Harrisburg Mayor Linda Thompson One of Olbermann's "Worst Persons in the World"

Remember Linda Thompson, the Harrisburg mayor who was the subject of this February protest? On the October 20th edition of Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Olbermann listed Thompson as one of "worst persons in the world," citing the fact that her participation in a June prayer event did not affect Harrisburg's current financial woes. More details here!

News Tidbits

Beliefnet: Critics push Obama to change faith-based hiring rules

Voice of America: Evangelical Leaders See Secularism as Greater Threat Than Islam

Pennlive: Protests calling for separation of church and state in Harrisburg city hall scheduled

Florida Independent: New film imagines a future in which African-American terrorists murder abortion providers

Minnesota Independent: Local, national Catholics to ramp up ‘language’ war on same-sex marriage

Commentary Tidbits

Think Progress:  Perry To Headline Fundraising Dinner For A Group That Promotes Ex-Gay Therapy

The Wall of Separation: Misguided Mission: Pa. Mayor Leads Prayer And Fasting To Balance The Budget

Rolling Stone: Michele Bachmann's Holy War

RH Reality Check: Bodily Autonomy, Abortion and Orange Drink: Or, What I Learned In Youth Group

Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters: THE GAYS ARE COMING: A Shory History of Homophobic Documentaries

News Tidbits

I will be traveling the next few days, so posting at Republic of Gilead will resume next week.


Pennlive: Harrisburg's former grant manager contests unemployment decision, chides mayor for prayer at work

Beliefnet: Leaving God out of Pledge tees off Ohio congressman

CNN: U.S. evangelicals gloomy about future, 'global south' optimistic, study finds

American Independent: Staffers: Govs. Haslam, Christie will not attend Perry/AFA prayer rally

Florida Independent: Archbishop of Miami defends ‘Religious Freedom’ amendment

Colorado Independent: Tea Party group FreedomWorks close with John Birch Society, study finds

Washington Independent: Gay marriage poll released by religious right group was intentionally skewed

Demonstration Against Harrisburg Mayor Linda Thompson

Today in Harrisburg, PA, hundreds of people participated in a demonstration urging Harrisburg mayor Linda Thompson to resign. Amidst multiple administrative and fiscal controversies surrounding Mayor Thompson, some area residents took to the streets to voice their unhappiness.

Linda Thompson was at the center of a controversy last summer involving church-state separation. Thompson reportedly began staff meetings with prayers, although she has stated that participation in prayers is voluntary and staff can leave the room if they wish. According to WGAL 8, after a Harrisburg employee filed a complaint with the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU sent Thompson a private letter in July 2010 asking her to stop opening staff meetings with prayer.

Rob Boston at The Wall of Separation (the blog of Americans United for Separation of Church and State) worried that Harrisburg city staff could be ostracized if they did not wish to take part in prayers. Friendly Atheist and American Humanist posted additional commentary on the prayer controversy.

The controversies surrounding Thompson go far beyond prayers at staff meetings. In addition to Harrisburg's financial problems (including Act 47 status) and an SEC investigation into city finances, several of Thompson's staffers have resigned since she took office in January 2010, including several spokespersons, an interim business manager, a city solicitor, and a chief of staff. One former spokeswoman, Joyce Davis, told WGAL 8 that Mayor Thompson needs help and that she resigned due to a hostile work environment. Another former spokesman, Chuck Ardo, claimed that Thompson made homophobic comments about the city controller, as well as anti-Semitic comments about a Jewish developer.