-Caveat Lector- ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Sat, 23 Oct 1999 11:49:17 -0700 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Release: cross ban To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Libertarian Party announcements list) Send reply to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- ======================================= NEWS FROM THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Suite 100 Washington DC 20037 World Wide Web: http://www.lp.org/ ======================================= For release: October 22, 1999 ======================================= For additional information: George Getz, Press Secretary Phone: (202) 333-0008 Ext. 222 E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ======================================= School's ban on cross necklaces is Christian-bashing, say Libertarians WASHINGTON, DC -- A threat by an Alabama school to discipline an 11-year-old girl for wearing a cross necklace shows why you can't trust government schools to protect religious freedom, the Libertarian Party said today. "Students go to school to learn -- but what kind of lesson do they learn when the government says that wearing a cross is a crime?" asked Steve Dasbach, the party's national director. "It seems the lesson of the day in Alabama is Religious Intolerance 101." Earlier this month, attorneys for Kandice Smith, a sixth-grader at Curry Middle School in Walker County, Alabama, filed a lawsuit in federal court to overturn what they called an "unconstitutional" dress code. In August, the school banned cross necklaces as part of its new dress code -- claiming they are "gang symbols." School officials threatened to discipline Smith if she didn't hide the cross under her clothes. But Smith's attorneys argue the policy "violates the free speech and free exercise rights [of Smith] by denying her the ability to express her faith through the visible wearing of the necklace." The lawsuit also charges that the school "demonstrates a hostility toward religion." Dasbach said Libertarians agree -- but have a better solution. "Any dress code that bans a popular Christian symbol is clearly unconstitutional, and we're confident the court will agree. But changing this particular school's dress code isn't the answer," he said. "After all, if Kandice Smith wins, the problem will be solved at Curry Middle School. But it doesn't change the fact that thousands of government school districts all across the country have the power to implement a similar anti-Christian ban tomorrow. "And it doesn't change the fact that government schools routinely teach values and beliefs that many Christians find abhorrent -- while forcing them to pay taxes to subsidize those schools. That's why this lawsuit won't solve the real problem." So what will? "Most Christians support a separation of church and state because they understand that government should not come between people's relationship with their God," said Dasbach. "What Libertarians understand is that we need a separation of school and state for the same reason: To protect children like Kandice Smith from the kind of religious intolerance she is experiencing at a government school." That's why the underlying problem will only be solved when America starts moving toward a system where children are educated in free-market, religious, or voluntary community schools -- not tax-funded government schools, he said. "In a free-market system -- where people aren't forced to subsidize costly, failing government schools -- parents would be able to send their children to schools that teach their values, and respect their beliefs," said Dasbach. "In a free-market system, Kandice Smith's parents wouldn't be forced to send her to a school that makes wearing a cross a crime." The idea of moving away from government-run schools and towards private alternatives can be somewhat unsettling for many Christians, Dasbach acknowledged. "But remember this: Jesus Christ was sentenced to death by his government," he said. "So, do you want to blindly trust our government to educate your children properly -- especially after what it's done to Kandice Smith?" -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 iQCVAwUBOBIDIdCSe1KnQG7RAQHmQgQAkqJLwTaYmU8lfPSn2ol9uw4j2sEVA91P t3cC4QUYQpBICgZ+ZHoRyTMjKd4Ys4tU0HNVj4ApdR8x8eIBFYlYoCNQWx2ltCRX 1gaFGbirTuWmN6fiK5JzyS6LuvO7PdVRK+o39+RayFUAVc5gffnm+kMv2fFK11Lw ePSIahCVKTc= =h3ZJ -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- The Libertarian Party http://www.lp.org/ 2600 Virginia Ave. NW, Suite 100 voice: 202-333-0008 Washington DC 20037 fax: 202-333-0072 For subscription changes, please mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> with the word "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" in the subject line -- or use the WWW form. ------- End of forwarded message ------- -- Kathleen "Anyone who is not an anarchist agrees with having a policeman at the corner of the street; but the danger at present is that of finding the policeman half-way down the chimney or even under the bed." - G. K. 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