ABC Newspapers: “Chipping away at our rights”

Link to article.

Julie Carpenter’s case was recently mentioned by columnist Elyse Kaner in her column “Writer’s Block”:

And what about the woman from Princeton who was fired last winter from her job driving a school bus because co-workers allegedly labeled her a witch? Yes, she had a former relationship with Jonathon Sharkey, the self-proclaimed vampire, who announced his candidacy for governor in January and later was arrested for outstanding felony warrants from Indiana. But she is not Sharkey.

She claims she was fired because of her pagan beliefs. Webster’s II Dictionary defines a pagan as anyone who is not Christian, Muslim or Jewish. The word is derived from the Latin “country dweller.” Another source describes a pagan as someone who follows the old, earth-centered religions. Shouldn’t we be a little more open-minded about people who do not share our beliefs? Is the bus driver getting a fair shake?