-Caveat Lector-
from: AMERICAN ATHEISTS
subject: AANEWS for September 28, 1999
A M E R I C A N A T H E I S T S
#644 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 9/28/99
http://www.atheists.org
ftp.atheists.org/pub/atheists/
http://www.americanatheist.org
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A Service of AMERICAN ATHEISTS
"Leading The Way For Atheist Civil Rights
And The Separation Of State and Church"
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In This Issue...
* New questions reported about Columbine "martyr" claims
* American Atheists to picket Promise Keepers this Saturday!
* Big Apple Atheists
* Resources
* About this list...
COLUMBINE "MARTYRDOM," OTHER DETAILS BEING QUESTIONED
AS OFFICIAL PROBE WINDS DOWN
The official probe into the April 20, 1999 shootings at Columbine High
School in Colorado is expected to end shortly, according a spokesman
for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department. Already, though, the
investigation may be casting doubts on some of the earlier reports
about the incident which left 14 students and a teacher dead. The two
gunmen involved in the slayings who were also Columbine students, Eric
Harris and Dylan Klebold, committed suicide after their rampage.
One finding concerns the case of Cassie Bernall, the 17-year old
student who reportedly was confronted by Klebold and was asked if she
believed in God. At least one witness claimed that the encounter took
place, and that Bernall replied "Yes" and was then shot. Since the
incident, Bernall has been described as a modern day martyr for her
Christian faith. Last week, her parents published a book about their
daughter's life and death titled: "She Said Yes: The Unlikely
Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall." The story of Bernall's alleged heroism
has been widely reported in the media and even cited on the floor of
the U.S. Congress.
Early coverage of the Columbine shooting by AANEWS, though, raised
questions as to whether this incident ever took place. The initial
news reports were sketchy, and there was no confirmation that any of
the witnesses to the alleged encounter were actually present in the
school library where the shooting occurred, or could have clearly seen
or heard the events they so dramatically described. We also noted the
factors which were fueling the desire to believe the story of
Bernall's "martyrdom" in an AANEWS web posting on May 18, 1999
(http://www.atheists.org/flash.line/colo8.htm ). There were serious
questions about whether the media should have printed the story of
Bernall's death based on little or no evidence.
* On Friday, the Denver Rocky Mountain News noted: "Columbine shooting
victim may not have been asked whether she believed in God." Writers
Dan Luzadder and Katie Kerwin McCrimmon reported that weeks after she
died, investigators informed Bernall's parents that the "now-famous"
encounter between their daughter and Klebold may not have occurred The
girl's mother, Misty Klebold, still proceeded with publication of the
book which was printed and distributed by Plough. Nearly 300,000
copies have been distributed to bookstores, and Associated Press notes
that reorders are now coming in.
The Rocky Mountain News story notes that despite early claims by some
students that the conversation between Klebold and Bernall occurred,
"It was discrepancies in student accounts that led police to question
the Bernall testimonial." A freshman declared that Bernall had
affirmed her belief in god, "Plain and simple." Another student,
though, identified as 16-year-old Emily Wyant, "tells a different
story" and was reportedly crouched underneath a table two feet from
Bernall when Dylan Klebold opened fire. "They were the only two
students studying together at the table in the back of the library"
when the shooting occurred, notes the News.
"She (Bernall) was saying, 'Dear God. Dear God. Why is this
happening? I just want to go home," Emily said"
Sources report that more than fifty students were present in the
library at the time of the gun play. Interviews with witnesses,
though, produced mixed results. Police were able to obtain "detailed
minute aspects of the case, including who said what to whom in the
school library, and elsewhere, during the rampage." But at least one
potential source of the Bernall encounter with Klebold came from a
student who "did not actually see the individuals involved." When
asked by investigators later to point out where Klebold and Harris
were at that time of the shootings, he pointed to a table where a
different student victim identified as Valeen Schnurr, and not Cassie
Bernall, had been hiding.
A variant of the Bernall martyrdom account, though, is being advanced
by Schnurr's mother, according to the News. She reportedly says that
her daughter was lying on the library floor with more than 15 bullet
wound "praying out loud, when gunman approached her and asked if she
believed in God, and she responded, 'Yes, I believe in God." Schnurr
was spared and managed to survive.
