Mississippi Atheists

MS Fares Poorly on Secular Coalition's Congressional Report Card

2012-01-27T08:14:00.001-06:00

The Secular Coalition for America recently released their 2011 Congressional Report Card based on how our representatives have voted on legislation of relevance to the secular community.

Not surprisingly, our elected representatives in Mississippi did not score particularly well. Of the four representatives scored, Rep. Thompson earned a B grade while Harper, Nunnelee, and Palazzo all earned Fs.

Is there anything we can do about this? I think it would be nice to thank Rep. Thompson. Sure, he could do better. But he's still far ahead of the others. By thanking him, we also let him know that we are paying attention.

As far as the others, Secular News Daily has some great ideas about how we can hold them accountable. To contact your representative, begin here.

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Letter on MS Senate Concurrent Res. 505

2012-01-09T05:53:00.001-06:00

In the interest of doing what we can to stop our state's Senate Concurrent Resolution 505, Mims has shared a letter he wrote to his representative and a few key senators. With his permission, I am posting the letter below. Hopefully, it will serve as a model for additional letters.

Dear Senators Brown, Moran, and Fillingane, and Representative Crawford:

As the Chair of the Senate Rules Committee, as my State Senator, as the author of CR 505, and as my State Representative, I want to express my opposition to Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 505.

This Resolution establishes a government committee aimed at forwarding a Judeo-Christian prayer and ministry. This is a direct violation of the U.S. Constitution's Establishment Clause as elucidated in the First Amendment. It is an affront to all non-Judeo-Christian residents of this State. It is an affront to rigorous social science research, all of which shows a negative correlation between the depth of a society's religious beliefs and the health of that society. Mississippi is the most pious of the fifty United States, and also leads in almost every negative social parameter, from teen pregnancy rates to crime rates to mortality rates to high school drop out rates to violence against women rates to divorce rates to poverty rates to obesity rates...I could go on and on.

Meanwhile, the only parameter which correlates positively with a healthy, prosperous, happy community - a high level of education - is ignored as we cut our education budget. Recent studies have shown that early education, specifically pre-K education, has a tremendous influence on positive social outcomes. I suggest that you do not spend a dime of state money or a moment of legislative time on activities which do not have a positive influence on Mississippi citizens, and do everything you can to promote education, from early education through university studies.

I know Jackson. You can walk easily to a venue from the state capitol to any number of religious institutions that can assuage any spiritual travails you may be feeling. You can also easily walk to an educational institution in need of help from the state in providing a good education for its young citizens. The same is true for almost every municipal or county seat of government in our state. I ask you to get your priorities straight and do what will really move our state forward.

Sincerely yours,

Mims H. Carter

Pass Christian

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MS Senate Concurrent Resolution 505

2012-01-07T10:46:00.001-06:00

Mississippi atheists, please check out Senate Concurrent Resolution 505. This was just brought to my attention by a reader, and I think you will find it worth a look. It would establish a "prayer and ministry caucus" in our state legislature in order to "encourage, train and support legislative leaders in every field who believe in the power of prayer and ministry…"

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FFRF Winter Solstice Sign Comes to Mississippi State Capitol

2011-12-06T05:20:00.001-06:00

Given that Mississippi regularly tops the list of most religious states in the U.S., it should surprise no one that our state is home to many Christians who insist on erecting blatantly religious Christmas displays in the Mississippi State Capitol building. This year is no different in that a life-sized nativity scene will be in the rotunda of the building. The good news is that just like last year, the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), along with the Jackson Skeptical Society, are helping to counter the religious message with a Winter Solstice sign.

You may recall that there was a nativity scene in the Capitol last year and that it prompted the FFRF to apply for a permit to contribute a reality-based message to the display. You may also recall that the permit was approved and that getting the secular display up was something of a last-minute rush job. The sign was a success, and it is great to see how much better organized and timely the efforts are this year.

