Titled: Chicago court rejects suit against General Motors for not sponsoring Christian group

The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago has upheld a verdict in favor of General Motors, after a born-again Christian employee sued the automaker for religious discrimination. The case stemmed from 43-year-old computer engineer John Moranski, who petitioned GM to form a company-sponsored Christian group.

Moranski's attorney argued that the manufacturer sponsors 'affinity groups' for minorities including women, gay men and women, veterans, disabled people, and racial and ethnic groups, and the manufacturer's refusal to create a similar group for Christians violated their client's civil rights.

The automaker has a blanket policy to refuse sponsorship to any groups centering on religious or political grounds. In a nine-page ruling, the court found no merit in Moranski's arguments tying his claim to the 1964 Civil Rights Act's Title VII provision (prohibiting discrimination based upon color, race. religion, sex, or national origin).

I always find the balance between a public corporation's rights to enforce its own policy and the individual right to fair and equal treatment tricky to find in certain circumstances. When religion is then mixed in another layer of complexity and passion is added.
GM has a right to sponsor whatever groups it wants, not being funded with public money or part of the government. Moranski held the view that the guidelines allow GM to treat religious groups less favorably than nonreligious groups. GM argued that it treats all religious groups the same, a view upheld by the court.

Opinions anyone?

Dave the hyphenated American

This being the season for new resolutions and other such leaps into the unknown, I very quickly snatched the "Blogger Required" sign from the window and sent Buck a long and winding email. Something must have clicked, because after a flurry of messages, a password followed allowing me access to this very blog. And who am I, you may be asking? Well, I'm an ex-Brit, who chased a dream all the way to frosty Michigan. I hope to bring a little different perspective to the discussions on this blog and hopefully prompt some of you to become frequent commenters, contributors and active advocates for the cause of liberty.

It's going to take me a couple of days to get up to speed but I'll leave you with something hopefully a little more revealing: a meme for new bloggers stolen and adapted shamelessly from Seeing the Forest:

Why I'm A Guest Blogger

Four of your favorite foods: 
Steak and Roast Potatoes 
Special House Lo Mein
Melted cheese on toast
Hungry Howies 5 item pizzas

Four movies you could watch over and over:
Lawrence of Arabia
The Full Monty
Snatch
Amelie

I have this web space that, for the most part, is going to waste. I just don't have the time to devote to it it anymore and haven't for a long time. Anyway I hate to see this space go to waste so much so that I am looking for someone interested in Blogging (a Blogger wannabe) to help the Liberty 1st Blog reach its a potential audience.

So if you are a right of center libertarian (or a Conservative purist) who always wanted to try out Blogging but didn't have the web space or don't know how to get started this may be the perfect opportunity for you.

Email me at "blog at Liberty1st.org" for more info.

Titled: MCRGO wins in Kent County!

Today, MCRGO Counsel David Bieganowski called with very good news: MCRGO has prevailed in its lawsuit against Kent County!

You may recall that some time ago MCRGO challenged Kent County's arbitrary requirement that all CPL applicants complete and submit additional 'customized forms'. Chief among them was a form--requiring a physician's signature--attesting to an applicant's 'mental health'.

Predictably, physicians routinely refused to sign such a form. Without a 'Doctor's note', applicants would then be required to attend a gun board meeting in person or even denied their CPL effectively undermining the intent of the 'shall issue' clause within State's statute. Note that Kent County was the only one of Michigan's 83 Counties to adopt such a requirement.

Based on statute, Kent County Chief Circuit Court Judge Paul Sullivan has ruled as follows:

"Mental Status Verification Forms are 'void and unenforceable".

His ruling also negates Kent County's additional requirement that applicants disclose name or address changes for the past 8 years.

We are pleased that the Michigan CPL statute MCRGO worked so hard to implement continues to withstand such legal challenges. Our goal then was to pass crystal clear language that would withstand 'creative 'interpretion' later. Judge Sullivan's ruling demonstrates once again that MCRGO has succeeded.

We thank Judge Sullivan for his jurisprudence and stand by our fundamental position:

Once an applicant has been 'cleared' by the F.B.I. and completed the intensive training required by law, s/he shall be granted their constitutional right to self-defense.

See the original news item for more info and how you can help win these battles over individual liberty.

I have had one for a couple of months now and just haven't got around to bragging blogging about it yet. It was my first semi automatic purchase and I absolutely love it. Prior to purchasing it I had considered a Springfield Armory XD40 but a friend of mine had this Sig, which at the time had only had 100 or so rounds run through it that he wanted to sell on the cheap. Anyway, long story short, it was an offer I couldn't refuse and now I am very glad I didn't.

Suddenly I am a Sig P229 enthusiast (read obsessed). If you are a Sig enthusiast also be sure to check out the Sig Forum here.

 

Titled: Mi. House votes to place Second Amendment plaque on Capitol grounds

A plaque honoring the right to bear arms would be placed near the state Capitol under legislation approved Wednesday by the state House.

The House voted 108-0 to send the Senate a bill that would require the Michigan Capitol Park Commission to place the plaque near the Capitol or in the adjacent mall area. The plaque would be installed once enough private money is collected for a foundation to which it could be attached.

The plaque, which was created by the Iosco County-based gun rights group Brass Roots, is made of more than 18,000 empty shells collected at a 1994 rally at the Capitol. It measures 4 feet by 6 feet and is inscribed with the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment and a similar provision in the state constitution.

Rep. Leon Drolet, a Republican from Macomb County's Clinton Township who sponsored the bill, said the intent is for the monument to be funded completely with private dollars

The best part of that is that it was done with private money. Awesome!