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Press Release:
House Bill 31, co-introduced by Representatives Brad Drake (R- Eucheeanna) and Greg Evers (R-Baker) today passed the House Policy Council Committee, its third committee of reference, advancing it toward a vote by the full Florida House of Representatives. Representative Evers presented an amendment to HB 31, which would prohibit affirmative acts of school districts and administrators that violate the First Amendment freedom of speech rights of students, teachers and school district personnel, including their freedom of religious speech.
Sep 26, 2010 View in Crawl 4
julesrsSep 26, 2010Submitter
The bill is designed to preempt future ACLU attacks on the First Amendment protections of freedom of speech, including religious speech, like the attack in Santa Rosa County that led to then-Pace High School Student Body President Mary Allen being censored and barred from speaking at her own high school graduation, as well as Pace High School Principal Frank Lay and Athletic Director Robert Freeman being charged with criminal contempt of court for offering a blessing at an adults-only event.
“This bill is about so much more than school prayer or inspirational speech, it’s about protecting Floridians’ First Amendment rights,” said Representative Evers. “At a time when our freedoms are constantly threatened, it is of vital importance that we pass legislation that preserves our freedoms and values at all cost. If we can stop what happened to Mary Allen and the good folks at Pace High School from happening anywhere elsewhere in Florida, I feel that we have done something important and good.”
“I thank my colleagues in the House for passing this important bill out of committee, and I look forward to working to move it all the way through the process,” said Representative Evers. “This legislation has been a priority of mine since the day I got elected in 2001. And, I’ve heard from people in Northwest Florida and throughout the state, who believe, as do I, that it is important that Floridians be allowed to exercise their freedom of speech how they see fit, and not have others dictate to them what they can and cannot do or say.”
“We deeply appreciate the support of the Florida House and, especially of Representatives Evers and Drake in making sure that outside liberal forces with their own agendas do not quash the First Amendment self-expression rights of students and teachers,” said Mary Allen, a freshman at Florida State University who in May 2009 was the president of the Pace High School student body.
HB 31, relating to protection of school speech, prohibits district school boards, administrative personnel and instructional personnel from taking affirmative action that infringes or waives rights or freedoms afforded by First Amendment to United States Constitution.
Representative Evers currently represents Florida House District 1, which includes parts of Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa Counties. He is a farmer and small businessman who was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2001 and was subsequently re-elected. Representative Evers has put his experience in agriculture and business to good use in the Florida Legislature and is proud of his legislative accomplishments on behalf of Florida’s critical agriculture industry, economic development, job creation and preserving and protecting Northwest Florida values including our Second Amendment rights and protections. Most recently, he sponsored and passed legislation enabling Florida farmers to transport their farm equipment from field to field without the burden of additional government permits or fees; legislation creating tax incentives that enabled the Jay Oil Field to reopen, restoring numerous Northwest Florida jobs; legislation officially designating “In God We Trust” as the official motto of the State of Florida and legislation protecting the right of law-abiding citizens in Florida to have legal firearms secured in their automobiles in public parking lots.
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Editor’s note:
The Evers bill legalizes voodoo, a syncretic religion originating from the Caribbean country of Haiti, in Florida public schools. And keeps ACLU from preventing animal sacrifices on school grounds….or so it seems. Freedom of religion means all religions, right?
julesrsSep 26, 2010Submitter
OMG! WHAT IN THE HELL IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?
I CAN’T BELIEVE GREG EVERS IS A “REPRESENTATIVE” OF THE COUNTY I LIVE IN! EVEN MORE SO, I AM MORTIFIED THAT MY NEIGHBORING CITIZENS ELECTED SUCH A DISGUSTING AND DISGRACEFUL TOOL.
HOW CAN THE MORAL AND ETHICAL INTEGRITY OF A HUMAN BEING BECOME SO NON-EXISTENT? WHAT IS IT? WERE EVERS AND DRAKE (& THEIR SUPPORTERS) NOT GIVEN ENOUGH HUGS AS A KID?
HOW CAN ANYONE THINK THAT TEACHING CHILDREN THAT IT IS “OK” TO KILL NON-HUMAN ANIMALS VIA SACRIFICE? HOW IS THAT DIFFERENT THAN TEACHING THEM TO BE LIKE LITTLE TED BUNDY OR A LITTLE JEFFRY DAHMER?
