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December 1, 2008

ANN ARBOR, MI — Crystal Dixon, a high ranking African American official at the University of Toledo, was summarily fired in May of this year by the University because she wrote a newspaper commentary expressing her personal Christian views regarding homosexuality.

Dixon was responding to an opinion article written by the editor-in-chief of the Toledo Free Press entitled, “Gay Rights and Wrongs.”  In her private editorial, Dixon objected to the comparison of “gay rights” with the civil rights struggles of African Americans.    She wrote, “As a Black woman… I take great umbrage at the notion that those choosing the homosexual lifestyle are ‘civil rights victims.’  Here’s why. I cannot wake up tomorrow and not be a Black woman. I am genetically and biologically a Black woman and very pleased to be so as my Creator intended.”

As a result of the University’s outrageous actions, the Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor Michigan, today filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court, Northern District of Ohio against the University, its President, and its Vice President for Human Resources and Campus Safety.  The lawsuit claims violations of Dixon’s constitutional rights to free speech and equal protection of the law.

The Law Center is being assisted by local Toledo attorney Tom Sobecki.

Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Law Center commented, “It’s clear that radical homosexuals have an inordinate amount of influence over the University President.  He openly brags about being friendly to ‘lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning individuals.’  But he doesn’t care about the constitutional free speech rights of Christians.”

Thompson observed, “Where is the so-called free expression of ideas and tolerance that universities so adamantly defend in other contexts?  Crystal Dixon has a constitutional right to privately express her personal opinions, and this particular opinion represents the view of a majority of Christian Americans.  Christians believe that homosexual acts are acts of grave depravity, contrary to natural law, and under no circumstances can they be approved.  Christians also believe one must love the sinner, but hate the sin.  Crystal Dixon believed and expressed this – essentially she was fired for being a Christian.”

Aggravating Dixon’s free speech violations is the claim that she had earlier questioned the University President’s insistence that his niece be hired to the exclusion of five more qualified candidates, including qualified minorities.  The President’s niece was hired in the Human Resources Department where Ms. Dixon worked.

The Thomas More Law Center defends and promotes the religious freedom of Christians, time-honored family values, and the sanctity of human life through education, litigation, and related activities.  It does not charge for its services.  The Law Center is supported by contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations, and is recognized by the IRS as a section 501(c)(3) organization.  You may reach the Thomas More Law Center at (734) 827-2001 or visit our website at www.thomasmore.org.

ANN ARBOR, MI — For the last several years, the Thomas More Law Center, a national nonprofit public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has been successfully defending the right of Christians to display nativity scenes on public property and to celebrate Christmas in public schools.

In years past and still today, the Law Center has asked thousands of supporters to go on the offensive – where there has been no nativity display before, ask the government for permission to erect one; where the government has allowed a religious display of another faith, ask that a nativity display be erected on the same property as well; where there is a public forum for the exercise of free speech, ask for permission to erect a nativity display.

Every year the Law Center sends its hundreds of affiliated attorneys across the nation a legal memo on how to deal with the war on Christmas in their area.  The Law Center has successfully defended the proper celebration of this national holiday in numerous cases.

Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Law Center commented, “The ACLU’s war on Christmas is really a war on Christians. With few exceptions and then only to create a diversion from their real target, the ACLU avoids going after religious symbols of other faiths.  Despite the fact that over 80 percent of Americans are Christians, the ACLU has bullied elected representatives and school officials to eradicate the public celebration of Christmas under threat of lawsuits.  Municipalities and schools should be aware that the systematic exclusion of Christmas symbols during the holiday season is not warranted, and such exclusion itself could be inconsistent with the Constitution and subject them to a possible lawsuit.”

As part of its Christmas Campaign, the Law Center has asked its supporters to petition their local governments in writing for permission to erect nativity displays.  Law Center staff attorneys are standing by to assist in the petition, and if legally appropriate, to file a federal lawsuit should they be denied.

