Atheist persecuted in Florida

[edhopper]

Sorry if this story was posted here before, but i just read about it.
I don't know how you can characterize this other than an atheist being persecuted by a corrupt, religious city official.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/25/us/25athiest.html

"Florida Suit Says Arrests Are Retaliation for Atheism"

[cleanhippie]

1. Fabrication. Atheists are not persecuted in this country. That is a myth.

Just ask around. You should know this by now.

[rexcat]

2. Totally wrong...

the atheist in Florida was presecuting the christian city officals. Obviously you did not get the corrected memo.

[cbayer]

3. I remember some of this.

She apparently made a plea deal and the charges against her were dropped in exchange for her dropping the harassment suit.

And it does sound like the harassment was based on her views about separation of church and state.

[struggle4progress]

4. Atheist EllenBeth Wachs Drops Federal Lawsuit Against Sheriff

Had accused sheriff's office of harassment
By Matthew Pleasant
THE LEDGER
Published: Monday, October 24, 2011 at 3:24 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, October 24, 2011 at 3:24 p.m.
BARTOW | EllenBeth Wachs, the legal coordinator for the Atheists of Florida, has dropped her federal lawsuit against Sheriff Grady Judd that accused him of targeting her because of her secular views. Wachs, who has been charged criminally three times this year, said Monday the harassment she alleged ended after she filed the lawsuit in June ... Judd said his agency was never served with a lawsuit, and his deputies never harassed Wachs. He added that he thinks the suit had no legal basis ... http://www.theledger.com/article/20111024/news/111029620

[struggle4progress]

5. Lakeland Spent $145,000 Fighting Atheists Lawsuit

By John Chambliss
THE LEDGER
Published: Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 11:50 p.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 11:50 p.m.
LAKELAND | The city of Lakeland spent more than $145,000 in lawyer's fees and costs in the lawsuit filed by the Atheists of Florida against the city of Lakeland. A federal judge Wednesday dismissed the lawsuit, rejecting the notion the city favors one religion during prayers at the beginning of City Commission meetings ... The federal lawsuit filed in 2010 claimed the city's prayer policy violated the constitutions of the United States and Florida ... http://www.theledger.com/article/20120225/NEWS/120229504

[struggle4progress]

6. Atheist group, Christians feud on Florida road

JESSICA PILOT
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
... Almost a year after a Polk County Christian group spread holy oil on a stretch of local highway to ward away "evildoers," an atheist group struck back on Saturday, using water from a tank labeled "unholy water" to symbolically wash away the group's blessing ... The group also decried a billboard put up by the religious group, Polk Under Prayer, that praised local officials, including the mayor of the city of Lakeland and the Polk County sheriff, who has a legal beef with the head of the atheist group ... http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-03-20/news/31217167_1_atheist-group-ellen-beth-wachs-richard-geringswald

Usually whenever I hear of anybody in Polk county yammering an opinion on either side of this, I find the conversation very tiresome. Epidemics of Asininity are hard to stamp out, because every Flaming A-----e infects two bystanders. IMO EllenBeth Wachs herself has a chronic case of Flaming A-----e. And yes, I know: she's not the only one

[edhopper]

7. Thanks for the updates

[rug]

8. That story's a year old. There's been quite a turmoil within that group since then.

http://free2think.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=1552

[backscatter712]

9. So many Christians, not enough lions... n/t

[Tyrs WolfDaemon]

10. The Christians are the ones with the lions these days

(Obviously not all Christians, just the rabid ones. How awful that those types are now giving animals rabies - )