PLEASE ADD YOUR "AMEN" TO THE PETITION BELOW!
Mayor Bill Freytag~ Shelby~ Ohio | SIGN PETITION BELOW~ TO ALL FIVE MEMBERS OF SHELBY CITY COUNCIL TO OVERRIDE MAYOR FREYTAG’S BAN ON PRAYER BEFORE COUNCIL MEETINGS Corroborating: Associated Press~ 15 Oct 09~ Dayton Daily News Ohio mayor vetoes city council prayersSHELBY~ Ohio — A mayor has vetoed a proposal that would have required [allowed] a city council in Ohio to start meetings with a prayer. Shelby Mayor Bill Freytag told the council in an e-mail that he took the action Wednesday on the advice of the city’s law director~ who felt the ordinance was unconstitutional. The measure was approved 3-2 earlier this month by council members in the city of 49~000 about 65 miles north of Columbus. Supporters pointed out that the Ohio Legislature and the U.S. Congress open sessions with a prayer. The mayor noted that the proposal had been the subject of much debate and had resulted in numerous phone calls and letters to his office~ some from outside the area. The city council may try to override the veto~ which would require a vote of 4-1. TAKE ACTION FIVE WAYS:
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A PRAYER TO ALMIGHTY GOD~
and
A PETITION TO MAYOR OF SHELBY~ OHIO~ BILL FREYTAG~
and COUNCIL MEMBERS CARLISLE~ LEWIS~ GATES~ HOOVER~ SCHAG:
Dear Mayor and Councilmembers:
We the undersigned~ respectfully petition you to defend religious freedom by allowing visiting pastors
of all diverse faiths and denominations~ to pray aloud publicly according to the dictates of their own conscience~
at or before city council meetings~ even if they dare to pray aloud publicly "in Jesus name" or invoke their own specific deity.
Please do not cave-in to atheist intimidation by the enemies of religious liberty~ including your own ill-informed legal advisors.
Please conform your decision to First Amendment precedent which allows Jesus prayers among other rotating diverse prayers~
as already decided in the 7th Circuit (Hinrichs v. Bosma) and 11th Circuit (Pelphrey v. Cobb County)
and by the Supreme Court of the United States in two decisions: Marsh v. Chambers and especially Lee v. Weisman.
Jesus is not an illegal word~ the Bible is not a banned book~ and prayer speech is not a crime.
Please simply adopt a policy similar to Tulsa City Council~ and declare the prayers are private speech~ not government speech~
or allow the prayers to be said aloud during optionally attended time~ just before the first government business is gaveled to order.
Please allow pro-bono Christian lawyers~ from the Alliance Defense Fund or others~ to defend your pro-Jesus prayer policy in court.
We pray to God you will stand with us by taking a courageous stand for liberty~ in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Add your "Amen" by signing below~ and WE WILL POST YOUR COMMENTS to the
Mayor and Councilmembers of Shelby~ Ohio immediately.