2010-January

On the same day, a burned copy of the Qur'an was found at the back entrance of the Islamic Education Center of Orange County in Costa Mesa, CA.

"Whether you live in a large city or small town, chances are there are others around you who do not share your religious or non-theistic beliefs. If unfamiliar with their beliefs, even everyday conversations can be a difficulty and rife with the possibility of misunderstandings."

"The best way to avoid this sort of social land mine is to educate yourself. The best way to educate yourself from your computer is by giving these top 25 comparative religion blogs and websites a visit. They can help you with everything from the major religions, to the lesser religions, to the atheistic belief system."

"We�re growing a Christian community, and don�t let anybody shy away from that. ... I need (Lancaster community) standing up and saying we�re a Christian community, and we�re proud of that."

He also asked voters to support a ballot measure endorsing Christian prayers at city meetings. That measure is an apparent response to a letter to the city from the American Civil Liberties Association (ACLU) which allegedly said that sectarian prayers at government meetings are divisive and unconstitutional.

Mayor Parris later said that a Christian city has a better sense of community than an "atheistic city."

Hussam Ayloush, Executive Director of the Los Angeles branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in response:

"The mayor's remarks promoting a particular faith in his official capacity at an official city event seem to violate the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Elected officials should not use public positions to impose their religious beliefs on others. We also call on California's religious and political leaders to repudiate the mayor's remarks because they could serve to marginalize people of other faiths and Christians who value the separation of church and state."

Earlier, Lancaster Council member Sherry Marquez (R) had posted the following comment in Facebook concerning a murder trial in New York City involving a Muslim defendant:

"This is what the Muslim religion is all about -- the beheadings, honor killings are just the beginning of what is to come in the USA. We are told this is a small majority [sic] of Muslim's [sic] in America, but it is truly what they are all about...You disrespect/dishonor them or their religion and you should die (they don't even blink at killing their own wives/daughters, because they are justified by their religion)."

CAIR sent Marquez a letter asking her to meet with members of the Muslim and interfaith communities to discuss the impact of her posting. _10,11,12

"The act restores the right of workers to file pay discrimination claims as long as they are still receiving discriminatory paychecks. The Center for Inquiry/Office of Public Policy played an integral role in that hard-fought victory. ..."

"While the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act represents a great victory for reason and equality, there are still many fights left in the seemingly never-ending battle to bring science, reason, and the values of freethought and secularism back to government. We have seen it in the debate over health care, with interest groups (and even some members of Congress) inserting language into the health insurance bills that would elevate so-called 'spiritual health care' and alternative medical treatments, such as therapeutic touch, to the level of real medicine. We have seen it in the fight over energy legislation, where deniers of the science behind global warming and climate change continue to use every ounce of their political capital to try to forestall or even kill a responsible energy bill. And we have seen it in civil rights issues where, despite advances, the government still follows a narrow religious ideology and treats some individuals like second-class citizens based on their sexual orientation."