In 1984, Chief Justice Warren Burger had this to say in his opinion upholding the city of Pawtucket, Rhode Island’s nativity display:

“It would be ironic, however, if the inclusion of a single symbol of a particular historic religious event, as part of a celebration acknowledged in the Western World for 20 centuries, and in this country by the people, by the Executive Branch, by the Congress, and the courts for two centuries, would so ‘taint’ the City’s exhibit as to render it violative of the Establishment Clause.  To forbid the use of this one passive symbol – the crèche – at the very time people are taking note of the season with Christmas hymns and carols in public schools and other public places, and while the Congress and Legislatures open sessions with prayers by paid chaplains, would be a stilted over-reaction contrary to our history and to our holdings. If the presence of the crèche in this display violates the Establishment Clause, a host of other forms of taking official note of Christmas, and of our religious heritage, are equally offensive to the Constitution.”

According to the Law Center:

• The display of a nativity scene, as with any religious symbol, by a private person is religious speech that the First Amendment protects.
• The First Amendment protects private speech most strongly in a traditional public forum, such as a public park, or in what is known as a designated public forum, which is public property the government has designated for public assembly and speech.
• There should be no unreasonable prohibitions against public school students wishing each other “Merry Christmas,” distributing Christmas cards, or wearing clothing displaying a religious message.
• It is constitutionally permissible for schools to permit the study and performance of religious songs in its public schools, in order to promote the legitimate educational goal of “advancing the students’ knowledge of society’s cultural and religious heritage.”

The Thomas More Law Center defends and promotes America’s Christian heritage and moral values through education, litigation, and related activities.  It does not charge for its services.  The Law Center is supported by contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations, and is recognized by the IRS as a section 501(c)(3) organization.  You may reach the Thomas More Law Center at (734) 827-2001 or visit our website at www.thomasmore.org.

ANN ARBOR, MI – Brigitte Gabriel, one of the leading terrorism experts in the world and renowned New York Times bestselling author, warned of the successful cultural Jihad being waged against America by cells of radical Islamic terrorists already in the country.  She characterized many of America’s leading universities as “occupied territory,” having been infiltrated by anti-American, anti-Israel professors that dominate Middle East Studies departments funded by Saudi millions.

Her warning was made at the Thomas More Law Center’s annual Fall Event this past Tuesday evening in Birmingham, Michigan.

Ms. Gabriel spoke for over an hour warning those gathered of the threat radical Islam poses to our Nation, not just by catastrophic events like 9/11, but by the Saudi money being used to undermine our country’s Christian heritage.

Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center who introduced Brigitte Gabriel to the audience, commented,  “Brigitte is a modern-day Paul Revere, a courageous Christian women who knows firsthand the atrocities perpetrated upon Christians once radical Islam gains dominance in a country.  As a young child of ten in Lebanon, she witnessed Muslim militants destroy her home.  She was forced her to live with her parents in an 8’x 10’ bomb shelter for seven years. She experienced Muslim neighbors, friendly to her just a week before the attack, join forces with the Islamic militants.”

Ms. Gabriel implored the audience to financially support the Thomas More Law Center because the Law Center was the first public interest law firm, and remains the most aggressive public interest law firm, fighting the insidious threat of radical Islam in America.  The audience gave her standing ovations several times during her speech.

Ms. Gabriel is the founder of ACT! for America, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating millions of uninformed citizens about the threat of radical Islam to world peace and national security. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller BECAUSE THEY HATE: A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America.  Her new book, THEY MUST BE STOPPED: Why We Must Defeat Radical Islam and How We Can Do It, was released in September of this year and became a New York Times Bestseller just 4 days after its release.

Brigitte Gabriel is a member of the Board of Advisors of the Intelligence Summit and lectures nationally and internationally on terrorism and current affairs. Her expertise is sought by world and business leaders around the globe. She has addressed Australian Prime Minister John Howard, members of the British Parliament/House of Commons, members of the United States Congress, the Joint Forces Staff College, the US Special Operations Command, the FBI, and many others. In addition, Gabriel is a regular guest analyst on Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, and various radio stations daily across America.

The Thomas More Law Center defends and promotes America’s Christian heritage and moral values, including the religious freedom of Christians, traditional family values, and the sanctity of human life through litigation, education, and related activities.  It does not charge for its services.  The Law Center is supported by contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations, and is recognized by the IRS as a section 501(c)(3) organization.  You may reach the Thomas More Law Center at (734) 827-2001 or visit our website at www.thomasmore.org.

ANN ARBOR, MI – Jesse Nieto is a 25-year Marine veteran whose honorable service to our nation included two combat tours in Vietnam.  His youngest son, Marc, and 16 of Marc’s shipmates were killed on October 12, 2000, by Islamic terrorists who bombed the USS Cole.  Nieto has worked as a civilian employee at the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina since 1994.