According to Annie Laurie Gaylor, FFRF Co-President,

We don’t think religion, or irreligion, belongs in state capitols. But if a state is going to permit a nativity display, then we want to be sure that the views of the 16 percent of the U.S. population that is not religious are also represented.

Exactly! Like Gaylor says, religious displays do not belong on government property. The only way they can be there legally is is the door is opened to alternatives. And by getting an alternative message there, the chances that the religious message will continue to be there decreases.

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But Its Sunday

2011-09-11T10:47:00.001-05:00

I was in the grocery store this morning rather early. The guy in front of me, who appeared to be in his early 50s, did not have much to buy. It looked like he was getting ready for a day of football. He had a couple bags of chips, hot dogs and buns, and a 12-pack of beer. But this being Sunday in Mississippi, he would not be leaving with the beer.

I found myself feeling sorry for this man. Even though it has been several years since I bought alcoholic beverages, I remember well the annoyance he experienced when the cashier informed him that she could not sell it to him. "But its Sunday," she said. Right, he probably thought to himself. That's why I'm in here stocking up before the game. He didn't seem to understand. "I can't sell it to you because its Sunday."

The fact that an overwhelming majority of Mississippians think that a probably mythical figure is their "savior" prevents this man from exercising what seems like a fairly basic freedom. It does not matter that he lives in the United States, a country many insist on describing as "free" or even that he lives in a state where conservative politicians constantly rail against "big government." All that matters is that a sufficient number of Jesus freaks don't want him buying what he wants on the day they have decided to call "holy."

I vividly remember the first time I tried to buy beer on a Sunday after moving to Mississippi. Much like this man seemed to be, I stocking up for a game later that day. And like him, I had some questions for the cashier. Unlike him, I remember losing my temper and asking, "Are you fucking serious?" Evidently, they are.

I've suggested before that abolishing the ridiculous "blue laws" that are still enforced in our state would be an economic boon. In addition to that, there is something intolerable about being told what one can and cannot buy based on the arbitrary decisions of religiously deluded morons, even if they do happen to be the majority.

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No More Football Prayers in DeSoto County

2011-08-31T05:55:00.001-05:00

According to the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), they have managed to put an end to illegal prayers before high school football games in DeSoto County. Following a complaint by the FFRF, the DeSoto County School Board reaffirmed their policy against school prayer.

"Our current policy is not to have prayers in football games and we're going to abide by that which we believe the law to be," said Keith Treadway, board attorney. "We will not have prayer over the PA. The principals have all expressed they are aware of the law and intend to abide by it,” Treadway told the DeSoto Times Tribune.

It pays to complain because many violators base their continued violations on the argument that nobody has complained. We can take that argument away. This is also a good opportunity for us to remember to support organizations such as the FFRF who are working to protect separation of church and state.

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Who Will Speak for Reality?

2011-08-24T05:37:00.001-05:00

In neighboring Louisiana, the state House of Representatives just voted unanimously to place a Ten Commandments monument on the State Capitol grounds. Here's how Austin Cline summarized this debacle:

Not a single state legislator spoke out against or voted against this measure. Not a single state legislator in Louisiana supports secularism, secular government or church/state separation. Every single one is, deep down, a theocrat just looking for an excuse to overturn secular democracy.

When our politicians make it clear that they are willing to do whatever is necessary, including breaking the law, to pander to those of their constituents suffering from religious delusions, who will speak for reality? Time and time again, this responsibility seems to fall to us.

I'm often asked why I care about this sort of thing. The short answer is that someone must speak for reality. And around here, that seems to mean atheists.

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Public Hearings on the Mississippi Personhood Amendment

2011-06-29T10:46:00.001-05:00

Efforts to end reproductive rights for women in Mississippi have been underway for some time. Back in 2009, the American Family Association made it known that they considered our state to be a perfect battleground. Personhood Mississippi held a press conference in February 2010 to unveil their plans to impose a "personhood" amendment on Mississippi. And in earlier this month, we saw that the proposed amendment was before our State Supreme Court.

