi Quinn has been on the staff at BHS for almost 25 years, much of that time as a senior advisor. In the past, Quinn said there have been students who were atheist, agnostic and other non-Christian religions who “had no problems” with the prayer.
“They respected the majority of their classmates and didn’t say anything,” Quinn said. “We’ve never had this come up before. Never.”
Throughout her time working with the student, Quinn said they never expressed their personal beliefs or that they had any problems with other students’ Christian faiths.
“And what’s even more sad is this is a student who really hasn’t contributed anything to graduation or to their classmates,” Quinn said.
[Source]
The article points out a few things that weren't mentioned in the Reddit posting by Fowler OR his brother, like the fact that this is the first time in the school's history that the prayer was being protested. Fowler and his brother also left out the fact that the school had to swallow the cost to re-print the programs for the graduation ceremony.
If this was REALLY an issue for Damon Fowler, don't you think he would have raised it sooner?
It's also worth mentioning that, for someone who wants his brother treated with respect, he certainly doesn't treat others with the same courtesy:
Booing is the least of our worries. These people are gun toting, atheist hating, gay hating, african american hating, bigots with an itchy trigger finger and a fist always ready to pummel.
[Source]
The 'Fire Mitzi Quinn' Facebook page is also full of vitriol:
Hugo Q P: Stupid bitch! You have no right to publicly denigrate a student. You are vile and mentally chanllenge I think!
Scott M M: Nah, I want the parochial bitch fired. Teachers need to encourage young people to think and act for themselves, to see new possibilities and other worlds outside of the confines of their little neighborhood and its customs. This ignorant bitch is doing just the *opposite* !!! Fire her, and quick, and replace her with someone actually qualified to teach and encourage young minds !!!
Ms. Quinn exercised her rights to free speech just as Damon Fowler did and now Fowler, his brother, and their supporters are after Quinn simply because she spoke up. Their actions regarding her words are just as intolerable as the actions of those people who were threatening Damon for standing up for his rights!
UPDATE: For anyone who wants to say the valedictorian broke the law for praying during the ceremony anyway, Louisiana state law says otherwise:
2006 Louisiana Code - RS 17:2115.3 - Student-initiated, student-led prayer; participation
§2115.3. Student-initiated, student-led prayer; participation
No law, rule, or policy shall deny to any student attending a public elementary or secondary school the right to participate in voluntary, student-initiated, student-led prayer.
Acts 1995, No. 264, §1.
Many of Damon's supporters are calling for the ACLU to sue the school and even the student for praying during the ceremony, but they wouldn't have a case against either entity.