The internet has been buzzing about the story of Jennifer Keeton. She was a student at Augusta State University, trying to get a degree in counseling. An outspoken Christian, Keeton is not supportive of so-called “gay rights”. She was not shy about expressing her biblical perspective on homosexuality both in and out of class, and the university responded by expelling her. They claim that a bias against homosexuality disqualifies her from a certification in counseling, and gave her the option of undergoing a remediation program, complete with gay sensitivity training (read: brainwashing), or expulsion. And so, Keeton sued the school.

According to Keeton’s civil complaint, school officials met with her a number of times this spring to express concern over her open disagreement with gay and lesbian lifestyles in her classes and her writing assignments.

“You couldn’t be a teacher, let alone a counselor, with those views,” a faculty member told her during one meeting, according to the complaint.

The officials outlined a remediation plan for Keeton that would include such things as participating in diversity sensitivity workshops, completing reading and writing assignments on the topic and possibly attending the Augusta Gay Pride Parade, the complaint said.

She refused, writing in an e-mail to Augusta State officials, “[Y]ou are requiring me to alter my objective beliefs and also to commit now that if I ever may have a client who wants me to affirm their decision to have an abortion or engage in gay, lesbian, or transgender behavior, I will do that.

“I can’t alter my biblical beliefs, and I will not affirm the morality of those behaviors in a counseling situation.”

You know, one might think that if Keeton’s religious views on homosexuality made her a bad counselor, that it would be her problem. One might think that if a client had a problem with her views of homosexuality, they could find another counselor. It’s frankly outrageous that a university would force a student to undergo a homosexual brainwashing program because they disagreed with her religious beliefs. There is freedom of religion in this country, after all. Oh, and freedom of speech, too. The university is basically forcing a student to undergo a thought reform program, because they don’t like what her point of view or her beliefs. They’re trying to spin it otherwise, like they don’t mind her beliefs — as long as she keeps her mouth shut and never, ever mentions them. So basically, this university believes that Christians should only be Christian behind closed doors. Thousands of Christians across the country believe exactly the same thing that Keeton believes, so are they not welcome at Augusta State, either? We’re back to Christianity being targeted and attacked, where Christians aren’t allowed to be Christians in the public square. God forbid those poor helpless fragile victims, the gays, be offended!!

Unfortunately, a federal judge has ruled in favor of another university who did something similar. So, guess what? Christianity is apparently no longer allowed on public universities. Freedom of religion?! Please! The delicate sensibilities of the gays and the politically correct crowd are so much more important than silly things like freedom of speech and religion.

A federal judge has ruled in favor of a public university that removed a Christian student from its graduate program in school counseling over her belief that homosexuality is morally wrong

… U.S. District Judge George Caram Steeh dismissed [Julea] Ward’s lawsuit against Eastern Michigan University. She was removed from the school’s counseling program last year because she refused to counsel homosexual clients.

The university contended she violated school policy and the American Counseling Association code of ethics.

… The case is similar to a lawsuit the [Alliance Defense Fund] filed against Augusta State University in Georgia. Counseling student Jennifer Keeton was allegedly told to stop sharing her Christian beliefs in order to graduate.

Keeton’s lawsuit alleged that she was told to undergo a reeducation program and attend “diversity sensitivity training.”

The American Counseling Association’s code of ethics does not trump the First Amendment. And this judge has now ruled that approval of homosexuality is now mandatory in public universities. The country founded on Judeo-Christian beliefs is now requiring Christians not to express those Judeo-Christian beliefs. This is what “embracing diversity” is all about, after all. Only acceptable kinds of diverse backgrounds and beliefs are allowed. Public universities are, in two separate cases, imposing ideological beliefs onto their students and the kicking them out if they don’t comply.

Christian or not, approve of homosexuality or not, if you value freedom, that should scare you.

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An Oklahoma City police officer wrongly pulled over a man last week and confiscated an anti-President Barack Obama sign the man had on his vehicle.

The officer misinterpreted the sign as threatening, said Capt. Steve McCool, of the Oklahoma City Police Department, and took the sign, which read “Abort Obama, not the unborn.”

Chip Harrison said he was driving to work when a police car followed him for several miles and then signaled for him to pull over.

”I pulled over, knowing I hadn’t done anything wrong,” Harrison said in a recent phone interview.

When the officer asked Harrison if he knew why he had been pulled over, Harrison said he did not.

”They said, ‘It’s because of the sign in your window,’” Harrison said.

”It’s not meant to be a threat, it’s a statement about abortion,” Harrison said.

He said he disagrees with the president’s position on abortion.

”I asked the officer, ‘Do you know what abort means?’” Harrison said. “He said, ‘Yeah, it means to kill.’ I said, ‘No, it means to remove or terminate.’”

Harrison said his sign was to be interpreted as saying something like: Remove Obama from office, not unborn babies from the womb.

The officers confiscated Harrison’s sign and gave him a slip of paper that stated he was part of an investigation.

… But his run-in with the law wasn’t over yet.

”The Secret Service called and said they were at my house,” Harrison said.

After talking to his attorney, Harrison went home where he met the Secret Service.

”When I was on my way there, the Secret Service called me and said they weren’t going to ransack my house or anything … they just wanted to (walk through the house) and make sure I wasn’t a part of any hate groups.”

Harrison said he invited the Secret Service agents into the house and they were “very cordial.”

”We walked through the house and my wife and 2-year-old were in the house,” Harrison said.

He said they interviewed him for about 30 minutes and then left, not finding any evidence Harrison was a threat to the president.

OK, OK… they didn’t actually arrest him. They just told him he would be fined, investigated, and reported to the Secret Service. Putting a sign on your car that’s critical of Obama’s position on abortion apparently makes you a threat to the President these days. Strangely enough, actual calls for death to President Bush by rabid liberal hippies in anti-war rallies for the past eight years didn’t see all of those people investigated by the Secret Service. But this is the newer, hopier, changier President. And dissent is no longer patriotic.

I’m a little curious what it means for the future of free speech if critical (and perhaps even somewhat inflammatory) speech against the President means you’ll get investigated by the Secret Service. That’s the problem with all this wailing from the Left on “hate speech”. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS HATE SPEECH — THIS IS THE UNITED STATES! As long as you are not making a direct threat against someone, you can say anything you damn well please. The First Amendment doesn’t protect speech as long as it’s pretty and pleasant and polite. It protects all speech, even if it’s rude, or demeaning, or inflammatory, or even — GASP!! — hateful.

But I guess that only holds true for liberals when they’re the ones speaking out, and not for conservatives. Free speech? That’s soo 2008.

Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin; also on a tip from Whit Bass.

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