When in Doubt, Whip Jesus Out

Sigh. Why do I continue to watch the news? Especially local news? I swear Texas must be a magnet for religious zealots.

Case in point: Some Biblemonkey named Janice Colston has hired a Religious Right group to speak on her behalf against the Crowley, Texas ISD. Apparently she planted herself smack dab in a high-traffic area of the school and started handing out religious material. The school encouraged her to move down the sidewalk, instead of directly in front of an entrance/exit, but that wasn't good enough for the Liberty Legal Institute. According to her attorney, Kelley Shackleford (no relation to Ted Shackleford of Knot's Landing fame):

"The right to speak and to share the gospel is a precious right. It's a fundamental right in this country and we're not going to stand idley by while government officials intentionally violate that right." This quote was brought to you by the letter 'R' and the word "right."

If the school doesn't allow Janice Colston, of Fort Worth, Texas, to hand out the literature where she wants, they will sue.

*Read the original article here. Read the FAX from the Forth Worth law office ("Whitaker, Chalk, Swindle & Sawyer"...how precious is it that one of them actually has the name "SWINDLE?" LOL!) representing Janice Colston here.

Here's a copy of the "Demand Letter" sent to Crowley ISD:

Fort Worth – Today, Liberty Legal Institute sent a demand letter to Crowley Independent School District on behalf of Janice Colston, who was denied free speech rights outside Crowley High School last spring.

“Mrs. Colston has a clear and undeniable right according to the First Amendment to stand on a public sidewalk and distribute religious literature,” said Kelly Shackelford, chief counsel for Liberty Legal Institute. “It is outrageous that the school district has singled out this grandmother and barred her from an entire block of a public sidewalk.”

The situation arose when Mrs. Colston was prohibited from passing out religious literature on a public sidewalk near Crowley High School after school hours. Before interacting with anyone, Mrs. Colton was stopped and told to move to the end of the street, therefore preventing contact with students. Mrs. Colston contacted Liberty Legal Institute seeking advise, then made several attempts to resolve this matter with the school district but to no avail.

“Every citizen has a right to speak and share the Gospel on a public sidewalk. This is a precious right,” Shackelford said.

In the demand letter issued today, Mrs. Colston requests that she be allowed to distribute religious literature on the public sidewalk without intervention from school officials.

“The Crowley ISD, despite being warned several times through attempts to resolve this, continues to bow its neck in the face of clear constitutional law and the freedom of speech and religion,” said Tom Brandon, co-counsel for Mrs. Colston. “This demand letter is intended to send a clear message to the school district that it cannot blatantly offend the Constitution without facing legal action.”