After passing along the report that a Christian flag was sighted in the Rankin County Justice Court in Brandon, MS, I hoped that atheists in the area would decide to do something about it. I tried to articulate why it is not appropriate to have a Christian flag in a government courthouse. A couple of Mississippi atheists have contacted organizations that work to preserve the separation of church and state (i.e., the Mississippi ACLU and Freedom From Religion Foundation) but were told that additional information was needed. Best I can tell, little else has been done. I guess it is time for me to get the ball rolling.
I plan to send the following letter to the Rankin County Justice Court. I am posting it here for your feedback and in case others are looking for a model they can use. I have tried to keep it brief, to the point, and respectful.[full name and return address]
Maybe the presence of a Christian flag in a public courthouse does not bother atheists in Rankin County. It does bother me. I realize that there are limits to what I can do as someone who does not reside in Rankin County. Still, that is not going to stop me from doing what I can.
[date]
Kristie Pyles, Court Clerk
Rankin County Justice Court
P.O. Box 71
Brandon, MS 39043
Dear Ms. Pyles:
I am writing to request that you remove the Christian flag currently displayed in the Rankin County Justice Court.
Displaying the Christian flag in a government building appears to violate the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution which prohibits government promotion of religion. From previous U.S. Supreme Court rulings, it is clear that governmental endorsement of religion is unconstitutional (see Allegheny County v. American Civil Liberties Union and McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky). Closer to home, a federal judge ruled last month that displaying a portrait of Jesus in the foyer of a Louisiana courthouse was unconstitutional.
I hope you will agree to resolve this matter without the need to involve the ACLU and Freedom From Religion Foundation, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
[signature]
[full name]
A concerned Mississippi resident
Tags: Christian flag atheists atheist Mississippi Mississippi atheists church and state Rankin County atheist activism ACLU Freedom From Religion Foundation Constitution
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5 comments:
Did we ever get firm confirmation that this flag was indeed there? I’d hate for the letter to be sent if it turns out to have been a mistake.
Unfortunately, all I have is the report of one reader. I don't have any reason to disbelieve him, but I am a bit surprised he has not come forward yet here. I guess I'll hold off until we get confirmation. I just thought this would have happened by now.
Butch has a good point. But your letter looks good as a first step to getting the flag taken down. Thanks for taking action.
Mike Smith
Denver, CO
vjack,
I'm the reader that gave you the original report. I apologize for not following up but I have been on vacation for the past two weeks. I had internet service only briefly just to check the RSS feed.
Yes, I can assure you that the flag was in the justice court of the old original courthouse building. They are placed behind the judge, with the US flag to the far left, the MS flag in the middle, and the Christian flag iin the far right corner.
There is no way to get pictures because no cellphones are allowed into the court room.
I will be glad to verify that if you need me to.
My reasons for not taking action are multiple. First, I'm not from Ranking county so I think someone from there needs to take the lead. Second, my partner (yes, you know what that means) and I are facing some tough issues here in north MS and are having to choose our battles very carefully. Finally, and I admit this is a real cowardly reason, I'm not sure I want to put my parents through this if it were to come to a major head.
Call me a coward, if you wish, but I want to support as much as I can. Let me know what I can do to help you. I can provide my partner as corroborating witness.
I have only one connection remaining in Ranking County and I am trying to get in touch with him to gather more information.
Again, sorry for the delay. I didn't expect it to grow so quickly, but I'm glad it has! And if you need to contact me by phone, email me and I will give you my number.
Thanks Ken. I appreciate the follow up.
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