[COLUMN] ACLU on anti-religion crusade

Here we go again.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments Thursday concerning a Ten Commandments display at a Kentucky courthouse.

This is not some random display. It is part of an educational display titled "Foundations of American Law and Government."

Along with the Ten Commandments, the display includes the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, the Magna Carta, the Star-Spangled Banner, the National Motto, the Preamble to the Kentucky Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and a picture of Lady Justice, with an explanation of the significance of each document.

The purpose of the display is educational and reflects a sampling of documents that played a significant role in the development of the legal and governmental system of the United States.

This display is in a corner on the second floor of the courthouse in Grayson County, Ky., and was paid for with private funds, not tax dollars.

Of course, the display bothered nobody, which was a sure sign the American Civil Liberties Union would get involved. Predictably, it filed a federal lawsuit in 2002.

[COLUMN] Time to leave Demjanjuk's fate to Providence

John Demjanjuk, third from right, is taken from his home in Seven Hills, Ohio by immigration agents as his granddaughter, Olivia Nishnic, looks on, Tuesday, April 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Jason Miller)

It's time to leave Ivan "John" Demjanjuk alone.

Rule of law and a sense of justice are crucial elements in any free society.

Free human beings, after all, have the God-given natural right to defend themselves from those who would do them harm. To that end, we have collectively allowed the government to establish a judicial system to punish those who violate the rights of others.

However, there is another side of justice and that is protecting the rights of the accused, regardless of how despicable the crime. Here in the United States we have various protections in place, including laws against double jeopardy.

Enter Demjanjuk, a Ukrainian native who came to the United States in 1952 and became a citizen six years later.

Demjanjuk began World War II as a soldier in the Soviet Union's Red Army when he was captured by Germans in 1942. The belief is that he either volunteered or was conscripted as a prison guard and committed crimes at Nazi death camps.

Demjanjuk said he was imprisoned in a camp in Poland until 1944, and then transferred to another camp in Austria. In 1945, he joined an anti-Soviet Russian military unit funded by the Nazis.

Now, 64 years after the war ended, the German government, in a particularly ridiculous move, has charged Demjanjuk with more than 29,000 counts of accessory to murder.

Can the German government prove that Demjanjuk had a direct role in the deaths of more than 29,000 other human beings more than six decades ago during the fog of war?

Of course not.

[COLUMN] Study: Colorblind society a bad idea

Do you believe in a colorblind workplace where everyone is treated equally regardless of race or ethnicity?

Then you are a racist, apparently.

The University of Georgia conducted a study that examined 17 departments in a large health care organization. The researchers measured the beliefs of white employees (managers and nonmanagers) to determine the extent to which they endorsed either "colorblindness" or a more "multicultural" approach to diversity. They did so by asking nearly 5,000 of the white employees a series of statements to which the respondents agreed or disagreed.

Then the researchers looked at how engaged or committed minority workers were and whether those minority employees were working in departments that were colorblind or departments that took a more multicultural approach.

The researchers wanted to see in which departments the minority workers performed better.

The survey results, published in the online version of the journal Psychological Science, revealed that minority employees feel less committed to their work when white employees promote "colorblindness." Yet, when white workers champion multiculturalism, the research finds, their minority peers feel more connected to their jobs.

"Contrary to popular beliefs, workplaces that downplay racial and ethnic differences actually make minority employees feel less engaged with their work," said Victoria Plaut, an assistant professor of psychology at the university and the study's lead author. "Minority employees sense more bias against them in these allegedly colorblind settings."

Sounds like the problem rests with the minorities in this study and not the white workers who want a colorblind workplace. After all, do you really need your co-workers to celebrate your differences in order for you to work hard?