Letters to the Editor
LeCastor
Published Letters: 1916 Editor's Choice: 86
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What about people whose religion prohibits them from having photos, Man?
[Read the article: Dutch Cabinet pushes for burqa ban]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]A few years back, the ACLU sued the Florida DMV for requiring a woman to remove her burka for a license photo - luckily the ACLU lost and the woman had to either remove her face mask - which is what a burka is, to obtain a drivers license, or forego the privilage of driving.
Indeed, and the reason that the ACLU sued on behalf of the woman was that Nebraska allowed Christians from particular sects that don't allow photographs to have drivers' licenses without photographs, but Florida would not allow this Muslim woman to have a driver's license which arguably had more identifying facial features (her eyes) on the driver's license than the Amish or whoever it was who had no picture at all. That's the outrageous and blatantly discriminatory part of the story.
The 8th Circuit held that the burden imposed on the religious beliefs of the Christian woman outweighed the state's interest in having a photograph. But the florida 5th circuit state appeals court ruled exactly the other way in the case of the Muslim woman. I know all the legal differences here, and the Christian woman bases her argument in the 2nd commandment, whereas the Muslim woman bases her in slightly more traditionalist rather than religious language, but de facto, Christians can have no-photo licenses, and Muslims can't.
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1161294195.shtml
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Iraqnaed: Isn't forcing women to wear the veil just as bad as forcing them to take it off?
[Read the article: Dutch Cabinet pushes for burqa ban]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Both actions are patronizing to women, both are based on the assumption that the government (or whatever agency) knows better than the woman about what's best for women, aren't they?
In my view, it's just as bad to ban burqas as it is to make them mandatory. No government should tell people what t hey can and cannot wear -- a country claiming to be a liberal democracy like the Netherlands should be doubly ashamed that they think it's appropriate.
At least Saudi Arabia isn't even claiming to be a bastion of individual rights like Holland is -- it seems what is happening in poor scared Holland is different rights for different religions and people. A religious apartheid. Even if the law is worded in neutral language, de facto, that's what's happening, and you, as someone who is obviously for individual freedom, shouldn't be supporting this kind of invasive violation of that freedom.
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Man
[Read the article: Dutch Cabinet pushes for burqa ban]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]That decision was actually upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States in a per curiam opinion.
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Quaring
[Read the article: Dutch Cabinet pushes for burqa ban]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]re: per curiam opinion
I don't know what that means, but that doesn't change the fact that the Christian case took place in '83 whereas the Muslim case took place after 9/11 - do you really think that the court would make the same ruling in 2006?
honestly - do you?
-- man
Per curiam means that the court accepted the case for review, but then either (1) held a hearing, but decided the case without a written opinion, just a vote, (2) didn't hold a hearing and decided the case without a written opinion.
In practice, what the court is saying is that the case actually doesn't have any new issues of law, so there is no reason to write an opinion. In the 1950's civil rights cases, after brown v. board of education, the court issued many per curiam opinions on cases involving the implementation of their original decision.
I think that if the case were post-9/11 and the plaintiff were some menonite Christian or something, it might have been decided for the plaintiff. I honestly think so.
Our current treatment of muslims, taking them off planes for praying and tasering them for not having library cards, will be held in history on par with white-only drinking fountains.
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Completely agree with that fair critique, Rebecca
[Read the article: Melinda Gates: A woman to watch]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Yes, she's doing great things, but she's not what we would call a businesswoman.