Kansas Republican Official Fires Employee For 'Not Attending Church'

Republicans across the country seem to continually have trouble understanding the separation of church and state. In yet another example of blatant hypocrisy, the party that continually weeps and moans about their “religious freedom” has fired a state employee because “she just didn’t go to church.”

Courtney Canfield of Topeka, Kansas, is suing the Secretary of State, Eric Rucker, for improper dismissal. She was fired after not taking her coworkers up on their offers to attend church. The lawsuit states that “Plaintiff’s lack of religious participation and expression clearly conflicted with Defendants’ religious preferences… Plaintiff is protected under state and federal law from adverse employment actions because of her choice to refrain from religious participation and/or expression.”

Her grandmother, Margie Canfield, has been a longtime official in the Republican GOP. Rucker visited her and complained about her granddaughters lack of devotion. He then “proceeded to tell Margie that she needed (to) terminate plaintiff despite the fact that she had no direct authority over her employment.” When she refused, he did it himself.

She is suing for $75,000 in damages for “lost past and future wages and benefits, cost of living increases, mental and emotional distress and anguish, embarrassment, inconvenience and humiliation.” It just goes to show that the Republican Party is not actively concerned with religious freedom- unless it is theirs. Their hypocrisy truly knows no bounds.

Colin Taylor

Opinion columnist and former editor-in-chief of Occupy Democrats. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice and equality in America.