From: mccall@mksol.dseg.ti.com (fred j mccall 575-3539)
Newsgroups: tx.politics
Subject: Re: Bush Vetoes Stupid Education Reform Bill
Date: 20 Nov 92 14:23:49 GMT
Distribution: tx
Organization: Texas Instruments Inc

In <21909@rpp386.lonestar.org> jfh@rpp386.lonestar.org (John F. Haugh II) writes:

>In article <1992Nov19.002507.41777@watson.ibm.com> johniac@austin.ibm.com (John Iacoletti) writes:
>>John F. Haugh II (jfh@rpp386.lonestar.org) wrote:
>>: It doesn't matter if it was his own time.  If the teacher could spend the
>>: time reading any other material that can be legally owned, he should be
>>: able to spend it reading the bible.
>>
>>Yes it does matter.  His employer can dictate what he can and cannot do as
>>a condition of employment.

>So let me get this straight.  The Texas Government is free to discriminate
>against any employee it feels like.  

The usual John Haugh 'stretch'.  No, John, it isn't.

>The Texas Government can tell you, as
>an employee, that you MUST read the Bible, 

If I am at work on their time and part of my job entails reading the
Bible, then certainly they can tell me that I must read it.

>or that you MUST NOT read the
>Bible.  

If reading the Bible is NOT part of my job, they can certainly tell me
that I'm not allowed to read it on their property or on their time.

>Whichever it decides, as a condition of employment.  

If it's in your job description, they can require you to do it or they
can fire you for not doing it.  If it's not in your job description,
then they don't have to let you do it on their property during working
hours.  What part of this don't you understand, John?

>It could even
>dictate to women (or men - we have a woman governor ...) that they may not
>wear clothes 

If your job involves not wearing clothes, they can certainly dictate
that you must do that.

>and that they must submit to any sexual advances.  

Whoops!  Just fell afoul of laws about prostitution and such.  Can't
have that in a job description in this state.

>After all,
>there is no constitutional prohibition against sexual harassment ...

>I'd like to think that the 14th Amendment has something to say about states
>restricting the 1st Amendment rights of its citizens.

It does.  However, as usual, you want to misread and misapply things.

>	Amendment XIV

>	All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and
>	subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the
>	United States and of the State wherein they reside.  No
>	State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge
>	the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United
>	States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life,
>	liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor to
>	deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal
>	protection of the laws.

>Since religious freedom is a right of citizens of the United States, I'd
>say that Texas cannot make or enforce any law abridging that right.

And they don't.  But they can tell you that you aren't allowed to do
it on their property or their time while recieving their money; they
can REQUIRE you to do it if your job description includes it (say you
were hired as a chaplain).

-- 
"Insisting on perfect safety is for people who don't have the balls to live
 in the real world."   -- Mary Shafer, NASA Ames Dryden
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Fred.McCall@dseg.ti.com - I don't speak for others and they don't speak for me.