Mims has just informed me that the "personhood" amendment (Amendment 26) is now headed for public hearings around Mississippi. The hearings are scheduled to start on July 7 in Southaven and conclude on September 6 in Cleveland. You can see the schedule here. Mims noted that both Hattiesburg and Gulfport are on the schedule.

Mims reminds us why we should care about this:

If you know anything about this Amendment, you know that it is the product of a very conservative christian world view committed to social engineering through our legal system. If you have any doubt that this is a religiously motivated, go to the Personhood Mississippi website.

If you oppose efforts to abolish reproductive rights for women in Mississippi, please consider attending a public hearing near you to make your voice heard.

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Mississippi Judge Suspended for Requiring Church Attendance as Condition of Bail

2011-06-19T09:40:00.001-05:00

A reader sent this one in, and I really appreciate it because I had not heard about it yet.

Mississippi Justice Court Judge Theresa Brown was recently suspended for 30 days following a Mississippi Supreme Court decision this week in Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance v. Dearman. According to the decision, the reprimand and 30-day suspension was justified for — among other things — requiring church attendance as a condition of bail.

You can find the court's opinion here as a .pdf file.

Contributed by Debra Burnsworth

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Louisiana Legislators Must Reject Ten Commandments Display At State Capitol

2011-06-15T07:17:00.001-05:00

From Americans United for Separation of Church and State:

The Baton Rouge Chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State has urged the state Senate to reject a bill calling for the display of the Ten Commandments at the state capitol.

A government-sponsored religious display such as this, says the AU affiliate, would divide Louisiana residents and possibly lead to litigation.

"The Louisiana state government should not meddle in religious matters," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. "If legislators want an educational display about the law at the capitol, I'd recommend they put up a monument to the Bill of Rights."

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Personhood Amendment Before Mississippi Court

2011-06-06T15:00:00.001-05:00

WDAM is reporting that the dreaded "personhood" amendment to insert the perspective of fundamentalist Christianity into Mississippi's constitution is now before our State Supreme Court. Supporters want to get it on the November ballot. Opponents are arguing that this is an inappropriate means by which to pass an amendment to our state constitution.

Is there any doubt that this will pass if it ends up on the ballot?

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Hattiesburg Mayor Uses Office to Promote Religion

2011-05-10T05:25:00.001-05:00

Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny Dupree is running for state governor as a Democrat. It seems that he is counting on Christian voters to make him competitive and does not mind alienating secular Mississippians in the process.

According to the Hattiesburg American, Dupree celebrated the National Day of Prayer this week with a prayer breakfast.

"This is about petitioning God and asking him for the things he can do for us," DuPree said. "This is a special day for Hattiesburg."

Really? Are you sure it isn't about getting elected and pandering to Christian voters?

Among Dupree's invited guests was Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Mike Espy. Espy, also a former U.S. representative from Mississippi, pushed the need to more prayer in Mississippi as an answer to the many problems we face.

"We have to stop and remind ourselves of our turmoil and troubles," Espy told the crowd. "We have to stop and say, 'No matter what, Lord, you're still in control.'

While neither Dupree nor Espy came right out and said that the recent tornados in our state were the result of our "sin," this does seem to have been implied. Instead of working with Mississippians who lost property and family members to help them access aid services, these men chose to exploit the vulnerable by pushing their religion.

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Mississippi Constitution Excludes Atheists From Holding Public Office

2011-02-12T07:55:00.001-06:00

Not surprisingly, Mississippi is one of a handful of states with a provision in our state constitution requiring god belief as a qualification for public office. This is about as clear cut a violation of separation of church and state as one could find. I suspect that it remains mostly because there has been insufficient public pressure to remove it. I also suspect that it is not actually enforced. But that does not mean it should be ignored, does it?

Article 14, Section 265 of the Mississippi constitution reads:

No person who denies the existence of a Supreme Being shall hold any office in this state.

This provision must be repealed.