HOW DARE EVERS AND BAKER (& THEIR SUPPORTERS) USE THEIR MANIPULATIVE AND WARPED, SOCIOPATH INTERPRETATION OF THE US CONSTITUTION TO TEACH INNOCENT FLORIDA’S CHILDREN THAT IT’S OK TO BE A PSYCHOPATH AND TO FORCE RELIGIOUS BELIEF ONTO OTHERS!
If Representatives Brad Drake (R- Eucheeanna) and Greg Evers (R-Baker) are representative of the ethical bankruptcy and moral decay destroying our nation, our species… WE ARE (JUSTIFIABLY) DOOMED FOR EXTINCTION.
The ‘House Bill 31′ allowing non-human animal sacrifice is nothing more than a legalization of EVIL! Animal sacrifice? The torture and brutal slaughter of a helpless, defenseless animal will “teach” what exactly? That it’s perfectly LEGAL and socially acceptable to kill?
RELIGION BELONGS IN PRIVACY. NO ONE, YOUNG OR OLD, SHOULD BE FORCED TO LISTEN TO SOMEONE ELSE’S INTERPRETATION OF THE MEANING OF “GOD”. THAT IS WHY WE ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE THIS RIGHT… I BELIEVE IT IS CALLED… “FREEDOM OF RELIGION”. THIS INCLUDES THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE WHICH ORGANIZED RELIGIOUS SECTOR TO BELONG (OR TO NOT HAVE TO CHOOSE AT ALL), WITHOUT PERSECUTION.
Religious teaching (from ANY organized sector) has no place in PUBLIC SCHOOLS. Children are supposed to be at school to learn how to gain understanding of life. To learn how to figure things out, to hopefully one day, be an independant thinker and a contributing member of society.
Many children (nationwide) already have difficulty understanding the basic teaching of life (especially math and science). Courses such as History/Geography are supposed to be tools to help us EVOLVE….NOT continue to repeat the harmful/hurtful events of the past. PHYS Ed is also as important in aiding developing little humans as intellectual studies. Children are able to learn how to take care of themselves physically and the added bonus? CHILDREN FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET ALONG – TOLERANCE.
EVERS AND BAKERS AND THE PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT THEM, ARE SICK, DISGRACEFUL MONSTERS THAT ARE DARK AND NASTY STAINS UPON THE THE HUMAN RACE!
It is disgusting, appalling that the very meaning of what it means to be a human being is being distorted, destroyed and that the US Constitution is being used to legalize cruelty, abuse, suffering and torture of living, feeling creatures.
WHERE ARE THE ANIMAL'S RIGHTS? DO THEY NOT HAVE A RIGHT TO LIVE A LIFE WITHOUT BEING TORTURED BY HUMANS? IS "FREEDOM OF RELIGION" NOW GOING TO BE USED AS A TOOL FOR APATHETIC HUMANS TO INFLICT EVEN MORE TERROR AGAINST THE DEFENSELESS CREATURES WE SHARE OUR PLANET WITH? SIMPLY BECAUSE THEIR "GOD" WANTS IT? IF THIS IS SO, WHAT KIND OF "GOD" WANTS UNNECESSARY PAIN AND DEATH? ISN'T LIFE ON EARTH ALREADY ENDURING ENOUGH SUFFERING?
THIS IS NOT ABOUT THE RIGHTS OF “FREEDOM OF SPEECH” OR “FREEDOM OF RELIGION”.
WHAT’S NEXT? LEGALIZING “RELIGIOUS RIGHTS” TO(aka “tradition”,”culture”,”heritage” etc) PERFORMING FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION ON LITTLE GIRLS? SELLING CHILDREN INTO SLAVERY (EX ARRANGED MARRIAGE)?
HOW CAN ANYONE ARGUE THAT INFLICTING UNNECESSARY PAIN, SUFFERING AND/OR DEATH AGAINST ANY SENTIENT BEING BE JUSTIFIED?
FOR ALL SENTIENT BEINGS – PAIN AND SUFFERING IS UNIVERSAL. IT SHOULD NOT BE MORALLY (OR LEGALLY) ACCEPTABLE BY ANY SOCIETY/CULTURE, NATION/COUNTRY OR CONTINENT ON EARTH, THAT A HUMAN BEING CAN INFLICT PHYSICAL HARM (UNNECESSARY TO THE BEING’S OWN SURVIVAL) OR DEATH UPON ANOTHER JUST BECAUSE THEY WANT TO!