Unlike George W. Bush, I do not believe that a loving god would want to deprive some children of top-notch teachers simply because those teachers might not practice the "right religion" in the privacy of his/her own private life.
In fact, that kind of discrimination seems to me like one sure-fire way to piss off Jesus.
From the American Civil Liberties Union:
-----
President Bush has been promoting his “faith-based initiative” since the day he took office. It is a plan to funnel hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to religious institutions even as those government-funded programs practice blatant discrimination.
This week votes are planned that could make the Head Start program a victim of federally funded religious discrimination. There will be an amendment to the Head Start re-authorization bill that would repeal existing current civil rights protections.
[...]
Thousands of Head Start teachers could lose their jobs if they fail their employers’ religious tests. Countless parents would furthermore be blocked from climbing the ladder out of poverty that has already allowed thousands of parents to go from being a parent volunteer to being a trained and paid Head Start teacher simply because they do not share the federally funded employer’s religious beliefs.
[...]
We need you to take action now because the Bush Administration has made it clear that it will allow religious organizations that receive federal funds to discriminate against applicants based on their religion, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, HIV status or any other characteristic that the religious organization may find objectionable.
-----
[Read more and take action.]
No comments:
Post a Comment