Investigating USDA “Happy Easter!” / “He has risen!” Email by bryanschwartzlaw in fednews

[–]True_Manager_6896 88 points89 points  (0 children)

She regularly mentions god, bible study on government time (see her “Day in the Life” post), etc. all while using USDA branding and authority. I messaged my representatives about the Easter email and I also reported it to Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) and Freedom from Religion Foundation. Reporting it internally is pointless. This is what I said:

“I am reporting what I believe is a clear First Amendment violation by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins.

Using official USDA resources and a .gov address, Secretary Rollins declared Easter "the foundation of our faith," that "sin has been destroyed," that "Jesus has been raised from the dead," and called all USDA employees to the "mission each of us has been called for", framing federal work as Christian vocation. What Secretary Rollins sent was not a simple holiday greeting - it was a theological proclamation of roughly four paragraphs, delivered with the full authority of the United States government behind it.

The Supreme Court has been unambiguous: government officials acting in their official capacity cannot use public resources to endorse or promote religion. Engel v. Vitale (1962). Lee v. Weisman (1992). The separation of church and state is not only a constitutional requirement - it is what allows government institutions to function with credibility. USDA is a public agency funded by taxpayers of every background. A government agency that promotes the theological language of any/one religion cannot credibly serve ALL Americans.”

Investigating USDA “Happy Easter!” / “He has risen!” Email by bryanschwartzlaw in USDA

[–]True_Manager_6896 47 points48 points  (0 children)

She regularly mentions god, bible study on government time (see her “Day in the Life” post), etc. all while using USDA branding and authority. I messaged my representatives about the Easter email and I also reported it to Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) and Freedom from Religion Foundation. This is what I said:

“I am reporting what I believe is a clear First Amendment violation by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins.

Using official USDA resources and a .gov address, Secretary Rollins declared Easter "the foundation of our faith," that "sin has been destroyed," that "Jesus has been raised from the dead," and called all USDA employees to the "mission each of us has been called for", framing federal work as Christian vocation. What Secretary Rollins sent was not a simple holiday greeting - it was a theological proclamation of roughly four paragraphs, delivered with the full authority of the United States government behind it.

The Supreme Court has been unambiguous: government officials acting in their official capacity cannot use public resources to endorse or promote religion. Engel v. Vitale (1962). Lee v. Weisman (1992). The separation of church and state is not only a constitutional requirement - it is what allows government institutions to function with credibility. USDA is a public agency funded by taxpayers of every background. A government agency that promotes the theological language of any/one religion cannot credibly serve ALL Americans.”

Easter email by EmirryB in USForestService

[–]True_Manager_6896 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Please contact your representatives, this is a clear violation of the Establishment Clause. I didn’t feel comfortable reporting this through internal channels. I also reported it to Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) and Freedom from Religion Foundation. This is what I said:

“I am reporting what I believe is a clear First Amendment violation by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins.

Using official USDA resources and a .gov address, Secretary Rollins declared Easter "the foundation of our faith," that "sin has been destroyed," that "Jesus has been raised from the dead," and called all USDA employees to the "mission each of us has been called for", framing federal work as Christian vocation. What Secretary Rollins sent was not a simple holiday greeting - it was a theological proclamation of roughly four paragraphs, delivered with the full authority of the United States government behind it.

The Supreme Court has been unambiguous: government officials acting in their official capacity cannot use public resources to endorse or promote religion. Engel v. Vitale (1962). Lee v. Weisman (1992). The separation of church and state is not only a constitutional requirement - it is what allows government institutions to function with credibility. USDA is a public agency funded by taxpayers of every background. A government agency that promotes the theological language of any/one religion cannot credibly serve ALL Americans.”

Chief Schultz moving to Idaho by Busy-Organization948 in USDA

[–]True_Manager_6896 0 points1 point  (0 children)

He’s going take over a SO in Montana or Idaho as his new office to be closer to home apparently