<style>div.iw_mail p{margin:0;padding:0;}</style><div class="iw_mail" dir="LTR"><style>div.<span class="spell">iw</span>_mail p{margin:0;padding:0;}</style><div class="iw_mail" dir="LTR"><p>Saundra</p><p>I agree that no one should be forced to prey. How do you accommodate them with out violating the rights of those who wish to prey? Before I retired I shared my office for a time with a Muslim(nice guy). He asked me it was alright if he said his prayers at noon. I told him it was fine with me. Every day at noon he got out his carpet, knelled on it and said his prayer, while I continued to work.</p><p>Roger<br></p><div class="signature"></div><br><blockquote class="reply_block" style="padding-left: 1em; font-family: tahoma,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-left: 1em; border-left-color: blue; border-left-width: 2px; border-left-style: solid;" dir="LTR"><hr size="1">-----Original Message-----<br>From: "Saundra Lund" <v2020@ssl1.fastmail.fm><br>To: viz <vision2020@moscow.com><br>Date: 10/31/13 11:32<br>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] False ACLU claim/forwarded photos<br><br>
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<div class="WordSection1"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style='color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;'>Thanks, Sunil, for following up on this. I knew the anti-ACLU claims made in the viral email were <b>false</b> and intended to respond . . . but then I forgot. I’m grateful you didn’t because the ACLU’s work protecting religious freedom is something near and dear to my heart.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;'>I completely support the ACLU’s work regarding religious freedom. In a previous lifetime (circa 1998), as a State employee, our regional program manager required mandatory participation in Christian prayers (of the “in Jesus Christ’s name, amen” variety) during staff meetings. As a Christian, I found the practice outrageous and a violation of my First Amendment rights as well as my rights under the Idaho Constitution, but what really got me hot under the collar was the fact that I had a couple of Jewish co-workers as well as some who were agnostics and atheists.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;'>Unlike my co-worker pals who were afraid of losing their jobs if they complained, and not being afraid to speak truth to power <g>, I tried talking with my department manager, and with the manager’s manager, to no avail (“there’s no harm in it – non-Christians can just be quiet and bow their heads anyway”). When reason failed, I contacted the Idaho chapter of the ACLU.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;'>Fortunately, the head of Idaho’s Department of Health & Welfare had a better grasp of constitutional protections than did either of the managers I spoke with, remedial education was provided to H&W managers around the state (or maybe just in this region – I don’t recall – but I think it was state-wide because there had been another incident in H&W almost a year before that was then before the IPC), and the practice ended, at least in my program.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;'>Had it not been for the ACLU’s staunch advocacy of religious freedom, there’s not a doubt in my mind that unconstitutional practice would have continued & likely have spread until someone decided to sue to get the practice stopped, which would have cost the State of Idaho a <b>lot</b> of money for trampling on both the State & US Constitutions.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;'>So, thanks Sunil, for getting the correct info out here </span> <span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 11pt;">J</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;'> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;'>Saundra</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;'>Moscow, ID</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;'> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;'>No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;'>~ Aesop (The Lion and the Mouse)</span></p>
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<div><div style="border-width: 1pt medium medium; border-style: solid none none; border-color: rgb(181, 196, 223) currentColor currentColor; padding: 3pt 0in 0in;"><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style='font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'>From:</span></b> <span style='font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'>vision2020-bounces@moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com] <b>On Behalf Of</b> Sunil Ramalingam<br><b>Sent:</b> Thursday, October 31, 2013 6:37 AM<br><b>To:</b> vision 2020<br><b>Subject:</b> [Vision2020] False ACLU claim/forwarded photos</span></p></div></div>
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<div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";'>Tom,<br><br>Yesterday you forwarded a collection of touching pictures. I've tried to respond to that message, but can't do so, so I'm responding this way.<br><br>The claim at the end is false.<br><br><a href="http://jacksonville.com/news/2013-04-05/story/fact-check-aclu-fighting-prayer-military" target="_blank">http://jacksonville.com/news/2013-04-05/story/fact-check-aclu-fighting-prayer-military</a><br><br>It appears the ACLU does oppose mandatory prayer:<br><br><a href="https://www.aclu.org/religion-belief/aclu-calls-end-mandatory-prayer-us-naval-academy">https://www.aclu.org/religion-belief/aclu-calls-end-mandatory-prayer-us-naval-academy</a><br><br>Sunil</span></p></div> </div><hr>=======================================================<br>
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