H/T to Haden Odom

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Mississippi State Senators Respond on SB2151

2011-01-29T08:19:00.001-06:00

I emailed the members of the Senate Education Committee using the contact information I posted here about the Student Religious Liberties Act (SB2151). This bill is very similar to legislation that has been passed in other states, and it seems to me that it was designed to make it easier to get creationism in the classroom. I hope I'm wrong about that, but that is how it strikes me.

I took care in writing my email so as to make it as polite and inoffensive as possible. I asked them to oppose SB2151 because I was concerned that it would be detrimental to science education in our state and that it represented a church-state violation. I kept it short and was sure not to include any inflammatory language.

Two senators responded to my email right away. After some deliberation, I've decided not to identify the senators here or to quote their responses verbatim. I will instead attempt to paraphrase what they said.

One senator seemed genuinely angered by my email in a way I was not expecting to see from an elected official. In his terse response, he chose to ignore the concerns I had raised and instead accused me of wanting students to do nothing more than memorize content instead of his or her own beliefs. I re-read my email multiple times and could find no connection between what I said and what he accused me of saying.

The really disappointing part of his email was that he seems to think that education should be about what a student believes about the facts presented in class rather than knowledge, understanding, or application of the facts themselves. That someone with such a perspective on education sits on the Senate Education Committee in our state is troublesome to say the least.

The second response was more thoughtful, even though it also disagreed with me. This senator pointed out that similar legislation has not only been passed in other conservative states but has also survived court challenges. In his opinion, my concerns were excessive because the bill allows teachers to evaluate student work based on academic standards. Thus, students in a biology course would still be expected to learn evolution because it was part of the curriculum. If they did not demonstrate adequate understanding of the material, writing about religion was not going to help them.

Based on these responses, it seems likely that this bill will pass in Mississippi sooner or later. I am still not convinced that it is not an attempt to get more religion in our schools. But I suppose we will find out.

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Student Religious Liberties Act of 2011

2011-01-20T17:00:00.002-06:00

We've got a doozy of a bill coming through the Mississippi State Legislature that I feel that all Mississippi atheists should be monitoring. It's called the “Mississippi Student Religious Liberties Act of 2011”. It allows for students to preach to other students at graduation ceremonies and for students to maintain religious objections to material taught in the classroom. Are you a creationists who feels that your faith is being threatened in a biology classroom? The Mississippi State Legislature is on your side.

There’s a bit of history surrounding the language of this bill. At a spring of 2006 high school graduation ceremony in Henderson, Nevada, the valedictorian, Brittany McComb, decided to give an evangelical speech which differed from her pre-approved commencement speech. Midway through her speech, the commencement officials shut off her microphone and abruptly moved on with the program. In the long series of lawsuits that followed, the case to sue the high school was eventually dropped by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The 2006 event has since become a case study for religious expression in academic settings. Does a student have the freedom of speech to preach and to convert others in the capacity of a representative of a public state funded school? Was the school denying Ms. McComb her first amendment right to the free exercise of religion by cutting off her microphone? A similar case was ruled upon by the Ninth Circuit in 2003 which said that a proselytizing commencement speech "would have constituted District coercion of attendance and participation in a religious practice" and further ruled that schools have a right to pre-approve commencement speeches.

The bill proposed in the Mississippi State Legislature would require that student speaker to state orally or in writing that the “student's speech does not reflect the endorsement, sponsorship, position or expression of the district.” But if the student is putting this disclaimer at the beginning of their speech, the student body is trapped in religious ceremony at this point. I don’t see how this this bill pass Constitutional muster if it can be easily seen that this is respecting the establishment of religion in an academic environment.

But there’s more to this bill than just school speeches. The text of the bill states that “Students may not be penalized or rewarded on account of the religious content of their work.” If you are in a biology class and wish to answer your biology homework with your religion’s mythology, how is the teacher suppose to come up with a grade? Again, I don’t see how this bill does anything other than hinder the academic process.

