Today Jerry Buell, the highly respected Florida

public school teacher who was suspended from

teaching after voicing his opposition to

"same-s*x marriage" on his personal Facebook

account, has returned to the classroom.  Liberty

Counsel defended Mr. Buell's constitutional

rights and prevailed!  Read the details of this

travesty below and see how Liberty Counsel is

standing against similar attacks across the

nation - Mat.

Jerry Buell has been reinstated as a teacher at Mount Dora

High School, allowing him to return to the classroom today.

Liberty Counsel Senior Litigation Counsel Harry Mihet

spearheaded our aggressive defense of Mr. Buell's

constitutional freedoms.

Yesterday afternoon, the Lake County (Florida) School

Board made its decision after a week-long "investigation"

into comments Buell made on his personal Facebook page

about New York's same-sex "marriage" laws.

The pro-family Buell is firmly opposed to same-sex marriage,

as are the majority of Floridians who passed a constitutional

amendment prohibiting such "unions" in their state.

      The school system Superintendent met with Buell and

      Mihet Tuesday afternoon and then announced the Board's

      decision.

++This persecuted teacher turned to Liberty Counsel for help.

When Mr. Buell, last year's "Teacher of the Year" at Mount

Dora High School, learned of his suspension from teaching

and reassignment to non-classroom duties, he knew he needed

expert legal help. Thankfully, Liberty Counsel was able to

quickly come to his aid at no cost to him.   

      On his Facebook page, Buell had commented that

      homosexuality is a sin and that seeing two "grooms"

      kissing on a news story revolted him.

      A former student from his school saw his post, took

      offense, and "reported" him to school system officials.

Citing an "ethics code violation" pending an investigation,

the Lake County School District responded by taking away

Buell's teaching privileges and reassigning him to

administrative duties.

++ Liberty Counsel quickly moved to defend Jerry Buell's

rights.

Harry Mihet immediately went to work on Mr. Buell's defense

strategy. The School Board's reinstatement decision came

in less than a week.  Following the Board's decision to

reinstate Mr. Buell, Mihet commented...

      "This is a great day for the Constitution. By fully

      exonerating Mr. Buell, the Lake County School Board

      has reaffirmed what the rest of Americans already

      knew. The First Amendment protects the right of

      public servants to express their personal opinion

      without any fear or intimidation."

++ Constitutional freedoms are under siege nationwide!

The problem Buell faced is more widespread than anyone

might imagine. More and more, public and private sector

employees are being forced to forgo their constitutional

freedoms, especially those holding a conservative

viewpoint (pro-family, pro-life, pro-liberty positions)

that might be considered "intolerant" or insensitive

to the small minority promoting "alternative lifestyles."

Two days ago, Liberty Counsel's widely-distributed news

release  said this...

 

      "Public school teachers are not constitutional orphans.

      They, like all Americans, enjoy the freedom to engage

      in discourse about matters of public concern... If

      the First Amendment does not protect Mr. Buell's

      right to voice his personal opinion, on his personal

      time, from his personal computer, on his personal

      Facebook page, then the First Amendment means

      nothing."

This type of assault on First Amendment rights - and labeling

pro-moral Americans' comments as "hate speech" - is becoming

epidemic in America.  Such vicious attacks are creating

an unprecedented number of cases for Liberty Counsel as

we defend persecuted educators and others free of charge. 

This persecution and anti-religious bigotry must stop!

++ Help Liberty Counsel defend students' and school system

employees' rights from attacks by intolerant censors. 

We cannot fight attacks targeting educators like Jerry Buell

without the faithful and generous support of friends like

you. That's why your support is so very crucial - especially now!

      Patrick, I urge you to join with other God-fearing

      Americans and help us stand up to radical factions

      that seek to destroy our religious, social, and

      moral foundations.

Please consider a generous gift today to help us defend

educators like Jerry Buell and other public employees against

this kind of persecution by misguided local administrations

that choose to bow to demands for "political correctness." 

