THEIST_WATCH Msg : 69 Written : 08/11/94 06:09pm From : ROBIN MURRAY-O'HAIR Status : To :

THEIST_WATCH Msg : 69 Written : 08/11/94 06:09pm From : ROBIN MURRAY-O'HAIR Status : To : ALL Subj : Disrupting Church Service And Even More No one knows what is the matter out there in California, but from any angle it doesn't look that good. Now the California State Assembly has passed a measure (sponsored by the Traditional Values Coalition [TVC]) that increases both jail time and other penalties for protestors who intentionally disrupt religious services. The existing six-month jail sentence required would be boosted to one-year in county jail. The minimum "community service" now required for first offenders would be increased from a minimum of fifty to a maximum of eighty hours. Second offense community services would increase to 120-160 hours in addition to any fine or imprisonment. The demand for increased penalties legislation arose from a protest by lesbian and gay activists demonstration against TVC leader Lou Sheldon's appearance at a Baptist church in San Francisco. The protestors allegedly "scratched' the wife of a local fundamentalist preacher, tossed a patio bench into the church fountain, ran the Rainbow Flag up the church pole, and stole a wooden address number form the side of the church building. Good Gawd! It is a wonder that they were not also flogged, what a terrible thing to do: steal a wooden address number! THEIST_WATCH Msg : 106 Written : 09/28/94 07:08pm From : ROBIN MURRAY-O'HAIR Status : RcA To : ALL Subj : Another exemption for the religious On September 27, Congress passed legislation exempting Native Americans from state and local anti-drug laws for the use of peyote in traditional Indian rites. The use of peyote by Native Americans had been the subject of a Supreme Court decision. In that ruling, the Court had maintained that states had a right to restrict use of drugs, even if religious grounds were claimed. THEIST_WATCH Msg : 117 Written : 10/06/94 07:07pm From : ROBIN MURRAY-O'HAIR Status : To : ALL Subj : Asylum May Be Possible for Iranian WOMEN ARRESTED FOR CRIMES AGAINST RELIGIOUS LAW MAY BE GRANTED ASYLUM IN U.S. A U.S. immigration board said her troubles at home were too trival to qualify as political or religious persecution, and that therefore Saideh Fisher wasn't entitled to asylum in the U.S. But the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has given her a second chance at finding a home in the U.S. Ms. Fisher is a native Iranian who was once arrested at gunpoint for allowing some of her hair to show outside her veil. Another time in 1983 she was arrested for attending a party at which a man wore a bathing suit. She was subsequently fired from her position as a teacher. In Iran, women who refuse to wear the veil are subject to a minimun penalty of 73 lashes. The Board of Immigration Appeals had ruled that she did not qualify for asylum because she had only been detained briefly and because the rules apply to all Iranian women. The 9th Circuit ruling gives Fisher an opportunity to prove that she is likely to be physically abused or imprisoned if returned to Iran or be targeted for persecution. * WCE 2.0/[NR-1167] * Dial-THE-Atheist (512) 458-5731 *********************************************************************** * * * American Atheists website: http://www.atheists.org * * PO Box 140195 FTP: ftp://ftp.atheists.org * * Austin, TX 78714-0195 * * Voice: (512) 458-1244 Dial-THE-ATHEIST: * * FAX: (512) 467-9525 (512) 458-5731 * * * * Atheist Viewpoint TV: avtv@atheists.org * * Info on American Atheists: info@atheists.org, * * & American Atheist Press include your name and mailing address * * AANEWS -Free subscription: aanews-request@listserv.atheists.org * * and put "info aanews" in message body * * * * This text may be freely downloaded, reprinted, and/other * * otherwise redistributed, provided appropriate point of * * origin credit is given to American Atheists. * * * ***********************************************************************