The bill goes on to designate periods of time (opening and closing announcements and athletic events) where students are given an open forum to promote their views. But this doesn’t apply to all students. You have to be part of the “student council officers, class officers of the highest grade level in the school, captains of the football team, and other students holding positions of honor as the school district may designate.” Not a student officer or the captain of your football team? Sorry. Learn to throw a football and maybe your opinion will be valued.

I hope this bill goes nowhere.

Personal note: I’m only posting here about once every six months. I wish I could be posting more. I’ll be attending the SERAM conference in Huntsville on the 28th and 29th, so hopefully this will spur me to do more writing for Mississippi Atheists.

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FFRF Sign in Mississippi State Capitol Comes Down on Schedule

2011-01-06T06:56:00.001-06:00

The "winter solstice" sign, provided by the Freedom From Religion Foundation and placed in our state capitol by local atheists, has been taken down as scheduled and without commotion. All reports indicate that the sign survived in tact without vandalism or significant protest. It was expected to be controversial, called controversial in the small amount of media coverage it received, but ultimately did not generate much real controversy. You'll have to decide for yourself if that makes it a success or a failure.

It has been suggested that we use the placement of the sign in the capitol next year to increase public awareness of atheists in Mississippi. I think this is an excellent idea. The local narrative around the sign emphasized the role of radicals in Wisconsin interfering in our state. The reality was much different, of course. Perhaps we can work to get that across next year.

On a personal note, I just want to thank all of you who were involved with the sign. It meant a great deal to know that if we have to put up with a plastic Jesus in our capitol that a reminder of reason will be right there with it.

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Florida Atheists Challenge Church-State Violation by Sheriff

2010-12-31T09:31:00.001-06:00

After Sheriff Grady Judd used inmate labor to remove basketball hoops from the county jail and relocate them at area churches, a group of atheists in Florida is taking him to task. They sent a letter and plan to file an injunction if his office does not respond in a timely manner.

See the video here.

Again and again, it falls to atheists to push for enforcement of separation of church and state. This sort of activism can be difficult, but it remains necessary. A big thanks to Atheists of Florida for setting such a wonderful example.

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Understanding Why Atheists Might Contribute to Holiday Displays in Government Buildings

2010-12-28T14:36:00.001-06:00

Many Christians in Mississippi do not seem to understand the problems associated with putting a nativity scene in a government building, so I'd like to see if I can offer a clear and concise explanation. At the outset, I think it is important to understand that atheists taking offense at a religious display is not the issue. I'm not saying that atheists never take offense at religious displays - I'm sure some do. Many of us would prefer not to see religious displays on government property. But this is not what is most relevant here.

So what is most relevant here? If Christians want a Christian display on government property, two conditions must be met. First, the Christians seeking to place a display must pay for the display themselves. The government cannot do so without being guilty of showing preference to one religion over others. This is the simpler of the two conditions, and many Christians understand it perfectly well. This is why outside groups typically sponsor nativity scenes.

It is the second condition that prompts the confusion. The second condition is that when the government grants permission to the Christians to erect their display, they open the door to all other groups who want to add their displays. Because the government cannot legally show preference to one religion over others, they are faced with a choice: either they do not allow any religious displays on public property or they allow them from all groups without discriminating.

If the government denied a Christian group's request to place their display in a government building, they could deny similar requests from Jewish groups, Muslim groups, atheist groups, and the like. They would be treating everyone the same and could easily defend this position. However, as soon as they grant the request of the Christian group, they cannot then deny requests from other groups. This is why it is not uncommon to see Jewish displays in government buildings that allow Christian ones.

Nobody seems to mind any of this until atheists get involved. When we get involved, we are accused of all sorts of absurd things. But again, the issue is not us being offended by religious displays as much as it is us reminding the government of the implications of their decision to allow one religious display. When an atheist group seeks to have their display included, it is not because they are trying to ruin anyone's holiday but because they are asking to be treated equally.

