Get US Out of the United Nations
In God We Trust…..Semper Fi
Posted on 04/10/2003 12:55:07 AM PDT by nickcarraway
LENOIR, N.C. (AP) - Postal officials' refusal to ship Christian literature to an Army National Guardsman stationed in the Middle East is drawing legal attention from a Virginia civil liberties organization. Jack Moody of Lenoir was rejected when he tried to send a parcel to his son containing a Christian comic book and a book of Bible verses. Moody was told a U.S. Postal Service regulation prohibits the mailing of "any matter containing religious materials contrary to Islamic faith."
His angry calls to congressional offices caught the attention of the Charlottesville, Va.-based Rutherford Institute.
Nisha Mohammed, a spokeswoman for the institute, said late Wednesday that lawyers for Rutherford planned to sue the U.S. Postmaster General on Moody's behalf, contending the restriction violates his rights to free speech and exercise of religion. Mohammed said the lawsuit would be filed as early as Thursday morning in federal court in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. Postal Service and U.S. Military Postal Service Agency, which handles all overseas military mail, blamed the controversy on an unclear rule that needs rewriting.
The local post office should have let Moody ship the books, officials said. The restriction doesn't apply to religious materials sent to individuals overseas, the wording of the regulation has caused confusion, and the MPSA is reviewing the regulation to try to clarify it, postal officials said.
"If nothing else out of this, we need clarification, obviously," said Bill Brown, a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service in Charlotte. "We will make sure we do get it clarified. We just want to do the right thing by our troops over there."
The restriction, included in the Postal Service's regulations for overseas military mail, was adopted around the time of the 1991 Persian Gulf War and originates with Customs regulations in many Middle Eastern countries, said Mark Saunders, a Postal Service spokesman in Washington.
One of the countries is Kuwait, where Moody's son, Daniel, was stationed until recently. Daniel Moody, 21, is a specialist with the Army National Guard's 1454th Transportation Company, based in Concord.
Kuwait enforces strict regulations on religious materials, alcohol, pornography and firearms, the State Department said.
"That's reality. Anything going to another country has to go through Customs," Saunders said. He added that the restriction is intended only to keep large quantities of religious material from circulating in foreign countries, and "if you're mailing an individual item to a service member, that shouldn't be a problem."
MPSA officials said they have received calls and questions about the regulation and admitted it has caused confusion among the public and postal employees.
Tommie Kelly, the agency's acting chief of operations, said he's drafted a proposed change to the regulation's wording that would clarify what it prohibits. He wouldn't be more specific. But Kelly said he's never seen an official government definition of what is "contrary to Islamic faith" - which, he said, is part of the problem.
There's no question, though, that a parent can send a Bible or other religious items to a son or daughter stationed overseas, Kelly said. "We want to ensure that our people are not being denied their right to send materials to their loved ones."
The Postal Service restriction violates the First Amendment's establishment clause by respecting one religion over others, said John Whitehead, the Rutherford Institute's president. The institute is best known for shouldering Paula Jones' legal expenses in her sexual harassment suit against former President Clinton.
Jack Moody, told about Kelly's comments Tuesday, said he'd check with the Postal Service and MPSA and try again.
Information from: The Charlotte Observer
As Iraq is NOT under Islamic authority, once we have a base there, this shouldn't be a problem. I can't express on this forum what I think of those nations which our troops defended and yet are subject to this infringement of their rights.
Rutherford's focus is defending the religious rights of Americans from discrimination in employment and education. This is fundamental to the culture war currently being raged in our society. If you have ever had a child in a government school, or have ever participated in a "diversity" (leftist multicultural indoctrination) program at your place of employment, you will understand that there is nothing kooky about this issue and that John Whitehead and the other folks at Rutherford are trouble fighters, not trouble makers. If, however, you have been living in a cave for the last 20 years, you are entitled to your opinion.
Mortimer, here's a little friendly advice.
1) Your grammar is atrocious and typical of a liberal education.
2) Report writing 101: When you make a statement, you need to back it with fact, not opinion.
3) The media, liberal or conservative, are not "a source of fact". Mainstream publications may be sources of information and opinion, but they are not reliable sources of fact. I am sure this contradicts what you have been taught by your liberally brainwashing professors in your "intellectually-undiverse" school.
4) It is nearly impossible to discredit an entire institution: some individuals within it, perhaps; a mission statement, easily; some actions, obviously. Even the Brookings Institute occasionally produces a valid study although its conclusions are rarely, accurately based on the data that it has gathered.(...and twisted and mushed into a pigeon hole.)
5) You can do yourself a huge favor by increasing your ability to read. Once you have done so, you can explore the entire world: left, right, American, European, Asian, etc.
6) Take a couple of classes in statistics and and take the entire calculus series through differential equations. Learn how to read statistics, and understand "studies". When you have a degree in something that isn't touchy-feely liberalism, you can truly expand your horizons.
Get US Out of the United Nations
In God We Trust…..Semper Fi
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