And here’s Cassini:
[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X0cCnOZej8]
Coppedge both runs a “creative-evolution” website and serves on the board of a company that produces intelligent design videos. Every bit of this is Constitutionally protected and none of it need have interfered with his work on the Cassini project — even if his beliefs do make something of an awkward fit with a mission that is intended, in part, to look for the chemical and evolutionary origins of life, with no role for anything other than the strictly empirical. Still, in 2009 Coppedge was demoted and in 2011 he was fired; both moves, he claims, were a result of religious discrimination.
Not so, says JPL. Coppedge, they argue, was harassing his co-workers by pushing his intelligent design video on them and engaging in unwelcome arguments about the origins of life. He is also alleged to have made coworkers uncomfortable with his overbearing conversations about his support for Proposition 8 — California’s anti-same sex marriage amendment — and his belief that the JPL holiday party ought to be renamed a Christmas party. He was, according to his former superiors, reprimanded and told to confine such discussions to the lunch hour or other free time. Coppedge, according to those same superiors, responded by alleging a “hostile work environment.”
Well, crumb, how about Coppedge creating an annoying work environment casting doubt on the very science his employers and fellow workers see as the foundation of their work, not to mention bringing up controversial social issues.
David Coppedge is one man standing up against NASA, the American governments’ space exploration agency. Now that takes courage! Why would anyone undertake such a difficult task? Basically it is a fight for freedom of religion and for freedom to discuss intelligent design during social settings in the workplace.
…
He is a member of the board of Illustra Media, which has produced excellent videos such as Unlocking the Mystery of Life, Privileged Planed, Darwin’s DilemmaandMetamorphosis…
During his career at JPL, Mr. Coppedge occasionally shared copies of Illustra Media videos with colleagues. Having complained that he was “pushing religion”, JPL fired David Coppedge in January 2011. He brought suit against JPL (funded by American taxpayers) and the institution’s private administrator California Institute of Technology. His suit claims protection against religious discrimination under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act. … The trial began on March 7, 2012.
The court case has generated international media attention. A Yahoo News item (March 12/12) was entitled “Suit: NASA Specialist Axed over Intelligent Design.” Another item, posted online by TIME Magazine on March 19 was entitled “Legal Smackdown: NASA, Religion and Intelligent Design.” TIME’s piece suggested that Mr. Coppedge’s views “make something of an awkward fit with a mission that is intended, in part, to look for the chemical and evolutionary origins of life, with no role for anything other than the strictly empirical.” The article suggested that NASA was entirely justified to object to someone who was a “provocateur” and “ a pain”, promoting an unpopular view. But it was not the views, but the actions that JPL objected to, said TIME, and besides all NASA did was to “downsize” Mr. Coppedge as a result of a reduced role for Cassini.
On the other hand David Coppedge contends that he was a senior employee in good standing until a supervisor objected to his lending the DVDs Unlocking the Mystery of Life and Privileged Planet to willing colleagues.
The resulting court case therefore is supposed to resolve to what extent an employee really enjoys freedom of religion and free speech in the workplace. Legislation clearly protects this right, but does the law really protect anyone? This California case obviously is an important one. It is expected to run 3 or 4 (possibly even 5) weeks. The judge has viewed the two DVDs and multiple copies have been distributed to the media.
Anyway, the trial apparently ended on April 16, but the verdict is still pending. The latest updates on the trial’s status are these (as of Oct. 17, 2012):
Well, as I said, I’m not sure about woodpeckers, but there might be Bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover Disaster for I.D…’
P.S., the airplanes are Supermarine Spitfires, which, like bacteria (see above) and Chevy Novas (see above), have firewalls, only the Spitfires have Rolls Royce engines of about 1650 cu. in (27 litre) for the early models and 2240 Cu. in. (37 litre), in the later versions (with the bulging cylinder banks that look so cool) so take that, Chevy Nova hot rod fans (see above)! The Spitfire did not feature Jet Propulsion, since that idea was still in the Laboratory when the Spitfire was intelligently designed, so Coppedge must know what he is talking about since he was there. But I suppose jets do spit fire, especially with the afterburner going full blast, but I don’t know if they have firewalls. Perhaps they just have those funky little folding room dividers.
Now, of course, the Bible has Dragons, which also spit fire, and since it is obvious that airplanes, jet or piston powered, have designers (who are part of the weird sub-category of intelligent apes called “People with Practical Jobs”), so too must the biblical dragons, hence Creationism. See, wasn’t that easy?
So, if anyone goes to the Creation weekend, send me some note, pictures, etc! Here is the rest of the schedule:
Mill Woods Assembly 23 Ave. & 66 Str. – Edmonton Free Admission!
Friday October 26
8:00 p.m. Cassini Discovers Saturn
Saturday October 27 (all day)
10:00 a.m. Complimentary Continental Breakfast
10:30 a.m. Evidences for Youth in the Solar System
1:30 p.m. The Art and Science of Baloney Detecting!
8:00 p.m. Why the Church must emphasize Creation