In reporting the new doubts about the Bernall slaying, Reuters news
service quoted police spokesperson Steve Davis who noted: "There just
seems to be a real question whether the dialogue (between Bernall and
Klebold) took place." He added that "The Bernalls were made aware
there seemed to be some doubt."
On Saturday, the Bernall family issued a press statement defending the
accuracy of the book about Cassie Bernall, but adding "If any of our
actions have hurt or offended someone, we sincerely apologize..."
* Equally provocative but less certain is the story which appeared
last Wednesday night on the Salon Magazine (Salon.com) web site which
was billed as an exclusive "First Glimpse into Eric Harris' Diary."
According to the Denver Post, the diary was booked into police
evidence on April 20, the day of the Columbine shooting, and allegedly
seen only by the lead investigator. "It's in the evidence vault and
has been since April 20," said the Sheriff's Department spokesman,
Steve Davis. Details of the Harris diary had been revealed even in
the first weeks after the shooting, though, such as the claim that
Harris had planned the massacre for at least a year, and that the
gunmen hoped to kill at least 500 students before ravaging the
neighborhood and then hijacking a plane and crashing it into New York
City. The Salon piece says that the author did not see the actual
diary entries, but was read excerpts by an unidentified source.
According to the Salon article, Harris and Klebold "were never part of
the Trench Coat Mafia," the affinity group identified by the media
that was allegedly known throughout Columbine for unorthodox behavior
and appearance. Indeed, after the shooting a number of schools across
the country banned the long coats and instituted dress and appearance
codes against dyed hair or unusual behavior. "They didn't target
jocks, minorities or Christians," adds the Salon story. "As
investigators get closer to producing an official report about the
Columbine High School massacres, it is already clear that much of what
was reported last spring about the motives and methods of killers Eric
Harris and Dylan Klebold was untrue..."
The two gunmen are described as "equal-opportunity haters, railing
against minorities and whites, praising Hitler's 'final solution' --
and then ranting against racism." The Salon piece also suggests a
close knowledge of the official Littleton probe, including the fact
that police have analyzed more than 10,000 pieces of evidence, tracked
4,000 leads and conducted "several thousand interviews with over 2,000
people."
"The biggest myth" about Columbine, says Salon, had to do with who the
two gunmen were targeting. "Jocks, African-Americans and Christians
have been widely described as their chief targets. Not a scrap of
evidence supports that conclusion..." Investigator Kate Battan
reportedly found that the earlier claims that student athletes were
targeted by Klebold and Harris was based on the story that the gunmen
demanded "All jocks stand up!" upon entering the library.
"But it never happened, multiple sources confirmed..."
And what about the Cassie Bernall account? Salon reports that
"cooperative sources quickly clammed up when questioned" about the
Bernall martyrdom. "This is just too sensitive," reported a key
source. Investigators reportedly also believe that if there is a
"martyr" story from Columbine, it would more likely involve Valeen
Schnurr. One source reported that the exact circumstances -- who said
what and where -- "may never be crystal clear," and that even if
clear, "investigators clearly don't intend to tell."
"They cite the tense political climate around the story in this
heavily evangelical community, as well as the potential embarrassment
to Cassie's family, uniformly describing the Bernalls as since victims
who may have been misinformed 'through no malicious intent.' "
* None of this has attenuated the charged religious and emotional
climate around the April 20, 1999 slayings. One clear sign of this is
the continued "battle of symbols" over crosses and memorials to the
Littleton victims, and the wider debate over violence, youth rebellion
and values. Last week, for instance, 21 Century Toys of Alameda,
California announced that it was remaking its popular "Modern Villain"
action figure which happened to sport an objectionable trench coat. A
woman triggered a tidal wave of negative publicity when she contacted
the media and the giant Sears retailing company to complain, saying
that her two younger sons had spotted the gun toting doll in the
company's 1999 Christmas gift catalogue and described it as a "Trench
Coat Mafia doll." At considerable expense, the toy firm is reworking
its action doll and removing the offending coat.
Another symbol is the "Healing bear," a cuddly stuffed animal that
originated in Oklahoma City after the 1995 bombing of the federal
center. It was later sent to a high school in Pennsylvania after
several students were killed in the crash of TWA flight 800. The bear
then found its way to Columbine High School after the April 20
shooting, and recently had been sent down to the church in Ft. Worth,
Texas, where a gunman had opened fire on a youth prayer service.