      As shown by Jerry Buell's case, we MUST be able to

      move quickly to stop such attacks before they gain

      momentum!

http://www.libertyaction.org/r.asp?U=49207&CID=336&RID=32101292

++ Liberty Counsel can prevail only if you stand with us!

Jerry Buell is a gifted educator, a good citizen among many

others who are being persecuted in the name of "political

correctness" by a small number of pro-homosexual and

anti-religion activists.

      Jerry is not the first public employee we have been

      asked to defend...and he certainly won't be the last!

As you may recall, a few years ago the American Civil Liberties

Union (ACLU) contrived a trap in which two senior school

employees in Northwest Florida were charged with CRIMINAL

contempt and faced $5,000 in fines, six months in jail,

and the loss of their collective 70 years of retirement

benefits. 

      Their "crime" was asking a blessing over a meal!

Like Jerry Buell, our clients in the notorious Santa Rosa

County case were well-respected, outstanding public

servants.  Believe me, we are both humbled and proud to

serve such exemplary citizens.

The outrage in Northwest Florida happened because the ACLU's

radical agenda to criminalize all expressions of Christianity

in public settings, in this case taking the form of an

unconstitutional Consent Decree, was implemented in that

jurisdiction.

      But, Patrick,  it could have just as easily happened

      in your community!

After two years of intense legal confrontations, faced with

an imminent trial and damning evidence of their extensive

constitutional violations, in July of this year the ACLU

and the Santa Rosa School District agreed to settle Liberty

Counsel's federal lawsuit. 

      We aggressively challenged their notorious Consent

      Decree on behalf of 24 students and a number of

      teachers, parents, and other community members.

This ACLU "Consent Decree initiative" in Santa Rosa County

was a template of what the ACLU wants to do across the

country!  We feel certain that we have not seen the end

of this outrageous ACLU strategy. After we won several

victories in Santa Rosa County, we expect counter-attacks

in other communities...possibly in a place near you or

your loved ones.  

++Whether it takes just a week or several years, Liberty

Counsel is dedicated to stopping attacks on our precious

liberties!

      As I've said before, the reality is that we are

      facing powerful and dangerous adversaries on the

      battlefield for liberty.  It is necessary that I

      ask for your help to continue fielding the best

      possible defense (and offense!) to counter these

      attacks.

We depend on friends who give $20, $30, $50, $100 - whatever

the Lord leads - so we can stay involved in crucial national

battles like our ongoing lawsuit against ObamaCare while

continuing to stand up for the constitutional rights of

grassroots Americans like Jerry Buell.

Patrick, you don't have to look far to see that attacks

on marriage, the sanctity of life, freedom of speech,

and all the other foundational liberties upon which

our society is built are exponentially increasing.

That's why our caseload at Liberty Counsel is also

rapidly growing!   

Please consider a special gift to Liberty Counsel to

meet the situations I mentioned in this brief "Victory

Report" plus many other critical needs by going here:

http://www.libertyaction.org/r.asp?U=49208&CID=336&RID=32101292

THANK YOU in advance for your gift and may God bless you!

Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman

Liberty Counsel

P.S. Please consider further supporting Liberty Counsel's

litigation fund in this crucial hour so we can continue

defending victims of pro-homosexual attacks and blatant

anti-religious bigotry against pro-moral citizens like

Jerry Buell. Your prayers and sacrificial giving literally

make it possible for us to continue our vital work! 

http://www.libertyaction.org/r.asp?U=49209&CID=336&RID=32101292

+ + Comments? Questions?

http://www.libertyaction.org/r.asp?U=49210&CID=336&RID=32101292

Liberty Counsel, with offices in Florida, Virginia and

Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit litigation, education and

policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom,

the sanctity of human life and family. 

Liberty Counsel . PO Box 540774 . Orlando, FL 32854 .800-671-1776