Hey, this is Brian Sapient here posting some views from Margaret to her blog. I should take this moment to inform you that to the best of my knowledge Margaret hasn't blogged on this site and she currently uses her facebook page to communicate with people. A few supporters and I have posted her views to this site on her behalf with her permission.

I recently approved a comment to be posted on this site that I found to be hateful, but indicative of the type of behavior I've seen from "True Christians" over the years. I don't like comments of this nature to go without a response as an uninformed reader may be led down the wrong path. I asked Margaret to comment and the following is the comment and her response.

Original comment:
I am so glad that bitch lost
Submitted by Modious on Fri, 2009-01-30 22:26.

Below is a sample of the letter I wrote to all school board members (printed on my letterhead):

August 10, 2009

Dr. Brian T. Binggeli, Superintendent
Brevard County Public Schools
Fax: (321) 633-3432

Dear Dr. Binggeli:

Please allow me to introduce myself through this email message. I am the founder and president of the Anti-Discrimination Support Network (ADSN). ADSN is a watchdog organization established to act on complaints of discrimination against the atheist community. ADSN has tracked the activities of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) since reports of discrimination were first received in 1991.

It has come to my attention that on Tuesday, August 11. 2009, the Brevard County School Board will be discussing whether or not the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) will be allowed to hold a recruitment drive through the Brevard County public school system.

My letter of complaint to American Airlines:

My husband and I always use American Airlines to travel and have had wonderful experiences until the April trip.

We flew on a red eye from Kona, Hawaii to Los Angeles, California. We flew first class for more comfort and service. We awoke to music playing and the lights coming on when the pilot announced that we were about to land. The music was a shock to me in that it was specifically Christian music. The words of the song being played praised Jesus and God and instructed listeners to pray and "adore him."

The next song was even more religious. I said to the stewardess that the flight had become a church service. She ignored me completely.

The next song was also an overtly Christian song, this time with a message about the "glory and the power of God."

In total we had to listen to three songs about a religious doctrine we find disturbing. I'm sure that a Jewish family, a Hindi family and nontheist people such as my husband and I were equally offended that American Airlines was promoting the Christian doctrine in a space that could not be escaped from. We were a captive audience!

From the Orlando Sentinel, Sunday, November 18, 2007

Disabled Scouts Left Without Troop
Group loses charter after leader’s discrimination suit

By Kate Santich - Sentinel Staff Writer

Perhaps the Scouts of Titusville's Unit 700 don't quite fit the historic mold. Perhaps, they admit, you couldn't picture some of them strapping on a rucksack and hiking through the wilderness. After all, one has cerebral palsy. Another suffers from the effects of a rare childhood stroke. Several have learning disabilities or asthma.

In Unit 700, though, they seemed to thrive. One of their leaders was a strong-willed woman in a wheelchair. But after the woman filed a lawsuit charging the Boy Scouts' Central Florida Council with violating the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, things began to get very, very unpleasant for Unit 700.

Joke 1

Murphy approached Mulligan's bar to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. On the step outside he was accosted by a nun, Sister Marie, who said:

'Surely a fine man like yourself is not going into this den of iniquity? Surely you're not going to waste your hard-earned cash on the devil's brew. Why don't you go home and feed and clothe your wife and children?'

'Hang on, Sisters,' spluttered Murphy. 'How can you condemn alcohol out of hand? Surely it's wrong to form such a rash judgment when you've never tasted the stuff?'

'Very well,' said Sister Marie. Till taste it just to prove my point. Obviously I can't go into the pub, so why don't you bring me some gin. Oh, and just to camouflage my intent, maybe you should bring it in a cup not a glass!'

'OK,' said Murphy and into the bar he breezed.

'I'll have a large gin,' he said to the barman. 'And can you put it in a cup?'

'My God,' said the barman, 'that nun's not outside again is she?'

Joke 2

The first says: "Aye, this is a nice bar, but where I come from, there's a better one. At MacDougal's, you buy a drink, you buy another drink, and MacDougal himself will buy your third drink!"

This is the story of a bunny born in the backyard of the Weisman home in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The Weismans’ only child discovered the baby bunny on a star-filled night while the three Weismans’ were out for a walk.