Since 2001, Nieto has displayed various decals on his vehicle expressing anti-terrorist sentiments, such as “Remember the Cole, 12 Oct 2000,” “Islam=Terrorism,” and “We Died, They Rejoiced.”  On July 31, 2008, two military police officers (MPs) issued Nieto a ticket for displaying “offensive material.”

In mid-August, after Nieto refused to remove all “offending” decals from his vehicle, the Base Magistrate issued Nieto a written order, ordering him to remove his vehicle from the base until all decals were removed and banning his vehicle from all other federal installations.  The order in effect prevented Nieto from driving his vehicle to Arlington National Cemetery (a federal installation) to visit the grave of his fallen son.

As a result of the Marine Corps’ action, the Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this week filed a federal lawsuit against the Camp Lejeune Commanding Officer and the Base Magistrate on behalf of Nieto in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.  The civil rights lawsuit challenges the military’s ban on Nieto’s speech on the basis that it violates Nieto’s constitutional rights to freedom of speech and the equal protection of the law.  [Click here to read the complaint filed by the Law Center.]

Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, commented, “The banning of these decals is political correctness run amuck in the military.  Our troops are being killed by Islamic terrorists, 9/11 was caused by Islamic terrorists, these terrorists want to destroy America, the Islamic countries persecute Christians, and now the military is victimizing a father whose son was killed by Islamic terrorists while serving our nation.”

Continued Thompson, “I suspect the next thing the Marine command will want to do is eliminate the Marine’s Hymn since the phrase ‘to the shores of Tripoli’ celebrates the Marine victory over Islamic forces in the Barbary Coast War and the Battle of Derne.”

The lawsuit alleges that military officials have engaged in viewpoint discrimination prohibited by the First Amendment and have violated the Fifth Amendment’s equal protection guarantee by allowing some messages to be displayed but prohibiting others that they find unacceptable.  Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that the military’s ban on “offensive” speech is impermissible because there are no objective standards guiding the decisions of government officials, thereby granting these officials unbridled discretion to determine which speech is acceptable and which speech is unacceptable.

Robert Muise is the Law Center attorney handling the Nieto case.  He is also one of the Law Center’s attorneys defending LtCol Jeffrey Chessani, USMC, the senior officer charged in the so-called “Haditha Massacre” case.  A military judge recently dismissed the charges against Chessani, and the government has appealed the ruling.  A decision by the military appellate court is expected in the next few months.

The Thomas More Law Center defends and promotes America’s Christian heritage and moral values, including the religious freedom of Christians, time-honored family values, and the sanctity of human life through litigation, education, and related activities.  It does not charge for its services.  The Law Center is supported by contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations, and is recognized by the IRS as a section 501(c)(3) organization.  You may reach the Thomas More Law Center at (734) 827-2001 or visit our website at www.thomasmore.org.

ANN ARBOR, MI – “Hamtramck Citizens Voting No to ‘Special Rights’ Discrimination” scored a landslide victory by overturning an ordinance enacted by their City Council in June of this year, which gave special rights to homosexuals and so-called “transgendered” individuals.  The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, represented the citizens group and joined community religious leaders in urging a “No” vote on November 4th.

The “No” vote carried the day, 55% to 45 %.

The challenged ordinance had made it legal for men who perceive themselves as women to use women’s bathrooms in any school, business, or public facility.   In classic Orwellian doublespeak, the ordinance defines such behavior as “Natural Rights of Hamtramck Residents.”  Under the ordinance, any attempt to prevent such activity would have subjected the person to investigations, criminal prosecution, civil litigation, and fines of up to five hundred dollars per day.

Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center stated, “Radical homosexual groups have lost statewide attempts to impose their agenda on the public.  They are now engaged in a strategy of putting pressure on municipalities –in many cases successfully – to enact draconian provisions like Hamtramck’s.   In this case their new strategy failed as the will of the people prevailed.”

The Thomas More Law Center defends and promotes the religious freedom of Christians, time-honored family values, and the sanctity of human life through litigation, education, and related activities.  It does not charge for its services.  The Law Center is supported by contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations, and is recognized by the IRS as a section 501(c)(3) organization.  You may reach the Thomas More Law Center at (734) 827-2001 or visit our website at www.thomasmore.org.