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Coverage of the FFRF Sign in the Mississippi Media

2010-12-22T08:04:00.002-06:00

Not surprisingly, the presence of a sign criticizing religion in the Mississippi State Capitol has turned into a far bigger story than the presence of a nativity scene in the same location was. And yet, there has been far less coverage by the local media than I would have predicted. Here is a sampling of how the sign and the motives behind it are being covered in the Mississippi news media:

And yet, that seems to be about it for media coverage. As I noted previously, I find the themes emerging in our local media fairly disappointing. This is not about a Wisconsin-based invasion of our state!

However, I would like to highlight an exception to the otherwise poor quality of the coverage. From what I have seen of her work, Elizabeth Crisp (Clarion-Ledger) seems to be covering this quite well. Her first article was informative and framed the issue appropriately, and her second actually played down the controversy. I hope she is right and that there will continue to be little actual controversy.

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Action Alert: Ask Our Lt. Gov. to Respect Separation of Church and State

2010-12-21T13:28:00.002-06:00

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has issued an action alert suggesting that we contact our Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant and ask him to respect separation of church and state. The nativity display which now sits in our state capitol was his idea, and that is not all.

From the action alert:

Lt. Gov. Bryant, according to a news story, requested that the 9/11 Remembrance Foundation place a life-size nativity display in the capitol rotunda to "honor our troops."

Lt. Gov. Bryant told a reporter: "Recognizing our troops at Christmas, praying for our troops, I think it's a perfect fit."

The FFRF is requesting that we write to Lt. Gov. Bryant at the address below in order to make it clear that we object to his role in bringing the nativity scene to our state capitol. Here are the "talking points" they provide to assist those of us who plan to write letters:

Displaying a nativity scene in the Mississippi state capitol building sends a message of governmental endorsement of Christianity. FFRF objects to "public forums" on government property involving religion. There should be neither religious nor irreligious displays on government property.

A nativity scene on government property shows great disrespect for nonbelievers, and those of minority faiths. In the U.S., 15% of residents identify as nonreligious, and the violation makes the nonreligious feel like political outsiders in their own community (ARIS 2008).

Religious symbols and displays have no place on government property. Elected officials should not use their government position and government property as a place for promoting their religious views. FFRF will gladly remove its sign if religious displays are kept out of the state capitol.

And finally, here is the address to use:

The Honorable Phil Bryant
Office of the Lieutenant Governor
P.O. Box 1018
Jackson MS 39215
Web Form: http://www.ltgovbryant.com/contact/

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Video of the Nativity Scene in the Mississippi State Capitol

2010-12-21T06:41:00.001-06:00

Since I imagine that things are about to get crazy around here now that the FFRF sign is up in the Mississippi State Capitol, I thought it might be interesting for those of you who haven't yet seen the nativity scene that started this mess to have the chance to do so. Again, there would be no FFRF sign if it was not for this nativity scene. The video below is from WJTV in Jackson.

Pay attention to how our local media is presenting this "controversy." Evil godless Northerners are descending upon poor Mississippi to attack Christmas and other cherished traditions. They do not seem to realize that there are atheists in our state who welcome the FFRF display and without whom it would not have happened. And yet, the presence of atheists here in our state has been pointed out to them. It seems they have decided to ignore us and make the story about Wisconsin.

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FFRF Sign Coming to Mississippi Capitol on Monday

2010-12-19T08:11:00.001-06:00

I've got some more information to share about the nativity scene in the Mississippi State Capitol and the Freedom From Religion Foundation's response.

The nativity scene appears to still be up, contrary to some rumors floating around about it possibly being taken down. On Monday morning, the nativity scene will get some company in the form of a sign provided by the FFRF and erected by local atheists. The sign is expected to look something like the one pictured here.

If you are in the Jackson area and would like to help with the setup - or just see the sign before it is vandalized - meet at the South entrance to the Capitol on Monday morning a little before 8:30am. And if you do go, please bring a camera and share some pictures with us.

