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| Atheist Veterans Cemetery Director Prohibiting Prayers |
| 2011-06-30 |
| Veterans in Houston say the Department of Veterans Affairs is consistently censoring their prayers by banning them from saying the words "God" and "Jesus" during funeral services at Houston National Cemetery. Three organizations -- the Veterans of Foreign Wars, The American Legion and the National Memorial Ladies -- allege that the cemetery's director and other government officials have created "religious hostility" at the cemetery and are violating the First Amendment. According to court documents filed this week in federal court, the cemetery's director, Arleen Ocasio, has banned saying "God" at funerals and requires prayers be submitted in advance for government approval, MyFoxHouston.com reports. "People are doing things out there that I feel like they shouldn't be," Vietnam veteran Jim Rodgers told the website. The Department of Veterans Affairs said in a statement that it "respects every veteran and their family's right to burial service that honors their faith tradition." The department employs nearly 1,000 chaplains who preside over religious burials, according to the statement. However, the new allegations come one month after a controversy surrounding Pastor Scott Rainey's prayer in Jesus' name at a Memorial Day service in the cemetery. U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes ruled May 26 that the government couldn't stop Rainey from using the words "Jesus Christ" in his invocation. Hughes issued a temporary restraining order to prevent the Department of Veterans Affairs from censoring Rainey's prayer. "The hostile and discriminatory actions by the Veterans Affairs officials in Houston are outrageous, unconstitutional and must stop," said Jeff Mateer, an attorney with Liberty Institute, which filed the original lawsuit on behalf of the veterans groups. "Government officials who engage in religious discrimination against citizens are breaking the law. Sadly, this seems to be a pattern of behavior at the Houston VA National Cemetery." Judge Hughes gave the government until July 15 to respond to the new allegations and set a status hearing for July 21, Mateer said. Ocasio couldn't be reached for comment on Tuesday, MyFoxHouston.com reports. "We were told we could no longer say 'God bless you' and 'God bless your family,'" Marilyn Koepp, a volunteer with the National Memorial Ladies, told the website. "How did I feel? I probably shouldn't say how I felt because it was absolutely appalling that this woman would come aboard and tell us we cannot say 'God bless you.'" Arleen Ocasio is bitterly anti-religious, doing such things as defiling chapels and renaming them "meeting centers", ordering clergy and visitors to not use the words "God" or "Jesus" on the grounds of the cemeteries, and even prohibiting pleasantries like "God bless you". |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #9 "Atheist Veterans Cemetery Director" English can be annoyingly unprecise at times Who is atheist, the director or the veterans? (no way to know without reading the whole thing) |
| Posted by: European Conservative 2011-06-30 23:47 |
| #8 Anyone who believes that there isn't a deeply entrenched institutional anti-Christian bigotry in the Democratic party needs to read this article over and over until they get it. |
| Posted by: no mo uro 2011-06-30 20:56 |
| #7 And pardon the language, but I want this bitch fired. Now. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2011-06-30 15:07 |
| #6 I will pray any way I choose - and dare that sanctimonious asshole to arrest me. I have a right to freely practice my religion - 1st amendment. To be "free from" anything is nowhere in the constitution, and any claims of that sort are bullshit. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2011-06-30 15:05 |
| #5 As I understand the rules, any kind of prayers etc. may be said at funerals & such, as long as they are requested by the next-of-kin (hence the requirement of submitting the text in writing for approval.) They allege to be protecting the rights of atheist or non-Christian next-of-kin etc. to not be offended by religious speech (including simple greetings by the volunteers) at funerals and of any atheist attendees at open memorials from such offenses. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2011-06-30 13:26 |
| #4 I am surprised it took this long to get posted to the 'Burg, or that there wasn't a big local stink at about the time of the judge's restraining order. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2011-06-30 12:12 |
| #3 Sorry ladies. Didn't mean to compare you wonderful people with a craven douche. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2011-06-30 11:47 |
| #2 Maybe the clergy have to follow her directions, but the families and friends of the deceased do NOT. I hope some of them very loudly say God, Jesus, or whatever they want to at their loved one's funeral. I'd also suggest submitting a prayer for approval, getting her e-mail, letter, or notes deleting the God parts, then (a) taking it to the local papers/TV stations and (b) sending it to their Senators and Representatives. Make a HUGE stink. Get I wonder if she has any objections to "Allah"? If so, that would be fun to send to CAIR, et al. If not, make that a bone of contention, too. Darth, I know you're upset - and rightly so - but I must object to your language. You have no business calling this loser a lady. Please apologize to ladies everywhere for this egregious insult. |
| Posted by: Barbara 2011-06-30 11:31 |
| #1 Petty little tyrant, isn't she? Honestly, I doubt she has the authority to do this and if someone is letting her from the DVA, there is a serious 1st amendment suit waiting to happen against the government. Honestly lady, during a moment of grief, let people have whatever religion or lack there of they want. Have some fucking common curtsey or we will have none dealing with you, you fucking bitch. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2011-06-30 11:10 |