"Each time the bear is sent to a new place," notes the Denver Post, "a
note of hope is pinned to it."
Back at Columbine, there is still bitter division over the status of
crosses and memorial trees. On Sunday, family and friends of two of
the slain Littleton students chopped down two of 15 trees which had
recently been planted by the local West Bowles Community Church. The
families contended that only 13 of the victims should be honored, not
the two killers -- Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold -- who committed
suicide after their gun rampage. The father of one of the victims
told the Denver Post, "The Bible tells us that if someone sins against
us, then rebuke them. If they repent, forgive them. Klebold and
Harris didn't repent to anyone..."
Before heading off to the tree cutting, picketers assembled outside
the church with signs reading "Unrepentant murderers honored here" and
"No rest for the wicked." Demonstrators then proceeded to a newly
planted area of trees on the west side of the church building, where
parent Brian Rohrbough nailed a sign with each victims name to 13 of
the trees. Signs on the two remaining trees read: "Unrepentant
murderer." As another demonstrator sawed down the trees, cheers of
"Praise Jesus!" and Praise be to God!" erupted from the small crowd.
* The real impact of Columbine, though, is felt on a larger scale.
Across the country, students have returned to schools in the midst of
a heightened climate of fear, complete with body searches, metal
detectors, surveillance cameras and harsh disciplinary policies which
even punish youngsters for off-campus behavior, sans the benefit of a
trial. The head of the American Civil Liberties Union describes this
as part of a "Fortress America" mentality, and reports a sharp
increases in the number of school-related complaints from concerned
parents and students who charge that their individual freedoms are
being violated. Political hopefuls have already tapped into the more
authoritarian side of the "Columbine spirit," calling for public
prayer and a greater role for religious groups in manipulating the
American psyche. Both Vice President Al Gore and GOP front runner
George W. Bush have proposed a "partnership" between government and
faith-based groups in solving "the problems of America." And there is
the renewed spirit of aggressive proselytizing inside of America's
schools and elsewhere, as youngsters become the adolescent foot
soldiers in a growing culture war pitting religion against secularism.
Many discover inspiration in the story of Cassie Bernall and her
martyrdom. That it might not have actually happened does not seem to
matter. Right or wrong, it is their holy truth.
**
ATHEISTS TO PICKET THE PROMISE KEEPERS AT N.J. RALLY
American Atheists and the newly organized Union County Atheists will
picket the Promise Keepers rally on Saturday, October 2, 1999 at the
Continental Airlines Arena at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J.
Joe Zamecki, spokesman for the UCA, says that the demonstration will
be held from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Due to parking, though, anyone
participating in the picket should rendezvous at the American Atheist
Center in Cranford at 9:30 a.m. for a carpool to the arena.
Appropriate signs and banners will be provided. Those interested
should contact Mr. Zamecki through [EMAIL PROTECTED], or visit the UCA
web site at http://www.atheists.org/affiliation for more information.
**
BIG APPLE ATHEISTS ORGANIZING AT OCTOBER 4 MEETING
Ron Barrier, National Spokesman for American Atheists and a co-host of
the popular Atheist Viewpoint television program is organizing the
Metro Atheists of New York. The first get-together will take place on
Monday, October 4, 1999 at Benvenuti's Restaurant on Staten Island,
N.Y..
The theme is "First Monday in October -- The Supreme Court and Atheist
Activism." The dinner is to coincide with the beginning of the
Supreme Court session for 1999/2000. Gather at 8 p.m. Call
(718)-967-6453, visit the affiliation web site at
http://www.atheists.org/affiliation/newyorkmetro.html, or contact
rbarrier @atheists.org for further information.
**RESOURCES FROM AMERICAN ATHEISTS...
* For information about American Atheists, send mail to
[EMAIL PROTECTED] Please include your name and postal mailing
address.
* For a free catalogue of American Atheist Press books, videos and
other products, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Kindly include
your postal mailing address.
* The American Atheist Magazine is now on the web! Check out select
articles from the current or back issues, as well as special web-only
features. Visit us at http://www.americanatheist.org
* If you are a current member of American Atheists, sign up for our
e-mail discussion group, aachat. We have over 120 participants who
discuss topics such as Atheism, religion, First Amendment issues and
lots more! Contact Margie Wait, the Moderator, through
[EMAIL PROTECTED] or send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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