Yesterday, the mayor of Cape Coral ejected Atheists of Florida president John Kieffer from council chambers because he was wearing his Atheists of Florida t-shirt when he approached the podium. The mayor immediately asked for guards to remove Mr. Kieffer after informing him that his “attire” was not appropriate. None of the other members of the Atheists of Florida who were also wearing the exact same t-shirt were ejected.
The mayor had threatened to eject the Atheists during a December meeting, but had backed down when he could not provide any legal justification for his personal opinion that Atheists who openly self-identify as Atheists through their clothing should not be permitted to address the council.
No legal justification or official policy prohibiting religious identification was provided. The mayor simply had three armed guards escort Mr. Kieffer from the chambers. The council then voted to allow the Atheists to talk despite their clothing, which simply has the name of the organization on the back and “One Nation Indivisible” written on the front.
The consensus of the council was that the shirts weren’t offensive. Some members did feel, however, that it was disruptive of the Atheists to omit the words “under god” from the recitation of the pledge.
Where things stand. The Cape Coral City Council and the mayor have yet to clarify their apparently nonexistent dress code policy and the mayor seems to think he has the right to arbitrarily decide who can address the council and who can’t. Some members of the council also apparently think that they have the right to force Atheists to invoke God in the pledge despite the fact that the First Amendment of the US Constitution prohibits the government from coercing people into participating in a religious practice they don’t agree with.
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Comments
Lee County (particularly Cape Coral) single-handedly, brought Florida's economy with massive real estate fraud, mortgage fraud and foreclosures.
This, and fighting over Ten Commandment displays, is what they have time for?
This is what happens when you give a Florida backwater tons of money. It's like when they give some 19-year-old a multi-million dolar basketball contract and wonder why becomes a drug-addict.
Lee County (particularly Cape Coral) single-handedly, brought Florida's economy with massive real estate fraud, mortgage fraud and foreclosures.
This, and fighting over Ten Commandment displays, is what they have time for?
This is what happens when you give a Florida backwater tons of money. It's like when they give some 19-year-old a multi-million dolar basketball contract and wonder why becomes a drug-addict.
Christians: oppressing each other and every unbeliever for 2000 years. I guess we can call ourselves lucky that they can't torture people and burn them at the stake anymore.
The idea of public prayer before a government meeting alone is beyond absurd. Only in America...
cughraaaaaazy; waste of time. that secular atheist has a suit on his hands
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