Go into a lions den and scream fresh meat persecuted?

[doggie]

The guy is an idiot NASA is not the place to preach creationism. Looks like hey annoyed everyone with his beliefs would not stop but then fired for no reason?

 

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A computer specialist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is going to court over allegations that he was wrongfully terminated because of his belief in intelligent design.

 

Opening statements in the lawsuit by David Coppedge were expected to start Tuesday morning in Los Angeles Superior Court after lawyers spent Monday arguing several pretrial motions.

 

Coppedge, who worked as a team lead on the Cassini mission exploring Saturn and its many moons, claims he was discriminated against because he engaged his co-workers in conversations about intelligent design and handed out DVDs on the idea while at work.

 

Intelligent design is the belief that a higher power must have had a hand in creation because life is too complex to have developed through evolution alone.

 

Coppedge lost his team lead title in 2009 and was let go last year after 15 years on the mission.

 

In an emailed statement, JPL dismissed Coppedge's claims. In court papers, lawyers for the California Institute of Technology, which manages JPL for NASA, said Coppedge received a written warning because his co-workers complained of harassment.

 

They also said Coppedge lost his team lead status because of ongoing conflicts with others.

 

Caltech lawyers contend Coppedge was one of two Cassini technicians and among 246 JPL employees let go last year due to planned budget cuts.

 

The case has generated interest among supporters of intelligent design. The Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian civil rights group, and the Discovery Institute, a proponent of intelligent design, are both supporting Coppedge's case.

 

The National Center for Science Education, which rejects intelligent design as thinly veiled creationism, is also watching the case and has posted all the legal filings on its website.

 

Coppedge's attorney, William Becker, contends his client was singled out by his bosses because they perceived his belief in intelligent design to be religious. Coppedge had a reputation around JPL as an evangelical Christian, and interactions with co-workers led some to label him as a Christian conservative, Becker said.

 

In the lawsuit, Coppedge says he believes other things also led to his demotion, including his support for a state ballot measure that sought to define marriage as limited to heterosexual couples and his request to rename the annual holiday party a Christmas party.

 

Coppedge is seeking attorney's fees and costs, damages for wrongful termination and a statement from the judge that his rights were violated, said Becker.

[Cordelia]

Mostly he sounds like he was a pain in the ass who liked to badger his coworkers.

Isn't California an "at will" state?

[lilwriter85]

I agree the guy is an idiot.

[BravaAmica]

Coppedge, who worked as a team lead on the Cassini mission exploring Saturn and its many moons, claims he was discriminated against because he engaged his co-workers in conversations about intelligent design and handed out DVDs on the idea while at work.

If he means "being a PITA, inflicting his beliefs on co-workers, distributing propaganda and not shutting the fuck up about his personal beliefs in the workplace, which probably led to him being shunned, mocked and eventually fired for being an asshole," then yes, I'd say he was discriminated against.

[Elle]

If he means "being a PITA, inflicting his beliefs on co-workers, distributing propaganda and not shutting the fuck up about his personal beliefs in the workplace, which probably led to him being shunned, mocked and eventually fired for being an asshole," then yes, I'd say he was discriminated against.

It wouldn't be discrimination. Wearing a cross necklace while going about your work and being fired for that, provided there's no ban on necklaces (as there sometimes are for safety reasons), then yes, discrimination. But if he was starting discussions and passing out DVDs, this is proselytizing and he has no right to do that in a secular workplace. He can no more do that than I could promote atheism in the workplace. Since one person repeatedly bringing up a topic like religion can create a hostile workplace, and since he has done this repeatedly (notice the plural "conversations"), it would be appropriate to fire him. His freedom of religion doesn't give him the right to infringe on the rights of others to a non-hostile work environment where they will be forced into conversations that are religious in nature and handed DVDs. IF the employer was allowing Jewish DVDs to be passed out or anything else religious, rather than scientific, in nature, and only he was let go, then he'd have a case. As it stands, he suffered no discrimination.

[AudreyE]

He sounds like a giant douche. I hope he doesn't prevail here. I hope he hears it stated a thousand times during the trial that his behavior sucked, and he deserved to be let go.

[Esther]

He sounds like an annoying fuck. If you're gonna work for NASA, at least pretend to have some understanding of actual science while at work.

ETA: And yeah - wearing a cross necklace and being fired for it? Discrimination. Handing out crazy propaganda DVDs and harassing your co-workers about your belief in any deity or lack of belief in any deity? Dumbassery.

[BravaAmica]

It wouldn't be discrimination. Wearing a cross necklace while going about your work and being fired for that, provided there's no ban on necklaces (as there sometimes are for safety reasons), then yes, discrimination. But if he was starting discussions and passing out DVDs, this is proselytizing and he has no right to do that in a secular workplace. He can no more do that than I could promote atheism in the workplace. Since one person repeatedly bringing up a topic like religion can create a hostile workplace, and since he has done this repeatedly (notice the plural "conversations"), it would be appropriate to fire him. His freedom of religion doesn't give him the right to infringe on the rights of others to a non-hostile work environment where they will be forced into conversations that are religious in nature and handed DVDs. IF the employer was allowing Jewish DVDs to be passed out or anything else religious, rather than scientific, in nature, and only he was let go, then he'd have a case. As it stands, he suffered no discrimination.

I totally agree with you. I was being sarcastic in my OP. I've had religious assholes do what I described in my OP and then whinge about discrimination when they were written up and then fired for continuing the behavior.