Suit: NASA specialist axed over intelligent design

Associated Press ^ | March 11, 2012

[Free ThinkerNY]

(AP) NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has landed robotic explorers on the surface of Mars, sent probes to outer planets and operates a worldwide network of antennas that communicates with interplanetary spacecraft.

Its latest mission is defending itself in a workplace lawsuit filed by a former computer specialist who claims he was demoted and then let go for promoting his views on intelligent design, the belief that a higher power must have had a hand in creation because life is too complex to have developed through evolution alone.

[bmwcyle]

The Obamie bunch does not believe in the Constitution.

[LukeL]

Why I dropped out of my geology degree. If you think open debate is encouraged in the hard sciences, you are wrong. Too many people have invested years in a theory for them to be proven wrong.

[dfwgator]

What did they axe him about Intelligent Design?

[samtheman]

good one :)

[Popman]

In an emailed statement, JPL dismissed Coppedge's claims. In court papers, lawyers for the California Institute of Technology, which manages JPL for NASA, said Coppedge received a written warning because his co-workers complained of harassment..... They also said Coppedge lost his "team lead" status because of ongoing conflicts with others. Caltech lawyers contend Coppedge was one of two Cassini technicians and among 246 JPL employees let go last year due to planned budget cuts.

If he was one of 246 employees let go and they have documented written warning which he signed.....

He is wasting his time or he better have some serious back up other than his own perceptions of discrimination...

I have no doubt his superiors didn't take his evangelical commitment kindly...and found a way though lay offs to rid themselves of a trouble maker in their eyes

I have run organizations where we had to downsize and the ones on the edge always got the ax first..

[GeronL]

Thoughtcrime.

wow

[Telepathic Intruder]

I wonder what NASA would do to the Apollo 8 crew today if they said now what they said then while orbiting the moon on Christmas.

Jim Lovell: And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

Frank Borman: And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas – and God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth.

[Keflavik76]

One day the knowledge of the Lord will fill the earth. Its going to be a tough time for the anti-intelligent design crowd.

[reg45]

Scott Carpenter: Godspeed, John Glenn!

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

There are limits to what people can do on the job.

“he engaged his co-workers in conversations about intelligent design and handed out DVDs on the idea while at work.”

“he believes other things also led to his demotion, including his support for a state ballot measure that sought to define marriage as limited to heterosexual couples and his request to rename the annual holiday party a “Christmas party.”

“(he)received a written warning because his co-workers complained of harassment. They also said (he) lost his “team lead” status because of ongoing conflicts with others.”

“lawyers contend (he) was one of two Cassini technicians and among 246 JPL employees let go last year due to planned budget cuts.”

“The question is whether the plaintiff was fired simply because he was wasting people’s time and bothering them in ways that would have led him to being fired regardless of whether it was about religion or whether he was treated worse based on the religiosity of his beliefs.”

His main duties at JPL were to maintain computer networks and troubleshoot technical problems for the mission.

[angryoldfatman]

They sure did wait awhile to smack a “troublemaker” down. The guy worked for them in some capacity for over 14 years.

And if the coworkers that were so put out by Coppedge’s behavior are anything like Josh Rosenau of the NCSE (quoted in the article), then they’re your typical rabid leftist atheists who have no problem with lying to stick it to conservative Christians, no matter what the behavior exhibited by said Christians happens to be.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

Your post sounds both aggressive and crude. A rather puzzling response since almost everything I posted was from the article. Please refrain from doing so in the future.

[BenLurkin]

“he engaged his co-workers in conversations about intelligent design and handed out DVDs on the idea while at work.”

“he believes other things also led to his demotion, including his support for a state ballot measure that sought to define marriage as limited to heterosexual couples and his request to rename the annual holiday party a “Christmas party.”

Harmless. The coworkers who got out the long knives must be very spiteful indeed!

[a fool in paradise]

What did they aks him about it?

[a fool in paradise]

There are limits to what people can do on the job.

Obama's stated course for NASA to boast of Islam's scientific accomplishments is going to come into conflict with those "limits".

[TwoSwords]

Sorry that he wasn’t an automan. At least you’re right that I’m aggressive and crude. You being right on anything is novel.

[Disambiguator]

What did they axe him about Intelligent Design?

They axed him to leave because of it.