Because Bugsy was such a cute little bunny, he was taken to a pet store in Nazareth, Michigan. The pet store displayed Bugsy in its storefront window. Little children came to worship the very sight of him. Bugsy found his first disciples (Markie, Lukey, and Johnny) at that pet store.

It was a miracle, but all the bunnies escaped from the pet store when an employee carelessly left the door to their cage unlatched. “Lettuce prey,” were the first words spoken by Bugsy when he and the others escaped.

After escaping from the pet store, Bugsy and his disciples went on a wild adventure. They taught children the joys of dancing the Bunny Hop, coloring eggs and hiding them, filling up baskets with candy, and wiggling their noses.

It was said that Bugsy once multiplied five chocolate bunnies and two marshmallow goodies to give away five-thousand treats. There was also a story about Bugsy magically turning chicken eggs into jelly beans.

I. Thou shalt be devoted to growing beautiful roses--maybe even joining a local Rose Society.

II. Thou shalt purchase the best rose plants available. Try to find "Grade 1" plants that have at the very least three strong, lively shoots. A plant that has a paraffin coating is not a good plant.

III. Thou shalt plant in a location that will get at least 6 hours of direct sunlight. The location must also have good drainage.

IV. Thou shalt dig a 18"deep by 24" wide hole using a soil mix with lots of nutrients. Space between plants should be 36"-42" from the center of each plant. Plant only what you can manage--no more--no less.

V. Thou shalt take time to fertilize.Roses need frequent fertilizing after pruning. The best recipe includes organic and chemical fertilization. Feed your rose bed at least every two months.

VI. Thou shalt treat your roses to disease and pet control protection. Roses are subject to fungus diseases tht can be avoided by applying chemicals that will prevent spores from developing. When insects appear, use insecticides. Control of diseases lies in consistency. Extreme care must be taken when applying toxic chemicals.

1. You don't need any chemicals--ever.

2. If you have some plants in the pond, you don't need to (in fact, shouldn't) feed fish more than once a week - and even then only as much as they actively eat for about a 5-minute period.

3. You almost never have to drain, clean and re-fill a pond - maybe once every 5-7 years. If, however, you happen to have a lot of debris, like leaves, etc., falling into the pond during the course of the year, you may want to get into the pond in fall (before it's too, too cold to do this) and just scoop up some of that extra gunk by hand to minimize the oxygen depletion of the water (from the decomposition process). This job is not for the feint of heart.

4. To reduce algae, try to cover about 70% of the pond surface with plant life of any sort. Water lilies are good. Water Hyacinth and Water Lettuce are also good, fast-growing floating plants. They (Hyacinth and Lettuce) may spread so fast that you need to pull a few handfuls out from time to time (for the compost pile) so that they don't cover the whole surface.

An Amish boy and his father were visiting a nearby mall. They were amazed by almost everything they saw, but especially by two shiny silver walls that moved apart and back together again by themselves.

The lad asked, "What is this, father?"

The father, having never seen an elevator, responded, "I have no idea what it is."

While the boy and his father were watching wide-eyed, an old lady in a wheelchair rolled up to the moving walls and pressed a button. The walls opened and the lady rolled between them into a small room. The walls closed and the boy and his father watched as small circles lit up above the walls.

The walls opened up again and a beautiful twenty-four-year-old woman stepped out.

The father looked at his son anxiously and said, "Go get your mother."

This information reposted from the notes section of Margaret Downey's facebook, where she is currently most active.

Below is the email message received from Mr. Frank on Thursday, March 12, 2009 and below his is my response to Mr. Frank on the same day:

Dear Ms. Downey,

First let me say that I understand and sympathize with the depth of your feelings about this matter. And yes, of course, the Center respects the right of the Anti-Discrimination Support Network to make its views known. Any individual or group wishing to set up a table during the Scout Day event may do so in the Center's First Amendment space, located in front of our building. To make these arrangements, a request must be sent to Indpendence National Historic Park for a permit. The contact at INHP is Frank Eidmann at 215-597-9205.

Sincerely,

Steve Frank
VP Education & Exhibits
National Constitution Center
Independence Mall
525 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106

Dear Mr. Frank,

Thank you very much for your response suggesting the use of the Free Speech Zone in front of the National Constitution Center (NCC). We did indeed use that space in 2007 to set up a "Diversity Appreciation" booth (see attached photo).