Free Republic

THE OMBUDSMAN's COLUMN Too Much Religion? One of the interesting aspects of ombudsmanship is that at times you can see broad themes emerge among viewers — again, the numbers are small but perhaps reflective of a wider group — that are not so easily visible to producers of individual programs and local stations, or perhaps even to the programmers and executives of the Public Broadcasting Service. For example, in recent weeks I have received dozens of e-mails from all parts of the country about the religious content of several recent offerings on PBS. For the most part, these have been...

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) - California State University, San Bernardino has refused to allow a Christian group to organize on campus, saying it would discriminate against non-Christians and homosexuals. The Christian Student Association's proposed constitution included a statement on sexual morality and required members and officers to be Christian. State law prevents student groups at public universities from excluding people based on religion or sexual orientation. "We are not permitted to charter them under Title V," said Christine Hansen, director of student leadership and development in the office of Student Affairs. She was referring to a section of the state...

A SCHOOL principal has apologised for overusing the word "Christmas" in a controversy branded political correctness gone crazy. Queensland's Yeppoon State School head Laurelle Allen wrote the apology after a family claimed she had discriminated against them by using "Christmas" too many times in school newsletters. Paul and Melanie Jowsey, whose children Charles, 10, and Harrison, 8, attend the central Queensland school, do not celebrate Christmas and oppose the "historical dominance of Christianity" in Australia. They complained that Ms Allen used "Christmas" at least 10 times in three newsletters over a week and had subjected them to "direct and indirect...