Action Alert: Support County Supervisor Threatened with Recall for Opposing County Board Prayer!
A supervisor on the Board of Dodge Co. Wis., Dean Fuller, needs support for his objection to the unlawful practice of beginning many Dodge County Board meetings with prayers invoking Jesus. The Foundation, at Mr. Fuller’s request, wrote Dodge County officials to back up his courageous request that government prayer be dropped. Rebecca Kratz, our staff attorney, documented that the Supreme Court has explicitly ruled against government prayer which is sectarian and coercive in nature.
Read Dean Fuller's op-ed piece today:
Guest Column: Prayer stance a legal issue (text follows at end)
http://www.wiscnews.com/bdc/opinion/438160
by Dean Fuller, Dodge County Supervisor
The Daily Citizen (Beaver Dam, Wis.)
February 12, 2009
When Mr. Fuller's request was first being debated, a fellow supervisor at the meeting demanded his resignation. Already a letter to the editor has been published advocating the recall of Dean Fuller. The precedent of a government board member being recalled for speaking up for state/church separation would be intended to send a chilling message to other elected officials who speak up for the Establishment Clause.
How to help:
Note: For maximum effectiveness, write as an individual and do not refer to this Action Alert in your e-mails or letters of complaint. Please do not forward this Action Alert to the offending County officials or to news outlets (feel free to forward to other state/church activists).
1. Vote at current Reader's Poll (we're still winning!)
"Do you agree with the decision to discontinue formal prayer at the start of Dodge County Board Meetings?" (scroll down to find poll)
Daily Citizen (Beaver Dam, Wis.):
http://www.wiscnews.com/bdc/news/437843
2. Contact the Dodge County Board of Supervisors
Russell Kottke, Chair, c/o County Clerk's Office:
kgibson@co.dodge.wi.us
920-386-3602
Letters may reach Mr. Kottke at: 127 E Oak St., Juneau, WI 53039
3. Write supportive letters to the editor!
Include name, mailing address, and telephone number for verification and keep letter short.
Beaver Dam Daily Citizen
805 Park Ave.
Beaver Dam, WI 53916
dc-news@capitalnewspapers.com
Watertown Daily Times
113-115 W. Main St.,
P.O. Box 140
Watertown, WI 53094-0140
Phone: 920-261-5161
Letter to the editor - news1@wdtimes.com
The Reporter (Fond du Lac, Wis.)
33 W 2nd St
Fond du Lac WI 54935
(920)922-4600
Mike Mentzer- mmentzer@fdlreporter.com (takes letters to the editor, must be under 300 words). Fond du Lac is the county, but this newspaper is reporting on the controversy.
More background:
Daily Citizen (Beaver Dam) news article:
http://www.wiscnews.com/bdc/news/437843
Guest Column: Prayer stance a legal issue
http://www.wiscnews.com/bdc/opinion/438160
by Dean Fuller, Dodge County Supervisor
The Daily Citizen (Beaver Dam, Wis.)
February 12, 2009
Much has been said, and alleged, recently regarding the illegal invocations that have been taking place at some Dodge County Board meetings. I thank The Daily Citizen for this opportunity to bring the focus of this issue back to where it began and where it belongs.
The central issue here is not the belief system or religion of any citizen or group. The issue is what the law requires and allows. We are a nation of laws. Our laws do in fact allow invocations, but require that invocations fit within specific parameters designed to respect, and protect, all citizens. This was explained to the Executive Committee of the County Board by Corporation Council John Corey at their Feb. 2 meeting.
Some supervisors would like us to believe that a majority of the Dodge County Board can ignore or override state or federal law if that law strikes them as inconvenient or inconsistent with a "tradition" that exists at the county level. Most high school civics students could probably recognize the problems with this attitude.
If counties were allowed to nullify state or federal law by majority vote it is likely there would be counties somewhere in this country, right now, where slavery was still a legal institution, women were still not allowed to vote or work outside the home, and disabled individuals would still not be able to access the opportunities that others enjoy. I have confidence that the majority of rational citizens in Dodge County understand this, and do not wish to waste more time, effort, or public money debating whether the county should continue to break the law.
In addition, the recently published assertion (Beaver Dam Daily Citizen Feb. 3,) that all Dodge County Board meetings have begun with an invocation "for as long as anyone can remember" is something of a misrepresentation of the issue and of the facts. Published records of board proceedings, for anyone who bothers to examine them, will demonstrate that this is simply not true. Furthermore, if the invocation conforms to the state and federal guidelines, it can be allowed. Simply stated, the invocation cannot elevate one religion above others, or exclude or denigrate anyone whether directly or indirectly. This would hardly be a shocking standard in most places in the 21st century.
Another potential problem with the manner in which the invocations have been conducted is that, if continued, Dodge County and its taxpayers could potentially be exposed to the cost of litigating against a discrimination lawsuit, which we would be almost certain to lose. This potential expense would be borne by all of us through increased taxes and/or unpleasant budget cuts elsewhere.
It is unfortunate that this matter has distracted the board from more serious issues.
Several attempts were made to allow county officials to resolve this issue in a rational manner. The exaggerated response by some supervisors unwilling to allow our practices to conform to the current case law is merely one indication of why those efforts were unsuccessful.
Dodge County Supervisor Dean Fuller represents the 29th District.