Texas Attorney General Paxton Doubles Down On Bible-Quoting 'Peanuts' Poster In Killeen [UPDATED]

AUSTIN, TX — Attorney General Ken Paxton — the top law enforcement official in all of Texas — has zeroed in on a controversy over a Bible-quoting poster in a Central Texas town, strongly urging district officials put the poster back up on the door.
The poster installed by Killeen ISD staffer Dedra Shannon depicts the Peanuts character Linus, quoting from the Bible in conveying the true meaning of Christmas. Shannon put the poster up on a classroom door at Patterson Middle School in Killeen, only to have school officials take it down for fear of running afoul of federal church-and-state guidelines.
Several parents, along with officials at the conservative Texas Values, a group with a stated goal to "protect faith, family and freedom." AG Paxton inserted himself into the controversy, advising school officials they are able to display the poster without violating the separation of church and state.
After Killeen school officials stuck by their decision to keep the poster out of sight, Paxon infused himself into the debate in earnest. Following formal discussion on the matter on Tuesday, Paxton sent school officials a tersely worded letter all but demanding the poster be put back up.
The poster depicts the character Linus as depicted on the "A Charlie Brown Christmas" oliday staple, with the words “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a savior,” a biblical passage that prompted the school to take it down to avoid the promotion of a religion on school grounds.
Paxton begged to differ. And on Tuesday, he let school officials know this.
He starts with his interpretation of the Supreme Court ruling outlining separation of church and state guidelines, casting the school district's response to the poster as unsurprising given a litigious climate and what he views as a backlash against Christianity.
"Although such concerns are not surprising in an age of frivolous litigation by anti-Christian interest groups, they stem from an incorrect reading of the law," Paxton wrote. "Staff members therefore may express their their take on teh holiday without infringing on the Constitution even if they incorporate some religious terminology."
He then urges school officials to resurrect the Linus poster, vowing that he would marshal the resources of his attorney general's office in defending their move should any legal action emerged — but only if they put the Linus poster back up.
"I sincerely hope that you choose to rescind the unlawful policy, apologize to Ms. Shannon, and move back into compliance with the law," Paxton wrote school officials. "My office will gladly exercise it's discretion...to represent Killeen ISD in any frivolous lawsuit that might be filed that seeks to inhibit the religious expression and diversity of Killeen's educational community."
Some Texas government officials — chiefly Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrickand Paxton — aren't shy about sprinkling Christian theological thoughts into their communiques, primarily via Twitter, in appealing to their strongly conservative Texas base and "family values" political platform.
Patrick in particular, is prolific in tweeting out religious ideology. In June, he quickly deleted one such reference centered on the idea that "you reap what you sow," appearing mere hours after a massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando — leading to widespread condemnation for the inference that the victims deserved their fate based on their lifestyle.
Patrick explained that the tweet was pre-timed to appear before the Orlando massacre, and replaced the Bible passage with another one. He said the offending tweet was just one of several religious tweets he enjoys posting on his official government Twitter account in messaging his followers.
To read Paxton's full letter to the Killeen ISD, click here.

From Dec. 12:

KILLEEN, TX — The character of Linus from the beloved Peanuts comic strip has sparked quite a firestorm in Killeen, Texas, after school officials last week took down a door decoration featuring the cartoon character quoting a Bible passage.

Officials at Patterson Middle School removed the poster out of what appears to be an abundance of caution in avoiding religious themes in a secular setting. But many parents became upset, including officials at Texas Values, a group with a stated goal to "protect faith, family and freedom."

The poster on a door at the school displayed Linus accompanied by a line from the gospel of Luke: “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a savior.”

Officials at Killeen ISD, located some 75 miles north of Austin, said they later found the poster to run counter to the tactics of separation of church and state. The decision to remove the Bible-referencing poster is now scheduled to be discussed further at the upcoming school board meeting on Tuesday.

Ahead of the school board meeting, the Texas Values people reiterated their stance on Monday, calling for the Linus poster to be re-installed on the classroom door. And they aren't leaving a resolution on this battle of the culture wars to faith alone, securing legal representation for the school officials who was forced to take down the Linus likeness.

"Today, Texas Values announced their legal representation of Killeen Independent School District (ISD) staff member Dedra Shannon, who was asked to remove portions of a Christmas poster that she had displayed on her door at Charles E. Patterson Middle School. Our legal team sent a letter to Killeen ISD to inform them that “there is nothing in federal or state law that requires [the school district] to censor Ms. Shannon’s poster.”

Many of us remember from our childhood the scene from the Charlie Brown Christmas special serving as basis for the poster. It's become a holiday staple since its creation by the late cartoonist Charles M. Shulz, memorable to many of us for the dancing moves of its characters than Linus' pontificating as he sought to explain the meaning of Christmas.

Seriously, who could anyone possibly forget the dancing? Even Snoopy got into the act on the dance floor, displaying some pretty hip moves.

But in many pocket of the country — particularly conservative areas such as Killeen — it is the climactic monologue by Linus that continues to resonate most powerfully. Mocked for his anemic Christmas tree, Charlie Brown is thrust into an existential crisis wondering if he even knew the meaning of Christmas.

"That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown," Linus tells his peer after concluding his speech about the roots of Christmas meant as a commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

We all know the rest of the story. After the speech, a conciliatory note is struck by the Peanuts gang, as they help Charlie Brown spruce up his little Christmas tree into a robust arboreal specimen reflective of the holiday (um, Christmas) season.

Like usual, Linus — the conscious of the Peanuts gang — saves the day yet again.

In Killeen, though, the tone is a tad more stridently divisive over the Linus poster, with battle lines drawn for each side of the emerging debate. Some agree with the school's decision to avoid promoting religion while others see it as a sort of censorship. The issue has now transcended the borders of Killeen, grabbing national headlines.

Jonathan Saenz, attorney and president of Texas Values, didn't mince words as to his organization's stance. Rather than being seen as an abundance of caution by school officials, their action is hostile toward religion, he said.

"Banning historical and religious expressions about Christmas shows hostility to religion that must be stopped," Saenz said in a prepared statement. "It’s amazing that even a quote from ‘Charlie Brown’s Christmas’ is not even safe for some overzealous or misguided government officials.

What's more, taking down the Linus poster is an affront to the ideals of the "Christmas Law" passed in 2013 by the GOP-led Texas Legislature to protect such religious expression in the state's schools. Yes, Virginia, Texas has a "Christmas Law" that was passed in 2013.

"Had Killeen ISD officials simply followed the law and been tolerant and respectful of the diversity of their staff, this incident would not have happened," Saenz said. "With just a few days left before Christmas break, the solution is simple and easy for Killeen ISD – allow the Charlie Brown Christmas poster to go back up, in its entirety.”

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has gotten into the act, recalling his own efforts in getting the so-called Christmas Law passed three years ago.

“I am proud to have voted for the Merry Christmas law in 2013, when I was a member of the Legislature," Paxton said in a prepared statement. "We passed that law precisely because of this type of discrimination against people of faith. No school official in Texas can silence a Biblical reference to Christmas. This is an attack on religious liberty and a violation of the First Amendment and state law. I am calling on the school board of the Killeen ISD to immediately reverse their unlawful decision.”

The rift among the Peanuts characters was long settled, and Charlie Brown, as usual, was vindicated in the end. But in Killeen, the battle over religious expression is just getting warmed up. Unlike the Peanuts characters, it appears there won't be mass dancing toward coalescing either.

Good grief.

>>> Image via WikiMedia Commons