OPINION:
Despite the American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU) effort to censor a “religious” speaker, Nebraska high school students got to hear a compelling account of why they should not drink and drive from a man whose brother was killed by a drunk driver.
The Sept. 29 appearance at Lyons-Decatur Northeast High School in Lyons by Keith Becker, who says he has spoken to more than 150 Nebraska schools and who makes no secret of his Christianity, was opposed by the ACLU’s local chapter when it got wind of his planned talk.
ACLU Nebraska Legal Director Amy Miler had warned school officials in early September that Mr. Becker’s presence might be a violation of the First Amendment’s prohibition on establishment of religion. In the ACLU’s atheist-biased world, religious references or speakers in a public setting are always suspect.
Even Ms. Miller allowed, “A tangential reference, speaking personally, probably does not violate the First Amendment. But a primarily religious message or an exhortation for students to follow his path does definitely cross the line.” She vowed to be ready to file a lawsuit if anyone was later found to have been offended.
The Omaha World Herald found no such offended students after the event and noted that Mr. Becker had referenced the Bible only once and referred to a churchgoing man another time in the 75-minute presentation. The paper summarized the presentation this way:
“Keith Becker’s primary message was that poor choices led to his brother’s death and that students can avoid his fate by making good ones. Keith Becker blamed himself for being a poor role model and enabling his brother to slide down a path of sex, pornography and alcohol. Todd Becker, a standout Kearney High School athlete who pole vaulted and played football and baseball, died in a 2005 crash at age 18. The driver and front-seat passenger survived. Todd Becker was in the back seat. All had been drinking.”
Some students reportedly said Mr. Becker’s tale left them in tears, and others said it reinforced their decision to stay sober. “It keeps me confident with my choice to not drink,” student Evan Malloy told Omaha’s KETV-7.
In 2009, Nebraska had 34,662 crashes related to alcohol, in which 223 people died and 17,775 were injured, according to the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles.
If the ACLU pursues a legal challenge, Lyons-Decatur Superintendent Fred Hansen said he is ready for it.
“We love our kids. They really need to hear that message: Make good choices,” Mr. Hansen said.
Elsewhere, the ACLU was busy trying to force sexual dystopia on high schools in Mississippi. On Aug. 17, the ACLU and the ACLU of Mississippi sued the Wesson Attendance Center for leaving a picture out of the yearbook of a female student who insisted on dressing in a tuxedo instead of female attire.
The suit alleges that the school violated Ceara Sturgis’ rights under federal code Title IX, which prohibits discrimination “based on sex and sex stereotypes,” and the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection.
“It’s unfair and unlawful to force students to conform to outdated notions about what boys and girls should look like,” said Christine P. Sun, senior counsel with the ACLU Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Project.
Outdated? Perhaps we could solve the attire problem once and for all if everyone - and I mean everyone, including the football team - wore only burqas. It also would cover up those pesky cross necklaces and other Christian symbols, so it would be a win-win for the ACLU.
Back in March, the ACLU went after Itawamba Agricultural High School in Fulton, Miss., for canceling a prom because a lesbian wanted to show up with a girlfriend. Failing to allow Constance McMillen, 18, to turn the prom into a circus violated all sorts of constitutional rights to annoy your classmates, the ACLU contended, not in so many words. Constance is doing OK, though, nursing her grievances by starring as a victim of America’s intolerance at leftist events.
In the ACLU’s world, any public reflection of normalcy is regarded as a “sexual stereotype.” In effect, the ACLU is at war with nature and nature’s God, who specifically created male and female to be gloriously different and complementary.
Is any school safe from the ACLU’s insistence on promoting perversity as diversity? Don’t bet on it.
Robert Knight is senior writer for Coral Ridge Ministries and the author of the recently updated book “Fighting for America’s Soul: How Sweeping Change Threatens Our Nation and What We Must Do” (Coral Ridge Ministries, 2009).
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