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Update on the Capitol Nativity Scene

2010-12-15T14:33:00.001-06:00

I am being told that the Freedom From Religion Foundation has in fact received permission to place one of their "winter solstice" displays in the Mississippi State Capitol to accompany the nativity scene. I also have unconfirmed reports that the display is in transit and may be up as soon as Monday. I hope this will be a good opportunity to educate our neighbors about the importance of church-state separation and how having one religious display in a public building necessarily opens the door to all others.

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Nativity Scene in Mississippi Capitol

2010-12-15T06:11:00.002-06:00

I'm a bit late in getting to this, but it appears that there is a large nativity scene in our state capitol this year. The Freedom From Religion Foundation is in the process of applying to place a "winter solstice" display in the capitol.

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Freedom is Still Alive in Mississippi

2010-12-12T10:02:00.002-06:00

This post was contributed by Skepticat:

Although it seems some days that Mississippi is at the forefront of the effort to throw away everything good that we've achieved in the past two hundred years, it seems that freedom is still alive and possibly bringing some hope with it. Back in October, I blogged about Lee County Chancellor Talmadge Littlejohn's attempt to force local attorney Danny Lampley to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. When the attorney did not comply, Littlejohn had him thrown in jail for contempt of court.

The Clarion Ledger came alive with public responses. While a few (such as mine) were in favor of the attorney, most were heaping scorn upon him and praising the judge. If I saw a comment like, "OMG, IF YOU DON'T LOVE AMERICA, YOU NEED TO LEAVE IT!!" then I saw twenty of them. I couldn't believe that this red, Tea Party state that was supposedly so big on freedom would cheerfully shred the First Amendment and demand such overt loyalty to the state and it's unofficial religion. Well, actually, I could believe it. I hear this kind of nonsense everyday.

What did surprise me was the number of attorneys and educated people here in Mississippi who were outraged at the judge's actions. They seemed to be mostly confined to their own blogs and reluctant to comment in the newspaper but they spoke out nonetheless. I'm assuming that one of them filed a complaint against Littlejohn because apparently Lampley did not do so (I expect that he knew he'd be in Littlejohn's courtroom again and did not want to ruin his career). The important thing is that someone took a stand here for freedom.

This month, the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance recommended that Littlejohn be "publicly reprimanded" and pay $100 court costs for violating Lampley's rights. It seems like a slap on the wrist, particularly since Littlejohn tried to justify his actions by saying: 1) he'd always required the pledge, 2) Mississippi schools did so he should be able to as well, and 3) the First Amendment pledge case Barnette didn't apply to him. What illogic! What hubris! But the Commission didn't buy it - and if the Supreme Courts takes the advice, Littlejohn will have to pay up and have this reprimand on his record.

This is a victory for Mississippi atheists and believers alike though not all may realize it. Those of us who value our freedom understand how important Barnette was to reaffirming our First Amendment right to free speech and free religious exercise. The Jehovah's Witnesses fought this battle in 1943 because their religion forbids them from swearing loyalty to any secular power. Atheists may today fight this battle because of the insidious inclusion of the phrase "under God" to the pledge. Or anyone may fight this battle because no free society should force a citizen to swear loyalty to anyone or anything. As the fervent cries of socialist, communist, and fascist ring out against the left, you'd think that the right-wing would fight this battle so they would not have to swear loyalty to Obama (something that I think is only likely in their wildest dreams of persecution). But no, it seems that many Mississippians were lockstep with the tradition that the only acceptable form of patriotism is conformity. Many Mississippians - not all.

There were some who still valued freedom and they made their stand in whatever way they could. They made their stand in a little backward state knowing that their views would not be popular. They channeled the spirit of the Revolution by claiming those inalienable rights rather than wrapping themselves in a false flag of piety and nationalism. They are the patriots that I want to be counted with.

The Commission heard them and responded with justice. The First Amendment is still alive in Mississippi. Freedom is still alive and that gives me hope.

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